To Perytonia

by Cloudy Skies

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Adventure
Length: 556028

Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity are tasked with establishing ties between Equestria and the strange people of Perytonia. Understanding and connecting with your own friends may yet be the bigger challenge. Updates every Tuesday and Saturday!

By royal request, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity travel to far-off Perytonia to establish ties between Equestria and a strange new people.

Plunged deep into an alien culture with its own history, understanding the native peryton is only part of the challenge. As Rainbow Dash discovers, navigating her own relationship with her oldest friend may be harder still.

A season two story.

Published 2017-08-26 12:30:06 UTC
Last updated 2018-02-06 16:10:25 UTC

Chapter 1

Find attached a path by air and a path by sea. The calculations are my own, using Cape Absolute as my point of reference, and any capable captain should be able to follow them with ease. I was told we may expect an exact map via an independent party. This is not as strange as it may sound: In my recent travels, I have met more than one such party of what I can only describe as cross-border mail service. Please see separate report.

Finally, I wish to add a personal note, and I ask that these words are omitted from my official report as these are simply the fanciful musings of a mare who would rather be working than waiting.

I have described these peryton as tending towards stern and unreadable. Combine this with the precision of their instructions for a proper meeting, and it is easy to think their severe demeanor contradicts their inviting words. I do not think this is the case. I firmly believe that the peryton are fundamentally amenable to the prospect of engaging in diplomatic relations with Equestria—these are all things I have stated in my report.

However, and with respect and deference to the Princesses’ discretions, I am an explorer, and no diplomat. I suspect your Royal Highnesses will wish to involve their most capable agents for this land. This place requires ponies with experience and ability, better equipped to understand what I can not.

I leave this letter in the care of the Royal Equestrian Mail and depart for the south-west, allowing for a week ashore in case there are countermanding orders. My next scheduled report may be as late as next spring, given the distances involved.

-Red Sun Runner, The Perytonia Report. Section 4, subsections c-d. (Not Published)

“And remember, for the duration of our travels, we’re officially Equestrian diplomats,” Twilight said. “That means we all need to be at our best!” She drew herself up to her full height, and Rainbow Dash imagined it would look and sound pretty impressive if she hadn’t said words similar to those all morning long.

From the moment they woke up—or, from Dash’s perspective, from the moment they dragged her out from under the blanket and forced her to eat breakfast—Twilight had gone on and on about responsibilities and all those other boring things. From the hotel to the skydock, she’d been unrelenting in telling all her friends about the importance of their respective journeys, as if they didn’t know that.

Dash shifted uncomfortably with a creak and a rustle from her saddlebags, her attention already drifting again. This far up, the wind tugged at her mane as though she were mid-flight.

The Las Pegasus skydock looked impressive enough as part of the skyline. They had seen the huge, skeletal structure on approach by train, but up close, it was something else entirely. The multiple station buildings and flat boarding platforms were the tallest buildings in all of Las Pegasus. It was no Cloudsdale, sure—her city of birth was the authority on all things winged—but what the platforms lacked in puffy, cloud-filled awesome, they made up for with airships.

The large wooden hulls tethered to the side of the platform were held aloft by great balloons or magical pontoons, all sporting one or more colourful sails. The only thing tempering her excitement was the fact that they were boarding the smallest one around, and that was an objection on principle alone.

The Vantage, as the green letters on white wood declared it, was barely as big as Sugarcube Corner, a squat ship with a balloon many times its size. She shook her head to clear it. Apparently, ponies were saying their goodbyes. Pinkie crossed necks with Fluttershy and hugged her close with a foreleg, grinning hugely.

“—don’t party if you don’t know where the balloons came from, be sure to eat lots of sugar, and you come back all safe and nice!” she said, pulling back to touch her snout to Fluttershy’s. The pegasus smiled back and gave a confused nod.

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll be fine. I hope.”

Rainbow Dash grinned. “Hey, that goes double for you guys. I bet we’ll get back to Ponyville first. Losers have to throw a welcome back party for the others!”

“Wouldn’t it make more sense if the ponies who got back first set up a reception, dear?” asked Rarity, adjusting the straps of her saddlebags with a glimmer of magic.

“There is no telling when either of us get back. It could be days or even weeks apart,” Twilight added, hugging Rarity, then Rainbow Dash. Dash was happy to return the hug, wrapping her forelegs around Applejack, too, parting hugs shared all around.

“We all know Pinkie’s going to be the one throwing the party anyway,” Dash said, laughing.

“Parties,” Pinkie Pie retorted, hugging Applejack tight. “Not one party, but a bunch of them. There’s going to be so many parties. Aw, I’m going to miss you, Applejack!”

“Pinkie? Neither of us are getting on that airship,” Applejack said with a roll of her eyes, but she resigned herself to the sideways hug regardless. Behind the six ponies, the airship crew carried the rest of their cargo on board, a mare struggling under the weight of a large chest. The platform was deserted aside from sailors and staff, and most of those had already boarded the Vantage. Evidently, none of the bigger airships were leaving anytime soon.

“I suppose that’s our cue,” Rarity said with a wan smile, casting a glance towards the uniformed pony who had just stepped up to the railing of their ship. Rainbow Dash felt a twinge of trepidation course through her body. She’d played it cool when the others talked about it, but now, they were leaving Equestria. It wasn’t nothing. From the way Fluttershy’s tail drooped as she turned to the airship, she could tell the other pegasus shared her thoughts.

“Y’all stay safe. Going to miss you an awful lot,” Applejack said, doffing her hat.

“Heh, yeah,” Dash said. She took a deep breath and gave her most confident grin. “Seriously though. Race you back. You guys have fun, too!”

Final goodbyes were shared, and in Pinkie’s case, a last round of lightning-speed hugs. Rainbow Dash led the departing trio up the gentle slope of the gangplank, all three with scarves for warmth and saddlebags to carry their personal effects—but mostly to make their wings uncomfortable, Dash figured.

If Rainbow Dash made a few backwards glances, it was only to make sure that Rarity and Fluttershy followed. Definitely. It had nothing to do with being a teensy bit nervous. Just excited. Yep. She hopped onto the deck of the ship and stretched her entire body.

“Cold hooves?”

“Hah! No way!” Dash replied, whirling around to come face to face with their captain. The older, gravel-voiced mare wore a decorated sailor’s hat, and didn’t look half as smug as the words suggested. Instead, the blue earth pony mare gave them a relaxed salute, and Dash had no idea if she was supposed to return it. Also, the sailor’s eyes were on Fluttershy, who leaned over the railing to wave at their friends still.

“Oh. You mean her,” Dash muttered, flicking her ears.

“Rarity.” The unicorn said, stepping past Rainbow Dash to give the captain a nod and a bright smile. “A pleasure.”

“Calm Seas is my name,” the captain replied, giving Dash’s mane a pointed look. “I’m going to go out on a limb and say you’re Rainbow Dash, which makes you Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy quailed a little under the stern look, but managed a nod. Perhaps she had come to the same conclusion that Dash had: it didn’t look like their captain was capable of anything but a stern look.

Calm Seas indicated the only door set in the front of the ship. “Forecastle door, down the stairs, first on the right. Those’re the only passenger quarters, and you’re the only passengers. I haven’t been told not to ask too many questions, but I’m still not gonna ask. Don’t like questions on principle. Don’t get in my crew’s way, and you have free run of the ship otherwise.” She broke into a grin somewhat hampered by a scar on her muzzle.

“If that sounds alright with you ladies, let’s be off. Sooner we leave, sooner I’m back doing my regular runs. Royal business isn’t my favourite business, and this makes for two more cross-sea flights than I bargained for.”

The ship creaked. Rainbow Dash added it to the long and growing list of why wings were better than wooden airships for travel. She also added “speed” between every other entry in her head.

“I hope Twilight is going to be okay,” Fluttershy said, peering out through the small window set in their quarters’ outer wall. There was barely enough space for the three ponies and their saddlebags. No room to fly around a little just for the sake of it, much to Dash’s dismay.

“Twilight? Why her?” Dash asked, hopping onto the bed to sit next to Fluttershy. Outside, Las Pegasus drifted away as the Vantage performed a large turn and set course south and west. If there was anypony she worried about, Twilight was near the bottom of the list. Twilight could handle anything.

“Oh, come now,” Rarity said, rummaging around in her saddlebags with hoof and magic both. “Fluttershy is absolutely right. The poor dear was practically out of her mind with worry, rambling on and on even more than usual. I suppose she’s afraid either we or they will disappoint the Princess. Or, Princesses, as it were.”

Dash leaned against the wall, scratching the back of her head against the coarse woodwork. “Yeah, okay, but if the Princesses cared so much, why didn’t they come say goodbye?”

Fluttershy looked like she wanted to protest. She got so far as opening her mouth before Rarity cut in.

“They did say that there was a lot to do right now, and that’s why we are going to Perytonia in their stead. We said our goodbyes at the midsummer banquet last week. Honestly, Rainbow, I didn’t think you would be sore about that.”

“Hey, I’m not sore! I’m just asking. They didn’t tell us a whole lot about this mission.”

“Mission,” Rarity repeated, arching a brow. “I think I prefer ‘diplomatic journey’, myself.”

Dash grinned. “Nope. When the captain gave us that package, this became a mission.” She gestured to the open box at Rarity’s side, next to which lay its contents: a thick sheet of paper had been identified by Fluttershy as a large-scale map showing the location and environs of a city, with a blue circle around a hill near the city outskirts. Next to the map lay three neatly folded multi-coloured strips of silk longer than Rarity’s biggest winter scarves. The gauzy things had been the source of some debate.

“I don’t think it really matters what we call it,” Fluttershy chimed. “They know we’re coming, and that’s the important thing. Red Sun Runner met with one of the peryton to make sure.” She cleared her throat, raising her voice a little more. “And Rarity, if you’re looking for the box from the Princesses, it’s in my saddlebags.”

“Oh. Thank you, dear,” Rarity said, putting hers down while she quested under her bed for the butterfly-embroidered pair instead. Once she opened them, she fished out a box no bigger than a hoof to each side, revealing what Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but think of as a Hearth’s Warming ornament. Rarity insisted the metal star was a “sigil”, though, whatever the difference.

“Besides,” Rarity continued, fixing Dash with a smile. “Perhaps if you’d paid a little more attention when the Princesses told us about all their efforts this year, or even to Twilight today, you’d have learned a little more.”

“I was all ears when Princess Celestia and Luna talked about this!” Dash protested, her eartips heating up. “I know what they said. Take that thing to who or whatever’s in charge over there now and invite them to come have cake or something. Tell me one new thing Twilight said that the Princesses didn’t tell us.”

Fluttershy brightened. “She told us she’d found some very old books in the Canterlot library that suggested the Perytonians are probably vegetarians, just like us, and I was ever so happy she did. That’s a very nice way to break the ice.” She let out a little gasp. “Oh! And she also said they have have tail-feathers rather than tails like ours, just like birds! And that it wasn’t just the people Red Sun Runner talked to who have wings—they’re all winged creatures, just like the two of us—or at least she thought so.”

“Okay, that was not one thing,” Dash said, her momentum crashed. She deflated a tad, pouting. After a small pause, Rarity gave a very un-ladylike chortle, and Fluttershy couldn’t keep from giggling. It was infectious, and Dash failed to muster indignancy. She laughed as well.

“Fine, I kinda zoned out a lot,” she admitted. “I don’t sweat the small stuff anyway. ‘Give them the thing’. Done. I guess if the Princesses knew exactly how we were supposed to do this, anypony could have done it.” She puffed out her chest and tossed her mane. “No wonder they wanted us for this!”

“We’ll certainly need that energy of yours,” Rarity said, smiling. “And I’m sure our friend in, ah…”

“Orto, I think it was called,” Fluttershy said. “That should be the place on the map, but I can’t read their letters. Someone there should know we’re coming.”

“Yes. Our friend in Orto is supposedly waiting to meet us, and I’m sure they will be more than happy to lend a hoof. Or... claw? Beak? Whatever they have.” She looked askance at Fluttershy, but received nothing but a tiny shrug in reply.

“Sure, can’t wait to meet them,” Dash said. Bit by bit, the mirth petered out into a pensive silence. Rarity turned the sigil-or-ornament thing around in the grip of her magic, and Fluttershy looked out the window again. Dash followed her gaze. Nothing but air now, but if she craned her neck, she could see the ground far below. There was nothing unusual about that to the seasoned pegasus, but Dash could see the seashore far off in the distance, too. That part was decidedly new.

“So… Did you, ah, have fun, yesterday?” Rarity asked with a sideways glance.

“Hay yeah!” Dash said, bouncing to stand on all fours. Fluttershy tumbled off the side of the bed with a muffled eep.

“It was nice,” Fluttershy offered, accepting Dash’s hoof to help her back up.

“Nice? It was awesome!” Dash corrected her, grinning at the memory of all the games they had played and won during their little trip up and down Las Pegasus’ main thoroughfares that evening. Well, strictly speaking, she herself had been doing all the winning, but that seemed like something of a detail. Maybe even a small annoyance, on afterthought. Maybe she should’ve tried again to ask Fluttershy to try some of those games.

“Well, I want you to know that I’m very glad,” Rarity said, smiling. She looked as though she wanted to say something else. Maybe she wanted to know what games they had played, but she didn’t ask, depositing the sigil back in the box in favour of inspecting the Perytonian silk.

“Do you think they are for us?” Fluttershy asked. She stepped off the bed to run her hoof along the length of the silk Rarity handled. “They are very soft, and very pretty.”

“Three of them, three of us,” Dash said with a shrug. “They don’t look like they’re very warm if they’re scarves. Can’t be half as good as Rarity’s scarves for altitude flying.”

Rarity glowed, giving Dash a wide smile and their other, thicker scarves a fond look where they lay in the corner of one of their beds. “That’s very nice of you to say, Rainbow Dash, but unless we’re going mountain climbing, Perytonia is supposedly very warm, especially now in summer. Still, it’s nice to be appreciated for—”

“Oh, hey, who has the bottle?” Dash asked.

Rarity sighed for some reason. “Never mind. The dragonfire? I believe I do.” She levitated a small bottle out of her saddlebags. Emerald-green fire swirled behind thick glass. “I have the parchment for use with it as well, but I don’t enjoy the thought of having to use this.”

“Yeah,” Dash agreed. “If we can get a ride back home without sending a letter, I wanna save it to see if I can prank Twilight with it when we get back.” She snickered and made for the door. “Anyway, I’m gonna get some air. I’ll be back in a minute.”

The Vantage’s corridor was cramped enough to make a pegasus cry. Dash squeezed past a stallion in the narrow hallway, mounting the stairs three steps at a time until she was out the door. She flared her wings and stretched her neck out, exulting in—the lack of wind against her feathers?

Rainbow Dash frowned. The forecastle was in the way. Kicking off, it took her all of two seconds to fly up to stand at the front of the ship, finally getting herself some wind. The air smelled different from what she was used to. What had been a whiff of salty sea air at the Las Pegasus train station was now almost overwhelming.

Dash popped an eye open, peering over the rim of the airship to find only an endless expanse of deep blue. To the right, behind and below, the green fields of Equestria were slowly fading from view. Dash let out a low whistle. Views from on high? Old news. Watching Equestria slide away? New news.

“First time at sea?”

Dash yelped. For a big old pony, their captain was deceptively stealthy. The earth mare stood right next to her, looking ahead, the few locks of her mane not constrained by her hat flapping in the wind.

“Uh, I guess. I mean, we’re not really at sea anyway,” Dash said, though she couldn’t help making it sound like a question.

“I’m no philosopher, but we got the sea below us. Counts plenty for me,” said Calm Seas. “If you’re gonna throw up, do it off the starboard.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Oh, come on, I’m a pegasus. If flying made me sea—uh, air sick, I’d know. In fact, I bet I could outrace your ship easy.”

“Miss, my grandmother could outrace this ship running backwards, and no, there’s no pegasus blood in my family,” the captain retorted with a half-grin that stole Dash’s thunder. “And besides, I’d like to see you fly across the Gorget Sea alone.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her jaw. She felt the urge to fight that statement, to take the challenge, but she had no idea how big it was. Looking ahead, it went on forever. She’d have to risk finding a wild cloud for resting every so often, and even then she might get blown off course. She flexed her wings mutely, but if she didn’t acknowledge what had been said, it didn’t technically count as a loss.

“Anyway, I’m gonna go for a flight.” Rainbow Dash hopped onto the railing, leaning forward to balance against the wind.

“Right, but a word to the wise? Don’t go too far. That’d be on my head. Also, I’d suggest you to keep needless flying to a minimum when we get close to Perytonia.”

“What? Why?” Dash asked, her voice cracking on that last word.

“Because I’ve been asked not to cause an incident, and flying over their land might make them nervous.” The captain shrugged, tugging at her hat. “Those are the rules I keep to once past the border. Past any border. Once you’re off my ship, you do what you want, but right now, no incidents means stay close, and stay shipbound after land is spotted, which should be in three or four days.”

Rainbow Dash stared at the captain’s back as she wended her way down the outer forecastle stairs. The idea of flying less hurt more than it would in practice, but she knew there was no way anypony could keep her on the ground if she felt like a flight. She kicked off the side of the airship and let herself fall for a second before she spread her wings, letting out a loud whoop.

Despite the captain’s words, the airship wasn’t half as slow as Dash expected. It moved at a good pace, though keeping up was foal’s play for her, of course. Dash let herself fall behind and trailed the ship for a few seconds, coasting in its drag before she flew up on the Vantage’s left side. She grinned wide, running a hoof along the chipped paint as she sped up, an idea seizing her.

It didn’t take her long to find what she was looking for. Soon she flew level with the front-most of the ship’s little windows. Inside their quarters, Rarity sorted through her bags and Fluttershy sat with her eyes closed. She knocked on the window, cackling with glee when Rarity stiffened in fright and glared at her. Rainbow Dash waved, then dipped a wing to veer away from the airship and pulled a simple loop as she plunged into the open air.

It was vast. A different kind of vast. Sailing away from Cloudsdale, springing off any cloud, or simply flying up for any amount of time could always buy Rainbow Dash as much space as she wanted, but with the flat and featureless sea below, and with few clouds about, everything was air—and everything was water.

She pulled an idle half-corkscrew, flying upside down for a second. The sky or the sea below, the sea or the sky above, she could fly forever in any direction she wanted. The airship drifted not far above—well, below, now—and she had half a mind to do exactly that, but she’d need to return at some point.

She’d simply have to make the most of it then. Make the most of a lot of air and a lot of energy, without the freedom to simply fly in a random direction and land wherever her wings took her. A flock of seagulls would be her only audience this time, flying together above or below her, outlined against sea or sky. She let herself fall into a sharp, short dive. Two, three, four neat little loops without a single flap of her wings. Another two loops, these with corkscrews—she exited the last one heading the other way.

Incidents. The word echoed in her mind. Twilight had used that word a lot too. Celestia may have mentioned it once in a rare sentence about caution and other snooze-worthy things. She whooped and laughed as she let herself drop again. Her wings protested when she broke her momentum, launching off in another direction. Any direction.

Dash gave her wings their all, flapping as fast and as hard she could before she curled herself into a ball and furled her wings. She spun around and around. Tears formed in her eyes and her tail blocked her view. She had no idea which direction she was going, already planning the next sets of spins and twirls when she spread her wings again and righted herself.

Except, she couldn’t. When she unfurled her wings, the world still spun. That wouldn’t be a problem by itself. A little dizziness was nothing, but when she looked ahead—what she thought was ahead—nothing made sense. For a fraction of a moment, all was an endless, identical blue. What she saw didn’t match the way she moved, and she tipped forward into a sharp dive.

All that signalled Rainbow Dash’s fall was a sharp yelp as the air rushed past her, but experience and training kicked in both at once. She shut her eyes tight, and in the darkness, orientated herself by gravity alone. Half a second. One second. Two seconds passed in free fall before she worked her wings to stop the spin. A moment later, she pulled up into a stable hover.

When she opened her eyes again, she focused on a wisp of a cloudstuff in the distance until she clearly saw the line separating the two shades of blue on the horizon. The airship was a fair distance ahead and above, while the sea below didn’t seem any closer than it had been a while ago. Equestria was still a broad strip of greens and browns far behind. Dash swallowed and gave chase to the airship.

The little mishap wasn’t all that scary. She was already over it, she told herself. The thought that the captain or anypony else on the ship might’ve seen it, however remote the chance, now that was embarrassing. Part of her brain was already trying to come up with some explanation that a non-pegasus wouldn’t know enough to call for the load of hay it was. That was her real concern, not the fright.

Probably. Definitely. Dash shook her head hard enough to fling all those pointless thoughts out through her ears. Steadying her breath, she upped her pace and made for the Vantage’s deck.

Rainbow Dash tapped a forehoof on the ground impatiently, but like her friends, she was unable to take her eyes off the spectacle above. All three of them watched The Vantage’s efforts to lower their stuff to the ground.

A swivelling arm with pulleys and ropes poked out over the side of the ship, gently lowering the small cargo elevator which swayed precariously in the breeze. Rainbow Dash pushed their small two-wheeled cart off the wooden platform, and only when the rickety elevator was on the ascent again did Rarity breathe. Dash slipped her saddlebags onto the cart.

“I swear, I think my heart may never recover,” Rarity muttered, one foreleg on the cart as she and Fluttershy put their saddlebags on top as well. The unicorn stared at the assorted bags and the chest that held her precious materials as though a little air-time could ruin them.

“I’m sure they’re fine. The captain said she’d done this before,” Fluttershy said, casting one last glance up at the airship. She waved, but Dash couldn’t see anypony from this angle. From below, The Vantage was a featureless wooden blob in the shadow of its balloon.

Being off the cramped airship after four full days of mind-numbing boringness felt great, but that joy shrank a little as the the airship began drifting away. The Vantage turned in a large arc to head back home, northeast, with three passengers less. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Rarity stood alone on a small hill, twelve hooves making landfall in Perytonia.

Rather than the varying greens of the endless plains and forests of the Equestrian heartlands, here were drier, yellow grasses and patches of bare ground. The air itself was hot and dry, and though there were copses of trees and even a small forest in the distance, they were as unfamiliar to her as the fields of boulders that mirrored the untended clouds dotting the sky.

Rainbow Dash wanted to say it didn’t look that different. She opened her mouth to speak, perhaps only to agree with Fluttershy—whatever she’d said a moment ago—but her eyes always found something new to latch on to.

To their east, past jagged cliffs and a sheer drop, the ocean stretched on into infinity, and far to the west were mountains whose size and distance were impossible to judge. Behind them, to the south, the boulders, hills, dry grasses and strange trees all looked almost familiar, and somehow that made it feel all the more strange.

Finally, to their immediate north waited what was surely their destination, and in the end, all three of them faced due north. They stood on a small hill, their view just barely letting them see over the lip of a valley. Far below waited a huge and sprawling cityscape that dominated the valley floor, the distance rendering it a mass of mostly light greys. Sure, there were some coloured roofs here and there, but it provided a stark contrast to the colours of any given Equestrian street.

As Dash watched, a flock of distant shapes descended from the air to disappear amidst the buildings. Had they watched them leave the airship? For all she knew they were just birds. She didn’t have to look to know that Fluttershy had sidled up to stand at her side. The other pegasus stood close enough that she could feel her warmth, even in the dry heat of the wind. A moment ago, Dash had been stunned, her head too busy to be confident. Now, she found a grin.

“Alright, let’s do this!” she said, rearing up, and when she turned around on her hindlegs and hopped back, she saw Fluttershy wearing the beginnings of a smile. Rarity tore her gaze off the city and took a deep breath, nodding her assent.

“Yes, let’s,” she said, pointing to the cart. “Rainbow Dash, would you be so kind as to take the first turn moving our effects?”

“What? Why me?” Dash asked. She gave the offending vehicle a mighty frown.

“I’m sure I could try,” Fluttershy rushed to say, “but, um, I don’t see any roads on this side of the city. I’m sure the cart that Applejack made for us is strong enough to handle the terrain and all, but I’m not sure I am.”

Rainbow Dash sighed. As much as she didn’t like to admit it, they had a point. They’d been dropped off on gently rolling hills, and the bushes and rocks might present a challenge for a less athletic pony than her. With a shrug, she walked up to the cart and slipped in between the guiding bars. When she noticed that the simple harness didn’t obstruct her wings, she gave silent thanks to Applejack, wherever she was right now.

“I think we’re here,” Fluttershy said, leaning over the cart to point at the map Rarity had unfolded. “Which means that the hill circled on the map is right over that way. I guess they want to meet us—” Fluttershy yelped, startled into a hover as Rainbow Dash started moving, forcing her way through the dry grass.

“We’re in no rush, dear,” Rarity said, hurrying to catch up, folding the map with a glimmer from her horn.

“Breakfast at the ship was awful,” Dash protested. “I wanna see what these perytonians eat. Perytonilings? Perry-tons?” She upped her speed a tiny bit more, angling herself in the general direction Fluttershy indicated. The cart held up better than Rarity’s nerves, going by the unicorn’s continued worried glances at their cargo.

“Hopefully, they eat something that we can eat, too,” said Fluttershy, picking her way around a bush. “If not, we'll probably have to eat grass.”

Rarity scowled. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“S’gotta be some fruits or veggies around here.” Rainbow Dash pulled the cart straight through some scraggly growth, the thin branches tickling her legs. She grunted with effort, climbing a natural ditch.

“Careful,” said Rarity, her horn lighting up to steady the stuff on the cart.

“I am care—oh hey, look!” said Dash, finally getting the cart up top to a flat strip of cleared ground. “I guess we found the road? A road?”

“It’s not much of a road, really, but I guess it’s better than nothing.” Rarity eyed the path with obvious skepticism.

Fluttershy smiled. “It’s going in the right direction.”

“I’ll take it,” said Dash with a grin, setting the cart along the path that had just as many rocks and bumps as the rest of the hillscape. At least it was somewhat even, and there were no bushes growing in the middle of it. She briefly considered getting someone else to pull the cart, but they’d probably be even slower about it.

Rarity’s steady pace silently refused Dash’s attempts to really get them moving, the unicorn moving a diplomatic five steps behind her. Not that Dash minded terribly much. The heat had Dash sweating already, and now the city hid behind a long incline.

“Okay,” said Dash, taking a deep breath and wiping her forehead. “Just for the record, this better be a hot day for Perytonia.”

“We certainly won’t need the winter scarves,” Rarity muttered in agreement.

“We don’t know that,” said Fluttershy, frowning for a moment with sympathy. “Maybe we’ll find ourselves someplace colder, like a mountain, and we’ll be ever so glad you brought them.”

“The problem with that,” Rarity retorted with a bemused smile, “is that it requires me to hope we somehow end up on top of a mountain.”

Fluttershy giggled and shook her head, trotting alongside the cart opposite of Rarity. “Well, anyway, the place on the map should be outside the city, on top of this hill. I wonder what the Perytonians are like.” Her voice didn’t quite hold the same kind of wonder it did when she talked about the prospect of meeting some new kind of bird. Rather, she sounded concerned, like she did when she was trying to figure out what Pinkie had planned for her birthday.

“I’m sure they’re all reasonable if the Princesses expect we’ll manage,” Rarity said, smiling, but when Rainbow Dash glanced over her own shoulder, she saw that Fluttershy’s nod was one of those little nods that didn’t say “yes” at all.

“And besides,” Rarity added. “I am very glad you came with us, Fluttershy. If I am to try to show the best of Equestrian fashion to their prince or princess or whatever their leader’s title is, it’s a treat to have two wonderful winged models with me.”

“Uh-huh,” said Dash, snickering. “That’s definitely why they asked us to come to Perytonia. To model.”

“Of course not,” said Rarity with a huff, “but if they have wings and you have wings, that creates familiarity. That can only work to our advantage, even if it’s just a happy coincidence. None of us had to go, dear.”

Rainbow Dash held her tongue at that. She didn’t like the idea of any of them staying home. She didn’t like the thought of Fluttershy not coming along.

“Well, I’m very glad the Princesses approved your idea to show the peryton your fashion designs,” Fluttershy replied, “and I’m glad to help with that, too. I just… um, wish it wasn’t quite so far away. I hoped that they’d want us to visit somewhere closer to Ponyville. Do you really think they’re nice?”

“Come on, Fluttershy,” Dash said, grinning. “Stop worrying so much. We’ll do great.” She knew they would, and she knew Fluttershy would try to sell herself short every step of the way.

Fluttershy took a deep breath and nodded once more, smiling back at her two friends in earnest now. “If you say so.”

“I do say so. Just did,” Dash said, slowing down as she finally crested the height they had been mounting for a while now. On the other side of the lip of the valley, they were afforded a closer look of the nearby city. The far side of the valley landscape was dominated by farms, the gentle slope dotted with orchards Rainbow Dash couldn’t identify, and straight ahead, at the bottom of a long stretch downhill, the city of Orto awaited.

The buildings were definitely some kind of stone, Dash decided, and those that didn’t look like some variant of of upturned bowls were elaborate masses of open-aired arches and curves. There was probably a fancy word for it. Everything was very… architecture?

Orto’s streets were wide, and it looked every bit as busy as any Equestrian city, blobs of people and tiny shapes milling about. From their vantage point they could see more farms and other buildings stretching all the way east until the city hid behind the curvature of the valley, creeping towards the nearby sea. Maybe it wasn’t a valley after all. If there was a word for a valley that ran into the sea, Dash didn’t know it. The relative lack of tall towers and spires made the whole thing feel more like an outsize Ponyville than Canterlot, but it was a single drop of familiarity from a raincloud of strange.

“Oh my,” was all Fluttershy said.

“Indeed,” Rarity agreed.

“Yeah,” Dash said, scratching at her belly with a wing. “Okay, uh. Where do we begin? What do we do?”

“Well. Um. I think this is the hill on the map,” Fluttershy said, glancing back at the cart where the map lay packed away. “It didn’t show height the way maps usually do, but I think this is it. I could check again, if you want me to.”

“You might not have to. That may be our friend,” Rarity suggested, indicating an approaching figure with a nod ahead. A single creature was halfway between them and the outskirts of the city.

“We could go meet them,” Dash suggested. She squinted. It was hard to tell if the figure even got closer. For all she knew, they were moving away. Impossible to say.

“Maybe?” Fluttershy said, scuffing at the ground. “But also, maybe we should wait here like the map told us to? At least, I think it told us to.”

“I honestly could not tell you which is more polite,” Rarity admitted, clearing her throat. The figure was still too far away to identify beyond that they had four legs and a short mane, or no mane at all.

“Nah, forget it. Fluttershy’s probably right,” Dash said, to Fluttershy’s relief. Still, she wished she could just take to the air and fly over to greet this person, get it over with right away. She quelled that impulse, but the idea of flying brought up another memory from a few days back.

“Oh, hey, did you guys know that we’re not allowed to fly here?” The very memory annoyed her, and all of a sudden, the harness of the cart felt twice as restrictive.

“I had not heard that, no,” Rarity said, frowning. “You’re joking, right? That would be awful for you, darling!”

“Well, actually—” Fluttershy said.

“That’s what the captain said!” Dash said. “Or, something like that. Something about not causing an incident. Do I look like I’m about to cause an incident?” She flexed her wings and snorted loudly at the very idea.

“I think—” Fluttershy tried.

“Well, ah,” Rarity said, intensely studying one of her forehooves, “that is a very different question. But to your first point, I’m surprised that the Princesses hadn’t told us if the two of you would not be able to fly.”

“Exactly!” Dash said, turning to face Rarity. The cart’s wheels groaned and kicked up dust as they slid sideways around the rotating pegasus. “Who does the captain think she is, anyway? I—”

“I don’t think that’s true at all,” Fluttershy said, stepping in front of Rarity and Rainbow Dash. She’d raised her voice to something approaching what Dash would call a normal conversational tone. “The journal that Red Sun Runner wrote explained that the Perytonians she met with said they didn’t want us acting aggressively.”

“I hardly expect that the captain read the original journals,” said Rarity, tilting her head sideways, “but I do recall Twilight’s notes mentioning that. ‘Not acting aggressively’ is obvious, though. We’re hardly intending to cause a fracas.”

“Alright? I mean, sure?” said Dash. “We’re here to make friends.”

“So we should probably be very careful.” Fluttershy shook her head and smiled. “That’s all what Twilight said, anyway, but we don’t know what frightens them. Maybe they don’t like people moving quickly, or airships, or anyone at all flying high overhead if they don’t know who they—or, I mean, we—are or what we are doing,” Fluttershy said. “That could be very frightening and mysterious.”

Rarity poked her cheek with her tongue. “Well, that does make some sense. We are guests here after all, never mind that we don’t quite know where ‘here’ is. Our captain had directions, but we have no proper map, and as I recall, this isn’t even where Red Sun Runner met with the peryton to begin with.”

“Okay,” Dash said, nodding very slowly at her friends. “So… I don’t care about that. Like, at all. Flying, yes or no?”

“I don’t see why not,” a sharp voice suggested. “Unless your intention is to use your wings to scatter every unattended parchment in every home with the force of your wind.”

The three ponies gave a start, Fluttershy taking an involuntary step back from the stranger who just now stopped a respectful few strides away. Dash had forgotten all about the approaching creature, and it seemed that so had her friends.

The peryton stood taller than any pony Rainbow Dash had ever seen, except for maybe the Princesses. They—was it a he or a she?—had delicate, jagged antlers on their head, small eyes and a long muzzle, and for all that they weren’t completely unlike a large and powerfully built pegasus pony, they had small hooves on their forelegs, and large, splayed talons on their hindlegs, a little bit like Gilda’s.

“Forgiveness. I only heard your final few words. I did not eavesdrop. You are the Equestrians? We saw your coming.” The creature waited only long enough to let Rarity give a dumbfounded nod, her poise broken by the surprise. The peryton took one step sideways before spreading a huge wing up and back, as if unveiling the city beyond.

“I am Consul Khaird of the Swaying Stalks. Mine is the pleasure to welcome you to the greater demesne of Orto.”

Chapter 2

By raven for Orto, Vauhorn, Cotronna, Stagrum, and all kin,

On our shores were found visitors who answer to no known shapes. A small crimson creature without feathers or antlers, one called ‘Red Sun Runner’, sought audience with ‘all of Perytonia’, and their words did not meet ours as easily as they should. They asked us to promise and to do things we cannot, in hopes of forging friendship with their Equestria. At the moment, we did not have a flight to spare to escort them to Ephydoera proper, and they did not have the patience to wait for raven-borne words. Impatient, they asked for permission to deliver more of their kind to us, to guest, and asked where our decisions were made.

We send them to Orto, and deem the task of comprehension theirs while we wait for word from Cotronna (whose name and function was attempted communicated to the creature). We expect Cotronna to suggest the same as we did—and for Orto and its people to relish this task.

Forage looks promising this spring. We ask for no more the coming season than we did last year.

-The High Warden

“We are ever so grateful for you taking the time to meet us,” Rarity said, smiling brightly at their guide.

“Greeting visitors is one of my responsibilities, and one I relish,” he replied. At least, Rainbow Dash assumed for now it was a ‘he’. “Meeting you, and speaking anyway. Our written languages, I understand, are as different as our spoken languages are similar,” he continued, gaze straight ahead as the four made their way down towards the valley floor.

They passed an empty stone building with neither door nor windows. A road branched off to wind past it towards a small cluster of buildings on the western side of the valley, all surrounded by neat rows of plants in dry soil.

“Why is that? Why do we speak the same language? Or… I guess, why wouldn’t we?” Fluttershy asked, though when the peryton glanced over at her, however quickly and kindly, she looked like she wished she’d not spoken up.

“I do not know. That is for those who think on language from sunrise to sundown to answer. Perhaps a keeper of scrolls? It makes my job easier to be able to talk, so I am happy. There are enough hurdles as it is,” he said, throwing his head back and letting out a strange warbling sound unlike anything Dash had ever heard before. Dash blinked. Was that meant to be a laugh? He’d already stopped, eyes ahead again.

Rainbow Dash looked over at Fluttershy, confused, but the other pegasus’s eyes were on another herb farm by the roadside. Two peryton meandered around on the far side of a fence, their backs turned.

“Certainly, arranging for this little meeting has been a challenge,” Rarity said, dispelling the silence before it could fully settle.

“Yes. We received word from Ephydoera that you had been asked to come here, and clearly all has gone well,” said the peryton. “I wonder, if the map reached you, did you not receive the Myrtellan bands? Much effort was put into sending a package, and we were given the impression it had arrived.”

“The what? We got the scarves if that’s what you mean,” Dash said, though her mind was elsewhere. Were all peryton this large? Did they all have those huge wings? Were they fast or nimble fliers? These were the questions she wanted to ask of their strange new acquaintance. His coat was a reddish brown with grey in places, but what his coat lacked in colour, he made up for in his feathers. The tips were green, blue or both, as were the long feathers that made up his tail.

Rainbow Dash stiffened, looking up when Fluttershy cleared her throat, but at least Khaird hadn’t caught her staring. The peryton looked to the other side, apparently talking to Rarity. The unicorn levitated the scarves in the grip of her magic, unfolding one as they walked, and Fluttershy seemed to have found the courage to walk a little closer.

“You see,” Rarity said, “we figured them to be scarves as Rainbow Dash suggested, and I must say, they are wonderfully delicate.”

“Scarves, bands, one word is as good as another in this. Silk is precious and rare. Much of what we use comes from Cotilla. We do not make much ourselves.” He inclined his head ever so slightly. Was that a smile just now? Rainbow Dash could see large teeth, and they weren’t entirely flat. It was impossible to tell whether he was happy or sad: Peryton eyes were entirely too small.

“It was a gesture of friendship from the city of Orto. The colours, the greens, reds, blues and purples, they reference Myrtella, and they are dear to us,” said Khaird. “It would honour me if you would wear them. It will endear you to our city as well, this I promise.”

Rarity gasped. “Oh, that is an even lovelier gesture than I thought! What do you say, girls?”

Fluttershy dipped her head and smiled. “I think that would be very nice. I mean, I would be happy to, thank you,” she said, craning her neck to let Rarity hang one of the scarves about her neck as they walked. Rainbow Dash did the same, leaning down to bite down on one of the silken ends and toss it around her neck one more time to stop herself from stepping on it.

“Hey, it’s kinda comfy,” Dash admitted. She turned her head left and right, grinning as the thin silk touched against her coat. Putting on clothes in the baking heat was silly, but she barely noticed it at all.

“That, they are,” Khaird said with an odd little trilling sound from the back of his throat. “Most wear them for special occasions, some wear them always. A visit from another land is special, I think. And, to go back to what I said on challenges earlier, I see only one of you has an antler, and a small one—but it carries magic, I see just now.”

“All unicorns have their own special magic from their horns, yes,” replied Rarity, and Dash didn’t even try to hold back a chortle at the obvious pride in her voice.

“And these unicorns are your… females? You have two genders?” Khaird asked. He shook his head briskly. “Do forgive if this is rude, but though I see many visitors from afar, I cannot tell you apart aside from what is obvious to me.” He looked to Fluttershy, then to Rainbow Dash, eyeing their wings.

Rarity blinked once, then twice more, saying nothing. Dash repeated his words inside her head, trying her best to make sense of it as well, but it was Fluttershy who spoke up when the peryton cleared his throat, quailing in the silence. If his other mannerisms were difficult to understand, identifying an uncomfortable peryton was comparatively easy.

“Actually, we’re all mares, or ‘females’. Rainbow Dash and I are pegasi, and Rarity is a unicorn,” she said. “Oh, and, I’m sorry if I’m insensitive, but um, you’re a ‘he’, right?”

“I—yes, again, forgive,” the peryton said, the normally even rhythm of his speech momentarily broken. Finally, he launched into another brief throaty warble of quickly changing sounds that Dash was now sure was nervous laughter. “This is never easy when meeting someone new. Yes, I am a he—a stag rather than a doe or other—and that is not obvious to you, I should understand this.”

“Heh, that’s what I guessed too,” Dash said, exulting in her cleverness. Fifty-fifty was always good odds.

“It wasn’t a guess, actually,” Fluttershy said, her ears pinned back. “Sorry. I just assumed, because a lot of birds have colourful feathers on their, well… On their males.”

“Why’re you sorry for being right?” Dash asked, laughing. “That’s awesome!”

Fluttershy blushed faintly at that, and Rarity seemed to finally shake herself out of her stupor.

“Well, I’m, ah, glad we’ve cleared that up, at least,” Rarity said, puffing out her cheeks and letting out a little giggle. “I hope we did not give any offence, and none was taken.”

“Male, female, neither, both or other, it matters very little to us,” Khaird said, shaking his head. “This is not the case for everyone, and I care to the extent that I wish to understand. Regardless, I think you will find Orto both welcoming and understanding if you seek neither to offend nor to be offended.” He gestured to the growing city ahead of them as he continued.

“As for my kin, we all have antlers with some measure of magic, and we all have wings, but you are right.” He paused for breath, glancing over at the ponies. “The most colourful wing-feathers and the longest tail-feathers tend to belong to those born as males. If ‘pegasus’ is not a word for the males of your species, and you do not all have horn magic, then—”

“Equestria has lots of different ponies,” Dash said. “Unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies are all different, uh, ponies, but there are mares and colts of each of those. Oh, and then there’s the Princesses, but they don’t count.”

The peryton tilted his head at this, first one way, then the other, but Dash didn’t know what more to say, and neither Fluttershy nor Rarity filled the gap.

“This, I think, is why Orto needs to expand its libraries. I am embarrassed that this is new to me, and embarrassed again that I found so little in our archives.” He yawned, showing a long tongue as he did. It looked weird, but the peryton didn’t seem otherwise tired.

“When we received word of your plans to land here and visit, we knew something of your Equestria. Visitors of the travelling peoples always speak of a place on the continent called The Great Bridge by the Zebra, but as far as I know, Ilyra has carried no Ortosian hooves there.” He smiled, showing teeth again. “As little we know of your lands, we know even less about your people. Equestria wishes to learn of Orto, and Orto wishes to learn about you Equestrians, and in turn, we hope to teach our kin.”

“Well, supposedly, we used to be friends,” Rarity said. “We must have been since there is mention of you in our libraries, but I understand that was a long time ago. If we must start anew, then we will.”

“Twice as much reason for Equestria and Perytonia to become friends again,” Dash shot. “Everypony loves making friends!”

“As does Orto”, the peryton interjected, though he made it sound almost like a disagreement, like Dash hadn’t just said the same thing.

“Indeed, that is why we’re heading to... Cotronna, I think your capital is called?” Rarity added. “We hope to invite you to a moot of sorts. I assume your prince or princess sits in Cotronna?”

“Ah,” Khaird said, quiet for a moment. “No. I... do not suppose—I do not think I understand the question.”

“Princess Celestia and Princess Luna rule Equestria,” said Fluttershy, smiling at him. “They’re in Canterlot, the capital of Equestria.”

“Canterlot? Now I am confused. Are you not from Equestria?” Khaird asked.

“Eh, Fluttershy and I are really from Cloudsdale, and Rarity’s from Ponyville. That’s where we all live now, but it’s the same thing. It’s all Equestria,” said Dash.

“We carry an invitation for your leader,” Rarity added, getting them back on track. “An invitation asking them to join the Princesses in Equestria at a conference to discuss possible treaties. Surely you have a prince or a princess, even if you call them by another name,” said the unicorn, smiling a little wider at Khaird’s complete lack of reaction. “Rather, who is the most important person? Or if a decision was to be made that affected all of Perytonia, who ultimately decides? Who has the final word, so to say, in Cotronna?”

“I suppose,” said Khaird. “The answer to your question is the Head Consul of Cotronna.”

Rarity nodded her assent and smiled. “Wonderful. We carry a royal seal to mark the occasion, and we’re looking forward to delivering it.”

“And I have no doubt that Cotronna will be thrilled with your presence and your invitation both,” the peryton said, his voice a little more flat than before. “I am glad.”

He gave them another one of those odd, large peryton smiles, this time without his teeth showing but it was hard to tell if he sounded glad at all. Dash didn’t feel like nitpicking anyway, particularly when it could led to a lot of boring arguments. She was more interested in trying to keep track of their surroundings. Finally, they entered the city proper.

Rather than be greeted by gates, guards or other trappings of ceremony, the gaps between the scattered farms and gardens simply ceased to be, and then the bowl-shaped farmhouses were replaced by buildings that slowly grew in size and density.

Dash didn’t pay attention to the unmoving buildings at first, though. Not while there were living things to see. A peryton passed by, and then another. Dash craned her neck to look at the strange creatures, comparing them to Khaird. Now he was no longer unique, and for every stare she cast, Dash received an equal portion of curiosity in return.

Their slim antlers were complicated, with no two sets alike, but most of their bodies were built the same to Dash’s eyes. They all had thin muzzles, and their forelegs were dainty compared to the powerful hindlegs that ended in large grasping talons, the last long joint leathery and entirely hairless.

The biggest differences were in their tail-feathers—some short, some long enough to almost drag along the ground. The peryton would probably have looked weirder if she hadn’t known Gilda for so long, but where her childhood griffin friend was proud of being eagle and lion both, it was impossible to claim that these creatures were two halves. Soon there were too many to single out for inspection. Fluttershy slipped between Rarity and Rainbow Dash to try to avoid the worst of the attention returned by the locals.

“Let us find you a place to bed down for later, first,” Khaird said. He slipped in front to take the lead, and the three ponies followed.

They all had antlers. They all had large wings, and it wasn’t nearly as simple as to sort them into peryton with coloured wings and peryton whose feathers were the same colours as their body. In addition, their coats were all different shades of browns, whites and greys. Combined with the light grey stone that served as the building blocks for most everything around, roads included, it could easily have gotten very—what was the word? Dash stared at Rarity as if she could channel her fashion-conscious friend. Rarity, for her part, was looking every which way, eyes wide with wonder.

Samey. That was the technical term, probably. It could’ve looked very samey, but it simply didn’t. Especially when Dash took in all of it at once. Coloured feathers on wing and tail, the occasional scarf, painted wooden furniture and signs, and busy sidewalks teeming with life as though the idea of doing anything indoors was a crime all made the city almost too varied.

The winged natives worked on crafts in the open air, and huge groups walked together in animated discussion. To make distinguishing between the creatures even harder, many of them busied themselves decorating each other with even more colour. Here, a cluster of large, brightly coloured peryton added even brighter detail to their wing-feathers with some sort of dusts. There, three smaller peryton dipped their tail-feathers in some watery paint.

There was a buzz of excitement about the air, in doorways, in the streets, and all around what Rainbow Dash assumed were public buildings. Outside something that might have been a school, throngs of little peryton with awkwardly long legs and tiny bodies played with paints under the supervision of a larger member of their people.

“Why is nopon—uh, no one flying?” Dash asked. The question hadn’t fully formed in her mind before it was ejected as the only thing that made no sense to her. Even as she asked, she spotted a pair of peryton overhead, but they were only gliding, and she saw no others.

“Flying in summer tires the body quickly, even only in first-summer,” Khaird replied with a backwards glance. His brow furrowed for a moment, probably in thought. “Some enjoy it more than others and will go to great lengths to take wing when there is a chance, of course. We are all different.”

“Sure, I guess,” Dash said. The answer didn’t make perfect sense, but while she wasn’t convinced it was too hot for flying, it was definitely too hot to get into an argument about it. Besides, there was so much else going on; the three friends were getting more than curious looks now. When they rounded a corner and entered a wide, busy street, a small group of peryton dipped their heads in unison. A moment later, some debate or other outside a storefront ground to a halt as they passed by, the attendants staring unabashedly. Dash could swear she heard a cheer down the street, but it couldn’t possibly have been for them.

“You see more flying in Ponyville, though,” Dash said. She could barely hear her own voice over the din of the city now. On their right, they passed a large open-air theater full of peryton working on a stage set, several of them with muzzles painted bright red or blue. One held a bucket grasped in its powerful talons for whatever reason.

“They don’t build very tall buildings, either,” Fluttershy said. The more looks they got, the closer Fluttershy walked, and it was only thanks to this that Rainbow Dash heard her. Fluttershy’s head hung low enough that her mane dragged along the street.

“Yeah, what’s up with that? But hey, they seem really friendly. That’s cool.” Dash looked back at Rarity, who had been silent for a while, but it was easy to see why. Rainbow Dash snickered. The unicorn basked in the attention the ponies got. A perfect contrast to Fluttershy, she walked with her head high and smiled beatifically. Finally Khaird slowed down, and Rainbow Dash brought their cart to a full stop.

Their guide stood outside a large, single-storied structure with an open front-section made into a garden, supported only by graceful engraved columns. Further in under the roof waited proper walls, in front of which were more burgeoning plants crowding a small fountain.

“For all that we are honoured and thrilled every time we have visitors, we do not ever get as many as we wish,” Khaird said, smiling toothily at the building as though it was an old friend. “This is the Home of the Heavenly Song, one of our finest resting houses. Orchard owners from the northeastern edges of our demesne often stay here in spring, when they have business in the city proper. Most other resting houses guest traders at the moment, but I had this one reserved for your use. I have spoken to the hostess ahead of time, and gladly will she have you for as long as you wish to stay.”

“You have been ever so kind. Unfortunately, we don’t have any of your bits, or… coin? We did bring some gemstones, though, and we were told they were valuable to you,” said Rarity. Rainbow Dash looked about for a likely place to leave their cart, wondering who in their right minds would trade anything worth having for gems.

“They have been told not to accept payment. As council member, I have some pull, and this is a favour to me, one I will repay. This is a gift, and the simplest thing I can do for you,” Khaird retorted, shaking his head. “And, at any rate, I understand you will not be here for very long after all. If Cotronna is your goal, you have quite the journey ahead. Will you not stay for a while? Anything less than eight days is entirely too little to get anyone’s measure, surely.”

The three ponies exchanged glances. Dash waited for Rarity to say something, but now she hesitated. Fluttershy blew her mane out of her face.

“Um, that’s very nice of you,” Fluttershy said. “But we really don’t know how to get to Cotronna at all in the first place. We don’t have a map of Perytonia because… well, we’ve never been here before.”

“Yeah,” Dash said, offering her support. “We were hoping you could point us in the right direction and all.”

“You’re very kind to offer us a stay here,” said Rarity. “And we’d be delighted if we were free, as it were, but we really do need to get to the capital as soon as possible. When we get there, we will be sure to let them know how helpful you have been,” the unicorn added with a smile, but Khaird seemed less pleased by that than Dash expected. Then again, their expressions still didn’t make a lot of sense to her. To her, Khaird looked perpetually relaxed.

“Yes. Well, that is a harvest for me to be thankful for,” he said. He hesitated for a moment, tilting his head sideways. “But if you do wish to make this old stag happy—no. I cannot ask it. It is not fair.”

“You can always ask,” Rainbow Dash said. “Hey, if you have a hydra problem, we’re pretty good at those! I’m sure we can spare an hour.” Fluttershy shrank back further at that. Soon she’d be under the cart rather than pinned up against it.

“Nothing so perilous,” Khaird said, smiling. “Tomorrow begins the festival of Myrtella, and if you would attend even for one sun’s length, I would be very pleased.” He held up a foreleg and waggled it from side to side. “But, honest. I will help as much as I can regardless. I understand you will need a map for this task you have given yourself, and this I can find by tomorrow even if you are too hurried to say yes.”

Rainbow Dash gave an inward sigh. She really had her heart set on a real fight or challenge of some kind. Still, Fluttershy looked cautiously optimistic, and Rarity smiled wide.

“Why, I for one think that sounds lovely,” Rarity said. “It would be rude to refuse, and we can’t very well get moving without knowing where to go. Fluttershy, dear? Rainbow Dash?”

“I don’t mind,” Fluttershy said. She looked at Dash.

“Sure?” Dash said, shrugging. She was all for meeting new people, of course, but they had barely even started their journey to Cotronna before they were delayed.

“It is settled then!” Khaird said. “I will understand if you change your mind, but if you are sincere, I am happy to hear it. There is sunlight still, and I will try to find for you maps you might need. Meanwhile, the city is for you to explore if you wish. I will come find you here tomorrow after sunrise and help you to the festival field.”

“That is very nice of you,” Fluttershy said, dipping her head in thanks, and Dash added her voice to the sentiment. Khaird craned his neck in a curious thing that could have been a bow or a nod.

“It has been my pleasure. And now, I will go attend my office, with hopes to see you in the morning. Treat the hostess with the kindness you have treated me, I beg, and you will have made another friend.” With a parting smile, he turned on the spot, leaving the three ponies at the entrance to the large building that seemed half indoor garden.

“Well, he was absolutely delightful,” Rarity declared, fluffing her mane. “Let us see about shedding our burdens, shall we?”

“Yeah. I bet you’re really worn out, poor thing.” Dash rolled her eyes before pointedly staring at the cart that contained all their stuff, including saddlebags. Rarity’s burden amounted to exactly one silken scarf.

“I don’t see anywhere to put the cart. Maybe we should check the other side?” Fluttershy suggested.

Fluttershy’s guess was right. On the other side of the building, they found space to leave their cart next to two other wagons that dwarfed theirs. The little two-wheeler Applejack had put together was perfect for their purpose, but it was tiny compared to the local four-wheeled variants. Rarity stopped at the threshold to an open doorway in the back wall of the Home of the Heavenly Song.

“Let’s just leave the stuff out here,” Dash said. “I bet nobody’s going to take it.” She shrugged out from the harness. Though it was comfortable enough to wear, being tethered to the cart was not. She’d taken exactly two steps before the large wooden chest was surrounded in a faint glow. Rarity gave an unladylike grunt, her horn lit as she struggled to lift it over the rim of the cart.

“Oh, I’m sure they won’t,” Fluttershy said, looking askance at Rarity. “Rarity, I’m sure you can just leave it here.”

“Be that as it may,” said Rarity, gently lowering the chest to the ground and letting out a deep breath before she lifted it up again. “I just realised that I need my materials and my tools if we are to make an appearance—ack, Rainbow dear, help me!—tomorrow at the festival.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head mutely and slipped under the chest, balancing it with her wings. She was halfway to the door when a peryton slipped out past Rarity and over to the cart, levitating up one of the pairs of saddlebags. Her many horn-tips glittered with magic, and she smiled at them—a doe, Rainbow Dash assumed, judging by her simple whites and browns.

“Please, let me help,” she said. “And let me see if we cannot find for you a room.”

Ligilia, as the hostess was called, wasted no time in swiftly helping the ponies to what she insisted was ‘their room’ at the Home of the Heavenly Song. Rainbow Dash wasn’t quite sure about that, though she was happy to be out from under the baking sun.

“Silks, cottons and everything related yes,” Rarity said, rummaging around in her travel chest.

Sure, the chamber was large. Perhaps even too large, just like the tall and glassless windows set strangely high on the wall. Rather than a few beds intended for multiple ponies, the room had four beds, likely meant for a single peryton each. They would fit two ponies, if not three. In the center stood a low table, and all these were things that belonged to a room. Absolutely.

“Trimmers, shears, gauges,” Rarity continued while Fluttershy tested one of the beds, pushing down on the mattress with a hoof and smiling ever so faintly to herself.

Rainbow Dash didn’t have a lot of experience with inns and taverns. They were words that belonged in a Daring Do novel. On the other hoof, the moment they got off the airship, she’d decided this definitely counted as an adventure.

Still, the status of this place as an inn, a tavern, or whatever else didn’t really matter for purposes of determining whether or not this was a room.

“Measures, where’s the curved—oh, there it is!” Rarity sighed in relief.

“There’s no door,” Dash said, finally decided on what was wrong. Through the doorless portal, she had free view of the center chamber to which all the not-rooms were connected. Behind a stone counter in a hall covered in carpets, their peryton hostess arranged some items on a large platter, uninterested and uninteresting for the moment.

Rarity did not look up. Fluttershy tilted her head, glancing over at the open arch.

“I guess they don’t feel like they need doors?” she offered.

“Yeah, I mean—I guess?” Dash finished. “That’s a little creepy.”

“I don’t close my door very often when it’s warm outside, because then all the animals can’t come and go as they please,” Fluttershy countered with a small shrug. “They probably don’t get a lot of snow in winter.”

Rainbow Dash stared at Fluttershy. She was the very last pony she’d expected to come to the defense of a lack of doors and windows to hide behind.

“But, um, I suppose I would like to be able to close it if I wanted to be alone,” Fluttershy continued. “I don’t know if I think it’s ‘creepy’, but...”

“I hear that in Manehatten, they actually lock their doors unless they are expecting visitors,” Rarity said, rejoining the conversation while she regarded the myriad of tools and fabrics spread out on one of the beds. She had more kinds of scissors than there’d been salad forks at the summer sun banquet.

“Okay, I take it back. That is creepy.” Dash snorted. “Why’d you lock your doors all the time? Eh. Anyway, did you guys notice how Khaird kept saying Orto whenever we were talking about Perytonia? Like there was a big difference?”

“I guess they’re just very proud of their city,” Rarity suggested, unfurling a bolt of red silk halfway before freezing it mid-air. “Surely that’s all?”

“He didn’t seem very happy when we said we would tell the pon—um, well, the peryton in Cotronna how nice he had been, I think,” Fluttershy said with a tiny frown, she spread one of her wings open and furled it again. Her frown deepened, and she did it again. Dash winced in sympathy.

“Hang on, I’ll get it,” Dash said. She slipped off her own bed and hopped onto Fluttershy’s, sitting down next to her.

“It is probably nothing,” Rarity said, folding the silk and wrapping it around herself, craning her neck to get a better look as she spoke. “I know plenty of ponies in Canterlot who speak of their city as if it has nothing in common with Ponyville or the rest of Equestria at all.”

“But it does, and it’s still part of Equestria,” Dash protested, poking Fluttershy in the side to make her spread her wing. She nuzzled in between Fluttershy’s secondaries and nudged them apart, biting down on an offending feather to right it, ignoring the little ow of protest. “That better?” she asked, licking her lips. As little as Fluttershy used her wings, she at least kept them clean.

“I think so,” Fluttershy said, experimentally furling and unfurling her wing again. She smiled by way of thanking her and Rainbow Dash shrugged, sitting back against the wall.

“Well, if nothing else, we should remember to ask our host about it,” Rarity said. “He has been very forthcoming, I feel. Now—”

“I understood you were hungry?” The inn owner stood in the doorway, a large tray and a silver decanter in her magical grip. Without pausing to confirm, she put the tray of food on the center table, inclining her head. “Kelp cakes, sour-grass balls and okra pudding. Please enjoy.”

A large platter of food, three ornate bowls and three plates were worth three sets of thanks and smiles, and Ligilia returned the smile in earnest, tilting her head forward until her muzzle lay flat along her neck before she departed. The ponies gathered around the table, Dash calling dibs before she decided what she wanted.

“There’s enough for everyone, I am sure,” said Rarity, and she was probably right. The grass and the pudding portions were more than a mouthful, and by elimination, the coarse, disc-shaped things had to be the kelp cakes. Each of them were almost the size of a pie.”

“Um, so,” said Fluttershy, staring at the food, clearly having met the same challenge Dash did.

“So, I’ll just, uh,” said Dash. She leaned over to nab one of the kelp cakes in her mouth. She put it down on an empty, flat plate, staring at it while Rarity gave the pudding a taste using only the tip of a large spoon.

“Hm? What’s the matter?” asked Rarity, wiping her mouth with a napkin while she cut off a portion of one of the cakes.

“These aren’t really made for non-unicorns,” said Fluttershy, poking at one of the utensils with a hoof.

“Oh. Huh. I suppose you are right,” said Rarity, frowning ever so slightly. “The plates should be a little more curved, and the portions aren’t clear.”

Dash was too hungry to hesitate. She held down the kelp cake with a hoof—cake, pie, disc, whatever it was, she tore off a bite-sized chunk and chewed noisily while Rarity shielded herself and winced. “Eh, whatever. That just means it’s not my fault if this gets a bit messy,” she said between bites. “I think you’re the only pony in Ponyville who’s ever eaten a muffin with a fork.”

“I’ll have you know that the Canterlot style guide for fine dining insists that if a fork can be used, then it takes precedence over the spoon,” said Rarity, though she couldn’t keep her rigid, painted smile for more than a second before she giggled.

“Maybe we can ask if she has something we can use to clean up afterwards,” Fluttershy suggested, smiling. She pushed her plate up to the larger platter and scooped a hoof-ful of pudding for herself after wiping her hoof on her coat. “How’s the… kelp?” she asked.

“No idea,” said Dash, grabbing another bite. “Ask me later.”

Where Fluttershy paced herself and Rarity even said some words about their flavour or whatever, the first few kelp cakes disappeared before Dash even considered their taste. Right now, their primary function was being food for the famished pegasus. The water in the fancy carafe disappeared, and Ligilia happily refilled it not once, but twice. At least the water bowls made sense and were easy to drink from.

A little later, when Rarity called for one of the two pegasi to stand model for her, Rainbow Dash was on one of the beds, belly full and thoroughly out of commission. She tried and failed to cover up a small belch. While she hadn’t planned to be extra loud to make Rarity pick Fluttershy over her, it worked out great.

“Are you seriously going to work on your dresses all the time while we’re travelling?” Dash asked, covering her head with a wing. Now she regretted that last kelp cake. Her stomach throbbed and ached faintly.

“Not constantly, certainly not,” Rarity replied, “but if we are to attend this festival, I only have an evening’s worth of time.”

“Oh, Rarity,” Fluttershy said. “You’re not trying to make three dresses all by tomorrow morning, are you? You really don’t have to.” She pulled back a half-step, pausing Rarity’s efforts to match colours to her coat, travel-sized bolts levitating on standby for the moment.

“Darling, did you not notice? These peryton wear next to no clothes at all! I can create something both simple and elegant to show them the wonders of fashion with time to spare. It won’t be my best work, but I’ve been in a rush before.” Rarity pursed her lips. “And besides, I am making two dresses, not three. The entire point is to show them fashion that they’ll want to wear, and that means taking wings into consideration. I’ll make something for the two of you. Nothing to drag along the ground. Oh, I have an idea.”

“Yeah, you’ve been in a rush before,” Dash agreed, snickering. “That always works out.”

“It usually does, sort of,” Fluttershy said, raising a foreleg to let Rarity weave the fabric around her.

“It does, thanks in part to my experience,” Rarity said with a nod and a smile at them both. “And thanks in part to friends such as you. Now, Rainbow Dash, please come stand next to Fluttershy, and don’t move. This won’t take more than an hour or three.”

Rainbow Dash groaned and rolled off the bed.

“And you’re sure you don’t want to come along?” Fluttershy asked, not for the first time. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and leaned against the doorless doorway. The un-door? The open and un-doored… hole?

Rainbow Dash leaned against the opening that separated their possibly-a-room from the central chamber where Ligilia sat scribbling away at a piece of parchment with a large and dark short-haired dog snoozing against her side.

“No, thank you. I could really use some quiet, so this works out wonderfully, I think,” said Rarity, not so much as looking up. With the food cleared from the table, it had taken the function of workstation, Rarity’s fabrics and cuts and whatever else she worked with arrayed before her. “Once I finish the designs, I will still need to fit these dresses properly, though, so please be back in an hour or two at the most.”

“Sure,” said Dash. “I just want to walk around the block or something before I go crazy.” She leaned back to stretch out her forelegs.

“Okay, if you’re sure,” said Fluttershy, smiling at the unicorn. “We’ll be back soon,” and with that, Fluttershy turned to leave, taking all of two steps out of the room before she froze in place, her ears perked and her eyes fastened upon the dog at Ligilia’s side.

“Oh. Oh my, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dog like that before,” said Fluttershy. She covered her mouth with a hoof. “Sorry, I guess he’s sleeping,” she added in a whisper. Ligilia looked up and smiled toothily at the two before she went back to her writing.

“I’m sure you can pet the dog when we get back or something,” Dash suggested, pointing to the two identical doors leading out through the garden. “C’mon.”

“That’d be nice,” said Fluttershy, and even as they made their way across the carpeted floor of the large and empty chamber, the pegasus’s head turned to stare at the dark-furred dog until they were actually out the door and she could no longer see it.

“Where do you want to go?” Fluttershy asked a moment later, when they stood at the edge of the broad street. The walled garden was almost pleasantly cool, and the light a little less intense than earlier, but past the little patch of green, there was no telling what was what. Dome-shaped houses all around, some open spaces where peryton gathered, and others that stood silent.

“Right,” said Rainbow Dash, turning ninety degrees to the right and walking on along the roadside. “Right’s a great tie breaker. Only thing that beats it is going straight ahead, but that kinda ruins the point of walking around the block.”

“I guess that’s true,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her. She fell in step, keeping Rainbow Dash between her and the rest of the street—and in the way of all the stares and curious looks they got. There were less peryton out and about now, but the two ponies still received a good amount of attention.

That was fine anyway. Anything not a pony walking down Ponyville’s main street got a healthy helping of eyeballs, too. Most of them even smiled, and a few did that weird thing Ligilia had done, tilting their heads forward until their antlers pointed straight ahead. Nods? Bows? Dash still wasn’t sure, but it made Dash feel a little like a celebrity.

“I’m glad it’s a little less hot,” said Fluttershy, looking straight up. “There aren’t a lot of clouds here.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, frowning and the nearly perfectly bare sky. “It’s like the opposite of the Everfree. Instead of too many clouds for no reason at all, there’s nothing. I guess everyone has a bad cloud day once in awhile.” She shrugged. They passed another group of peryton who pointed and stared, talking amongst themselves in hushed tones.

“Goodness, they’re really excited about us, aren’t they?” asked Fluttershy, glancing nervously at them.

“I guess?” said Dash. She eyed the little group and waved at them. One of them raised a foreleg and waved back, awkward, unpracticed, and very energetic. Fluttershy both joined in Rainbow Dash’s laughter and hid behind her as they moved on.

Finally they could take another right turn. Peryton city blocks were apparently huge. Something reminiscent of the House of the Heavenly Song passed them by on their left, more garden, less building. Maybe there wasn’t even a house in there at all. Up ahead, another building loomed large, an elaborate facade with columns and arches set deep in a wide stone courtyard. Even across the road, Dash heard harsh bird calls from within.

“I think those are ravens,” said Fluttershy, her eyes lighting up. “They sound just like the ones who live in Equestria.”

“Huh. That’s weird. Why’d you keep ravens in a… whatever that is?” asked Rainbow Dash. Further in the courtyard, past some decorative fountains, stood huge stone billboards with scrolls pinned to them.

“Ravens are wonderful messenger birds,” said Fluttershy, smiling.

“I thought that was pigeons,” said Dash.

Fluttershy shook her head. “Not only pigeons. Plenty of birds are more than smart enough to carry a message. Or, well, all birds are, but ravens have great memories, and just about anypony can train them. Well. Um, any peryton, too, but I’m just guessing, really.”

“Right. Could be anything,” said Dash with a grin. “Maybe they just have a huge bird feeder in there and really like ravens or something.”

“That would be very nice of them,” Fluttershy replied, giggling. She perked an ear. “I don’t know if that would be very practical, but I can tell they’re happy in there from all the noise they’re making.”

Already the strange raven-place fell away, replaced by other buildings, and on this stretch of road, no two things looked alike. Rainbow Dash had no idea what to make of the other buildings. One she pegged a library or school of some kind, a small group of peryton leaving all together. Closing hour, probably. After their next turn right, they passed some closed, silent and dark buildings that might’ve been shops.

Somewhere beyond the city, behind the lip of the valley barely visible over the roofs of the buildings, the sun crept towards the horizon, and it got a little colder still. Keep going, Dash thought. It’s almost comfortable. The sunlight gained a tint of red which coloured all the stonework with the same feather-light touch of pink.

“So, this Red Sun Runner pony, she never came here?” Dash asked on a whim. “Because if she’d written about this place, I’d like to read it. Like, some notes on where their hayfries stands are or whatever.”

Fluttershy laughed and shook her head. “I don’t think there are any hayfries stands, but I guess we never know. Maybe… kelp fries?”

“Uh, pass?” Dash stuck out her tongue. “Okay, games, then. Hoofball, skating, I don’t know, anything cool. We don’t know what any of this stuff is. What if we just walked past a night-open indoor skating rink?”

“Red Sun Runner never visited a city,” said Fluttershy. “She just met with some… I think she used the word ‘patrol’, and they together decided that we’d come meet them here.”

“Right,” said Dash. “Not us, but someone.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Mm, I don’t think the Princesses meant for us to visit, specifically. Just that someone from Equestria would. I think we’re the first ponies to visit in a very, very long time, so if anyone should write a guide, I guess that’s actually us. That’s why Rarity’s keeping her journal. Not just as an official report, but—”

“Yeah, I know. Twilight asked us to take down notes,” said Dash. “That’s cool as long as I don’t have to write it.”

Walking the almost completely abandoned shopping street—if that’s what this was—made her feel a little bit like an explorer. Down the smaller by-streets they still saw flocks of peryton painting each other and laughing as they did, but there were fewer people around now. If there was some sort of festival in the morning, that made sense. Early to bed to get ready for a party? Maybe they weren’t so different after all. Dash thought she could feel it. A charge building in the air.

“Did you ever think I wasn’t going to come with you?” Fluttershy asked.

The question came out of nowhere. Rainbow Dash looked around as if she would find someone else for whom the words were meant, but she remembered Rarity and Fluttershy had talked about this earlier that day.

“You mean to Perytonia, not just for the walk,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Mhm,” said Fluttershy.

“I don’t know, probably not,” said Dash, shrugging and stretching her wings out. “Would be weird if five of us went off to help the Princesses out, and you stayed back home. I know they said it was up to us, but c’mon, that’d be—well, weird,” she repeated. Weird, and she didn’t know if she’d want to go herself, if it came to that.

Dash turned them right again. Yet more houses. At least, she assumed that the smaller ones were houses. Upturned bowls with windows placed too far off the ground. A peryton stuck its head out one of the windows, shutters glowing with faint magic as they pulled shut.

“Were you ever thinking about staying home?” asked Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy’s brow knit, silent for a second. “Maybe?” she said. She tilted her head, and reached up to push her mane out of her face. “When they told us how far away all the places they wanted to send ponies were, and that it could take weeks, I was a little worried.” Fluttershy shook her head. “But no, I didn’t really think I would ever stay home. At least not after you asked.”

Rainbow Dash scratched her head. She tried to remember what she herself had said, but she couldn’t recall. All Dash knew was that she’d flown over to Fluttershy’s cottage the day after they got back from their visit to Canterlot earlier in the summer. Whatever. She was glad Fluttershy had come along. The city was quiet and boring right now, and it’d be twice as bad without her.

“Anyway, the peryton aren’t much for night-life right now,” Dash said, stretching her wings out. “Wanna head back?”

Fluttershy glanced left, then right, all with a hesitant smile that could barely be called such a thing. She looked over at Rainbow Dash when they drew near an intersection across the street. “We could, but I don’t mind if you want to walk a little longer.”

“Sure,” said Dash, who didn’t, really. But why not? She smiled and set them moving across the street.

Rainbow Dash snarled. The giant changeling had employed some sort of wing-binding magic. She tried to spread her wings, but they simply wouldn’t unfurl. Her foe grinned with unrestrained malice, charging its horn with another spell. Dash strained against the magical restraints with all her might, growling with effort.

The spell grew in strength. The changeling horn brightened, and with its mounting glare came a sickening heat. Finally one of Dash’s wings were free, then the other. She took to the air, swift and powerful wingbeats carrying her away from the dreadful heat-spell.

A sharp pain. She crashed to the ground and found she couldn’t move at all. The spell intensified, hotter and hotter. She tried to yell out for help, but she made no sound at all. Rainbow Dash awoke with a sharp intake of breath.

She was upside down in a tangle of sheets on the stone floor of their bedroom, and her head hurt like she’d been kicked. She must’ve flown off the bed and smacked it against the floor.

Even worse than the dull and throbbing pain was the heat. Her lower body was cocooned in bedsheets, and the room was oppressively hot, making her feel decidedly clammy and sweaty as a result of the sun’s glare through the window rather than a long flight or run. Judging by the lump of cloth and ponies next to her, she’d pulled her friends to the floor along with her. A purple tail stuck out from under the mess, and Fluttershy stood next to her trying to extract the complaining unicorn.

“—completely unnecessary,” came Rarity’s muffled voice, and Rainbow Dash idly wondered how this had all happened. Vague memories of yesterday played through her mind, but their order seemed random in the morning haze. Rarity had finished the dresses, and they were all getting tired. She said she’d finish up in a moment, letting Rainbow Dash go to bed, and Fluttershy to go hang out with the resident dog. At some point Dash had woken to Rarity sneaking up to huddle next to her under bedsheets from three beds. It got cold during nights, then.

“How are they not melting in the sun or freezing during the night?” Dash asked. She tried to kick away the blankets, but she couldn’t. Fluttershy helped Rarity up, then said her good-mornings to Rainbow Dash and helped her as well. Rarity huffed and trotted over to their room’s center table. Someone had put up a steaming washbasin and folded cloth.

“Do you know, Rainbow Dash, you kick like a mule in your sleep,” Rarity said, rubbing at the side of her barrel. She pinned Dash with a frown that rapidly softened. “Troubled dreams, dear?”

“Huh? Of course not.” Dash blinked in confusion and tossed the blankets onto the bed with a flick of her head. She nodded her thanks to Fluttershy, too. “What’s that?”

“Supplies for cleaning ourselves, what else?” Rarity asked.

“Could just use a raincloud,” Dash retorted with a shrug, rubbing at her eyes with a leg.

“There doesn’t seem to be a lot of those here,” Fluttershy said, grabbing one of the washcloths in her mouth. Rainbow Dash did the same, quickly cleaning what parts of herself she could reach, taking extra care with the wings. Satisfied, she trotted over to the window and stuck her head outside, craning her neck to look up.

“I really wish we had more water,” Fluttershy said behind her.

Rarity hummed in question. “What do you mean?”

Not many clouds today, either, Dash noted. Only on the horizon, far far away, could she see any cloudstuff at all, and it was a huge, unruly bank. It trailed off near the edges, wispy and uncontrolled, even more indistinct than the clouds over the Everfree.

“Well, without magic, it’s a little hard to wash your own face without soaking it, and I don’t want to ruin the water for you,” Fluttershy said.

“Oh. Of course, dear. Here, let me help you.”

Dash scratched the side of her head against the windowsill. Even pegasi would struggle to make rain-clouds here if the only water they had was salty seawater. She hadn’t seen any freshwater lakes coming in, at least. Rainbow Dash turned around to find Rarity levitating a washcloth, scrubbing at Fluttershy’s face. The other pegasus’s eyes were tightly closed, her legs braced against the hygienic assault.

“Don’t they have cloud magic?” Dash asked.

Fluttershy turned towards her and popped an eye open. Rarity went to work on her ears, and Dash had to hold back a giggle. It looked like Fluttershy had second thoughts about asking Rarity’s help.

“I don’t know,” Fluttershy said, “but they did say that they got tired flying in the heat, so maybe not?”

Rainbow Dash blinked at the non-answer.

Fluttershy turned the other side of her head to Rarity. She gave Dash a helpless look. ”They have unicorn magic. Or, well, something like it. Maybe that means they don’t have what Twilight calls pegasus magic?”

“Be that as it may,” Rarity said, leaning back and nodding in satisfaction before she put the washcloth down. “It’d be very rude to ask in case they don’t, in fact, have ‘pegasus magic’.”

Dash dipped her face in the washbasin and shook her head quickly, spraying water all over her friends. Clean and wet as a rainstorm. She grinned at the look Rarity gave her. “All ready for the party!”

Rarity sighed and grabbed the remaining clean washcloth, drying herself off. Satisfied, she levitated over two outfits from the far beds. Fluttershy gave a little gasp, and Dash whistled low under her breath.

“I’m afraid it’s the best I could do on such short notice, but I made some alterations after you went to bed,” Rarity said, though she did a terrible job at concealing her pleasure as she hovered them in front of the pegasi.

“For Fluttershy, a vest and a dress saddle. I changed my mind on the colours. Green and white matches you better,” said the unicorn with a firm nod. “Rainbow Dash, I shortened the flared royal purple dress I made for you. I thought you might both appreciate the simplicity, and I did not have time to play around with sequins like I had planned.”

“Hey, I see wing-holes that weren’t there yesterday, I’m happy,” Dash said, grinning.

“They’re beautiful,” Fluttershy said, running a hoof along the fabric of the vest Rarity had made for her.

Rarity smiled bright, three long and colourful scarves flying across the air from one of the beds. At first she thought they were the Perytonian scarves, but though they were the same green, red, blue and purple, the colours were more vivid and wound around each other, like a rainbow given a twist.

“I had a little time to spare,” Rarity explained. “I made some scarves of my own design using their colours. In all honesty, they clash with the dresses, but they are a concession to their own style.”

Fluttershy smiled. “That’s a very nice thought. I’m sorry you didn’t have time to make a dress for yourself.”

“Alas,” Rarity said with a theatrical sigh. “Some sacrifices had to be made. Besides, this isn’t really about me, is it? It is not even about you two, it is about showing the peryton the wonders of Equestrian fashion, of good design.” She unbuttoned Fluttershy’s vest and waved the yellow pegasus closer, helping her into it. A minute later, Rainbow Dash experimentally swished her tail, watching the hock-length dress flow left and right. Rarity busied herself cleaning up and organising her supplies in silence.

A silence that was off, somehow, and Rainbow Dash knew why.

Fluttershy was quiet. That was her nature, part of who she was, but Dash had long since clued in to the immense variety of silences her friend could produce. She looked over to find Fluttershy looking at her own outfit, then out the window, next out the door—her eyes flitted about the place, and her jaw was the tiniest bit more taut than it should be.

“What’s up? You okay?” The words were spoken before Dash had thought them. They’d come out very quiet, but it was still enough to startle Fluttershy stiff.

“Oh. Um, sure,” Fluttershy said, but she deflated a second later, giving Dash an appreciative smile. “I don’t know. I thought the idea of going to the festival sounded great, and I am sure it will be ever so nice—and it would disappoint Khaird if we didn’t go.”

“But?” Dash asked, tilting her head.

Fluttershy opened her mouth, then closed it again, hesitating. Dash was just about to repeat herself when the other pegasus found her words. “I’m not sure I like the idea of sticking out like this.”

“Stage fright, darling?” Rarity asked, joining them by the table again. She shook her head a tiny bit and smiled, reaching out to lay a hoof on Fluttershy’s withers. “We both knew that you weren’t very comfortable modelling, and if you don’t want to wear the outfit I made, I understand. I’ll be a little disappointed, but it’s not important compared—”

“Oh, no no,” Fluttershy rushed to say. “It’s not that, or, um, well, not just that. The outfit is fine. It’s wonderful, but we’re the only ponies here, that’s all.”

“Well, that is certainly true,” Rarity said, chewing her cheek for a second. “Khaird himself seemed delightful, though, and our hostess here, Ligilia, she’s given us no trouble either. There is no reason to believe that the others here are any different—and I’ve changed my mind,” she added, unwinding the scarves about all of their necks in no time at all, fetching the Ortosian scarves instead. “It would be rude not to wear the scarves that they’ve made for us, I feel.”

Fluttershy nodded once, slowly. Rainbow Dash stretched her hindlegs, then her forelegs, and finally gave a stifled yawn.

“You’ll be fine,” Dash said, bumping her flank into Fluttershy. She stuck her head inside the tangled mess of her scarf and tried to make it look intentionally unintentionally cool. “Besides, we’ll all be there.”

That had an effect, at least. Fluttershy looked at Rainbow Dash and the tension in her body lessened, if only a tiny bit. It’d be enough for now, Dash knew. She gave her friend a lopsided smile that said it’d be alright, and Fluttershy nodded once more, smiling back.

Chapter 3

Day 5

Day 1

Bringing no erasers for my charcoals was a mistake

I think I must always do my best work when under pressure. I have outdone myself again, of that, there is no doubt. Quick notes for the future: Using multiple makes of silk around the stitch of a hole allowing for a wing is surprisingly unproblematic, and I think I may give sequins a rest this season.

I’ve made these two particular dresses for a purpose, of course, but after that long airship ride, simply creating them has been a delight. While I naturally hope they are well received, I regret not a single hour of time spent on them.

Also, the peryton have been lovely so far. I’ll have to write on that later, but we’re waiting for our host right now and I do not wish to commit to a longer journal entry.

In case I forget: Write more about their architecture. Orto is proof that Canterlotian elegance and curvature (dare I say it is even more stunning?) can in fact be married to staggering openness without sacrificing a sense of the urbane.

-R

The sun rose at the same time as it did anywhere, Dash figured, but “at sunrise” apparently didn’t mean the same thing in Perytonia as it did in Equestria. If Applejack asked Dash’s help with something at sunrise, that meant “when the sun rose.”

Not that Dash would show up, of course. To Rainbow Dash, the sunrise was mostly just something she assumed happened, happily sleeping through this mythical event on principle.

Whatever the case, when Khaird did not show up within the next half-hour, the three ponies asked their hostess if breakfast was an option, and Ligilia swiftly found some more of the kelp cakes and fresh water for them. They were halfway through their meal—and Dash halfway through destroying Rarity’s sanity by refusing to take the dress off while she ate—when Khaird appeared in the doorway, wearing a single strange saddlebag wrapped around the base of his neck, and a scarf to match theirs.

“Come!” he said. “There is much to do, and much for you to see.”

The peryton smiled as genially as ever and said little until they reached the street. The city was far busier now than it had been yesterday; a din of chatter, trills, caws and other strange sounds filled the air, and if the packed streets resembled anything Dash knew, it had to be Canterlot during the lunch rush. The way Twilight had once described it to Dash, anyway, except as a sea of large winged and antlered creatures rather than ponies of all kinds.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were the only ones who wore anything that answered to the description of “clothes”, and Dash wouldn’t have given it a second thought if she hadn’t been in a dress herself. Many of the peryton wore identical scarves, and some wore woven lime green bands on one of their forelegs, all adding to the riot of colours. Khaird’s explanation of stags and does became useless with every single peryton dyed in bright reds, yellows, greens and more. Some of the smallest children looked like they’d rolled around in a rainbow condenser, and the stones of the streets were discoloured with dye powder.

“I hope you have slept well?” Khaird asked, “Or does travel to a far-away place make sleep hard to come by? I have a lamentable lack of experience with it.”

Dash could barely tear her eyes off all the people. She affected a weak shrug, barely looking up, and Fluttershy said nothing. Rarity cleared her throat. “We slept. The one thing I think we can agree is that the climate here is not the kindest to us. It gets rather cold at night, does it not?”

“I understand the heat and cold are both greater than in your Equestria,” Khaird said, pointing one of his forehooves down the street to set them moving in the same direction as the majority of the peryton. “I did some reading before bed, you see, and found an account gifted to us by a traveller who spoke of the demesne of your Equestria. You may find the hours around sunrise and sunset are the kindest to all,”

“It is a little more pleasant right now,” Fluttershy said. “And, um, a lot more people.”

“Well, duh. It’s a party,” Dash said with a grin.

“It is not a party, it is a festival,” Rarity corrected her. She sounded like she thought she was correcting Dash, at least, but Rainbow Dash wasn’t quite so sure. She looked up at their guide.

“Hey, what’s this party or festival or whatever actually about anyway?” Dash asked. “You said it was Myrrelli or something? What is that?” For a second, she wished Twilight was here. She’d have flipped open a book and told her so Dash didn’t have to sound like she didn’t have a clue.

“Myrtella is one of the forty-nine Aspects,” Khaird said.

“And?” Dash asked when he had been silent for a few seconds, but Khaird simply smiled, glancing down at the smaller pony as they walked.

“One moment. Your question is nearly perfectly timed,” the peryton said. “Hold on to that thought, and you will be shown. You will see.”

What they saw, Dash wasn’t sure of right away. The city of Orto was more orderly than any Equestrian city Dash had ever seen. However far they walked, the roads were always straight and broad. The occasional cart passed through the crowds without trouble, and their city blocks weren’t really blocks, owing to the lack of tall buildings. Even central Ponyville felt cramped by comparison.

Recognising this order was hard with the chaos of the crowds, though. A huge line of peryton danced past them in a snake formation, each of them biting onto the tail-feathers of the person in front. Rainbow Dash swished her tail against her skirt in tune to their movement and the faint drums she couldn’t see.

“Where are we going?” Rarity asked, her voice raised against the noise. “Is there somewhere to sit? A café at the edge of this festival while we get our bearings, perhaps?”

“This is not the festival,” Khaird replied, cawing. “This is an attempt to get to the festival. Have only a little patience, I beg.”

There was entirely too much going on for Dash to be bored for even one second. Everything stood out, and thus, nothing stood out—except for one building-less city block. The busy street became busier by the second, soon a press of feathers and flanks, and then they were through, dumped right onto a massive empty square.

Well, empty of buildings, anyway. From all the corners of the huge open space, more and more peryton flocked to the place, and there was space to spare for all of them. If not for the gentle slope and the subtly tiered steps, Dash wouldn’t see a thing for all the people.

In the very center, at the lowest tier, stood grey-white stones that described an area easily the size of Ponyville’s village square, and the stone slabs themselves were large enough not to disappear in the vastness of the surrounding plaza. From the monoliths hung flower wreaths, colourful cloth and… grain? Dash couldn’t tell for sure. A group of peryton passed in front of them, blocking her view, and more filed in past them.

“Wow. Pinkie would’ve loved to see this,” said Dash. Rarity stared blankly for a second, and Fluttershy muttered the tiniest little oh my goodness under her breath, almost entirely drowned out by a dozen different kinds of music from around the square. Five peryton dancing in a circle passed them by, wingtips touching as they spun and cawed in concert like ponies would laugh.

Khaird’s eyes were on the center square within the plaza, but though he faced away from her, Dash could hear the smile in his voice.

“The forty-nine Aspects each have their own stele—stones—in Orto and elsewhere, their own carvings and depictions, their own stories. Forty-nine exalted expressions of life as lived under the sky and on soil, of thought and of ways of being. This week, we celebrate Myrtella, whose stories are told most often in Orto. She is the favoured Aspect of Orto, if such can be said.” Khaird nodded towards the center square again.

One particular stone stood out, more peryton gathered around it than any other. Some danced by hopping from forehoof to hind-claw, others simply walked past the stone, reaching out to touch it with a wing. This one monolith almost disappeared beneath silken scarves and other decorations.

“She is the Aspect of fertility, of birth and all forms of love, or growth and harvest,” Khaird continued. “In her stories, we come together, no matter who we are.”

“Okay, cool,” Dash said, though she hadn’t quite decided on that. It depended on how mushy the ‘love’ part was. “That’s a stone, though.”

“That is a stone dedicated to her, yes,” said Khaird, nodding.

“I think she sounds lovely,” said Fluttershy, smiling back at him.

“I don’t suppose there is a chance we’ll get to meet her?” Rarity asked.

“Ah, she is not here,” Khaird said, furrowing his brow. “She is… a metaphor, of sorts.”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “So she’s not real?”

“Oh, she’s very real,” Khaird clucked, but his laughter petered out when none of the ponies laughed along. Or maybe it was the fact that Dash kept staring at him, waiting for a proper explanation.

“Metaphor might be the wrong word,” Khaird said, clearing his throat. “I do not know how to adequately explain. I am neither story-teller nor claw-priest. I apologise if this does not answer your question.” He tilted his head. “A compromise, then. If you still find yourself frustrated later under this sun, I will try again, but for now, perhaps you should ask others if you are curious. It would be a sad sun’s journey if you travelled all this way to listen to a single voice. Twice the tragedy if that single voice was my own inelegant croaking.”

Rarity took a step in front of Rainbow Dash and nodded her agreement. “I think that sounds wonderful. Now, what does one do at your festivals? What would we do if we wished to join in the—” she cast a broad glance at the movement around them “—festivities?”

“Games!” Khaird said, his smile returning in an instant, and Dash grinned at the word. “Games, dances, songs, and a chance to speak to and meet new people. Friendships and love! These are the best eight suns of the season. I will leave you for now to let you make new friends, unless you protest, and see you back at the Home this evening after sundown. We will have stories to share!”

With farewells exchanged, Khaird dipped his head and turned, walking towards the circle of stones in the centre with a spring in his step.

“Okay, I’m down with that,” Dash declared. “Most of that.” She craned her neck, and now that she knew what she was looking for, less overwhelmed by the size of the place, she could better see what was going on at the plaza. Rather than a disorganised mess of infinite peryton aimlessly chatting and dancing, there were groups near the edges of the festival field who were definitely engaged in games of some sort, and a middle ring halfway to the inner square was dedicated to large tables laden with a variety of foods. Or at least, so she assumed. It was hard to tell at this distance.

Dancing happened all over the place, but nowhere quite so crazy as in the very center, inside the stone square. There must be over a hundred peryton hopping about the place, and for a moment, Rainbow Dash was certain she caught a glimpse of a zebra, quickly lost in the madness of the dance, and some other creature with a long neck disappeared around one of the stele-stones. On the far side, she could barely make out stalls that looked like a farmer’s market to her.

Dash was just about to suggest that they head to one of the corners when she realised Fluttershy and Rarity were mid-conversation.

“—attention,” Rarity said. Dash stepped a little closer to be able to actually hear them amidst the ruckus.

“Well, no one else is wearing any clothes, but no one else is a pony, either,” Fluttershy replied.

“What’s up?” Dash asked.

“I was just saying that I do hope some of them notice your wonderful dresses,” Rarity said, turning away for a second to smile at a curious peryton who stood a few paces away, looking straight at them. “I did not expect such a, ah, complete vacuum of fashion. Khaird didn’t even comment upon what you wear.”

“Huh, I guess not,” said Dash, shrugging. “Whatever. I’m sure they’ll love it, but what do you wanna do?”

“Perhaps we could find something to eat?” Rarity suggested.

“Uh, we just had breakfast,” Dash said.

“You had breakfast,” said Rarity with a huff. “I was not very fond of those kelp cakes.”

“I’m sure they were very good kelp cakes,” Fluttershy said, though the tiny frown she wore was grave condemnation. “But I would like to see what else they have, if that’s okay—oh, uh, hello.” She smiled at another one of the peryton, this one stepping up to do the weird neck-bow in greeting to them. The colourful peryton turned his head sideways and smiled back showing all his teeth, whilst briefly spreading his wings dyed in a variety of colours.

“I am pleased to greet you. You must have travelled far. Would you tell me, what manner of creatures are you?” he asked, while another one stepped up to stand at his side. Rarity nodded her greetings in return.

“We’re ponies from Equestria, a pleasure to meet you, I’m sure.”

“Yeah, hi,” said Dash, offering the newcomers a quick wave before she turned back to her friends. “Actually, let’s just split up. You get your food or whatever, I’m gonna go see what they do for sport.”

“Excuse me a moment,” said Rarity, flashing a smile at the peryton while she turned her attention to her friends. “If that’s alright with you, Fluttershy, I don’t mind.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “No, that’s fine.”

“Alright. Catch you later,” Dash called, turning on the spot and breaking into a trot. She could find her friends easily enough if she needed to. For all the mess, there was a distinct lack of solid white-and-purple or yellow-and-pink peryton around. Besides, all the attention was weirding her out a little. Normally she’d be all for it, and hay, it was nice in a way, but it’d be better if she felt like she had earned that attention by winning at something other than being a pony-shaped cloud in an all peryton sky.

“So you run as fast as you can around the track, then throw the… ‘disc’,” Rainbow Dash repeated. “And you try to land it on the other disc-thingy? That’s it?” She could barely hear herself over the beating of the nearby drums, her ears bent in defence.

“Yes,” Aroris affirmed. The grey-brown doe stood a bit taller than Rainbow Dash, but she was small for a peryton. It didn’t stop her from getting the high score while Dash watched. The other games she’d seen either needed magic or favoured physical strength, and in that respect, Dash knew she was outmatched.

Here, a dozen painted peryton were gathered around a small circular arena made up by grass-bales, taking turns to try to throw a disc into the center of the arena. They threw the disc with their magic, but Dash knew she could win this without any fancy spells. It was almost like playing horseshoes, when you thought of it, and Aroris with her fancy red wingtips and blue-powdered muzzle ran the game. Because she was the top scorer? Dash didn’t get that part.

“Now, your score is the amount of circles you run in twenty beats, multiplied by the amount of circle-marks you cover on the center disc. More circles run, more points, but being dizzy makes it harder to throw. More circles covered by your disc? Also more points.” Aroris hovered the small wooden disc in front of Dash, and the pegasus grabbed it in her mouth. She got a few odd looks. Or, well. A lot of tilted heads and one yawn with a freakishly-long tongue.

“Mhf, got it. Fh’why it’ph called phircles,” Dash said. She gave her legs a good stretch and crouched low.

“Okay, twenty beats of the drums. Go!” Aroris called, her hoof making a clack against the stone, the drums picking up at her signal. Dash shot away like a bolt of greased—well, no. She shot away like only Rainbow Dash could, grinning madly as she ran right circles around the inner ring. With her right wing extended, she could tighten her turns and run as fast as she wanted to, a trick she’d learned long ago. She was vaguely aware of gasps, some thrills of laughter, and a lot of cheers around her as she went. The beating of the drum distorted slightly as she ran away from them, then towards them, then away again.

When they took their turns, the other peryton ran slowly around the circle at barely a jog. Most only made five laps, and they seemed to be holding back, pacing themselves. Dash was sure she could do fifteen laps. Maybe more. Maybe she’d already done fifteen laps. She lost count, banking herself into the endless turn around the circle.

It took effort not to drop the disc on reflex. It slowed her down, and holding on to it against the rushing wind hurt her teeth. Around and around she went until she swore she could see her own tail just ahead of her. Now she became keenly aware of how her dress and scarf were slowing her down, too. The scarf tugged at her neck.

“Four, three,” came Aroris’ voice, each count in tune with her hoof-steps and the drums. One more lap. Dash upped her speed, passing Aroris one last time.

“Two.”

Dash screeched to a halt. She flipped the disc from her mouth and onto her hindleg with expert precision. She was back at Sweet Apple Acres and she was tied four to four with Applejack. The loser had to do a chore of the winner’s choosing, and Applejack needed space in her winter cellar. The Disc landed on her left hindleg, wobbling, but Dash steadied it.

“One!”

The disc was still, but now the world wobbled instead. Dash knew she overbalanced, knew that she’d fall. She kicked out just as Aroris called “stop!”. A split second later she was on her side, and the entire world spun around her, Rainbow Dash the only fixed point in existence, a ton of cheers and raucous laughter echoing in her ears. Dash would have cheered herself, but it was a fifty-fifty on that or being sick if she tried to speak. Instead, she covered her head with a leg and groaned. The laughter abated and someone stood over her.

“Are you okay?” Aroris asked. The game master span lazy circles around her head. Dash took a deep breath and nodded weakly, struggling to stand with the help of a slender leg.

“I’m fine,” she said, closing her eyes for a second. Assured that their visitor wouldn’t die, the small crowd redoubled their noise, and more peryton wandered over from nearby games to see what the fuss was about. Already Dash felt better; she had a lot of corkscrews in her aerial repertoire, and this was nothing compared. She grinned triumphantly as she peered into the center of the arena where her disc had hit the edge of the scoring target. She brushed off Aroris’ steadying hoof and smirked.

“New record, I bet.”

“Let’s see,” Aroris said, arching a brow. “The standing record is mine, one of six laps and a perfect hit, meaning six times the eight circles. That makes for forty-eight points.”

“Alright,” Dash said, nodding. “What’d I get?”

“You, crazy creature of wind and sound, ran seventeen laps,” the peryton said with a burst of cawing laughter. “And you hit the outermost circle alone, which is one, for seventeen points total. No, that is not a win.”

More laughter, dozens of trills and caws, strange sounds filling Dash’s ears. Her ear-tips heated up, and she lay them flat, swishing her tail in annoyance. “That’s a stupid game,” she announced, but she doubted anyone but Aroris heard her over the din.

“It is a new lap record. That, I will give you,” Aroris said, leaning down to nudge Dash in the side with her antlers.

“Yeah, well, I guess that’s something.” Dash gave her a tentative smile, and it only grew when the crowd stomped their hooves and claws by way of applause, a few bouncing up and down on the spot. She did a little bow and laughed. “What else do you do for fun?” she asked.

Aroris tilted her head at the question, then quirked a brow. If her smaller eyes made the gesture understated, the excitement plain in her voice made up the difference. “At festival? Everything. Come!”

The doe appointed one of the other peryton to lead their game and led Dash away to goodbyes, waves, and a few whistles, whatever those meant here. Once away from the edge of the plaza and their games, the press of peryton abated. Dash stopped and brushed at her dress with her wings. It was hardly ruined, but the fall had gotten it a bit dusty.

“Here in Orto, dances are a favourite pass-time,” Aroris said. “But I doubt you have missed that. How long have you been here, and where are you from?”

“We just got here yesterday from Equestria. Khaird’s been showing us around,” Dash replied, patting the dress. She’d gotten most of the dust away. Aroris didn’t even seem to acknowledge it anyway; maybe Rarity was the only one who’d notice. Or maybe the way the peryton doe flicked her ears when Dash looked at her was the way they showed annoyance?

“I think perhaps I heard that we were to expect visitors from such a place earlier in spring,” said Aroris. “If that is you, then this makes sense, though I have not heard of your city. What do you think of Orto so far?”

Dash followed Aroris centre-ward, thinking as they moved towards the great ring of food tables.

“It’s cool. I don’t get the whole thing about Myrtella and the other rocks, but I don’t care about that,” she admitted. “Weirdest thing for me is that you don’t fly.”

“We can fly,” Aroris said, glancing over her back.

“Yeah, yeah,” Dash said, waving a hoof. “But I mean, more. I fly all the time! Well, not right now,” she said, kicking off. Only when her hooves were in the air did she realise how long she’d been ground-bound. Captain Calm Seas’ words had stuck around far longer than they should have. She pulled a quick vertical loop on the spot, narrowly avoiding getting her clothes tangled in her wings, flying right up to hover in front of Aroris afterwards. “Like this! Just, you know, flying. For fun.”

Aroris stood stock-still and wide-eyed. “Glandros’ glory, wow.”

“What?” Dash asked, touching down again. “Was it the loop? Come on, I can do way better than that.” Idly, she ran a few routines through her head, wondering which one would work in a dress. She envied Fluttershy her vest.

“No. Yes,” Aroris said with something like a frown. She took a few steps back and glanced behind her, left then right. She shooed Dash back a few steps with a foreleg, and when Dash complied, Aroris spread her own wings.

Rainbow Dash immediately took another step back. She’d forgotten how big Khaird’s wings had been, and even the comparatively small peryton doe’s wings were easily twice the length of her own.

When Aroris took off, she kicked up dust with the blast of her first wingbeat. It took the doe many more strokes before she managed to lift off, scouring some of the green dye-powder from her short tail feathers, and once off the ground, she worked hard to keep moving. Aroris hung in the air for only a split-second before she forced herself forward, and Dash stared, speechless.

The peryton’s flaps were massive and slow compared to Rainbow Dash’s, and the pegasus rotated slowly on the spot as the peryton flew in a small circle around where they stood. Was that the tightest turn she could make? When she finally landed, she was breathing faster, clearly laboured.

“See? I knew you could fly!” Dash said. She tried to sound impressed, and she was glad that the peryton had at least one doe who had the same instinct as she did—of rising to a challenge. Aroris’ toothy smile was short-lived, though.

“Yes, and I know you knew that, but what you did, I can’t do,” she said. “Well, I could try if I gained some height first, and not in this heat, but… forgive me, but please, could you spread your wings?”

Dash flared her wings so fast she nearly sprained a muscle, stretching her neck out too for good measure.

“Are all of your kind, ‘ponies’, like you?” Aroris asked, leaning in closer. Her snout was nearly close enough to touch her wings, and the wonder in her voice made Dash’s grin painfully wide.

“Most ponies aren’t half as cool as I am, no. Almost all pegasi can fly though.” Dash folded her wings and tried to swallow the tail-eating smile she knew she wore. “Even the less confident fliers are far better than—” she stopped herself. “Than they give themselves credit for,” she finished, lamely. She’d nearly said “better than you”. The train of thought soured quickly.

“I have never seen anything quite like it!” Aroris said, beaming. Apparently she was a very close talker. “I hope that more of you will come visit Orto.”

The admiration she was heaping on Dash felt less amazing than she’d thought. Dash simply nodded along, distracted by that last word. She began moving towards the food tables again—if that was where Aroris had them moving—ignoring the curious looks their little flying escapades had gotten. “Yeah, thanks. What’s so special about Orto? You keep talking about it. Don’t you like Cotronna?”

Aroris blinked. “That… is a curious question. What is special about Orto? Look around you! The Festival of Myrtella is a good place to start, no? And why would I—we—not ‘like’ Cotronna?”

Dash shrugged, wending her way around and between small groups of peryton. Some bowed or smiled politely at her. “I don’t know. Khaird kept talking about Orto, too, but I don’t think I’ve heard anyone say anything about what Perytonia is like. It’s all about this city with you guys.”

“Perytonia itself is not like anything. I know what Orto is like,” Aroris said without skipping a beat. She angled herself to walk a little closer to Dash, flicking her tail-feathers.

Rainbow Dash tried to make sense of that, imagining what it would be like if someone said they didn’t live in Equestria, they lived in Ponyville. Ponyville was in Equestria. If you talked about holidays or the Princesses, telling someone what Ponyville was like, was telling someone what Equestria was like.

“So, you all have this festival? There are other cities, right? They celebrate this too, just like Summer Sun Celebration and Hearth’s warming? ‘Cause we all have those.” Dash asked, a little distracted now. She honestly grew bored of her own questions, and was that Rarity up ahead? She thought she saw a familiar curl of tail made from hairs rather than feathers.

Aroris smiled still. “I do not know who celebrates the Myrtellan festival. I doubt it. Not Stagrum. Perhaps Vauhorn? As I say, I know Orto, and I have never visited another city.”

“You don’t know?” Dash asked, cocking a brow. The question came out a little sharper than she’d intended. Maybe this was like somepony asking Rainbow Dash about crazy customs in some tiny village in the far southeast of Equestria.

“I do not know,” came the repeated answer. “If you want to discuss more of… what it is we are discussing, I would be happy to do so, of course,” Aroris continued, sounding a little unsure. “But, my home is not very far away. We could move this there. It is a little more private.”

Yep, that was definitely Rarity over by the food tables—but no Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash’s ears wilted and her wings tensed the tiniest bit. She knew first-hoof that all these peryton were friendly, and she knew that Fluttershy could handle herself. She’d always known that.

“Very, very private, if you take my meaning,” Aroris said, clearing her throat. She leaned closer, her flank brushing against Dash’s.

Well. That was a lie. She hadn’t always. Rainbow Dash shoved away the stupid memories of a time when she hadn’t thought Fluttershy capable. She stuffed them away and gave them a kick for good measure. No, she wasn’t worried about Fluttershy now, she knew that was true, but still she wondered where she’d gone off to.

“One would expect it to be just you and I...” Aroris said, voice trailing off as she leaned around to stare at Rainbow Dash’s forelegs for some reason. “Have I misread you? Did you lose your—”

“Hey, listen, I gotta go, it was super cool to meet you, Aroris,” Dash said, reaching out to give Aroris a quick hug around the neck, which startled the peryton stiff. “But uh, yeah. I’ll see you around. Come by Ponyville any time or something, I gotta scoot!”

“I see,” Aroris said. “Alright, yes, ‘cool’. Nice meeting you! Tell your home city I said ‘hi’!” she called after Dash, but Dash was already in the air, covering the distance over to Rarity in three quick wingbeats, landing next to a unicorn engaged in a deep discussion with a gaggle of peryton of assorted colours and sizes.

“You see, I was under the impression it was primarily a harvest festival,” said Rarity. She hovered a glass bowl of some drink or other at her side.

Dash trotted up to her and prodded her flank. Rarity made a small noise and gave Rainbow Dash an indignant look, but did not turn.

“That, it is, too,” one of the short-tailed ones said, nodding. “And the ‘fertility’ part of Myrtella has been deprecated lately. For most, it is an excuse to socialise and meet with others who may take an interest in your person.”

“Ah,” Rarity said, chuckling. “Well. That is fascinating. And you wear these bands to show that you are taken, so to say? That’s very—”

“Yeah, fascinating,” Dash said. “Hey, Rarity—”

“Oh, yes!” Rarity said, finally turning to Rainbow Dash. Or, rather, she turned to Rainbow Dash’s dress, levitating up the back-part to show off the fabric. Rainbow Dash dropped her tail and her ears both.

“Your silken scarves are very lovely, I must say, as is your choice of colours,” Rarity said, gesturing at the assembled peryton. Nearly all of them wore the four-coloured silken wraps. “And for that reason, I chose to use a similar, deep purple silk for this dress I designed. I understand you are not familiar with Equestrian fashion?”

The does and stags shook their heads. A few raised a brow or tilted a head in query, but none did more than give Dash a politely curious look—which they were doing anyways, dress or no.

“Rarity! Where’s Fluttershy?” Dash asked, her voice bordering on a growl.

“And—wait, she’s not with you?” Rarity took a step to the side as though she expected to find Fluttershy hiding behind Dash’s tail. “She said she was going to find you. I suppose she must’ve found something else to preoccupy her.” Rarity frowned. “Well, I’ll help—”

“Nah, I got it,” Dash said. She was off the ground again in half an instant, hovering above the crowd. Now they really paid attention to her, but Dash didn’t really see the peryton. She looked through them, looked for gaps and everything not one of the local stags and does. It took her less than a minute to spot familiar colours a short distance away, a soft pink and yellow further towards the edge of the festival area.

Fluttershy stood in the company of a group of peryton. The tension that’d started started building in Dash’s body was gone in an instant. She let out a deep breath and sailed towards them, landing nearby to shake out her wings and legs while she closed in.

Even a few short bursts of flight had her panting in the heat. She’d have to ask if Fluttershy had tried flying here, but she seemed plenty busy, the taller pegasus mare smiling at the peryton, speaking too softly for Dash to hear. The peryton gave a round of chaotic warbles and sharp caws in response.

“What a delight, this is. And this mane of yours, it looks wonderful,” one of the peryton said. With coloured wings and tail both, Dash couldn’t tell if it was a stag or a doe, but they leaned a little closer to Fluttershy. “Such a luxurious thing, and so gentle in colour.”

“Um, thank you, really,” Fluttershy replied. Another one stepped forward, this one with a shorter tail. A stag, maybe? He bowed deeply and stepped his body in front of the speaker, saying something Dash didn’t quite catch, and Fluttershy giggled.

Dash couldn’t hold back a private little grin. Fluttershy hadn’t seen her yet, but Dash gave her a hoof-pump all the same. If what she’d just heard was right, and this festival was all about hooking up, Fluttershy was having great success in that department. These weren’t bad looking peryton, either.

“It is curious and wonderful to meet one of a different kind,” said another. “I would be delighted to make your acquaintance.”

Well. At least Dash didn’t think they were bad looking, but she didn’t really know what to look for in a peryton. Fluttershy might know something she didn’t. She’d been the one to go on about feather colours and all that. Maybe she thought these does and stags were perfect for her. Go Fluttershy. She was still smiling and laughing, drawing back a half-step to give the peryton a little more space as she did so.

Still smiling. In an instant, the tension Dash had shed returned with a vengeance. Her wings were half-spread of their own accord, and her ears painfully stiff.

Rainbow Dash sped up, walking straight between two members of the little half-circle formed around Fluttershy. She ignored the soft squawks of protest as she squeezed her way through a gap that didn’t exist, brushing past them while Fluttershy nodded along with whatever some other peryton said.

“‘Scuse me, coming through!” Dash said. She strode straight up to stand in front of Fluttershy, drawing herself up to her full height for what little good that did. She was the shortest thing around. “Oh, hey, there you are!” she said, feigning complete surprise. “Rarity said you were looking for me?”

She drew a few curious looks, and one of the stags gave her the stink-eye, but that might’ve been because she stepped on his claw or hoof or whatever.

“Rainbow Dash, oh, hello,” Fluttershy said. They were simple enough words, but in their wake came a long, noiseless exhale. Even from the front, Dash could tell Fluttershy’s wings were no longer jammed to her sides quite as hard.

“Another! You are… friends?” one of the peryton asked. Rainbow Dash had been in Canterlot enough—meaning more than once—to tell when someone feigned polite disinterest. She’d also known Fluttershy long enough to spot a split-second imploring look from her friend.

Without thinking, Rainbow Dash whirled around to stand side to side with Fluttershy. As an afterthought, she lay a wing over Fluttershy’s back as well, pulling her a little closer. The other mare gave a startled squeak.

“Friends? Nah, I’m with her. We’re an item, a thing. Girlfriends and everything. Why?” she asked, tossing her mane back.

“Ah,” the speaking peryton said, but two others smiled and dipped their heads in greetings, obviously not taking the hint.

“So, she’s mine, and I’m hers and all that stuff, however it goes. All mine, and you should probably move along or something,” Dash added, tapping a hoof on the ground.

“You will forgive my mistake, I am sure,” said the same peryton, nodding and taking a step back.

“Yeah, sure,” Dash said, smiling wide as she gave Fluttershy another tug with her wing. Fluttershy said nothing, seeking refuge behind her mane. One by one, in the resulting silence, the assembled peryton started drifting away, excepting a few stragglers who stayed behind to try to strike up a conversation with the two pegasi.

Where were they from? What did they think of Orto? Did they enjoy the festival? It took Dash a minute of monosyllabics and a painted smile to lose them, and when the last of the peryton had left with a farewell and one of those curious bows that lay his muzzle along his neck, Fluttershy gave a shuddering sigh that Rainbow Dash felt against the side of her body. Dash let go of her and stepped in front again, looking her friend in the eye.

“You good?” she asked.

“Mhm,” Fluttershy hummed, but she took another few breaths with her eyes closed before she seemed right again. Her smile was no longer wooden, and her wings no longer threatened to crush her sides. She probably had a bunch of feathers out of alignment again. Rainbow Dash sighed inwardly at that.

“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said at length. “I was going to come see you, but, um, well. They’re all very nice, they didn’t do anything wrong, and I wasn’t really scared, but—”

“I know,” said Dash, cutting her off because she did.

Fluttershy, for her part, glanced about and shrank back the tiniest bit from the general attention they still got from every passer-by. There was always some peryton at the edge of vision who stopped nearby and looked like they wanted to strike up a conversation. Dash didn’t mind, of course, but she knew Fluttershy did.

“Apparently,” Fluttershy said, glancing back at her own flank, then down at her forehooves. “Butterflies are a symbol of love here in Orto, and they really like meeting new people. They’ve been very, um… They’ve been very glad to talk to me since we got here.”

“Yeah, I saw,” Dash said. She didn’t know what else to say.

“You did not show you were taken,” a vaguely familiar voice said. Fluttershy disappeared behind her bangs again, but Dash perked up when Aroris walked up to them, carrying a bowl of drink in the grip of her magic. At her side walked a riotously colourful peryton with excessively dyed wings.

“Oh, hey again Aroris. Sorry I had to run,” Dash said. “What’s up?”

“We were on our way away from the festival grounds when we spotted a visitor flying overhead, and that warranted investigation, that is all,” said Aroris with a grin. “But, truly, you did not show you were taken.” She held up a foreleg, around which she wore a thin band of crude green cloth. The stag at her side did the same, nodding his greetings at the same time.

“Okay, I don’t know what that even means,” Dash admitted with a helpless shrug.

“It means that if you already have someone—forever or for the this sun only—and are not looking for more, you wear one of these bands, as Thylis and I now do,” Aroris said. She cocked her head sideways. “And it was my mistake for assuming visitors would understand this without being told. I apologise.”

“Oh,” Dash said while thinking, then “Oh!” again when she actually realised what Aroris had said. Suddenly, the memory of Aroris brushing up against her and the doe’s breath on her wing feathers took on a very different tone. Dash’s cheeks heated up. “Right. Uh, hey, no harm no foul, right? Yeah, I totally didn’t realise, sorry. You two have a great time!”

“No harm,” Aroris repeated with a smile, both her and her companion tilting their heads forward before they turned and walked away close together. Only when they had left did Fluttershy clear her throat and speak up.

“Friends of yours? They seemed nice.”

“Something like that,” Dash said, sure she still blushed. “Uh, you know, now that I know what this festival is actually about, it’s kinda weird.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Oh, I think it’s wonderful. So many pon—um, well. So many people in love, and looking for love.” She looked around, and clearly meant it, but in the end she looked to Rainbow Dash, and that smile faded a little bit. “I just wish they didn’t look at me quite as much.”

“Oh no,” Dash said, rolling her eyes and laughing. “They really like you. That’s terrible, Fluttershy.” Fluttershy didn’t look very happy with that. Rainbow Dash was trying to decide whether to laugh it off or apologise when something more important struck her. “Wait. Why don’t you, anyway?”

“Why don’t I what?” Fluttershy asked.

“I’m sure you could find some nice and quiet stag or doe or whatever to chat with, someone who could tell the others to back off, y’know?” Dash tilted her head. “Why don’t you?”

“Well… Because I don’t really want to,” Fluttershy said, adjusting her dress saddle with a push.

“Yeah, but why?” Dash asked. The thought was oddly pervasive. The idea of Fluttershy chatting up someone, and someone thinking Fluttershy was really cool, understanding how awesome she was. That last bit in particular was hard to shake.

“Um, because I don’t want to,” Fluttershy repeated. Dash opened her mouth to protest, but she’d heard the sliver of iron in Fluttershy’s voice, the no that she wondered why others often couldn’t hear.

“Okay,” Dash said. She started moving in some random direction, any direction at all, pausing only to make sure that Fluttershy followed. “But hey, does that mean you wouldn’t date even one of the Wonderbolts? Not even Soarin’? Or Spitfire?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Fluttershy said. She gave a soft giggle as she began moving, but it was short-lived. “Um, Rainbow Dash? Do you think we could get a pair of those bracelets?”

“What, the we’re-dating-and-I’m-taken things? Why?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Maybe if they see that we’re taken, and if we’re together, they’ll stop… looking at me as much? And maybe stop talking at me all at once?” Fluttershy hung her head. “I never even got to the other side of the festival to see the farmers market, but I think I’ve had enough festival for one day, now. It’s barely mid-day, and Khaird wasn’t going to meet us until later.” Fluttershy came to a stop, and Rainbow Dash sighed, puffing out her cheeks.

“But that means they’re just going to ignore me,” Dash said, painfully aware of the whine that crept into her voice. “That’s no fun at all! And I kinda want to go see what other games they have, too.”

Fluttershy didn’t protest, nor did she complain, or even give Rainbow Dash a sad look. She simply nodded. “That’s okay. I’m sure I can just get one of the bracelets, and they’ll probably respect that.”

She’d even given Rainbow Dash an easy way out. A free pass to talk to any of the thousands of peryton here. Sure, she didn’t know what exactly she’d do or say, but it’d be awesome to see if they could really fly. Maybe she’d find some like-minded fliers to hang out with. If they were all as easily impressed by a few loops as Aroris had been, she could have the plaza cheering her on within the hour. They’d probably leave Fluttershy alone anyway, and a few friendly peryton wouldn’t hurt anyone.

But it was still up to Dash whether or not to leave Fluttershy hanging, and that made it a complete non-decision. She closed her eyes for a second, entertained the image of the biggest crowd she had ever drawn, a roar of weird peryton noises as she threw off her dress and launched into the craziest stunt routine of her life.

“Let’s go get some bracelets,” Dash said. “I think I saw some freaky birds in a pen on the other side. Let’s check those out, I just need some food first.” She only had to force the smile for long enough to Fluttershy to light up, and at that point, it stuck around by itself. Maybe she could still persuade Fluttershy to chat up one of the peryton? Probably not. That idea wasn’t quite as appealing as it had been five minutes ago.

“Thank you for staying with me. It was a very nice thing to do,” Fluttershy said.

Dash didn’t bother replying. She just waved a foreleg to acknowledge it and flashed her friend a lopsided grin. Fluttershy had already thanked her twice. Besides, as much as she didn’t want to admit it, the weird geese were way cooler—and less hostile—than Equestrian geese. It wasn’t a complete waste of time. She finished off her fruit treat, chewing noisily.

“Hey, there’s Rarity,” Dash said, and she was glad of it. When the sun crept close to the horizon, Dash had flown over to tell her that they were leaving, and the two pegasi had waited at the entrance forever since then. Or for five minutes. Peryton trickled out of the plaza at a slow and steady rate, but just as many flocked to the festival. Torches were being lit, more lights springing up every second.

“Hey, Rarity!” Dash called, waving. “Over here!”

“Oh, there you are!” Rarity upped her pace a bit, still waving and smiling at peryton as she passed them by, clearly enjoying the attention, but when she got close to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, her focus was on them and them alone. She grabbed the two ponies in a tight hug and bumped snouts with Fluttershy.

“Darling, please do forgive me, I did not mean to abandon you!”

“Oh, it is no problem at all. You didn’t abandon me, I was the one who left,” Fluttershy said, but Rarity let go of Dash, hugging Fluttershy tighter around the neck with a foreleg.

“Nonsense. I will apologise, and you must accept, please do,” Rarity insisted. Dash shook her head and looked away. Rarity looked truly distressed, and Fluttershy was fine. She’d be fine even if Rainbow Dash hadn’t gone after her.

“That’s okay, apology accepted, then,” Fluttershy said, nodding in earnest. “If it really means that much to you.”

“Yes it does, and good, thank you very much, dear,” said Rarity, sighing in relief. She pointedly looked left, then right. “Shall we be away, then? I don’t suppose either of you remember the way back? Ah, never mind, I remember. This is where we came in.”

Dash shrugged and followed in Rarity’s wake. If the unicorn didn’t ask, Rainbow Dash could pretend she knew where they were. The darkness settled around them as they walked along the unfamiliar streets and lanes, and by the time they returned to the Home of the Heavenly Song, braziers were lit along the streets. They didn’t do much to light up the city.

Then again, there wasn’t much need for it in a place where everyone knew magic, Dash supposed, and most of them did as Rarity, the unicorn lighting the way for her friends while happily regaling them with her doings at the festival. Apparently she’d ended up dancing in the very center of the plaza at one point, but mostly, she expressed frustration at how little the peryton seemed to care about the idea of fashion.

“Now, I understand that clothes would need to be fit for purpose here, due to this heat—” Rarity said as they passed through the darkened garden that made up the front half of the House. Now Dash recognised the stone sculptures that dominated a full quarter of the garden as a miniature version of the stele field at the plaza.

“And cold,” Dash interjected. A tiny gust of wind carried with it a chill, and it wasn’t much warmer inside the Home.

“—but there are fabrics for warmth and there are fabrics to keep cool, it is not a complicated concept. Their scarves and other little ritual knick-knacks are gorgeous, but I am starting to think that they look good merely by accident.” Rarity sighed as they stepped into the common room of the Home. Ligilia wandered in from one of the adjacent rooms and gave a small start when she saw them, their hostess disappearing back from whence she came.

“Maybe it’s our fault,” Fluttershy said, her head low to the ground. “Should we have stayed close to you and modelled? Um, maybe they had something like a catwalk somewhere?” She lay her ears flat, and Dash couldn’t help think that she treated the word “catwalk” like Dash treated the word “early”.

“I, ah, no,” Rarity said, leading the three back into their bedroom. The beds had been freshly made, and the table was clean, but Dash was barely past the threshold when Ligilia entered with that odd clop-click, clop-click of peryton hooves and claws. She placed a platter with assorted foods on their table, then a bundle of heavy cloth.

“Oh, hey, thanks,” Dash said, squinting at whatever the cloth thing was.

“I understand you must be cold,” their hostess explained. “I saw that you had used nearly all of the blankets, and I feel the fool for not having asked.” The multiple tips of her antlers glowed, and she unfolded a large, deep crimson blanket, more than two full pony lengths across. “Please, accept this as a gift from the House.”

Fluttershy reached out to touch the fabric, spreading her wings a tad. When she turned to face the peryton doe, she more than matched her smile. Dash let out a breath she’d been holding for hours when the last vestiges of Fluttershy’s apprehension at the festival left her.

“It’s lovely,” Fluttershy said. She almost looked sad at that. “You’re being so very nice to us, is there anything we can do for you? I don’t think we can accept this, but maybe we can borrow it, at least?”

Ligilia shook her head resolutely. “You must keep it, please. Giving a gift exalts the one who gives, and this is from me to you. It is selfish, and you must forgive my indiscretion.”

“We can do better than accept,” Rarity said. She ducked past Fluttershy and Ligilia both, flipping open her travel chest. “Now, I understand that silk is something of a rarity here?”

“It is precious enough that all of it is spent in memory of the stories of Myrtella,” Ligilia replied, her brow furrowed. “Please, you are guests—”

“Here,” Rarity said. In her magic grip, she held a small dark blue bolt of silk. The peryton took a step back, as though the item frightened her.

“I cannot.”

“So you would insult us, then, by refusing a gift? It is a grave offence in Equestria, you must know,” Rarity said giving her an arch look. Clearly, Ligilia didn’t see the humour lurking beneath the unicorn’s demeanour. Instead, the doe’s mouth moved soundlessly, a doe become goldfish.

“Please. Take it,” Rarity said, and as an afterthought, she hovered up what purple silk she had that wasn’t part of Dash’s dress, as well as the three scarves she’d made that they didn’t wear. “These as well. We were gifted three wonderful scarves by your city, and it is only right that we return the gesture. As for the silks, well. Clearly silks aren’t doing it for me right now, and I have plenty left.”

Ligilia’s antlers lit up before her face did, but eventually, she levitated the silks and the scarves close to her chest and tilted her head forward until her muzzle lay flat against her neck, pointed to the floor.

“Orto honours its guests, and its guests honour Orto in return. My home is your home, and I hope I will see you again,” the doe finally said, walking backwards out the door, her eyes on the three ponies until she disappeared from view.

“Anyway,” said Rarity, closing the chest with a bang.

“Uh, how much more stuff do you have in there?” Dash asked. Sure, the chest was larger than she’d have liked when she was the one pulling the cart, but it wasn’t that large.

“My point was,” Rarity said, starting anew. She looked at Fluttershy. “To your suggestion, specifically, dear. Modelling may indeed have helped, because I was stuck trying to describe something they could not see, but if I had foreseen those difficulties, I would have asked. I am sure we will get other opportunities. Forget modelling and catwalks; what did they think of the dresses as worn, in a more natural setting? Did anything stand out to them?”

Dash poked the inside of her cheek with her tongue. Fluttershy looked about to say something, so Dash instead elected to trot over to the table and inspect the food-stuff. She grabbed one of the grass-balls she’d found she liked, chewing noisily and humming in appreciation. This one had some kind of sauce inside of it.

“Um,” said Fluttershy.

“Oh. Oh dear.” Rarity deflated and sat down on the floor. “That dire? Well, what is the matter, then? Did I make some sort of mistake in making silken couture? Were the colours offensive? Surely it wasn’t the saddle ornaments.”

“Well, no,” Fluttershy said, rubbing at one foreleg with the other.

“They didn’t dislike them,” Dash said, swallowing another grass-ball before sipping from one of the small water bowls. The water was icy cold, just the way she liked it. Her appreciation for their hostess grew by the moment.

“In fact,” Fluttershy added, “they didn’t seem to notice at all.”

“I don’t think any of them said anything about mine,” Dash said, but she wished she hadn’t. Rarity had gone very quiet, and Dash’s heart sank. “Hey, listen, I really liked it—it rides a little low, but I think it’s one of your better ones!”

“Did, ah,” Rarity took a deep breath and let it out again. She walked up to sit on a pillow next to the table, poking at one of the food items Dash didn’t quite recognise. Something paste-y with herbs on top. “I don’t suppose you… asked for opinions on them?”

Dash paused her attack on the food. This obviously meant a lot to Rarity. She’d not really thought to ask for any of the locals’ opinions, but if she was under any illusions that that was the problem, Fluttershy crushed that fear—and hope.

“I asked a few of them about clothes, but they really didn’t seem all that, well, interested.” Fluttershy splayed her ears and sat down next to Rarity. “It wasn’t that they weren’t impressed, they just didn’t seem to care at all. Rarity, I’m sorry. I know you worked hard on these dresses, and I agree with Rainbow Dash. They really are lovely.”

“Hey, if they don’t care about your dresses, they don’t care about any dresses,” Dash said, pointing a hoof straight at Rarity. Either the grass-ball sauce was really hot, or she was getting really annoyed, her face flushed. “You’re great at this, and if they don’t like it, they can stick with their stupid scarves.”

Rarity’s attention flitted between the two pegasi, from Fluttershy’s sympathetic smile to Dash’s, well, whatever Dash wore at the moment, but she felt angry anyway. At length, Rarity drew herself up and lifted a bowl of water to her lips, drinking deeply before she replied.

“Well now, that’s quite enough. Let us not speak ill of our hosts,” she said with a cautious smile. “I still maintain that these were good by any pony’s standards, especially given the short notice, but I’m certain I can do better. I can always do better. There is room for fashion in the hearts of all creatures, and I will find it. You are both absolute darlings regardless.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged and smiled at that, and Fluttershy did the same, the two pegasi looking at each other while Rarity grabbed a dainty bite of one of the herb-laden mushy things. Rainbow Dash grabbed a second helping of the grass balls while Fluttershy made an attempt at eating a thick collection of leaves speared on a sharp wooden stick.

Whoever designed this food clearly had not met a pony without unicorn magic. Fluttershy made a brave attempt at pinning the thin stick against the edge of the table with a hoof to let herself eat them properly, and Rainbow Dash didn’t know whether to laugh or applaud, so she did both.

“Oh,” said Rarity. “Oh my word.”

“What?” asked Dash. Rarity stared at Fluttershy’s hoof where it rested against the table. Specifically, at the green band around her lower foreleg.

“Ah yeah,” said Dash, holding up her own left foreleg. She bit onto her own band and slipped it off, tossing it away. “Guess we won’t need those any more.”

Fluttershy, finally realising what Rarity had meant, did the same, with a warm smile of thanks to Dash. This time, Rainbow Dash didn’t even bother acknowledging it. It hadn’t been any trouble at all.

Rarity blinked once. “I see. Well, would one of you pass me those… whatever those fruit things are?”

When Khaird arrived at the entrance to their room, the three ponies lay together, flank to flank under their new woolen blanket. Though Dash was getting a tad sleepy already, it was mostly for warmth. They had even enlisted Ligilia’s aid in moving two of the beds together to make for a more comfortable bedding area.

To Rainbow Dash’s left, Rarity sketched away with merry abandon, working on some designs that Dash couldn’t make heads or tails of, occasionally pausing to write in a tiny notebook. To her right, Fluttershy had dug out a book of her own from her saddlebags.

Fluttershy’s book was supposedly a very precious volume on rare animals, some of which might be found in Perytonia. How Fluttershy persuaded Twilight to let her check it out of the library for more than a week, Dash didn’t know. She stole a peek every once in a while. Some of the “animals” were monsters with huge claws, fangs, or other cool stuff.

Most of the time, however, Fluttershy simply read about some bird that looked just like any other bird, and Rainbow Dash stared out the window willing time to pass so she could sleep. The second a familiar peryton stuck his head through their doorway, Dash beamed at her saviour. Talk, then sleep.

“I believe you are owed a map,” Khaird said, stepping inside. “And in turn, I am owed some thoughts.” He looked tired, but he smiled, and there was a sparkle in his small and dark eyes. The stag’s flanks were covered in coloured powders, and he had reams of silk in his antlers that Dash suspected he didn’t know were there.

“Hello again, dear,” Rarity said, folding her glasses and neatly depositing both her sketches and her journal at her side. Dash and Fluttershy said their greetings, and Khaird sat down by the table a small distance away. While Fluttershy put away her book, he levitated out a large scroll that poked out from the strange saddlebag he kept around his neck.

“My hope is that though your stay has been brief so far, we have shown you a little, at least, of what makes Orto unique,” he said. “It is later than I would have liked, so I will not will not ask you to recount all your experiences at the festival, but I must ask, did you have a good time?”

“It was pretty cool,” Dash admitted with a lazy grin.

“I agree,” Rarity said. “I don’t think even the largest outdoor events in Equestria can compete with the scale, at least, and your… is it proper to say ‘your people’? Well, everyone was quite friendly, at any rate.”

“The harvest market was just wonderful,” Fluttershy said, though her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Um, and yes, everyone was nice. Almost too nice.”

Rainbow Dash remembered her comment about the attention her cutie mark had gotten her. Dash snorted, and almost started laughing when she saw the bright blush on Fluttershy’s face, but the look the other pegasus gave her killed the joke dead in the water. Maybe it hadn’t been that funny.

Khaird was apparently better at reading ponies than Dash was at reading peryton. He raised a brow and made a small humming noise, presumably in question, but Fluttershy didn’t seem inclined to elaborate. So Dash did.

“People were really interested in her, I guess? Like, they were paying a little too much attention to Fluttershy. Her flank, really,” Dash said, shaking her head at the weirdness. “Apparently butterflies are really great to peryton, I don’t know.”

Khaird’s confusion fell away, replaced with wide eyes and an open mouth. “Oh. No—that… is unfortunate. I apologise if anyone have given you trouble—”

“Oh, no, not at all,” Fluttershy rushed to say.

“—and if I need to reprimand anyone for untoward advances—”

“Hey, it’s fine!” Dash said, holding up a hoof. She gestured in the vague direction of where the cloth bands lay on the floor. “We just had to grab a few of those and tell people to back off, that’s all. It’s fine,” she said, glancing over at Fluttershy to ensure that it was, in fact, fine. Fluttershy nodded quickly, and Rarity beamed at the two pegasi as though this all made her really happy, too. Probably, she was just glad it had all worked out.

“Well. If there was no harm done, that is good,” said Khaird with a sigh of relief. “I never thought anyone here would make you uncomfortable. You of course would not know of the bonding bands, I should have realised, but more than that, I should also have understood that your symbols are not created with the same meaning that they carry here.”

“Symbols? Whatever do you mean?” asked Rarity.

“The markings on your flanks,” said Khaird. “I do not know what meaning butterflies have in your home city, but here, they are commonly associated with Myrtella, and specifically with her love. When you painted that on your flank, you, ah—let us say that it likely gave some young stags and does the wrong impression. Please, forgive that I did not think of this.”

“Uh, they’re not paint—” tried Dash.

“They’re not decorations,” said Rarity. She pulled aside the blanket to reveal her flank and the three blue diamonds that adorned it. “They’re our cutie marks. They are related to our special purpose, our talent, what is unique about us as an individual. They are not chosen, but appear as we come of age.”

“Then,” said Khaird. “They are… magic wrought upon your body? How do you create them, if not with paint?”

“Um, they’re not created at all, actually,” Fluttershy said. “They… just appear. It happens to all ponies. It is a special kind of magic, but I don’t think there is any kind of magic that can change them, or make them appear.”

“Wait, wait, if hers is some symbol of love or whatever, what does mine mean?” asked Dash. She rose to stand on the bed and turned her side to Khaird. “Do rainbow-lightning-clouds mean ‘awesome’ here too?”

Khaird looked thoroughly nonplussed. “I am sorry, this is much for me to understand, but I will hear your words as you speak them. It is only… here, our feather-paints speaks of decisions, not of … destiny.”

The final word had been spoken not with contempt, but some shade of distaste. “Hey, it’s not that, whatever you mean,” said Dash. “It’s just, uh,” she scrambled for words.

“A reflection,” said Rarity, pulling the covers over her back again.

“Yeah, that,” said Dash.

Khaird tilted his head down and closed his eyes for a second. “I understand. And then, I hope you understand our mistake if you were given undue attention, Fluttershy,” he said. The name sounded odd coming from him, but the other pegasus mare herself nodded and smiled.

“It’s okay, it was just a misunderstanding, and like Rainbow Dash said, we figured it out. Everyone really was very nice, honestly,” said Fluttershy.

“Uh-huh. But seriously, what does mine mean?” asked Dash, leaning forward.

Khaird grinned, showing his teeth. “Most symbols carry meaning, but yours do not speak to me, not together. Clouds and lightning say storm, and storms are a divisor, an end and a beginning, but if any of my kin thought you had painted it on yourself? Likely only decoration. I cannot tell.”

“Lame,” muttered Dash.

“Regardless, I am glad if you enjoyed yourself, but this moon is not getting any younger,” Khaird said. “I will ask you one question that I have asked you before, though not as direct.”

Dash glanced at her friends, trying to keep the frown off her face. When neither Rarity nor Fluttershy spoke up, she did. “Okay. That sounds bad? Good?”

“What do you intend? I wonder, what is your plan, leaving our city?” Khaird asked. He sat still with infinite patience, and it was only his calm, tired smile that kept Dash from feeling like she was sitting her Flight Theory exams again. The question left the room deafeningly silent for a second.

“Uh, let’s see. We know we’re heading to Cotronna, but the airship couldn’t take us all the way there,” Dash said, the words coming out painfully slow. She half expected to be told she was wrong.

“Yes,” Khaird said with a small nod. “Since Ephydoera asked you to land here, it was wise to listen and not surprise them. They can be zealous in their vigil, but they must be. It is best to accept that their city has earned that right.”

“Right,” Dash said, though she didn’t know what to make of that at all.

“And since Red Sun Runner’s little chat with this ‘Ephydoera’ taught us that Cotronna is as Canterlot is to us, we’re travelling there,” said Rarity with a winning smile. “Hopefully aided by the map you so graciously offered to provide. I’m sorry, is there a problem?”

Khaird leaned back a tad, shaking his head. “Not at all. I must apologise. I did not mean to sound apprehensive, or to cause apprehension. I ask, because I have a suggestion and advice, but I am very, ah—I am loath to try to influence diplomats who are on a mission. You must understand, it would be in poor taste, and I truly hope that in the future, Orto has a chance to foster a relationship with your Equestria.” There was a note of pleading in his voice, Dash thought.

“That’s what we hope, too,” Fluttershy said, nodding enthusiastically.

“Yes. Well, to that end, I truly hope that you will consider my words, without undue pressure,” said Khaird.

The consul lit up his antlers, adding to the light provided by Rarity’s horn. Finally, he unfurled the large scroll he’d brought, smoothing it out with a touch of magic. With the large scroll flat against the ground, he summoned forth a tiny mote of light and hovered it over the thick paper, just where a large swath of blue met faded yellow.

“Here we are. Orto, in the center of the city’s demesne. Here, three honoured guests listen to an old claw prattle when they would rather be sleeping, no doubt.” He glanced up at them, flashing a smile. Fluttershy made a wordless noise of protest, but the stag went on.

“This area, we call Perytonia.” The glowing light swirled around the greater part of the scroll, a yellow boomerang bent around a clump of grey.

“Here, Cotronna.” The light pulsed on the opposite side of the yellow area.

“Oh goodness. Um, that’s quite far,” Fluttershy said.

“Eh, it’s a big map. That means it’s shorter, right?” Dash said, earning a raised brow from Fluttershy that suggested… no?

“It is quite far, but not that far,” Khaird said in agreement, or not. “A question with many answers, no doubt. Now, a confession, and what is normal to me, but perhaps not to you. You will find our roads are rougher than our city streets. Travel between the cities is undertaken by trade caravans with the resources and the wagon-craft to handle such journeys. Those few who go from one city to another will join with them. Else, and mostly, travel is the realm of Ilyra, and thus happens by trade ship by sea.”

“Then why don’t we just hire a boat?” Dash asked. “If gems are worth a lot here, we could probably buy one with all the gems we’ve got.”

“Don’t be so gauche, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said with a huff.

“It is not a question of buying power, it is a question of services offered,” Khaird replied. “Orto’s trade ships are all across Perytonia. All left is a small amount of pleasure craft and the occasional kelper. The Joyous, our council ship, is in drydock, and trade ships are arriving in Orto these days, not leaving. Summer flash-storms are a threat, and the seven suns of the storm are near. Ships will be less happy to leave shore for each passing day until they are past.”

“So… you use boats a lot, but you have no boats,” Dash asked, tilting her head.

The stag inclined his head. “Not now. We will be of no help soon, and I regret that. You could conceivably find a ship from Stagrum to Cotronna. I doubt it, but there is always a chance. They will be traders from Cotronna seeking to make a mad dash for home to obey their schedules, or risk-taking Stagrumites with heads full of Daros’ stories. For a fair trade given, a Stagrumite will never say no, but they will not be happy to accept passengers. Bad luck on this side of the storms, they will say, and I suspect you will waste your time.”

“Then, um, what do we do?” Fluttershy asked. “If we can’t find a ship, and if the roads are bad, I mean.”

“The roads are not smooth, but they can be walked, and they will not lead you astray. I will suggest to you a route. It may be the fastest, or it may not. I travel to Cotronna only once every eight years for such things as cannot be covered by carrier raven, and I have not gone by land for thrice that time. I wish to impress upon you that this road I suggest has an advantage, but I must not be duplicitous. I will be honest and say that I have an agenda.”

The mote of light moved along the map. Dash didn’t look at the map so much as she did the light itself.

“Go by land to Stagrum. It is not very far, and these coastal roads are good. We trade much with them all year.” The mote wandered. “Follow the river Meronna up through the Khosta. The forest will take you inland, and you will reach Ephydoera—or, Ephydoera will find you.

“From there, the roads back to the coast will get much worse. Ask the Ephydoerans how the gap to the north is. I have heard mutterings of trouble in the highlands, but you must cross them to Vauhorn by the coast of the northwestern Spokes, here,” another pulse of light. “and from there your journey to Cotronna should be simple. Vauhorn and Cotronna are both by the northern coast, as close as any two cities.”

The light winked out over the black dot marking their final destination on the far edge of the map. Khaird turned the map around and moved it a little closer to the three ponies.

“It might seem simpler to follow the coast all the way, but travel will be very tough past Meronna, especially if you carry more supplies than can be fit in your bags. There are cliffs that force you inland, and you will have to double back without the aid of any feathers who know the land. The Spokes in particular are unnavigable by ground, I have been told. I asked one who knows such things.” The consul stretched his neck side to side before resting his eyes on the map again, looking lost to thought.

“And you say you have a motive of your own for suggesting this?” Rarity asked, her horn brightening a little. She whisked her glasses over, squinting at the map. “This seems like good advice to me, and we have no reason not to trust you.”

“Yeah, what’s this about an agenda?” Dash said, wrinkling her snout. The word tasted foul.

“Only this,” said Khaird. “I would be happy if you took my advice and visited all of the major cities of the demesnes that make up Perytonia. I cannot free myself from that desire, though I am glad for your trust. You have seen under this sun part of the soul of Orto. In a single sun’s journey, you have sampled our love for each other and for all those who choose to grace us with their presence, and indeed, I wish you could reconsider and stay longer.”

“We kinda have a thing we’re supposed to do,” said Dash, shrugging. She looked to her friends, but all she got was a small nod from Rarity.

“I understand you are committed,” said Khaird.

“Don’t the other cities like visitors like you do?” Fluttershy shifted uncomfortably under the blanket.

Khaird frowned at that. “I expect Ephydoera sent word to all cities of their meeting with your envoy, and they will have conferred with Cotronna by raven. Do not misunderstand, even where you are unexpected, you will not be unwelcome.” He rolled up the map and tied a small piece of string around it, levitating it over to Rarity.

“I simply desire that you should grace all with the opportunity to greet you, and greet them in turn,” the stag added. He rolled his jaw in a very pony-like fashion, looking like he tried on a dozen different answers before he finally sighed, speaking slow, every word painfully deliberate. “I will not insult you by telling you what to do. You are emissaries, and you have been given, or made for yourself a task. What I will say, and you must remember this, is that I do not presume to speak for any others.”

“And if you were less afraid to insult us,” Rarity said, arching a brow. “What would you say, theoretically?”

Khaird blinked. Rainbow Dash hadn’t thought peryton capable of subdued smiles, but there it was.

“Well. I would suggest that our visitors, that those I would like to name friends, should at the very least stay one or two nights in every city, for that was the courtesy afforded Orto,” he said. “The route I suggested is sound, at least up until Ephydoera. Talk to the peryton of every demesne, meet the old claws and the small-feathers. Learn about them, and let them learn about you. I have only my own voice with which to speak of them.”

The consul rose to stand, scratching his muzzle against the side of his neck. “I would ask a lot, perhaps too much. Your road goes to Stagrum first at any rate. I can not be one to tell you what an Equestrian diplomat is to do. That would be vastly overreaching my authority as consul and ambassador. You leave tomorrow?”

“I think so,” Fluttershy said, and Dash did not protest.

“Then, if you have not yet stocked up for the journey, I shall have some supplies delivered to you by tomorrow morning. You will find that stalls and shops open with the sunrise, and that is the best time to trade for anything else you may want. If we do not speak again, it has been my pleasure to have met you, and my future stories are richer for it.” He craned his neck and closed his eyes, smiling. “I hope the rest of your journey is enlightening.”

Chapter 4

The Equestrian delegation departed Orto this morning. One more prone to insult or fear would be concerned with visitors who leave as though their tail feathers caught fire, suspecting that we have given offence or cause for enmity.

I do not believe this is the issue, and will say no such thing to the council. I would stick my head in the shade rather than spend all day under Helesseia’s glare, cursing the sunlight in vain. If an issue exists, it is one of understanding. If the Equestrians must move or wither, and if I cannot perform the task given to me, then I have hopefully shown them the path to a common goal for us all.

Perhaps one day I will visit the home city of these ponies in return. Should the Bent Feathers ever want for more claws, they would convince many more to wander by telling stories of wondrous meetings in preference to those of open sky and empty road.

I will need a quicker way to certain answers, however. It must be words and letters. If I read the calendars right, Siban is to visit town soon.

Regardless, and for this journal’s satisfaction: I have provided the Equestrians with food and water for their journey to Stagrum. In return, they have given me much to think about.

-The Journal of Consul Khaird of the Swaying Stalks, Visitor Liaison

“I tried to lower my expectations, but somehow, I’m still disappointed,” Rarity said, sidestepping a rock stuck in the packed dirt. She indicated it with a hoof in passing, and Fluttershy gave it wide berth, leading the cart around.

“Duh. Khaird said the roads would be bad,” Dash said, flying backwards at a sedate pace. The sun still had a ways to go before it completed its journey from the mountains in the far west. For the moment, the morning still lingered and had not given way to noon, and it was merely hot. Behind them, Orto still shrank away.

Just as the road stopped branching off to the final, outlying orchards and clustered houses, they began their climb out of the valley in earnest. If she squinted, Dash could see the huge plaza that dominated the centre of the city, all the colours and movement blending together. She imagined she could still hear distant music from the second day of the festival.

“Yes, we were amply warned,” Rarity said at length. “I just didn’t expect their largest roads to be decayed to this point, and in their own front yard, no less. Fluttershy, dear, do you need help?”

Fluttershy shook her head mutely, not slowing down in the least. Now the path turned left, then right, and left again, snaking its way up the steeper climb.

“Decay?” Dash asked, touching down to walk next to the cart. She pushed it along with the edge of a wing, but it didn’t help much. “Like, let the road get ruined? D’you think it was ever any better than this? He said that the only ones really using these roads were the traders who didn’t use boats, so maybe they don’t even care.”

“Mm, he did say that,” Rarity agreed with a backwards glance. “Not a single person working on their farms this morning. I suppose they’re all in the city.”

Rainbow Dash followed Rarity’s gaze to the farms they had passed—or were they orchards? What was the difference anyway? “Yeah. I know I’d be at the party if it was between that or making, uh, I don’t know what half of this stuff is. Grasses and herbs and beans? The only things I recognised were some pumpkins down by the city.”

“I believe I saw tomatoes,” said Rarity, frowning slightly, as though she wish she hadn’t.

“Pumpkins with ketchup. Yum,” said Rainbow Dash, chuckling. “I wish we could have stayed.” A low bugle sounded from the city, the sound carrying all the way up the valley.

“I myself wouldn’t have minded another few days of socialising, myself,” said Rarity. Just like Rainbow Dash, she kept glancing back at the city every step.

“We got stuff to do, though,” said Dash, shrugging. “Hey, Fluttershy, you sure you don’t need a hoof with that?”

Again Fluttershy shook her head. “No, it’s—it’s okay,” she said. Her voice was strained and her muzzle nearly scraped the ground. “And I guess staying another day or two would’ve been okay,” she said between breaths. “Maybe I could have borrowed your dress to cover up my flank?”

“I understand the farmer’s market was quite a bit larger than any pony could see in a day,” Rarity said, smiling at her, and Fluttershy nodded at that.

Rainbow Dash took off, hovering over their cart as she inspected the supplies they’d picked up before they left the city. The compass Rarity had insisted on was useless: Any pegasus worth their salt could tell which way was south. Still, it didn’t weigh a lot, nor did the food they’d bought. Beyond that, Dash didn’t have a lot in her own saddlebags, and Rarity’s chest had less stuff in it now. All pointed to one thing as the source of Fluttershy’s present struggle.

“So, these clay jugs of water are pretty heavy, huh?” Dash asked.

“Yes,” Fluttershy said, a drop of sweat working its way down her forehead as she put one hoof in front of another. “A little bit, at least going uphill.”

Not for the first time, Dash looked up and snorted privately at the clouds of Perytonia. Or rather, at the lack of clouds. Far, far to the west, she could see a huge bank of white drifting over the mountains, shielding them from the worst of the sunlight, but judging by the distance, it would take even her hours or days to reach it.

“I’m not gonna get used to not being able to just fly up and squeeze a cloud for rain-water,” Dash grumped.

“Carrying water is still better than risking dried up rivers or brooks,” said Rarity repeating Ligilia’s parting advice. She waited for Fluttershy to pass by her before she took up position behind the cart and helped push it along with a hoof.

“It would have been easier if they had their big boat ready to go and just let us borrow it,” Dash said. She spread her wings and tasted the wind. “I don’t know about these summer storms they’re talking about anyway. I get nothing. Worst we’ll get is a tiny bit of rain, and that’s a maybe.”

“You think a boat would have been easier? It would have been easier to wait a hundred years for them to build proper roads,” Rarity replied, huffing as one of the cartwheels snagged on something. “Or for us to use the bottle of dragonfire to send the Princesses a letter, asking them to collect us at once so we can go around. Did you see? Cotronna is on the coast as well! Now that we know, we could have taken a ship all the way there.”

“That wouldn’t—” Fluttershy said, pausing for breath. “Wouldn’t be very nice to Khaird.”

“Nah, and I think this is just a liiittle bit faster than waiting around,” Dash giggled. “And what do you think Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would have said to that?”

“Well, I was hardly serious,” Rarity retorted, though Dash honestly wasn’t quite sure about that.

At their rear, Orto had barely moved since last she checked, so she tried to stop staring at the city, keeping her eyes on the road until they finally came to the top of the slope. Dash flapped her wings and launched herself ahead of her friends, planting her legs like a flagpole on top of the hill finally conquered.

Well. It was the top of a hill, at least. Dash winced and glanced back at Fluttershy who still looked ahead with a hopeful smile. The northern side of Orto was very much like the opposite side where they had landed. Large, gentle and dry hills. Slopes up and slopes down everywhere, and the winding road’s efforts to sneak around and between the hills could only do so much to keep the going flat. Not that she could see far from down here. Rainbow Dash kicked off again and pulled a tight corkscrew as she gained height.

Once up a little higher, past where the clouds would be were this Equestria, she could see more green further north-west, but otherwise, it was all hills, some steeper than others, and one nearby hilltop crowned with a ring of large stones. More of those weird stele, possibly. She thought she could see a river far in the distance, too, but whatever the line was, the road didn’t cross it, unless it was way down by whatever that smudge of colour was.

Dash squinted. It was impossible to make out detail. She let herself glide back down, joining her friends just as they crested the lip of the valley. Fluttershy stared ahead with wilted ears, taking in the bumpy terrain.

“I think the road goes around a bunch of hills, and then it gets, uh, better, I guess?” Dash suggested, leaning over to loosen Fluttershy’s harness. The other pegasus made a noise of protest, which Dash ignored. “But unless there’s more than one road, this one heads over to the sea up ahead by some cliffs—hey!” She frowned as Rarity slipped past her and ducked into the harness in a single motion made smoother by the unicorn’s grace, and more awkward by lack of practice.

“My turn, I believe,” Rarity declared.

“Fine,” Dash said. Fluttershy hovered unsteadily nearby while she stretched and shook her legs. She didn’t stay airborne for more than a few seconds, landing quickly with a backwards glance at her own left wing. Dash groaned.

“It’s because you keep doing that thing,” Dash said when Rarity started moving. “You keep pressing your feathers together when you squeeze your wings, it gets them all out of alignment.”

“It’s fine,” Fluttershy said, nosing in under her wing as they moved along, but after a few steps of awkwardly trying to get at her wings while walking, she caught a foreleg on a rock and nearly tripped. She spread and re-furled her wing, letting it be.

“I’ll fix it later if you don’t,” Dash said with a huff. “Okay, I still gotta know. Their roads are awful, so they use boats, but Khaird only talked about traders. Don’t they travel between their cities at all? Besides that?”

“That is a good question,” Rarity said. “I wish we’d thought to ask.”

“It’s probably a very strange question to get,” Fluttershy suggested. “Maybe they just don’t think they travel little. Maybe they think they travel just enough. After all, we travel a lot more than most ponies.”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. We don’t travel that much.”

“Darling, of course we do,” Rarity said. “Just in the past years, we’ve been to Las Pegasus, Canterlot, Appaloosa—why, you in particular fly between Ponyville and Cloudsdale at the drop of a hat. You just don’t feel it’s a lot because it’s normal to you.”

Rainbow Dash grinned. “If they kept an official speed record for the Ponyville-Cloudsdale route, I’d have the top five spots. Okay, so we travel a bit. These people are still weird.”

“Their land is a little strange, at least,” said Fluttershy, her eyes to their left. The hill that’d followed the road to their north-west finally dropped away, bringing into view a small valley of dry, sand-like soil dotted with innumerable little yellow-green bushes. It looked to Dash like somepony had used a salt shaker with shrubs.

“Okay, new game: Name something that isn’t weird,” Dash countered.

Whenever Rainbow Dash travelled with friends, she would keep to the others’ pace. Running forwards meant running back afterwards, and flying ahead didn’t make them go faster in the end. Dash had made her peace with that long ago, but travelling along the Perytonian roads was a completely different brand of slow.

Every time they crested a hilltop, it felt like forever ago since they had mounted the last one, and the previous hill would usually be in view behind them as if to say you’ve barely moved at all. Around the next hill they went, and then another. The ocean came into view for a short while around the northern face of a plateau, and a moment later disappeared when the road dropped down and away to run along a small ravine.

They ended up moving at a gentle trot without even discussing it. Dash didn’t notice the shift in their gait until there was a lull in Fluttershy’s rapturous little rant about some birds she’d spotted overhead. Every time the cart bounced off a rock, Rarity cast a worried backwards glance, wincing, and when the sun had passed its zenith, the unicorn gave up her turn with the cart, declaring that she had to take a break, or else she would faint.

Rainbow Dash didn’t mind too much. She felt tired despite having done nothing at all, the sun overhead mercilessly bearing down on them.

“I thought you said this would be a coastal road,” Rarity said, pouring water into one of the simple wooden bowls they had been given to go with their jugs. She drank deeply before she passed it over to Fluttershy.

“Yeah, the sea’s right over the next hill,” Dash said. “We’re heading in the right direction.”

“That’s what you said an hour ago,” Rarity retorted. She leaned forward and rubbed her forehead against the nook of a leg. “Ew, I’m still sweating! This is awful!”

“I can check again, but seriously, it’s right over there,” Dash said, waving a hoof somewhere north-eastish. She didn’t really want to fly up and check. The heat sapped her desire to do just about anything that wasn’t nap on a cloud, really. The clouds in the distance were closer now, so that was something. She grabbed the bowl from Fluttershy with a muttered thanks and placed it on the ground, drinking her fill.

“No, no,” Rarity sighed. “It’s fine. Are either of you two hungry? I don’t think I could eat with this headache.”

“I’m fine,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head. She glanced at the yellowed grass by the side of the road, a look Dash didn’t miss.

“Speaking of food, you said that this should be fine to eat?” Dash asked.

“Um, well, it’s just grass. I asked a peryton at the festival, and she said that they don’t graze much, but they can.” Fluttershy didn’t sound very sure of herself, which was about as sure as she ever got.

“Good enough,” Dash said, stepping onto the hillside and leaning down for a munch. It didn’t smell all that different—or anything at all. It smelled of dry dirt. She pulled up some of the grasses. Rarity gave her a blank look.

“You’ll excuse me if I stick with our proper food,” said Rarity.

Rainbow Dash chewed.

“Did it taste alright?” Fluttershy asked, tilting her head. Rainbow Dash leaned down for some more.

“And the verdict?” Rarity asked. Complaints about the heat were forgotten, two sets of eyes peering with open curiosity as Dash swallowed and stood back up.

“It’s grass. Except it tastes dry.”

“Of course,” Rarity replied, just as dryly.

The second half of the day’s journey passed at a slow walk again. Rainbow Dash elected to take a turn at pulling the cart, but her intent to keep them moving at a brisk trot only lasted until she had to climb the first hill. More than a few passing comments were made about the cruelty of of the sun, their pace down to a crawl despite Dash’s best efforts. The thought stuck around even after the clouds pulled overhead and the sun began its descent, dissipating the sweltering heat. Soon the sun would set, and the day come to an end. Never soon enough, Dash thought.

“Why can’t she just make the sun shine a little less,” Dash muttered. Her eyes were on the path ahead and the cart’s wheels ground endlessly against the dirt. Rarity had trotted atop the next hill ahead, and hadn’t moved since, the unicorn a beacon one annoying climb away.

Fluttershy looked up at the throw-away question, but Dash waved a hoof in dismissal. “Nothing. I said nothing. You find anything?”

Fluttershy shook her head, moving away from the side of the road to walk a little closer to Rainbow Dash. “No,” she said. “I don’t think it’s all that surprising. If there aren’t a lot of travellers on these roads, the sounds of our cart is probably enough to scare away all the animals.”

“Right. That’s not cool,” Dash offered. Fluttershy shrugged and smiled, leading into a brief silence.

“I’m just starting to wonder if Celestia knows that there are places this hot,” Dash added, a final complaint to go with the last of the sunlight. “You’d think she could just… not.”

Fluttershy looked hesitant, but she said nothing, and Rainbow Dash was afraid she’d said something very philosophical that warranted some long discussion. Her brain was fried and she had no desire for that. When they caught up to Rarity, she was glad to see the unicorn smiling and happy to pierce the pensive silence for them.

“Absolutely worth the wait, don’t you think?” Rarity asked.

They had all seen the sea from the train’s approach to Las Pegasus and again from the skydock and the Vantage. Since landfall, the vast blue expanse had always lurked over the next hill, but the unblemished coastline that greeted them was something else. The sun set on the Perytonian shoreline, the orb a deep orange droplet sinking into the sea, bleeding colour wide across the horizon.

Their path made a turn to follow the coast, balancing on the edge between the inland hills and the cliffs that dropped sharply into a sandy beach bordering the water. The three ponies stood shoulder to shoulder for a moment. Dash had no idea what went through the others’ minds, but for her, seeing the sun set from the shores of a foreign land was weird. Probably a lot of other things too, but “weird” was all she had room for right now, through the exhaustion and the heat.

“I guess it was worth the wait, sure,” Rainbow Dash finally said.

“You guess,” Rarity repeated, deadpan. “Aren’t you a romantic.”

“Uh-huh,” Dash said, casting a glance up at the sky. The clouds drifting in from the west were nearly overhead. “It’s gonna rain.”

Fluttershy followed Dash’s gaze, backing Dash up with a nod.

“They don’t look very dark, those clouds,” Rarity commented. “Are you sure? Those are rain clouds?”

“Yeah. Trust me.” Dash began moving, the sound of the cart breaking whatever spell bound Fluttershy to silence.

“It’s really hot, so I guess it won’t rain much,” Fluttershy offered. “Most of it’s going to evaporate before it hits the ground, but maybe we should find a nice place to stop for the evening?”

“Yeah, about that,” Dash said. They stood upon a vantage point on the coast, afforded a good view, and the road promised straight going for a long while. With nothing blocking their sight of the cliffside path, what they saw matched Dash’s expectations from her last scouting flight. “Still no villages or anything.”

“Not even a cottage,” Fluttershy added, staring ahead.

The sprawl of farms and houses in the valley of Orto had been immense, but the moment they left Orto behind, it well and truly stayed behind. The only sign of life they’d seen since was an abandoned house on a hill far in the distance, and that was hours ago. The few by-roads that branched off the one they followed were barely dirt paths.

“It’s a missed opportunity, if you ask me,” said Rarity. “This place would be wonderful for beach houses. If not that, it’s not unreasonable to expect some sort of roadside establishment, surely.”

“What, like a hotel?” Dash asked. “Here?”

“Like a hotel, yes, dear,” Rarity replied. “I wouldn’t look for the Canterlot Royal, along a dirt road, but why wouldn’t they take advantage of the merchants’ need for a comfortable place to sleep?”

Fluttershy hummed. “If we haven’t met anyone on the road yet, that means they probably wouldn’t get many guests. That sounds very lonely.”

Rainbow Dash made a noncommittal noise. For her, it wasn’t so much the need for cover as it was wanting to see evidence that they weren’t completely alone out here. A little rain never bothered her much, but then, she hadn’t really dealt with needing to sleep outside during a downpour either.

“We can just head up when the clouds let loose. Sleep atop—” Dash began. “Oh. Right. Sorry, Rarity.”

“Yes, that’s not really an option,” the flightless unicorn retorted. “But the peryton must do something for shelter. Do you suppose they sleep atop the clouds, too?”

“Maybe?” said Fluttershy, frowning slightly. “We could try walking for a little longer to see if we find anything else.”

“Let us,” said Rarity, nodding at that.

It wasn’t long before the sun disappeared from view entirely. Though they were all getting tired, Dash felt a little more eager to move when the first chilly gust of wind ruffled her mane, and she could tell Fluttershy felt a little better. The other pegasus’ ears perked up, while Rarity put on one of her winter scarves and lit her horn to add to the moonlight.

They made good speed again. The stretch of road disappeared beneath their hooves, and just as Rarity warned that she wouldn’t be able to keep up the light for much longer, they crested another hill. One last hill, one final climb, Dash promised her aching hooves, the harness chafing on the pull—and then they were up top and found out exactly what the peryton travellers used for shelter—or so Dash assumed.

“How did they even make this? Magic?” Rainbow Dash asked. She reached out to touch the huge sculpture. It was solid alright.

“It’s… nice?” Fluttershy lied from a safe distance.

“I quite honestly can’t decide if this is grotesque or sublime,” said Rarity. “But I am fairly sure there’s nothing magical about it.”

How the peryton—or whoever made it—had moved a rock of this size, Rainbow Dash had no idea. The thing was bigger than any boulder they had seen in the hills and the fields so far, and though Dash knew as much about sculptures as she did about bookbinding, the statue would’ve impressed her even if it was made of clay, or butter, much less stone.

What might have started its life as a single enormous rock, had been carved into four huge stone wings spreading out from a thick central pillar not unlike the stele in Orto. The wings spread out at an arc towards the ground, creating a vaguely dome-shaped stone hut.

Where Dash stared at the immensely detailed featherwork, Fluttershy’s eyes fastened upon the monstrous beaked face springing from the top of the pillar, emerging from where the wing-joints met. Dash shook her head. It didn’t make sense to her, but she could appreciate having a slightly comfier place to sleep. The creepy shelter stood empty, and would easily fit a dozen ponies or more. The firepit outside looked well used, and everything rested in a small dell, protected from the windy seaside.

Rainbow Dash walked through one of the corner entrances, between where the stone feathers plunged into the ground, but she had to back up. The cart barely wouldn’t fit through. The first raindrop hit her snout.

“Okay, so, uh. Do we take our stuff inside?” she asked.

“We probably should,” Fluttershy said, stepping up to the cart without taking her eyes off the face carved into the top of the pillar. “Either that, or we need to put something waterproof over the cart.”

“I’ll need my supplies, at least. I have a—ugh, a tarp somewhere in my chest,” said Rarity, grimacing. “Applejack forced me to pack one, and it looks positively ghastly. But yes, we may as well move everything inside.”

Rarity strained her horn to move the chest, and Rainbow Dash rushed to steady the rest of the cart’s contents. It was the work of minutes to move everything inside the cover, but there was already a light drizzle outside by the time they finished, tiny little drops that barely lived to hit the ground.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash both shook the moisture from their wings when they were all seated, and Rarity lowered the light from her horn to a dim glow. Under the unicorn’s light, Dash saw that the inner pillar of the statue held rows upon rows of weird little marks, but they meant nothing to her. Rarity’s magic reminded her of something, though.

“Okay, idea: Maybe we should light a fire outside?” Dash suggested. “Some of the food might taste better roasted.”

“That would be nice,” Fluttershy said, smiling. “It would be nice to let others know we’re here if they’re following the same road. There’s room for more.” She looked to Rarity, who nodded absent-mindedly and muttered her agreement. Nopony spoke for a few seconds, and the unicorn blinked.

“Oh. You mean for me to do it?” Rarity asked, touching a hoof to her chest. “I don’t see why, but alright. Which one of you brought firewood and… matches, I suppose? I don’t know if one can start a fire in the rain.”

“No, with your magic, duh,” Dash said, giggling. “You’re the one with a horn.”

“Darling, my magic doesn’t do that,” Rarity scoffed. “I assume there’s a spell for that—in fact, I know there is one, but unlike certain younger members of my family, my magical talent does not run to setting things afire!”

“Oh. Um, sorry,” Fluttershy said, rubbing one foreleg against the other.

“Twilight can do it,” Dash said. She reached over and bit onto her saddlebags, dragging them closer, but she gave up before she even opened them. She probably had nothing that could help. “Couldn’t you just learn the spell?”

“Twilight Sparkle,” Rarity said, her voice a tad crisp, “is to magic what I am to all things fabulous, or Fluttershy to animal friendship.” She took a breath and sighed. “Doubtless, she would have taught me had I asked, but it was hardly at the top of my list of things to do for this journey, and we have a blanket for warmth. Unicorn magic is personal, unique—”

“Whoa, hey,” Dash said, holding up a hoof. “I was just asking. I didn’t mean anything by it. Didn’t ask for a speech, jeez, I’m sorry.”

“Yes. Well. Apology accepted,” Rarity said, returning to her efforts unpacking her travel chest with a huff. She must’ve had all that remained of her silks out by now.

“Anyway. I didn’t bring anything, uh, fire-y, anyway,” Dash said.

“I think I have some flint and tinder or matches in my little traveler’s kit, but no firewood,” Fluttershy said. “If there’s any firewood outside, it would be getting wet by now.”

Resigning herself to a cold meal, Dash opened one of the simple canvas wraps containing their food. The first one was full of the kelp cakes Rarity didn’t like. She rummaged around until she found the grass-balls instead.

“What are you making, Rarity?” Fluttershy asked.

“The first dresses were obviously not eye-catching enough, so I’m going to have to try something else,” Rarity said, the light in the shelter disappearing for a second as she ducked into her chest. She surfaced with a pair of thin scissors in her magical grip. “If I make dresses in the full range of colours they use for their scarves, that might cause a splash.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” said Fluttershy smiling at her. “Maybe you could add some ruffles this time, too?”

“I think I might just have to,” said Rarity, nodding and returning the smile. “I’ll make your dress a little longer, and try for something lighter for Rainbow Dash. If you don’t mind me saying, I think a multi-coloured dress for you may just be too much.”

“Too much colour? Is that a thing?” Dash asked, tilting her head, but Rarity didn’t reply, her sketching papers already out.

“Fluttershy, when do you think we’ll reach the next city?” Rarity asked, fixing her glasses on her snout. “I believe ‘five days’ was mentioned, but surely it can’t be that far.”

“Oh, goodness, that’s very hard to say,” Fluttershy replied, nudging her saddlebags aside and unrolling the map. “Could you give me some more light, please? The road is—or, I think this is the road, because we haven’t seen any others. Anyway, I don’t know, but Khaird did say that it took their traders five days, yes. We don’t know if that’s how long it’ll take us. Some animals can migrate across Equestria in days, and others can take months.”

“Even if it’s five days, I’m bored already,” Dash said, rolling onto her back while her friends peered at the map.

Rarity shook her head slowly, dividing some of her fabric into reams. “Didn’t you bring anything to keep yourself busy, dear? Nothing in your luggage? Fluttershy brought a book, and I have my dressmaking supplies—and I need to remember to write in the journal, as well.”

“No,” said Dash with a snort. Now she wished she’d taken Twilight up on the offer of a new book series to tide her over until Daring Do and the Moonless Night released. She had no plans on admitting that, though. Dash lay still on her back, legs pointed straight up and wings splayed along the floor for balance.

In the upside-down world, Fluttershy moved to the far side of the hut, and Rainbow Dash could see a small shape poking its head inside their refuge. Something with a pointed snout. She smiled despite herself. It took Fluttershy five minutes of sitting still before she found the local animals—or rather, before they found her. Rarity didn’t seem to notice.

If Rainbow Dash had wanted to take a flight in the rain before, she now decided against it. She’d just scare off whatever critters Fluttershy talked to, and it wasn’t worth it. Fluttershy made some soft noises and stuck her head outside. Dash blinked, slowly, and when she opened her eyes, it got cold enough to be a little annoying. Rarity’s light had dimmed a little more, and the unicorn shivered, pulling the scarf tighter around her neck. Dash rolled over and lay down more comfortably on her belly, legs tucked underneath her. She blinked again.

Everything was dark. Fluttershy sat just outside, her mane slick with rain. Through the nearest opening, Rainbow Dash could see that the clouds were really high up. It was still barely worth being called a rain-shower. Somepony had meticulously tucked Dash in. Probably Rarity. She lay next a little bit away from Rainbow Dash, with space for Fluttershy in the middle. Far off in the distance, some creature gave an ululating cry. Dash yawned and closed her eyes again.

Thwack. Another direct hit, and an earth-shaking roar in reply as she narrowly dodged the sweeping tail. Rainbow Dash hovered out of the manticore’s reach, crossing her forelegs and taunting it. “What’s the matter, huh? Too slow?”

The manticore unfolded its wings.

“Oh. Yeah. You can fly,” Dash said. The beast took off and lunged after her, but she zipped above it, hovering lazily out of reach again before it had even lost the momentum of its swipe.

“Come on, you’re not even trying,” Rainbow Dash giggled. A chorus of roars echoed in the distance, as if in reply to her disdain. From the formless terrain with no concept of distance, three more manticores were on fast approach, barrelling through the air with claws stretched out towards her.

Rainbow Dash laughed loud and clear and kicked the air with glee. “Alright, that’s more … more like it?”

The three approaching manticores slowed down, as did the one she’d been fighting. Their movements stretched, slowed, and finally halted until they were all frozen mid-air. Only now did Rainbow Dash realise she had been fighting above some kind of forest. Details were still hard to make out, but with her focus on the monsters broken, there was nothing to do but look around.

A mass of large, dark trees carpeted the world below, hiding the ground from view. Hadn’t she been in the forest? It reminded her of somewhere—and it was night. Had that always been the case? Rainbow Dash shrugged. These things happened. Stranger by far was the spectacle above: There were so many stars, impossibly many, and the moon hung freakishly huge in a night sky that felt close enough to touch, yet heavy as stone.

Rainbow Dash flew up to the closest manticore and poked it. Nothing happened. An absurd amount of nothing, in fact: She couldn’t feel the touch of her hoof.

“Okay, what the hay is going on?” Dash asked nopony in particular.

“I did not mean to interrupt,” came the answer from somepony in particular.

Rainbow Dash glanced around, twisting her body every which way to see who had spoken. She had looked everywhere twice when she found her. Princess Luna stood close by, as if she’d always been there. For a moment, the larger princess pony had all four legs planted in the air like one would stand on the ground. Rainbow Dash had barely caught on to the wrongness of this when Luna spread her wings as if on an afterthought. She flapped her wings lazily to hover, as was only proper when she was in the air.

“Uh,” said Dash. She hurried to dip her head low, the best she could do by way of bowing while flying. “Princess Luna. What are you doing here? Uh, wait. Are you here?”

“You are dreaming,” said Luna.

Rainbow Dash blinked. “Well, duh.” Was that a trick question? It wasn’t even a question to begin with. She knew she was dreaming. This particular dream didn’t behave like most of her dreams, that was all.

Luna scanned the ground below them, then cast her eyes to the sky, finally sparing a moment to stare at the manticores arrested mid-flight. Rainbow Dash didn’t know what she saw that amused her, because when she went on, she smiled. “Most appreciate being told, because they do not know. I am here because I am curious, and I can be here because there are no nightmares that require my attention. May I stay a moment?”

“Don’t you have your own dreams?” Dash asked.

The smile waned just a tad. “In a sense, but I would be a poor guardian if I became so absorbed with my own visions I neglected to aid others, would I not?”

That was a question, at least. Luna raised an eyebrow as if she expected Rainbow Dash to say something to that, but she had nothing. Aid who with what? The forest below shifted again. Hadn’t Twilight told her about this before? Luna spending her nights helping ponies who had bad dreams? What was the question?

“Maybe?” Dash asked. In every multiple choice test she’d ever taken, B tended to be the right answer, or whatever else was in the middle. Luna didn’t look very annoyed with her. Success.

Luna flew lazy circles around Rainbow Dash, but her wings and the way she moved didn’t make sense. It would almost add up if there was an updraft, if the wind was different, but the air didn’t move. You couldn’t fly like that, and yet she did.

“Tell me, how goes your journey?” asked Luna.

Rainbow Dash frowned and tried to understand what she had asked. It was hard to focus on the the words Luna had spoken. If she concentrated, she could just barely pin them down, and finding an answer was harder still.

“Good, I think,” Dash managed. Memories of the past days didn’t flood in so much as they trickled. It was like trying to drink water from a rainstorm. Rain. It rained, didn’t it? “Uh, they’re weird, the peryton,” she said with relative certainty. “But they’re nice, too. It’s not at all like Equestria.”

“This surprises you?” Luna asked. She pulled a loop. No, she drifted in a vertical circle, impossibly slow.

“I guess?” Dash hazarded. “Maybe not.”

“But you are safe,” Luna said. She looked at Rainbow Dash, and only now did Dash realise that Luna hadn’t truly looked at her before. Her gaze pierced Dash for a tiny instant, blue-green eyes brighter with reflected moonlight than they should have been.

That hadn’t been a question, either. Luna looked satisfied without an answer. “As I said, I did not mean to interrupt, and it can be hard to find a clear path to the waking world in your dreams. I will ask no more, and you will not remember this when you wake up. Have a wonderful dream, Rainbow Dash, and thank you.”

The manticore thundered into Rainbow Dash, and she fell halfway to the ground with her breath knocked out of her before she recovered. Dash swished her tail and grinned. She put Luna and the night sky out of mind. In the corner of her eye, she could see the other three monsters spreading out to surround her. This was going to be good.

She remembered everything, of course. Rainbow Dash had no idea why Princess Luna said she wouldn’t—not that it mattered. Fact was, she remembered the dream better than she remembered what she did yesterday. Besides, what was the real difference between Luna really being in her dream, and her dreaming of Luna being in her dream? Princess Luna was weird.

What Rainbow Dash didn’t remember was going to bed with Rarity’s supply chest half-way on top of her, pinning her down.

“Good morning, dear. You were kicking. Again,” Rarity said somewhere behind her.

“Of course I was. How am I gonna beat four manticores without my legs?” Dash asked, freeing her hooves and rubbing them together. The sun shone in through the gaps in the stone wings, and clearly she was the last one to wake up. Rarity dragged the chest outside while Dash got up.

“Good morning,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her from over by the cart. An awkwardly large kelp cake and some brown vegetable mush waited for her next to a water bowl, but other than that, they were all packed.

“Yeah. Morning,” said Dash with a half-hearted hoof pump, squinting against the sharp light and stretching. Her sides still hurt a little from the harness yesterday. It was a good harness. A great one, probably, but nothing could make pulling a cart uphill comfortable. While she downed the water and food, she caught Fluttershy rubbing her sides as well, the pegasus having pulled the cart for more than her share of time the day before.

“We let you sleep in,” said Fluttershy, accepting the empty bowl from Rainbow Dash and putting it on top of the cart. “We finished breakfast a little while ago. Are you ready to move?”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Dash, yawning. “Give me a second. Getting out of bed and into action is—uh, okay, so that’s normal I guess, but usually the first thing I do when I wake up is nap.”

“Trust me when I say I sympathise,” said Rarity from the other side of the cart, rearranging some of their stuff.

The rain must have stopped during the night. Judging by the barely-moist soil around the camp, it could’ve never amounted to more than a feather-light drizzle. Dash yawned and stretched again, stepping onto the road. She let Rarity take the first shift with the cart, and Rarity didn’t protest, setting them moving along the road while Fluttershy trotted over to say goodbye to some weird mottled badgers or whatever, a group of critters lurking by the edge of the little dell.

For a while, they moved along the coastal cliffs in silence. Rarity set a slow pace, and Dash walked behind the cart, happy for it. She was sore all over, and it would take a while to walk it off. Moving all day was one thing, and sleeping on hard dirt another. Combining the two with the second day of physical activity—the second day was always the worst—made for a painful combo.

At least the morning was still cool enough, and the wind still blew in from the sea. Cold at night, it’d be an unpleasantly warm wind by mid-day.

“We forgot to ask about the ‘Aspects’ or whatever,” Dash said on a whim. They weren’t the words she’d meant to say. She was just thinking about asking Fluttershy what the animals here were like, but the memory of the winged statue they had left behind was pervasive. Princess Luna had asked her if Dash hadn’t expected things to be different here, and the strange stones and their names stuck out more than bland kelp-cakes and fancy feather-dye.

“I’m sorry?” asked Fluttershy, walking over by the other side of the road, her eyes on the sea.

“Khaird said he’d explain what all those stones they care so much about meant,” Dash said. She cast a look over her back as though she could still see the strange head at the top of the stone they had rested under, and Fluttershy followed her gaze as though she could see it too. The top of the hill hid the dell in which the statue stood.

“Oh. I guess we did forget. We can always ask the peryton in Stagrum instead, once we get there. I’m sure they’ll know,” Fluttershy said.

“Probably. I just don’t get it,” Dash admitted. “He said they were stories, but they’re stones, and he also talked about them like they were, I don’t know, people. Except they’re not real, apparently?”

“One of the stags I talked to at the festival talked about them like they were friends,” Fluttershy said. “It sounded real to him. Maybe that’s what matters the most?”

Rainbow Dash nodded without thinking and grinned. “Okay, but that sounds like the worst pickup line ever. Were all the people who hit on you that smooth? ‘Hi, wanna meet my friends? They’re a bunch of rocks, by the way’.” Rainbow Dash giggled, breaking into a hover and laughing twice as hard when Fluttershy blushed. Even Fluttershy couldn’t keep from giggling, even as she reprimanded her.

“Rainbow Dash! They were all very nice, and no, they didn’t all talk about that,” she said, shaking her head, cheeks burning still. “He just told me a story about something Myrtella had done, I don’t remember exactly.”

Dash waved a hoof in dismissal and landed again, wincing at the impact. She couldn’t help but notice Fluttershy’s gait was even stiffer than her own. Her eyes were a tiny bit bloodshot, too. “Fine, I’m just goofing around, but hey, did you get any sleep last night?”

Fluttershy puffed out her cheeks. “I should probably have gone to bed sooner, but there were ever so many animals to meet, and no matter how much I pleaded, they just wouldn’t come in and take shelter from the rain. I feel just awful that we took their home away.”

“Uh, we… took their home away?” Dash asked. “Did we steal their den or something?”

“Well, um, probably not,” Fluttershy said with a sigh. “They just use it to hide from the weather on the coast, but they said that it’s not always free, so it’s probably okay. I just wish we could have all shared it, but they were very skittish.”

“Hey, you’ll figure it out. Those animals will come around,” Dash said, bumping against her, earning a small smile. “Hey, Rarity! Do you have another blanket or something we can sleep on tonight? It wasn’t exactly cloud-level soft, if you get what I mean,” Dash asked. The unicorn moved even slower now, and slowed down further when Dash and Fluttershy moved to walk abreast of her.

“I’m certain we’ll figure something out, dear,” Rarity said, but her smile was strained. She finally came to a complete stop.

“Rarity, are you alright?” Fluttershy asked, voice full of concern.

“Do I not look my best?” Rarity asked, looking about as though she could will a mirror into existence. Dash cocked a brow.

“You look fine,” Dash said, but sure, she looked a little messier than usual. Dishevelled. That’s the word Rarity would’ve used. Said dishevelled unicorn shook her head slowly.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to say anything because we all knew we would be, well, travelling today, but I feel just awful, all my legs hurt, and I quite frankly just want to go to bed, in my own bed.”

Rainbow Dash re-settled her wings on her back while Fluttershy leaned in close to hug Rarity. She could tell Rarity had it worse than Fluttershy did, and far worse than herself. Rarity looked twice as miserable as she’d sounded, but even so, she didn’t get out from the harness.

“You’re doing fine, Rarity,” Rainbow Dash said, and she meant it.

“Yes, well, as to that, I don’t know that I agree.” Rarity closed her eyes and leaned back into Fluttershy’s embrace. Dash imagined she saw the misery weaken its grip on her muzzle a tiny bit, but it wasn’t enough.

“Oh, come on, you’re not an athlete.” Rainbow Dash moved a little closer to give Rarity a poke in the side. That garnered a frown instead. Progress. “Anypony who’s worked out knows that it’s really bad at first. You just gotta keep going. You don’t start working out and give up when the second day’s hard.”

“Maybe we could take a little break?” Fluttershy suggested, leaning past Rarity to lock eyes with Dash.

“We’ve barely moved,” Dash said with a groan, but she could tell she was outnumbered. Fluttershy offered a hopeful smile, still holding Rarity, and Rarity herself nodded as swiftly as her no doubt stiff neck allowed.

“Ugh, fine,” Dash said, rolling her eyes. She glanced at the cart and briefly considered a snack to speed time along, but she wasn’t really hungry. Not for cold food, anyway. “Hey, we should have a campfire tonight if it doesn’t rain,” she added.

“Darling, we still lack firewood,” said Rarity, leaving the cart behind. She moved over to the relative softness of the grass by the roadside, sitting down with exaggerated care at the edge of the seaside cliffs.

“Oh. Yeah,” Dash said. With a minor effort, she launched herself into the air. Her wings were fine, at least. Those were used to some serious effort. “I think there’s a forest north of us,” she called down to her friends. “More north-west, really.”

“Inland?” asked Rarity.

“Yeah. Nevermind,” Dash replied, touching down again. “It’s probably not worth it. It’s far away. Can you burn bushes? Is that a thing?”

“We could always use driftwood,” Fluttershy said. She trotted past Rarity, leaning over the cliff’s edge.

Rainbow Dash followed, squinting. “Uh, I don’t see anything but sand and rock,” she said.

“There should be some wood that’s come in with the tide,” Fluttershy said. “I read it in a book. I’ll go look to see if any of it is dry enough.”

It was rare that Fluttershy beat Dash to the punch, but there it was. In the space of a few seconds, she had grabbed an empty bag, spread her wings, and sailed down from the cliff edge. Dash had half expected her to glide in slow circles all the way down, but she soon let herself drop a bit faster, landing at the beach in no time at all.

“I could’ve done it,” Dash said under her breath.

“Of course you could have,” said Rarity. “But she was the one who so kindly let me have this little break, so I suppose she feels responsible.” She slowly rose up to all fours, walking over to stand next to Dash. “I appreciate your little pep-talk, too, just to be clear. You and Fluttershy make a marvellous team for cheering one up, in case you haven’t noticed.”

“Sure, no problem,” said Dash, who had in fact not really thought about that much. She flashed Rarity a grin and went back to watching Fluttershy.

“Or maybe I’m reading too much into Fluttershy’s motivations,” Rarity continued. “I appreciate it regardless. It’s not like it’s what you would call a big deal.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t say much to that. It really wasn’t a big deal. It was cool to see Fluttershy take the initiative though. That thought stuck around, pervasive and, well, sticky. She noticed Rarity staring at her for a moment, following Dash’s gaze to Fluttershy below.

“Fluttershy, dear, take your time! We’ll keep watch!” Rarity called. Keep watch for what exactly, Rainbow Dash had no idea. Fluttershy waved and continued picking her way around the beach, pausing every now and then to retrieve something from the sand.

“So, Rainbow Dash.”

“That’s my name,” Dash said. When she squinted and really looked, she could see that Fluttershy had been right. She wasn’t just picking up sand. There were definitely branches and other bits down there, they were just hard to pick out from a distance due to the bright sand and brighter sunlight.

“You and Fluttershy have been very close. I, ah, well. That is hardly news, I suppose. Let me try again,” Rarity said.

“Since we were fillies, yep,” Dash said. Fluttershy quested towards where the rocks went all the way out to sea, the cliffs forming an imperfect wall that sectioned off the beach that Fluttershy searched. When had Fluttershy read about “driftwood”, anyway?

“I understand you had a good time at Proudmane Lane before we left, just the two of you.” Rarity squinted. Or stared. Whatever she was doing, Dash noticed Rarity looking at her in the corner of her eyes, anyway, and it annoyed her a little. If they were supposed to look out for Fluttershy, why wasn’t she doing it too?

“Yeah, we had a great time,” Dash affirmed. She didn’t know if she should be annoyed that she herself hadn’t prepared better. If Fluttershy found the time to read a book about strange wood that grew on beaches, it made Dash look bad by comparison. She had just figured she’d wing it herself, thinking she was clever for packing light.

“And I couldn’t help but notice you, how to put it,” Rarity said, her voice soft as down. “You spent a lot of time together at the festival in Orto, and you wore those wonderful little cloth bands they use to signify... exclusive dedication.”

“Sure did,” Dash said. At least, she should feel bad about Fluttershy preparing so much better. Probably? It didn’t really feel like that, though. It was super cool that Fluttershy knew these things, and it wasn’t like Twilight knowing a bunch of stuff Rainbow Dash didn’t know made Dash feel bad, either.

“I am of course, um, how—I, ah,” Rarity said, her voice speeding up, bit by bit. “I am not blind to the fact that you’ve been showing quite a lot of physical affection for Fluttershy, either. You taking care of her wings and all that. I suppose that’s some form of affectionate cuddling—and yes, that’s hardly news now, I understand, but if the two of you are getting romantically invested, I must admit it comes a little bit out of nowhere, at least to me. Oh, but happy, too! Of course! I am thrilled on your behalf!”

“Sure,” said Dash. Of course, Twilight knowing stuff didn’t make Dash feel good, either. Or, if it did, it made Rainbow Dash feel good for Twilight, but not for herself, not like she felt now. Rainbow Dash snorted hot air, already bored of all this thinking. If there was a difference, it didn’t matter. Down below, Fluttershy took wing and disappeared around the seaward rocks. Rainbow Dash’s wings spread halfway of their own accord with pointless tension.

“Now, knowing you’re such good friends—but we are all good friends, are we not?—I just wanted to make sure you are aware that you can be, hm, a tiny bit domineering at times, particularly with regards to Fluttershy—”

Yep. Definitely bored with thinking. Fluttershy flew back into view, and a moment later, some sea creature or other surfaced from the waves not far away from Fluttershy. The thing looked like a smooth dog without hindlegs and made straight for Fluttershy, who sat down and folded her wings. Now Dash managed to furl her own wings, as well. Fluttershy had made a new friend. Rainbow Dash shook her head slowly from side to side and let out a soundless laugh that shook her body. That was Fluttershy alright. Awesome.

“—well, yes, you’re right, that may be a little unfair of me to say. Like I said, you have known each other for longer than I, and I won’t poke my muzzle where it does not belong, and Rainbow, we all love you both for who you are. I just want to make sure you are both happy! I know as well as anypony that Fluttershy does not strictly need me looking out for her. I’ve always held that letting somepony come out of their shell should be done at their own pace, and Fluttershy has certainly made strides—”

“Wait,” said Rainbow Dash, blinking. “Hold up.”

“Hm?” asked Rarity. “I’m sorry if—”

“What do you mean ‘romantic’?” Dash asked, raising a brow. “We played games all evening in Las Pegasus. I set like, five new records, it was awesome! Fluttershy just came along because she’s awesome like that. And the festival? She just wanted to not have to worry about peryton giving her attention all the time, so I helped her out. What, you think—you thought we were like, getting all… oh, oh jeez, no.” Dash tried for a laugh, she really did, but all she could squeeze forth was a full-body snort from snout to tail.

“Oh. Oh I see,” came Rarity’s reply, her mouth hanging open. They stared at each other. Dash didn’t have much to add. Her mind was blank and she’d said her piece. Rarity popped like a balloon three seconds later anyway.

“I—I’m dreadfully sorry, dear!” Rarity blurted. “I didn’t—I never meant to, I, ah, but—” she stammered, near hyperventilating in her histrionics. “Please, you must forgive me, it’s just—I thought—”

“Rarity? It’s fine,” said Dash. “Why would that be a big deal?”

The unicorn paused and steadied her breath with noticeable effort, swallowing loudly. “I just hope you understand how I got the wrong idea, dear, but please don’t hold it against me. This is all very embarrassing.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it, it hap—wait. What do you mean ‘domineering’? What the hay is that supposed to mean?” She turned to face Rarity, frowning deeply.

Rarity did not so much as blink. “What I mean is that you try to bring out the best in everypony, but your methods can be a little crass. Surely you’re aware of that, just like I can admit that at times, I can paint the reality with... particularly vivid colours.”

“Be dramatic,” Dash said. “You mean that you can be dramatic. But what the hay do you mean by ‘domineering’?”

“We both may exaggerate at times,” Rarity said with a huff. “All I meant to say is that you can be a little pushy with your friends, and that is not an insult to you, Rainbow Dash.”

Dash let the words bounce around in her head for a second. She gave the beach a quick glance. Fluttershy petted the sea-dog thing and spread her wings, starting her ascent back towards them.

“Yeah, sure,” said Dash. “So, what about it?”

Rarity sighed and leaned close, resting her forehead against Rainbow Dash’s, smiling all the while. “Nothing ‘about it’, darling. I misunderstood, and I was rambling in my excitement. Now would you be a dear and pull the cart, please? And while you’re at it, please forget I said a thing, because I am embarrassed enough as it is.”

Chapter 5

A quick note for myself before bed: Tomorrow, or whenever a moment of opportunity arises, I think I might have a word with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy each in private.

I’m of course thrilled that two of my very best friends are taking an interest in each other, and I think it’s important to tell them that I support them one hundred percent. At times, I worry that Rainbow Dash comes on a little strong at times, but then, that is quintessentially... Rainbow.

Perhaps I shouldn’t say anything about that in particular. Then again, I am sure Rainbow Dash will take my meaning well, even if she does not enjoy hearing it. She is hardly the type of pony to fly off the handle at or obsess over simple advice.

-R

Well, that chat went about as well as expected. Maybe I should strike this out? No. Even if I do feel very silly right now, crossed-out text is so very unsightly.

Though the day came to a close, light still lingered when they entered what Dash refused to call a forest. The thin, ash-like trees and the darker, top-heavy ones both failed to provide anything like the Whitetail Woods’ canopy. What was the point of trees at all if they didn’t block out the sun?

Even if she hadn’t held a grudge against the little patch of woods for refusing to provide proper shade, it was a ‘forest’ in the same way apple bobbing was a sport, a half-league’s stretch worth of trees providing a footnote to the vast expanse of green to their northwest. Every time she took to the air, the forest in the distance seemed as vast and solid as the mountains further west.

If she still had her turn with the cart, Dash could’ve moved straight ahead off the road and closed her eyes, knowing she probably wouldn’t hit any trees for a good minute or two. No, it wasn’t a forest. Just like Fluttershy hadn’t stopped their cart in front of a brook.

“Rivers are big, brooks are small. This is not a brook,” Dash said. “It’s not complicated.”

“This might be a brook to the peryton,” Fluttershy suggested, dipping a hoof in the flowing water. It had to be at least eighty paces across, Dash guessed. Or three solid flaps of the wings and a good glide. “I thought brooks were supposed to be streams you can cross on hoof without trouble,” Fluttershy said. “Maybe their wagons can make it across, or they make rafts? Either way, I don’t think our cart will make it.”

Rarity shrugged. “This was beneath their notice regardless, and it is here now. If the map is supposed to show all major rivers, this is not one of them.” As happy as Rarity was to discuss the water ahead, she hadn’t moved a single hoof. The unicorn lay down in the softer grass by the bank the moment Fluttershy stopped, now resting her hooves in the water with her eyes closed.

“Yeah. Doesn’t matter anyway,” Dash said, flexing her wings. “It’s not a problem for us. We can just fly across, even if they can’t.”

“And what makes you say they can’t?” asked Rarity, popping an eye open.

“Because if they could fly their wagons, why would they use roads?” Dash countered.

“Indeed, why are we using the roads, then?” asked Rarity, raising a brow, turning around to look at their cart for a half-second before she answered her own question. “Well, I don’t suppose there is anywhere to sit.”

“Yeah, duh,” said Dash, snorting. “That was like… the first thing I thought about when we left the city.”

“And besides,” said Fluttershy. “I think flying in this heat would be very hard. A lot harder than walking.” She wandered all the way up to the water, leaning down close. A fish popped its head up and stared back at her.

“And that,” said Dash, frowning.

“Are chariots pegasus magic, then?” asked Rarity. “I never thought about it.”

“Uh, I don’t really know what’s ‘magic’, I think it’s really just, eh.” Dash paused, scrabbling for words.

“Technique?” Fluttershy suggested, though she didn’t sound entirely sure either. “I guess the peryton don’t know how to do it. Their wagons didn’t look like they were made for flying.”

“Yeah. Maybe they have pegasus magic, maybe they don’t, maybe they all have some magic that lets them walk on water, I don’t know, but I don’t think they fly their carts anywhere. They’re terrible fliers—”

“Rainbow Dash, that’s rude!” Rarity chided.

“—but as I said, it doesn’t matter,” Dash finished. “We can get this baby across in no-time.” She gave the cart a tap. Fluttershy began loosening the harness, presumably to let Rainbow Dash take the cart over as the strongest flier present. It made a lot of sense.

“Hey, hang on,” Dash said. Fluttershy paused with her teeth on one of the straps and one brow raised in question. “Why don’t you take it across?” Dash asked. “You’ve flown your own cart around before, haven’t you?”

Fluttershy loosened the final strap and stepped out of the harness even as she nodded. “Well, yes, but never with more than a few small animals in it. I usually just pull it if it’s fully loaded. This cart is a lot heavier than anything I’ve ever flown with before.” She looked at the cart with the chest, their supplies, the saddlebags, the heavy water jugs and all.

Dash tilted her head. “So you don’t even do any funneling, you just hold it up on the weight of the harness?”

“Um, yes?” Fluttershy asked more than she answered.

Rainbow Dash scratched at her own snout. Sure, she could do it herself. It would be the simplest thing in the world. Fly the cart across, pick up Rarity and ferry her over as well. Done in a minute.

“New plan. I’m not doing it. You’re doing it,” Dash declared.

Fluttershy lay her ears flat and shrank back a little. “Oh. I, um, I really don’t think I should.”

“Why not?” Dash asked.

Fluttershy scuffed the ground with a hoof. “The cart is really heavy. What if I drop it?”

Rarity let out a sigh. “Rainbow, dear, would you please just fly the cart across?”

“You won’t drop it! You can do it, and come on, you seriously haven’t lifted a cart by funneling before? It’s awesome, and you need to try it!” said Dash. And because I’d really like to see you do it, she thought.

Fluttershy shook her head, glancing nervously back at Rarity. “No, really, I think it’s a bad idea. I’m probably going to land too hard. It’s okay.”

“Fluttershy, just stop worrying so much and try,” Dash said, laughing. “I know you know how, you just haven’t tried it.” She stepped up to the cart and nudged the straps of the harness apart a little, grinning at Fluttershy.

Again Fluttershy shook her head, but she looked at the harness, at least, even if she took a step back and hid behind her mane. “No, I don’t think—”

“You do think! That’s the problem,” Dash said, pulling the cart a little closer to Fluttershy. “You need to not think for a second. You can totally do this! Just funnel the draft from your wings under the cart, stronger on the downbeat than usual, but don’t overdo it. Come on!”

Fluttershy sighed, one eye on the ground and a hoof poking at the dirt. Rarity shook her head in the corner of Dash’s vision, and Rainbow Dash didn’t care. Fluttershy needed to know she could do this. She would love it.

“I’ll be right behind you,” Dash said, smiling at her, and now she knew for sure Fluttershy would say yes. The other pegasus nibbled her lower lip, wavering. “Give it a try. You got this. I’ll take the cart over the next hundred rivers or whatever, just try it once.”

It took a minute to get Fluttershy fastened securely. It took another two to convince her that she didn’t need that much runway, and that no, there were no rocks on the path leading up to the edge of the brook, river, whatever it is. Rainbow Dash heard Fluttershy swallow nervously, watched her spread her wings, furl them, then spread them again. All her feathers were in order, and she looked great—ready to go.

“And you’re sure—”

“I got your back,” Dash said with mock exasperation, smiling at her. She nodded towards the opposite bank.

Fluttershy started off right into a gallop. The contents of the cart shifted precariously with the sudden jolt, but she bolted off, and Dash grinned as she bolted up as well. When Fluttershy went, she really went. The yellow pegasus’ wings worked hard, her beats powerful yet somehow still imbued with grace that Rainbow Dash had never seen in another pegasus.

She soared across the water in a perfect arc, and Rainbow Dash felt her heart surge. No backwards glances, Fluttershy simply did it, with only one small hiccup. Halfway across the water, a too-strong stroke of Fluttershy’s wings gave the cart a little jump and something fell over the rim. Dash followed the glimmer of glass with her eyes as it fell, remembering that she was supposed to be right behind Fluttershy, not stare like an idiot. Right.

Rainbow Dash outraced Rarity’s startled exclamation. In truth, it all happened at the same time, and Dash didn’t know if Rarity reacted to the explosion of dust from Rainbow Dash’s take-off, or if she’d also seen the bottle fall. Dash’s wings went from rest to ache as she shot away, sketching a rainbow trail from one side of the water to the other, skidding across the opposite bank and kicking up dirt a split-second later, the precious cargo clutched between a foreleg and her chest.

Fluttershy touched down next to her half a moment later and brought the cart to an abrupt stop, the cargo rattling with the impact.

“Did I—oh no, I dropped something?” Fluttershy asked. She let out a gasp and turned to look over her own back, then over at Rainbow Dash.

“Nah. I said I got you covered,” Dash said. She brushed some dust from her coat and shook out her mane, but Fluttershy’s eyes were fastened upon the bottle she held.

“That’s the dragonfire. That could have been terrible!” Fluttershy said, her voice thin. “If I had dropped it—I could have ruined everything! What if I crashed the entire cart into the river? I was so scared! That was terrifying!” she said, her chest heaving with rapid breath.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and walked over to the cart, tucking the bottle into Rarity’s saddlebags. “Oh, come on,” she said. “That could have happened to anypony. Relax!”

Fluttershy did anything but relax, but Rainbow Dash held her gaze for a moment, smiling confidently until the panicked breaths subsided, at least. When Fluttershy finally looked away, it was to stare at her own fully spread wings like she didn’t believe in their existence, her eyes big and her muzzle parted in an incredulous smile.

“I did it,” she said. “I, oh—oh my goodness, I did it!” she added, a little louder.

Now Rainbow Dash let herself grin in earnest, laughing out loud. She held out a hoof for a bump. “Hay yeah you did,” Dash said. “I told you you’ve got it. That was awesome!”

Fluttershy ignored the hoof and leaned over to lay her neck against Rainbow Dash’s, hugging her close with a foreleg, squeezing with more strength than Dash had expected.

Rainbow Dash hugged back. Fluttershy’s heart still hammered in her chest, and Dash could feel it. She also knew her own heart beat just as fast, and not from the near-accident. Far cooler than any little save-the-day stunt of her own, Fluttershy proving just how awesome she was—even if just by a little cart-flying—that made her hooves tingle just like she’d won any number of prizes.

“Are you quite done? Is this ‘moment’ going to go on much longer?” asked Rarity, her voice carrying across from the far bank. “Because it’s a little exclusionary with me all the way over here, I feel!”

“Sorry!” Dash called, laughing, and she let go of the still-giggling Fluttershy.

“I’m sorry I nearly dropped the dragonfire,” Fluttershy said.

“It all worked out, darling, I don’t see the issue,” Rarity replied. “And congratulations on… a very good-looking flight? Could one of you come pick me up?” she asked, tilting her head.

Fluttershy shook her head, though the smile still lingered. “It was no big deal. I’m sure any pegasus can do it, really, but thank you.”

“Pft, yeah, sure,” said Dash, a little lower so just Fluttershy would hear. “Flying a cart loaded with a bunch of junk without wind is one thing, but the takeoff and the land isn’t easy, and you did it.” She flashed Fluttershy a private little smile, and from the look on Fluttershy’s face, the other pegasus didn’t need convincing. She still glowed.

Ferrying Rarity across took no time at all. As awkward as it was to carry someone on her back, it was a short enough flight—barely a jump for Rainbow Dash, all told, and she took Rarity’s turn with the cart just to get them moving again. Though the little break and a drink from the brook helped a little, Rarity had enough trouble keeping up today even without pulling the cart.

Dash said nothing. When the sun faded from view, they badly needed the light from Rarity’s horn. None of them wanted to trip on a rock in the dark, and there were plenty of small pits in the road that could badly hurt a leg.

“Careful,” said Rarity, pulling the scarf tighter around her neck. “There’s a hole there.”

“I see it,” said Fluttershy. “There are some very sharp rocks, too. Maybe try the left side of the road?”

“Got it,” Dash replied, yawning. She closed her eyes for a second, the cart rattling when it bumped against something.

“If the next hole in the road is a little larger, I may just lie down and have a nap in it,” Rarity muttered. “I swear, every step I’ve taken may just be my last.”

They all wanted to stop. Fluttershy had taken to flying to rest her legs and worried for Rarity’s sake about the cold, and Rainbow Dash had had enough of pulling the cart. She was tired, too. What drove the trio on was Fluttershy’s theory that the peryton had more of these rest stops. Sleeping under the open sky with all this wind would make even a pegasus cold, at least in winter. If the peryton had made a statue as a natural rest stop about a day’s journey from Orto, they might have made more.

Rainbow Dash was just about to suggest that they give up on that idea when they mounted a hill and spotted the glow of a campfire just down the road. She poked Rarity in the side and sped up a little, and her friends followed suit, trotting towards the promise of warmth and rest.

The campsite rested near a small wooden bridge that spanned a gap in the seaside cliffs. It looked like a giant pony had dragged a hoof from the beach and so far inland that Dash couldn’t see its end in the darkness, a tear from sea into land. The bridge was in good repair, but the shelter was not. Even before they got close, Rainbow Dash could see that the shelter-statue, otherwise identical to the last one, missed one of its four wings. A broken-off section of stone wing lay nearby, and a large wagon stood parked by the road.

“It’s broken,” Dash said, frowning. “What’s up with that?”

“It is still quite a bit better than nothing,” Rarity said as they slowed down on approach, though the unicorn looked like she’d settle for a ditch. Her eyes were half closed, and she winced with every step. They were down to a slow walk now, peering curiously ahead. Obviously, they weren’t alone.

“Um, maybe we should say hello, first, and ask if they don’t mind sharing?” Fluttershy whispered.

Dash stepped into the campsite proper. No one minded the fire outside, but an antlered head poked out from the cover of the damaged statue.

“Hey!” Dash called.

“Hello,” said the shadow in a low and clear voice. Dash could see more shapes inside, two of them moving about.

“Do you mind if we borrow your fire?” Dash asked.

“Unless to run away with it, you are free. If you would put some wood on, twice better.” The head disappeared.

“Cool. Thanks,” Dash said. She waited for a reply, but the person inside said no more. Clearly they were less chatty than the other peryton they’d met. She glanced at her friends. Rarity stood with her eyes closed, shivering. Fluttershy poked Dash in the side with the tip of one of her wings, giving her a little nudge.

“Oh yeah. Is there room for us in there, too?” Dash asked.

“Selyria judges none who desire rest,” came the reply, the speaker hidden from view now. “But please, lower your voice. Some of us sleep.”

“Alright,” Dash said. She looked at Fluttershy again, but she was no help, busy gently easing Rarity to lie down by the fire. Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. “That’s… a yes?” she tried, a little more quiet.

“It is a ‘yes’.”

“Cool.”

Dash let their cart rest where it stood, and grabbed a bag off the top. She tossed it to the ground next to Rarity.

“Eat,” Dash said.

“Darling, eating is the last thing on my mind right now,” Rarity murmured.

“Yeah, well, you didn’t eat last time we stopped either. You’ve got to be hungry.” Dash stepped back over to the cart and filled a bowl of water as best as she could, trying not to spill. The jugs were awkwardly large and clearly not made for ponies without magic.

“Eating hurts,” Rarity said with a soul-wracking sigh. “Everything hurts.”

“Tough. Eat,” Dash repeated, taking a sip from the water bowl before she placed it in front of her friends.

Rarity looked about to protest, but before she got a word out, Fluttershy scooted a little closer and nuzzled the unicorn to divert her attention. She held up a herb-laden cake-like thing, and Rarity levitated it over for a bite with a sour look of resignation.

Rainbow Dash let out a sigh of relief, glad for Fluttershy’s help. Maybe Rarity was right. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash made a good team in moments like these. Dash doubted she’d win a shouting match with Rarity, and didn’t have a follow-up if she refused to eat. For all the unicorn’s expertise with all the talky stuff, she didn’t seem to understand that she needed to eat if she was going to keep on the move.

Rainbow Dash tossed some wood onto the fire, some of it driftwood, some of it what few dead branches they found in the little patch of forest. Satisfied, she stretched and lay down next to Fluttershy.

Rarity was all kinds of smart as long as it didn’t come to athletics, really. Unless something had prompted her to be dramatic, unless she was crying or had that manic gleam in her eye that bespoke an excess of inspiration, the stuff Rarity said was usually right. She wasn’t wrong in saying that Rainbow Dash could be pushy earlier today either. Probably.

Pushy. Whatever. It was a dumb word, but Dash knew what she meant. Saying that Twilight was an egghead—and she totally was—just meant that Twilight read a lot of books. Rainbow Dash didn’t mind the assertion that she could be a little forceful, but the idea that Dash acted unfairly towards Fluttershy? That annoyed her.

It wasn’t even the fact that Rarity had said it. It had nothing to do with Rarity, and it wasn’t Rarity’s fault, Dash had just never really thought about it like that. Sure, she’d seen that Fluttershy was uncomfortable with the idea of trying to fly their cart over the river earlier today, but it didn’t matter so long as Dash knew Fluttershy would be happy in the end—and she had been!

Even now, Rainbow Dash couldn’t forget the way Fluttershy lit up when she landed and stopped worrying. Dash also remembered how good she herself had felt when Fluttershy pulled it off on the first try. She grinned and looked over at Fluttershy. She imagined she could feel the pride still radiating off her, even if it didn’t show. Fluttershy leaned down for another sip of water, then looked up at Dash in question.

“A bit for your thoughts?” Fluttershy asked, smiling. On the other side of her, Rarity rested her head atop Fluttershy’s back, already fast asleep.

“Just thinking about the most awesome cart flight Perytonia has seen,” Dash replied, shrugging. Fluttershy blushed ever so slightly and shook her head.

“If they don’t fly their wagons, it’s probably the only cart flight Perytonia has ever seen.”

“That doesn’t make what I said wrong,” Dash retorted, her grin widening, and Fluttershy giggled in reply. There was no trace of the panic that Fluttershy had shown right after landing, only cheeks tinted pink and a laughter she desperately tried to quell so as to not wake their friend or the sleeping peryton.

It took Rainbow Dash forever to fall asleep between the sharp snoring from two of the peryton and all the other strange new noises. Insects and animals sung, chittered and made all sorts of noise that the rain must’ve masked or stopped the day before. The only familiar sounds were her friends’ steady breathing, occasionally drowned out by random gusts of wind that cut through the missing stone wing of the statue. Dash leaned over to give Rarity a little more blanket. The cold wasn’t half as big a deal for a pegasus, at least.

She had no idea exactly what she dreamed, but that was mostly because nothing new happened. She’d had a blast fighting hordes of changelings again, so there was nothing important to remember. No visit from Princess Luna, and no manticores frozen in time. The only detail that stuck around was that part of the sky was open. Of course, the sky was always open, but one section had simply been more open than the rest. It didn’t scare her or worry her—it didn’t even make her curious. It just was.

Rainbow Dash woke first, and that was a new experience all right. Their little nook of the stone shelter hadn’t changed at all since she closed her eyes: Fluttershy and Rarity lay tucked in under the blanket sleeping soundly just like they had done when Dash finished packing up their food last night. The three lay opposite the missing wing of the statue, a respectful distance away from where four peryton had slept in two pairs. They were gone now, but Dash heard voices outside. Yawning, Dash snuck out from underneath the blanket and trotted out into the open.

“Good morning,” she said, waving at the peryton.

“Good sun to you,” one of them replied, nodding matter-of-factly to her. The grey peryton—a doe, judging by her mono-coloured wings and short tail-feathers—shook out and folded a blanket while her companions rearranged some weirdly shaped jugs on the back of their cart.

“Where are you guys headed?” Dash asked, smiling at her. “Are you going north to Stagrum, too? Maybe we’re heading the same way?”

The doe gave her a long, scrutinising look, and then turned her eyes on their cart. For a moment, Dash thought she wasn’t going to reply at all.

“You do not look like competition, I don’t think,” said the doe. “You are not traders?”

“What? No,” Dash said, frowning. “We’re, well, uh, ‘diplomats’, I guess.” The word felt odd and ungainly. Decidedly uncool. She wished she’d said they were on a secret mission instead. Too late.

“Ah,” the peryton said. “Well. Then, no. We are from Stagrum, and we make for Orto. We are in trade, but I will not give you details beyond this.”

“O-kayy?” Dash said, raising a brow. “You look different from them.”

And they did. It wasn’t just the fact that the doe’s tail-feathers were muted compared to the painted and exaggerated spectrums of the festival-ready peryton in Orto. Where the peryton they had seen so far walked naked save for their paints and scarves, this doe and her companions were clad not in clothes, but in a myriad of trinkets. She had gold, silver and jade hoops through her small ears, delicate chains like a spiderweb between the prongs of her antlers, and curious bangles around the base of her tail and wings.

“Yes. As I said, we are from Stagrum,” the peryton said. Dash waited for her to elaborate, but she turned and continued packing. Dash snorted and shuffled her wings, trotting over to a stag who stomped at the embers of the campfire with his powerful hind-claws.

“Hey, name’s Rainbow Dash! What’s yours?”

“Anhast,” said the stag. This one gave Dash a smile in return, at least. “Though I will keep my house to myself, with pardons to you. You are no peryton. Diplomats, you said?”

“Yep!” Dash said. “We’re ponies from Equestria. We’re on our way to Cotronna. You ever been there?”

Anhast shook his head with a rustle of silver from his antler-decor. “No, I travel this road and a few others. I am sorry, I should not answer too many questions.”

“Why?” Dash asked, drawing back. “Do you think we’re spies or something?”

The stag laughed a harsh, cawing laugh, cleaning the soot off his claws in the dirt. “No, not at all, unless this is a very unusual and unsubtle act of espionage, but all words on trade are secret-bound. All know this. It aids in keeping trade fair. There is no malice in this.”

“Right,” said Dash. “I don’t know that, but okay.”

“Discussing most anything else is fine, Rainbow Dash,” said Anhast, smiling toothily. “And I can tell you favour Daros’ stories, but we must be moving soon.”

“Alright, cool,” Dash said, nodding. She was sure she had a thousand things she should ask, but nothing really sprung to mind. She looked about, and her eyes fell upon the broken statue behind them. “Hey, so, these statues, are they everywhere?”

“Selyria? Her story echoes throughout the land.” He followed Dash’s gaze. “You will find her shelter a sun’s travel apart along the main roads. She will accept diplomat and trader, peryton and pony, if that is your kind. Please do not quarrel under her gaze.”

Rainbow Dash scratched at her own snout. “So, uh. That’s a yes? There’s one statue every day?”

“That is ‘yes’,” Anhast said, nodding. “And most of them are whole, unlike this one.”

“What happened to this statue, anyway?” Dash asked, staring at the broken-off wing on the ground. She received no reply right away. Anhast stared at the large stone shell with obvious concern.

“Oh come on, is that some ‘trade’ secret, too?” Dash asked, tapping her hoof impatiently.

“No, not at all,” Anhast said, shaking his head. “I simply do not know. This is the second defaced stele I have seen this year. They have stood for a long time. It is not weather, and I do not know what would drive anyone to do this.”

Dash snorted. “Well, that’s stupid. Kinda ruins the point of keeping the wind out, if that’s what they are for.”

Anhast nodded vacantly, looking over his shoulder to meet the gaze of the doe Dash had tried to talk to earlier. The two remaining stags were fastening themselves to the wagon, tightening their harnesses with a glimmer of magic while they chatted. “Are we ready to go?” Anhast asked.

“Waiting for the last one of us,” the doe returned.

“Well, then I must go,” the stag said. When his three companions started moving he craned his neck in a peryton bow to Dash, his muzzle flat against his neck. “Tell the tales of Phostos, Daros and Khylari with your steps.”

“I don’t know what any of that is,” Dash said, trying not to let her annoyance show. “Seeya!”

Anhast gave a warbling laugh as he went. “Fair trade, daring ventures and lines drawn in the sand, Rainbow Dash. Farewell!”

Rainbow Dash had to fight her urge to wake Rarity and Fluttershy. Every instinct she had, every fiber of her body wanted to move. A quick dive to explore the narrow gulch below the bridge was good for a few minutes of almost-excitement, but hardly a challenge. There was nothing to do. Rainbow Dash was trying to decide whether to trip over her friends or crash into the statue by “accident” when Fluttershy stuck her head outside, rubbing at her eyes.

“Good morning,” said Fluttershy, blinking heavily. “Did the peryton leave already?”

“Yep,” said Dash. “I guess they’re early birds or something. You know, just like me.” She chuckled at her own lame joke, glancing over at Fluttershy when she sat down next to her. “I think the last time I woke up before you was before the final flight exam at juniors level.”

Fluttershy’s muzzle curved in a trace of a smile. “I don’t really think that counts. You didn’t sleep at all. And Twilight said you were there at library opening hour when the last Daring Do novel came out.”

“Heh, yeah, okay, but I bet you were up before then anyway. Library opening hour isn’t exactly at sunrise, you know—”

“And every cider season,” Fluttershy added.

“And—uh. Yeah, okay, that doesn’t count, either,” Dash said, flicking her ears.

Fluttershy made a noncommittal hum, looking over at the statue. She re-settled her wings on her back and got up, stretching her legs out, and Dash sighed internally. She had meant to say something about getting going, but she could see that Fluttershy’s movements were still stiff, and that meant Rarity would probably be aching even worse.

“I’m sure she’ll feel better soon,” Fluttershy said, echoing Rainbow Dash’s thoughts. Maybe she’d seen Rainbow Dash looking in the direction of the sleeping unicorn, a snippet of tail visible through the closest opening of the statue.

“Yeah,” said Dash. “You’re okay, though?”

“I’m okay,” Fluttershy repeated with a faint smile. “Probably not a lot more than okay, if I have to be honest, but it’ll get better. For all of us. We just need to get used to it if we’re gonna travel for a while.”

Dash nodded emptily at that. She was used to being tired, she was used to working hard, but she definitely wasn’t used to travelling all day like this. Only now did she notice that she had a faint outline around her body where the girth of the harness went. She touched a hoof to it, and winced at how sore she felt.

“If you look at the map, we’ll be travelling for more than a while, actually,” Fluttershy went on, the pegasus’s eyes pointed north, past the gulch and to the coastal road that stretched on and on. “The road to Stagrum is the shortest one.”

Fluttershy had the same faint ring around the front of her barrel, right behind her forelegs. Rainbow Dash shuffled a little closer.

“Well, except maybe the road between… Vauhorn and Cotronna, I think it is,” Fluttershy said, glancing towards their cart. “I could check—eep!” Fluttershy jerked away when Dash touched her side.

Rainbow Dash pulled her hoof back, frowning. “Is it that painful?” she asked.

“Oh, no,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head and letting out a soft laugh. “You just startled me.”

“Right, right,” said Dash. “That harness is really a pain, huh?”

Fluttershy puffed out her cheeks. “I’m sure it’s a very good harness, but… I think it’s the same thing. I’m just not used to it—oh goodness, yours looks a lot worse. Lie still for a second, please.”

Before Dash could ask what Fluttershy meant, the other pegasus turned around and lay a hoof to her side, brushing against the grain of her coat in short little strokes. Dash sucked in a hissing breath through clenched teeth, and Fluttershy pulled back.

“Oh, I’m sorry—”

“No, keep going,” Dash said, grimacing. “That’s good.”

Fluttershy nodded and reapplied herself, now with a tentative smile. “Applejack told me that they rub down at the farm all the time, massaging the sore parts after a hard day’s work.”

“Hey, I’m not new to being sore,” Dash said, grinning. “Just… not like this. I’ll do you afterwards, and then we’ll wake up Rarity, okay?”

Fluttershy nodded and smiled. “That sounds like a good plan. I’m sure she’ll feel better soon.”

Rarity showed an impressive variety of complaints, at least, and that meant she was in better spirits. They made a little better speed than the previous day, and though they were still slowed down to a crawl around mid-day when the sun was at its highest, the unicorn took her turn without comment, the three ponies trudging on with steps that slowed as their mouths went dry until they were forced to take a break.

“Do remind me of this moment if I ever suggest the steam room at the spa again,” said Rarity, wiping her forehead as one slope gave way to another.

Fluttershy let out a weak giggle, pushing at the cart from behind. “I’ll try to remember. I know I feel a little tempted to borrow a few rain clouds for myself when we get back home.”

“More like try to kick off winter early,” Dash suggested. No clouds in sight, and to their right, the sea held infinite golden sparkles too bright to look at.

The next few days passed in something of a blur. As comfortable as Rainbow Dash was with the sweet pain of aching muscles, the sheer sameyness was twice as bad. They found the next Selyrian statue not long after sundown, having spent the entire day at a slow walk under the baking sun. The shelter-stele stood unharmed, identical to the first, and this time, they had the energy to eat together and take care of the worst of the soreness from all the chafing. Fluttershy lent her hooves to soothe Rarity’s aching muscles while the unicorn scribbled away in her journal.

The day after, they passed another wagon on the road shortly before midday. Rainbow Dash stopped the cart and waved, but the peryton simply inclined their heads and kept moving.

“Wow, that’s a little rude,” Dash said, her eyes still following the large peryton wagon as it trundled away in the opposite direction, two peryton pulling the wagon, and the other two walking at their side.

“Mm, it wouldn’t hurt to stop for a little chat, surely,” Rarity agreed, arching a brow.

Fluttershy nodded. “Not only that, I think it’s strange, really. I don’t think any of the peryton we met so far would ever want to not talk.”

“Exactly,” said Dash, giving the cart a tug to set it rolling again. “They looked like they think it’s normal to see ponies walking along their roads.”

“I suppose they take their trading very seriously,” said Rarity, taking a deep breath and following in Rainbow Dash’s wake. “Or perhaps,” she added. “Perhaps they think it’s too hot to talk, and I may agree.”

They found the next statue with daylight to spare, though only just. Clearly, Rarity made an effort to keep up with the pegasi, and after she’d nibbled on some slightly stale jelly-treats, the unicorn fell asleep over her notes. The insect noises and the occasional bird calls were no less strange to Dash that night. Each day some creature made a new noise she hadn’t heard before.

Every night, Fluttershy leafed through her book before she fell asleep, but her luck in actually finding the animals didn’t improve much after that first rainy night. Some squat creatures disappeared over a hill when they spotted them, and outside of the occasional birds picking around the beach below, the only other life on the Perytonian coast was a third wagon-team, asleep when the ponies arrived at the fourth stele, gone when they awoke late that morning.

Presently, they made their way down a long and gentle slope. The height of the cliffside road gradually and reluctantly released its tension, declining to where the rocky wall against the sea ceased, ending in a large plain below. Thus, it was well past mid-day on the fifth day when they finally spotted Stagrum. What Rainbow Dash figured had to be Stagrum, that was, because it didn’t look much like Orto at all.

Where Orto was an unbroken, sprawling mess that covered an entire valley, Stagrum was smaller, straddling the many arms of a massive river delta. Even from a distance, Dash could tell that the buildings were larger, taller, and more tightly packed. On the far side of the delta lay a forest with a host of colours ranging from light greens to bright yellows, and all around the plains were small clusters of buildings.

Some were obviously farms, others seemed to be groups of houses, too small to be a village, too many to be a single large farmstead. Few were very far away from Stagrum, and ever since they began their descent, the roads had been in good repair. Every so often, there was a roadside stele, a stone embedded in the ground carrying unintelligible scrawl.

“—and then he just said goodbye, with a bunch of weird words. Probably more of their Aspects,” Dash said. She’d told Fluttershy and Rarity of her conversation with Anhast and the peryton traders right after they woke, days ago, but Fluttershy had wanted to hear it again. “Seriously. The next time I see one of these guys, I’m not giving up until they explain those stones.”

“Do you think they’re all like that?” Fluttershy asked with an odd mixture of hope and worry.

“The peryton? I didn’t say that. Or, uh, I mean, I don’t think so? I don’t know,” Dash said, shrugging. “All I said was that they didn’t seem like the Orto peryton. Ortoians? Ortovillians?”

“Ortosians, I think,” came Rarity’s voice from behind the cart. “Careful, dear.”

“I got it,” Dash said, easing the cart down a slightly steeper part of the slope.

“You did say they didn’t seem as nice,” Fluttershy suggested.

“One of them was a little grumpy, but they just didn’t ask as many questions. They weren’t all ‘hi, how are you, can I taste your mane and buy you dinner?’ like the other peryton, that’s all. Jeez, stop worrying about the peryton and start worrying about how we’re gonna get to the city before it’s dark!”

“Oh,” said Fluttershy, taking her eyes off Dash and looking to the distant city. “It is still far away, isn’t it?” She cast a worried look backwards, too, to where Rarity fell further behind their cart, her walk slowing a little.

“Well, we all have to share the blame for oversleeping,” Rarity said with a sigh. “I woke up when the peryton were leaving, but I thought I could close my eyes for just five... more minutes.” Her voice trailed off into nothing.

Dash smirked and leaned closer to Fluttershy with a conspiratorial whisper. “Yeah, see, the trick is, you just need to plan to get up a little earlier, then you can nap right afterwards instead of sleeping right through nap time. Way better.”

“Um, we were the ones who had to wake you up by splashing you with water today, but sleeping a little longer was nice,” Fluttershy admitted. Her ears were splayed, and Rainbow Dash said nothing exactly because she agreed. She wasn’t half as tired as Rarity, though. The unicorn practically sleepwalked at this point, and the last rays of sunlight revealed no new statues along the road. There would probably be no more statues before Stagrum.

“Maybe we should just stop,” Fluttershy said. “I don’t think Rarity can go on for much longer, and it’s dangerous to walk in the dark.”

“I’m still awake,” Rarity muttered.

“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing,” Rainbow Dash said, breathing out through her nose. She ignored Rarity, pulling them to a stop outside the first of the many houses that dotted the road. This particular house stood alone, one of the few buildings on the slope itself. The dome-shaped house looked similar enough to any of the smaller Ortosian abodes, but it had a proper door, albeit an odd one with no handle or doorknob. It was obviously not a farm, but whoever lived here kept something in the back yard, evidenced by the fence.

“Do you think they’ll let us sleep in there? Maybe they’re not as friendly as the peryton in Orto,” Fluttershy said. “Maybe they’re even more friendly?” She swallowed hard, shrinking back.

“Well, let’s at the very least make ourselves somewhat presentable,” said Rarity. She recovered a smidgen of her usual vim and vigour, but not much more than that. With eyes half-closed and under the light of her magic, she had the Myrtellan scarves out and the ponies decorated inside of a minute. “There we are. Go on, dear.”

“What? You’re the one who’s good at talking,” Dash said. “Why do I have to go?”

“Because if my eyes were any puffier, I could use a mirror to cure myself of the hiccups forever, and any efforts to restore my mane to its rightful state with only a brush are wasted. I am simply not presentable. Go!”

Dash rolled her eyes. “Right. Fine,” she said. She undid the harness, wrapped a wing around Fluttershy’s neck, and made for the door. Fluttershy followed her past the low, mismatched stone fence, but stayed a few steps behind when Dash mounted the stepping stone in front of the door and knocked. Moments later, the sliding door opened in full to reveal the tall shape of a peryton with its head tilted at an angle. The peryton’s antlers glowed, and magic sheathed the handle-less door.

“Hey, I’m Rainbow Dash,” Dash said. “Can we come in?”

The peryton stared for a second, unmoving. Past the doe—Dash guessed it was a she—Rainbow Dash could see a stag with coloured wingtips and another doe seated around a low table set for a meal in a relatively small, cluttered chamber. All attention was on Rainbow Dash, and the pegasus cleared her throat under three sets of staring eyes.

“Like, come in for the night. Please? It’s getting really late and stuff, and we need a place to sleep. Do you have room? Or, uh, maybe you know of somewhere else to sleep and okay this silence is starting to creep me out, we’ll just try the next door maybe?”

The doe who had opened the door shook her head briskly and stepped aside so quickly she nearly lost her footing, hooves and claws scrabbling against the stone floor. “Of course! Yes, enter. Leave your belongings outside, perhaps, but do enter. It would not do to offend when Selyria carries gifts.”

“Or portents,” spoke the stag, receiving a poke in the side from the other, seated doe. All three peryton were otherwise silent, saying nothing more while the ponies nodded their thanks, threw Rarity’s tarp over the cart, and guided the tired unicorn through the messy, busy room. The tall and lanky doe held the door open into an adjoining chamber, and Dash winced as Rarity bumped against the doorframe coming in. The unicorn was asleep the moment she lay down, before Fluttershy could tuck her in.

While Fluttershy took off Rarity’s scarf and made sure Rarity was well covered in blanket, Dash glanced about the room. There wasn’t much to see. Carpets and another door leading to who knew what. At least the window had shutters. It’d keep the wind out. She wasn’t all that tired, though, and Fluttershy made no move to lie down and sleep either. Their hostess lingered by the door.

“Um, thank you very much for letting us sleep here,” Fluttershy whispered, smiling at the peryton.

“Yeah, seriously. Thanks,” Dash added, nodding along. “I’m just gonna pop outside and get some of our food. I could go for a bite. I’ll be right back.”

The doe nodded in return and led them back into the main chamber, sitting down at the table with the other peryton, whispering to the others. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were halfway through the front door when the other doe spoke up.

“Do go on, do not miss an opportunity,” she said in a loud, rusty drawl. “You would have them eat travel fare when we have food on our table?”

The first doe looked down at the table, her face tinted with the slightest of red. Was she younger? She sounded younger. “I, ah, she is right. Would you like to dine with us? Please?”

Thus Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy found themselves seated around a crowded table in a small room that acted as a curious combination of kitchen area, living room and bedroom. A number of odd steel and wood tools hung next to the front door, the beds were collections of blankets and stuffing, and the rest of the room was a mess of … pottery? Dash had initially thought it was kitchenware, but no one, pony or otherwise, could possibly need this many urns, pots, bowls and vases. All of it was elaborate stuff with pictures or patterns on display.

The room smelled of kelp and metal, the former scent owing to the kelp soup on offer, but neither the bowls they offered the ponies nor the ones they used themselves were half as fancy as the stuff stacked and hung around the room.

“Thank you, again,” Fluttershy said, ducking so low she nearly disappeared behind the table when the stag ladled up kelp soup for her.

“She’s Fluttershy, I’m Rainbow Dash,” Dash said, mostly to say something that wasn’t thank you for the kelp soup, since that would be a little dishonest even according to her standards. Still, food was food, and they had eaten all the good stuff from Orto anyway. All that remained were kelp cakes. Always with the kelp.

“Neretar of the House of Two Claws,” said the stag, the smallest of the tree.

“Alaesta,” said the more soft-spoken of the two does.

“And you eat at the table of Phydra, being my name,” finished the sharp-voiced one without looking at them, a doe with a mottled grey coat to Alaesta’s brighter white and brown. She took one final sip of her soup before pushing it to the center of the table. “Tonight, Selyria has given us a gift. Please, tell me, where has your path gone, and what have you added to her stories?”

Dash blinked.

“I, um, I guess you’re asking where we come from?” Fluttershy guessed. She looked askance at Rainbow Dash. “We’re from Equestria. I’m sure we could tell you all about it.”

Dash stared at her soup. She was two sips in and had already decided that even talking to confusing peryton was better than eating kelp soup.

“Listen,” said Dash. “I’ll trade you. If you tell me what these ‘Aspects’ you have here are, and why you have names for stones, I’ll tell you the entire story of my life if you want.”

Phydra laughed. It was a full-bodied laughter that came out a crow-like chattering cackle, and Rainbow Dash thought it would never end. Alaesta flashed a smile and kept eating uninterrupted, while Neretar’s face was blank. If Dash had to guess, he looked bored. When she finally stopped, Phydra grinned broadly.

“I am not blind to what it is like to bumble into the unknown, traveller. I am full of sympathy. Now, I am told you wear the colours of Myrtella around your necks, so it is a small wing’s guess to tell which end of this road you come from. I wonder only what brought you from Orto to my doorstep, or from your doorstep to Orto. Leave out as much as you like. Good stories are made up of the choicest bits, after all. Here in Stagrum, the story of Phostos is told again and again.” She held up a cracked forehoof as if she had known Dash was about to interrupt her and ask what the hay Phostos was.

“I can hear you are creatures strange and from afar. I will try to explain the Aspects as I would to a new-born, if only you will tell me how you came to sail through here on Selyria’s wings. This I promise.”

Phydra’s eyes were glossed over. She was blind, and only now did Dash realise. The reason she never looked at them was because she didn’t have to, or because she couldn’t. Regardless, when Fluttershy began explaining that they were here as diplomats on their way to Cotronna, Phydra listened without interrupting. Had her unseeing eyes not been open, Dash would’ve thought her asleep, which was more than could be said for the other two peryton.

In the short time it took the two ponies to give a brief recount of their travels, Alaesta did fall asleep, the doe struggling to keep her eyes open until finally she excused herself and retreated to the next room. Neretar’s particular brand of silence was different. From the moment the ponies explained that they had been sent by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, right up until they finished with admitting they had overslept and planned today’s journey poorly, the stag remained stone-faced.

“So, I guess tomorrow we’re going to see if anyone in Stagrum were told that we would be coming,” Fluttershy concluded. “Khaird said that someone had told everyone, so maybe we’ll find some help in getting to Cotronna, but we need some more food and water at least. Does that answer your questions?”

Phydra nodded once. The only time she had reacted in any way at all was when Dash mentioned that one of the statues had been damaged. She’d frowned, but said nothing, and Neretar seemed uncomfortable at the mention of a broken shelter statue as well. Now, Phydra sat up straight.

“My turn?” Dash asked.

“I don’t like your story,” Neretar said. Dash rolled her eyes and stared at him through half-lidded eyes. If he didn’t like it, that was his problem. He didn’t look particularly upset, though. If anything, he looked bored still, or like a peryton variant of Rarity when she tried to look bored and uninterested.

“Why?” asked Phydra. “Do you expect travellers from a faraway land to come telling the same stories as us?”

Neretar rose to stand, shaking his head. He barely stood taller than Fluttershy at his full height. “No, of course not, but I will not add this story to my own. It is too outlandish.”

Phydra made a shooing motion with one of her wings. “Go to bed, then, young one.” She sipped from a small bowl of water and said nothing until Neretar had left the room in a huff, leaving Dash and Fluttershy alone with the ageing peryton.

It had taken Rainbow Dash a while to see the signs, but after some time spent up close, she could tell that Phydra was ancient, or at least older than any other peryton they had seen. Her colours were faded, her un-adorned antlers were cracked and chipped, and her muzzle flecked with dull spots. Neretar and Alaesta showed none of these signs, but Alaesta was not only larger than the stag, Neretar’s antlers were simpler and his coat-fur longer, like a young pegasus.

“You will forgive him and Alaesta both, I hope,” said Phydra. “In a short time, you have given me stories and thoughts to think on for long days to come.”

“It’s okay,” Fluttershy said, smiling. She looked a lot more comfortable with just the three of them in the room. “If you don’t mind me asking, are you, um, family?”

Phydra cackled. “No, I should be cursed to have such impudent children! Alaesta is my first apprentice. Neretar is my second, of one of the large houses, a gesture of respect from Two-Claws, but that will mean little to you.”

“Apprentice?” Dash echoed. “Is that like a... helper? Because you’re, well—”

“Sightless? No. Apprentices who are here to learn my craft. Convenience and skill called profession by Stagrum, not family. Alaesta does not have the discipline for this, but she has passion. Neretar, hm… He is far too serious for his own good. He has no laughter in him.” She took another sip of water and stared blindly at the door to the other room, sighing.

“You must forgive. Though your accents and words are strange to me, it is quick to forget you are foreign when I cannot see you. It has been decades since last I spoke to one not of my kind. You have given me what I wanted, and now you may ask your questions.”

Dash breathed a sigh of relief. Finally. “I just wanna know what the ‘Aspects’ really are. Are they the stones with all the weird signs on them? You keep saying all these weird names, like, ‘travelling with Selyria’. What does that mean? And what is your ‘craft’. Do you mean a special talent? No, wait, actually, scratch that, what the hay got that stag’s wings all crossed? Did he say we were a ‘portent’? What does that mean?”

She counted her questions off on her primaries, her tongue sticking out of her mouth as she did. A moment later she felt an icy stab of terror. Was she becoming Twilight? That was a lot of questions, and her only defense was that she didn’t care about these things as much as she was annoyed that it was hard to find someone who would explain it to them. Now she wished they had stayed in Orto a little longer, pinning Khaird down, but she doubted it would’ve made a difference. The consul seemed happy to answer, but reluctant to give clear answers.

At least Fluttershy didn’t seem embarrassed by Dash’s little rant. Rather than hide behind mane or wing, Fluttershy eagerly waited on the peryton, just like Dash did.

“I will answer the last question first,” said Phydra. “I ask again that you forgive Neretar. Insulting a traveller is bad luck, and his claim is… too easy, I think. Anyone can declare bad omens when they spot something out of place. To predict change, to be afeared when something odd happens, or someone new appears, it is the simplest thing one can do. I have lived through stranger things than you, and I say that without having seen you with my eyes.”

The peryton doe clicked her tongue. “No sky-creature descended from the mountains to drink the seas dry when twenty heron descended upon Stagrum to seek those who wished their wares, and had Neretar been born then, he would have declared Stagrum’s end. You are the first to visit since his apprenticeship began who are not peryton. As to the other questions—can you read?” Phydra asked.

“Of course,” Dash said, frowning.

“Actually, um, no,” Fluttershy said, giving Dash an apologetic smile. “Your letters don’t make sense to us. Sorry.”

“Oh,” Dash said, sighing. “Yeah, those. No, they’re not the same letters we use. I don’t know why you don’t use the real alphabet.”

“A pity,” Phydra said, stretching her neck to each side. “Then all I have are my words. My profession, the stories, it all comes together. I used to be a claw-priest. One who told the oldest stories.” She lit her antlers, and even without sight, she sheathed a small nearby urn in her magic, placing it in front of her. She faced the urn as though she could see it. “Were you peryton, I would now tell you the First Stories. I remember them as well as ever, but you do not know their place. To explain the Aspects to those who do not know them—answer me, then, do you believe in gods?”

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy exchanged glances.

“People mean different things when they say that, I think,” Fluttershy said. “I don’t think so?”

“I don’t even know what you’re asking, so probably not?” Dash said with a shrug. She hadn’t really thought about that word a lot.

“Just as well. It is not something most peryton consider, but a claw-priest will brush up against this truth in her training. There used to be gods, but there are no longer any left,” Phydra said. She lowered her voice, taking on a softer, song-like cadence, sounding like a different person entirely. “Once, gods walked the land. However rarely the greatest of them touched upon the fates of peryton kin, their graces were felt forever, and their immeasurable power flared in singular acts of kindness. It was all lost. Godhood faded, lost to time and calamity.

“But the gods left something behind. The gods had taught us. When their disappearance was made plain, we understood that they had showed us there was room in the hearts of kin for something to inspire. Stories of their acts remained, and in place of gods rose the Aspects.

“Where first were few, many more soon followed. From the First Stories woven on ancient memories, our people found more wisdom, treasures and insight. We discovered more Aspects, and we still do. We discover stories nested within stories, and today, forty-nine aspects are they who guide us. The youngest of these, Anhori, was discovered within my lifetime.”

Phydra closed her eyes as though it made a difference, smiling. “The Aspects aid in all things. If one invokes Khylari, Aspect of the forthright speech and lines drawn in the sand, all will know that what is spoken next is only a lie if the speaker is the vilest sort. Myrtella’s stories give hope to the mother who expects young, and if your stories are true, you have witnessed for yourselves that she helps peryton find love.

“We call them stories, because wherever peryton meet, they together negotiate the truth of the Aspects, and they add to them. Only the First Stories are unchanging. They belong to the claw-priests, are entrusted to them—to us to tell, because the words from which all other spring must be exact. But when you travelled to my doorstep tonight, yours was a story that added to Selyria’s own. When tomorrow you venture into Stagrum, your barter will join the songs sung and stories told of Phostos, aspect of fair trades and promises given. My job as a claw-priest was to tell the First Stories that all must remember, and in time, my apprentices will carry those stories on. Now, as a story-teller, I am as all the rest. I gather stories and I etch them into stone and clay. I make new stories from what I hear and experience, and so do all peryton. So do you, with your lives.”

“But who is Phostos?” Dash asked, frowning deeply. “How did you ‘find’ these Aspects?”

“Come,” said Phydra. With visible effort, she rose to stand and made for the front door. Though her steps were slow and pained, she made her way around the furniture and pottery more gracefully than the ponies did. Clearly she was used to this route, and her life was not confined to a single room. Once outside, Phydra turned and walked the three around to the back of the house without a step missed.

Rather than a vegetable patch, Phydra nurtured a stone garden behind her house. A small, flat area contained a number of stele as tall as she was. Most were filled with unintelligible peryton letters or simple symbols and pictures, and some were bare. By a simple bench next to a back door were a variety of tools, and a few bowls that smelled strongly of metal.

Phydra kept walking until she stood by a stele at the edge of the back yard. Far beyond and below, Stagrum glittered with innumerable pinpricks of white lights. The moon shone clear through a hole in clouds blowing in from the sea, but the stars hid. The wind picked up and rustled Dash’s feathers.

“To you, they may not ‘exist’, and many peryton will struggle not to feel insulted by that. You, the brash, loud one, you sound like you seek a truth I cannot give you. What is truth? Our truth is that everything is a story, one way or another.” Phydra reached out to lay a hoof on the nearest stone, tracing the writing with a hoof. “The Aspects themselves cannot be touched, but the stone upon which their stories are etched can. In the same way, though you will never meet Selyria, she can aid and guide. All peryton know this in their hearts.”

Rainbow Dash frowned. She glanced over at Fluttershy, who looked back at her. At length, she spread her wings and settled them on her back again. “So they’re not actual people.”

Phydra gave a warbling laugh, a mess of sounds Dash thought she would never get used to. “If I say yes, you will think I lie because you do not understand. If I say no, then I lie to my own ears. They are real, but this is the limit of what I can explain. If it helps order it in your mind, think of them as peryton who never lived, or as people who live far away about whom we learn new things every day, but it is not a perfect understanding. I know only to make that comparison because I have had this conversation with a particularly stubborn traveller decades ago, and I do not think even she understood.”

The doe turned her head to look towards the moon, staring in silence for a few seconds.

“Tell me,” she added. “Is the moon clouded?”

“There are a few clouds, yes,” said Fluttershy, tilting her head. “The moon is clear right now. Why do you ask?”

“For no reason other than that she loved the moon,” said Phydra, motioning to the house. “Come. Let us go inside. I am an old doe and need my sleep.”

Chapter 6

Siban has arrived, and she has agreed as a favor to me that when she leaves, she will take with her a letter to where the ponies come from, and return with word as soon as she can. She claims she has a friend there, and that she can handle translation if Siban does not trust herself to remember the words exact. “A zebra always has a friend,” were her words, and I am glad she counts me among them.

Now the challenge is mine to create a letter for this city of many names that will not offend. I must not be Khaird of the Swaying Stalks, but Khaird, citizen of Orto, all without resorting to duplicity.

I must write in an unofficial capacity and ask the council of their city, currently named “Ponyville”, why they are reluctant to speak with Orto. Mine is not the anger of the wounded, but my every breath speaks stories of Chorossa as I try to discover why.

-The Journal of Consul Khaird of the Swaying Stalks, Visitor Liaison

“I don’t think it’s hard to grasp at all,” Rarity said. “I know that Ruby Light’s books about Coral Crown the Unicorn have helped me through many a difficult time in my life.”

“Sure.” Dash shrugged and paused for a step to push the harness back on her body a tad. “They just talk about the Aspects like they’re so much more than that.”

“Well, Phydra sounded like she wanted to say that they were more than that,” Fluttershy said. “Or, they were something like that, but they mean a lot more to them than storybook characters do to us.”

“Spoken like someone who hasn’t read any of Ruby Light’s novels,” Rarity said with an arch look. Fluttershy lay her ears flat and ducked her head.

“You’re right. I still have the first book in my shelf, and I don’t think I’ll ever get around to it. I’ll give it back to you when we get home, I’m sorry. I just think Rainbow Dash has a point, that’s all. If they all know of these Aspects, it’s not the same as any book.”

Rarity nodded. “Coral Crown and I accept your apology. And, well, I suppose it isn’t a perfect match, no. Phydra said that they discovered these Aspects? Who makes these ‘stories’, anyway? Are they the ones written on the stones?”

“She said that they all make the stories,” Fluttershy replied. “And I don’t know where they really are. I think she had some of the stories written on the pottery.”

“Huh. Well, that’s strange,” said Rarity. “I do wish Twilight was here to give us her perspective. Applejack and Pinkie Pie too, really. Perhaps this requires some… lateral thinking.”

“What’s there to explain?” Dash asked, but she agreed anyway. At this point, she’d take anything, even if it was just Applejack siding with her, dispensing some nugget of wisdom about how this didn’t even matter in the grand scheme of things.

“I don’t know, dear,” said Rarity. “But I appreciate you bringing me up to speed, as it were. I feel a little better today. I even managed to write in my journal before you woke up.”

“Hey, no problem,” said Dash. She shrugged, more than happy to leave the topic behind. Phydra had said some words on the Aspects, and it didn’t make sense to Dash. Now she could move on—and move they did. In the morning hours, they passed by a great many clusters of buildings. The road branched out, snaking its way across the plains to a few farms and other groups of bowl-shaped buildings too few in number to be called a village.

Whether they walked through a half-dozen houses by the roadside or spotted a farm down a side path, here they found the life that had been missing for all these days of desolate travel. Peryton wandered about, watering, hammering or planting at a sedate pace, and in other places, they tended to smaller gardens and chatted by their doorways, glancing at the ponies as they passed, but rarely doing much more than that.

“There’re an awful lot of farms that don’t seem to be growing anything,” said Rarity when they drew near the river delta. She pointed ahead with a flick of her head, and Dash saw her point. The closer they got to the river, the more farms were just a bunch of open space with dark soil. Unless they grew invisible apple trees, they didn’t do anything.

“Oh, they’re probably grain farms. There are a lot of them in Orto too, but they’ve done their first harvest, and they have other crops right now,” said Fluttershy. “If they grow anything at all. They plant all their remaining grains later in summer.”

Dash tilted her head. “Uh, if you’re talking about those two stags you talked to at farmer’s market, they didn’t say later in summer, they said second summer. I thought they meant next year or something.”

“Maybe? I don’t think they have two summers,” Fluttershy replied, smiling at that, though she looked about as unsure as Dash herself felt. “I just thought they meant later in the summer because they say a lot of other things differently, like how they sometimes call a day a ‘sun’.”

“Applejack would know what to make of this, I imagine,” said Rarity, her head turning to watch a pair of peryton by a nearby farmhouse talking and gesturing to an empty field. “At any rate, I simply wondered. We know they have some form of grains here. I saw bread at the festival. I’m just hoping they aren’t quite as enamoured with kelp here too.” The four-letter word came out with a grimace that made Dash snicker.

Beyond the barren fields, Stagrum grew taller than any stalk of wheat ever would. The city spread out over all of the river’s branches that Dash could see from ground level, and now they approached the first of the little riverlets. Past a bridge just down the road, multi-storied buildings crowded together, large and broad. Rather than the uniform grey-white stone of Orto, stone and wood together shaped the boxy buildings of the city proper.

“It almost looks like a normal city,” said Dash with an appreciative snort. “Except their towers look weird.”

“I believe those would be called cupolas,” said Rarity, training her eyes on the weird little structures that topped most the buildings.

Almost normal. The entire place looked a lot more chaotic to Dash’s eyes than Orto had, and not just for its lack of open space. Even before they got to the bridge, the din of a busy city met them halfway. Out on the water floated dozens of boats of varying shapes and sizes, all keeping close to docks that hid behind the city as they drew closer. The sea glittered with reflected sunlight, like someone had sprinkled gems in the water.

What the city lacked was a welcoming committee. Dash didn’t realise she’d been expecting one until they stepped onto the wooden bridge. No one came to meet them, and the hesitant looks on her friends’ faces betrayed that maybe they had hoped for the same. No longer were they approaching Stagrum, they were in it. The three ponies stood at a crossroads, and a stone’s throw further into the city, the structures were taller than the streets were wide.

Narrow streets and a wall of sound against the ponies. Hundreds of peryton walked to and fro with purpose wearing metal and gems in leg-guards, bracelets and wreaths around their necks, but nothing half as shiny as what adorned their antlers. Dash imagined that if she hovered right off the ground, she would see a forest of precious metals. Fluttershy had gone very, very quiet.

On every street corner stood peryton engaged in discussion. A cacophony of strange screeches, caws and indescribable noises mingled with innumerable hoof- and claw-steps. Never before had the creatures seemed as foreign to Dash as they did just then. She felt Fluttershy touch a wingtip to her side for support, and even Rarity drew closer, the urbanite fashionista as dead quiet as the pegasi. The peryton who passed the street in front of them looked at them, but not a single one stopped or gave comment. Three steps ahead, off the bridge and onto the street, a fast-flowing river of peryton mirrored the waters below.

“Okay,” Dash breathed more than said. “So. Plan?”

“I don’t know that we have one,” Rarity admitted. She stared straight ahead, eyes on nothing at all. Though she was a little taller, Dash didn’t imagine she could see much more than herself. From the foot of the bridge, the bodies of the closest peryton and the nearby buildings blocked out all else.

“If I am going to be honest, I had hoped to be on a train or a boat or some such, heading for the capital in style by now,” Rarity continued. “I… What is our plan?” She looked at Rainbow Dash, but if Dash had any clue, she wouldn’t have asked her friends ten seconds ago. She could barely think. There was too much going on ahead. Too many sounds, too much movement. It was time to go, but she had forgotten her entire flight routine. What had Rarity said, again?

“I suppose we should go find out who knows we’re coming,” came Fluttershy’s voice, soft but singular in the din. She took a steadying breath. “Khaird said that word had been sent, so maybe the mayor knows about us? Maybe they can tell us what to expect if we’re going to follow the road, and if there’s anything we should know. We’ll need food and water for later, but first, we should probably make sure we have someplace to sleep tonight. Let’s begin with that.”

Rarity gave Fluttershy a look, as if she was checking to make sure it was indeed Fluttershy who had spoken. For her part, Rainbow Dash grinned. She loved when this happened. When the world pushed, sometimes Fluttershy pushed back, even if it didn’t involve dragons, and Dash thought it might just be the coolest thing ever.

Next to Rainbow Dash stood Fluttershy, still every bit as nervous as Dash expected her to be. Her ears were pinned to her head, one wing awkwardly tried to both pin itself to her side and reach out to touch Rainbow Dash, but fear hadn’t stopped her. Suddenly Rainbow Dash didn’t know why she herself had stopped moving. The tight press of people and the narrow, flightless streets ahead didn’t exactly appeal to her, but she could deal with it. Easy.

“That sounds like a good idea. When we have a moment, let’s see if hiring a boat is a possibility as well,” Rarity said. She sounded breezy, her eyes narrowed as she scanned the crowd. “I am loath to disappoint Khaird, but we will want to know what our options are.”

“And?” Dash took a step forward, then another. After a muttered protest from someone who nearly walked into her, they joined the stream of peryton heading deeper into the city. The three ponies walked side by side, shoulder to shoulder in formation barely wider than their cart.

“And what?” asked Rarity.

“You looked like you were about to say something else, like you really don’t like what you see,” Dash said, pinning the unicorn with a frown. Rarity shouldn’t be put off by a crowd.

“Yes, that,” said Rarity with a huff. “I just happen to notice that these peryton don’t even wear the scarves that they wore in Orto. Far be it from me to expect a pony from Clopenhagen to wear the same fashion as a Canterlotian, but…” she shook her head. “No, I don’t quite know. Perhaps this is good, and they’ll be more receptive to my dresses.”

“Maybe we should ask them?” Fluttershy suggested, her head tilted up to look at the buildings surrounding them.

“Ask whom, and about what?” Rarity asked.

“Some of the peryton,” said Fluttershy. “We could ask what they do for fashion, but it’s not hard to guess. Their jewellery is very nice.”

“Mm, I do adore their jewellery as well, don’t get me wrong,” Rarity said, chewing on her cheek as she thought. “I’m not a jewelsmith, however, and trying to create something they already wear is not the point. What I really need is a venue to showcase—well, I have nothing to offer them just yet, that is the issue. Oh, but I am rambling. Don’t worry about it, dear. Let’s just see if we can find… anything, really.”

Dash was equally eager to do just that. Find anything. They walked down a narrow street without purpose, and when a large peryton wagon came down the opposite direction, they had to step onto the sidewalk to let it pass.

Half the time, peryton moved past them, and Dash felt like she was walking too slow. The other half, some bejeweled peryton ahead slowed them down. However many peryton milled about to and fro, even more of them stood still. They talked, levitated all kinds of stuff or gestured to boxes and stacks of items.

Were they bartering? They must’ve hit a shopping street of some kind, but down every by-street they passed, Rainbow Dash saw more of the same. Strange signs that no doubt advertised services and plaques set in walls, all in strange peryton letters. Where doors were open, Dash got a peek at a parchment shop and two jewelers’ shops. When they hit the next crossroads, three more directions of streets, signs and peryton opened up to them. Rarity stopped on the spot, and Fluttershy bumped into her with a muttered apology lost in the buzz of the crowds.

“This is entirely pointless,” Rarity declared. She craned her neck as if she could look over the crowd.

“I can try to fly up,” Dash said. Clotheslines with carpets and drapes hung to dry and the occasional banner stretching across the street would make it awkward going, but the bigger problem was that she didn’t even know what to look for.

“No,” said Rarity. She whirled around on the spot and grabbed her saddlebags from the cart, grabbing a small mirror and a comb which she drug through her mane with a scowl.

“Seriously?” Dash asked. “What—”

“A moment, dear,” Rarity said, tilting her head left, then right, letting go of her brush and lowering her voice to a murmur. “Well, it’s about as good as it’s going to get before I have a proper bath. One has to believe that beauty is universal—excuse me! Hello, there!”

Rarity hailed one of the passing peryton, her frown disappearing so fast it quite frankly scared Dash. When the first peryton passed her by without a backwards look, the unicorn didn’t drop a beat. She simply waved and locked eyes with the next one.

“Excuse me, you, the handsome or beautiful one, do you have a moment?” Rarity batted her eyelashes. This one stopped with a bemused grin.

“Yes? I have a moment, but little more,” said the stag, tilting his head sideways, his many metal necklaces clinking against each other.

“Marvellous, thank you,” said Rarity, smiling at him. “You see, we are new to your lovely little city, and we are quite lost. I don’t suppose you have some sort of visitor information point here in Stagrum?”

“I don’t think that we do, no,” the stag replied, blank-faced. “Visitors are not common. I have never seen your kind before. Are you zebra?”

“No, dear. We’re ponies, from Equestria,” Rarity said, fluffing her mane. “We just need some directions, that is all. I’m sure you can help us.”

The peryton raised a brow at that and nodded once. “If it will get you moving, it may be considered a public service, so yes, I will help for an even trade.” When Dash followed his eyes, she saw that stopping in the middle of the street had interrupted the flow of people. Fluttershy apologised again and again to the peryton who squeezed by with sour looks.

“For an even trade? What does that mean?” Dash asked. “Wait, you want us to pay you to tell us where to go?” She felt her snout crinkling at the thought.

The stag shook his head. “Of course not, but a trade nevertheless. Currency for directions is not an even trade. I will help you find what you need, in exchange for your names and a gift of words on your home city.”

Rarity let out a sigh of relief and flashed a tired smile. “Wonderful. I am Rarity. Now, where does one go to find a bed and a proper warm bath?”

The Autumn Hymn had exactly one room not taken by traders from other cities. Their room was cramped in comparison to their Ortosian accommodations, but a two-peryton room fit three ponies with space to spare, and the “resting house” had a precious slot for their cart. A few minutes after their hijacked guide had shown them to the only “inn” he knew of, they had all their personal belongings squared away in the third and topmost floor. Theirs were two beds, a vanity with a mirror, and some form of misplaced chair or sofa in the corner that was too big to be the former and too small to be the latter.

Fluttershy sat down next to one of the beds as heavily as if she’d been running all day long, wings sagging and ears drooping. It was easy to guess why. Dash closed the shutters to the windows of their corner room, muting the constant hum of the streets below.

“And again, just a single washbasin—and look at the handles on the drawers on this cupboard, hmf,” Rarity said, frowning at the furniture as she leaned in closer to the mirror. “Any hotel without proper accommodation for those without magic would get a scathing review in Equestria.”

“Literally every single one of them has magic,” Dash said. “Of course they’re not gonna think about ponies. Isn’t it the same as how their portions are all too big? Gilda always complained about our portions being too small. I… uh, I guess Pinkie does, too, but I don’t know if she counts.” Rainbow Dash frowned at the shutters. Now that she had pushed them closed, she had no idea how she’d get them open. It was just like the sliding door to their room. If she wanted to leave without Rarity, she’d be a while.

“The stag who showed us here clearly knew what a zebra was, and zebra don’t have unicorn magic—though I suppose if he didn’t know that I wasn’t a zebra, they can’t get a great deal of zebra visitors here. I don’t really know what to think any more, but I certainly feel for you,” Rarity replied. She levitated some of the contents of her saddlebags onto one of the beds before she slipped the lighter saddlebags back on. “Let’s head downstairs and ask where the baths are, shall we?”

Dash nodded and tapped Fluttershy’s back with a wing, rousing the other pegasus. She grabbed her own partially-unpacked saddlebags and the two of them followed Rarity down hallways that were cramped by peryton standards. Cramped, and richly adorned.

Small shelves displayed elaborate wooden carvings and metal statues, some of peryton or other creatures, some simple slabs with inscriptions. There were no pictures or paintings hung upon the walls, but as they had seen coming in, someone had painted directly on the wooden walls in places, making their descent to the entrance room very colourful. A snake-like creature had its head on the top floor, and the tail at the very bottom. Dash traced its body all the way down with a wing.

“The room is to your liking?” asked the peryton doe in the front room, perking up at their arrival. She wore silver bands in her ears and around some of her antler-tips, and as neat as Dash thought that looked, the grey-white doe’s simple appearance stood at odds with the chaos of a single room that apparently acted both as storefront and a small bar? Eatery? Dash couldn’t tell for sure, but the smell of something tasty wafted in from a back room. What little space wasn’t covered in small statues and sculptures for sale was dominated by a wooden bar desk stained with a variety of spills.

“Oh, it’s quite lovely, yes,” Rarity said. “And the decor is very, ah, vivid. Do you have baths here?”

“I am sorry, but there is a bath-house across the street. If you can afford it, it is to be recommended, but they are open in the evenings only.” The doe inclined her head. “If that does not serve, there are other bath-houses away from the central flakes.”

Rarity nodded. “I suppose that will have to do. A nice bath later, and then straight to bed, thank you. How much do we owe you for the night?”

“Eight bronze slivers,” said the doe. “If you feel that is cheap, it is because food is not included, and if it sounds much, then yes, I ask more during these last weeks of first-summer trade. Hopefully you find this acceptable.”

“Right,” said Dash. She nudged open her saddlebags and rooted around until she found the small bag she’d grabbed from their cart. She tossed it onto the counter with a clink and a clatter. “We don’t have any bronze bits, but we got some gems if you want’em.”

The peryton didn’t seem put off by this, barely reacting at all until she’d opened the bag and peered inside. Her eyes widened and she drew back. “Ah, no. No I cannot.”

“Oh dear. Is it not enough? We can go get more from our cart, it’s no trouble,” Fluttershy said.

“Khaird said that we were right, didn’t he?” Dash asked. “That they would take gems?”

“He did,” Rarity agreed, turning to the doe. “Perhaps you can tell us where we can get some of these bronze items?”

“It is too much,” the doe said, shaking her head firmly. She leaned forward to peer inside the bag again, opening the bag so cautiously she looked like she expected a wild animal to leap forth. “I—no, any one of these gems will be far more than what I can offer. Perhaps… perhaps this one, if you will stay a week?” Her antlers glowed as she levitated out a small, imperfect purple gem. “An amethyst. Translucent.”

“They’re just gems,” Dash said, shrugging. “Is there a difference? Just take a bunch. We don’t care.”

Again the doe shook her head. “I can not. It is not an even trade. I will take this one, here, but the room will be yours for a full week of eight days, and you will let me know what you wish to eat. I will make it.”

“Your weeks are eight days?” Dash asked. “Okay, that’s not what a ‘week’ means, but whatever, seriously, we have a huge bag of these, it’s like… Rarity’s leftovers after making a dress or whatever—”

“Maybe we could just say yes?” Fluttershy suggested.

“Excuse me,” said Rarity, glaring half-heartedly at Rainbow Dash. “I spent hours finding these. Spike and I did, at any rate, but regardless, I agree. If we can give a gift that means little to us, but much to someone else, I don’t quite see the problem.” She widened the bag a little more, levitating out a large and brilliant ruby as well as a huge green emerald.

“Yeah, just take’em,” said Dash, but the doe said no more. Her eyes were on the counter in front of her, her face blank and her jaw rigid as she avoided looking at the gems that hovered in front of her.

Fluttershy cleared her throat. “Um, Rainbow Dash? Rarity? I think we’re being a little rude. Phydra mentioned the peryton in Stagrum liking fair trades a lot, and she obviously doesn’t think this is fair. We should probably respect that.”

Rarity frowned, letting the gems fall back into the bag. “The stag who so kindly showed us here did mention ‘even trade’ as well. I guess that’s significant, then.”

“Right, the whole thing with ‘Phostos’?” Dash asked. “Is it like the deal with Myrtella? How am I supposed to keep track of all these Aspects?” She stifled a groan, looking up at the silent doe behind the counter. “And how are we gonna get anything done if we keep jamming our hooves in our mouths all the time?” She lay her ears flat and grimaced. “Listen, we’re sorry if—”

The doe closed the gem pouch and hovered it in front of Dash, cutting her off with actions before words. She kept the small purple gem on the counter.

“I will keep this, and in trade, a room for a week, such food as you may wish, and finally, an apology.”

Rarity cocked a brow. “An apology for what, dear? We’re the ones who are sorry. If we’ve caused offence by trying to give you a gift you don’t want, well, that’s our mistake. Fluttershy is quite right.”

The peryton shook her head. “No. The fault is mine. I did not think that there were those who had not heard Phostos’ stories, but then, those I let guest are kin.” She held up the gem and looked askance at the three ponies. Dash shrugged and waved a hoof, and the gemstone disappeared into a drawer behind the bar. The doe nodded at Fluttershy.

“This one is correct. To take a trade that is not even, is cruel. No story can be told of Phostos that does not acknowledge this, and so I will offer you one more thing to balance this trade. Wait here a moment.”

With those words and nary a backwards glance, the peryton disappeared through the back door, leaving three very confused ponies. At least Rainbow Dash imagined that Rarity and Fluttershy were, as well. It didn’t matter. Dash was plenty confused for all three of them.

“I still don’t see the problem,” Rarity said with a sigh. “If these gems are so precious to them, it costs us nothing to give her a few extra. We lose nothing, and, if gems are in such short supply here, she could expand this little inn of hers after a simple act of generosity.”

“That might be right,” said Fluttershy. “But maybe they think that getting something you don’t deserve or need is almost like getting something you don’t want. Maybe getting something you shouldn’t have makes it something you don’t want.”

Rainbow Dash looked over at Fluttershy. The other pegasus’s eyes were on a spot on the wooden floor. Dash shrugged.

“If that’s how they want to do things, then whatever, I guess? That’s their call. Hey, if gems mean so much to them, maybe we can buy that boat.” She grinned, but before anyone could reply, the back door opened again, admitting two peryton.

The doe who owned the place led another, smaller peryton out. The younger doe stood no taller than Rainbow Dash, and wore only a few simple silver caps on her antler-tips, and a single bangle around her foreleg. Her coat was a white-speckled light brown like that of she who Dash presumed was her mother, and her tail-feathers ended in bright white tips.

“You will stay here, and you have not seen Stagrum before?” asked the adult doe.

“I… yes, that is correct,” said Rarity.

“And you will leave to walk the streets now?” she continued.

“We have some errands, yes,” said Rarity, blinking. When Rarity looked to Dash for answers, Rainbow Dash shrugged.

“Then,” said the older doe, turning to the smaller one who had said nothing so far. “These three are unfamiliar with our city. You will help them go where they wish to go, and answer their questions as best you can if there are things they do not know.”

“Yes, mama,” said the smaller doe.

“And you will leave them alone if they ask you to.”

“Yes, mama.”

“And you will leave them alone when they ask you to.”

“Yes, mama.”

“Good,” said the older doe, stepping aside. “Now, say hello and introduce yourself, Mirossa.”

“Hello and introduce yourself, Mirossa,” said Mirossa.

“Why is that your name?” asked Mirossa.

“Because it’s what my parents named me, like with everypony else,” Fluttershy replied, smiling at her. “I guess I could have changed it if I didn’t like it, but I don’t know anypony who ever has.”

“I know a couple who should,” Rainbow Dash snarked.

“And what of yours?” Mirossa tilted her head backwards with uncanny flexibility, looking at Rainbow Dash upside-down while leading from the front.

“Same, duh. What, did you pick your own name?” Dash asked.

“No, but Rainbow Dash is a strange name. They are words.”

“And, Mirossa isn’t a word?” Dash replied, cocking a brow.

“Mirossa is a name. ‘Rainbow’ and ‘Dash’ are words,” Mirossa said, her voice rising in pitch just a tad. Rainbow Dash grinned.

“Yeah? Words that are a name. My name. I’m Rainbow Dash. Hi.” She tried to keep from laughing, but it wasn’t easy when the young doe did nothing to hide her annoyance. This was too easy.

“So!” said Rarity, cutting into the discussion. “I can’t help but notice we’re moving, but we haven’t told you where we wanted to go.”

True enough, Mirossa had wasted no time once they had left The Autumn Hymn, leading them down the crowded street in the baking mid-day heat. Following, Dash felt like she glided in the slipstream of a dragon a thousand times her size, and it was impossible to tell if the doe was good at picking her way through a crowd, or if there were less peryton about. Just like before, all Dash saw were flanks and peryton necks.

“Yes, because you didn’t tell me where you wanted to go,” said Mirossa. “We’re going to market.”

“Uh, newsflash, kid: Your entire city is a market,” Dash said. It sure felt like it. From the moment they crossed the bridge into the city proper, and ever since they left the inn again, every single step they had taken had felt like wading through market day in Ponyville—except with the size and energy of a city easily the size of Canterlot.

“No it’s not. Market is market.”

“Then what do you call all this?” Dash asked, gesturing to the peryton lining the street, talking, trading, gesturing and moving wares about.

“Stagrum?” Mirossa said, rolling her eyes.

“Regardless, while it is very kind of you, we’re not really heading to market,” Rarity said.

“Yes we are, it’s right up ahead,” the little doe said.

“I think what she means is, we don’t need to go to the market,” Fluttershy said.

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash. “We got a place to stay, so you guys wanna go see if we can find the mayor?” she asked.

Rarity nodded. “We may as well get it out of the way, I think. It is the middle of the day, after all.”

Mirossa tilted her head sideways. “Find what? You can find anything at the market. I am sure you can find two of those there, at least.”

“The mayor, dear,” said Rarity. “Whoever’s in charge of administering the local affairs of this particular city.”

“Like Mayor Mare,” Dash added, nodding. “Wait. Hang on,” she said, glancing over at Fluttershy. “Okay, she definitely changed her name. Do you think she was born with that name?”

With a sharp turn and no warning at all, Mirossa turned left in between two groups of peryton, leading the ponies towards the narrow sidewalk at the side of the street. They found a free spot near what Dash assumed was some sort of candy store. Or a café. Hard to tell, really. The young doe looked at Rarity with unconcealed confusion.

“I don’t understand you. I have never heard of such a person. Administering what?” Mirossa said. “Who are you looking for?”

Rarity poked her cheek with her tongue. “I understand you don’t have a relations manager, but surely someone here must be in charge of receiving visitors? We don’t really have a tourism board in Ponyville, so visitors usually talk to our Mayor if they need help. Do you not have someone like that?”

“Visitors?” Mirossa repeated, frowning. “Those who come here are here for a reason. If you visit, you are here to visit someone, and if you need help, mama has already promised food and bed.” She shrugged. “Maybe you ask for the Heads of the Houses? Ortosians, Vauhornites and Cotronnans here will see them to arrange deals to trade for kelp, bronze, wood or whatever else. You must know this.”

“We don’t know, actually,” Fluttershy said. “We don’t really have anything to trade. Is there any, um, ‘house’ that deals with visitors from other lands, maybe?”

Mirossa’s face was an exquisitely blank canvas.

“Who’s in charge?” Dash asked. “Who calls the shots?”

“Or rather, if someone sent a message—a raven, I understand it would be—and told your city that there would be visitors from afar,” Rarity said. “Who would receive such a message? Or, who would read it?”

The doe squinted at nothing at all for a split-second, then jumped back into the stream of peryton. All Dash and her friends could do was follow, and it took them a second of frantic trotting before they found their place in Mirossa’s wake again. Now she led them down smaller roads and the occasional street so narrow it couldn’t be called by any other name than an alley.

“Dockmistress,” said Mirossa when the ponies followed close enough to hear. “She is no trader, and she is not a Head of House, but she is probably the most important person who is not. She is also raven mistress of Stagrum.”

“Wonderful,” said Rarity, smiling. “I assume that means she will be expecting us, perhaps?”

Mirossa let out a high-pitched trill of laughter. “Chorossa! How would I know? Come!”

“What does that mean, anyway? ‘Dockmistress’?” Dash asked, but she only half paid attention. Finally their trek through the middle of the city came to an end. With every crowded bridge they passed, the press of peryton lessened until it came close to what she’d call ‘calm’. The street ended, both sea and sky opening up to them as they entered the Stagrum docks.

It was huge. Stone and wood mixed along the entire length of the shore-facing city, the docks spreading across the mouth of the delta to cover the lips of four large islands barely distinct in the sprawling mess of sails and piers.

Along the largest of the piers rested multi-masted ships with great curved hulls, unlike any picture of Equestrian ships Dash had ever seen. The smaller, lower piers bustled with activity around small two-hulled sailboats coming and going. Most of them unloaded masses of green and yellow goop from nets. The peryton passing them by didn’t wear nearly as fancy jewellery as the inner city peryton. Dash saw a lot of sturdy rings and torques.

“Rainbow Dash does that at times,” Fluttershy said. “She doesn’t mean anything by it.”

“Who?” Dash asked. Fluttershy smiled at her and shook her head.

“You,” said Rarity. “Asking questions and not listening to the answers.”

“Oh. Yeah, the Dockmistress thing,” Dash said. “Sorry.”

Mirossa shook her head. “I only said that the Dockmistress is paid to ensure that the docks run efficiently, but mama says that when the fleet is out, she often takes time to settle disputes between Houses, and that makes her important. She also receives all ravens. If there is one person who has read every scroll, it is her. All the ravens roost with her, and all word of their scrolls begins at her place.”

“We really just wanted to ask about the roads, and maybe introduce ourselves, so I’m sure this will be fine,” Fluttershy said, smiling at the doe. “If there’s someone else we should talk to before we leave, maybe she knows.”

“And hey, if anyone knows if there’s a boat for sale, it’s gotta be her,” Dash added.

“A ship sale? Maybe,” Mirossa said. “Or maybe that would be the Head of the House of Unbroken Wood. I do not know if they sell to those who are not a house. I have no thoughts on it. I do not spend a lot of time at the docks. I hear the scrolls as told by the criers—but this is it, here,” she said, gesturing to a large, sky-blue building smack dab in the middle of the waterfront.

The wooden structure ran all the way from the water to the join with the nearest city block, spanning the distance at a full four stories high. The top floor didn’t have walls, the roof jutting out far over the docks and streets to provide shade for an open section echoing with the chatter of ravens. Similarly, the ground floor missed an entire section, letting traffic pass underneath it. The greater part of the lower half of the building comprised of platforms for carts to load or off-load into what was clearly a warehouse of some sort.

“And this is all her office?” Dash asked. She let out a low whistle, following Mirossa towards a double set of doors set far apart from all the cargo work at the other end of the building.

“That is what the sign says,” said Mirossa, shrugging and gesturing to an unintelligible gilded sign above the open doors as though it explained everything, leading the ponies inside.

The large room contained a different energy from the hustle and bustle of the docks. Just as they entered, a few peryton left, offering them only the briefest of glances in passing. The other peryton didn’t even look up when the ponies stepped inside, most of them stood in twos and threes busily writing with quill and ink on reams of paper by the far wall—a wall entirely covered in a mess of scrolls of different sizes and abused by a chaos of nails and tacks that hadn’t been cleaned up in a long time.

“Are we certain this is the right place?” whispered Rarity, barely louder than the scratch of quills from the other side of the room. “I don’t know what function this room serves, but I don’t see any offices, meeting chambers or reception rooms.”

“It is where the scrolls go,” said Mirossa said, giving Rarity an odd look. “Word flies in, scrolls go on the wall, and the criers collect the stories and the questions to spread them.” Even as she spoke, a stag exited one of the room’s many side doors, carrying a scroll over to the wall and spearing it on a free nail. “This is the Dockmistress’s work. If she is not here, I don’t know where, but I have never met her.”

Rarity pursed her lips and nodded. When Mirossa made no further move, leaning against the wall by the door, Rarity cleared her throat, tugged at her mane with a touch of magic, and made for the stag, intercepting his exit from the room.

“Excuse me, do you have a moment? We’re here to see the Dockmistress, and I think she may be expecting us.”

She was probably the largest peryton they had seen so far. It was also—probably—the smallest room in all of Perytonia, though Dash had to admit that the first fact may have led to her concluding with the second. The Dockmistress’s coat was an even, dark grey, the only other colours on her body a white splash on her muzzle and belly. Consequently, the entire back wall of the room was dark grey with her presence. The huge raven didn’t help matters, its jet black feathers drinking the light of the lantern dangling from the ceiling.

Privately, Rainbow Dash suspected this doe did not spend a lot of time in her “office”, which really seemed more like a supply closet. She also noted that the doe—who had been scowling before the raven-tender even flagged her down and introduced the ponies—scowled a little less after the raven took an interest in Fluttershy. Presently, Fluttershy sat in one corner of the room exchanging quiet noises with the raven, a bird almost as big as she herself.

“Alright. You have cornered me,” said the doe, and Dash very much felt the opposite was true. “I am Dockmistress Ouressia. You say you are diplomats, and that is not a common word. What will you add to Phostos’ song today?”

“Well, first of all, we thought we would introduce ourselves,” Rarity said, smiling. “My name is Rarity, and this is Rainbow Dash, and the pony… charming your pet in the corner there is Fluttershy—Fluttershy, dear?”

Fluttershy nuzzled the raven’s beak and whispered. The raven responded with a wark, making Fluttershy giggle.

“Ahem, yes, well,” Rarity continued. “We have travelled all the way from Equestria to extend a hoof in friendship, as it were. I understand you received word that we would be travelling through here?”

Ouressia frowned for a second, returning the tiniest nod possible. “I remember receiving word from Cotronna and Ephydoera both. Ponies and Equestria, Equestrians in our lands, these are words I remember, so I have heard it. Friendship is good, and I believe Cotilla and other independent traders have mentioned the opulence of such a place. Equestria.”

“Opulence?” Dash asked, her snout frumpled. She looked to Rarity for an explanation, but the large peryton went on, tapping a hoof on the wooden floorboards as she spoke.

“For Stagrum to trade with a city not of Perytonia, but all this complexity of diplomacy—yes. I can rouse the Houses who may be interested in trade and call a meeting to everyone’s benefit.” Her lips curved up in the closest approximation of a smile she’d shown yet. “It is strange and new, and no such accords have been struck during my office, but it may work. We will add to Phostos’s story with honest trade. What terms do you offer, and what does your city stand to give?”

Now Rarity stared back at Rainbow Dash, blinking with her mouth hanging half-open.

“Terms?” Dash asked, tilting her head. “Whoa, hold on a minute, we don’t know anything about that.” She glanced over at Fluttershy for support, the other pegasus meeting her eyes for a brief, confused moment. The raven stared as well.

“We’re here to invite Perytonia to a meeting,” Dash added. “The Princesses can probably fix all the ‘trade’ or whatever, we don’t know anything about that. I know less than nothing—I don’t even pay Pinkie Pie for muffins, I get them for free!”

The great doe nodded again, craning her neck down in what Dash assumed was agreement. “Unfortunate, but we will have to wait for second summer before ships are ready regardless, and with treaties, this will not be until next first-summer. We will work what is provided right now. Do you have maps? When is this, and which of the Houses do you wish to invite? Am I required to attend as well? You may wish me to. Certain Houses do not get along without someone to put them in their place.”

“I’m afraid I—well, we can’t really answer that,” said Rarity, balking. “I… think we are having two very different conversations right now. We have directions to bring this sigil to Cotronna, and I am sure the details will be worked out in time by your leader—”

“Then why are you here,” asked Ouressia, her head tilted a smidge. She swept a foreleg in front of her. “Why do you visit my office if you are not to invite Stagrum?”

“Uh, I mean, you’re invited, too,” Dash said. “We’re inviting Perytonia to this meeting thing.”

Ouressia frowned at them for a long moment. “You wish our presence, but you do not. Your words are not clear to me. Would this ‘sigil’ item not better be placed in my care, if it is the invitation?”

Rarity smiled a tight smile. “Well, that would be a little backwards, no? Miss, we are very pleased to make your acquaintance, but the reason we sought you out is because your city doesn’t seem to have any form of mayor, and we were told that you might be able to assist us.”

“Yeah, are you in charge of the roads, too? Because your roads are terrible,” Dash said.

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity snapped. Fluttershy looked up from her …conversation with the raven? She quickly turned back to her other feathered friend, though.

“What? It’s true!” Dash said with a shrug. “We really just wanna know if you know anything about the road heading to Effy-whatever. Khaird said something about trouble in the north. What’s up with that? Oh, and yeah, if the roads are out, do you have any boats we can borrow? Three tickets to a ship going to Cotronna or something? Just asking.”

Ouressia shifted where she sat, repositioning one of her large hind-claws. The talons dug into the rough woodwork, and if Dash had earlier thought she had nailed peryton expressions, she was now proven wrong. The peryton flicked her ears and cracked her neck one way, then the other, but Dash couldn’t tell what went on inside her head just from looking at her.

“I am one to ask for ships, to give advice on passage,” Ouressia said, her voice flat and her words slower. “But I have nothing for you, and you will find little luck elsewhere, this I can say. Any ship worthy enough to brave the threat of first-summer storms are at sea already, and none will return for weeks. Ships from other cities are here, but will not leave until the seven suns have passed, and that will be weeks.

“As for the roads, you would better ask the carters, but which Stagrumite would know such things? Who would travel by road from Stagrum to the northern cities when they can go by sea? It is obvious that none would.”

“Yeah, obvious,” said Dash, giving Rarity her best and most sarcastic, flat look. Rarity shook her head and poked Dash in the side.

“If there are concerns,” the doe went on. “Ask Vauhorn or ask Ephydoera. Better yet, ask the Bent Feathers. They stick their snouts in all manner of business, and are better asked than I or any one trader House.”

“Okay, fine,” said Rainbow Dash. “Where can we find them?”

Ouressia blinked. “Where? They are peryton who do not roost. You may as well ask where to find the wind.”

“Wind? Cloudsdale. Easy,” said Dash, shrugging. “Hey, Rarity, do you think Mirossa knows where we can find these Bent Feathers?”

Rarity held up a foreleg. “Honestly, we’re making a bigger issue out of this than we should,” she said. “Miss, we’re simply trying to be prudent, and if you know anyone who can tell us a little about these roads and any potential problems, we’d appreciate it any assistance you might lend us in that respect.”

The peryton nodded slowly. “I could have one of my more inquisitive, talented protegés find them and ask for a report on the roads. There will always be some around the docks or resting houses, but if you ask time of me, I must ask something in return.”

Rainbow Dash grinned, her wings itching. “Sure. What do you need? Do you have a hydra problem? Please tell me you have a hydra problem.”

Ouressia bent forward and made a clicking sound with her tongue. The raven turned to face her, offered Fluttershy a parting caw to which Fluttershy waved and smiled, and let the bird fly over to perch on her antlers.

“No,” said the peryton. “I have a problem of wishing to get paid for my service. Preferably in bronze slivers.”

Mirossa got up and stretched when the ponies filed out of building, the smaller doe waiting by one of the piers stretching out to sea. “Where to next? Bronzeworks? Market?” she asked, falling in step with the ponies.

“Khaird didn’t ask to get paid for helping us,” Rainbow Dash said, ignoring Mirossa for the moment. She took off and flew at her friends’ side just to give her wings something to do. Mirossa stared at her, though she was much less obvious about it than Aroris had been at the festival.

“It was entirely reasonable of her to ask to get paid for her efforts,” Rarity retorted. “If these Bent Feathers are hard to find, doubly so. Do you think she was unfair? Or that she lied?”

“I don’t think she’d lie,” Fluttershy protested. “She didn’t seem like the type of person to do that at all.”

“Uh, yeah, you’d know from talking to her so much,” said Dash, rolling her eyes and laughing. “You didn’t say a word to her the entire time, you just talked to that raven.”

Fluttershy nodded and smiled, heedless of another, even stranger look from Mirossa. “Exactly,” said Fluttershy. “And the Dockmistress and the others there all take great care of the ravens, and Duskbeak only had good things to say about them. That’s how I know she’s a good person. She’s probably just a little grumpy around people.”

“That—uh. ‘Kay, that’s fair,” Dash admitted with a shrug. “I think Phydra mentioned something about these peryton being big on not being dishonest, anyway. Or maybe it was the stag I talked to at camp before you guys woke up, Anhast or whatever, I don’t remember.”

Rarity nodded at that. “We might also have said something wrong, or she could be having a bad day. Surely peryton have bad days, too, just like ponies do.”

Fluttershy glanced up at the sun, shielding her eyes with a hoof. “If the weather was always like this, I think I’d have more bad days, even.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Dash agreed with a snort. It took her a moment to remember what they were talking about. Or rather, what part of what they were talking about she took interest in. “Hey, Mirossa. Have you ever heard of the Bent Feathers?”

“Heard of? Yes, I have,” Mirossa replied immediately, as though she had been waiting for that exact question.

“D’you know where to find them?” Dash asked.

Mirossa shook her head. “Not always? They are not a House, so they do not keep a house-front, and the only times I see any of them is when they guest at the Autumn Hymn.” She sounded excited to Dash’s ears, suddenly brimming with energy. “They are strange, very unlike any others. Why do you ask of them? Do you know them? Are you meeting with them? May I follow?”

“Nah,” said Dash. “To all of those, I guess. If you knew where we could find them, we’d just have thrown away a bunch of gems for nothing at all.”

“I see,” said the doe, deflating a little.

“Gems we’ve already concluded mean very little to us,” Rarity added, holding up a hoof to forestall Dash’s protest. “And before you say anything, I agree Khaird was far more helpful and of a brighter disposition.”

“Let’s not try to say who’s been nicer, or less nice,” suggested Fluttershy, shaking her head to get some errant black feather-fluff out of her mane.

“Yeah. Fine, okay,” said Dash, shrugging. “Shame they don’t have any boats we can hop on, anyway. I guess we’ll have to hit the road again, ugh.”

“Mm, we knew that was a very real possibility,” Rarity said, but for a moment, just saying those words made the unicorn look as tired as she had when they walked the road between Orto and Stagrum.

“And we did promise we’d try to visit all the cities along the way,” Fluttershy said. “Or, I don’t remember if we promised, exactly, but Khaird said he’d be happy if we did.”

“Yeah yeah,” Dash said, again forced to agree. She sighed and landed in front of her friends, stopping them. “Okay, I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be a total grump here, I just don’t like having to wait around. Walking is fine, waiting isn’t.”

“Ouressia said she’d have a report to us as soon as she was able,” Rarity replied. “We may as well make the best of it and enjoy ourselves. You’ve mentioned a market. What else is there?” Rarity asked Mirossa, taking a few steps citywards.

Fluttershy didn’t follow. The pegasus turned the opposite way at the exact same moment, trotting up to the edge of the main pier of this section of the docks.

Well past mid-day, the only thing that had changed at the waterfront was the light. Sparkling blue waters, weird two-bodied ships out close to shore, peryton milling about, and not a single—no, scratch that, one peryton out flying. Dash gave a silent cheer for the peryton who flew high above the water.

Fluttershy’s eyes weren’t on the sky, however. She looked out over the water, her wings half-spread. Curious despite herself, Rainbow Dash trotted up to her side, stopping right at the edge of the railing-less wooden platform jutting out over the water. Just past the furthest piers, some sea-creatures swam about. Rainbow Dash could just barely see what she guessed was the tops of their heads, and as they watched, the shapes swam in circles around a small peryton craft. The peryton either didn’t notice, or didn’t care.

“What are those?” Dash asked, squinting.

“I think they’re green snickersnouts,” said Fluttershy. “The book mentioned them. They’re very rare on the western coast of Equestria. I’ve never seen one before.” She leaned forward as though she could lean all the way past the nearby jutting piers to nuzzle one of them. Rainbow Dash automatically stuck out a foreleg to stop her from falling into the water.

“Are you coming?” called Rarity. The unicorn and their young guide stood a few paces away, looking their way. “Is something wrong?”

“Oh, Rainbow Dash, do you think it would be alright if I went and said hello?” Fluttershy asked. She hovered off the ground, rubbing her hooves together and casting a longing look out to sea.

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Why wouldn’t it be?” I mean, they’re like… wild animals, right? I don’t see any pens or stuff.”

“Well, um, I don’t, either,” Fluttershy admitted, casting a sweeping look across the docks.

“Besides, it’s not like they own them, is it? And you didn’t hesitate in grabbing the Dockmistress’s raven, and that was her pet.” Dash laughed.

“Oh, I guess you’re right, but I don’t know,” Fluttershy bit her lip. “I haven’t met many sea creatures at all, before. I said hi to a seal at the beach, but we’ve been in such a hurry travelling so far.”

“What’s the matter?” asked Rarity. She walked over to the water’s edge with Mirossa in tow.

“Hey, does anyone own those creatures out there?” asked Rainbow Dash. She waved a hoof in the vague direction of the things in the water.

Mirossa squinted, then shrugged. “No? Why and how would anyone? I have a cousin who said they upended his kelper, but I think he overloaded his boat. I have told you already, I do not love the sea, but I know they are wild.”

“See? Go for it, all yours,” Dash said, smiling.

Fluttershy didn’t go for anything at all. She stood very still, her wings wilting bit by bit. For every longing look she gave the snickersnouts, she cast two glances lengthwise along the port, no doubt counting all the peryton milling about. Peryton who’d probably mind their own business just fine, but Rainbow Dash already knew this would go nowhere if she didn’t do something.

“I, um, no, that’s okay,” Fluttershy said. She took a single step back, beginning to turn as though she meant to join Rarity, heading for the city—confirming Dash’s suspicions.

“Well, I’m going, at least,” said Rainbow Dash. She shed her saddlebags in one smooth motion, stepping off the platform to hover mid-air. “Hey, Rarity? If you and Mirossa are gonna go check out the market or whatever, can you take my saddlebags? They’re almost empty. I’ll meet you at the inn later and we can all go to the bathhouse if that’s cool.”

“Of course, dear,” said Rarity, quirking a brow. “But since when have you taken an interest in sea creatures?”

“I’ll see you later if you don’t wanna come along. Your call,” said Dash, flashing Fluttershy a grin.

Rainbow Dash didn’t bother looking back. She soared over the piers, pulling a few loops as she went along. Though they were only simple tricks she could—and sometimes did—pull off in her sleep, she couldn’t help but notice that the peryton didn’t pay her all that much attention. Casting little covert looks below to see what her audience was like was pretty much part of Dash’s every routine, but the peryton here didn’t see half as impressed as the citizens of Orto.

Rainbow Dash flapped her wings as hard as she could, flying straight up before she folded them, letting herself fall nearly all the way to the pier before she broke the fall. Another loop and she levelled out to fly alongside Fluttershy, slowing down to match her speed low along the water.

Nothing. A few kelp fishers looked up, barely more than a passing glance, and that was it. Already Stagrum was different from Orto in far more ways than Dash had expected: the buildings, the trading, the way they wore all manner of jewellery and their manners—for all that it was so different in a myriad ways, nothing struck Dash as stranger than the way the ponies were suddenly no longer the center of the attention. Rainbow Dash flipped to fly upside-down alongside Fluttershy. Even Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash probably had more in common than the two groups of peryton.

“Thank you,” said Fluttershy as they approached the shapes bobbing in the water up ahead. She offered Rainbow Dash one of those small smiles where she didn’t even look Dash in the eye, but Dash knew it was for her.

Rainbow Dash would’ve shrugged, but flying upside down, that’d probably land her in the water. She also could’ve played dumb and asked what she was being thanked for, but she knew that Fluttershy knew, so she didn’t bother.

No big loss anyway. She didn’t much feel like squeezing through the crowds to go look at the market, and seeing what kind of creatures lived in the ocean didn’t sound all that bad. If anything, she was annoyed that Fluttershy hadn’t just asked her to come along for support.

Then again, she kind of had, she just hadn’t used words.

Fluttershy eased herself into a hover right above the water, and Rainbow Dash did the same. Right below them, a half-dozen large furless heads poked out from the gentle waves, black eyes regarding them silently as the creatures bobbed up and down. Their muzzles were long and toothy, and their scales shone grey-green in the sunlight. Below the water, Dash could see their bodies were long and smooth—nearly three pony lengths in the case of the largest one—with flippers at the end of their tails, and two more sets of flippers on their sides. Flippers? Paddles? Side-tails?

“Ocean creatures are weird,” Dash declared.

“They’re beautiful,” Fluttershy said, squeezing her forelegs to her chest with joy, either ignoring or not hearing Dash. She lowered herself a little more until her hooves almost touched the water, proving she could be a precision flier when animal friendship was at stake. “Hello little snickersnouts,” she said, leaning as close as she could get to the largest, toothiest one. “I’m Fluttershy, and I’m ever so pleased to meet you!”

“Little?” Dash mouthed soundlessly.

Two of the larger ones whistled. Or clicked. Or quacked. The strange sounds nearly made Dash fall straight out of the sky, first out of surprise, then again when she burst into laughter.

“What was that?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I think it sounds lovely,” Fluttershy said. “They’re saying hello!”

“That’s the stupidest sound I’ve ever—augh!” Dash flapped madly to keep her balance when a spray of seawater blasted her in the face. She shook her head and wiped her eyes with the nook of a leg, glaring at a snickersnout right below her who tried to look innocent. Fluttershy giggled, and the other sea creatures whistled, chattered and clicked noisily.

“Okay, who did that?” Dash asked, glowering. “And how?”

Fluttershy looked down at the calm waters below. She stifled her laughter and eased herself into the sea, folding her wings. Once she was afloat in an easy paddle, one of the smaller creatures swam up to her side and blew water out of the top of its head.

“They breathe through little blowholes on top of their heads, see?” Fluttershy said. “I guess they can spray water through them as well. You were a little rude.”

Dash rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I still think they’re strange. They can’t do anything about that.”

This time, she got to finish her sentence before a smaller spray of water hit her belly. She yelped and flew a little higher.

“Stop that!” Dash yelled.

“They just want to play,” Fluttershy said, though her smile faded a bit. “Um, you’re not mad, are you?”

Dash snorted hot air. “Of course not,” she said, glaring at the snickersnout she thought was responsible. It stared back at her. Though its eyes were entirely black, and she couldn’t really tell, she knew it stared at her.

“The water’s fine if you want to go for a swim, too,” Fluttershy said. “It’s a lot warmer than the rivers in Ponyville, even in summer.” She ducked her head under. When she surfaced, she was drenched, and her mane and tail floated lazily around her, dying the ocean pink. One of the snickersnouts nipped at her tail, and another popped up right in front of her, chattering. She smiled.

“Eh, I don’t know,” Dash said. Fluttershy seemed to be okay now. She didn’t pay any attention to the peryton working at the docks, and the other pegasus didn’t even seem to notice the small boat that sailed right past Fluttershy. “I think I’m just gonna go fly for a bit, actually. I’ll be around.”

“Okay,” said Fluttershy. She hesitated for a moment, tilting her head, and then traded a few whispered words with one of the snickersnouts. Rainbow Dash looked about for clouds, flying peryton or anything else interesting just when she became aware of something moving quickly below her. Dash dodged on instinct, thinking one of the creatures set up to spray her again.

A smaller snickersnout breached the surface, shooting out of the ocean to hang airborne right next to her, mid-air for a second before it crashed back down into the sea with a huge splash. Even as Dash watched, another one dove deep and came back up again as fast as it could, launching itself into the air. Fluttershy clopped her hooves together and gave a little cheer.

“Okay. Change of plans,” Dash declared. She stared at one of the green-snouted creatures below. “Fluttershy, you gotta tell them to teach me how to do that.”

Fluttershy smiled wide and nodded.

Rainbow Dash chased the snickersnout, kicking her legs with all her might. The slippery little thing did a twist and a loop in the water, as if to say I could beat you without a running start, taunting her. Dash paid him no mind. She was right behind him, now, using her wings as flippers. Awkward? Yes, but it worked. The snickersnout pushed away with his tail and all his flippers at once, breaching the surface at the exact same time as Rainbow Dash, two perfectly timed explosions of water, two shapes launching into the air.

The snickersnout had better speed leaving the water. He wasn’t weighed down by soggy feathers, he’d done this a million times, and he had more flippers. While Dash felt herself losing momentum, he kept flying up. The snickersnout twisted his body mid-air when it reached the apex of its ascent, and one of its eyes faced Dash. He probably smirked, in his own way.

Dash didn’t have four flippers. Dash had wings. She gave the wet and bedraggled things a solid flap. From any other pegasus, it might’ve been a futile gesture. A desperate gambit, trying to squeeze air-time out of soaked feathers.

Rainbow Dash shook the wet from her wings in a single move so forceful she left a few feathers behind. A halo of water formed around her, and as heavy as they were, the finest wings the world would ever know launched her up past the height the snickersnout had reached—and then some. Dash let out a loud whoop and furled her wings again, letting herself fall back into the sea in a headfirst dive.

When she surfaced again a moment later, her competitor rested in the water right next to her. A dozen chattering calls echoed around them, and the snickersnout, the loser let out a short burst of chatter. Fluttershy giggled, the other pegasus floating over by the main group of the creatures, a short distance away.

“Paddles says that you cheated,” she said, shaking her head. She made a poor effort of curbing her laughter and looking solemn.

“Hey, I’m just evening the odds,” Dash said, laughing. “I flapped once, and my wings are wet. It’s not my fault someone didn’t take the contest seriously. You know you could do better than that.” She eyed Paddles, and she already knew what was coming. She ducked the water-spray and nudged her mane out of her face. Paddles made a series of clicks and moved over to poke Dash in the belly with his snout, surfacing right next to her.

“He says it’s okay, you can have this one,” Fluttershy said, smiling. “He’s being very nice. You should say thank-you.”

“Uh-huh,” Dash said, awkwardly patting the smooth sea-creature on the top of the head, receiving another burst of clicks in return. “That’s what, twelve to one for him? Ten?”

Fluttershy swam a little closer. “Fifteen, actually.”

“Right,” Dash said with a grunt. A shadow passed over the sea, and she turned to see the sun closing on the horizon, the light slowly fading even as she watched. At some point, the sea had taken on a darker blue, no longer matching her coat. The water was still warm enough, though.

“I guess we should start heading back,” Fluttershy said. She looked at Rainbow Dash, rather than the city behind her.

“Yeah, probably,” said Dash with a sigh, but she didn’t feel like swimming back to the city just yet. Or at least, she didn’t feel like swimming. Dash drew breath and dove beneath the surface again.

Kicking away like she’d done just a minute ago, Rainbow Dash picked up speed. When she breached, she flapped her wings as quickly as she could, shaking off as much water as possible. She only barely managed to keep herself above water and in flight, and her wing-muscles strained with the effort at first, but with every wingbeat it got easier. She tossed her mane and shook her tail, grinning at Fluttershy who still floated in the water, staring at her.

“What?” she asked, laughing.

Fluttershy shook her head, swimming slowly backwards, her eyes still on Rainbow Dash. “I don’t think I could do that,” Fluttershy said, chewing on her bottom lip. “I didn’t know you could do that. That’s very impressive.”

Rainbow Dash felt her chest tingle pleasantly, smiling wider still. “Yeah? Hey, I didn’t know I could do that,” she admitted, running a hoof through her mane. “That was actually pretty cool. Uh, thanks.” She flew a little closer to Fluttershy, offering a hoof. “Need a lift? Wanna see if I can drag you out of the water, too? Or d’you wanna try yourself?”

“Oh, no,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head. “No, I’ll just swim—oh. Oh my,” she squeaked, and Dash flew a little higher, staring in confusion as Fluttershy rose out of the water.

“What the—” was as far as Dash got before she saw the shiny grey-and-green head underneath her. One of the snickersnouts lifted her up, and then another one joined it. Fluttershy nearly rolled off, but Dash reached down to steady her, and soon Fluttershy lay atop two snickersnouts who swam towards the shore. It looked for all the world like she skimmed atop the waves without effort, at rest like she lay on a sofa.

“For the record,” said Dash, “That is awesome.” She flew as close to the waves as she could, right at Fluttershy’s side, and Fluttershy only laughed in return, thanking the two large sea-creatures who carried her.

If the only thing the peryton afforded them before were the occasional glance from passing boats laden with kelp, now they had their attention. The Stagrumites still working at the docks lined up and pointed at the strange yellow creature who rode the waves to the shore, backlit by the sun and trailed by breaching snickersnouts with their chattering, clicking song.

Fluttershy hardly seemed to notice. Perhaps she didn’t know they were there. Perhaps the peryton were simply less interesting to the mare than the chaos of the snickersnouts playing around them. Whatever the case, Fluttershy’s eyes rested on Rainbow Dash, smiling at her, and it was all Dash could do to smile back.

A minute later, Fluttershy stepped off onto the lower docks and leaned down to nuzzle the sea-creatures, saying her goodbyes, and one by one, the peryton went about their own business again. Rainbow Dash couldn’t even pretend that any of them had looked at her. With that entrance, not a single set of eyes would be upon Rainbow Dash, and in that moment, for once she found that she didn’t mind.

Rainbow Dash landed at Fluttershy’s side, leading the way up the stairs to the docks proper.

“We probably have to ask someone for directions back to the Autumn Hymn,” said Fluttershy. “Unless you remember where it is?”

“I didn’t even remember the name,” Dash admitted, chuckling. “Let’s head into the city and ask someone!”

The two ponies pointed their snouts towards the city and its darkening streets, dripping wet and with tails dragging along the dusty streets. Fluttershy had missed her chance to quail under the spotlight, and Dash couldn’t stop smiling.

Chapter 7

Fluttershy,

I got your letter, and if you don’t mind me saying, it’s mighty strange to send letters to your neighbours. I’m not complaining, mind. The most I’ve seen of you so far was when me and the family came by to welcome you to town, and that was a good long while ago. We hadn’t even expanded the northern fields when you took up in that old cottage. How many years ago is that, now?

Anyway, I reckon’ this is about last night. If that feather-brain’s still bothering you, don’t hesitate to let me know. I’ll always stand up for anypony, and while I might not know you as well as I should (again on account of being neighbours), you’re no exception to that.

If you want to talk, you should just come by the farm. Don’t mind if I’m out working. You just holler at me. I’m never too busy to chat so long as you don’t mind I keep up the farmwork.

-AJ

Getting back to the inn took longer than Rainbow Dash would have liked, but at the very least the streets were less packed in the evening. Presumably, the peryton of Stagrum went about their business indoors after dark, and the magical globes they had seen only indoors in Orto were plentiful here, clusters of them crowning lamp-posts down every major street. They had to ask for directions more than once, but owing in part to good help finding their way back quickly, and in part to the fading sunlight, their manes were still wet when Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash returned to the Autumn Hymn.

“There you are!” exclaimed Rarity. The unicorn stood by the too-tall bar bench with Mirossa and her mother, sipping on a bowl of some sweet-smelling liquid. “I was starting to wonder if we had to go looking for you two.”

“Oh no, we’re sorry, Rarity,” Fluttershy said. “I guess we lost track of time. We didn’t mean to make you worry.” She lay her ears flat and tried to duck behind her mane, but the unruly wet hairs clung to her neck.

“Don’t you worry about me dear,” said Rarity, pushing her drink away. “Look at the two of you! You’re an absolute mess!”

“It’s just water,” Dash said with a shrug, pushing a lock of hair away from her face. “What’ve you been up to?”

Rarity trotted up to Fluttershy and sheathed some of the pegasus’s mane in a soft blue glow, working her magic along as a crude comb. She frowned deeply as she spoke, while Fluttershy resigned herself to Rarity’s ministrations with a muttered thank-you and a smile.

“Mirossa and I visited their market, and it was quite the thing, just as she suggested,” Rarity said, working through a tangle of pink hair. “I picked up some knick-knacks and a few little trinkets I would love to show you, as well as some fabrics I haven’t quite decided how I feel about. I’ve spent some time with my dress plans—but I’m getting ahead of myself. We walked by their bronzeworks on the way back here, since I had a hunch we didn’t need to hurry.”

“Sorry, again,” Fluttershy muttered.

“Oh come on, it’s fine,” said Dash, poking her in the side with a moist wing. Her feathers were a mess. Both of their wings were, really. She spread one of her own wings fully, critically inspecting her primaries while Rarity went on.

“Their mint, bronzeworks, call it what you wish, well, it was—ah, let us say industrious. Impressive in some ways.”

“It’s messy work, not beautiful work,” Mirossa added, putting away her own empty drink bowl. “All bronze slivers come from Stagrum.”

“After that, we headed back here. I’ve been having a little chat with Mirossa and Naressa, though quite honestly, we haven’t been back for very long.” Rarity shook her head and let Fluttershy’s mane fall back to her side with a desultory, sodden flop. “I hope you’ve had a good time? Shall we see about that bath?”

“A bath? We’ve spent hours in the sea, that’s as bath-y as it gets,” Dash said, laughing, but some proper hot water wasn’t the worst idea she’d heard. Walking through the growing cold all wet hadn’t been very pleasant. Plus, salt. She licked one of her forelegs experimentally, but it wasn’t as tasty as she’d hoped. Her coat was crusty.

“I think a hot bath would be nice,” suggested Fluttershy. She looked down at the small but growing pool of seawater below the two pegasi and rubbed at her snout, sniffling.

Rarity already had her saddlebags on. “I brought some gems. It should be right across the street, and they opened at sundown. Come on girls, let’s go.”

“Somepony’s rearing to go,” said Dash, grinning. She hadn’t seen Rarity this excited in a long time.

“Darling, we’ve been on the road for nearly a week,” Rarity retorted, apparently feeling like that was a full answer. She paused at the door, looking back over her shoulder, past Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. “Are you coming?”

Mirossa looked left, right, at her mother, and finally at Rarity. “Me?” she asked.

“You, dear. My treat. Or, rather, our treat. If you have a bathhouse, clearly you peryton bathe.” Rarity waved her over with a flick of her head.

“Is it okay, mama? May I?” asked Mirossa with a big-eyed look at her mother.

“Of course you may go,” Naressa said, smiling at her daughter. She gave her a gentle push with one of her wings, scooting the doe along, and Mirossa happily let that momentum carry her all the way out the door. Dash shrugged and smiled, as did Fluttershy, and the group of four crossed the street without a word, making for a large and well-lit stone building with wide open doors. Mirossa named it the Pearl Road Bath-House. Apparently not all of their stuff had weird names.

“I really could go for some food, too,” Dash said, her stomach gurgling as they mounted the low stairs. A pair of does passed by them on their way out. The two grey and brown does stared at them as they went, rustling and tinkling with silver and gems from antler, ear, tail and wing-feather.

“Did you eat while you waited for us?” asked Fluttershy.

“No, I thought I would wait for you. Surely this city has restaurants,” Rarity suggested. “Cafés? Eating places of some description? We saw something of the sort while we wandered.”

“Didn’t Naressa or whatever her name is say they had food at the inn?” asked Dash before Mirossa could answer. “Uh, ‘house’, whatever. Let’s ask her. It smelled great in there.” She’d walked plenty enough for one day.

“Mama will be happy to hear that, and if you take her up on her offer of food, she will be even happier… happier still,” Mirossa said, trailing off and sounding as sincere as she sounded distracted as they stepped inside the large entrance chamber of the bath-house.

To Dash’s eyes, there wasn’t much to see. The square room was almost featureless: In the middle of every wall was an identical door, and in every corner a stone basin or a tiny fountain—whatever one wanted to call them. In the middle of the room waited a bored-looking peryton attendant with jewels hanging from every antler-tip and gleaming bands around the bases of her wings.

Apparently this was all very impressive. Rarity nodded appreciatively as she approached the attendant, and Fluttershy looked up and above, alerting Dash to the presence of some green lichen, moss or other form of greenery hanging from a balcony circling the chamber one floor up. Dash hung back with Mirossa and Fluttershy while Rarity sorted stuff out, more interested in Mirossa’s reaction than inedible plant decorations.

“Why’re you acting like you haven’t been here before?” Dash asked. “I thought your mom said you didn’t have baths at your place, so isn’t this where you bathe?”

The young doe frowned. “Do I look like one who carries the bronze for the Pearl Road? We visit the wavefront baths when we wish to treat ourselves—this place is expensive, for those with more than they can trade away. I think the does who just left were heiresses to the House of Harvest.”

“Alright, cool,” said Dash with a shrug. She didn’t know what else she could say without asking a bunch more stupid questions, but clearly this was a classy place in the eyes of others. She should’ve realised the moment she stepped inside and felt a vague sense of boredom wash over her.

“I… think maybe there’s a problem?” Fluttershy said, tilting her head.

Sure enough, Rarity and the attendant were clearly disagreeing on something. The peryton gestured to the left door, then the right one, talking too low for Dash to hear.

“—you can ask her for yourself, then!” Rarity snapped at the stone faced peryton. “Rainbow Dash! Would you be a dear and come here a moment? There seems to be a bit of confusion.”

“Uh, okay?” Dash asked. Rarity’s voice was entirely too sweet, the kind of angry that Rainbow Dash really did not like being around. She strode to the center of the room, Fluttershy and Mirossa following close by. The peryton attendant raised her snout a smidge and gave her an arch look. She gestured to the door to her left.

“There is no confusion. Stags to your left, does to the right, that is all we ask,” the attendant said. “If our rules are not well-liked in your sight, you may go elsewhere.”

Rarity huffed. “I assure you, dear, that is fine. Even if I wished to quarrel with the way you conduct your business—and I do not—it doesn’t matter. We are not peryton, surely you can see that—”

“Yes, this I see,” the peryton said, her voice flat.

“—and while we don’t use the words ‘stag’ and ‘doe’ as ponies, our stallions and mares correspond perfectly well, which also matters exactly nothing at all, because Rainbow Dash here is not a he!”

“Wait. What?” Dash asked, blinking.

“What?” said Mirossa.

“Oh,” said Fluttershy.

The attendant gestured to Rainbow Dash with a hoof, opened her mouth, then closed it again without a word. She exhaled through her snout, shaking her head before turned her attention to Rarity again. “You expect me to believe that this is not a—well, whatever you call the males of your kind?”

“You think I’m a guy?” Dash asked, her voice cracking on that final word. Her mouth hung open and she tried to poke her brain into action, she truly did.

“You are not?” Mirossa asked, her eyes wide.

“You thought she was a stallion too?” Fluttershy blurted.

“Augh!” groaned Rarity, throwing her head back. She rounded on the attendant with gritted teeth, brandishing a green gem from her pouch like a weapon. “I have not had a proper bath in a week. I have walked more since I arrived in this dried-out, sun-scorched land of yours than I have ever before in my life, and I will not be denied soap and hot water, not by you, not by anyone! If you don’t believe that Rainbow Dash is a mare, you can check for yourself, but I. Will. Bathe.”

“That was, um… awkward,” said Fluttershy, finally breaking the silence. She dipped a hoof in the water and drew little circles.

“Uh-huh,” said Dash. She let her wings float freely, still struggling to work out what had really happened, but at least Rarity got her bath in the end, so the world had not ended. The unicorn, Rainbow Dash and Mirossa all soaked in what couldn’t rightly be called a hot tub so much as an indoor pool full of near-scalding water. Though the majority of the stone pool ran a little deep for the group—probably intended for adult peryton—there was a shallow end near the copper pipes that served perfectly. The excess water poured away next to Rainbow Dash, creating a pleasant flow.

The rest of the room was all bright white stone or wood-panelled walls, completed by a few long benches, some deep-green plants, and a corner stele full of gibberish letters. From the other side of a high wall, past where Fluttershy tested the waters, they could hear faint voices from stags perusing the other baths.

The other baths, in this case meaning the half of the bathhouse distinct from their half. The half Rarity hadn’t been forced to rent to prevent ‘potential damages to the reputation of the establishment’ for letting such ‘diverse’ people into the baths together in a public room of high repute. Diverse.

“Seriously, though. You too? What the hay?” asked Dash. “You thought I was a stallion, a stag or whatever?” She didn’t even have to look at Mirossa. She could feel the embarrassment radiating from the doe all the way from the other side of the shallows.

“None of you have coloured feathers, and your friends’ colours are simpler—” Mirossa said, earning a tiny huff from Rarity for that word, “—but you have all this hair, yours more colourful than theirs! Doe wing feathers are plain—tail-feathers too, in comparison to stags. Your hair screams stag to me, I’m sorry!”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. She wanted to be insulted and laugh all at the same time, but she just couldn’t be bothered in either case. She sent waves over to the other side of the pool with lazy sweeps of her wings, breathing slowly. The water was so hot, it bled away all her concerns.

Most of them, anyway, until she took a moment to think back.

“Wait, wait, hang on, hold the cart,” Dash said, suddenly wide awake again. “So you mean that your mom, and all the peryton we’ve met all along probably think I’m a stallion? Everyone?”

“I don’t know!” Mirossa shot, flicking at the water with her tail-feathers. “Maybe? How the feint would I know? It is not an insult!”

“We did have to explain it to Khaird, remember?” Fluttershy asked, smiling at Rainbow Dash.

“I know,” Dash grunted, any leftover annoyance fading as she watched Fluttershy finally slip into the water, her breaths shallow and quick while she got used to the temperature. Dash grinned.

“Oh, oh my, this is really hot. Oh goodness,” said Fluttershy.

“Mm, well, if peryton are used to the weather here, they would want their baths hot enough to feel it,” Rarity offered, though she seemed perfectly at ease, leaning back against the rim of the pool with her eyes closed. “Rainbow Dash, you’re not upset about this little mix-up, are you?” asked Rarity.

“Who, me?” Dash asked. “No, probably not? I don’t know, really, it’s just really, really weird. I’m a mare, okay? Like one of your does.” That earned a rapid few nods from a dejected Mirossa.

“I’m sure that some of the peryton probably guessed you are a she,” said Fluttershy. She sunk down in the water to soak her mane, her eyes and her muzzle barely above the water when she surfaced. “If they thought it really mattered, I’m sure they would’ve asked.” She paused with a lopsided smile. “I’m still having a hard time with it myself. It was especially difficult in Orto with all their dye powders and everything, but I hope it’s okay to want to ask.”

“Why would it not be fine to ask? I would have, if I thought it mattered, as you said,” Mirossa said, nodding at Fluttershy.

“I’m way past it, whatever. I don’t know if I care that much,” Dash muttered. “Heh, I wonder if Aroris thought she was hitting on a ‘stag’, though.” She snorted with laughter and glanced over at Fluttershy, but the other pegasus didn’t say much to that, her smile fading a little as she spread her wings, letting the feathers surface.

Idly, Dash noted that Fluttershy’s wings were an even bigger mess than she’d suspected. It took effort not to wade over there and sort her feathers out right now, but it’d be futile while they were in the water. Besides, there was something else that’d bothered her.

“Don’t you guys paint your feathers? Ever?” Dash asked. Fluttershy mentioning the colourful chaos in Orto reminded her that unless the Stagrumites took a lot greater care with their dyes than they had in the other city, she hadn’t seen a single painted feather so far.

“No. Why would we?” asked Mirossa. “I think a guest at the Hymn told me that it is custom in Orto, but to me it sounds confusing and strange. Did we not see minutes ago how much confusion can come from colour?”

“That’s not my fault,” Dash grumped, but the contrast between Orto and Stagrum wouldn’t go away. ”Anyway, you don’t have any of those scarves they wear, either. Really thin, colourful scarves?”

“No?” Mirossa said, her head at a precarious sideways tilt. “Why?”

“Dunno. It’s just weird,” said Dash, shifting a tiny bit closer to the warmer end of the shallows. “The Ortosians did a bunch of stuff that you don’t do at all.”

“We did visit during the middle of a huge festival, remember,” said Fluttershy, and though that was true enough, she sounded less than perfectly convinced herself.

“It’s still weird that there’s nothing of that here,” said Dash. She squinted. “Wait, that festival was gonna go on for a week. Isn’t the last day today or tomorrow? No wait, more! Your weeks are extra long, so it should definitely still be on!” She fixed Mirossa with a look, searching for any signs of recognition. “The festival of Myrtella, the love and harvest thing, you don’t celebrate it at all?”

“No,” said Mirossa yet again, frowning this time. “A weeklong festival dedicated to Myrtella? Maybe that sounds like a thing that Orto would do, but no, we don’t do anything like that.”

Fluttershy blinked. “‘Sounds like’? You didn’t know they had a festival at all? A city-wide festival?”

“I will wear out the word ‘no’, I think,” said Mirossa, her frown deepening still. “Why all these questions? I try to answer, but there is always two more!”

“Fine!” said Dash holding up a hoof. “I’m just asking! I think it’s weird that you don’t know what’s up in Orto, that’s all. They’re your neighbour city, like Trotheim is to Ponyville, right?”

“We hardly keep abreast of every little local festival in the neighbouring towns,” murmured Rarity, proving that the unicorn had not, in fact, fallen asleep. “Do give her some peace, won’t you? Her, and myself.”

“Little festival?” Dash echoed. “This isn’t like not knowing about whatever Trotheim does when we have our Apple Family Hoofenanny. It’s like… like not knowing about the Grand Galloping Gala, except bigger—or the Wonderbolts Circuit. Bigger than even that! The circuit’s just three days!”

Rarity sighed and smiled at Mirossa. Rainbow Dash recognised the smile. She’d seen it many times before. I’m sorry about my friend, it said, but at least the unicorn stirred, one half-lidded eye upon the peryton.

“Speaking of something, of anything else, I do like your antler-wear,” said Rarity.

“It’s lovely,” Fluttershy chimed, nodding her agreement. “They’re like mane clasps for horns—or antlers, in your case.”

Mirossa tilted her head up as though she could see the metal in her antlers, clearly seizing upon the topic change with hunger. “What, my caps and my rings?”

“Mhm. Are they purely decorative?” Rarity asked. “They’re just jewellery?”

The young doe stared at Rarity for a moment, blinking. “They are that and more. They tell others about yourself, of course.”

“We don’t really know anything about them,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head. “Maybe you’d like to tell us a little about them? I’d love to hear.”

Rainbow Dash expected Mirossa to smile at that. If she’d been a little annoyed before, surely being asked about herself would bring out one of those slightly creepy, toothy peryton smiles, but Mirossa didn’t look all that excited at all. She simply nodded.

“Mine say that I am looking for a House or a trade, or for Daros’ stories to aid in finding a path upon which I can walk—a seeker’s constellation,” the doe said. She moved her mouth as though she yawned, to no sound, idly poking at the water. After a second’s hesitation, her antler-tips glowed, and she popped one of the caps off. She levitated the silver thing in front of the three ponies, a shiny dome-shaped object with a spiral pattern engraved on its tip.

“This one in particular cost much. I ran errands for the House of the Falling Sky for a long time to afford it. Anyone who looks close can tell that I am dedicated to my pursuit of finding a place that can appreciate what I offer. I am… still looking.”

“That’s cool,” said Dash, smiling at the doe. If she’d worked hard for the stuff she wore, good for her. Dash could appreciate that.

“That’s lovely, dear,” said Rarity, leaning a little closer for a better look. “Exquisite detail, in fact, but you say there is a language to it, as well?”

“A language? That may be too much to say,” Mirossa replied. She tried to put the cap back on, but missed her antler-tip over and over until Rarity waded a little closer and sheathed the cap in the glow of her own magic.

“Please, let me.”

“Thank you. And yes, it is to look pretty, and to speak. The two does who left when we entered the bathhouse, I think they mostly wanted to say that they can afford to trade for that which they wore, but mama’s antler-rings are a dedication to Phostos, to the even trade. She keeps her bangles for holidays and for when she visits someone special.”

“Trust me, if there ever was a mare who could understand that, I am she,” said the unicorn, fully alert now. “But if at least part of their function is decorative, are there any venues where peryton go to simply… display them, as it were?”

Mirossa blew hot air, the steam swirling about. “To display? I am not sure I understand.”

Rarity chewed the inside of one of her cheeks, hesitating, but Rainbow Dash already knew what the unicorn was after.

“Catwalks. Fashion show… uh, places,” Dash suggested. “If you got a fancy new dress—some really cool caps and shiny bits you want to show off, where’d you usually go?”

Rarity scoffed. “Rainbow, you make this sound so crude, like I’m looking to flaunt my dresses!” She shook her head quickly and turned back to Mirossa. “We ponies have our own type of wear—well, I say ‘we’, but I like to think I have a style of my own.” She touched a hoof to her chest and sniffed. “Creating fashion is one of our forms of self-expression, both through creating something wonderfully unique, and through wearing it. If I have something new to show, where might I do this?”

“I still don’t think I understand,” said Mirossa, her face completely blank. “Or perhaps it is you who do not. If you have something to offer, then you take it to market. We only visited the outer markets, but the far markets are better for this. I can take you back tomorrow if you wish?”

“I—hm. Well, if that is our only option,” said Rarity, sighing. “A city of this size without a single catwalk? I don’t know if I quite believe it. Now I know we’ve travelled far abroad.”

Neither Rainbow Dash nor Fluttershy commented on that, and Mirossa paddled over to the deep end, swimming about for a little while. On the other side of the dividing wall, the voices got a little louder and a door slammed twice, then all went silent. Rarity closed her eyes again, leaning her head back against the rim, and Fluttershy ducked beneath the water, surfacing with her mane freshly wet.

“So no feather paints here at all,” Dash asked. The previous conversation still stuck around in her head, like an itch just under a wing. “D’you know if they have antler-stuff or jewellery or whatever in Orto?”

“I don’t know. Some gems travel south along the road,” Mirossa replied, swimming in circles. “Many things do, but if I wished to study trade, I would study trade. I think most of what we get from the cliffside mines stays here. Ask mama.”

“But they know about ‘Phostos’” Dash asked, the names of these Aspect things still ungainly in her mouth. “And you said you know about Myrtella.”

“Of course. All do,” said Mirossa, swimming over to the very far end, holding on to the edge of the pool with a foreleg to keep herself afloat.

Dash squinted. “So do you have like… a Phostos festival instead, then?” That’d make sense. Maybe it was like a travelling circus, except without the travelling. Or the circus. But if they all celebrated different things, like the Wonderbolts held different shows in different cities each year, then—

The doe let out a short caw of laughter. “Festival to Phostos? No. Why would we? Every day we trade. Festivals do not relate to the Aspects. A festival is what happens when the fleet returns, and the fleet’s return creates stories in Selyria and Helesseia’s names, stories of Ilyra and Phostos, but the festival is for the fleet and its sailors!”

Or not.

Mirossa swam back to the shallow end, fixing Dash with a look. “You ask but you don’t like the answers. Or, do you smile now? I cannot tell.”

“I did suggest we give the questions a rest a while back, if you do recall,” Rarity said with a weary sigh. “This is why I take Fluttershy to the spa and not you, dear.”

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with making conversation, really,” said Fluttershy, shrugging.

“I’m not not smiling,” Dash retorted, though she felt her snout frumple even as she said it. “I’m not angry anyway, I just don’t get you guys.” She shook her head and looked to Fluttershy for support, for anything, but the other pegasus looked as helpless as Dash felt that moment. Something annoyed Dash still, and she didn’t know what.

Or maybe that was a lie, and she did know why. Maybe she’d already figured it out, and it had nothing to do with all the little differences she kept poking at. It wasn’t about how different the buildings here were, it wasn’t about feather paint or jewellery. She’d had a thought earlier today when she flew over the docks, and now it returned.

“It’s just like you guys have nothing in common,” said Dash. “The peryton in Orto were way different.”

She waited for Rarity to protest that, not so much because she thought the unicorn would disagree, but because Rarity clearly wanted silence. If Rarity tried to suggest that maybe this was like fashion—that it was ‘just like Canterlot and Manehatten differing in fashion styles’—Rainbow Dash had her answer ready: To her it was more like snickersnouts and geese than it was one dress and, well, another dress.

Rarity didn’t protest at all. The unicorn simply watched, waited with interest now.

“I wish we could’ve stayed in Orto longer,” said Fluttershy at length. “The feather painting looked fun, really, and they all seemed like one big, happy family, in a way. Um, well. I mean, maybe we could’ve stayed together, or not been at the middle of the festival, but I’d—”

“Exactly!” said Dash. “They were all happy and nice, not at all grumpy like the Dockmistress, or the doe who made us pay extra for this place! I don’t know, it just feels like the peryton here don’t care about people as much as they did in Orto.”

“Mm, or maybe you’re disappointed with the peryton here because they don’t hang at your every move, and that they don’t fawn over us simply because we walk down the street,” said Rarity.

“Yeah yeah,” Dash muttered, waving the comment off with a wing, spraying water in Rarity’s general direction. “Like you didn’t like being the centre of attention in Orto.”

“Why would you think that?” Mirossa asked.

“What?” Dash asked, and one look at Mirossa taught her what went for indignant in peryton body language, her neck pulled back and her eyes in a squint.

“I don’t know too much about Orto. It is not my city, but why would you think we of Stagrum do not care about each other?” She scowled. “That is simply not true!”

“I didn’t say you don’t care, jeez—” Dash said.

“Actually, you did,” Fluttershy said, her ears splayed.

“—and how can you say you don’t know about Orto?” Dash continued. “That’s exactly what I don’t understand! Just before we left, you were puffing your chest out over how you’re making the bronze bits for all of Perytonia! Aren’t they part of Perytonia?”

“Of course they are, and of course I know of Orto!”

“Yeah, duh,” said Dash. “You’re neighbours, how can you not? But if you know them, why aren’t you more like them? Why aren’t you guys friends?” Dash asked.

“Friends? We are different cities!”

“So what’s wrong with the other cities?”

“Nothing! Just like there is nothing wrong with how we care about one another here in Stagrum! We have our families, and we love them. We have our House, and we love them too—though I don’t have one yet,” she said, gesturing at the silver adorning her antlers. “When I find those who will have me, I will bond with those I work with, like wagon-teams who bond in love, like those who find each other under Ilyra at sea. I don’t understand why this is difficult, clearly you love your own House or whatever you call it, if you are travelling this far for them!”

“Fine!” Dash snapped. “I get it, I didn’t mean it like that!” She rolled her eyes and sank down into the water until just her ears and eyes poked out.

“We don’t actually have Houses,” said Rarity, gracing the doe with a smile. “We are on a diplomatic mission for Princess Celestia and Princess Luna in Canterlot. I don’t think it’s quite the same.”

“So, the markings on your flanks, they are not House identifiers?” Mirossa asked, blinking.

Dash’s sigh blew bubbles. She poked the tip of her muzzle out of the water, her voice distorted. “No, they’re cutie marks.”

“A reflection of our special talents,” Rarity added, raising one of her forelegs out from the water. “We can give you the short version on our way back to our rooms. We’re expecting that letter from the Dockmistress, and hopefully one with good news about the road to this Ephydoera place.”

Another slam of the door from the other side of the wall. Dash looked at the wall as though she could see through it, but a moment later, it was all quiet again. Perhaps the bath-house’s opening hours were almost over. Rarity must have reached the same conclusion.

“I think I am about as clean as I am likely to get. Shall we dry up, girls?”

Fluttershy had even managed to get some of her winglets tangled with her coverts, and the less said about her secondaries the better. She lay on one of the beds with her mane and tail wrapped in towels for a second round of drying, and Rainbow Dash sat at her side, nudging at feathers with her muzzle. She hadn’t even done anything yet, not sure where to start. Dash sighed, receiving a blush and an apologetic glance from the wings’ owner, who managed both to guess the source of Dash’s exasperation, and to listen to Rarity rather more attentively than Dash herself.

Dash grabbed another bite of the yellow paste-balls on the plate they shared between them. Mirossa’s mom could really cook. Whatever this spiced vegetable mush was, it tasted delicious. She wiped her muzzle thoroughly on the bed sheets when Rarity wasn’t looking, and got to work.

“—so since Mirossa so kindly offered to take me back to market, I was hoping we could all go together tomorrow,” Rarity said, levitating up one of the new dresses-in-making, giving it a critical look before she went to work with her needle again. “That is, if you’re willing to model again, and if you both agree. We’d be delaying our departure from Stagrum for a day, too.”

“I think that’d be… nice,” said Fluttershy. “Another day to rest would be good for all of us. And of course I’ll help, especially if we could do it when there aren’t quite as many people.” She spread her wing a little more when Dash poked her in the side. They’d long since stopped needing to talk while doing this.

“People are rather the point of this,” Rarity said. “Though… I suppose we can try to avoid the worst of it,” she continued in a softer tone. “If only because I’m thinking of heavier fabrics this time. It’d be cruel to ask you to model in the midday sun if I’m using anything more than a single layer of cotton.”

Rarity sighed and folded the dress again, rooting around in the supply chest at her side. “This would be a lot easier if Naressa or Mirossa could tell me what sort of reception to expect.”

“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said. “They don’t really seem to understand what dresses or even clothes are about, so I guess we’ll just have to see. Maybe we could show Naressa the dresses as they are and ask her what she thinks?”

“Perhaps before we leave tomorrow,” Rarity replied around a few pins between her lips. “Even if she thought they were awful, she’s just one peryton, but anything is better than no reaction at all, as I gather you received in Orto. Don’t get me wrong, darling, I hardly expect to spark a fashion revolution, but...” She sighed again, louder this time, lapsing into silence having offered no alternative, and it was all Dash could think that Rarity hoped for exactly that.

Rainbow Dash ran her muzzle between Fluttershy’s primaries all in turn, giving the obstinate ones a little tug. Fluttershy did a good job of holding her wing straight, as she always did. What was it Rarity had said, days ago? While they waited for the other pegasus at the cliffs, she’d said something about it being weird for Rainbow Dash to help Fluttershy out with her preening.

Well, what did Rarity expect? Fluttershy was terrible at it. Probably. Besides, other pegasi helped each other out all the time. Also probably. Dash grabbed another mouthful of food and cleaned her muzzle again.

Granted, she didn’t actually know of any other grown pegasi who preened each other, but she couldn’t remember asking anyone either, and what she didn’t know might as well be true as it was untrue, so, whatever.

“Clearly they have the capacity to communicate through fashion already,” Rarity mused. “And a well-made outfit can say just as much, if not more than any jewel-headdress. It makes me wonder if the feather-paints in Orto were a language of their own.”

When Dash went for another snack, she could see below Fluttershy’s wing that Rarity held an assortment of antler-jewellery in her magic. With pursed lips, the unicorn slipped a simple silver ring with a loose chain onto her horn.

“Maybe,” said Fluttershy. “But I don’t know what they could be trying to say by rolling around in colours.” She giggled and shook her head before gesturing to the jewellery Rarity toyed with. “Do you know what the jewellery you bought ‘means’?” She shifted where she sat, but settled down when Dash made a wordless noise of protest.

“Oh, yes,” Rarity said airily. “I asked Mirossa about it while you were getting our food. They have no meaning beyond signifying a connection to Daros and Phostos. If Phostos is the Aspect of fair trades and promises, Daros I believe is the Aspect of adventure and such. Quite fitting if we are going to be trekking along the road for another week.” She shook her head and her smile waned. Almost as an afterthought, she magicked her jewellery, the dress, and one of the food platters all over to the other bed—claimed as her workbench—and lay down to continue her work while eating.

“You really should try the kelp cakes,” said Fluttershy. “Naressa’s kelp cakes are really good. I didn’t like the ones they had in Orto, but these are delicious. I think it’s the sea salt.”

“Darling, when I say the kelp cakes made me ill, I am not trying to be dramatic. I mean just that,” said Rarity, grabbing a plate of some clear jelly-like things with leaves inside. “They really did not agree with me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy, her wings closing on reflex. Dash saw it coming, though, wedging a hoof under Fluttershy’s wing, causing the other pegasus to yelp and give another muttered sorry while Dash continued her work uninterrupted. Rarity, on the other hoof, had made all of two stitches before she put her work away again.

“I also did some thinking,” Rarity said.

Rainbow Dash didn’t look up. She tugged at the last of Fluttershy’s secondaries to make it lie right, then pulled back to assess her work. It hadn’t been as bad as she’d initially thought. Now she hesitated. She didn’t strictly have to keep going, and there was little cleaning to be done after their bath, but on a whim, she leaned in closer to Fluttershy’s axillaries.

The feathers closest to her body looked fine, but it didn’t hurt to make sure. She didn’t mind. Dash bit onto the soft, downy feathers and gently arranged them one by one. Fluttershy glanced over her shoulder and smiled, the towelled bundle of her tail flopping over to touch against one of Dash’s legs.

“Oh! Um, sorry, you said you had done some thinking?” Fluttershy asked, turning to Rarity again.

“About what we all discussed at the baths, yes,” said Rarity. “Or rather, what Rainbow Dash had said, and I agree with some of it, even though I feel you were a little rough with Mirossa.”

Dash snorted. The hot air against her wing’s base made Fluttershy eep, and Dash rose to stand on the bed, stepping over her to sit between Fluttershy and the wall. “Other wing,” she said. “And yeah, I know, I get it, I was hard on her, and she’s just a kid,” Dash admitted, feeling her cheeks heat up. “I feel bad about it, okay? Happy?”

“Why would I be happy about that?” asked Rarity, frowning. “I’m not trying to attack you, dear, I just meant to say that I thought about it, and I find it a little strange how they barely travel between the cities, and it’s only to trade. They don’t seem to mix as much as we ponies do. We have pegasi, unicorns and earth ponies who all travel and mingle with each other as they wish.”

“Mhm,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Sure, there are exceptions, like Cloudsdale, but even there—look at your mother, Fluttershy! She’s an earth pony living in Cloudsdale. How does the prince, princess—head consul or whatever they called them—keep this place functioning if they don’t wish to be kept together?”

“I think it’s even more strange that they don’t seem to know much about each other, either. Or, not as much as I thought they would,” Fluttershy said. She sounded half asleep, sinking heavily down onto the bed when Rainbow Dash leaned in under her wing to triple-check some feathers. “Mh. Their leader is probably really good at their job to keep them all working together.”

“Are they, though?” Dash asked. She surfaced, letting go of Fluttershy’s wing for a moment and resting a hoof on Fluttershy’s side. “I don’t know if they do work together. The Dockmistress wanted the sigil for herself, like she didn’t want us to take it to this Cotronna place. What’s up with that?”

Rarity huffed and nodded. “Can you imagine some foreign diplomat visiting Ponyville and inviting Mayor Mare to discuss foreign affairs without consulting the Princesses? These are national matters!”

“Mm, I’m sure she just didn’t understand what we meant. It must’ve been a misunderstanding,” said Fluttershy, yawning.

“I don’t know,” Dash said. “They’re just… really different from each other.” She poked Fluttershy above the base of her wing, prompting her to furl it, the other pegasus folding her wing with exacting care and a tired smile. Licking her lips, Dash lay down at the foot of the bed to spread her own wings and start preening them, too. She was five seconds in when she paused.

“Hey, Fluttershy, think you can do me?”

Fluttershy blinked heavily, rubbing at her eyes. “I’m sorry?”

“Wings,” Dash said. “I think I lost a few feathers playing in the sea, can you check?”

“Oh. Of course,” said Fluttershy, and though there was a note of hesitance in her voice, Fluttershy scooted over without protest. It wasn’t unfair to ask a favour for a favour, of course, but Rainbow Dash hadn’t really thought to ask her before. It wouldn’t hurt to teach her if she really was that bad at preening.

“Just tell me how bad it looks towards the back. I can’t see those feathers, I’d have to feel my way,” Dash said.

“Do you need a mirror, dear?” asked Rarity.

“Oh, no, it’s alright, I got it,” said Fluttershy before Dash could protest. “It’s not all that bad. The only ones missing should grow back, but I think… these are a little skewed. I’ll get it.”

Rainbow Dash nodded and stretched her forelegs out ahead of her, yawning. “Cool, thanks. Hey, Rarity, can you pass me a plate—” she began, only to be interrupted by a knock on the door.

Rarity raised a brow. “At this hour? A few more minutes and we might have been asleep, hmh.”

“Door’s open,” Dash called, having no desire to wrestle with the sliding door. Besides, she didn’t even know if it could be locked. It slid open heedless of her musings revealing a peryton doe’s head, and Dash needed a moment to recognise Naressa from just her head markings and her jewellery. She thrust a folded sheet of thick paper ahead of her.

“I did not mean to interrupt or wake, but a note arrived for you, and it looks to be important. I thought you might appreciate it,” she said, letting Rarity take it from her. “Was your meal to your tastes?”

“It tasted wonderful, thank you ever so much,” said Fluttershy, poking her head over Dash’s wing. “If you don’t mind me asking, what was the sweet yellow paste?”

“Sweetened rutabaga with my own blend of spices.” Naressa beamed. “I am pleased.”

“Really liked the spongy things, too. Thanks!” Dash said.

“And these,” said Rarity, nodding at the plate that held the last of the jelly-like treats she favoured, smiling only until she opened the letter. “Ah yes. Could we ask one more favour of you?”

Naressa tilted her head. “I owe you still, twice for the kindnesses you have bestowed upon my daughter.”

Rarity held up the letter and sighed. “We can’t understand your letters. Would you read this for us?”

Naressa nodded and took the letter back, unfolding the brownish paper. She stepped inside the room proper and closed the door behind her before she looked at the note.

“Ah, so. It says, ‘the Bent Feathers have received and give in fair trade to the Dockmistress Ouressia of Stagrum words neither secret nor rare, nor knowledge gathered upon request.’ This is a common way to open a letter. Its pride establishes the value of the content. I explain this because my daughter tells me you find many things strange—I hope you do not think I pry.”

Rainbow Dash nodded along, while Fluttershy nuzzled in between her feathers. She’d been working on the same feathers for a good half minute now, mostly just smoothing them out.

“You can’t be that gentle,” Dash whispered. “Use your teeth if you have to, come on.”

“Sorry,” Fluttershy returned, barely audible to Dash’s ears. A second later, Dash felt a tug at her feathers.

“Not at all, nothing in that letter is secret,” said Rarity. “In fact, we don’t know much about these ‘Bent Feather’ peryton at all except that the Dockmistress suggested they might know more about the roads. What do you know of them?”

Naressa gave a small, hesitant nod. “I know some. If they are shrouded in Kholarys’ veil of secrets, it is only because none have cause to see them much. They are honest, but they are also rootless. They travel. Since I run an establishment and offer beds for when they visit our city, I see them more than most, and as of late, I have had cause to need to learn more.” She frowned ever so slightly, staring past the letter now.

“Mirossa has taken an interest in them.” She added, shook her head. “That is not what we talk of now. I will continue reading this letter.”

“Where are they from?” asked Fluttershy, pushing Rainbow Dash’s wing away for a moment. Dash frowned and let the wing stay exactly where Fluttershy left it, waiting.

Naressa slowly let out the breath she’d taken, her brow furrowed. “They are from all the cities. The last one I saw had the bearing of a doe from Ephydoera, and Mirossa was very taken with her.” She smiled and shook her head, then cleared her throat. “So, the letter says the following. ‘This Bent Feather relates its own story of words as understood over the past five hundred suns, that the path by land from Stagrum to Ephydoera returns safe, but that the path through the highlands from Vauhorn to Ephydoera is travelled by no single wagon-team for the loss of cargo.”

The doe frowned, lowering the letter again. “While this is business between Ephydoera and Vauhorn, I do not like reading this.”

“So there is, in fact, trouble of some sort,” said Rarity, looking none too pleased.

Rainbow Dash shrugged. The letter could be poetry for all she cared as long as it told them exactly what was up. She waited for Naressa to go on, glancing back at Fluttershy when the other pegasus went back to finishing up her first wing, starting on the other with more enthusiasm than Dash had expected—and her right wing’s feathers were well in order.

“It explains,” said Naressa. “‘Two wagon-teams have returned without their cargo, one in fall, one at the onset of first summer. For payment offered, this Bent Feather shares how the Bent Feathers relate: Twice, Vauhorn has asked the Bent Feathers’ help. Two times, the Bent Feathers have turned to Ephydoera to suggest they make safe this path. Twelve times, Ephydoeran flights have patrolled the road in the past five hundred suns, and nothing has been found.’”

“So my understanding is that someone is waylaying wagons between these two cities, stealing their wares?” Rarity asked. “And that these Bent Feathers have asked one of the cities to solve it?”

Naressa nodded. “None of what you say is false. There is a note at the end, in the same writing, but hastily added. I suggests that if yours is a flock carrying no great value, they suggest the path is safe, but with no promise. They also supply what is known to all—that eight stele dedicated to Selyria guide the path to Ephydoera from our town of Stagrum. The letter ends.”

Dash furled her wing, and Fluttershy made a startled noise. Dash flashed her a smile, shaking her head at the confused pegasus. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll fix the rest later.”

“So, if these statues are a day apart, that means that it is even further to this town of Ephydoera than it was between Orto and Stagrum,” said Rarity. She sighed and rolled onto her side with one foreleg in the air. “No ships, and the road is both long and potentially dangerous further ahead.”

“If you hurry, you will make it to Ephydoera before the seven suns of the storm,” said Naressa, showing teeth in a wide smile. “That is something to be grateful for. If not, you are welcome to stay here.”

“It might be, if we knew what that was,” said Fluttershy, lying down at Dash’s side now. Dash pushed the plate of food closer to her. “I think someone mentioned it before,” Fluttershy added. “Is that, um—that’s not a week full of… storms, is it?”

“Storms happen now and then in summer, dry or wet,” said Naressa. “You cannot guard yourself against the threat, but the seven suns of the storm is the midsummer small-week wherein one such storm will happen without fail. The storm does not last the week, but it is always the fiercest one of the year. The seven suns of the storm separate first summer from second summer, a time during which all kin with good sense will be ready to run indoors. If you wish to be sure to make it to Ephydoera, you need to make good speed. The seven suns begin in a week and two days, ten suns from now.”

“Hey, I’m down with a storm,” Dash said, but a quick look told her that her friends were rather less enthusiastic about the prospect. Fluttershy’s ears wilted, and Rarity, well, the unicorn still lay stretched out on the bed staring straight up at the ceiling as she had since the prospect of more travel had been brought up.

Fluttershy chewed her bottom lip, peering over at the dejected unicorn on the bed opposite. “Rarity? If the storm is at least ten days away, and Ephydoera is only a week from here, we still have enough time to try to show them your dresses tomorrow. We don’t have to leave until the day after tomorrow, just like we planned.”

“Yes, yes, I know,” Rarity told the ceiling, sighing deeply, then again when she apparently decided that her first sigh wasn’t loud enough.

“I know what could make this next trip way better, though,” said Dash, leaning over the edge of the bed to fetch her saddlebags. She knew she had a small bag of gems in it, somewhere. “You really know how to make food. D’you think you could make us some more food for the road for when we leave? Maybe some smaller portions?”

“That’s a good idea,” said Fluttershy, nodding. She gave the supine unicorn an encouraging smile. “Having something good to eat is a nice start, isn’t it?”

Rarity flopped over onto her side again, facing both the ponies and a clearly very confused peryton. “Very well. If I must trek into the jaws a tempest, I shall do so on a full stomach.” She frowned and sat upright, her demeanour brightening in an instant as she pointed to the last remaining treat on her own plate. “Oh! And if you could make sure to pack an extra helping or ten of these jellied herb items, that would be wonderful, thank you. How much do we owe you?”

“I will make sure that this is done, and that you have all you may need if you will travel in a day’s time, yes,” said Naressa, blinking. She folded the letter she’d held on to all the while, putting it on a shelf near the door. When Dash finally pulled the gem pouch out of her saddlebags, the doe shook her head. “I will ask no more of you, you have paid more than you must already, and I have delayed your rest enough.”

Naressa tilted her head forwards in a small bow and departed, leaving the three ponies alone again, and Rarity rooted around in her supply chest before the door had even fully closed as though she hadn’t been in the throes of her own dramatics seconds prior.

“Okay, so… we’re not worried about the walking any more?” Dash asked, cocking a brow.

“Hm? Oh, by all means, I don’t look forward to it,” said Rarity, waving a hoof in Dash’s general direction. “I’ve much work to do if I am to make another set of dresses, however, even if I use the old ones as a base. Would one of you lend me a hoof, please?”

“Hey, whatever works,” said Dash, giggling under her breath while Fluttershy hopped off the bed and went over to help. Dash spread her wings and leaned back to see if there was anything more to be done, but her feathers were all clean, aligned and neatly ordered after Fluttershy’s little check-up. They must not’ve needed much care after all.

Chapter 8

I write this having finished the dresses for tomorrow’s sortie. It is late, and I have kept both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash up past sensible hours—Rainbow to fit her more complex dress, Fluttershy to help me with some of the stitches. I have high hopes that even if the peryton do not approve of these dresses, I shall get some opinions. I emphasised one of the hemlines simply to provoke a response. This time, at least, I shall be present to see how they feel about my creations.

I try not to think on how I may have had my last bath in a while now. It is getting late, and though I’ve worked past bedtime, I prefer the familiar exhaustion of a job well done to the more physical challenges as of late. My hooves still ache from the days spent on the road, and I remain convinced that unicorn hooves were not made for such things.

-R

“No, no, the neck wrap goes on other way,” said Rarity, letting out an exasperated sigh.

“It fits this way, too,” Dash protested, straining to look down right at her own neck. The cloth choker with its weird little tie glowed with Rarity’s magic, shifting until the tie rested at the back of her neck instead.

“Like so. The knot isn’t meant to show. There’s a small decorative gem set in the front, you see? It’s the exact green of the Myrtellan scarves.”

“Sure,” said Dash. Instead of pointing out that Rarity had been the one to help her into her dress, and that the frazzled unicorn herself had tied the thing around her neck, Dash went for another sip of water and a bite of fried whatever-it-was with sauce. Their late morning meal might as well be called lunch, owing to a serious case of oversleeping. Already the sun was high in the sky outside, and the room was stifling hot, the dress hotter.

“There. Perfect,” said Rarity, wiping her forehead. She stepped back, her eyes sweeping over Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy each in turn, the latter of the two silent for the moment. Dash noticed Fluttershy’s head kept turning to the shuttered window through which the muted din of Stagrum penetrated with ease.

The unceasing hum was drowned out for a second by a knock on their door, followed immediately by Mirossa sliding the door open with her magic. “We should leave soon,” said the young doe. “This is what I told you long ago. If we wait much longer, the push towards the markets will be too much. The streets will be busy.”

“Are the streets ever not busy?” Dash asked, tilting her head.

“Yes. They are not busy now. You have not seen what I think are busy streets,” Mirossa retorted, deadpan. She tapped a hoof on the ground anxiously and leaned against the doorway while Rarity quickly drug a comb through her mane. A moment later, she looked something like her usual self rather than a pony who had been up half the night making another pair of dresses. And again—

“Nothing for yourself this time either, huh?” Dash asked, looking around the mess of fabrics and tools still covering one of the beds. She half expected to find a third dress somewhere amidst the small bolts and scissors.

“No dear, we’ve been through this,” Rarity replied, trotting over to the washbasin near the vanity. She dabbed at her cheeks with a wet cloth. “I’m trying to see if we can create fashion that will interest these peryton. They have wings, and so do you—I do not.”

“Maybe,” said Fluttershy, the other pegasus finally stirring. “But you have a horn, a lot like their antlers. It’s not exactly the same, but we don’t have either of those, anyway. We don’t know that they’re very worried about flying in dresses, so maybe wing-holes aren’t all that important to them.”

Rarity pursed her lips, nodding at that. “Perhaps, but we’ve hardly gotten comment from the peryton themselves about that, and until we do—”

“When I say busy streets,” Mirossa interjected. “I mean busy streets.”

Rarity frowned at the interruption, turning to face Mirossa, but it lasted only a second. “Oh,” she said, her brows raised. “I suppose it is rather silly to talk about what peryton want and what they do not when we might as well ask.”

The unicorn stepped up to Rainbow Dash, tugging at the side of the dress. “Mirossa, darling; what do you think? Do these dresses pique your curiosity?”

“Eh, I liked the other ones better,” said Rainbow Dash. She took a step away from Rarity, glancing back over her own flank. The cotton stuff around her barrel and the flared skirt didn’t scream awesome, but at least hers left her forelegs and her chest bare unlike Fluttershy’s more cumbersome full dress. Fluttershy smiled at her as though she’d read her thoughts, spreading and settling her wings on her back. Dash fanned her own sides with her feathers.

“‘Like’,” was all Mirossa said after an entirely too long pause for thought. Dash would’ve liked to say that she knew Mirossa tried, that her eyes simply glazed over when she tried to comment on fashion in the same way Dash’s did when Twilight spoke of maths or something—but there wasn’t even that. The young doe stared through Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

“Yes,” said Rarity. “I don’t expect comment on the stitches or the balance of the dress, but do you like the allowance for the wings, or would something that accentuated your antlers make more sense?”

Mirossa blinked. “It is an ornament that one wears?”

Rainbow Dash raised a brow and looked over at Fluttershy. Fluttershy shrugged and stared back.

Rarity nodded slowly, with all the patience in the world, her voice a tad more flat. “In a sense, I suppose they are ornaments, yes. Like we discussed with your antler-wear. I used the Myrtellan colours of forest green, aquamarine, scarlet and what we call royal purple in Equestria, all because I didn’t have the presence of mind to ask you if there are colours more appropriate for Phostos. Would this be better if I had the right colours?”

Mirossa, shook her head slightly. “I do not think so? In the stories, Phostos favours silver and the amethysts where possible, but I do not understand how this would change this dress-thing.”

“But you know about scarves,” Fluttershy suggested, and as she continued, Rarity levitated out one of the thin Ortosian scarves, and Fluttershy nodded at Rarity. “Those ones, yes. They wear these scarves in Orto, scarves that they use to… well, I really don’t know what they do for Myrtella, but they really seem to like them.”

Mirossa nodded quickly. “Because then, the point of the scarf is their colours and what they reference, in the same manner that our jewellery reference other Aspects.” She pointed to Fluttershy, tilting her head as she did so. “What you wear is a complicated riot of angles and loops. Its point is not the colour—or if it is, then… what opinion can I have of a very strange Myrtellan scarf? You stand with Myrtellan stories. You speak of yourself. What do my thoughts on it matter? If it had carried symbols that mean something to me, then that would be its meaning, but it does not.”

Rarity drew a slow, audible breath through her snout, closing her eyes for a second. The exhale filled the room with its sigh. Mirossa pushed off the wall to stand upright, fidgeting. Fluttershy cleared her throat, and Dash tapped a hoof against the floorboards, punctuating the silence.

It wasn’t that Rainbow Dash didn’t like dresses, fashion and all that stuff. She’d just never had the passion for it, never made a lot of room for it in her mind. Not for wearing stuff, not for caring about it. Her interactions with clothes were by and large limited to where her life collided with Rarity—which was a fair bit, and that was fine. Sure, sometimes she fell asleep when Rarity wanted to talk about a cool outfit rather than put it on and just go, but whatever. By and large, Rainbow Dash thought that was about as little as any pony could care about clothes, that she was the best at caring the least.

Mirossa simply looked lost, like rather than not understand the issue or the question, she didn’t understand that there was a question at all.

“Well, we best get moving before the streets become ‘busy’, I suppose,” said Rarity at length. She slipped on the saddlebags she’d prepared earlier. “Hopefully we can get a variety of different perspectives if we find somewhere to showcase these dresses at the market. Any perspectives at all.”

Rationally, Rainbow Dash knew that there weren’t that many of them. The streets were narrow, and all the peryton around were taller than her—with the exception of children who somehow managed not to get trampled. For all she knew, there were only a dozen or so peryton in all of Stagrum, they just walked in tight formation around them, hiding the rest of the city.

Probably not, sure, but it wasn’t as though she could fly up and check. She couldn’t spread her wings without hitting someone else, the peryton of Stagrum stealing away all the air and any semblance of wind. It’d been uncomfortably hot ever since she stepped out into the daylight.

“It’s getting a little busy,” Mirossa said over the chaos of infinite peryton chatting as they walked. “The first shift at the docks is heading into the city, and those who live in the inner city are beginning to head to market. Keep to the right side of the road.”

“A little busy,” Fluttershy replied with a nervous glance at the stream of peryton walking in the opposite direction.

“Yes,” said Mirossa, looking back over her shoulder to give the pegasus a blank look. “There is still room to move. This is fine.”

Fluttershy looked like she very much disagreed with that singular use of the word ‘fine’, but didn’t protest. Dash busied herself looking at all the weird stuff the peryton wore. Chains hanging around the base of their wings, glittering with small gemstones. Loops and rings around their tails, like Applejack’s tail bands except shiny—and shiny was cool.

Mirossa took them forward and left, through an even narrower street where they had to walk single file for a moment, and then back to a street wide by comparison only. On a street corner stood a large stag with a booming voice. “Raven from Orto has arrived, and it speaks: The last trade-ship is safely in Orto’s harbour, none are wounded, all are safe! Raven from Orto!”

The peryton who walked near cheered, some waving a foreleg in the air as they passed, the speaker repeating the message a few more times, and just before they passed out of earshot, Rainbow Dash saw the stag levitate up another scroll. “Raven from Cotronna,” he said, passing out of view.

“What’s the deal with that?” Dash asked.

“The ‘deal’? With what?” asked Mirossa from the front.

“The guy on the corner shouting, reading… letters?” Dash said. Mirossa looked back as though she could see past the crowd to what Dash meant, but clearly she knew.

“The criers’ guild,” Mirossa said, taking a right turn, now onto the broadest street yet, still crowded. “They copy all that arrives by letter and spread it in service of the city. If an opinion is needed, they will tell Stagrum to attend. If news arrive, they will spread it. Everything that is important, they will share it.”

“That’s certainly one way to get your news,” Rarity commented, frowning ever so slightly. “I can’t imagine everyone will hear everything important in such a way, though.”

Mirossa laughed, a single, long, drawn out caw. “If you wish to hear all that there is, you go to the Dockmistress’ raven-house where we visited, I guess, but who has time for that? You hear some, you talk to others, and they hear some, and together you hear much. You trade words and news.”

“I still think I personally prefer reading my news, thank you,” said Rarity with a smile at Fluttershy. “Wouldn’t you agree, dear?”

Fluttershy made a vague noise of agreement, a hum accompanied by a faint smile in return.

Now Rainbow Dash was the one who frowned. The energy Fluttershy found to match the challenge of the city yesterday and the glow surrounding her in the evening as though the sea-creatures had worked some magic on her, it had all evaporated. Fluttershy had gone more quiet than usual ever since they left the Hymn—or perhaps more accurately, she’d gone exactly as quiet as Dash had expected her to in the face of this many people.

“You call it a trade, though,” said Rarity. Dash blinked. It took her a moment to realise they’d been talking. “Does that mean you would pay someone to tell you the latest news?” the unicorn added.

Mirossa shrugged, turning around to walk backwards, somehow without colliding with anyone. “Yes? No? The word ‘pay’ means so little and so much. If you ask a stranger or one of another House to share with you all news, you will trade them something. If you ask a friend to share with you what they have heard, you will also trade them, but you use that word like trade and greed are the one and the same. A trade of words is a trade, too. It is not about greed, but about fairness.”

Rarity furrowed her brow. “Hmh. I… will admit that I had not thought of that.”

“We have,” Mirossa replied, shrugging. Dash couldn’t help but grin at her tone, but another voice drifted in even as Rarity and Mirossa went on talking about trading and whatever. They passed by a small pocket by the streetside, like a tidal pool to the rushing waters of the street itself. On top of a bench stood a doe with a scroll, just like the crier they’d passed earlier—but here, in a little space of calm, peryton paused to listen rather than rush by.

“—she turned, and found behind her not a soul. Vestrus had pondered alone for days on end. Would Vestrus wander, he would wander alone too, and this he would not brook—”

Whatever else she said, Dash couldn’t hear, indistinct chatter overtaking and drowning out the solitary voice just a few steps further on. Dash had no idea how random stories fit into the criers sharing news from other cities, and everything supposedly important, but both Mirossa and Rarity seemed engrossed in a conversation of their own. She shrugged and tried to get a better look at the buildings at their sides.

At some point the tall three- or even four-story buildings had shrunk away, but she couldn’t get a good look at what was going on, some huge stag or doe always in the way. The most she could tell for sure was that the cobblestones under her hooves were worn and cracked. Maybe they had always been, but the space around her felt airier and more open, crowd notwithstanding. It made her want to fly.

“Heh, I feel bad that we’re missing some weeks of the summer vacation,” Dash said.

“Hm? How do you mean?” Fluttershy looked up, her ears the tiniest bit more perked.

“Scoots has been looking forward to flying lessons all spring,” Dash said, shaking her head. “I’m gonna have to make it up to her.

“I think she’d appreciate that a lot, but I’m sure she understands, too,” Fluttershy replied, smiling faintly.

“Maybe, but before we left, AJ was getting on my case because I cancelled on her once. Scoots told Apple Bloom, and Apple Bloom told Applejack.” Dash rolled her eyes.

Fluttershy shook her head. “Applejack knows you care about all your friends. Even if she was a little disappointed in you, I’m sure she didn’t mean it like that. And besides, Scootaloo would probably be sad if she heard Applejack said anything, because I know she knows you’ll help like you said. Applejack too, really.”

“Yeah, well, you weren’t there. You didn’t hear Applejack,” Dash retorted.

“Was this two days before we left? Before Applejack finally got that reply letter from Apple Fritter?” Fluttershy asking, cocking her head. “She was a little angry when she thought none of her family could take care of her duties while she was gone.”

“Yeah, I guess she had a pretty crummy day,” Dash admitted, chuckling. Fluttershy was right, of course, and the memory wasn’t half as annoying, now. It helped that Fluttershy smiled back at her, but just as Dash was about to comment on the annoying press of the crowd around them, she realised that it wasn’t half as bad as it’d been a moment ago. Rarity and Mirossa slowed down to a halt, and the peryton around them allowed for it. Finally, Rainbow Dash could stretch her wings out.

“Did you have any particular ideas on how we might do this?” Rarity asked, turning to Mirossa.

“I do not understand what ‘this’ is,” Mirossa replied, shaking her head. “But if you have something new to trade, you show it. An idea, wares, a promise or an act.”

Rarity lay her ears flat, deflating a tad. “You can’t possibly mean you expect me to start hawking my dresses as though I were selling apples.”

Mirossa stared blankly. “Do I not? Apples are known, even if they are rare, and so you do not need to show them—but I did have an idea. Do you remember Rohast?”

“I do,” said Rarity, nodding.

“Who?” Dash asked.

“A friend of Mirossa’s, we briefly ran into him at market yesterday while the two of you were bathing,” said Rarity, turning back to Mirossa. “He was very charming. What about him?”

Mirossa smiled at that and nodded. “It is perfect. We only visited the outer markets, but he rents a spot at the far markets, the innermost square of the Font. There, people expect to find the new. If there is such a Stagrumite as will understand your ‘dresses’, they will be there, and if we ask, he may trade us his spot for the day.”

“That is somewhere to start, at least,” said Rarity, smiling back at her. “Come, girls! Let’s find this ‘Font’ place.”

“Uh, okay,” said Dash, shrugging. She didn’t have much choice but to follow, and Fluttershy did the same, the other pegasus’s eyes flitting about the market much like Dash’s own. They walked for minutes that paired and doubled, left, right, left and right while Dash tried to ignore the growing heat. One portion of this ‘market’ place actually answered to the name, with peryton buying fruits and vegetables, with the occasional jewellery stand so large and elaborate it only needed a roof to be called a “boutique”. However familiar, it didn’t last. Crossing a broad and busy street not long after, suddenly there was only open space.

Here were carpets in a dizzying array of colours, shapes and patterns, upon which stood or sat peryton in lively discussion, but there was entirely too much noise for Dash to hear what any of them talked about. Soon after, they waited with a huge flock of peryton to cross another street, and passed into what Mirossa called the Font.

If the previous market-area existed as an apology for how cramped the rest of Stagrum was, with its open space and flat mats a perfect opposite to tall buildings and narrow streets, the Font provided a counterpoint to Dash’s growing annoyance with how samey the city was. Sure, most of the stuff around was just more stalls selling all kinds of strange stuff she didn’t recognise, but past a tall, painted wooden arc were also small gazebo-like structures neighbouring pavilions where peryton sang. A doe played on a bent guitar by plucking at the strings with her magic, and a stag posed while someone painted his coat gold.

At least Mirossa seemed to think that last one was weird. She stared while they passed him by, just like the others. For all the variety, the Font was every bit as busy as the rest of Stagrum. If the streets were rushing rivers, the markets were maelstroms of peryton walking every which way, and the Font especially was full of people wandering around staring at all the weirdness beyond the implied paths between the stalls and the performers.

“Rohast’s corner is here, this way,” said Mirossa, speeding up a little. Rarity uttered a wordless noise of protest, following after her, and Dash nudged Fluttershy ahead, the other pegasus nearly tripping over her longer dress in her haste. Past a stall with coloured globes of light, and another selling vegetables—why turnips were in this market of weirdness, Dash didn’t know—they came upon a small raised wooden platform upon which a stag danced.

There was no other word for it. The lithe brown stag, no larger than Mirossa and with feathers tipped rust red, leapt from his forelegs to his hind-claws. He rose up and pirouetted, then stretched out a his left foreleg and his right hindleg, his muzzle pointing skywards. Some peryton stopped to look for a while, while most rushed by, staring in passing, a massive audience with a dearth of attention and little patience.

“Rohast!” Mirossa called when the group drew up to the little platform of his miniature stage. In any other setting, perhaps her yell would’ve been distracting, but there was no calm to be found here in the first place. The stag met Mirossa’s eyes upside-down, supine for a moment on the floor before he rose and twirled around.

“Mirossa! Hi!” he said, one wing spread as he turned and twisted. Some of the watchers left. Another stopped to look. “And hello again, Rarity I think your name was? A meal together? Or you have found someone with interest in my dances?”

Mirossa cawed with mirth and shook her head. “Not now, and probably never. I need your spot!”

Rohast frowned. The smoothness of his moves broken, he trotted over to the edge of his stage and leaned down close to Mirossa. “You need my spot? What do you have? I did not think the markets were for you.”

“They are not,” said Mirossa, gesturing to the ponies with a hoof. “It is for them. You have met with Rarity, but she, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy have stranger ideas still. And, since you have not met him, this is Rohast.”

Rohast looked at Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy for the first time, his head at a tilt. While he looked curious enough, his eyes didn’t hold the same wonder that the Ortosians had. For all the weirdness of this place, that detail stuck out more than the Rohast’s neighbouring little stall trying to sell cabbages as though they were something special. Then again, he’d met Rarity, so he’d seen a pony before. That was probably it. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy said their hellos anyway.

“I have to say, I did not know you were a dancer,” said Rarity, smiling at him. “Yesterday, you said you were… ‘in trade’.”

“And I am,” said Rohast, smiling wide at her. He hopped off the stage with the rustle of chains hanging from his antlers, casually leaning against the woodwork while peryton walked past close by. “I hope some will wish to trade for what I offer. Perhaps some Head of House will see my capacity for inventing ways to move and hire me for it. Perhaps one will enjoy the particularity of my dance and trade for it, to have me dance at their House.” He shrugged. “It is worth trading for.”

“I’m sure you’ll find a… buyer?” Rarity asked more than she suggested. “Well, in time, regardless.” she smiled, and Mirossa let out a harsh cawing laugh.

“He will try for another three days before he gets it into his head that there is something else he wishes to do,” the doe said, grinning toothily.

“Either or both of those are true, but I appreciate anyone who believes in me,” said Rohast with a shrug, reaching out to give Mirossa a push. “How long?”

Mirossa looked at Rarity, who looked to her friends. Dash shrugged. How would she know how long Rarity wanted to try to… sell? Show her dresses? Dash herself looked over at Fluttershy for comment, but the pegasus had gone silent again, her eyes on the stage, now on the crowd rushing past.

“For as long as you can part with it, really,” said Rarity. She took a few steps around the stage as she thought. “Ah, there’s even a little shade and place for my bags. That belongs to you as well?”

“Yes. Without some place to take a break in the shade, this would be cruel,” said Rohast. “What do you have to offer in return?”

“I can—” Mirossa began to say, but Rarity cut her off, levitating a small dark gem out from her saddlebags.

“If you’ll take a gemstone, I’ll give you this. I have many larger ones, but I do not wish to offend,” she said.

Rohast frowned. “A gemstone. Hmh. Do you not have something more interesting? We are in the Font. Do you… ponies, was it? Do you have dances?”

“She is trading you for your spot,” said Mirossa, rolling her eyes. “Not your dances. The gem is enough for the season and more. Take it and never speak of it in Phostos’ stories.”

“One must eat,” said Rohast with a sigh. He brightened when he seized the gem in his magic, craning his neck forwards in a short bow. “Fair trade to you. Mirossa, are you staying with these friends of yours, or will you share a meal with me instead?”

Mirossa looked back and forth between the ponies and the stag, hesitant.

“We’ll be fine,” said Rarity, making a shooing motion with a hoof. “If you’ll come back a little later, that’d be lovely, but we’ll be fine.”

The doe nodded and smiled at that. “Then, Rohast will pay for food for the both of us, and I will see you later.” She gave Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy a long look, staring at the dresses they wore, her face unreadable. “Daros readies himself to hear of your ventures, at least. Good luck!”

With that, the two young peryton disappeared into the crowd, and both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy followed Rarity around the little platform, in between the cabbage booth and the little stage stood a simple shelter made from two steel rods and a tarp stretched between the stage and the rods. A little bit of shade. Rainbow Dash planted her flank on the wooden pallet-like thing placed in the rare and precious shadow, and a moment later, Fluttershy sunk down at her side with a heavy sigh.

“You got a stage, at least,” said Dash. She smiled at Rarity feeling a little better now that it was a touch cooler. “It’s almost as good as a catwalk.”

“Honestly, when I asked Mirossa if she expected me to show my dresses as though they were produce, I thought it might come to that,” Rarity admitted with a chuckle. “This is better than it could have been.”

“What’s the plan, anyway? What do want us to do?” Dash asked, glancing back at the little platform. “Just get up there and strut about, show off the dresses and see what happens?”

Rarity opened her saddlebags and the little traveler’s jug of water Naressa had given them, taking a sip before passing it along and answering.

“I think that’s the long and the short of it, yes. I don’t expect to sell any dresses. I hardly have the materials to make more than a few more dresses anyway.” She pursed her lips and shook her head. “It’s not about sales, it’s about showing what Equestrian fashion can be, about sharing.” Her smile transformed into something of a smirk as she added, “And perhaps a little bit about showing something of myself, too.”

“I hear you,” said Dash, grinning. “I’ve always known you like to show off, but it’s nice to hear you admit it.”

Rarity huffed and looked away. “Oh please, Rainbow Dash. Showing off is your territory. I am content with merely showing.”

The silence lasted all of three seconds before Rarity looked back at Dash and her completely flat expression. The unicorn giggled first, and Dash joined in.

“I just wish to see what they think of the dresses, that’s all,” Rarity said. “I still don’t quite understand this market of theirs, but people are looking, at least. I didn’t get a response at all in Orto, so anything, even harsh critique will be welcome. Are the two of you ready?”

“Sure,” said Dash. She got up and stretched out her legs. Modelling wasn’t exactly something she did often, but Rarity was right about Dash: Showing off didn’t really get old. She turned to Fluttershy, giving her a nudge and smiling at her.

Fluttershy had remained quiet all the while as Rarity and Rainbow Dash laughed, and she didn’t budge at Dash’s touch. She sat on the pallet’s edge, her head turned sideways looking across the nearest pathway. When the people moving to and fro allowed for the occasional gap, Dash saw another peryton across the path. A doe performed on another small wooden stage, though whether she was dancing or posing, Rainbow Dash couldn’t tell.

“Hey, time to wake up,” Dash said, chuckling. She touched a wing to Fluttershy’s side. “Let’s go.”

“I think I’ll, um, just sit here, if that’s okay?” said Fluttershy, her wings shifting just a touch to lie tight against her body.

Rainbow Dash blinked and tilted her head.

Rarity gasped. “Oh. Oh no, no, Fluttershy dear, I designed these dresses to be a pair! Rainbow Dash’s dress is heavier on the colours, but lighter on the fabric—they accentuate each other on display. What’s the matter, is it too hot? You could take off the outer skirt! I… it would ruin the composition, but…” she sucked in breath through clenched teeth. “Ruin it quite a lot, actually—”

“No,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head quickly. Finally she turned to look upon Rarity, her ears splayed. The pegasus sunk down on the pallet and sighed. “Or, well, yes, it’s very hot, actually. I should’ve told you sooner, but that’s not it. I just don’t think I can do it.”

Rarity frowned. “But surely something is the matter. You didn’t have any problems wearing the other dress I made during the festival. I’m not asking for dances, darling, just for some simple poses and to give these peryton a good look!”

Rainbow Dash reached up to scratch at one of her ears while Fluttershy leaned forward, the two speaking past Dash.

“I know that. That’s the problem. It’s different when you’re on a stage, when… when you’re asking people to look at you.” Fluttershy wrapped her wings about herself for a moment. “I’m sorry, Rarity. I just don’t think I can do it.” She stared at the ground, dejected.

Rarity sucked her teeth and grimaced, holding up a hoof. “What if—”

“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy muttered, her ears perilously flat against her head, and her eyes on her own forehooves on the ground, as clear a statement as Dash had ever seen her make.

“But if you don’t get up there, this entire trip will have all been for nothing!” said Rarity, gesturing to the platform while Fluttershy hung her head, mute. “You don’t even have to pose, or even look. You can close your eyes!”

“Rarity!” said Dash. “She’s not doing it. Just stop.”

“Sorry,” Fluttershy said again, looking away. Rainbow Dash rolled her shoulders in the ensuing silence, waiting. It didn’t take long for Rarity to let out another quiet sigh, walking over to Fluttershy to hug her around the neck briefly. The sound of the city around them became muted for a quiet moment.

“I’m the one who’s sorry, dear,” Rarity said. “It’s not right of me to put undue pressure on you.” She pulled back to look Fluttershy in the eye, smiling. “If you change your mind, I’ll of course be thrilled, but even if I did make the dresses as a pair, they can stand on their own.”

Fluttershy nodded, smiling back at the unicorn. “I’m really sorry, and I wish I could help.”

“Don’t be,” Rarity said. “There’s precisely nothing for you to be sorry about, and my dresses are entirely second to the well-being of my friends. Rainbow Dash, how about you?”

“Sure, I can strut my stuff for a bit. Or strut your stuff. Both I guess,” Dash said, grinning. She stood, dragging a wing along Fluttershy’s side as she did. Fluttershy reached out to touch back with her own, saying nothing. “Just want me to hop up there?”

Rarity shrugged, gesturing all around as though they could see the market in general rather than just the press of peryton around. “To all accounts, there’s no method to the madness of this place. I think there are some stairs in the back—”

Rainbow Dash spread her wings and flew up the snout-height platform in exactly two flaps.

“Or, you can fly,” said Rarity from below. “Now see if you can get their attention.” The unicorn stepped over to the mouth of the tiny backstage-alley space, biting her bottom lip as she scanned the crowds.

If there was ever a command Rainbow Dash loved, that’d be the one. Get their attention. Even if she only had an uncomfortably hot dress to work with rather than an open sky, she could work it. She strode up and down the wooden stage, striking a cool pose at the end, then flipped around and walked to the front again, rearing up to strike the exact pose Spitfire used on the cover of the 998’ Wonderbolts Calendar. It was a classic. Rarity apparently thought the same, impressed enough that she had to shield her eyes. Too much awesome had that effect, sometimes.

“Yes, that’s… wonderful,” said Rarity. “You keep doing, ah, that, and we’ll see if anyone has any comments on the dress eventually. Perhaps I can ask them a few questions.”

“Sure thing. I got a bunch of ideas for poses and moves,” said Dash.

She could no sooner forget a cool picture than she could forget a flight maneuver, and what most ponies didn’t know was that the Wonderbolts released three separate calendars for every year—and those were only the official ones.

Rainbow Dash lost track of her poses somewhere around the vintage calendars of 932, probably well before grandparents had been born. Maybe even her great-grandparents? She couldn’t remember. She’d been sidetracked by the realisation that she needed to ask Twilight some serious questions. Why were all the Wonderbolt stallions’ poses in the thirties nearly identical? Dash spread her wings and leaned to one side like Rarity had suggested—when? An hour ago?

Presently, Rarity sat with Fluttershy, the two talking in low tones while Rarity scribbled in her journal. Dash frowned as a thought—one she’d tried hard not to think about—crept up on her. Now she was annoyed.

Not by Fluttershy and Rarity talking while she strutted around. They’d even packed away Fluttershy’s dress, but Dash didn’t mind. Free attention might not feel as good as justified attention, but it was attention still. No, she found herself annoyed by something Rarity had said. She had said that Rainbow Dash pushed. The word returned, or stuck around. However she thought of it, she did think about it.

She could’ve tried to push Fluttershy to come along and model with her. It’d be more fun to be two about it. Everything was. She knew plenty of cool poses that required two ponies. While it wasn’t a big deal, she could have sided with Rarity.

Only, she didn’t. Of course she didn’t! Ten times out of ten, you did not push Fluttershy about this kind of stuff. Not when she put her hoof down for real, which was different from when she kind of put her hoof down.

So Rainbow Dash hadn’t ‘pushed’. Why was she thinking about it? Rainbow Dash made another slow walk down the stage.

Because sometimes she did want to push, and sometimes, she didn’t, and she’d never stopped to think why. The reason for this was simple enough: “Stopping” was not on Dash’s agenda any day of the week, and thinking, well. It wasn’t about being bad at it, she fancied, so much as disliking it when something came down to just thinking. Thinking about how to pull off a cool stunt? Great. Trying to think of something fun to do with Scootaloo when she got back home? Also great.

Thinking about why she thought what she thought? No thanks. Yet there she was, thinking about why she wanted Fluttershy to fly a cart across a brook. Thinking about why she wanted Fluttershy to try the silly bucking game in Las Pegasus, but didn’t feel a huge loss when Fluttershy hadn’t joined her on the silly little stage today.

Another turn. A slow walk to the inner portion of the stage. From this angle, she couldn’t see much of Fluttershy and Rarity, just the quill with which Rarity scribbled in her journal and a little bit of Fluttershy’s mane.

Because people watching Fluttershy didn’t matter. Because people watching Fluttershy wasn’t the point, and Fluttershy herself didn’t like that bit at all. Attention was the obstacle. Fluttershy being awesome despite obstacles, which may or may not be people watching, that was the point. If people were to watch, it was to understand how awesome Fluttershy was—and Fluttershy worked hard for her awesome. Rainbow Dash felt her snout frumple with… did it count as a realisation if you felt like you’d know a thing all your life, really? Probably not.

The sun crept towards the roofs of the buildings. From the stage, Dash had watched the Font and its chaos all day long until it no longer looked quite so… chaotic. It was just a market where people sold weird things that they didn’t sell in Equestria. Big deal. Just across from their borrowed stage, the dancer-or-peryton-living-statue doe from earlier had been replaced by a larger doe who sold wooden puzzles—and just below Dash’s own little spot, a group of peryton watched her move about. Dash posed on sheer automatics, flashing them a grin and receiving puzzled looks in return.

“Hey, Rarity,” Dash said, striking a particularly heroic pose, neck stretched out and a foreleg reaching for the sky. She’d probably done this one a hundred times now, but it was better than standing around like a mannequin.

“Yes, dear?” Rarity’s voice floated over.

“If you wanted to get some thoughts on the dress, I think now’s the time,” said Rainbow Dash. These particular peryton had been watching for a while now. Most moved on when Rarity approached them—a scene that had played out more than once so far. Dash took a short rest. She felt dizzy, her head throbbing. How long had she been at it, anyway? Her last break for a drink and a chat with Fluttershy must’ve been hours ago.

“Hm? Oh, so I see,” said Rarity, peeking over the lip of the wooden stage, trotting around to the front. “Hello there, gentle… sirs and ladies,” said Rarity, smiling wide at the peryton. “I see you’re showing interest in my creations?”

The group counted three, draped in glitter and gemstones, chains from antlers and bangles on legs. A lithe stag dipped his head slightly, smiling without showing teeth.

“You are willing to trade?” he asked, gesturing to Rainbow Dash. Dash moved to the very edge of the platform to give him a closer look, while Rarity beamed.

“Oh—yes, certainly,” said the unicorn. “I wasn’t planning on selling, but if you’re interested, I can absolutely part with it. I’ll have to fit it to your measurements—hm, probably make another one, really, no offence, and I’d have to buy more fabric—”

“Make… another one?” the stag repeated, pulling his head back, wide-eyed for a moment. He looked over at Rainbow Dash, and Dash didn’t know what to do, so she waved.

“Hey?” Dash said.

Rarity nodded slowly, one brow quirked. “Yes? If you want one like it done to your size, I am happy to help. If you want other colours, I can absolutely accommodate that as well, but frankly, just knowing that there is someone here who appreciates fashion does wonders for my mood.”

“I think you misunderstand,” said a larger doe at the stag’s side, her head at a tilt. “What Falmos wishes is for him to dance at our front hall. We have never seen these… expressions. We can offer much silver or bronze if he can make an appearance at noon every day for a season.”

“Her,” Dash said, flicking her tail.

“I see,” said Rarity, her ears as level as her eyebrows. “You are, of course, speaking of buying Rainbow Dash.”

Fluttershy’s head popped over the edge of the stage, staring wide eyed and confused at the proceedings.

“If that is his name, yes,” said the stag, this time smiling with all his teeth on display. The stag on his right stepped forward, levitating out a pouch from the bag around his neck. “You are responsible for hiring, his manager?”

“Her, and you couldn’t afford me anyway,” Dash muttered under her breath. She walked over to sit next to Fluttershy’s head, the other pegasus’ ears perked as she, too, listened.

“Mm, no, you misunderstand,” said Rarity. “What I’m selling—or what I am displaying, to be exact—is the dress she is wearing. Her clothes. Have you no interest in them at all?”

The three peryton all looked at Rainbow Dash like Dash did the first year flight theory test before she met Fluttershy. Blank looks again.

“The colours are not part of the presentation?” came the question.

“No, the… the ‘colours’ are like your jewellery,” Rarity tried, her smile strained. “You would wear it as you do the ornaments in your antlers,” she added, gesturing to the gems and metals atop the stag’s head.

The stag looked at Rainbow Dash again, a quick glance only, and Dash felt herself dismissed not unkindly, but dismissed nevertheless. He craned his neck in a short bow.

“I do not recognise the symbols. I do not think Phostos would smile upon anything I can offer for this,” he said. “I am sorry for having taken of your time.”

“And I’m sorry for wasting yours, I suppose,” Rarity replied with a curt nod.

“Actually, if you’re interested in dancing and not just, um… the things Rainbow Dash were doing that probably weren’t dancing,” said Fluttershy, raising her voice a tad. “There’s a stag who usually performs here. Maybe you could ask him instead?”

The largest of the two stags and the doe exchanged looks and bowed to Fluttershy as well, turning to leave. Rarity walked with slow steps around to the little shaded area, sitting down without a word, taking a deep, loud breath. Fluttershy sat down at one of her sides, and Dash hopped off the stage to flank her.

“Want me to try the other dress instead?” Dash asked, rubbing the side of her head.

“I don’t think so, no,” said Rarity, shaking her head. “Somehow, I doubt a different dress would solve anything. That makes it twice now that they’ve not reacted at all,” Rarity commented.

Fluttershy rubbed her head against Rarity’s neck lightly, and Dash just leaned on her from the other side. Secretly, Dash was glad. Her headache wasn’t letting up. She glanced over at the empty water jug.

“It’s not really the same, though,” said Fluttershy after they’d sat in silence for a little while. “In Orto, it was like they didn’t even see the dress, but the peryton you just talked to sounded like they just thought it was part of the… performance I guess? At least they saw the dress?”

Rarity frowned at that, even as she nodded. “Well, you were the one who showed the Ortosians the dress, so if you say so, I’ll have to believe you. I did recently find myself thinking that Khaird never so much as commented upon the dresses, though—I just don’t know what to make of it.”

Dash shrugged. “That depends. You feeling okay?”

Rarity seemed to consider that for a moment. She looked at Fluttershy, who still rested her head against her, and Dash to sat flank to flank with the unicorn. Rarity smiled slightly and nodded.

“I am frustrated, more than a little confused, but I’ll be fine.”

“Cool, because that means we can talk about how I did what this Rohast guy was trying to do, in just one day,” Dash said, grinning. “Any of you ever gotten hired as dancers?”

Rarity snorted with laughter, covering her muzzle with a hoof, and Fluttershy laughed as well. When Mirossa turned the corner seconds later to peek around the stage, she found three ponies in giggling fits, and one neighbouring cabbage vendor giving them odd looks.

“I had thought to apologise for being late, but I understand things must have gone well?” Mirossa asked, her head nearly perfectly horizontal.

“Oh, no, it’s been terrible,” said Rarity, her laughter petering out. She shook her head, all ending in a little sigh, though she smiled still. “Absolutely awful, and I’ll have to adjust my approach, obviously.”

“I… see?” said Mirossa. She stepped past the ponies and to the far end of the shade of the tarp. Her antlers glowed and she levitated up the empty water jug. “I meant to ask you for some water, but it seems you have run out.”

“We really should have brought more,” said Fluttershy nodding.

“Brought—” Mirossa blinked. “You did not refill it at the wells? This is all you have had this day?”

“Yeah,” said Dash, shrugging. Now that she mentioned it, Dash didn’t just have a headache, she felt parched. “I could go for something to drink, actually.”

Fluttershy and Rarity both nodded their agreement before Dash had even finished her sentence.

“I believe that. That, or your people must need much less water than mine,” said Mirossa.

“Perhaps we could go find a café or some-such nearby?” Rarity suggested. “The walk back to the Autumn Hymn is longer than I’d like.”

Mirossa nodded quickly. “If it is food and drink you want for, I know a place not far away. It is Font-side, and they have the best akossyn in town.”

“I have no idea what that is, but I’m in,” said Dash. Rarity packed all their stuff in her saddlebags—minus Dash’s dress, which they didn’t have room for, so Dash kept it on. The group left the market stage inside of a minute, following Mirossa through the slowly thinning crowds. Soon after, they passed under another one of the painted arcs, leaving behind the large square Dash had spent so many hours watching from one spot.

“I thought this was the ‘Font’,” Fluttershy said when buildings crowded around them once more, replacing empty space with stone ground floors and wooden top floors, all studded with awkwardly high-placed windows and rife with signs and plaques Dash couldn’t read.

“It was the Font, and this—” Mirossa said, gesturing ahead to something Dash couldn’t see, unless she referred to the hindquarters of the doe in front of them. “—is the Font. The largest river-branch of the river Meronna. The Font is also the market close to the Font.”

“Clear as day, really,” said Rarity, her tone hard to make out over the sounds of the city.

Dash gave Fluttershy a flat look behind their backs, and Fluttershy giggled soundlessly. “Uh-huh,” said Dash. “So, I know this is our last day here in town, but you really should’ve written that down in your traveller’s guide to Stagrum.”

“In our what?” Mirossa asked.

“Also, you really need a traveller’s guide to Stagrum,” Dash added. “I didn’t even know that the tiny river-things had names.”

“From Meronna the flowing Font, the cleaving Claw and bending Beak the north presents, in south the Pride and sisters Tail and Toil relent,” said Mirossa, her eyes half-lidded. “Those are the parts of Meronna.”

“That sounds like a nursery rhyme,” Fluttershy said, smiling. “It’s lovely.”

“It has no tune, but if a ‘nursery rhyme’ is something you cannot get out of your head thanks to the efforts of the teachers, then yes, it is a nursery rhyme,” Mirossa retorted.

Finally they stepped out onto a crossing road, and now Dash saw what she’d been talking about. A broad and rushing river cut straight through the city, each side walled where the wide roads followed the water. Stone bridges spanned the gap at regular intervals, each one far fancier than the simple wooden bridges that had carried them into the city, and rather than walled storefronts with doors and windows, most of the buildings’ bottom floors were open-faced, thick stone columns supporting the weight of the top floors.

Mirossa pointed to one such nearby, peryton crowding around tables in the relative darkness of a ground floor restaurant, lit up only by glowing globes set in the walls. A bend in the river and the city at large kept it out of the fading sunlight, and the second they stepped inside, the last of the lingering heat faded. Dash let out a sigh of relief when they sat down by a corner table, only now realising how hot her flank had been under the fabric of the dress. Someone placed a bowl of water in front of her, and she drank it all, her throat no longer quite as raw. She sat back and waited for her headache to go away, letting the others handle food-stuff. Sure enough, the next time she opened her eyes, they had food.

“So ‘akossyn’ is…” Dash said, her words trailing off as she inspected the stuff floating in her bowl. She was pretty sure she saw a piece of carrot, and Fluttershy’s had something that looked a lot like an olive?

“Long-boiled vegetables and fruits in a stew,” said Mirossa, leaning forwards to sip from her own bowl.

“Sold,” Dash declared.

“Okay, you can add this place to the traveller’s guide,” said Dash. She pushed her third bowl away, leaving it half-empty. She covered up a tiny belch with a hoof, eliciting a mid-drink wince from Fluttershy and a rather flat look from Rarity.

“Again this guide for travellers.” Mirossa repeated the words, staring past Dash for a second. Rainbow Dash turned around to see what she looked at, but there was nothing much to see. The chefs no longer added stuff to the huge pot in the corner, resting and chatting instead, and half the tables were empty. There’d been a large rush of people outside a moment ago. Now, not so much.

“I think that just means ‘the food here was really good, thank you’, and I agree,” Fluttershy suggested, smiling at Mirossa. She reached over for the ungainly carafe, re-filling her own water-bowl with some effort.

“Pretty much,” said Dash. “I think that’s our first hot meal in… jeez, over a week, probably.”

“Not that an actual traveller’s guide would go amiss, either,” Rarity suggested without looking up, still furiously scrubbing at an errant stain on her coat. “We’d be lost without you and your mother, but while you’ve been wonderfully helpful, it would be a lot more comforting if we knew that each of your cities had some sort of brochure.” She stopped wiping, the handkerchief frozen in the air as she frowned. “We don’t even have those in Ponyville, do we?”

Dash scratched her head. “No idea. Ponyville is like… half the size of this place, anyway. Probably even less than that.”

“A lot smaller than that,” said Fluttershy, nodding. “I think Twilight wanted to make some leaflets, but Pinkie Pie heard about it and said she’d do the drawings, and, um, well. I haven’t heard her talk about it since.”

“For there to be a reason to tell those who visit Stagrum of our city, there would have to be visitors in need of learning,” said Mirossa. “Those who visit are here to trade or collect bronze, not to… visit. Visiting is for Wandering Day, when all in Stagrum leave their homes to visit others and learn to know them, but that is for Stagrum. To visit other cities? This is rare.”

“Except if you’re one of the Bent Feathers, right?” Dash asked, tilting her head. “Your mom said you were all over them.”

“Yes, except for the Bent Feathers,” said Mirossa. She looked away and yawned soundlessly even though she didn’t look tired at all. Maybe it was a peryton thing.

“Rainbow Dash, it’s very rude to share gossip like that,” said Rarity, scowling. “We don’t know if Naressa shared that with us in confidence.”

“It is no secret,” said Mirossa, shaking her head. “Mama knows, and she wishes her best. We talk of it often.”

Fluttershy bent an ear and cocked her head sideways. “If you don’t mind me asking, is there a problem with that? Isn’t it okay to like them? You don’t sound very happy about it.”

Mirossa looked back at Fluttershy, her expression unreadable at first, but after a moment, something in the young doe gave way and she softened—not just her carefully neutral look, but in the way she sat as well. She sank down until her muzzle nearly touched the table.

“To like?” Mirossa asked. “It is not a question about liking or not liking the Bent Feathers. Most do not think of them, like most do not think of Ephydoera unless danger lurks, or think of Vauhorn beyond the stories they create—but I do think, because I would like to join them, to step outside Stagrum and see.”

“Yeah, so you want to travel,” Dash suggested with a shrug.

“Yes,” said Mirossa, nodding sharply. “I have wanted to for a long time, and then you—” she halted, looking up at the three ponies each in turn, lowering her voice a touch. “Meeting you did not hurt my desire to see more. I thought I only wondered what lies beyond the forest, around the Sedgewall south past Orto, but I know there is more still. Not just… places, but people. Like you. I was late to return today because Rohast asked about—no, because I wanted to tell him about you, about your strangeness and your words and—and your strange dresses. It is still hard for me to understand.

“I cannot imagine myself in this thing,” she added, gesturing to the dress Dash wore. “Just like I cannot imagine myself stepping out of sight of Stagrum, but I wish to.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” said Rarity. “Why is this a problem? Even if these Bent Feathers are uncommon, they hardly sound vilified. Why shouldn’t you travel? Is this about expenses?”

Mirossa’s let out a full-bodied snort. “From your words, it sounds simple, but it is strange to mama and to the families. That is fine. The issue is in the eyes of the Bent Feathers themselves. Getting their attention is difficult. I do not wish to hide under their tail-feathers and be a nuisance, so I speak to them only when they guest at the Hymn, and always to the same answer.

“To travel with them, I must show my desire or prove my ability. They also think me young, but I am of age.” She scowled. “The one who stayed with us earlier this summer said those words. Desire or ability. They do not take me seriously.”

Dash frowned. “Well, that’s a load of hay. They don’t believe you?”

“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said, offering a sympathetic smile. “The Dockmistress contacted some Bent Feathers for us, so there must be more of them in the city right now. Maybe you could ask them?”

Mirossa shrugged. “There are always some, somewhere in Stagrum, but as I said, I do not wish to be a nuisance to them, and they speak to each other. One will not agree where another does not, I do not think, and besides, I have nothing to offer them.” She looked up from the table. Outside, the evening had well and truly settled over the evening, and they were one of two groups left at the restaurant. “If you wish for me to show you to the Hymn, we need to leave soon. I need to go home, anyway. Mama always worries even if she says she does not.”

“I’ll go settle our bill,” said Rarity, grabbing her saddlebags, halfway towards the bar before anyone else got up. Dash watched Rarity get directed over to some peryton by a table, deflected by the chefs. Fluttershy stretched, and Mirossa drained her water bowl.

“For the record, it’s not like we’ve been all across the world,” said Dash, tossing her mane. “This is a lot further than we’ve ever been before. People can travel wherever they want to here in Perytonia, right?”

“Of course,” said Mirossa.

“But you’re one of the few who want to?”

“I suppose so, yes,” said Mirossa.

Dash grinned. “I get it. You’re a bit weird to the rest.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Fluttershy said, smiling.

“Weird?” Mirossa asked, squinting. “Thank you?”

Rainbow Dash didn’t immediately reply. More power to Mirossa if she wanted to do something a little different, if she dreamt big or however the peryton chose to think of it. Dash certainly knew what it felt like to get odd looks.

“Sure,” said Dash, shrugging. “You don’t have a problem with us paying for the food, and you didn’t mind us taking you to the super expensive bath house yesterday, either. You just let us treat you for free.”

“Um, I don’t see—” Fluttershy began. “That… might sound a little rude.”

“What?” Dash asked. “All I’m saying is that everyone else is about fair trades and everything, and it’s weird that you don’t kick up a stink about it like everyone else—”

“Consider that maybe I find it fair payment for all your strange questions,” Mirossa shot, looking away.

“Yeah, very funny, good job, but seriously,” Dash said.

Mirossa stared intently at the wall to her side. “I have told you, not all of us live our lives as though our every move will be storied in Phostos’ name. If you wish to work with the trade Houses, maybe you do that. If you wish to impress, yes.”

“But it’s like you’re all all about that!” said Dash, throwing her hooves up in the air. “We haven’t met everyone in Stagrum, but everyone else we’ve met has wanted to make a trade of everything, that’s what I mean.”

“Is there a problem?” asked Rarity, returning to the table. Fluttershy sat very still with her ears flat against her head. Mirossa huffed.

“You make it sound like I do not wish to be fair in all my trades, like I turn left where Phostos turns right, and that is not true—but to wear the rings and caps dedicated to Phostos’ stories is mama’s life, not mine. It just doesn’t bother me much to accept what is freely offered.”

“That’s—” Dash tried, but Mirossa barely paused for breath.

“Phostos’ stories ring loudest in our city, but it is not as though we don’t give gifts to friends. Do you not understand this? But—but if you don’t know someone well, it can be rude to take when you do not give in equal measure.” She looked up at Rainbow Dash, a little more quiet all of a sudden. “I hope I have not done wrong? Have I presumed more than I should?”

“Rainbow Dash?” Rarity asked, frowning at her.

Dash slowly let out her breath, exasperated and frustrated at the same time. Better that than let herself be hurt by the frailty in the peryton’s voice. How young was she, anyway? Dash had no idea, but she felt a pang in her chest.

“I’m saying it’s a good thing,” Dash said, trying to keep her voice under control. “It’s cool. We wanted you to come along yesterday, and today, jeez. I’m just saying—ugh, that I get it. I know what it’s like to be the odd one out, and if you’re down with this Phostos stuff and being fair or whatever, that’s cool too.”

Rainbow Dash felt her eartips burning, and spread her wings a little to get some air under her feathers. “If I said something wrong, I don’t know, I’m sorry I guess.”

Mirossa hung her head and shook it slowly from side to side. “I think I’m the one who misunderstood. The apology is mine to make. I do not fear that I want something different, but I suffer envy. I hear you speak of travel, and I think of how I cannot even understand from how far away you come. You had good intentions.”

Rarity cleared her throat. Fluttershy licked her lips, her gaze flitting back and forth between Mirossa and Rainbow Dash. After exactly five seconds, Mirossa got up, smiling ever so slightly.

“Come, let us go back to the Hymn, I will show the way.”

“It wasn’t dancing,” Dash said. “I was posing. I don’t even know what you’re supposed to do when you’re showing off a dress anyway. It takes like… ten seconds to actually look at a dress, tops.”

“There are no rules for a catwalk, Rainbow Dash,” said Rarity. Finally they reached the top of the stairs. “You do whatever you must to show the dress in a good and varied light. Furthermore,” she added, bristling. “If you think anyone can appreciate all the qualities of a dress in ten seconds, then I don’t know what to tell you—oh, there’s our food.”

“She even put it in a box. That’s very nice of her,” said Fluttershy, pausing to pick it up by the ropes wrapped around it like a Hearth's Warming present, holding it in her mouth while Rarity opened the door to their room. Ligilia had put a large pitcher of water on one of the nightstands, too.

“Sure,” said Dash. “And that’s my point, I did do ‘whatever’. You can’t tell people I went up and danced to show off a dress when I didn’t! I just had to do a bunch of stuff because I was up on that stage half the day!”

“You’re making an entirely too big deal of it,” said Rarity. She shut the door behind Rainbow Dash and tossed her saddlebags onto one of the beds. “You were the one who made the joke about how the peryton certainly seemed to want to hire you on. As a dancer.” She giggled, and Fluttershy did as well. Dash groaned.

“I’m sorry, but it is a little funny,” said Fluttershy. “And there’s nothing wrong with enjoying yourself.”

“It is funny, and of course there’s nothing wrong with it—until Applejack hears about it,” Dash grumped. She walked over to the windows, pausing for a moment to taste the air before she closed the shutters. No point in trying to predict the weather. More sun, of course.

“I’m sure Applejack will have her own stories to tell,” Fluttershy said. She giggled again and shook her head. “And some stories she doesn’t want to tell.”

“Yeah. You’re right. Stories that Pinkie Pie is gonna spill,” Dash said. She rubbed her forehooves together with glee.

“I’m amazed that even half across the world, you’re still planning how to ‘win’ your silly game with Applejack,” said Rarity, her horn lighting up to work Dash out of the dress, adding to the light of the dimly glowing globe over the vanity. Dash stood still until Rarity folded the dress and put it away.

“You don’t win if you take breaks,” Dash concluded. She hopped onto one of the beds, sitting down next to Fluttershy while Rarity cleaned up the mess of fabrics and tools on the bed opposite.

“Thank you, by the way,” said Rarity, pausing for a second to look over her shoulder. “Both of you.”

“No prob,” said Dash. She flopped onto her back.

“I didn’t really do much of anything,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head.

“You kept me company, and you tried,” said Rarity, huffing. “And I won’t have you say otherwise. I hope the two of you had some fun today.”

Fluttershy smiled at that, nodding. “It was nice to just relax and talk a little. I’m glad we got to know Mirossa better, too. She’s been ever so helpful.”

“Yeah, and I keep shoving my hooves in my mouth,” Dash said.

“You made up. It was just a little misunderstanding. You can’t beat yourself up over that,” said Fluttershy, frowning at her.

Dash rolled onto her side, staring back at Fluttershy. “It just keeps happening, but yeah, you’re right. She probably thinks I don’t like her or something. Whatever, I just wish these stupid Bent Feathers would let her join.”

Fluttershy nibbled her lower lip. “She really did sound like she knew what she wanted to do. I hope they let her come with them sometime. Maybe when she’s older?”

“Yeah,” said Dash. She let her thoughts wander, but they didn’t go very far. She lay there looking at Fluttershy, who looked back at her.

Fluttershy smiled. “Remember when you really wanted to use the fifth year aerobatics course when you were in third year? Your mom yelling at Ms. Sunbeamer is still one of the scariest memories I have.”

Dash grinned. “Remember when you told your parents you wanted to move to Ponyville as soon as you finished basic? Or when I told mom I wanted to do the same?”

Fluttershy giggled, and Rainbow Dash shook her head, stifling a yawn. “I just wish there was something we could do,” Dash said. She wiggled her way up the bed a little, rolling onto her stomach and trying to find a way under the blanket. The bed had been made very neatly.

“Rarity? Could you bring the blanket when you’re done?” Fluttershy asked. “Oh. sorry, I thought you were cleaning up.”

Dash looked over, and found that Rarity stood by the other bed, staring at her supply chest, completely still and quiet.

“Uh, Rarity?” Dash asked. “Blanket?”

Rarity turned her head sideways, brows knit in concentration, though she still didn’t look at either of the pegasi. The blanket hovered from one bed to the other, into Fluttershy’s waiting hooves.

“Actually,” said Rarity. “I think I have one more thing I need to do before bed. I’ll join you shortly, and I’ll be quiet.” Her horn glowed once more, and all her earlier cleaning was undone in moments, a parade of tools and fabrics flying out from her chest to arrange themselves on the bed.

Chapter 10

We are travelling again, and it is every bit as horrid as I had imagined. This very moment, I can only think that for all of its flaws (lack of heating, a criminal disregard for hot water in our room, and beds a tad too hard for my taste!), I would happily spend another week in Stagrum. Or a month.

Somehow I am the first one to wake up today, probably on account of my poor, poor aching hooves. My first stop when we get home is the spa, and the first item on the list, a pedicure. My mane is truly in a state as well, but that much is obvious.

I make no progress in trying to think of an expression of fashion to woo these peryton. There must be some essential element of a dress that they can appreciate. With the stress of trying to keep up with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, I did not need an artistic drought—but, I hear them waking up now.

-R

Scarlett tweeted sharply. Fluttershy could read a lot into those little tweets and chirps, but all Dash could tell was that she seemed happy enough. She could hear no deeper meaning, and certainly no answer to her question.

“So, what did she say?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“She says she doesn’t know exactly when the peryton usually stop,” Fluttershy replied. She giggled when the little red fluffball flew off her head to sit on the rim of their cart instead, still chirping away with her high-pitched trills. “Their wagons stand still mid-day whenever she follows them for scraps, but she can’t tell time very well, you know. She’s just a little Wibbler.”

On their right, they passed more peryton wagons by. It was the biggest trade caravan they’d seen yet, and Dash counted eight wagons so far, all parked by the road-side under the ascending sun. She had no idea how many more there were. The road curved ever so slightly to follow the river’s bend, obscuring the path ahead. All around, jewelled peryton rested in the shadows of their large wagons, and some moved to and fro the nearby river. She could hear some of them splashing around in the water.

“Regardless, even if they stop a little earlier than we had planned to stop ourselves, perhaps we should follow their example,” said Rarity with a glance overhead. “I think it is a little more than an hour until the sun is at its peak.”

“Sure,” said Dash. She moved the cart to the left side of the road, opposite of a peryton wagon-team. Two does and two stags rested there, some with half-lidded eyes, some asleep with their heads resting on the others’ flanks. One of the does snored loudly.

“You don’t mind, do you?” Rarity added once Dash slipped out from the cart’s harness. She sought Dash’s eyes, and it was all Dash could do to shrug. She felt about as tired as Rarity looked herself, and she leaned down to wipe sweat her forehead with the nook of a leg.

“No? Why would I?”

Rarity shook her head. “It’s quite alright, never mind. I’ll go fetch us some water, perhaps?”

“That would be very nice of you,” said Fluttershy. “But I can do it if you don’t want to. Or maybe we could take turns when we take our mid-day rests from now on?”

“I think that sounds fair, but I’ll go first,” said Rarity, smiling at her. She secured two wooden bowls with her magic and made for the river, saying her hellos to the peryton she passed. Fluttershy grabbed her book from the saddlebags on the cart, and Rainbow Dash lay down to rest next to her in the meager shadow offered by their small cart. They’d taken a food break not long ago, so she didn’t feel particularly hungry.

“I think there are supposed to be Wibblers of every colour,” said Fluttershy, leafing through the pages. Scarlett hopped down from the cart to fly off into the forest. “Have you seen any of the blue ones so far? They’re only supposed to come out at dusk and at dawn.”

“Don’t think so,” said Dash. She turned left, then right, looking up and down the length of the road as far as she could see. None of the wagons had tarps over them, and there didn’t seem to be much need for it anyway. “All their wagons are nearly empty,” she mused.

Fluttershy made a little noise by way of a question, but didn’t look up. Dash poked her with a wing and pointed to the wagons, earning her a curious look from one of the peryton who lay by the wagon across the road.

“Their wagons are all nearly empty,” she repeated, in case Fluttershy hadn’t heard.

“Maybe they’re on their way to pick up things?” Fluttershy suggested.

“Maybe.”

“Oh, no, wait,” said Fluttershy, frowning. “That doesn’t make sense. Unless the Ephydoeran peryton also wear jewels in their antlers, I think these are all from Stagrum. Maybe you could ask them?”

“Nah,” said Dash. “They’re probably gonna be all secretive about it like the other guys were. They’re super careful about their trading stuff, and even if they’re not, I don’t care that much. Whatever. Thanks, Rarity,” she added when the unicorn returned, drinking greedily from one of the water bowls. She’d been nursing a growing headache for a while. Rarity smiled back and brought out the tarp they kept in case of rain.

With a little magic, Rarity stretched the tarp out over them, fastening it to the cart and tying it to the nearest tree with a simple knot from a silken ribbon. Soon, the tarp stretched out overhead, providing enough shade for the three ponies without needing to huddle by the cart or in the imperfect cover of the trees themselves

“That’s a neat trick,” Dash admitted.

“I saw some of the peryton down by the water do it,” Rarity said, laying down and closing her eyes. “Now, wake me when we need to move again, please, and not a moment sooner. I swear, all this walking is going to ruin my figure.”

“You’ll be fine,” Dash laughed. “You’ll be the fittest unicorn in all of Ponyville.”

“That’s precisely what I am afraid of.” Rarity snorted, but did not stir.

“Well, thank you anyway, Rarity,” said Fluttershy between drinks. She glanced up at their makeshift cover. “I guess the peryton have had some practice walking in hot weather, so taking a few pages out of their book is a good idea. Since they are larger than us, they probably move faster, though, so they can afford longer breaks.”

“Move faster on the ground, maybe,” Dash said. “Still bet I can outfly them.”

“I just think we’re being a little reckless moving so much,” said Fluttershy without acknowledging Dash’s cocky grin. “Taking a longer break mid-day is probably smart. I’m sure it’ll be fine anyway.”

“Honestly, all this talk about walking is getting dreary,” Rarity muttered without opening her eyes. “Enough that we have to deal with it every hour of every day, but I could stand not to be reminded that I’m slowing us down as I drag my hooves.”

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy exchanged glances. Dash shrugged. She didn’t have much more to say on the topic anyway. She spread one of her wings and started cleaning her feathers instead, having wanted to do that ever since her little flight that morning. Perytonian trees were even better at hiding than Equestrian trees, and that one particular branch she’d clipped came out of nowhere.

“Hey, Fluttershy. Did you dream anything tonight?” Dash asked.

“Not that I remember,” said Fluttershy, looking up from her book. “Why? I’m sorry, did I talk in my sleep?”

“Nah, just curious,” said Dash, working a small twig out from between her primaries. “What do you usually dream about, anyway?”

Fluttershy tilted her head and bent one of her ears. “Um, I don’t think we’ve talked about that since flight school.”

“Uh-huh,” said Dash. She strained her neck and tried to get at one of the feathers at the base of her wing, but she just couldn’t. A single leaf stuck between two of the very few feathers she couldn’t reach. Typical.

“Nothing very special, I think,” Fluttershy went on, lowering her voice a touch. “I usually don’t remember. I dream about flying, sometimes. Really high up. It’s scary, but I don’t think they’re nightmares.”

“Flying,” Dash echoed, staring at her.

“Really, really high up,” Fluttershy said. “That’s the only dream I remember that I’ve had many times.”

“Heh, alright, cool,” said Dash. She made another push for the one feather she couldn’t reach. “I wonder what Twilight and the others—agh, come on—are up to.”

“I hope they have better weather than we do,” Fluttershy said, sighing softly. “And I really hope they’re okay.”

“Of course they are, I just wanna know what they’re doing.” Dash grinned. “Do you think they’ve been to a big festival, or had a swim with some weird toothy sea creatures?”

Fluttershy smiled at that. “Probably not. Do you think they’ve had a fashion show that was also a dancing routine?”

Dash glowered. “Seriously, you’re not allowed to call it dancing. When I try to dance, you’ll know it, but that wasn’t it.”

Fluttershy giggled and shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m sure they’ve had some fun, too, anyway.”

“With Pinkie there, probably,” Dash replied, stretching her wing out in full. “Hey, help me out. One of the feathers near the edge is bent, d’you see it?”

Fluttershy leaned a little closer and squinted, reaching out to point at it. “This one?”

“Yeah. Can you yank it?”

Fluttershy raised a brow. “You don’t have to worry about those little feathers at all, you know. They’re not used for guidance or for anything else, really.”

“Hey, it’s not about worrying or whatever, it’s about perfection,” Dash protested. “I can’t reach it, and I want it gone. Just bite and yank.”

Fluttershy shook her head slowly. “I don’t think I can, I’m sorry.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Do you have teeth, Fluttershy? Yes, yes you do. You absolutely can do it.”

“It’s not that,” said Fluttershy, frowning at Dash. “It’s really close to the base of your wing. That one’s going to hurt a lot more than the feather I pulled from my own wing yesterday.”

“Yep. Going to hurt a lot.” Dash flexed her wing in Fluttershy’s face. Rarity shifted where she lay, and Dash lowered her voice a little for the unicorn’s benefit. “But it’s fine.”

“It’s not fine. I’m not comfortable hurting anyone,” Fluttershy hissed back. “And especially not you!”

Rainbow Dash groaned. She really needed that feather gone, and Fluttershy wouldn’t mind half as much if she knew how much it meant to Dash—once it was done.

“You can’t hurt me, Fluttershy,” said Rainbow Dash. “I’m asking you to do it.”

Fluttershy looked left, right, everywhere but at Rainbow Dash, breathing a little faster. “Rainbow Dash, you care more about your wings than any pegasus I know. If I don’t do it right—what if I make a mistake?”

“There’s no way to make a mistake, and don’t worry about it! I’m just asking you to pull a feather!” Dash said.

“I—I don’t know—”

“Please?” added Dash, and finally Fluttershy met her eyes. The other pegasus puffed out her cheeks and let out a long breath.

“Okay,” Fluttershy whispered, finally nodding. She shuffled around and leaned in closer to Rainbow Dash’s wing, her snout right by the mischievous feather. “This one?”

“Yep!”

Fluttershy bit down on the feather and looked askance at Rainbow Dash one more time.

“Just do it! Come o—oww oh wow that stings,” Dash hissed between gritted teeth. Her wing snapped shut on reflex, and Fluttershy froze, wide-eyed with terror, the loose feather in her mouth. Dash took a deep breath, then another, and the pain was gone, replaced by the knowledge that her wings were in perfect order once more. She spread open the wing again and smiled lazily.

“Thanks, Fluttershy,” said Rainbow Dash. She rested the wing on Fluttershy’s back for a second. “I couldn’t have done that myself.”

The fear in Fluttershy’s eyes melted away, her ears perked up, and her wings loosened again. She spat out the feather, licked her lips and nodded, tentatively smiling back.

They started moving when the trade caravan did, and that was mostly because the hustle and bustle of dozens of peryton all shouting orders and rousing each other made it rather hard to sleep. The ponies received a few waves, some smiles, and the occasional greeting in passing the Stagrumite wagon teams going the opposite way, and the three were happy to return them. They met no other traders the rest of the day, and kept to the plan of moving a little faster as they got closer to sundown. Dash meant to ask how so many peryton fit inside the single statue they rested at that night, but Rarity pointed out subtle signs of the peryton having parked their wagons all over the place and put up shelters of their own.

“Yet still they cannot keep their roads in a decent state!” Rarity exclaimed when Dash pulled the cart over a particularly large rock embedded in the ground. The cart jumped, and Rarity winced. “I have half a mind to bring this up before their princess-person.”

The weather got hotter still. Each day, their pace slowed, they extended their mid-day breaks little by little, and they upped their pace in the mornings and the evenings to compensate. Dash wasn’t too worried. Even if they hadn’t made it to the shelter statues shortly after sundown, it wouldn’t be a huge problem. It neither rained nor froze during the nights, and the forest floor was infinitely more comfortable than the hard dirt of the coast.

All around them, the forest grew thicker. It took Fluttershy pointing it out for Rainbow Dash to really notice, as it happened by degrees. The trees were denser, larger, and today—though Dash had no luck convincing the others—she swore they got twistier too.

They were definitely larger, though, and every day they found new plants in the undergrowth they hadn’t seen before, flowers, berries and grasses all. Over the past few days, what had begun as a flat road following a mainly straight river became a twisting and turning path that climbed small earthen banks and hills more often than not. The river Meronna dropped out of sight every now and then, and in other places it flowed like a torrent so close to the road Dash could feel the spray of water upon her face.

Rainbow Dash was content pulling the cart to make sure they kept moving, but whenever one of the others took a turn, she flew to give her hooves a rest, and even Fluttershy took to the air once in a while. Rarity did not have that luxury, and it didn’t help that for the past few days, she had tried hard to keep herself awake after they stopped, working with her sketches and fabrics in a daze. Presently, Rarity fiddled with the straps of the harness during the first short break of the morning leg of the day’s journey.

“She said she was fine with doing it,” Dash said. “What’s the problem?”

“There is no problem. We are all doing our part, and when it is my turn to fetch water, then I’ll fetch the water,” Rarity retorted. She blinked heavily, and the glow of her magic fizzled out before the straps were fully undone. She lit her horn and tried again.

Dash rolled her eyes. “You’re pulling the cart. It’s just a short stop, so don’t worry about it. Fluttershy can get the water. I can do it. You don’t have to if you’re tired.”

Rarity said nothing, finally freeing herself from the cart and grabbing their wooden water-bowls, setting off towards the river.

“It’s okay. I can fetch water next time,” said Fluttershy with an uneasy smile. “Rarity? Are you—”

“It’s not okay,” said Dash, stomping a hoof on the ground. “Rarity, what the hay is going on with you? Last time we stopped, I told you Fluttershy and I could set up the shade with the tarp and everything, but you got all mad!”

Rarity turned on the spot, her legs lost in the tall grasses of the forest. “Nothing is going on, except that I am tired, and I’m fetching water!” she snapped.

Rainbow Dash glared right back at her. She didn’t give the unicorn a chance to take it back, to mutter an apology, or run off in a huff. This particular scene had played out entirely too many times over the past few days, and it was grating.

“You’re not fetching water, you’re being dumb,” Dash said. “Who the hay spat in your oats? You keep, I don’t know—”

“Whining?” asked Rarity. She let the bowls fall to the ground and drew herself up, staring through narrowed eyes. “I know I am holding us back, Rainbow Dash, and I am sure the two of you have your own problems with sore wings or what-have you, but if you are still not happy with the pace we are keeping because of me, then I apologise for that.”

Dash blinked. “What?”

Fluttershy pawed at the ground. “Rarity—”

“I know you would rather we run all the way to Ephydoera—a place I am coming to dislike before I have ever seen it,” Rarity said, raising her voice. “But I am just a unicorn, and a unicorn who doesn’t have Twilight’s repertoire of magical spells, at that. I’m sorry, dear.”

“I... don’t have a problem with our ‘pace’ or anything,” Dash said. “I told you days ago, didn’t I? Are you still on that?” She looked to Fluttershy for support, for an explanation, for anything to help her make sense of this. Fluttershy made a soft little noise that could mean anything and started moving towards Rarity, and Dash followed. She stopped a stride away, while Fluttershy hugged an unresisting Rarity.

“Do you want to talk about it?” asked Fluttershy. “We’ll listen.”

Rarity leaned into the hug and closed her eyes, deflating. She looked past Fluttershy’s mane at Rainbow Dash, her face unreadable for the moment.

“I haven’t said anything about you being slow,” said Dash. She frowned. “Okay, not that I remember, but I probably haven’t said it a lot, anyway.”

“But you’ve been thinking it,” said Rarity. She shook her head and gave Fluttershy a squeeze before letting her go, muttering her thanks. “I know I’ve been a little irritable lately. It’s not just the wear and tear of the road and the heat. I don’t relish being the one holding us back.”

Fluttershy nuzzled Rarity. “That doesn’t sound like you at all. I mean, not that I think you would like holding anypony back, but… you know what I mean, I’m sure. Is there something else bothering you?” She gave the unicorn gentle a smile and a look full of concern.

“All this talk about trotting and moving faster, trying to get to this city before the storm—” Rarity sighed and rubbed at her eyes. “It is not very pleasant coming at the tail end of my failure to create anything of use. The more I think about the way my creations have been received so far, and with myself not being half as athletic as you two, I rather feel like dead weight.”

Fluttershy gasped, her mouth hanging open. Where she looked aghast, Dash felt a fire growing in her own heart.

“That’s stupid,” Dash said. She jabbed Rarity in the chest with a hoof, stepping closer to force Rarity back. “You’re the one who’s done most of the talking and everything—and who cares about the walking and whatever? You’re trying your best!” Her breath came quicker and quicker, and her heart hammered in her chest. Rarity was a lot easier to deal with when she whined. These days, she barely complained at all, and for all that it made Dash respect her, Rarity usually worked as hard as any other two ponies. This nonsense just made Dash angry.

“I think you’re maybe even trying a little too hard,” added Fluttershy. “I worry about you, Rarity.”

“Yeah!” said Dash. “I don’t give a hoot about how fast we’re moving. You’ve got to take care of yourself. You look like you’re about to fall over!”

“I’m f—” Rarity began.

“You’re not fine!” Dash cried. She plopped her rump down on the grass and crossed her forelegs. “That’s it. We’re taking an extra break, right now! A long one.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. Dash thought she could see the beginnings of a smile lurking, but the unicorn schooled her face, slowly walking towards the cart, unfolding the tarp.

“Let’s at least rest in the shade if you’re going act like a foal about it,” said Rarity.

When they had shade and water both, Dash felt a little more calm, and it looked like Rarity had cooled off in both senses of the word as well. It was as good a time as any to get some stupid apology out of the way if she had to.

“Alright, I’m sorry,” Dash said. There. Over and done with.

“For what?” asked Fluttershy and Rarity in chorus.

“If I’m trying to hurry you two up or whatever, and I’m being a butt about it,” Dash said, flicking her ears.

Fluttershy took a sip of water. She looked over at Rarity, but the unicorn didn’t seem inclined to comment, so she cleared her voice. “I don’t think you’ve been unreasonable. But, um… if Rarity thinks so—”

“I haven’t. You haven’t,” said Rarity, looking pointedly at the ground in front of them. “That was never the problem. Or, well, of course it is a problem, and I do wish I had Twilight’s magical talent or something to help me keep up with the two of you—but I am afraid giving my best is still not very good.”

“The only thing that’s not ‘good’ is you complaining about yourself,” Dash said, suppressing a growl.

“You said there was something else bothering you,” said Fluttershy. She shuffled a little closer until she lay side to side with Rarity, and the unicorn reached out to lay one of her forelegs across Fluttershy’s.

“You’re very kind, but it’s nothing new. I’ve mentioned I’m having something of an artistic crisis trying to decide on what to create. A fashionista’s work is never done, but in Ponyville I at least had the luxury of—” she hesitated, crinkling her snout. “—of hiding myself away during my more unsavoury moments.”

“You’ve been pushing yourself,” Fluttershy said, leaning against her. “And you’ve worked very hard. Maybe you could give it a little time? You don’t need to stress yourself out over it. Maybe you could try taking a break from fashion-related things? We could watch some birds together.”

Rarity drew back. “Darling, fashion is why I am here. To show the peryton the wonders of my work, of Equestrian fashion altogether. I realise that planning ahead is a little challenging when we don’t know what’s in front of us, but if an opportunity arises to create something that appeals to peryton sensibilities while also showing off Equestria’s fashion potential, I must be ready!”

“That’s not why we’re here at all,” said Dash, tilting her head. “We’re here to give their leader an invitation to Canterlot, remember?”

“Yes, yes,” said Rarity, nodding along. “Of course, that is our task as a group, by all means. That’s why we are travelling to Cotronna, I haven’t lost sight of that.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her jaw and kept her silence. She met Fluttershy’s eyes, and the other pegasus said nothing, either. Arguing with Rarity about the importance of fashion—or the lack thereof—was something you did once, and never again. Dash just let it drop and instead settled for a companionable silence once it was clear everypony was okay. She lay still for approximately six seconds before she got bored.

“Okay, if we’re cool, I’m gonna go for a flight, seeya later!” Dash declared. She spread her wings before she’d even fully stood up, jetting towards the canopy in a flash. She looped around the top branches and flapped her wings hard, catapulting herself into the open air, flying straight up and exulting in the rush of wind against her face. It was still early enough that the sun didn’t punish her too much for it, so the only reason she stopped was to make sure she could still see her friends far below. She memorised the rough shape of the river nearby and flew on, chasing any interesting change in currents that she could use, gliding and flying, corkscrewing and flipping around.

It was all forest. Greens, yellows, almost-blues and the occasional patches of more vivid reds in between the trees, visible only when she let herself fall closer to the ground before she inevitably climbed again. When she was at her highest, she could see the change in the forest in a different way. Far, far to the east, where they had been days ago, the forest was flat—or more flat, at any rate. Below, and to the west and south-west, the Khosta was lumpier than Dash’s bedroom floor after a storm. The entire forest seemed to rear up, climbing to mimic the mountains in the distant west. She thought she saw something glitter near the grey mountaintops, but she couldn’t find it again. Probably a trick of the light. With sunlight this sharp, everything gleamed.

The landscape was as complicated and foreign as the sky and the air itself was familiar to Rainbow Dash. She closed her eyes and hovered in place, imagining she was back home for a moment. Without sight, there was only ever one sky, always known to her, always there to hold on to. Nopony could take that away from her. As much as she loved her friends, sometimes you just had to fly. Not that she’d mind if her friends came flying with her, though. She should’ve asked Fluttershy to come along.

They’d spent a lot of time close together, like a really, really long slumber party, and so far, it had mostly been awesome. At least now that Rarity was better. Dash hoped she was feeling better. Fluttershy seemed to hold up well, too, most of the time.

Most of the time. Dash flicked her tail in annoyance and splayed her ears. She let herself drift, flying in large, lazy circles in a thermal rising from a forest clearing below. Still she couldn’t stop thinking about what Rarity had said the day after they left Orto. Every time she saw anything but happiness on Fluttershy’s face, Rainbow Dash found herself back on the cliffs overseeing the shore, Rarity telling her that she could be a bit pushy.

Most recently, Dash couldn’t forget the look of worry in Fluttershy’s eyes when she’d been asked to yank out one of Dash’s feathers. She’d looked pained, scared, worried—a combination of those things, or maybe all of them. Unhappy, was the point.

Dash had been right about the end result. Afterwards, Fluttershy seemed truly happy she could help Dash out, and Dash herself was happy that Fluttershy could forget about ever hurting her. It’d seemed simple enough to her. Fluttershy needed a little push, just like she needed a little help to get on board with the idea of flying the cart over the brook. She hadn’t put her hoof down like when she didn’t want to get up on the stage in Stagrum. Things had worked out in both of those cases, so why couldn’t she stop thinking about it?

Was it different from when they had gone swimming with the snickersnouts? Probably. Then, Fluttershy had just needed Rainbow Dash’s help to do something Fluttershy herself wanted to do in the first place—and she’d been really happy then, too. There was no pain when Fluttershy did the things she obviously wanted to do, only when Dash tried to get her to do things that she thought Fluttershy wanted to do. Or were they things Dash wanted Fluttershy to do?

Rainbow Dash upped her pace, annoyed and confused already. She followed the outer edge of the thermal, angling herself downwards against it, picking up speed. She’d seen Fluttershy uncomfortable and scared a lot recently, but that was hardly news. She was Fluttershy. Dash just hadn’t thought about it much until now.

Did that make her a bad pony? Dash snorted loudly. She let herself drop, then pulled up again, weaving up and down in the air like the snickersnouts through the sea. Still faster, ever faster.

She couldn’t shake the images of Fluttershy worrying, of Fluttershy in pain—and the idea that she was the one causing it. Before, she’d only cared about the smile that came at the end of her pushing Fluttershy along. No. That was a lie. Of course she’d always cared. She’d only noticed everything else recently, perhaps.

Rainbow Dash veered sharply to the left and shot off back towards her friends, her mane straight out behind her, hurtling through the air on momentum alone. Whatever. I can’t read minds, she thought. She could read the weather, though. Far to the west, beyond the mountains, a huge layer of clouds rested uneasily on the other side of tall peaks, and unless the wind worked differently here in Perytonia, they were heading this way.

Rainbow Dash was right, of course. The clouds were heading their way. She honestly wasn’t completely sure at first, but when she convinced Fluttershy to come up and have a look—she was great at all the visual weather stuff—they both agreed that they would be in for some heavy rain. The evening was dry and hot, and so was the entirety of the next day, but Rainbow Dash could tell that the day after would be a wet one. Today, it would rain. Then again, Rarity could’ve said as much even without feathers to tell her the air pressure was dropping. As they followed the road ever west, the clear blue skies were gradually eaten up by a grey blanket that brought with it a wave of humidity.

“And you are certain this is not the storm that all the peryton have been so nervous about,” Rarity asked, not for the first time.

“Yep, and nope,” said Dash.

“It’s just rain,” Fluttershy said, and from atop her head, Scarlett tweeted something that might have been agreement. The little bird never strayed far, and today she’d nested in Fluttershy’s mane all day long.

They were moving at a speedy trot now, and Fluttershy laboured hard to move the cart while Dash took a flying breather to give her legs some rest. She’d pulled their heavily loaded cart all day except for their noon break. They even risked a brief canter earlier to cover more ground, spurred on by Fluttershy’s breakfast comment about how getting caught in the rain might be a bad idea. The cart getting stuck in the mud wasn’t anypony’s notion of fun.

Running for a bit, on the other hoof, had been fun, even if it had taken its toll. Rainbow Dash’s legs ached, and even her wings were feeling it since she flew any time she didn’t pull the cart. At least Rarity did well. The unicorn hadn’t even broken a sweat.

“If you breathe a word about this, Rainbow Dash, I will not forgive you,” Rarity said. Apparently Dash had failed to hide her grin when she looked over at her.

“Relax! Who am I gonna tell?” asked Dash, wiping sweat from her brow. “And what am I gonna tell? Everything’s completely normal!”

Rarity’s only reply was a glare through half-lidded eyes, but her heart wasn’t in it. Rainbow Dash flew a little closer to Fluttershy.

“Hey, Fluttershy. Let me know if you need a break. Give me like ten minutes and I can pull the chariot again. Er, the cart. I meant cart, honest.” Dash snickered.

“Somehow, that is even less funny than the previous five times,” said Rarity, holding on to the rim of the cart. “I only hope that we haven’t broken some sort of no-littering law or taboo by leaving the empty water jugs behind.”

“I’m sure it’s fine,” said Dash. “You wouldn’t fit on the cart otherwise, and we have the river for water anyway. Just enjoy the ride!”

“Enjoy?” Rarity asked, shooting her a deadpan look. “I have serious issues with the seating arrangements, so enjoyment is not in the cards. If you move any faster, I’ll fall off!” She sighed. “All the same, thank you. Both of you,” Rarity added, her annoyance quickly spent.

“It is—” said Fluttershy between breaths. “—no problem. No problem. At all.”

Dash flew right above Rarity, flipping upside down. “Hey, at least there are no peryton on the roads to laugh at us if you think it’s that embarrassing. I still don’t see the big deal. We’ve all flown in chariots before.”

Rarity furrowed her brow and hummed. For a second, the wagon rattled along the road in relative silence outside of Scarlett’s occasional bursts of song. Dash had already started to tune out the fluffball’s noises anyway.

“We haven’t seen any peryton for days now, thinking on it.”

Dash’s ears perked at Rarity’s words. “Huh. Yeah. I guess it’s because of these ‘seven days of storm’.”

“Seven suns,” said Rarity. “I believe that’s what they called it, but as far as I gather, yes, that’s the same thing. I suppose if anyone left either of the cities now, they wouldn’t make it to the next city safely in time.”

“Yeah,” said Dash. “And speaking of time, we’re running out of it. We’re still not fast enough.” She pointed up above—or, well, below, what with the flying upside down and all. The clouds were closing fast, and the sun disappeared behind the cover of grey, quickly muting the light. Fluttershy’s little bird-friend clambered down from her head to hide under her mane.

“Rarity, can you put the tarp over our stuff and still stay on top without crushing my saddlebags?” Dash felt a plan coming on. It was a one-step plan, but a plan nevertheless.

“To stop it all from getting wet? Of course, but I think I’d rather walk,” answered Rarity. She shuffled to the side and opened her chest, but closed it again when the cart shook ever so slightly. “If you just stop the cart for a moment—”

“Fluttershy! Are you good to fly?” asked Rainbow Dash, wiping her brow and touching down next to her. “Let me have the cart!”

Fluttershy brought the cart to a halt, perhaps sensing the urgency in Dash’s voice. Rarity yelped and clutched the rim of the cart, but whatever complaints she had were lost to Dash, who only noticed with satisfaction that the unicorn set to covering the cart.

Rainbow Dash worked Fluttershy free from the harness, and Fluttershy neither protested nor asked any questions. Probably because she was breathing hard, too exhausted to speak at the moment. Her expression bore a loud question, really, but Rainbow Dash didn’t bother commenting. They could stay and get their cart stuck in the mud over and over—probably listen to Rarity whine about getting dirty for hours on end—or they could get out of here.

Dash leaned in close to Fluttershy. “Okay, nod once if you’re good to fly, shake your head if you don’t think you can fly at all.” Predictably, Fluttershy did neither of those. The other pegasus hesitated.

“Good enough,” said Dash. “Rarity, how’s the tarp coming?”

“It’ll keep the rain out,” said Rarity, clambering back atop the covered cart with exaggerated care. “But it’s even less comfortable now. I’ll dismount the moment the rain hits. What are you—”

Rainbow Dash put a foreleg around Fluttershy’s neck and leaned closer still. She couldn’t stop from grinning wide. “You just hold on to the cart and spread your wings. Fly if you can, let me glide you along if you can’t. Alright?” Dash didn’t wait for an answer. She strapped herself in just in time to feel the first raindrop hit her face. “This is gonna be awesome,” she added, just to herself.

“Rainbow Dash? What are you planning?” asked Rarity. “No, actually, forget I said that: are you planning anything? Because I find I don’t like the prospect at all.”

“Oh, and Fluttershy?” Dash asked.

“Yes?”

“If Rarity falls off, you gotta catch her. Cool? Cool.”

Rainbow Dash kicked off straight into a gallop. Her hooves ached and her wings were still tired, but it didn’t matter. Two seconds of run-up was all she needed. Her passing left a dust-storm ending in the middle of the road to become a rainbow trail pointing to a little two-wheeled cart rocketing off in a skywards arc with a high-pitched cackle and an un-ladylike scream of “Rainbow Dash!” on the wind.

“This may just be the worst idea you’ve ever had,” Rarity called over the driving rain. “I am revoking your planning privileges!”

“It’s fine!” said Dash. “Everything is fine and amazing, and more importantly, fast!”

“Which is wonderful, except if the entire point was to avoid getting wet, that ship has well and truly sailed,” Rarity retorted. “In fact, I would be less wet if I fell off an actual ship!” Rainbow Dash glanced over her back to where Rarity clung to the cart, her mane soaked and a trail of droplets becoming mist in the cart’s wake.

“The idea was to avoid getting stuck,” Dash replied. She wiped her face and trained her eyes ahead again, grinning despite the way her wings stung, despite the fact that she could really go for a pair of flight goggles right now. “Whoa, sit still,” she added, adjusting when the cart shook. Rarity shrieked.

“I am sitting still!”

“Guess it’s the wind then,” Dash said, taking the cart a little lower still. Darkened tree-tops rushed by below, the river’s flow frenzied under the heavy rainfall. Anything more than that, Rainbow Dash couldn’t see clearly. Great big drops smashed against her face, and though the wind wasn’t too bad, certain other factors made the flight a fair bit more challenging.

“Just so you know, this isn’t the easiest thing I’ve done,” Dash shouted. “This thing wasn’t made for passengers. Or flying.”

“Really,” said Rarity. “I never noticed.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, nodding to herself. Another small gust of wind. She banked slightly to make up for it. “The profile’s all off, and it’s too heavy for how big it is, I think. It drags too much!”

Rarity scoffed. “Yes, that is the issue with your plan. I am too heavy.”

Rainbow Dash groaned. “You can’t be angry at me for saying you’re getting fit from all this walking, and be angry with me for saying that you’re heavy—which was not what I was saying anyway!”

“I absolutely can!” Rarity snapped. “It’s not as though those are mutually exclusive, either. One can be large and still have room for more distinction in one’s figure. Look at Applejack!”

“Whoa!” Dash said, glaring at Rarity over her shoulder. “What the hay does that mean?”

Rarity stared right back at her. “It means that Applejack has a wonderful body, Rainbow. That was not an insult, and she’s beautiful, but just because it is perfect for her does not make it the body type I wish for myself!”

“Right,” Dash said, snorting. “Fine, but stop yelling at me so I can focus—”

“I am yelling, snarking, and generally being difficult because I am scared, Rainbow Dash!” Rarity replied, her voice shrill.

“So don’t be!” Dash retorted. She scanned the horizon quickly, and thought she could see a familiar speck of yellow ahead. Fluttershy on the return, finally.

“Oh yes, that helps—oh, oh dear,” said Rarity.

“What?”

“Something fell off!” Rarity called.

Sure enough, Rainbow Dash saw something spinning as it fell towards the forest below, already far behind them. She sucked in breath through clenched teeth. “Okay, that’s bad. Uh, should we turn around? D’you see what it was?”

“I think it was the compass I bought in Orto,” said Rarity, sighing loud enough to be heard even over the downpour.

“Oh. Whew, never mind then,” said Dash. All the talk wasn’t helping the growing fatigue. Her wings had stung for a good while now, and that wasn’t a good sign, but now the rest of her body caught up and she genuinely started to feel tired.

“Never mind?” Rarity asked.

“I told you! You’re travelling with two pegasi! I never understood what you wanted with that!” Dash said. Fluttershy fell in at Dash’s side, turning around and matching her speed.

“It would’ve made a wonderful souvenir, or something for the mantelpiece,” Rarity huffed.

“Rarity, you don’t have a mantelpiece!” Dash countered.

“Did—did I miss something?” Fluttershy asked, clearly still trying to catch her breath.

“No!” said Rarity and Rainbow Dash in chorus.

Fluttershy blinked, shook her head, and pushed her rain-slick mane out of her face. “Okay, the road still follows the river, and I think there’s a landing spot up ahead. Do you see the cliff?”

Rainbow Dash strained her eyes. She couldn’t see a cliff, but up ahead, the dark shadow of the forest rose up.

“I think so,” Dash said.

Fluttershy nodded, flapping her wings a few times to keep from drifting behind Dash, whose wings worked constantly. “It’s where the road meets the cliffs.”

“Cool,” said Dash, grinning. “Up high.”

Fluttershy smiled back and held out a hoof. Dash punched it lightly and put her head down, flying on. Having Fluttershy as an advance flier was invaluable for making sure they were on the right track—just in case the road drifted from the river—but she could tell the other pegasus was tired as well. It should be late afternoon or early evening at worst, but in the heavy rain and under the total cloud cover, it was impossible to tell. They’d been in the air for a while anyway.

“How’s your little bird friend?” asked Rarity, sounding a little more calm now. When Dash looked over at Fluttershy, she could just barely spot a touch of red peeking out from the tresses of Fluttershy’s drenched mane.

“She’s fine,” Fluttershy replied, flying a little closer to the cart. “Are you okay, Rarity?”

“I can tell you ‘no’, or you can look at the state of my mane and my tail for a summary of my well-being,” Rarity retorted. Fluttershy just smiled and shook her head at that.

Up ahead, the hill, ridge or cliff—the bit where the forest rose, anyway—closed in. As they drew near, Dash could spot rock amidst the forest colours, showing a sheer cliff separating the lower and the upper forest areas, along with her first look at the road in a while. Even flying low, the riverside road hid beneath a still denser canopy, but ahead of them, the road wound its way up the cliffside. Not far away, Dash spotted a bare patch of ground.

“That it?” Dash asked, pointing.

“I think so!” Fluttershy replied. “I didn’t get a close look, but I think that’s a good place to stop.”

Rainbow Dash turned the cart a little bit, heading towards the clearing by the cliffside. She didn’t ask for specifics. She didn’t really care what the place was, because they really needed to stop. An overloaded cart was certainly not a chariot, and her wings were getting stiff from not being able to glide at all—and from constant work of fighting the wind and rain. The wind would pick up, too. She could tell.

“Are all the other animals going to be okay?” asked Rarity, her head down against the rain now. “I remember you having to help evacuate animals in Whitetail Woods last fall during that awful downpour!”

“Oh, I’m sure they’re okay,” Fluttershy replied. “Scarlett says—” she paused for breath. “She says all the birds hide in between the tree-trunks with the little rodents. This is the furthest west she’s ever been, but everywhere she knows of, they’re used taking care of themselves.” She sounded a little saddened by that. Dash just shook her head at the weirdness of it all.

“If you say so, dear,” Rarity replied. “Any other interesting animal details to keep me from thinking about how my hooves are going numb? I don’t know if I can hold on forever.”

“We’re nearly there,” said Dash, slowly letting them drop. Finally, she’d get a moment’s rest. If she’d known they’d be flying this far, she wished she had thought to switch places with Fluttershy at some point. Not because she needed to, of course, but because she was sure Fluttershy could pull it off, too.

Then again, the missed opportunity didn’t sting that bad. They’d get another chance, probably, and this way, she didn’t have to deal with seeing Fluttershy nervous or scared at the prospect. She didn’t have to try to convince her.

“Alright, landing! Hold on to your flanks!” Dash announced. The clearing closed quickly, a hole in the dense forest nestled in a nook between river and cliff, right next to a waterfall where the river Meronna rushed off the top of the cliff in a torrent.

The rain whipped against her face and her hair became a trail of colour behind her. Despite the weight of the rainwater, Rarity’s mane stood out straight as a flag in a storm, and Fluttershy easily kept pace. Dash felt good about that. Really good, in fact. The warmth from that realisation lingered. Who the hay trusts wingpower measurements anyway.

“Darling, we’re going faster,” said Rarity.

“We are,” Dash replied.

“We’re supposed to go slower when we land, aren’t we?” Rarity asked, louder.

“Usually!” Fluttershy said.

“Hang on!” Dash yelled, every feather working against their descent, her ears pinned and her teeth clenched as she braked as hard as she could. One second they cruised just over the treetops, the next they came down in an arc over the clearing. A moment later, wings burning with the effort, Dash brought them to a perfect, gentle stop near the edge of the clearing. Gentle enough that Rarity didn’t say a single word of complaint. Gentle for everything involved other than her wings. While Dash hissed in pain, Rarity let out an appreciative gasp.

“This is certainly a step up in aesthetics, at least compared to the rest of our stops. Whomever planned this place is—ah!” Rarity cried out as she nearly slipped stepping off the cart. Dash was glad for the roar of rain covering her giggle while Rarity recovered her balance to avoid falling on the rain-slickened grass.

The very short wet grass, Dash noted while Fluttershy steadied the unicorn. Though it was well underway to becoming mud right now, the clearing looked trimmed or grazed compared to the rest of the forest floor. Even more curious, Dash had been wrong thinking there was nothing here. There was a statue of Selyria, but rather than being carved out of a boulder, the bird-monster’s shape jutted out from the cliff-face upon which the clearing bordered.

The shelter was carved into the sheer stone right where the clearing met both cliff and river, creating something between a hut and a small cave. The nearby waterfall’s spray added to the rain, occasionally splattering against one of the shielding wings.

“This is super weird,” said Rainbow Dash to nopony’s protest. The forest had changed, too, as though they had taken off from one forest and landed in another one where the trees were larger and more imposing. While there was still plenty of open space for flight, the undergrowth held more than tall grasses and flowers. Vines hung from trees and heavy moss grew everywhere.

Fluttershy moved over to the far edge of the clearing, opposite of the waterfall. She tilted her head as she approached the largest of the trees—a top-heavy oak-like thing with long reams of leaves like so many party streamers.

“What is it, dear?” asked Rarity. Carefully watching the ground as though she expected to slip again, Rarity picked her way after the pegasus, and with a grunt to get the cart moving, Dash joined them, the cartwheels creating furrows in the grass and mud.

“I don’t know,” Fluttershy admitted. The bark had been removed, and someone very skilled had carved a flame-wrought spike. A mountain, perhaps, or an antler tip? For all the skill that went into the deep and smooth carving, it lacked in detail.

“I think I saw an even simpler version of this on one of the trees by last night’s rest stop, actually,” Rarity mused. “It wasn’t half as elegant as this one.”

Dash shrugged. If her friends wanted to ponder strange symbols, they were welcome to do so. Her own eyes were on the clouds above. They were moving fast, but that only made working with them harder, not impossible. She wiped the rain off her face again and again, trying to get a good look at their movement.

“Speaking of yesterday’s stop, where is the road?”

Rainbow Dash looked around at Rarity’s question before she remembered. “Oh. Yeah, the road is a little bit further south, I saw it climb the, uh… cliff? It wasn’t as cliff-y over there. No way the road could go up here.” She gestured to the near-vertical rise that loomed above them.

Fluttershy hummed her agreement, poking at her drenched mane to a peep of protest from inside. “The road turned away from the river east of here, so I don’t know if this is one of their usual rest stops. Maybe it is.” She frowned. “I don’t see a path leading away from here though.”

“That probably means there’s a statue on the road ahead of us, then,” said Rarity. “A good rest now will make tomorrow easier if we’re behind schedule and need to rush to catch up.” She sighed as she watched Fluttershy try to attend her own mane and looked back at the mess of a tail she dragged in the grass behind her. Rainbow Dash was glad she had a short mane: Fluttershy’s and Rarity’s manes were plastered to their heads, and their tails all drooped with the weight of water. Rarity shook her head and moved over to the cart, lifting the tarp up a smidgen.

“Yeah, I don’t know about that,” Dash said with a shrug, following. “We’re probably ahead of schedule, actually. The statue should be on the road way behind us, not in front. We’re good to relax.”

“We were flying very fast,” Fluttershy said. Dash noticed a touch of something in her voice. Satisfaction, pride—whichever of those or whatever it was, she sounded pleased with it, and Dash met her eyes, holding out a hoof to go with her own smirk.

“Hay yeah we were fast. That was awesome,” Dash said. “Come on girl, hit me again!” She laughed when Fluttershy giggled and slapped her hoof light as a feather with a barely-audible clop.

“It was very impressive. And you’re not tired at all?” asked Rarity, lifting the tarp a little more. She found her saddlebags and started rooting around.

“Oh jeez, you have no idea,” said Dash with a burst of laughter. There was no point hiding the fact that she was working on adrenaline alone. She’d crash soon, and her wings were hurting, but admitting it had taken its toll was fine: fully loaded cart cross-country during a rainstorm? There was awesome to spare. “I don’t know that I’m up for this again. Even if we’d gotten above the cloud layer, flying this cart is a nightmare, and if I had to fly when it’s hot, too? I—”

“Oh, make no mistake, darling,” Rarity said, frowning. “You are not getting me on top of this cart ever again. We were lucky we only lost the compass.”

“You lost the compass?” Fluttershy asked, one ear bent in question.

“It fell off,” said Rarity, nodding. “What if it had been something more important? What if I had fallen off the cart? This has all been tremendously risky, surely you can see that.”

“Eh, Fluttershy would’ve caught you, and if you fell when she wasn’t near, I’d just ditch the cart and grab you. I saved you once, I can save you again,” said Dash, shrugging and grinning. Mentioning the mess at the Young Fliers competition always brought out a smile from Rarity, and sure enough, she sighed and smiled this time as well.

“You do understand I am grateful, I hope,” Rarity said, lowering her voice a tad. “Not just for that time last year, but for now, too. Though I’d never wish to repeat it, today did work out rather well, and we are not stuck on the road with our cart mired in the mud. Well done, dear—and you, too, Fluttershy. On behalf of my hooves, thank you.”

“I’m just glad you’re feeling better,” said Fluttershy, smiling.

Dash shrugged. She already knew all that, of course, but it was nice to hear Rarity say it. She spread her aching wings in full and nuzzled in under to give herself a good sniff. “Heh, if it wasn’t raining, I’d probably smell pretty bad right now. I’ve been sweating like you have no idea.”

“And just like that, the charm is extinguished,” Rarity said with a roll of her eyes. She worked a brush free from her saddlebags.

Fluttershy giggled and shook her head. “Let’s just all hope the rain stops by tomorrow. If the hot weather dries everything quickly, we won’t have to worry about mud.” She pointed to the cliffside statue-shelter. “Let’s get to somewhere a little more comfortable?”

“Sure,” said Dash, walking the cart towards the cliffs. “Just so you’re warned, what I’m saying is that when we dry up, I’ll still be dripping. And smelly.” She slapped a soggy wing onto Rarity’s back.

Rarity snorted, the corners of her mouth tugging upwards. “If you’re trying to gross me out, I’m afraid you have stiff competition from the mud around, and I’ve been soaked to the bone for hours.” She gave Dash a wan smile. “In all seriousness, as much as we’ve been too close for too long for you to really over-share, I will admit that I’d be grateful if you cleaned up at least a little.”

“Yeah, I was gonna take a dip in the river anyways,” Dash said, rolling her eyes. It was no fun when she couldn’t get a rise out of Rarity.

“I was thinking of just filling a bowl with rain water and cleaning my hooves and tail inside, but whatever works for you, dear,” said Rarity.

“If you’re going to wash in the river, you’ll be careful, won’t you?” asked Fluttershy. She shook her wings out and folded them on her back. “It’s really dangerous when it’s flowing this fast. Maybe we could go together? I need to clean my mane and my tail, too.”

Dash shrugged. “Sure. I just gotta check something first, it’ll be quick.” She trotted all the way over to the shelter-statue and quickly slipped out of the cart’s harness while watching Rarity make her own way over at a slow walk. “Heh, you’re not exactly running for cover, Rarity. Do you like being out in the rain now?” she asked.

“Rainbow, darling,” said Rarity with a deadpan stare. “I can not get any more wet at this point, but that does not mean I am happy about it.”

“We’ll all feel better once we’re dry, and if we can get a good night’s sleep, that will help too, I’m sure,” Fluttershy suggested. Once she drew close to the shelter, Scarlett zipped out from beneath the cover of her mane into the darkness beneath the stone wings ahead. “What was it you wanted to do, Rainbow Dash?”

Dash blinked. “Huh? Oh! Yeah, I just wanted to go see if I could kick a hole in the clouds. I know they’re moving, but I was thinking I could make like… a furrow or something? I’m just curious about how their clouds work.” She looked straight up at the tantalising grey mass that hung far above. Her wings still ached, but it wouldn’t take long to get up there. Dash hopped off the ground and managed a simple hover for starters.

“I’ll be back in a second,” said Dash, but she didn’t make for the clouds just yet. The second Dash declared her departure, Rarity began moving between the cart and the statue, ferrying little odds and ends into safety, but Fluttershy neither headed inside to take cover from the rain, nor did she help Rarity. Instead, the yellow pegasus waited, occasionally glancing up at Dash.

Did Fluttershy wait for Dash to ask her to come along? Should she? Even if she didn’t plan on doing much, flying close to fast-moving and heavy rain clouds wasn’t the safest thing in the world, and Fluttershy would be tired, too. This wasn’t at all like her wanting to hang out with the snickersnouts in the ocean. If Fluttershy didn’t take the initiative, that probably meant she needed some encouragement.

Half an hour from now, Fluttershy might be thrilled to know that she could wrangle foreign clouds, but along the way, Dash would have to push and prod and pull and drag Fluttershy along. However good Rainbow Dash was at ignoring it up until recently, Fluttershy would get nervous. She’d get scared, and she might fail.

Dash felt a vague sense of queasiness, probably just from too much awesome flying in one day. She’d have to make this quick, then. She could ask Fluttershy to come along the next time.

“Alright, be back in a flash and we’ll head to the river,” Dash said. She smiled at Fluttershy, and Fluttershy smiled back with a nod, moving towards the cart without a word. Rainbow Dash climbed straight up.

It took her half a minute to reach the cloud layer, but she knew long before then that it was pointless. Once she cleared the treetops and the shelter of the cliffs, the east-going wind tugged at her wings, still picking up. The clouds would simply be moving too fast. She should’ve been able to tell from ground level, honestly, and it didn’t help that the clouds were dense at the core, but wispy towards the edges.

Of course, if any pegasus could work with this, it was her. She had to check it out, at least, tired wings or no. Down below, she could just barely spot Rarity and Fluttershy engaged in conversation by the cart. There wasn’t much else to see in all this rain. She couldn’t even see the road that she knew lay nearby. Unless that was the road. She squinted. There was definitely a path, and she could swear she saw a lone figure walking along it. When she blinked, it was gone. She could find neither path nor person again.

Whatever. Dash zipped up with her forelegs out straight, creating a nice and wide tunnel through the clouds. Despite the rough going, she punched through the top seconds later, violently shaking the water off when she landed on the edge of the hole she’d made, hissing with the strain as she folded her wings.

Topside, everything was calm in the way that only the world above weather could be. Lumpy grey clouds formed a carpet below a darkening blue sky, and the sun shone on uninterrupted. The only irregularity was the hole she had made. Everything had been perfect until she meddled with it.

The hole no longer pointed down at the campsite. If she was going to give them any respite from the rain at all, she’d spend more hours clearing clouds than they’d get minutes without rain. Dash sighed and dove back through the hole, spreading her wings to glide down towards her friends. They still stood by the cart, just like she’d left them. Rarity pointed up to her and finally disappeared inside the shelter with the last of their stuff, leaving Fluttershy to wait for Dash to land by her side.

“Alright, I don’t even have to try to see it’s not gonna work,” said Dash. Looking up, she couldn’t even find the hole any more. She tried to flick her tail, but all she accomplished was to drag it around on the ground like a wet mop on a muddy brown floor. “Let’s go clean up.”

Fluttershy said nothing to that, simply nodding and following along when Dash started them towards the nearby river. Around the waterfall, the river’s edge was scoured down to rock by falling water, so Dash led them downriver a bit, looking for a likely place to take a bath. Though she wasn’t much of a river-ologist or whatever, she could tell that simply hopping into the rushing river would be a bad time. The Meronna was less than half as wide here than it was when they followed it yesterday, a roar of foam rather than a sedate flow. After a minute or two, Fluttershy took wing and flew over to the other side of the river, calling for Dash to follow. The river had overflown into a pool with still, but clear water.

“Hey, nice catch,” said Dash. Fluttershy sat on a rock by the little pool’s edge, but Dash didn’t bother waiting. She hopped in, splashing Fluttershy with water and cackling, but her laughter only lasted until she noticed Fluttershy didn’t react. She didn’t splash her back or even scold her, she just soaked her tail in the water and worked her hooves to try to clean the worst of the mud off.

Well okay then. Dash sighed noiselessly. Was something up? Fluttershy would tell her. She didn’t look upset. Worse. She looked pensive.

“I wonder if these statues are all over the forest,” Dash said instead of asking. She ducked under the water, soaking her mane. The water was already getting a little muddy, but it was still an improvement. Her tail floated to the top of the water, colour returning at last. “If they don’t fly their wagons, I don’t get how they’re supposed to reach this place.”

“Maybe it’s for people who don’t have carts or wagons,” mused Fluttershy. She pulled her tail out of the water and slung it over her body.

“Maybe,” said Dash, shrugging. “I don’t know who’s using them, then. We only ever see peryton travelling with wagons. If we’re supposed to be close to Ephydoera, we haven’t met—”

“Did you know Rarity used to think we were, um… together?” Fluttershy cut in.

“Yep,” said Rainbow Dash. She made waves with her wings in the pool. Was that all that had Fluttershy all quiet? She’d almost forgotten all about it, and now she regretted she hadn’t made a joke about it. “Wait, hang on,” Dash added, tilting her head. ”Why? Did you think we were, too?”

“Oh, goodness, no,” said Fluttershy with a little burst of laughter. Dash chuckled along and shook her head, but the silence settled again, twice as heavy. Rainbow Dash let out a breath underwater, blowing bubbles that were lost among the heavy raindrops that whipped the water. She was starting to get really cold.

“Did you ever want us to be together?” Dash asked, though she honestly didn’t even know what she meant by that word. She hadn’t even planned to ask, but the question hit her mouth long before her brain.

It made sense only in hindsight. Had Fluttershy’s laughter been a little nervous right now? Knowing Fluttershy most of her life meant she noticed little things—just like having a pair of eyes and ears meant noticing that this time, Fluttershy didn’t laugh in response.

Fluttershy kept working her mane, scrubbing the pink and perfectly clean hairs against the rock she sat on. “Fluttershy?” asked Dash again. She moved a little closer, drifting in the waters of the little river pool until she looked straight up at her.

With her mane out of the way and nothing else to hide behind, Dash saw that Fluttershy’s pupils were tiny little pin pricks, and she could hear her rapid breath.

“I—I have to go see if—if Rarity is okay,” Fluttershy blurted, her cheeks a bright red and her ears splayed. She took off with enough force to send Rainbow Dash’s mane flying, a yellow and pink blur heading across the river.

“Alright. Seeya,” said Rainbow Dash to nopony at all, swimming around the little pool on her back.

Rainbow Dash let her mane soak a little more before she headed back. The mud and grime on her hooves loosened and came off, and she felt at least slightly less icky. Instead she was cold. Pegasus or no, spending any more time in the cold river water during a rainstorm would do her no favours at all. No wonder that even Rarity, fastidious as she was, decided against a bath today. Rainbow Dash slowed down to a hover when she got close the shelter, folding her wings mid-flight to land just inside.

“And not a single bit of mud on my hooves, how’s that for precision?” asked Dash, grinning wide. She shuffled her wings slowly and painstakingly to make sure they lay right, and she had to suppress a groan of pain. Even just rustling her wings hurt.

“Very impressive, dear,” said Rarity, and somewhere in the relative darkness, Scarlett sang. “Now come sit down and have something to eat—and please try to refrain from shaking the wet off your mane inside!”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and tried to pretend she hadn’t been about to do exactly that. She settled for dripping. “Well, duh. Do you have towels or something?” She squinted, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dim light that Rarity’s horn provided. Rarity herself sat on the far side of the support column of inscribed stone in the middle. In the back, under the cliffs proper, images of wings were simply etched into the stone rather than sculpted separately. It was a snugger, cozier statue than the others they had seen, and this particular one only offered two entrances rather than four. Right now, Dash didn’t mind the lack of a draft.

“I have a towel, and it’s nearly dry,” said Rarity. She sat by her trusty supply chest, wringing and heating the small towel with her magic over a bowl of water, her mane wrapped in some spare fabric or other for drying. Fluttershy sat next to her, arranging food on top of the chest for lack of proper plates. She was making quite a spread of different treats, and one of them had filled bowls with clean water to drink, too.

Dash smiled appreciatively and took a seat by her friends. She leaned forwards to grab the towel intending to dry herself off a little, but the unicorn whisked it away.

“Let me, dear. Hold out your hooves one by one and I’ll dry them like I did for Fluttershy. I’ll take care of your manes after we’ve eaten.”

“Alright, sure,” said Dash, stifling a laugh. She held out one of her forelegs and let Rarity rub her down, leaning over for one of the rutabaga treats while trying not to move too much. They ate, drank, and talked about nothing much. Fluttershy bemoaned the state of her book, which had gotten a little wet on one of its corners, and Rarity said something about the state of all their manes and her aching hooves, but it was hardly complaining so much as it was fact.

When the food had all disappeared, Rainbow Dash opened her eyes to find herself leaning against Rarity while the unicorn worked on the tangles of Dash’s mane with comb and magic. She must’ve drifted off for a second. Rarity just smiled and kept grooming, and Dash stretched languidly. It felt better than it had a right to do. When she woke up again, Rarity was hard at work combing through Fluttershy’s tail with a blue light that lit up the shelter. Dash blinked and rubbed at her eyes.

“Thanks, Rarity,” she murmured. She looked down at her tail. It looked just right, colours no longer randomly mixed together. She didn’t realise until now how bad it had gotten before Rarity worked her magic.

“It was my pleasure, dear,” said Rarity without looking up. She gently shooed away Scarlett when the bird hopped onto Fluttershy’s tail and started pecking at the glow wherever Rarity worked.

“No, I mean it. I was a mess.” Dash shook her head and stretched out all her legs, leaving her wings be for the moment. She grabbed another bite of food. Someone had put out another few bits of rutabaga, and she was still hungry despite having eaten.

“It’s really amazing what you can do with barely anything at all. All you have is a comb,” Fluttershy chimed, making Rarity blush ever so faintly.

“Well, some soap, water, and a little grooming magic can go a long way,” said Rarity. “I might not be able to start a fire, but I can heat some water, and combing is an art, you know.”

Fluttershy nodded and nuzzled Rarity without another word.

“Oh, do stop,” Rarity said, but her cheeks glowed still. “I still wish I’d thought to pick up some material for proper head-wear while we were in Stagrum. Some good hats would keep the rain out of our faces, and ward off the sun. If I’d known it would’ve gotten this hot and this rainy, I would’ve made it a priority. I don’t even have material to make some rain-proof clothes.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t bother commenting on that. Rarity wouldn’t be happy until she could fix every single one of their problems, preferably with fabulousity. It was the reason Dash hadn’t voiced how much her wings ached right now. She stretched the left wing, then the right one, but every hoof’s length of wingspan hurt more than the last. She met Fluttershy’s eyes by chance, the other pegasus watching her with some concern.

Fluttershy hadn’t said anything about what happened in the river-pool. Rainbow Dash hadn’t brought it up, either. Fluttershy seemed perfectly content to pretend it hadn’t happened—that, or she thought Rainbow Dash was too stupid to understand what had been left unsaid.

No. That wasn’t it. Just having thought that made Dash’s stomach clench, made her head hurt with how wrong that idea was. Fluttershy didn’t think she was stupid. She was the last pony who would ever think Rainbow Dash was stupid, one of the few people Dash knew she could trust never to say or think that.

Rainbow Dash just needed to make her own mind up about what was going on and decide what to do. As much as it annoyed her, that meant she had to think about it—and she would. Just not right now. She was tired, hungry and she ached all over. Thanks to Rarity and Fluttershy, she had food, and she was well groomed. She could fall asleep right then and there. She just didn’t want to. Not yet.

“Rainbow Dash?” asked Fluttershy.

“Yeah?”

“What do you have in your saddlebags that you were so worried about?” Fluttershy lay one of her ears flat and tilted her head.

Rarity ran her magic through Fluttershy’s tail-tip with a flourish. “You were worried about me sitting on it, as I recall.”

“Oh. That,” said Rainbow Dash with a shrug. “I guess some of it could be fragile, it’s just some junk I grabbed before we left. Nothing useful.” She grabbed a long draught of water and brought a kelp cake with her over to where her friends sat, leaning against Fluttershy’s back while Rarity finished her grooming. She closed her eyes and let out a long breath.

Sure, they were in a strange country, stuck in the middle of a rainstorm in a huge forest, and she was a little bit confused, but she had two of her closest friends with her. She’d figure out what was up with Fluttershy. She’d decide on what to do, and things would work out. She just needed to do a little thinking.

Chapter 11

Nothing I can think of quite lives up to my hopes. I toyed with the idea of trying to design some form of headdress, but in all honesty, I simply haven’t the materials. I came here to create dresses, not hats.

I have had my share of failures so far, and I am more glad now than ever that I did not ask Mirossa for her opinion on the dress I made for her. For all that it was a joy to create—and what a challenge, a dress for another species on measurements by eyesight alone? If it fits her, I think—

On second thought, I should like to know if it fit her, at least.

No matter. One simple success, that is all I need. Still I have no ideas on what might impress these Ephydoerans—and how could I? We have no idea what to expect.

-R

Thinking wasn’t easy, as it turned out. Rainbow Dash always had a better time wrangling thoughts when something happened, when she was doing something, and this morning was light on everything except mud. They all woke up rested and in good spirits that somehow survived both dragging the cart through the dense undergrowth to the road, and the continued, if light, rainfall. They couldn’t really afford to wait for the weather to get better than this, so under a gentler shower and a brighter sky, they’d packed up.

Fluttershy pulled the cart along at a sedate pace, and the three ponies worked together to push the cart free when it got stuck in the muddy road. The climb up the cliffside path to the plateau was hardly exciting, and as much as Dash was happy with Rarity’s delight over the view from the top, she’d seen it herself every time she took flight. From the cliffside as from the sky, the scale of the Khosta became clearly known, an endless forest—and then they stepped under the canopy again and the leaves closed off the sky, greedier this time.

The most thrilling thing to happen since then was Rarity sharing some funny story or other. At least, that’s what Rainbow Dash assumed had just happened; Fluttershy laughed, but Dash didn’t really catch the beginning of the story. Or the end of it. Rainbow Dash stayed quiet, but she wasn’t thinking about the confusion with Fluttershy at all. She was thinking about how she should be thinking, and nothing came to her. Dull inactivity was great for nap time, terrible for trying to think about best friends acting weird, so instead, she idly noted the slowly shifting colours in the leaves of the forest around them.

More blue, less yellow. Colder colours, denser growth, and roots everywhere. She spotted a colourful glade of flowers just off the road. There was a distant, blood-curdling roar. At least the temperature was pleasant today.

Fluttershy still hadn’t said anything about yesterday. Left to her own devices, Fluttershy probably wouldn’t say anything on that topic, ever. Maybe that was alright, and maybe it wasn’t. Rainbow Dash even couldn’t decide on that. Thinking. Trying to think.

“Rainbow Dash?” Rarity asked, her voice distant.

Dash turned around. Fluttershy and Rarity had stopped in the middle of the road a small ways behind her. “Yeah? What’s up?” Dash asked. She retraced her steps. “Why’d you stop? Stuck again?” Rainbow Dash leaned around, but from what she could see, the cart’s wheels were free.

“Did you hear that?” asked Fluttershy.

“Hear what?” Rainbow Dash replied.

From the forest came a chorus of unintelligible cries of rage that echoed with themselves, all sharp and piercing. A small distance to the north, a particularly tall tree-top disappeared from view with a loud crunch and a puff of rain-mist. Rainbow Dash’s wings spread with a rustle and a whip-like snap that sent water spraying, the pain from her still-sore wings forgotten. Fluttershy backed up against the cart, and Rarity moved closer to her, the three ponies clustering together in the middle of the road.

“Wh—what is that?” asked Fluttershy, wings jammed to her side. Scarlett darted out from the cover of her mane and into the cover of the forest, chirping wildly.

“I think it’s coming this way,” Rarity answered, frowning. “Something tells me this is not an Ephydoeran delegation come to greet us.”

Rainbow Dash darted around and tore the harness’ bindings loose, freeing Fluttershy from the cart in case they had to run, and then stepped in front of her friends. Each and every one of her heartbeats were punctuated with a thud and a shake of the ground from heavy steps that got louder every moment. She could only barely make out something moving in their general direction, a shadow cutting a line through tall trees that only halfway concealed the huge thrashing shape.

“You’re kidding me,” said Dash, breathless.

The hydra burst out from the forest and onto the road. Eight heads roared in unison, and the creature was halfway across the road heading for the trees on the other side when it spotted them. One head turned, then another, and soon all its maws were bared before them, the hulking reptilian dragging itself towards them along the muddy road on two powerful legs.

“Oh my goodness, oh no, oh my goodness—” chanted Fluttershy.

“Of course they have ridiculously huge monsters here as well.” Rarity sighed and glared through half-lidded eyes. “Why ever not.”

“Finally!” Rainbow Dash cheered, louder than the hydra itself. She hopped into a hover and grinned hugely. “Let’s get it on.”

Rainbow Dash cackled with glee and flew around the hydra’s neck. Its nearest neck, anyway. A second later, one of the beast’s ugly faces impacted against its own body with a dull smack. She laughed and turned skywards, gaining height. “Come on, you can do better than that,” she taunted.

“This is awful!” screamed Fluttershy, joining in the fun. She ran between the beast’s legs, trapping one of the twisting hydra-heads beneath its own bulk.

“Awesome going, Fluttershy!” Dash called. “Keep it up!”

Between the cart and the hydra, Rarity stared down two more of the toothy heads, brandishing the largest of their wooden bowls. “Back, you beast,” she snarled. “Those herb-and-jelly treats are what gets me up in the morning, and you are not touching my fabrics with those dirty, dirty claws!”

When one of the heads lunged for her, she expertly deflected it with a swat on its snout, but the other forced her into a feigned retreat. The screaming-at-the-top-of-her-lungs was a nice touch that gave the impression of real fleeing, and Dash was amazed at Fluttershy and Rarity’s teamwork. The hydra tried to give chase, but with a head wedged underneath it, it tripped, the huge monster’s fall like an earthquake that sent mud flying everywhere.

“Alright, that was awesome,” Dash declared. “Great work, guys! Rar—oh feathers. You want more?”

The hydra got back up, covered in mud but not looking very defeated at all. One of its heads launched towards Rainbow Dash, mouth open. She shot up at the last second, kicking off its muzzle for speed, laughing as she went along. Below, Rarity bombarded the hydra with some of their food. “Whoa, are those the grass balls, or is that the rutabaga? At least throw the kelp cakes instead!” Dash yelled, dodging another snapping maw.

Rarity didn’t acknowledge her, but the unicorn’s assault worked. Some of the hydra’s heads were squabbling over the food and smashed into each other. Below, Fluttershy ran in circles around the hydra, chased by no less than three of its heads, the monster slowly spinning in place trying to catch her. Dash cheered and zipped after the leading head, kicking it in passing.

Rainbow Dash didn’t have a plan. If anything like it formed in her head, she just blurted it out and hoped for the best. Fluttershy, try stepping on its tail—er, or slip and trip over it, sure! It worked fine enough, if you ignored the mortal peril. Thinking was pointless, it was all in the fighting. In the doing. She gave one head a kick, then another, waiting until they both lunged for her. Neatly dodging out of the way, Dash let the two heads collide with a loud thwack, two of the necks limp and flopping to the ground.

Acting. Doing. The hydra shrieked loudly and redoubled its efforts.

It was impossible to do anything unless you knew what you had to work with. A hydra trying to nibble on her was something she could touch—and kick. Yesterday night hadn’t been a thing. It was an un-thing. She’d spent the morning fumbling around trying to think about what Fluttershy had or hadn’t said when she should be acting, but she couldn’t act because there was nothing to act on. All she knew for sure was that Fluttershy had dropped a bomb and bolted.

Rainbow Dash had wasted enough time believing she could think answers into existence like she was a unicorn able to wave her horn and make things happen.

She couldn’t. She could charge head-first into the problem like she ought to. Dash flew tight circles around one of the monster’s necks, starting a minor twister that sent it to the ground with a wet and muddy smack.

“Hey, Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash called.

Fluttershy didn’t respond. She hopped over the beast’s tail and kept running in circles.

Rainbow Dash dodged a flying pastry, letting it hit a hydra-head on approach instead. “Fluttershy!” Dash tried again.

“What?” Fluttershy yelled back. The hydra wised up to Fluttershy’s clever running-away tactic and came at her from both sides, forcing her to take wing.

“When did you figure out that you were in love with me or whatever?” Dash asked. She snapped her wings back, then shot them forward, sending a blast of air at the next contestant that wanted her feathers.

“What!?” Fluttershy said again, even louder this time. She narrowly dodged a lunge, ending up clinging to the top of one of the hydra’s heads, riding it rodeo-style.

“If you’re in love with me,” Dash repeated. “When did you—”

“I heard you! You want to talk about this now?!” Fluttershy screamed, clinging on for dear life.

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity called. “A little help, dear?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. No time like the present. Besides, none of the hydra’s heads were interested in her right now. The hydra slowly crept up on the cart and the retreating Rarity, though, no longer fazed by the one-pony food fight. “Sure, why not? I really wanna know!” she said.

“Fine!” yelled Fluttershy. She kicked off the head she’d been riding. She didn’t look scared or angry. She looked scared and angry. It was an interesting combination. “Probably a very long time ago, happy?!”

“Pft, nah,” said Dash. She flew around the hydra and hopped up and down on its tail to turn it around, away from Rarity. It worked. The hydra gave chase, and Rainbow Dash set off down the road at a decent pace, leading the Hydra along. “I’m serious,” she yelled over her shoulder “You’re gonna have to give me more detail than that! And what the hay does ‘probably’ mean? Either you’re in love with me or you’re not, right?”

Fluttershy zipped around the hydra in a wide arc, faster than Dash had thought her capable of. She hovered right in front of Rainbow Dash, stopping Dash dead in her tracks. Fluttershy glared at her, and Dash shrank back a little.

“Ever since we were young!” she spat in Dash’s face, breathing hard, but whatever anger she’d mustered evaporated bit by bit as she spoke. “Or this summer. I don’t know. I’ve never felt this way about anypony else, so how can I tell?” she asked, sighing and slumping. “I don’t think it’s something that’s a yes or no question.”

“Are you girls serious,” came Rarity’s voice, far behind them. In the corners of her eyes, Dash noted that the hydra turned and made for the cart again, dragging its three unconscious heads along the road.

“Yeah, well, how the hay would I know how you know? I don’t know either,” Dash said, returning the question. In a flash, she rocketed towards the hydra with her hindlegs outstretched, landing a solid hit on its butt. It roared and turned around, and Dash was back with Fluttershy a moment later. She flicked her ears in annoyance and frowned. Was Fluttershy messing with her? “You sounded sure about it yesterday, even if you didn’t say it! What gives?”

“Well, yes, I am sure now,” said Fluttershy, no longer meeting her eyes. “We’ve been friends for so long, and I’ve always loved you as a friend, but I guess it turned into something else. I didn’t think about it until… until maybe this summer? It felt natural, and I haven’t thought a lot about it, but I didn’t want to lie when you asked.”

“Then why haven’t you told me? You should’ve asked me out or something!” Dash said. “That’s what I would have done!” Probably. Rainbow Dash hadn’t really been in that situation, but it was the only thing that made sense to do when you felt something, right? The hydra closed in on them, rearing up for a strike.

Fluttershy puffed out her cheeks. “Because I’m not you, Rainbow Dash.” Her voice was low and quiet, soft as the falling rain. ”I’m fine with the way things are, and besides, you’ve never shown any interest in me. Like you said, if you had, you would have told me.” Now she locked eyes with Rainbow Dash, and for once, Dash couldn’t read her.

“Rainbow Dash! Fluttershy!” Rarity sounded very far away. “For Celestia’s sake, watch out—”

“You’re fine?” Dash asked. Several of the hydra’s heads shot forward with their fangs bared, but between the hydra and Fluttershy being ‘fine’, the hydra barely registered as a threat. She hovered in place, staring at Fluttershy. Fluttershy shouldn’t be ‘fine’, she should be great.

“Yes, I’m fine!” Fluttershy replied. She glanced to the side, her eyes widening at the impending doom on fast approach. Fluttershy rammed into Rainbow Dash, pushing them both out of the way at the last second, the pegasi going down in a heap. “What are you doing?!” Fluttershy demanded, standing over her.

“Do you wanna go out then?” Dash asked, clambering back up on all fours. She brushed some imaginary dust off herself, and a fair amount of non-imaginary mud, too.

“What?” Fluttershy asked.

“If you wanna be the one to ask me first, that’s fine, but if you’re not gonna ask—” Dash said. Two of the hydra’s heads were on the return. She grabbed Fluttershy and kicked out behind her with all her might, smacking one of the charging hydra’s heads into another. The heads bounced off each other, and Dash launched the two pegasi up high, out of harm’s way. “If you’re not gonna ask, I’m asking now!” Dash finished.

Fluttershy didn’t reply immediately, the other pegasus hanging in the air, entirely blank-faced.

“One sec,” said Dash. Spotting an opening, she soared down and away at an arc, thundering into the jaw of another hydra-head with one of her forehooves. The monster’s remaining heads looked at each other and apparently reached consensus. It took off down the road, brushing past Rarity and the cart. Vaguely, Dash noted some shapes flying towards them from the opposite side, but she was busy.

“So, do you? Wanna go out at some point?” Dash asked again. “It could be fun!”

Fluttershy pushed her mane out of her face while watching the hydra flee. It didn’t help a lot. While none of them came out of the fight looking good, Fluttershy in particular was caked with mud from her earlier fall. The only clear colour visible on her was a touch of red provided by Scarlett, who flew in to perch on top of her head at that moment.

“I don’t think you understand what I meant,” said Fluttershy. “Or… maybe you don’t understand what you are saying.”

Two dozen shapes gained definition, closing in fast behind Fluttershy, but Dash didn’t pay attention to that. Fluttershy’s words stung. She felt her ears wilt and opened her mouth to say something, anything, her face flush with anger, but Fluttershy beat her to the punch.

“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy added, sighing. “I didn’t mean it like that, but if you do understand, then this is a very cruel joke, Rainbow Dash. This isn’t funny.”

“It’s not a joke!” Dash scowled. “Let’s grab something to eat and be together or whatever it is ponies do. Why not? Why do you think I’m joking?” She tilted her head sideways, waiting for the other mare to say something meaningful. She didn’t know which annoyed her more: That Fluttershy didn’t think she was serious, or that Fluttershy was okay with being “fine” rather than great, like she ought to be.

Fluttershy looked behind her, only now noticing the peryton who were almost upon them. “Oh,” she said.

“Come on, focus,” said Dash. “It’s simple. If you wanted to ask me out, you can just say yes now.” She shrugged. “Or you can say no, I guess—or anything in between, I just don’t understand why it’s so hard.”

“We really need to talk about this, Rainbow Dash,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head briskly. “I mean, I’d like to. To go out, I mean, but—”

“Good enough,” Dash declared, grinning. Talking sounded like a threat more than anything, but Fluttershy smiled ever so faintly, even if that smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Sure, let’s talk or whatever, but let’s say hi first. It looks like we’re getting a real welcome this time.”

“Eireaus, Drakoss, your flights will circle it, chase it back, go!” One of the approaching peryton had a voice that rang loud and clear even at a distance. Over half of the group broke off and sped up, more than a dozen great wings carrying them in the general direction of the fleeing hydra. The large fliers cut through the rain, their bodies blending with the cloud-cover above leaving faint streaks from antlers lit with magic, though for what purpose, Dash couldn’t tell. Did their bodies glow as well?

Dash couldn’t tell how fast they were going, but watching peryton in flight, she thought back to Captain Calm Seas’ words. Exactly how much of an “incident” would it be if she ignored her wings’ protests and gave chase, just to see how fast they were? Were there degrees of incident-ness?

Fluttershy made an executive decision, guiding them both down to the ground, and the second Dash landed, she was glad of it. With the adrenaline spent, her wings were going numb, and she struggled to even pack them away.

“I hope they’re friendly,” Fluttershy said under her breath, moving over to stand by Rainbow Dash. Scarlett let out a single, loud peep.

Ten of the peryton stayed on course towards the ponies, rapidly descending. They barely caused a splash in the mud when they touched down in a perfect wedge, the peryton on the sides walking quickly to catch up until they all stepped through the rain in a perfect line, walking abreast and blocking the road. Nine of the ten peryton halted, with the last taking one more great stride before stopping close enough to touch.

The ponies probably didn’t impress quite as much. Their little cart was mired in mud, they were all muddy and drenched in ways that the maneless peryton didn’t have to deal with, and Rarity still had an array of food items arranged around her in a magical halo. She left the cart behind and approached, but the unicorn looked like all she wanted was an excuse to pelt someone with kelp.

“You trespass in the deeps of Khosta Forest, the demesne of Ephydoera,” said the peryton who had yelled orders earlier, the voice a dark and threatening rumble. His head—if it was a stag—was tilted down to look straight at Rainbow Dash. One more step forward and he’d be chest to chest with her. Or chest to face, as it were.

“Yeah, we kinda figured that’s where we are,” said Rainbow Dash, grinning. “Name’s Rainbow Dash.”

The Ephydoeran peryton were easily the weirdest ones yet. All their chests and undersides were a light blue, while the tops of their bodies—heads, backs and the top-side of their wings, were the mossy green-blue hues of the forest about them. Without wearing anything at all, they were all uniform, set apart only by shaving different parts of their flank-coats down to the skin.

“I am Agaus, warden to the paths.” He did not move. In fact, he barely seemed to breathe.

“Cool,” said Dash. “So, we’re not really trespassing. Maybe you’ve heard that we’re coming to visit? Or, more like passing through, actually.”

The peryton warden said nothing. Water dripped off his muzzle perfectly regularly like clockwork, and a small rivulet poured down his chest, rain-water pooling beneath his forelegs.

Rarity cleared her throat and stepped up to Dash’s side, tossing the food to the roadside. “Hello. I am Rarity—”

“You interfere with our guardianship and you trespass,” the stag said, ignoring the unicorn entirely. His eyes never left Rainbow Dash, and she was really getting annoyed with the way he made her look up at him. To cap it off, he snorted hot air in Dash’s face, washing the pegasus’ smile away like so much smoke.

“Hey, you could say thanks! If we’re in your lands, you’re welcome for the help with the hydra, you know?” Dash said. She took a half-step closer, looking almost straight up at the stoic stag.

“Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy whispered, and Dash felt a tug on her tail.

“If you want us to go get the hydra back so you can have a go when it’s feeling better, you let me know,” Dash suggested. The tug on her tail repeated, a little more insistent, and Scarlett’s sharp tweets pierced the momentary silence. She let Fluttershy walk her back a few steps, but she kept staring at the stag through a mighty frown. Rarity stepped neatly into the vacuum Dash left.

“Like I was saying,” said Rarity. “I am Rarity, and the lovely mare who is currently helping avoid a confrontation here is Fluttershy. Introduce yourself, dear!”

“Hello,” said Fluttershy around a mouthful of Dash’s tail, waving without looking at the peryton. She let go of the tail and moved to stand in front of Rainbow Dash, smiling apologetically at her, and Dash felt her ears heat up with the indignancy of what amounted to being put in time-out. Fluttershy rested a hoof on her withers. It helped a little.

“We’re ponies on a diplomatic mission from Equestria, and I assure you, we don’t want trouble,” Rarity continued. She paused for a moment, but Agaus kept his silence still. “So, ah, well. You should have been informed. We are travelling by land—obviously—and we are heading towards Cotronna. We were told that we could reach it by going through Ephydoera, and you’ll forgive me if I mix some of these names up, but there is a path through the highlands, I believe?”

Rarity smiled radiantly. It had all the effect of smiling at a mountain, but the unicorn did not falter in the least. She dipped her head in a nod as though Agaus had spoken in reply. She still had the lead peryton’s attention, and the other nine stood silent like ghosts in the rain.

“Ahem. We’ve just come from Orto by way of Stagrum, having had peaceful dealings with everyone of your species that we’ve met, and let me say, they had only good things to say about the wonderful peryton of Ephydoera. They suggested we may find some assistance from you. Were we misled?” Rarity tilted her head ever so slightly. “After all, there is this storm coming, and it would be terrible to be caught outside.”

Still silence. Dash tilted her head to look past Fluttershy to confirm that, yes, this Agaus person was still completely passive. Dash felt her hackles rise. No one got to be this rude to Rarity. She heard Fluttershy whisper her name again, but the urge to tell this rude stag off was growing.

“We’re not asking much,” said Rarity, her tone slightly less chipper. “We were hoping to visit on amicable terms, but we will of course pay for services, and we only need directions and some information on how to safely travel north. Now, I am led to believe that your mayor—or whomever is in charge of your city—should have been told of our coming. Are we mistaken? Equestria? Princess Celestia and Princess Luna? Does this ring any bells, dear? Word should have been sent by raven from Orto months ago.”

“Solast, Phoreni!” barked Agaus. “I would turn these away. They are not warriors, but they have routed a great beast with less than half a flight’s wings. I do not trust this power, I do not remember hearing of them, and they stole from us our task. Your thoughts.”

Two more of the peryton stepped forward, but there was no drill-like precision to this maneuver. Where Dash was fairly confident that Agaus was a stag because of his voice, she couldn’t decide whether these two were stags or does right away since all the peryton had the same general colours, one looking like another.

“Do I think they are warriors?” asked one. “One of them has the heart of a warrior, but I do not think they are a threat. The insult and the theft I do not care about. I do not care for fighting in the rain—and,” they continued. “I do recall this missive from the Lodge. They are expected.”

“Would I turn them away?” asked the other, this one with less complicated antlers and shorter tail feathers. Maybe this was a doe and the other one a stag. “I stand with Solast. You see insult, I see favour, and favour is tribute. Raise your pride and let them pass if they have business with the High Warden. I, too, have seen this report.”

Neither of the two peryton had betrayed any emotion in speaking. Agaus nodded, and the two speakers stepped back in line without another word.

“I would send you away, but I have been given counsel. You will have safe passage if—” he said, lingering on that word. “—any of my council will suffer you enough to take ownership of the visit.”

The first speaker, the one Dash had pegged as a stag, looked down at the ground for a moment, then stared blankly ahead. The doe with the short tail-feathers took one step forward again with her head raised high, and this seemed to satisfy Agaus.

“Done, then. Phoreni, the strangers belong to you. Name three to go with you and show them to the Grove. The rest of us continue patrol. Eireaus and Drakoss will find their own way back.”

“What? Agaus—” the one who’d stepped forth protested.

“We go by ground, bodies low!” Agaus barked. “Phoreni, pick your three, but leave Solast with me.”

The doe nodded briskly, and the assembled peryton broke formation. She called out three names to stern nods and no reply, three near-identical peryton clustering around her, while the remaining five formed up on their leader. Without further words, explanations, or so much as a backwards glance, the one called Agaus stalked off into the wet woods. It only took seconds before they were gone; the peryton walked with heads low and wings tight, the colours of the tops of their bodies merging with the undergrowth to swiftly disappear the six who went off the path.

Rainbow Dash and her friends were left with four peryton who looked the same, none of whom spoke aside from some muttered whispers between two in the back.

“If I understand it correctly, you volunteered to show us to your hometown?” Rarity asked. She smiled at Phoreni as though the ponies hadn’t just been ignored. Dash frowned. Did Rarity actually understand what had happened, or was she guessing, too?

“Volunteer? I did no such thing,” said Phoreni. ”I was given ownership and charge of your presence. Can you fly?”

Rarity looked back at her friends. “I, ah—”

“We can fly,” said Rainbow Dash. She indicated Fluttershy with a nod of her head, the other pegasus now stood at her side. “Rarity can’t. She’s a unicorn. No wings.”

“Yes. Like I said, we’re ponies from—” Rarity began.

“By ground then. We can still make it by sundown following the shortest way. Take charge of your cargo and move,” Phoreni declared, waving a hoof in a circle before pointing down the road to the west. “We follow the trade-path until my say.”

“Rainbow Dash? I think maybe you should take the cart, if that’s okay,” Fluttershy whispered.

It was probably for the best if these peryton were in a hurry. Rainbow Dash didn’t know how she felt about an escort, but one look at Fluttershy—at the pegasus who had been quiet for so long—told her how she needed to feel about it: Fluttershy’s ears were splayed and her tail dragged, wings tight to her sides.

Rainbow Dash decided she was neither intimidated nor impressed. These peryton weren’t scary at all, and her friends didn’t need to worry either. Dash strapped herself into the cart with practiced ease and grunted with effort as she dragged it loose from the mud.

Intimidated? No, but definitely bothered.

“What do you mean by ‘given ownership’?” asked Dash the second they began moving. She looked at the one she thought was Phoreni. The four peryton moved around a lot, and now they took up position two to each side of the ponies.

“I meant what I said,” replied Phoreni. Now that she walked at their side, Dash could see her markings better. She had a lot of symbols carved or shaved into the coat of her flank, down her leg, and on even on her side, like many large, colourless cutie marks. Dash couldn’t make out exactly what they were meant to be, especially on the move: A half-circle here, a crow’s foot there.

“Yeah, well, I heard what you said, but you don’t own us,” said Dash, scowling.

“Do I own you?” said the peryton. “I own the burden and the risk of your visit.”

“So what you mean is that you are liable for any trouble we cause,” Rarity suggested.

“I meant what I said,” repeated Phoreni.

“And that’s a yes?” asked Dash. “I thought you weren’t helping us.”

Phoreni upped her pace a little, forcing the ponies to do the same. Dash happily accepted the challenge, the cartwheels creating furrows in the mud as they kicked into a trot. Rather than stay on the path, their escorts stuck to the side of the road where their colours blended them with the terrain. Whenever Dash didn’t look straight at them, they were a blur in the corners of her eyes.

“Did I say I am not helping you?” asked Phoreni after a moment. She leapt a fallen log, showing no problems keeping her attention on Dash and talking while she ran. Her antlers glowed faintly without doing anything, well, magic, outside of making her wings and hooves glow very faintly in the same manner.

Rainbow Dash blinked. “What? Yeah you did! Rarity asked if you were helping us!”

“The white one asked if I volunteered. I did not,” the doe said, utterly impassive. “I am helping you because I do not believe anyone should be miserable alone in the coming storm, even in the generous shelter of the Khosta.”

“That’s very nice of you,” said Fluttershy. “Thank you?” She sounded almost as confused as Dash felt.

The peryton pulled ahead again until they were at a brisk canter. Finally Phoreni seemed satisfied and ran at their side rather than ahead of them. The cart sprayed mud behind them now, and Fluttershy took to the air to keep from slipping while Rarity ran between the road and the forest for better grip.

“Yeah, sure, thanks,” agreed Dash, but Phoreni said nothing to that. “Anyway, you look different from the other peryton. Like, really weird all over.”

“Words from a blue creature with hair of rainbow, travelling with a yellow one and a white one without wings,” retorted Phoreni.

Dash snorted. “That’s not an answer. Ponies have all sorts of different colours, but we haven’t seen any blue or green peryton anywhere else.” She shot Rarity a glance, half expecting the unicorn to beg her to stop bothering their guide, escort, or whatever she was, but Rarity had enough trouble keeping her footing as she ran. At least she kept pace well enough.

“You have not been to the deeps of the Khosta, against the Bow,” said Phoreni, ducking under a branch. She switched position with the other peryton on her side of the road. “You have not seen Ephydoeran warders before.”

“Obviously.” Dash rolled her eyes. “We haven’t met. We’re from Equestria, but seriously, what’s your deal? Why’s your coat like that?”

That got a reaction. At least, Rainbow Dash thought she spotted a toothy peryton smile on Phoreni’s face, but it was gone when she blinked. “We have met you, but you have not met us. We had eyes on you the day before, to see that you did not stray from the path.”

“You’ve been—you’ve been stalking us?” asked Rarity between breaths.

“We have seen you from afar,” said Phoreni with an unapologetic shrug. “Stalking? We ward. You have come this far at our sufferance. Today, the leading warden felt you had come far enough, and so you were challenged.”

As creepy as the thought was, Rainbow Dash smirked. “Heh, some stalkers you guys are. I saw one of you yesterday.”

“Do I believe we were spotted? I do not think you have seen any of us,” Phoreni said.

“Totally did! Saw one of you in the forest,” Dash said. She meant to spread her wings and jump into the air, but her wings refused to listen, giving her a jolt of pain that shot down her back instead. Rainbow Dash drew breath through clenched teeth.

“When was this?” asked Rarity, glancing at Dash.

Fluttershy frowned ever so slightly, looking at Dash’s wings for a second before she met her eyes. “You didn’t say anything to us. Rainbow Dash, are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure!” said Rainbow Dash, glaring at Fluttershy. “I just forgot to mention it. I saw a lone peryton somewhere in the forest when I was up messing around with the clouds yesterday.”

“We never run alone. It was not one of us,” said Phoreni. She looked away, and Dash felt like all her feathers had been crossed, utterly dismissed. Before she could protest, Phoreni slowed them down, step by step, until they halted completely.

“This path, now. Will your cargo survive? If not, is it precious to you?”

“Oh, I think the cart will be fine,” Fluttershy suggested, landing next to Rainbow Dash. The peryton moved to one side of the road, pushing apart some shrubbery to reveal a narrow path. With the forest getting ever denser, Dash would’ve never spotted it if she didn’t know about it. In fact, she doubted she would find the path again if she looked away for a second. These peryton knew the forest as well as Applejack did her farm.

“But our cargo is, in fact, precious to us,” Rarity added. “Rainbow Dash, do you want me to take the cart?”

“I’m good,” said Dash. She pushed ahead, leading the group off the road and onto the slightly less slippery, less muddy path that cut through the forest. Better to use her legs than think about her wings right now. The peryton still kept a little distance between the ponies and themselves, and they still moved with their heads and bodies low to the ground and the rain-wet flora in a weird, stalking walk.

“Why do they do that?” asked Dash, her voice low. The ponies moved close together on the narrow path, slower now. Every now and then, some bush grasped at their cart.

“Why do they do what?” asked Rarity. She kicked some mud off one of her hooves on a tree as they passed it.

“The weird walk, the way they talk, the way she refuses to answer my question about why they look different, I don’t know—everything!” Dash said.

“I think it’s camouflage,” said Fluttershy. She craned her neck to look ahead. The leading peryton had almost disappeared, and a second later, Dash realised Phoreni walked at their side, not more than a few hoofbreadths away.

“Well, duh, but—”

“The colours? It is to hide our movement,” she said, nodding to Fluttershy. “Like your yellow friend, who has covered herself in mud to blend in, though I do not understand the purpose of the bird.”

Fluttershy smiled at that, shaking her head. “She’s a friend, she’s not camouflage.”

Scarlett noisily agreed, and Rarity winced at the sharp sound, clearing her throat.

“So, this camouflage, it is dye? Like the powders they use in Orto, perhaps?” Rarity asked.

“The recipe and its secrets are not for me to share. The colours above hide our bodies when we prowl on the ground. The colours below hide our shapes when we fly high against the clear sky.”

“What are you hiding from?” asked Rainbow Dash.

Phoreni kept her muzzle pointing forward, her eyes darting around as she navigated the forest by the pathside. “As you may have guessed, hydras. Among many other things.”

Fluttershy looked around as though the forest had suddenly grown sharp teeth, sinking down a little until she walked almost as low to the ground as the peryton. “Are there… a lot of hydras here?”

Phoreni raised a brow at that. “The Bow sends many creatures our way. Hydras in particular are not common, not like the glare beasts. You have many questions, like young-feathers who have yet to win their first charge. They are too simple for me to understand. How can I explain what everyone should know?”

“We’re not from here, dear,” said Rarity, frowning. “How would we know these things? We would be happy to tell you of Equestria, but I will be surprised if you know any more of our Everfree Forest than we do of this Khosta of yours.”

For a time, the group moved at a comfortable trot in an uncomfortable silence. Despite how narrow the path was, it still made for easier going than the muddy road. Every now and then, a great big raindrop would work its way down the trees, but at last the canopy swallowed the grey sky entirely. Normally, Rainbow Dash wouldn’t have noticed all the new berries and flowers if Fluttershy hadn’t pointed them out to her, but they were rather hard to miss: she could swear some of the berry clusters glowed. Now that she was aware, she noticed some of the trees were decked in moss or vines that also glowed ever so slightly.

“Weird,” Dash muttered, ducking under some vines that definitely gave off light.

“We have some of those in Equestria too, but I’ve never seen them glow that bright,” Fluttershy replied, smiling at the curious plantlife.

“Huh. I’ve never seen them. They’re in the Everfree, I guess?” Dash asked.

“Oh goodness, no—or, maybe they’re there, too, but I don’t really go into the Everfree to look for plants, you know. There’s a little grove in the Whitetail where ponies usually don’t go.”

“Oh. Cool,” said Dash. “Hey, you said you wanted to talk about stuff? About going out and all that?” Better to get the talk out of the way sooner rather than later.

Fluttershy splayed her ears, looking over at Phoreni who still walked at their side. Rarity cocked a brow.

“Maybe later? When we’re not so, um, right here with a lot of people?” Fluttershy suggested.

“Sure,” said Dash, smiling back at her and looking around instead. The three other peryton who shadowed them were visible only now and then. Whenever Rainbow Dash thought they had gone on ahead, one of them would come stalking out of the brush at their side. Though Phoreni always stayed near, Dash figured that her conversation with Rarity had been well and truly dropped. She herself didn’t care to try for answers again, more concerned with the dull and throbbing pain on her back. She was just about to say something to Fluttershy—ask her about some berries or whatever—when Phoreni spoke up again.

“Though your questions are like those of our children, you are not they. It was not an insult in spirit either way. Understand, we see few who visit, and I am not used to speaking with them.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t know what to make of that. She looked to Rarity who walked at the opposite side of her, and the unicorn smiled faintly.

“I think that is something of an apology,” Rarity murmured under her breath before the peryton went on.

“Those not of Ephydoera who walk the deeps of the Khosta are usually peryton who come bearing gifts, or the beasts of the Bow. The Bow is the mountain range to our west, the mountains against which the Khosta is the ward. Against which Ephydoera spends most of its efforts warding.” Phoreni did not look at them. She trotted at their side with eyes ever ahead, wending around trees, over logs and below branches seemingly without conscious effort.

“In case you did not know, I will explain. We were told you might come. It is a poor warden who does not read every missive to understand what to expect,” she continued. “Agaus pretended not to know because he does not want this responsibility. This, I understand from his decisions. He sent the greater part of our flight against an already beaten hydra, and the smaller part of the flight to those who had beaten it and still stood strong. He understood you were no threat and meant to allow you to enter, but did not want to do this himself.”

Rainbow Dash frowned at that. “Okay, that’s lame.”

“It is his choice to make, and I have made mine,” Phoreni replied. “And so, we are here, and I must explain things. ‘Visitors’ is... new, but I have been far enough to know there are those who trade with our sister-cities. I hear of, but have not seen Zebra and Cotilla in the other cities. In Orto, Stagrum, Cotilla and Vauhorn, yes, but not here, and never before this missive have I heard of ‘ponies’. Equestria is a word I may have read, but neither heard nor understood. Where is this city? Will you show me where it is?”

“We would be delighted to,” Rarity said.

“We don’t have a map, so I guess it would be telling, not showing, but of course,” Fluttershy agreed.

“Sure,” said Rainbow Dash, smiling. “Trade you for telling us where we’re headed?”

“Then you are poor traders, and Phostos shakes his head,” said Phoreni, her own head moving from side to side herself. “You have already helped us rout a great beast. Eireaus and Drakoss will have an easy time chasing it back to the folds of the Bow. You are owed and will collect more than this for your aid.”

“Aid? So now you are happy we helped?” asked Rainbow Dash, staring at her with her jaw hanging open. “Make up your mind already!”

Phoreni didn’t bat an eyelash. “Were we not aware of your help? We were always thankful, and your anger is misplaced and reckless. Now, tell me where you are from, and I will tell you of Ephydoera. We are not far from the Grove.”

“And these princesses who sent you here, are they warriors?” asked Phoreni.

“Oh goodness, I don’t know if I’d say that.” Fluttershy licked her lips and knit her brow in thought.

“You said we weren’t warriors,” Dash said. “What do you even mean by that?”

“If you ask if the Princesses are brutes given to fighting, then no, they most certainly are not,” Rarity added with a huff.

Phoreni nodded once and seemed to think. She’d done that more and more often as they talked, lapsing into long silences.

The path cut through the forest seemingly without touching it, sneaking around and under the ever deeper, ever denser forest. Here and there, Dash caught glimpses of more faintly luminescent growths, brighter in contrast to the darkening sky she couldn’t see. Though all the care Rarity had put into their manes the day before was ruined, they’d gotten most of the mud out of their hair, at least.

“Solast marked one of you as a warrior. Do I agree? I do not know,” said Phoreni, her face as blank as ever. “But if a warrior is to you one who fights, then the question is meaningless.”

Dash hopped over a rock embedded in the path. The bottom of the cart barely cleared it. “What else is a warrior?”

“That is the largest question one can ask,” Phoreni said. “High Wardens have been chosen for their answers to variations of that question. Did these Princesses send you to Ephydoera or to Cotronna? You are unclear.”

“To Perytonia, so both and neither, in a sense,” Rarity said. “We landed near Orto, but we are headed to Cotronna to seal a treaty. We thought we’d visit you on the way by suggestion of a friend. Khaird, one of the consuls in Orto.”

“Very well,” said Phoreni. “Alergos! We make for the grove!” she shouted ahead.

Dash blinked. “Uh, aren’t we already heading there?”

“We have been circling it for a while.”

“What, why?!” snapped Dash. “You tricked us?”

“Trick? I have learned of your intent, and I have done this by asking you questions,” said Phoreni with a short-lived smile. After a short walk along the path, she paused and let the other peryton reveal another, yet smaller path than the one they followed. “I am satisfied that none of you have violent hearts, not even you—” she locked eyes with Rainbow Dash for a split-second, utterly expressionless. “—despite your hot blood. I believe your story, and the tale of your ‘Princesses’. Your kind means us no harm, and I will take ownership of your visit. Now come.”

Dash glared at her back and followed. The cart straddled what was not so much a road or a path as it was a thin strip of wet dirt to fit between the cartwheels. If Fluttershy and Rarity felt similarly betrayed, they said nothing, and Phoreni offered no further explanation. All four peryton rose up and walked at their full height now, and rather than shadow the ponies, they walked single file in front, occasionally trading words too low for Dash to hear.

More and more glowing berries hung from branches above them, luminescent moss on every tree, but the light was faint. More annoying was the fact that nearly every step of the way, some plant or other grabbed at their cart, branches and wet leaves getting tangled with the wheels.

The trees had been getting larger and larger by degrees, too, and some of them were rapidly approaching ridiculous. Dash spotted one in particular that looked like it could pick a fight with Twilight’s library tree and come out on top. Scarlett, who’d been blessedly quiet for a while, started singing.

“She’s excited,” Fluttershy explained, smiling. “She says there’s food nearby.”

“I do hope that’s true,” Rarity replied. “I needn’t tell you we’re all out, now. The only one who’s eaten well today is the hydra.”

Fluttershy nodded at that. Their escorts had insisted on the ponies eating on the move, and aside from one brief stop to drink from a small stream, they’d had little to eat or drink themselves.

“How are you doing?” Fluttershy asked, turning to Rainbow Dash. “Your wings hurt, don’t they?”

“I’m fine,” said Dash. “How about you two? Rarity?”

“My hooves are starting to ache again, but I’m quite frankly starting to get used to it. Thank you for your concern, dear,” said Rarity.

“And I’m okay. A little tired, that’s all,” Fluttershy added.

“I’m more worried about the lack of… anything ahead,” Rarity added. “I was looking forward to some rest, but I don’t see any signs of a city. I’m wondering if we’re about to be tricked again.”

Fluttershy nodded her agreement, but she didn’t look very concerned. She ducked under a low-hanging clump of moss. “I don’t know. You might be right, but you could probably hide a mountain in this forest and we’d walk right by it.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, then, louder, “Hey! You said you’d tell us about this grove or Ephydoera. What is it? Are we close? Where’s the city?”

“The Grove,” said Phoreni without turning or halting, “is the heart of Ephydoera. Those who come bearing tribute visit us by the trade roads. Those who wish to hold counsel with us will be seen to the Grove. Ephydoera is many places, but the Grove is where we roost above all.”

“Okay, you know, I think I liked no real answer better than too many answers,” said Rainbow Dash. “Where is it?”

“We are here,” said Phoreni.

Chapter 12

Applejack

I’m ever so sorry for the late reply. I’ve been a little busy by the edge of the Whitetail Woods lately, and I meant to reply to your letter—and I’m again sorry for leaving this letter in your mailbox. I heard you knocking on my door last night, but it was a little late, and, well. I’m sorry.

You’re right. I wanted to talk about last night. I guess it’s last week now, actually. I just wanted to let you know that Rainbow Dash and I are friends, and that you didn’t have to yell at her. I understand you were probably just trying to help, and I appreciate that, so I’m sorry if it sounds like I’m not very thankful, but it’s really okay.

-Fluttershy

Whether or not they stood before a city was something Rainbow Dash really couldn’t decide on. They passed between two large trees with branches that drooped so low, Rainbow Dash had to duck to pass them by. Once through, the last few drops of rain fell upon what Phoreni called the Grove, and if nothing else, Dash had to agree that they’d definitely arrived somewhere.

They stood upon the top of a slope, its edges curving inwards suggesting an immense bowl-shape, but Dash couldn’t tell for sure. The lip of the slope was densely vegetated, creating a wall they’d just passed through, a contrast to the more sparse forest floor beyond. Their path, and many like it, went from the green wall down into the relative darkness where trees grew even larger, thicker and taller to counter the drop of the slope, keeping the canopy above unbroken and even.

Though most of the thick trunks studding the slope had their lower halves free of branches, it was hard to see far: the trees were anything but bare. Faint, ephemeral light was cast upon the Grove by luminescent reds, blues, greens and pinks from plant-life clinging to trees and branches. On platforms built onto the trees and in their branches lived the Ephydoerans.

Huge platforms in dark wood jutted from the trees, some circling the entirety of a tree-trunk, and many of them not looking built into so much as grown from the trees, wood entirely too flat and smooth to be… carpented? Woodworked? Built. A few of the platforms had wooden supports and some had bridges spanning the gaps, but the vast majority of what Rainbow Dash could see were solitary platforms with simple roofs. Ephydoerans flew to and fro these platforms with purpose, gliding down to the ground or flying in great big circles up from the forest floor.

Someone gasped when they pushed through the wall behind Dash, and Rainbow Dash was fairly confident it hadn’t been her. She made an effort to follow Phoreni and to drag her friends with her. Well, her friend, Rarity, and possibly her girlfriend, Fluttershy? She shook her head and grinned. She liked the thought of it, even if Fluttershy wanted to “talk about it”.

“My home is in the third middle circle,” said Phoreni. Dash still looked up, barely avoiding a collision when Phoreni stopped. Where had the other peryton in their escort gone? She must have dismissed them. “Second blue gleam from top of twelfth on the warm side. You will find me there. I will go announce your arrival to the High Warden and ask if she will see you, ponies of Equestria. The evening is still young.”

“Sure,” said Dash, agreeing with whatever Phoreni had said. Down the slope, the lights were even brighter, owing in part to the contrast with the darker forest floor, but also due to some sharper points of light that couldn’t be plants. The path they followed became indistinct, but there was precious little vegetation in this place outside of low grasses and some flowers. Plants and mushrooms mostly nestled among the roots.

Rainbow Dash kept thinking back to Twilight’s library. Not far ahead, where the trees reached a certain size, there were buildings in and around the roots of the trees, too. The tree-house library would fit in perfectly with all the other stuff built or carved into the trees on the ground level. Further in, nearly every single tree showed signs of population, peryton milling about. Many of them looked young, some carried small bags slung around their necks, and a couple carried radiant lanterns that were clearly not guested by fireflies.

“Um, actually, one more thing,” said Fluttershy, just as Phoreni spread her wings and her horns took on a soft glow. Dash jerked her eyes away from the chaos around them. So many of the peryton were flying compared to the other cities. Rarity stared off into the distance still, while Phoreni tilted her head in question.

“I’m sorry to keep you, but do you know if there are any places we might sleep?” Fluttershy asked.

“Oh yeah,” said Dash. As awesome everything around them was, she had no idea what she was actually looking at. “Do you have any hotels? Motels? Inns? Or I guess you call them resting houses?”

“And while we’re at it, are any of these shops and boutiques?” asked Rarity, gesturing towards the nearby doors, portals and obviously well-kept glowing mosses that populated the roots of a massive tree. A few peryton stood around one of the doorways. Now Rainbow Dash noticed that most of the peryton were unpainted, in more familiar natural colours.

“More questions. That is natural, and I am unthinking. You have no place to rest.” Phoreni let out her breath slowly. “We have no place for you. There is the communal nest, but that would not be fitting. You may sleep in my nest, but there is little space for so many. You will have to sleep on the floor. Are your bodies hard enough for this?”

Dash shrugged. “It’s better than nothing, right?”

Rarity nodded and put on a smile, though Dash could tell she wasn’t happy with the prospect. “Oh, of course, and you are very kind to offer.”

Phoreni pointed up and ahead, to a cluster of tall trees nearly lost amidst the others. They were a little thinner than the rest, though still absurdly thick compared to anything but the largest oaks of the Everfree. Right below where their branches spread to join the thick canopy far above, through the washed-out mess of colours, a number of small wooden constructs were only barely visible, built on top of half-formed branches that grew leaf-shaped out from the trunk itself.

“There,” she said. “You will find it. Second blue from the top of the twelfth. I said this earlier.”

The ponies looked at each other, exchanging nonplussed looks. Dash spread her wings, thinking to fly up and see if she could make sense of it up close, at least.

She immediately regretted it. Her joints burned the moment she tried to unfurl her wings, and she sucked in breath, trying to keep quiet so nopony would notice. Right. Wings. I knew that. She looked away and closed her eyes tight for a second.

“Hey, yeah, so, that’s great,” Dash said after a few deep breaths. “But, uh, flying Rarity around everywhere is going to get really… uh, old. There’s not a lot of ways to get between places up there without flying, huh? Don’t you have any place we can crash down here?”

Rarity frowned at Rainbow Dash, but it was short-lived. “What she says is right, quite frankly. Are all your houses up in the trees?”

“Most,” said Phoreni. “Again I do not think. One of your number cannot fly. Our houses are tree-bound, as are the proving grounds and the exalted places, but down here, you will find necessities.”

Phoreni nodded her antlers to a nearby door set in a thick trunk. The bark had been removed around the doorway to make room for elaborate carvings lit up by a bright red lantern. Simple yet elegant sculptures of peryton and abstract symbols lined the ground around the door.

“A woodcarver, a storyteller. There—” she pointed to the bright and busy cluster or doors and tree-house windows Rainbow Dash had noted earlier. “—are trades and simple paints, and a brush-height drinking house. Far down the path, to the left, if you see all the young feathers playing between the trees, that is one of our rearing grounds where the flightless learn. There is life down here, too, and much of it. Half of life is brush-bound, half is not.”

Fluttershy smiled. “We can ask if they have someplace we can stay at the… drinking house, you called it? If they are some kind of inn, maybe they have rooms?”

Phoreni shook her head. “There is no reason for a drinking house to have nests for others to rest in, and its tender will nest above, as do most. I have a better idea if resting on the ground does not offend.”

“Why would sleeping on the ground be offensive?” asked Rarity.

“Because when you have wings, why would you not use them?” Phoreni retorted, to which Dash automatically nodded her agreement. “This way, follow. I have a solution that will suit even those who are unlucky and without wings,” she added, leading the way down the path.

“Unlucky, is it?” Rarity muttered. She sighed and shook her head as Dash led the three to follow in Phoreni’s wake.

Fluttershy glanced over at Rarity and walked a little closer, brushing against her. “Oh Rarity, you’re not offended, are you?”

“By what?” Dash asked. “What would she be offended by?”

Rarity rolled her eyes and lowered her voice further. “Come now. I can deal with her manners being a little rough, but I feel as out of place as I would in Cloudsdale without being able to fly. You’ll take me up there later if there’s anything to see, Rainbow Dash, won’t you dear?”

“Heh, sure, no problem,” said Dash, feigning interest in the tree-house they passed by. The tree-house, as it turned out, returned that interest tenfold—specifically, the peryton near it did. A group of young peryton, barely bigger than pony fillies, played outside. They jumped from low branches and glided to the ground while a large, unpainted stag watched from a doorway. The smell or rich food wafted from inside and Scarlett let out a sharp burst of song.

The younglings’ games halted at the sound, noticing the ponies walking by. No less than twenty of the fluffy feathered things pointed at them, and in a chorus of caws and trills, they all ran up to hide behind the cover of the roots that sketched their playground-sized pen. Rainbow Dash grinned and pretended not to see the rows of tiny nubby antlers and eyes peering over the rim of the roots and hidden in the grasses. She heard Fluttershy giggle at her side as they walked on. None of the young peryton left the safety of their hiding spots, but Dash heard shouts once they passed from view.

“My father has a brother,” said Phoreni over her shoulder. “His name is Mennau. When he is not in the far northwestern reaches attending as one who wards, his is a trade that takes bronze, favour or goodwill for shaving.”

“Shaving?” Rarity echoed.

“What kind of shaving?” asked Fluttershy.

“Stories. Declarations. You must have noticed,” Phoreni said. She slowed down a little to walk at the ponies’ side. She didn’t stop, but indicated the patterns in the side of her coat with a wing while she led them further down the slope. Trees grew larger, lights brightened a little, and more peryton moved about. They caught a few stares, some comments Dash couldn’t make out, and many a pointed hoof.

The attention took on a different character from all they had experienced yet. The friendly looks of the Ortosians seeking contact had little in common with the vague disinterest of the Stagrumites, and neither of those had anything in common with the open and unafraid stares of the adult Ephydoerans.

“—no meaning by itself?” Rarity said. The other three were talking, and whatever they’d said, Dash had missed it.

“They have meaning depending on what we attribute to them,” Phoreni said.

“What about the large symbol on your haunch in particular?” Fluttershy asked. “I think I’ve seen that one on some of the trees, and on some of the other peryton here—the one that looks like a mountain, or a sharp triangle.”

Rainbow Dash cocked a brow. They were still talking about their flank-marks. On their peryton escort’s upper haunch, partially hidden by her wing, was the symbol they had seen on a tree during last night’s rest: A spike outlined in what Dash guessed was a flame, shaved into her coat in stylized lines and curves. Did the other peryton have that one too? She hadn’t noticed.

“This one?” Phoreni asked, gesturing with her antlers. “Helesseia, of course—” she paused and frowned, her steely demeanour broken for a moment. “—or, is that obvious to you? I do not think it is. She is the fire within and the fire without. The Aspect of burning passion, of strength but… how would one best say it simply? Of restraint. Her stories guide us in our vigil.”

“So that’s your thing, huh?” asked Dash. This bit, at least, made sense to her. “Like Orto has, uh, which one was it—”

“Myrtella,” supplied Rarity.

“—Myrtella, and like Stagrum has Phostos, you’re all about this ‘Helesseia’?”

Phoreni glanced at Rainbow Dash. “Is it ‘like’ their relationship with other Aspects? I can not say. One thing is not like another.”

“Sure, not exactly like,” Dash said. “Just… kinda like?”

“One thing is not like another,” Phoreni repeated, turning right to follow the curve of a tree serving as some sort of eatery, large groups of peryton taking meals on simple tables scattered around it, chatting and eating noisily.

Dash snorted. “Yeah, you said that, but if it’s kinda like the way Ortosians like Myrtella, then it’s a ‘yes’, and if it isn’t at all like it, then it’s a ‘no’. You know what I mean, you don’t have to be difficult.”

Phoreni stopped in a quiet spot between two trees particularly close together. There was no path here. They’d walked on low undergrowth for a while now. The peryton turned to face Dash.

“Two things that are not the same, are not the same,” Phoreni said, her voice low but sharp. She looked… something. Frustrated? It reminded Rainbow Dash of Twilight’s face when she’d said something the unicorn knew was wrong, but Twilight couldn’t correct her on without doing a lot of thinking or research.

“Yeah, duh?” said Dash, shrugging.

“I’m sorry,” said Rarity, smiling at Phoreni. “Rainbow Dash can be a little—”

“Hey!” Dash snapped.

“—direct, which is fine, do have a little faith dear,” Rarity added, shooting Dash a quick frown. “In Equestria, that is not a problem. Usually. What is the matter?”

“Is there a problem? Have I been wounded?” asked Phoreni. “I have not, but you must understand. When you ask for, when you demand... absolutes, you may call them, you destroy any room for things to change. Using those two words, it is not very common. With them, there can be no nuance.”

“What, okay, what’d I say?” asked Dash. “I don’t get it. Which two words?”

“‘Yes’ and ‘no’?” Fluttershy suggested.

“You can’t say yes or no? Okay, that’s weird,” said Dash. “I don’t—”

Phoreni shook her head and shifted her stance a bit, digging her hind-claws into the ground. “We can say the words, of course. Listen. Yes, no. See? The words are easily spoken, but when you use them, you land the argument and clip its wings, never to take off again. This is the issue.”

“Alright,” said Dash, scratching at her snout. “I still don’t get it.”

“You can at least make an effort—” Rarity began.

“Well, yeah,” said Dash, pulling at the cart. There weren’t a whole lot of options on which way to go. She set them moving forwards between the trees. “I don’t have to know why. I’ll try not to say it. Happy?”

“I spoke hoping to avoid conflict, not to cause it,” said Phoreni with a small sigh. “Kin from the other cities do not always understand, either. You may use the words as you wish, of course. They are not forbidden. Just know that they may be considered rude. This rudeness I can abide from a stranger, but demanding of another to use them, to choose between two absolutes, this will cause anger.”

Dash nodded, flicking her ears. “Right. Now I know. Got it.”

It was a ten, maybe fifteen minutes’ walk. Rather than take them deeper down the slope—where Dash could see great rocks and stone formations mingling with the flora—Phoreni led them along the curving slope, passing by countless traders, eateries, and just about every other kind of place you’d find in the middle of a regular town—except it was all trees. The light slowly changed, and though she couldn’t see, Dash knew that the clouds thinned and broke up, trading the grey clouds for the dark blue of a late evening sky.

Phoreni halted them outside an unremarkable, unpainted door set in a wide trunk that shot off into the canopy above. Two shuttered windows betrayed a second floor to whatever lay inside, and there were no other doors in this particular tree. The tree opposite sported multiple windows and doors and stood equally closed and silent.

“Mennau will not be back for weeks,” said Phoreni, making for the door. “You may have this. Mine is his, and his is yours, if you will be gentle before greedy or reckless.”

“I really only think we need a place to sleep,” said Fluttershy, smiling at the doe. “It’s very generous of you to offer. Thank you ever so much.”

Phoreni nodded by way of reply. She gave the peryton-sized door a push, and it creaked as it swung open, letting the group of four slip inside into the darkness. Rainbow Dash left the cart outside, and Rarity gave them light, bathing the room in a soft, blue-white glow.

The main chamber was dusty and disused, entirely hollowed out from the inside of the tree-trunk, with a high ceiling and fairly generous space. A weird bench, too thin for even a pony, stood near the door, and numerous small tools Dash couldn’t recognise hung on the wall next to a wooden bucket. The rest of the room was taken up by a kitchen with a small stone firepit, a tiny mushroom garden behind some wooden screens, and under an empty lamp of some kind stood a table that would easily seat four.

All this was contained within a single room given no doors, but on the far side, a large gap in the ceiling betrayed a balcony above. Rather than stairs, the gap provided space for even the large and clumsy peryton to fly up to its landing. Or a tiny bird, as Scarlett proved, tiny wings sending her from Fluttershy’s head, into the room and up and out of sight. Distant, muffled and contented peeping noises suggested something up there delighted her.

“And this uncle of yours, he… shaves these symbols and such into your flanks for a living?” Rarity asked. She stood by the bucket and the metal tools, eyeing them critically. Without letting her light drop, she magicked over what looked like a small metal potato peeler.

“‘For a living’? He wards. Shaving, he does as a service, I think is the better term. He has elected to take on the paint, and that is his chief concern.”

“So then he’s an amateur artist. Does he compete with professionals?” Rarity asked, raising a brow.

“Rarity, what the hay are you getting at?” asked Dash, chuckling. “He’s letting us stay at his house. Or, uh, she’s letting us stay at his house, but you don’t have to… actually I have no idea what you’re doing.” Her laughter petered out. Fluttershy gave Rarity an odd look as well.

“I’m asking because I’m curious if he’s an artist, dear,” said Rarity. The unicorn put the tool back in place and smiled at Phoreni. “I mean no offence, and if you are in a hurry, don’t feel compelled to indulge me. This is a lovely place.”

Phoreni glanced at the tool rack, then back at Rarity. “You ask if he is professional. You mean, are there those who do his job, and only his job? Not that I know of. Any who have a claim to some vision can perform shaving craft. Some have none in their family who do it. Those will seek out generous peryton such as Mennau. He minds the story I carry with me, carves my coat to my liking as I decide what I wish told.”

Rainbow Dash trotted to the back of the room, trying to get a good look at the second floor. She reared up on her hindlegs, but there was no way to tell without flying up, and she knew better than to try. When she noticed—or felt, rather—Fluttershy’s eyes upon her, she feigned interest in the stuff near her, pretending she’d never wanted to fly up there in the first place. Are these real mushrooms? Are those cobwebs? Super interesting, yep.

“Well, even if it is just a hobby or what-have-you, why does he use these tools?” asked Rarity, indicating the tool rack and the bucket. “These look to be designed for mouth-grasping. Why not use magic? Does he—oh, dear, have I put my hooves in my mouth? Does he not have magic? Was there some accident? It’s just that every other peryton we’ve seen has been able to do magic, and—”

“He has not lost the magic of his antlers,” Phoreni interrupted, holding up a hoof to forestall Rarity’s spiralling ramble. “But using magic for such things is a waste.”

That got Dash’s attention. Their horns glowed when they flew. They clearly used magic, but she hadn’t seen exactly what they used it for. She looked over at the still-open door, and it had a proper door handle that could be pushed by hoof.

“Using magic for art is a waste? Well, that’s… certainly an opinion,” said Rarity, frowning deeply.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why is that?” asked Fluttershy. “I haven’t seen you use any magic. Your luminescent flora is lovely, but you don’t use magical light?”

“Well, now that you mention it,” said Rarity, her head tilted sideways. “None of the peryton eating at the restaurants used utensils or any form of magic as they ate, either. Do you not use your magic at all?”

“They do when they fly,” said Dash. “Don’t you know how to pick stuff up with magic?” She blinked and looked over at Rarity, never having really thought about whether or not all unicorns could do that. “Is it like… a thing you can not know how to do?”

“I don’t know that there is a unicorn of age who cannot, but the other cities were clearly built for magic.” Rarity crossed her forelegs and leaned against the bench, deep in thought for all of a second before she drew breath and gave Phoreni a muted smile. “We are probably being very rude by putting words in your mouth again, dreadfully sorry.”

To Rainbow Dash, Phoreni didn’t look very insulted. She had her usual complete lack of expression, and if she was anything to go by, the Ephydoerans were a little weird like that. Phoreni appeared to just listen, stood by the doorway a little apart from the ponies. She sounded a little tired when she spoke, though.

“You are travellers whose steps resound with Selyria’s name. I am not. You speak of these things that are new to you, but they are not new to me, and I can not make myself understand the wonder as you feel it. I cannot easily understand the difficulty of understanding—I was not raised to answer questions, and I have no children to teach me how.”

The stone-faced peryton rolled her jaw and stretched her neck from side to side. “A trader from Orto once asked me similar questions. He had heard our magic was taken. I think most born in other cities know this, but he wished to know why. He did not leave pleased with the answers given.”

“Uh, okay?” tried Dash. “What did you tell him? I didn’t get half of what you just said.”

“I ward. I do not think as well as some, and presenting my thoughts through speech is not among my gifts, so instead, I will do this.” She gave a brief, strained smile, moving away from the door and further into the room.

The ponies gave her some space, and Phoreni spread her wings slowly and deliberately. At first, Dash felt her own wings itch in a pang of envy, but it rapidly transformed into wonder as the peryton’s antlers started glowing. As if in response to the magic, the wing-joints glowed as well, and so did her hooves and her hind-claws, the peryton lighting up in the relative darkness of the room.

Phoreni stretched her wings out in full, drew herself up, and looked at them each in turn, her presence and her body presented as the explanation.

“I know that magic can be used to do much. I do not… blame those who do other things. I do not judge. Ephydoera is not in the habit of judging, but our magic is for our bodies, and our bodies alone.” She bowed her head low, folded her left wing and pointed the right wing straight up. The move looked too practiced, too graceful on the warrior-creature to be random, like a dance move that Phoreni had performed a thousand times. Neither Rainbow Dash, nor Fluttershy or Rarity said a word, the room utterly silent until Dash’s brain caught up and she considered the words rather than just stare at the wings.

“Wait, hang on, you use all your magic for your wings and your legs? Is that why you guys fly so much—well, more than the other peryton? How?” Dash asked. She didn’t ask why. It made perfect sense. If she had a horn, and there was a way to use it to get better at flying rather than do the dishes or whatever, why wouldn’t—”Whoa, hang on, do you guys think the Princesses can use their magic to fly faster?”

Fluttershy blinked. Rarity stared at her.

“Darling, that may be the least relevant and interesting question possible. No offence,” said Rarity.

“Hey, none taken, and you’re wrong,” said Dash, shrugging.

“Um, should we… leave? Are you okay? Are we interrupting?” asked Fluttershy, leaning a little closer to the frozen peryton.

Phoreni reversed her move perfectly, spreading the folded wing as she lowered the other, furling them so neat she didn’t even need to rustle and shrug them into place.

“You asked a question, and I hope it has been answered,” said Phoreni. “Would we fly as we do without our magic? We would not. Glandros’ stories teach us that as the body soars, so will the spirit. The stronger we are, the faster we are, we are exalted. And so, our magic is put to that use.”

Dash nodded for lack of anything else to do. Now, the Ephydoerans made sense to her. If they all wanted to be as fast and as strong as they could possibly be, she would be the last one to argue. Maybe that meant they could get a proper meal without freakishly large portions meant to be cut up by unicorn utensils, too.

“Well, thank you for explaining that to us,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her. “I understood it, I think, and if that’s what you want to use your magic for, then good for you.”

Phoreni nodded sharply. “If you are satisfied for the moment, I will leave to see the High Warden. We will speak again, as I own your visit.” She made for the door, but paused at the threshold to look back at the ponies, tilting her head to one side. “Please do—hm. You may do what it is you are here to do, but I have explained that visitors to the Grove are not common. We do not balk at doing what is not done, but I ask you do not make me regret speaking up for you.”

Rainbow Dash stood by the door and watched Phoreni go. After a short run to build up speed, the peryton leapt off the ground and spread her wings, taking off to gain height by flying in large circles around the trees of the Grove. Compared to the flying she’d seen in Orto and in Stagrum, the magically augmented flier was definitely impressive, but she wasn’t exactly graceful. For all her speed, she didn’t pull any tricks, but Dash couldn’t deny that the wingbeats looked strong.

“She said we’re free to do ‘what it is we are here to do’,” said Rarity behind her. “I don’t know what we can do while we wait for her to contact their mayor. Well, ‘High Warden’, as they call her here.”

“We probably want to ask Phoreni about the road ahead,” said Fluttershy. “She seems to know a lot about the forest, but if the storm could hit any day now, we probably have to wait until it passes anyway. Khaird would be happy to know we’ll spend some time here.” She moved past Rainbow Dash and dragged their cart to the side of the door, grabbing all three of their saddlebags and starting the work of moving their stuff inside.

“I guess it could be worse,” Fluttershy continued. “Though if I had to choose, I think I’d like to be back in Orto right now.” She smiled at the floor, at nothing and no-one.

Rainbow Dash could all but hear the final words she didn’t say. Or back home at my cottage. Again, she idly wondered if Fluttershy would’ve stayed home if Rainbow Dash hadn’t decided to go. She puffed out her cheeks and shrugged.

“Yeah, I don’t know. We’ve been running all over the place, I don’t mind kicking back and hanging out for a bit. Just, maybe not with Phoreni all the time,” she said. She grinned at Fluttershy, hoping for some support, but the other pegasus didn’t look at her.

“Rainbow Dash!” said Rarity, glaring at her. “Phoreni has been nothing but helpful, and sure, she was a little brusque, but I know a good heart when I see one.”

Dash huffed. “Jeez, I’m not saying she’s not great, I’m just saying she’s not a lot of fun. It’s about as fun as hanging out with the Royal Equestrian Guard.” She grinned at Fluttershy, but the other pegasus didn’t laugh or even smile, still studiously avoiding looking at her.

“I think she had a lot of interesting things to say, really,” said Fluttershy, pointing to Rarity’s supply chest. “Rainbow Dash? Could you help me with the chest?”

“I happen to agree,” said Rarity while Dash moved to Fluttershy’s side. “Communicating may be a bit of a challenge, but I think she’s sold herself short with all this self-deprecation. She tries her best to explain, I feel.”

“Hey, Rarity. Do you think the leader guy who tried to stop us on the road has a ‘good heart’ too?” asked Dash, snickering. Once the pegasi had the chest sequestered inside, she opened their food box, and found that the only stuff they had left were a few kelp cakes and some of the treats Rarity liked. She grabbed a bite. “‘Cauhf’ ahm’ finking ‘no’”, she added.

“I’m sure he had his reasons,” said Fluttershy.

“Yes, I’m sure, and according to Phoreni, that ‘reason’ was laziness or unwillingness to take responsibility for us,” said Rarity affably. She waved a hoof. “Regardless, you have a point with what you said a moment ago. We have been stressing a lot, even after your… concessions.”

“Concessions?” Dash echoed, tossing the last of their stuff on the pile. She pushed the cart out of the way and stepped back inside.

“Slowing down our travel for my benefit,” said Rarity, shaking her head.

“Oh come on, are you still on that?” said Dash. “Walking around in that heat was stupid. Sure, we all wanna get this done, but we’re not gonna get anyone hurt. Besides, we’re travelling smarter, not slower, and smart can be fast!”

Fluttershy frowned ever so slightly, nodding with conviction.

“I didn’t mean to re-open any wounds, dear,” said Rarity, sighing. She raised her head and brightened the light from her horn ever so slightly, peering around at the room. “Hmh. This place is a little more claustrophobic than Twilight’s house, and a lot messier. I don’t even know how their light works. Did you see any fireflies out?”

“No, but it has been raining,” said Fluttershy. “They have lanterns and lights, but I don’t think they use any form of insects. We know they don’t use magic either, so I don’t know, I’m sorry.”

“Well, that’s one more mystery for us,” said Rarity. She looked straight up as though she could see through the ceiling to the second floor balcony, and the light of her horn shifted. “That, and finding a comfortable place in here to sleep. Perhaps the floor above is clean, unlike this place—and unlike us.” She held up a foreleg, inspecting it critically. The rain had helped a little, but they were all still flecked with dried or drying mud. “We really should find out what’s up there. Beds, I imagine.”

“Uh, maybe,” said Dash, hoping very much Rarity wouldn’t ask her to check. “Hey, now that Phoreni’s gone, actually, d’you wanna ‘talk’ or whatever?” she asked, looking over at Fluttershy. The very word still annoyed her, but clearly they needed to do something. Fluttershy had acted a little odd ever since Phoreni left. Fluttershy took a deep breath, but before she could even reply, Rarity rounded on them.

“Also, that! Yes!” Rarity said, pointing a dire hoof at them, her voice almost painfully high-pitched. “You two! What ever happened during that scuffle with the hydra? We will do nothing until you explain to me exactly what is going on!”

“I… don’t actually know if I can explain,” said Fluttershy. She puffed out her cheeks, finally looking over at Rainbow Dash.

“Pft, like it’s complicated,” said Rainbow Dash, smiling back at Fluttershy until it kindled the beginnings of a smile in Fluttershy as well.

“First I jam my hooves all in my mouth by misunderstanding what’s going on between the two of you—or rather, what wasn’t,” Rarity said. She took a step forwards, her head at a tilt. “And now the two of you are discussing romance? I am very, very confused. I feel I have to ask, as a friend to you both, what exactly is going on? Rainbow Dash, is this some prank, or are you quite serious?”

“Oh come on,” said Dash. “Why do you ask that? Why do both of you ask that? Do you seriously think I’d prank someone—” she paused, rolled her eyes and groaned. “Okay, maybe I could have, but I’m not,” she said, glowering.

Fluttershy chewed on her bottom lip. “I don’t know what’s really ‘going on’, exactly. We were going to go talk about it, but I guess… Rainbow Dash wants to try?”

“Yep! We should totally give it a go,” said Dash. Go. She loved that word. Dash bumped her flank against Fluttershy’s, earning an eep and a confused look.

“And you?” Rarity asked. “You never told me you’ve shown an interest, Fluttershy,” Rarity said, frowning at the pegasus in question. Fluttershy dipped her head low and smiled.

“I’m sorry. I don’t really—or, I didn’t really think it mattered,” Fluttershy said.

Rarity exhaled slowly, touching a hoof to her temple. “I see. Well then. Between monsters and the stress of getting settled, there really hasn’t been much space for anything today. If the two of you need some time to yourselves, how about you attend that while I find some water and a way to clean up. When you come back, we’ll see about setting your coats and manes right as well. Again. Hopefully, you’ll agree on where you stand by then.”

“Wait, don’t we agree?” Dash asked, tilting her head.

“I… don’t think we disagree, but we should probably still talk,” Fluttershy suggested.

“Truly, the two of you are paragons of romantic expression,” Rarity said, smiling and shaking her head. “Go sort this out.”

“Romance schmomance,” said Dash with a snort. The word annoyed her almost as much as ‘talking’ did. “Let’s find somewhere else to hang for a bit.”

Fluttershy nodded in return, smiling with obvious trepidation. “I think that would be nice, yes.” She’d no sooner spoken than a tiny red missile zoomed down from the balcony above, landing with expert precision on top of her head. Fluttershy giggled and shook her head. “Scarlett, I think it’d be very nice if you could let us be alone this time.”

Peep.

“Yes. Just this once, please. You can keep Rarity company. You’ll take good care of each other, won’t you?” Fluttershy replied. She laughed when Scarlett hopped over and sat down on top of Rarity’s head instead. Rarity herself didn’t look half as amused.

“You may stay for now, but after I clean up, my head is off limits, just so we are clear,” the unicorn said, glaring cross-eyed at the bird before she turned back to the two pegasi. “You two take as long as you need, I’ll be—”

“Mennau! Your counsel?” came a voice from outside.

The ponies exchanged glances. Before any of them could mount a reply or comment, a peryton stuck its head inside.

“Mennau? Will you mark—ah. What is this?” the peryton asked. Rather than wait, they walked fully inside, uncomfortably crowding the entrance all by themselves, wings a little looser on their body now. With the paint covering their feathers and given neither particularly long or short tail-feathers, Dash had no idea whether it was a he or a she.

“Are we threatened?” They asked, leaning forwards a touch, long neck stretched towards the ponies.

“Threat? Sure, yeah,” said Dash, her eyes half-lidded. “We’re invading. Boo.”

“Maybe don’t say that,” said Fluttershy, her eyes widening a touch.

“Mennau is not here at the moment,” said Rarity, smiling brightly. “His niece, Phoreni, was ever so kind to let us borrow his house. May we help you?”

The peryton maintained their stoic demeanour impressively well. For a few moments, they looked back and forth between the ponies, from their faces to flanks to horns and wings. Dash tapped her hoof on the ground impatiently.

“I intended to ask his help with my markings, but I see now he is not here. If you are here, then your intent is peaceful, and if peace is in your hearts, I will ask no more of you,” said the peryton, turning to leave. Rarity craned her neck as they did so, staring at they peryton’s flank as it passed her by. Dash quirked a brow. The peryton didn’t look like Rarity’s type.

“Ah, a moment, please!” said Rarity, halting the visitor by the door.

“If your guesting here is marked by others, best you should speak with them,” said the peryton, looking back over their shoulder with their head tilted. “If I can help, I may, but I suspect I am of little use to you.”

“Perhaps,” Rarity allowed. “But maybe I can be of use to you.”

“Now, I hope you understand I do not mean any offence to your… ways if I make any mistakes,” said Rarity.

“Did I for a moment suspect you did? Your manner is inoffensive and unassuming,” replied the peryton. The doe—she had introduced herself moments ago—half lay, half stood inside the chamber, her right-side legs standing up to display one side to Rarity, and her left side at rest on the tall, thin bench.

Simple shapes were shorn into her side. Some odd trees and peryton script that Dash couldn’t read surrounded stylised icons, including a full set of burning antlers—a little bit like the symbol Phoreni had said belonged to this “Helesseia”, maybe? Whatever the case, where Phoreni’s markings had been clearly visible, this peryton’s tan skin was bare only in spots, cream and brown fur growing back instead to contrast with the colours of her camouflage.

“I am glad you think so,” said Rarity. “Now, you wish to have the patterns you’ve shaved into your side touched up, that is all?” She turned one of the shaving tools around in the grip of her magic, looking about as pleased as Pinkie Pie had been when Twilight had offered her a sugar-free treat last week—probably longer than last week. How long ago, Dash wondered?

“I had meant to ask for a few more shavings, but my first intent was this,” the doe said. When Rarity tossed the tool into the bucket, the peryton looked a touch worried. It was the first time Rainbow Dash had seen an Ephydoeran even the slightest bit concerned.

“Mennau fills the bucket with water, wets the coat, and shaves—”

“I understand, dear,” said Rarity. “But this is not some sort of sacred ritual, is that right?”

The doe nodded slowly. “It is not a sacred ritual, as those words mean little to me.”

“Good. Then all I need is my magic, if you don’t object to that.”

“I… do not object,” the doe said, still frowning ever so slightly. With a complete lack of subtlety, she stared at Rarity’s flank, then Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy’s. “It is clear your craft is excellent.”

“They’re not—” said Rarity.

“They’re—” began Fluttershy.

“Our—” Dash started to say. The three ponies looked at each other. Dash chuckled and shook her head, Fluttershy giggled, and Rarity smiled.

“They are not my designs, sadly,” Rarity concluded. “But thank you regardless.” She turned to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. “This doesn’t change our plans, dears. If you two want to go get some air and spend some time together, I think I will be busy here for a moment. If this lovely lady is content to let me help with her decorations, then I can no more reject someone in need than I can withstand the temptation to try a form of artistic expression.”

“Are you sure?” asked Fluttershy, furrowing her brow.

“Of course! Go on, you two, figure this out so you can tell me whether or not I should be happy for you,” said Rarity, shooing the two pegasi away with a hoof. Scarlett scrambled for purchase as Rarity whipped her head around again, turning to her subject. “Now, tell me again what you wanted done. I don’t suppose you are open to some suggestions on your tail-feathers too?”

“Let’s leave her to it,” suggested Fluttershy, waving to the unicorn already lost in her work, and Rainbow Dash followed, happy to give Rarity some peace in case she suddenly decided she wanted to start shaving Dash’s coat as well.

“So, what would you like to do? Or, I guess, where would you like to go?” asked Fluttershy. The other pegasus smiled at her when they stopped a small ways outside, two ponies planted in the grass between titanic trees.

Rainbow Dash looked up at what tiny bits of sky were visible through the dense canopy above. What did she want to do? She didn’t know for sure, but doing had a far better ring to it than ‘talking’, and in that sense, Fluttershy had her in a better mood now than a minute ago. They could do a thing and talk.

“I don’t know, what do you want to do?” Dash returned, and she realised her own lie right after. She knew what she wanted to do: She wanted to spread her wings and check out what was up near the tree-tops, but she also knew that even just spreading her wings would be a bad idea. Something not flying, then. “Actually, hey, let’s go find some animals or something. We’re in a forest, how hard can it be, right?”

Fluttershy tilted her head. Her mane fell over her face, but when she tried to blow it away, it didn’t quite work out. The entire side of her mane stuck together as one mass. Dash grinned and reached out to part the bangs of Fluttershy’s mane, shaking loose some remnants of mostly-dried mud that glued it together. Fluttershy smiled her thanks, sitting down to tend her mane for a moment. Yesterday, that would’ve been a completely normal thing to do. Help a friend out. Right now, it made Dash’s ears itch pleasantly. What was up with that?

“That sounds lovely, really, but we did swim with the snickersnouts last week,” said Fluttershy. “Isn’t there anything you would like to do?”

Dash shrugged. “Like what? We don’t know anything about this place. We could go see what they do for fun, but eh, it’s probably all closed by now. Let’s just get out of the valley and see if we find something cool. Or as AJ would say, ‘go rootin’ ‘round fer var-meents’.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Rainbow Dash! That’s not very nice!”

“Bet you couldn’t even tell the difference,” Dash said, puffing out her chest. She managed to keep serious for about two seconds before she burst out laughing as well. “Okay, okay, that’s terrible, but I know she does impressions of me, too, so I don’t care. She does an awesome Twilight!”

Fluttershy stood up and shook her head, her laughter trailing off. Her mane fell about her head like it should, and after a brief look around, she started them up the slope.

“I guess we can look and see what we can find. I don’t think it’s a valley, though,” Fluttershy said. “Did you see the rocks near the bottom? And the way it curves? It might be a big crater of some kind.”

“Yeah, I thought it looked kinda like a bowl. Valley, bowl, crater. It’s the same thing,” said Dash, falling in step with her. Vaguely, she was aware that they passed a particularly busy tree of some kind, drawing a lot of attention from the local peryton, but her eyes and ears were elsewhere. “What kind of animals do you think they have here? We haven’t seen many critters at all. Did you check your book? Anything like flying squirrels? Falcons? Y’know, the cool stuff.”

Fluttershy glanced behind her. “Hm? Oh, no. The book isn’t really a guide to Perytonian animals. It’s just a really old encyclopedia about rare animals from other continents. When we find something, I can read about it in the book, that’s all.” She shook her head. “It’s not always helpful, either. I didn’t find anything about these ‘glare beasts’. I thought they might be cockatrices, but those are native to Equestria and the Everfree. There should be ferralopes all around, but I don’t know if this forest is dry enough for them.”

Rainbow Dash nodded along, grinning at the excitement in Fluttershy’s voice. “Eh, maybe we’ll find something anyway. We’ll just go for a walk I guess.”

Fluttershy nodded and smiled at that. She kept looking over at Rainbow Dash. First a glance, then another, and finally she stared outright.

“What? Something on my face?” asked Dash. She tossed her mane back, chuckling. “Or are you just enjoying the view?”

Fluttershy didn’t even blink. “Are you sure you don’t want to do something else? We’ve been walking a lot lately, so I understand if you want to do something more exciting than just go for a walk.”

“I said I wanted to go look at animals, didn’t I?” Dash asked. “I’m not kidding around.”

Fluttershy nodded again, pinning her ears back for a moment. Dash looked away to hide her frown. Maybe she’d sounded a little angrier than she meant to, but she was serious. About wanting to go see if they could find some animals. About going for a walk. About talking, and about Fluttershy. About everything. The fact that Rarity had second-guessed her too really annoyed her right now.

“I’m surprised Rarity agreed to help that doe,” said Fluttershy, yanking Dash back to the present. Dash shook her head and blinked.

“Wait, why is that surprising?” asked Dash.

“Do you think she would ever open her boutique with her mane like that, and with mud on her?” Fluttershy asked, giggling.

“Oh, wow. I didn’t even think about that,” Dash admitted, laughing with her. “I guess she’s so used to it by now, heh.” She looked down at her own legs. Her coat was brown up to her knees, and the tip of her tail was still muddy. Dried mud flaked off her even as they walked. With luck, Rarity would have some water ready for when they got back.

“I’m very glad we have her with us, though,” said Fluttershy, a little more quietly.

“Yeah,” said Dash with a smile. “Yeah, me too.” They slipped between two trees that stood close together. The slope grew steeper, and they passed a bare earthen circle with dozens of little wooden statues. They had stele fields here, too, then.

If it got a little darker when they left the lanterns of the last ground-level houses behind, the moonlight that spilled through the slightly sparser growth above made up for it. A trio of painted peryton flew overhead, circled them twice, and then moved on in silence. The ponies both followed them with their eyes until the fliers were out of sight.

“I know we keep talking about it,” said Fluttershy, lowering her eyes, “but these peryton are a little scary.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t say anything to that. She’d already decided she wasn’t scared by the Ephydoerans, but they sure were different from the other peryton. She kept walking.

“Did you hear what Phoreni said, by the way?” asked Fluttershy. “She said that even she had problems understanding someone from Orto or Stagrum, once.”

“Yeah. I heard,” said Dash, frowning at that. “That’s really weird, but Gilda told me about some really strange towns on their northern borders, really far away from their capital.” She snorted. “The Peryton’ve got to work like any other place, right? It’s probably just like that. The Griffon Kingdoms are as different from Equestria as any place could possibly be.”

Fluttershy nodded pensively. “When I first heard that the griffons call their princesses ‘king’ and ‘queen’ there, and that they’re not sister and brother, but actually, um, you know, together, I didn’t believe it at first,” she said with a laugh. “Even if they call their princess a ‘head consul’ here, it can’t be stranger than that. It’s probably just because their cities are really far apart.”

“Exactly,” said Rainbow Dash, nodding. “I don’t understand why they build their cities so far away from each other, though. I guess we could try to ask Phoreni, but jeez, none of the peryton are any good at explaining that sort of stuff. ‘Why don’t you hang out more’? I tried asking Mirossa that!”

Fluttershy nodded pensively. Finally they neared the top of the crater where the slope got even steeper, and again they were faced with a wall of vegetation.

Dash looked around for a second before she found a path that headed for, and then was swallowed up by the flora right next to a wooden pillar with Helesseia’s mark. She ducked through, and waited on the other side for Fluttershy, offering a hoof to pull the taller pegasus through the narrow gap. Fluttershy smiled and dipped her head in thanks, and Dash grinned back. That was the sort of stuff she was supposed to do if they were girlfriends, right? She’d have to try holding a door open, sometime. Rarity would be impressed.

“Oh goodness,” said Fluttershy, and not to Dash’s amazing manners.

“What?” asked Dash, but she had her answer once she looked around. The undergrowth was as thick and heavy and the trees as dense as any patch of the Everfree—she’d expected that, but she hadn’t expected that the Grove would disappear so swiftly. She stuck her head back through the bushes they’d just come through just to make sure there was no magic at work. Sure enough, the Grove was still there, but from the outside there was no way to tell they stood within spitting distance of a tree-house city.

“Okay. South,” said Dash. “We need to remember that it’s south and a little bit west.”

“I’m sure we’ll be fine,” said Fluttershy. “I can always fly up and check, but we probably shouldn’t go too far anyway,” she added, looking up at the tightly knit leaves and branches overhead with obvious skepticism. She’d said ‘I’, not ‘we’ or ‘you’. Obviously she knew that Dash was in no condition to fly. Fluttershy didn’t miss stuff like that.

“Yeah, we’ll be fine,” Dash agreed. “Hey, I think there’s a small hill over there. Maybe we can get higher up without flying.” She tried to smile at the idea. Like trying to get Applejack excited over pear pie.

The hill was everything but small. The green rise Dash had spotted between the trees kept going, and there was little room for small-talk as they climbed. The steeper it got, the more determined Dash was to climb it. Her wings would’ve been little use anyway; the growth was so dense, half the challenge came from pushing through the branches and bushes.

She expected Fluttershy to suggest they turn back, but the other pegasus kept her silence, and before long, they were up. The last branches Dash pushed aside were the very tops of trees, and the hill jutted clear over the forest’s canopy like a tiny green mountain.

Rainbow Dash reached down to offer Fluttershy a hoof up, but her eyes drifted. While she waited for Fluttershy to take her hoof, she looked all around and ahead. It had been nearly a full day since she’d last flown, and she hadn’t seen the topside of the Khosta since the glowing plants started making their appearance, making the sight more than a little surreal.

Looking around from right above the treetops where the forest was this dense, the pair stood in a sea of colour. In every direction, greens and blues were interspersed with faint light from groves of luminous plants. Above, the deep blue sky was cool and cloudless apart from the banks drifting out to sea far to the southeast.

“You can’t even see the Grove from here,” said Dash, gaping. “It’s right over there, but the trees are the same height—or, I mean… the trees are taller the deeper they root? Is that how you say it? Jeez, what made this—”

“What’s that?” Fluttershy asked. “Did you see that?”

“What, where?” asked Dash. Fluttershy pointed to the mountains to the west. Though still distant, they loomed larger than ever. Dash squinted at the rocky outlines that were barely visible under the half-moon. She was just about to ask what Fluttershy was on about when a flash of blue blinked in the distance, tiny and brief but bright enough to make Dash squint. “What is that?” she asked.

“I don’t know either,” Fluttershy whispered, but though they both watched until their eyes stung for fear of missing another light, the mountains stood grey and silent. At length, Fluttershy slowly turned in a circle, drinking in the rest of the forest. “This is beautiful, but I guess we took the hard way up.”

“Oh. Yeah,” said Dash, looking over to the far side of the hill, which, as it turned out, only had one steep side. The north face presented a natural ramp that disappeared into the trees. She shrugged and grinned. “Heh, that’s silly, but I don’t mind the workout.”

Maybe some of Fluttershy’s breathlessness came from the climb rather than the view, too, but she hadn’t said a word of complaint. Fluttershy made a noncommittal noise, still slowly turning on the spot. A gust of wind blew past the hilltop, ruffling their feathers.

“I didn’t realise it was so late,” said Fluttershy, finally tearing her eyes off the horizon. She walked towards the slope and leaned her head low to the ground as though she could peer underneath the canopy from here. Dash heard distant, muffled birdsong. “I don’t think we’ll find anything but a few bats now. If there are any ferralopes here, I wouldn’t want to disturb their sleep,” Fluttershy added.

“Why are there so few animals here, anyway?” asked Dash, moving to stand next to Fluttershy. “It can’t be just because they’re shy. Back home, I can’t get in your door sometimes because it’s so full of creatures.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Well, they’re friends, you know, and some animals really are very shy. All animals are a little scared of people they don’t know, and it’s hard to make friends when you’re moving all the time.”

“I guess, yeah,” said Rainbow Dash, sighing. Fluttershy looked at her, head tilted down and frowning with a mixture of concern and question. “What?” asked Dash, staring back.

Fluttershy shook her head. “I’m sorry, I was just thinking.”

“Thinking about what?” Dash asked.

“I don’t know, it just sounded like you were disappointed that there were no animals to greet us here.” Fluttershy smiled. “I mean, I know you don’t mind them unless they’re geese—”

“Of course I’m disappointed!” said Dash, stopping Fluttershy’s giggle short. She raised a brow. “It’s awesome to watch you around animals. You’re super confident when you’re surrounded by bears and whatever. That’s cool,” Dash said, her voice cracking. How could Fluttershy not get that? She puffed out her cheeks and sat down. “And there aren’t a bunch of bears here, so that’s annoying me a little, yeah.”

The confusion and apprehension slowly drained from Fluttershy’s face. She sat down next to Rainbow Dash, side by side with her. She only gave a tiny nod, but Dash knew there was a smile lurking beneath the surface. Things would be so much better if Fluttershy was as happy about everything as she was about animals, singing, and all the other stuff that couldn’t possibly make her sad for a second.

“So...” said Fluttershy.

“Yeah. Talking,” said Rainbow Dash. “You know what would be a lot easier than talking about this? If you could just grab me with a wing or something. I’d do it, but you know my wings are busted.”

She gave Fluttershy a second, but when the other pegasus didn’t do anything, Dash leaned over to poke Fluttershy under the wing with her snout, causing Fluttershy to yelp, extending her wing on reflex. Rainbow Dash gently bit onto the wingtip and draped herself in a yellow, feathery blanket just as warm as the heat of Fluttershy’s burning cheeks. It lasted all of two seconds before Fluttershy packed her wing away again, looking straight at her.

“Rainbow Dash, I’m serious! We really do need to talk,” Fluttershy said.

“Okay, okay, we’re talking!” said Rainbow Dash. “What’s the problem? I don’t even know what you want to talk about!”

Fluttershy chewed on her bottom lip. “You said you wanted to give this a try, to try going out, being together—but I don’t understand what you mean. I don’t understand how you can just say that.”

“Why? Because you don’t think I like you?” Dash asked.

Fluttershy exhaled loudly, staring straight back at her. “No. Or, maybe a little bit, but it’s not about… about confidence or anything like that.” She lowered her voice until it came out barely a whisper. “I don’t think you mean it as a prank, but it’s… very sudden. For both of us, I guess.”

Dash squinted, staring at her through narrowed eyes. “Yeah, but that’s not an answer. You don’t think I’m serious.”

Fluttershy opened her mouth to protest. Dash knew she would. But she also noticed the hitch, the half-a-second pause first. She held up a hoof and beat Fluttershy to it.

“I knew it!” she said. Her snout frumpled and she tensed up, shifting her weight where she sat, but she lost the wind under her wings before she got properly worked up, sinking down a tad. “Fine. I get it. You still don’t think I mean it. You know what? Maybe you could have been right, actually. You say you’re not me? Well, I’m not you. I don’t think about stuff all the time.” She sighed, putting her hoof down again.

“Maybe I wouldn’t always have asked you out—or wanted you to ask me out. Whatever we’re doing. Maybe you’re right.” Dash felt a little cold as the truth of her own words hit her. Fluttershy made a soft noise, but for the moment, Dash neither heard nor saw her. She wasn’t looking at anything in particular, just visiting at some old memories.

She hadn’t always been on Fluttershy’s team the way she was now. Friends? Always. But she had a lot of memories of herself and Fluttershy. Most of those, she wouldn’t trade for the world, but some, she’d like to forget. Some she couldn’t, some she wouldn’t. She knew there was a time she’d doubted Fluttershy. The memory of a certain climb up a mountain as recently as a few years ago tore at her.

It wasn’t the only recent memory, though. Things had changed.

“Do you—” Dash began to say, pausing to clear her throat when her voice cracked. She sighed and looked over at Fluttershy. “Do you remember earlier this summer?”

Fluttershy tilted her head.

“The Ponyville hurricane effort,” said Rainbow Dash. “The way you stood up for yourself.” She never wanted to forget that day. It wasn’t the only time Fluttershy had shown how strong she could be, nor was it the first time she’d stood up for herself or her friends. It just happened to be the first time Rainbow Dash really noticed. Thought about it.

A small nod.

“Yeah, well, that was awesome, and I meant what I said about you around animals, too,” she went on, louder, trying to force Fluttershy to understand. “Did you see yourself when we were playing with the snickersnouts? That was awesome, too. You are awesome, and you don’t get to say that I don’t think so.”

“Okay,” Fluttershy said. She leaned over. They sat close enough side to side that she put her head atop Dash’s, and Rainbow Dash felt the sigh more than she heard it, the other mare’s muzzle touching against the base of one of her ears. “But why now? How can you just suddenly say you want something… um, something… romantic?”

Rainbow Dash stared out past the hill onto the darkened forest. Unable to look at Fluttershy directly, she fixed her eyes on the distant mountains, hoping to see another one of the strange glimmers.

To her, it sounded like the same question again, the same doubt, and she was getting tired of repeating herself.

“Why not?” Dash asked, trying hard not to sound weary. “Because I didn’t think about it before you told me you liked me, I guess, but can we just roll with it? Or not? If you don’t believe me, fine. If you do, then hey, if you want to give it a go, let’s. If you don’t want to, then… we don’t?”

Fluttershy pulled back, looking down at her. She fidgeted with the tip of her mane. “If you’re okay with it either way, if you can… take it or leave it, I don’t know if we—”

“Oh my gosh, Fluttershy,” Dash said, rolling her eyes. “You know that’s not what I meant! I’m cool with it if you’ve changed your mind, and I can’t force you to say yes, but why can’t this just be simple?”

Fluttershy winced and nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“Do I have to kiss you or do some other stupid unicorn thing to make you believe me?” Dash asked, frowning.

That broke Fluttershy’s funk. She burst out giggling in the middle of her backpedaling and apologising, looking away for a second. At length, she turned back to Rainbow Dash and sighed, smiling. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want things to get weird between us. I don’t want things to change—or, I mean, I do, but I don’t want to lose anything. I’m really happy with the way our friendship is right now, too. I’m more than just ‘fine’ with it, honestly.”

Rainbow Dash grunted, leaning to the side until her head hit Fluttershy’s neck, resting against the taller mare. “Fluttershy, I’ve known you for almost as long as I could fly. That’s basically all my life. The part of my life that matters, anyway. I’m not going to ditch my best gal-pal, no matter what happens, you know that.”

“I do know that,” Fluttershy murmured, resting her head on top of Dash’s. “And I’m not going to let anything ruin our friendship either. That’s important to me, and I won’t let that happen. I’m sorry.”

“And you don’t have to apologise!” Rainbow Dash laughed, rubbing her snout against Fluttershy’s neck.

“I know,” said Fluttershy again, sighing. “Sorry. I’m just still a little surprised, but if you really mean it, then I’m going to stop second-guessing myself. I’ll try at least. I just don’t know where we’re supposed to begin.”

“Don’t look at me. I don’t know the first thing about romance,” Dash admitted with a laugh. “I said you’re awesome, I didn’t say flowers were awesome.” Fluttershy giggled as well, and for a little while, neither of them said anything.

It was a little weird already, but probably not in a bad way? They’d been friends forever, and it wasn’t like Rainbow Dash hadn’t felt Fluttershy’s coat brush against hers before. It wasn’t like this was the first time she’d felt Fluttershy’s breath, but she couldn’t remember noticing her pulse against her ear where it lay pinned between them. Her ears felt pleasantly warm, and not just from the heat of Fluttershy’s body.

“So, uh,” Dash said.

She felt Fluttershy’s head shift on top of hers.

“Is this supposed to be awkward? I can’t tell if it is,” Dash admitted. “‘Cause we can sit like this a little longer. S’okay.”

“I don’t think I can tell either,” said Fluttershy. It sounded like she tried to laugh, but she brought a foreleg to her snout, and Dash heard her mask a sniffle. “I’m a little scared. I don’t know if that counts for anything,” she said.

“Well, don’t be,” Dash replied. What else could she say? They sat together in silence for another minute before Fluttershy spoke up again, this time with a nervous trace of laughter in her voice.

“You know, I think Rarity’s right. We’re probably not very good at being romantic at all. I don’t know what we do when we stop sitting like this.”

Dash shrugged as much as their hug allowed for. “Call each other girlfriends. Make fun of Rarity.” Fluttershy laughed at that, nuzzling into Dash’s mane. Dash grinned. “Seriously though, I dunno, we just hang out for a bit? You’re the one who’s been having a crush for a while, but if you don’t have any plans or whatever, how about… we don’t worry about it? I told you I’m not leaving you hanging.”

Fluttershy let go and drew back. The top of Dash’s head felt cold without her there. Fluttershy blushed ever so faintly, but she met Dash’s eyes, unwavering and glowing.

“Okay. I’ll try not to worry,” she said, nodding.

“Cool,” Dash said, smiling back at her. “Really though, you didn’t actually have a plan for what you wanted to do, right? Some creepy list? If Twilight has a crush on somepony, I bet she has one.”

Fluttershy shook her head, giggling. “No. Not at all. And sitting here with you right now is the only thing I’d write on a list if I had to.”

“Now you’re getting sappy,” Dash said, laughing.

Fluttershy smiled at that. “Actually, there was something else I’ve wanted to ask you about for a while.”

“Yeah? Shoot,” said Dash.”

“I know you probably don’t want to talk about it, but I’m worried about your wings. Are you okay?”

Rainbow Dash grunted and nodded at that, staggering upright. She wanted to say she was fine and to leave it alone, but if she couldn’t be honest with Fluttershy about this, she couldn’t tell anyone, and besides, it’d be obvious soon enough. Fluttershy stood as well, leaning in close to look at Dash’s folded wing, her breath hot against the feathers.

“Did something happen during the fight with the hydra, or was it from the flight yesterday?” Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and slowly spread her left wing as much as she could manage. It ached every step of the way, and once it was halfway open, she had to stop. Despite her best efforts to school herself, her breath came in ragged hisses.

“I’ve got it, just be careful,” said Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash felt a hoof supporting her left wing, and she let it rest as much as she was able.

“I don’t know,” Dash said, grimacing. “I lost a few feathers here and there, I guess. Flying really hard through the rainstorm wasn’t the best, and I didn’t rest up or stretch or anything before I did a bunch of other stuff. Then we found the hydra. I was stupid,” she admitted. She closed her eyes and craned her head back as Fluttershy gently massaged the base of her wing with a hoof. One of her forelegs lifted off the ground on reflex. “Awh jeez that feels good, don’t stop!”

Fluttershy clucked her tongue and did, in fact, stop.

“Fluttershy!”

“If you lie down, I can help you with both your wings,” said Fluttershy. “Come on now. Let me help, and you’ll feel all better in the morning.”

Rainbow Dash blinked. Something in Fluttershy’s tone reminded her a little too much of the way she coaxed all her little animal friends, but the promise of a massage was entirely too tantalising. She was down on the ground before Fluttershy finished her sentence, and Fluttershy herself lay down next to her, nudging her wing half-open again with excruciating care. Her hooves were cold at first, but warmed up nice and quick.

“Thanks,” Dash murmured. She’d have to ask if massages were available on the regular now.

“Don’t mention it,” said Fluttershy, gently kneading circles right above Dash’s wing-joint with her hooves. “I’m glad to help.”

Rainbow Dash meant to reply to that, but she neither knew what she wanted to say, nor did she have the ability to say anything. She kept taking deep breaths and letting them out again, helpless under Fluttershy’s touch. She could probably never go to the Luxury Lotus Spa again. It would never feel as good as the wonderful, warm, soothing and divine hooves that knead her sore and abused muscles.

Dash sunk lower to the ground still, her head on her forelegs. The grass tickled her snout, and she turned her head halfway around so she could look at Fluttershy with one eye while she worked, and she found Fluttershy looking back at her, a serene smile on her face.

Clearly Fluttershy was happy, too, and in that moment, being two wings down didn’t bother Dash as much as it should. With her wings hurt, they couldn’t do anything on Rainbow Dash’s A-list of cool stuff, so they had to do something more up Fluttershy’s alley. Sure, the massage was a nice bonus, but more than that, Fluttershy’s happiness with going for a walk made Rainbow Dash happy, too.

In the same sense, even if it annoyed her that Fluttershy didn’t believe her at first, squashing Fluttershy’s doubts had felt good, too. Whatever doubt there had been in Fluttershy’s voice earlier was now gone. Rainbow Dash had fixed it.

A hoof ran gently along her first wing-joint. Another kneaded circles under her wing. Fluttershy worked in silence, and Dash dutifully lifted her other wing when Fluttershy moved to the opposite side. The only thing keeping her from dozing off was how much she wanted to be awake to enjoy it.

Instead of pushing Fluttershy herself, she’d simply pushed Fluttershy’s worries away.

When Fluttershy stopped and let go, Dash’s sides had gone pleasantly numb. She had to consciously resist the urge to test her wings, because for all that she knew it was a terrible idea, they didn’t constantly throb to remind her. Rainbow Dash stood up and stretched her legs, yawning. “Alright, I owe you one,” she said. “A big one.”

“Happy to help,” said Fluttershy, smiling back at her. “Hopefully you’ll be okay in a day or two. I’m sorry you worked so hard. I know how much flying means to you.”

“Sure,” said Dash with a forced smile, but she dropped the act after a second. Fluttershy was one of the few who actually did know how much this hurt her. “I can’t stand when this happens,” Dash added, sighing.

Fluttershy nodded softly, letting her wings hang loose. “Mhm. I remember last time. That was a while ago, thank goodness. You told me your mom used to sing the Cradle of Wind to you when you got hurt.”

“Yeah, heh.” Dash felt her cheeks heat up. “I was probably overtired. Or had too much cider or something. I don’t know and it doesn’t matter, I’ll be up in the air again soon.”

“I’m sure,” said Fluttershy, nodding quickly. Another gust of wind rolled over the treetops, sending their manes and tails out straight behind them. It carried a chill with it, and the sky above was as dark as it would ever get. Fluttershy looked from Rainbow Dash’s mud-streaked legs and up to her wings again, pointing with a hoof. “Your wings could probably still use some cleaning and preening, too. I could help you with that if you want.”

“Heh, they’re a mess,” agreed Dash. Mud, feathers out of alignment or outright missing, the last fight had taken its toll. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll fix it later.”

Fluttershy nibbled her bottom lip. “Are you sure? I don’t mind.”

“Nah,” said Rainbow Dash, shaking her head. She considered it, but Fluttershy was happy right now. She didn’t like the idea of ruining that by risking her doing a poor job of preening or anything, or if she didn’t actually want to do it. “I got it, but thanks. We should probably go check on Rarity.”

Chapter 13

Fluttershy

I don’t rightly know what to make of your last letter. You can’t expect me not to speak up when I hear somepony giving another a tough time like that in public.

The way I saw it, Rainbow Dash was giving you a hard time the likes of which I’d never give any of my friends, that’s for sure. Now, I don’t know her any better than I know you. To my understanding she’s a real loud one, but it just wasn’t right, the way she kept bothering you about I don’t know what. Something about getting you to sing?

You’re asking me to make promises I can’t keep, and I don’t understand why.

PS: Also, I saw you delivering the last letter earlier today, and I’m fairly sure you saw me. Must’ve heard me, too, but you just kept flying. If I’ve done anything wrong, you’ll need to tell me. You should come over for dinner anyway. Might be easier for you to explain this that way. I still can’t make heads or tails of none of this.

-AJ

Getting back was harder than it should have been. Simply finding the Grove again took a little effort, and more than a few innocent bushes were bothered before they finally pushed through the vegetation to the crater’s lip. Once inside, they were nowhere near the carving that marked the path they’d used to leave.

Even then, without an address—did these peryton even use addresses?—the ponies were forced to ask for directions based on Mennau’s name alone. Though there were surprisingly many peryton still out and about late at night, clear answers were hard to come by.

“Barber shop? A weird spa? I don’t know, he does some ‘shaving’, like the marks on your—augh, okay, you don’t have any, but like most of you have on your flanks,” said Dash, whipping her tail in frustration.

“Do I know a Mennau? I do, but I know his as a shaving-house, not a ‘spa’,” said the brown stag, tilting his head to one side.

“Same thing,” said Dash, rolling her eyes.

The peryton frowned ever so slightly. “Two things that—”

“I get it!” Dash said. “Two things that are not the same, are not the same. I know!”

“We would be very grateful if you could tell us where Mennau’s shaving-house is,” said Fluttershy, unsubtly nudging Rainbow Dash in the side. “Please.”

The stag nodded. “It is root-level on the first inner circle, or fifth middle circle, facing towards the pink way.”

“Could you point us in the right direction, please?” asked Fluttershy before Rainbow Dash got in a single word, and that was probably for the best.

It took no less than four equally frustrating conversations—and one brief questioning from a patrol of painted peryton—before they actually spotted the barely-familiar place they’d left hours earlier. At least, Dash thought it was the same place they had left. Fluttershy stopped them both in the shadow of the neighbouring tree.

“Okay, I got nothing,” said Dash.

“Do you think she’s in trouble?” asked Fluttershy, digging the tip of a hoof into the ground.

“Rarity? Nah. But I have no idea what’s going on.”

The line outside their house, or Mennau’s Shaving House, went all the way to the other side of the path. Peryton stags and does chatted amicably, some of whom were painted with camouflage, most in their natural colours, and all in a fairly organised line leading away from the tree. As the two pegasi watched, a peryton wandered out the open door and past the line, heading off in the opposite direction. Rainbow Dash could have sworn this particular peryton actually smiled as they glanced at their own flank before flying away.

“We should probably go check, just in case,” suggested Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash nodded sharply and followed her towards the entrance. When they trotted along the line, Fluttershy muttered excuse-me’s and sorry-to-cut-in’s as they moved past the peryton, but the closest they got to any protests were some strange looks. Either they weren’t given to quarrelling, or they didn’t know how to react to ponies. It got them to the front of the line anyway. Dash smiled at the stag who waited at the threshold and ducked past him.

“Rarity, what the—”

“I understand, dear,” said Rarity, flashing Dash a smile by way of greeting before she turned back to the peryton stag inside the room. “Now, this Chorossa, does the Aspect have a symbol? I have done many Aspect symbols today, but not Chorossa. If you can describe it, I’ll certainly do my best—and you want it next to the other ones, which you want touched up?”

“If you would do this for me, I will swear to aid you,” said the stag, muzzle tilted forwards in an understated peryton bow. “As for Chorossa, their symbol is neither known nor static. It ever changes. What matters is the intent that goes into its making.”

“Artistic license? Wonderful!” said Rarity. “Ah, give me but a moment. I think my friends need me.”

“Do we?” asked Dash. “Sure? Rarity, what the hay are you up to?” She didn’t know whether to laugh or—well. No, she pretty much wanted to laugh, and Fluttershy simply smiled at Rarity and waved, then craned her neck to look out the door again as if to confirm that, yep, there was still a line there. Coat-hairs of all colours littered the ground around the little workstation and the peryton stag Rarity had spoken to presently half stood, half lay at the bench, waiting to add to the pile of shavings.

“It’s neither hard to see nor to appreciate, is it?” asked Rarity in return, shrugging. “I’m helping these peryton with their chosen form of self-expression, and respectfully, if this is Mennau’s work, hobby or whatever else, then to my eyes, he is a true artist despite Phoreni’s words.”

With a glimmer of magic, she brushed the floor clean of hairs, dumping them in the bucket with a lot of other detritus. Only now did Rainbow Dash notice that she wasn’t providing light for the room; the lamp inside the room glowed pleasantly, no longer empty.

“As it turns out,” said Rarity, “Phoreni was serious when she said they don’t look down upon other uses of magic. They just have very strong opinions of their own use.” She followed Dash’s gaze to the room’s light-source. “And they are very appreciative when somepony with creative skill and proper grooming magic comes along. A very kind doe thanked me by filling the lamp with glowing berries and some filtering fluid.”

“That was very nice of her,” said Fluttershy, looking around the room. “Did some of them do a little cleaning and tidying, too?” When she said it, Dash sniffed at the air. It smelled different. Some kind of soap?

“Well, yes, but I never asked them to. I do this gratis.” Rarity raised her snout a tad.

“You’ve been here for a few hours, and you’ve already made a new boutique? Awesome!” Now, Rainbow Dash did laugh. She held out a hoof. “Come on, hit me.”

Rarity gave her a half-smile and rolled her eyes, tapping Rainbow Dash lightly on the hoof. “It’s hardly anything of the sort. Now, much more importantly: did the two of you have a good time? You will need to tell me everything once I’m done—oh. But it is getting late, is it not? Hm.” She turned to her newest customer, slumping ever so slightly. “You will have to forgive me, but my friends and I must get some rest. Will you be terribly disappointed if I ask you to come back some other time? Perhaps tomorrow? I think we will be here for a while yet.”

The peryton stag rose and shook his head ever so slightly. “Am I disappointed? A little, but I respect that your time is your own, and hope to return. I have seen the skill of your craft in one of my friends.”

“Thank you for your understanding, truly,” said Rarity, smiling brightly. “Have a wonderful night still.”

The stag said nothing more, but traded words with the other peryton outside, and before long, the line dissolved. Fluttershy nudged the door shut while Rarity cleaned her little workspace. “Now, you didn’t answer,” said the unicorn as she swept the last of the hairs off the bench. She tried to hide the little glances she cast their way. “Did you enjoy yourselves? And… what came of your talk? You came back together, at least.”

Dash chuckled. “I don’t know what we could’ve done that would make us not come back together.” She grinned and looked over at Fluttershy, and though she looked a tad nervous—if her wings were anything to go by—she smiled all the same. “We’re gonna try it. The whole girlfriends thing.”

“The ‘girlfriends thing’”, Rarity repeated with a deadpan stare. “I swear, romance—”

“Told you she was gonna say we’re bad at it,” Dash said, snickering. Fluttershy giggled and shook her head at Rarity’s confused look.

“We had a lovely time. The forest is very pretty, and I think you would have liked it,” Fluttershy said. “We didn’t find any of the animals we hoped to see, but that’s okay.”

“Ah, you went looking for forest creatures?” asked Rarity, arching a brow.

“Yes, Rainbow Dash suggested we go see if we could find some ferralopes. Or, I mean, we agreed to,” said Fluttershy, beaming. “We just sat on a hilltop and talked for a bit instead, and we decided we’d try being together. I think that’d be very nice. Or, I mean, we do,” she corrected herself. “I think.”

Dash sighed and took a sideways step, bumping into and leaning against the taller mare. “Yes, we do. Both of us.”

Fluttershy’s cheeks lit up at that, but her smile redoubled, and she leaned back against Rainbow Dash with some hesitance. For her part, Rarity nodded and smiled, moving over to the kitchen section as she spoke.

“Details, dears. I’m going to need details. Come. You’ll tell me all about it while we clean up. One of the peryton showed me how to work this water pump.”

“And then we came back here,” Fluttershy concluded. “We don’t really have any plan. We’re just, um, rolling with it,” she said.

“That’s right,” said Dash, grinning. She pulled her hoof back when Rarity let it go to soak the washcloth the basin again. For the second time in two days, her coat had been restored to its rightful shade of blue.

“It’s no declaration of love under a setting sun or somesuch,” said Rarity with a wan smile. “But a hilltop in a glowing forest is an acceptable substitute.”

“I think I liked it better this way, really,” said Fluttershy, running a hoof through her damp mane.

Rarity nodded sharply. “And that is what matters. Thank you for sharing, and truly, it sounds like you had an absolutely lovely time. I’m very happy for you two.” The unicorn smiled at them both. “And plans or no plans, this will certainly cause a stir in Ponyville when we return!”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Oh jeez, I can’t wait to see the looks on everypony’s faces.”

Fluttershy’s ears wilted. “Just thinking about Pinkie Pie’s reaction is enough for me right now, actually. She’s going to be very loud.”

Dash grinned. “Cold hooves? Change your mind? Because if you change your mind because of Pinkie Pie, I get it. That’s fair.”

Fluttershy giggled and shook her head. Rarity rubbed at the bottom of her own forehooves before wringing the washcloth.

“Hey, did any of your admirers give you any food?” Dash asked. “I’ve been hungry for hours.”

“I’m afraid not,” replied Rarity, slowly getting up. “We should try our best to find a restaurant of some sort tomorrow morning, I suppose. There is some food left at the bottom of the box Naressa gave us, though.”

“If they weren’t gonna pay you, the least they could’ve done to say thanks was give you something to eat,” muttered Dash. She trotted over to where all their stuff lay next to the table, finding the kelp cakes she had spotted earlier that night, as well as a treasure trove of jelly treats packed near the bottom. Fluttershy took a seat next to her, and Dash divvied up the food. One to her, one to Fluttershy, one to her, one to Rarity.

“Speaking of your customers, were they all as, um, short with their words as Phoreni?” asked Fluttershy.

“You mean, were they all as brusque, unapologetic and rude?” Rarity asked, filling their water-bowls at the kitchen pump.

“Oh, no! I didn’t say that, I just meant—” Fluttershy tried, but Rarity cut her off with a smile, sitting down next to them.

“I know what you meant, dear,” said Rarity, rearranging the jellied snacks so they had an equal amount, all without looking at Rainbow Dash. “The answer is, yes, they’ve all been a little on the ‘short’ side with their words, but I’ve found them to be very polite. They just don’t express it in the way we do.”

“Ihf’nt fha’ hwa’—” Dash said, pausing only to swallow. “Uh, isn’t that what politeness is about? You get really upset when ponies don’t say ‘thank you’.”

“Darling,” said Rarity, frowning and brushing some of Dash’s jelly treat off her chest. “There’s a difference between not saying thank you, and not being appreciative. One can put on a hard front and still be sincere. I think you of all ponies should know that.”

Rarity looked at Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash in turn at that. Dash glanced down to make sure she hadn’t spilled more food on herself, but she hadn’t.

“Regardless,” added Rarity. “The peryton here were in fact very appreciative of my work.”

“They must have been,” said Fluttershy, proffering the water bowl to Dash. “The line stretched across the road.”

“I suppose rumour spreads quickly here,” said Rarity, inspecting one of her own forehooves nonchalantly.

Dash shrugged and took a long draught of water. “Eh. You probably deserve it anyway, I’m happy for you.” She glanced at the other end of the table where Rarity had began unpacking their stuff. The only thing that stood untouched was her supply chest.

Fluttershy didn’t miss Dash’s look, furrowing her brow. “Did you ask them about other fashion?” she said, following up on Dash’s thought before it had even formed.

Where Rarity had been practically glowing with pride a moment ago, that light was snuffed out in an instant. “No, I have not, and I do not think it serves a purpose.”

“Oh dear,” said Fluttershy, laying her ears flat. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing dramatic. Or rather, nothing new,” said Rarity, sighing. “You will have noticed that of course they don’t wear any clothes here, and though they were grateful for my work, I got the impression that they considered trying on a scarf or letting me match some fabrics to their coats some foreign custom, a ritual to amuse me. I asked them about the Ortosian and Stagrumite customs, and while they knew of them, they had no interest at all.”

Dash grimaced. “That’s not great.”

“It’s hardly surprising, though, is it?” Rarity asked. “On the bright side, I have dozens of peryton who have sworn that they will ‘defend my cause until Daros takes their wings’.” Rarity gave a lopsided smirk. “I suppose that is something.”

Fluttershy shook her head slightly. “It’s the same thing that happened when we came to Stagrum. Phydra said that they all have these same Aspects in common, but even that bit isn’t as true as I thought it would be. Not that I think Phydra lied, but it’s really strange.”

Rarity brought a foreleg up to cover a yawn. “Mm, you’re right. I’ve heard more names for Aspects tossed about than ever before, but not a single one has had a particularly close relationship with the most popular ones in Orto or Stagrum.”

“Yeah, we talked about it a little bit,” said Rainbow Dash. “It’s like every city is as different as Appaloosa and Canterlot, but whatever, that’s fine—or, it’s not fine. I don’t know. What I really don’t understand is what’s keeping them all together. Like Ponyville’s a little bit like Appaloosa and a little bit like Canterlot, kinda? They don’t have that, so there’s gotta be something else.” She didn’t bother to resist the infectious yawn that bounced between the three. She rested her head on the table and smiled over at Fluttershy. Fluttershy smiled back and reached out to touch her side, right above her wing, gently rubbing little circles in Dash’s pleasantly numb muscles.

“There’s probably something we can’t see,” Fluttershy suggested. She looked up at the lamp that lit the room, brow furrowed in thought.

“We call it harmony, don’t we?”

Dash raised a brow at Rarity’s words. Fluttershy made a questioning noise.

“Twilight might have more to say on the matter,” said Rarity, staring past the pegasi, at nothing at all, “but while we’re certainly all different, and we all have our own special talents that make us unique, Equestria wouldn’t be Equestria if we didn’t all come together. If pegasi only kept to Cloudsdale, and if earth ponies didn’t tend to the land, it wouldn’t work at all, would it?”

“I think Applejack once said that all the best things in life comes from using your own talents to help others and make something wonderful together,” Fluttershy said, smiling and nodding. “It’s about coming together.”

“Okay. We call it that. That’s Equestria, but they’re not three different kinds of peryton.” Rainbow Dash ground the bottom of her muzzle against the rough grain of the table. She was about ready to drop the topic, but now Rarity had her thinking. “They’re just peryton. All of them. And they don’t meet at all! How do they stay friends, and how does this head consul princess person lead them if they barely know each other? Princess Celestia travels all around Equestria to meet all the ponies she can, and now that Princess Luna is helping out, they’re both all over the place doing all sorts of stuff!”

“Mm, I don’t disagree with that sentiment,” said Rarity. “As I understand it, any Griffin Kingdom diplomat who wishes to discuss treaties will talk to the Princesses for that exact reason. They speak for all of us. Their head consul must not take their job very seriously if they’re not as well known as our Princesses.”

“They used a really strange word about some of the trading here, too,” said Fluttershy, frowning deeply. “They used the word tribute. Maybe that means something different here, but it sounds very mean.”

“That might be a local term for trade,” Rarity said in a voice suggesting agreement. “Clearly the trading has some central authority somewhere. Really, we might be over-complicating all this. Most of the peryton seem very relaxed in a way I know I never would be if I did not know who held the reins. They must have a great deal of faith in their princess even with a less visible leader.”

“Or maybe,” said Rainbow Dash with a lazy, toothy grin and half-lidded eyes. “Maybe their princess is the most cruel peryton ever, and the only reason they stick together is because they’re afraid—” she paused for effect, staring at Fluttershy who drew back with eyes wide.

“Now you’re just being fanciful,” said Rarity with a roll of her eyes.

“—afraid,” Rainbow Dash continued, shuffling a little closer to Fluttershy, her grin widening. “That their princess will order their most trusted guard to sneak up on them when they’re not looking—”

“Um, Rainbow Dash—” said Fluttershy, leaning away from her as much as she could without getting up. Rainbow Dash leaned over her, teeth bared.

“—and gobble them up!” Dash finished, darting in to steal the jelly treat on the table next to Fluttershy. Fluttershy squeaked and fell over, and Rainbow Dash fell over next to her, overbalanced and laughing.

“That’s not very nice,” Fluttershy chided, clambering up on all fours. She tried to scowl at Rainbow Dash—she even succeeded for a few seconds, but Dash just kept smiling at her until the pegasus’s frown melted away. From where she lay, she was treated to a very nice view of Fluttershy’s sides from below. She took her sweet time in getting up.

“Very funny,” said Rarity, though she didn’t look entirely un-amused either. “If you two lovebirds are quite done—” she added, making Dash grin all the harder. Rainbow Dash leaned in to rub her cheek against Fluttershy’s neck on a whim. She could do that now, right? Fluttershy splayed her ears and her blush intensified. Doing silly stuff to freak out Fluttershy was going to be fun.

“—perhaps you’ll help me make the bed,” continued Rarity. “Well. Find a bed, then make it. And in case you wonder, your little bird is up on the balcony. She flew up there the moment you left and hasn’t returned since.”

“Oh. I hope she’s okay,” said Fluttershy, rubbing at her cheek with a hoof.

“She sang a rather long, and very loud song a while ago, so I should think so,” said Rarity. “I had to explain to the peryton that I did not, in fact, need help chasing a wild animal out of this establishment.”

“Okay, finding beds,” said Rainbow Dash, getting up and stretching her legs out. She poked her head behind the screen that shielded a small section of the room from the rest. “Nope. There’s still just mushrooms here. I got nothing,” she declared.

“I was thinking maybe somepony with wings could give the second floor a look. I’ve noticed the lack of beds down here already, dear,” said Rarity.

Fluttershy took to the air and swooped up in short order. Dash heard hoofsteps against wood, a few peeps from Scarlett, and the sounds of Fluttershy moving to the far side of the gallery and back again before her head poked down from the floor above.

“There are… um, I don’t think they’re beds, but there are two soft benches or sofas of some sort up here next to a table. I think it’s some sort of living room, but that’s all there is. I guess there’s no bedroom?”

“That’s what Phoreni said, isn’t it?” said Dash. “They sleep up top. Except for the foals, I guess. Are the benches any better than the floor down here?”

“Oh yes,” said Fluttershy, gliding down to the lower floor, landing gently next to her friends. “They’re cushioned, and if it gets warm, we can open a window up there.”

“Yes, well, unless the air gets very stale in here, I think I’ll vote against that. As much as it’s warmer than outside, it’s hardly cozy in here,” said Rarity. “Rainbow Dash, would you be a dear and take me up there?”

“Yeah, about that,” said Dash, sighing and glancing at her own back.

Rainbow Dash slid off Fluttershy’s back and muttered a thanks. While it was barely a hop up to the balcony, and holding on around her neck was a mixture of awkward and nice, fighting the urge to spread her own wings all the while was decidedly less pleasant. Whatever. They were all up here, now. The balcony held two large cushioned benches that Fluttershy was in the process of arranging into a makeshift bed while Scarlett hopped about and sang. Beyond that, they had a large low table, two windows, some plants, and shelves with sculptures, pottery, some dried pieces of wood—

“I don’t understand how you could be so irresponsible, hurting your wings like that!” said Rarity, rounding on her.

—and one irate unicorn. “We’d still be stuck in the mud if I hadn’t taken the cart,” said Dash. “Besides, it wasn’t just flying the cart about.”

“No, I understand it’s doing a lot of other silly things, and flying an overloaded cart with a passenger through a storm, before wearing yourself out fighting a hydra. How is that helping your case?” asked Rarity, glaring.

The two benches joined with a wooden clack, and Fluttershy, satisfied with her work, started moving one of the fabric rolls Rarity had declared ‘unredeemable’ over to it, fitting it as one would a bedsheet. “Well,” she said. “There’s a reason that the Guard fly their chariots in teams of two, and they probably train for that. And their chariots are aerodynamic. Maybe in the future—”

“You’re on her side?” asked Dash, rolling her eyes.

“I’m just saying I hope you’ll be more careful,” said Fluttershy, frowning. Scarlett let out a loud chirp. “I’m sorry.”

“There are no sides,” said Rarity with an exasperated groan, raising her voice. “I’m of course very grateful for all you’ve done, but it’s terribly hypocritical of you two to suggest I should relax and not wear myself out, and then you go and do these ridiculous things—”

“I told you!” said Dash, matching her tone and cutting her off. “We had to! If you want to—”

“And that’s fine!” said Fluttershy, shutting them both up. Fluttershy stood between them, her wings flared as she looked at them each in turn.

“Rarity said she’s glad you helped us get out of the rain. She’s very grateful. We’re grateful,” Fluttershy said, slumping with a sigh. “But you have to take care of yourself, too. We all have to. It’s done now, we don’t have to talk about it if we can all promise to stop… I don’t know, to stop doing reckless things, and try to take care of not just ourselves, but each other. And I really think we’re doing that already, so can we stop fighting? Please?”

Rainbow Dash slouched and hung her head, staring at the floor for a second. She flicked her tail and tried to muster a response, but she knew Fluttershy was right. She heard Rarity exhale noisily.

“You’re right,” said Rarity. “There’s no real issue. I just don’t want you to hurt yourself on our account. On my account. It makes me feel awful, darling.” Rainbow Dash felt a hoof on her withers, and she pushed it away gently.

“Come on, knock it off,” said Dash with a grunt. “I’m not hurt, I just need to rest my wings for a bit. I’ll be fine.” Of course, not being able to fly did hurt, but she didn’t really feel like tossing fuel on the fire. She felt a foreleg hook over her neck, and this time she did not protest, pulled into a hug with Fluttershy and Rarity both. She hugged back, glad when she felt Fluttershy’s wings drape around them, and annoyed that she couldn’t return the gesture.

“We’ll have plenty of time to rest up anyway,” said Fluttershy, giving her friends a squeeze. Rainbow Dash nodded at that, but when they let go of each other and Rarity moved over to make the bed according to her own exacting standards, Dash’s thoughts hitched on those words.

“It could be as much as what, a week,” said Dash. “This storm week thingy starts tomorrow or the day after, right? ‘Seven suns’ is one of our weeks, anyway.”

Rarity hummed. “I think that’s right. It will be nice to rest for a while, really. We have acted as though we are in this awful rush. Perhaps what we needed was a forced break.”

“Yeah, sure,” said Dash, waving a hoof. “What I mean is, we’ve been away for how long now?”

“Three weeks,” said Fluttershy.

Rarity unfolded their blanket and stood still for a second, rubbing at her eyes. Rainbow Dash hopped over the table and pushed one of the windows’ shutters open. Despite what Rarity had said about the cold, she really needed some air right now. Score one for windows with actual handles.

“That’s longer than I thought,” said Rarity, finally.

“I didn’t think about it before now, either,” Fluttershy said, moving to stand next to Rainbow Dash. The little red bird hopped off her head and sat down on the windowsill, rustling her feathers.

What could Dash say? Not much. If it had been three weeks, it had been three weeks. She hoped Flitter was checking up on Tank like she said she would, and she wondered what the rest of her friends were doing. Was Pinkie Pie cheering up some strange new creatures? Had Twilight run out of paper for all her notes yet? Was Applejack worried sick about her farm?

And when would they all be back together so Dash could tell them that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were girlfriends? That, at least, got a smile out of her.

Outside, peryton moved to and fro carrying their strange lanterns, and now in the darkest of night, the glowing plant-life about the Grove seemed brighter and stranger than ever. There was a burst of peryton laughter somewhere far away, bird-like trills and caws that echoed among the trees.

Rainbow Dash didn’t remember everything. She remembered one thing; there had been no Princess Luna fighting at her side that night. It wasn’t that she’d come to expect it, but she did make a habit of checking to make sure she remembered stuff right. Had she been fighting a hydra that night? Ten hydras? She had no idea, but now she realised she remembered two things. She knew she’d won.

A series of knocks rang from a door somewhere below. Three things, then. She also remembered she’d woken to someone knocking on the door—someone else’s door. It took her an embarrassingly long and confusing moment to realise where she was. How tired had she been last night when she finally fell asleep? How tired was Fluttershy, usually a light sleeper, to not be woken up by something that had roused Dash? Scarlett sat in the windowsill, for once making no noise.

Another knock on the door. Right. The door wasn’t going anywhere. Rainbow Dash wriggled out from under the blanket, wincing when Fluttershy’s breath hitched, but the other pegasus kept on sleeping, drooling on the sheets. Dash couldn’t keep from grinning. The other pegasus was a complete mess in her sleep, her mane wrapped around her face. One of Dash’s legs hurt. Had Fluttershy slept on it? Would she freak out if Dash told her?

Knock. Knock.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” hissed Rainbow Dash. She trotted up to the edge of the balcony-floor. Glide down and risk her wings taking longer to recover? No, chance the jump. It was at least five times her height, but she didn’t let that stop her. Dash hopped over the rim and landed on the floor with a loud clop, grimacing at the sound and the impact both. Less than a second later she bit down on the doorknob and tossed the door open, coming face to face with a peryton.

“It is late. Or, perhaps for you, it is early,” said the green-and-blue painted doe.

“Yeah. Morning,” said Dash. She recognised Phoreni’s voice, even if she couldn’t pick her out of a crowd. Dash squinted and looked up. The sun streamed in, painfully sharp between bright green and blue-toned leaves, and the Glade around them was busy with noise. “We had a late night,” she added, lamely.

“The High Warden will see you. If you will come, it would be good if you would hurry,” said Phoreni. She stepped inside, past Rainbow Dash, who rubbed at her eyes and yawned.

“Fluttershy and Rarity are still asleep, I’ll go—oh horseapples.” Dash groaned. “I can’t get back up. Ugh, okay, I guess it’s time to wake up, then. How much of a hurry are we in, anyway?”

“I asked if she would see you—”

“Hey guys! Wake up!” Dash yelled in the general direction of the floor above.

“—and she commanded me to find you and send you to her as soon as possible,” Phoreni finished, unfazed. “Sunrise is time for the first council of a day, and a good time to make introductions. You have not eaten, then, unless your kind eats in its sleep.”

“Nope,” said Dash.

“Rainbow Dash, what in Celestia’s name is going on?” came Rarity’s voice from above.

“We gotta move! Mayor-person’s ready to see us!” Dash called back. “Hey, so, maybe we can get some breakfast after we talk to her?” she asked, turning to Phoreni.

“Eating places are mostly root-level, and she is above in one of the exalted places, but there are a few dining-houses, yes. We can use the warden cantina.”

“Breakfast on the way, girls, come on, chop chop!” Dash yelled, grinning wide. She could go for another nap or three, sure—but if she couldn’t sleep, then they might as well move and move fast. Fluttershy came gliding down from above, a half-conscious Rarity clinging to her and a red bird in her mane. When the unicorn slid off her back, Rainbow Dash noted that her mane had tangled itself around her horn in what was probably the most unique mane style she had ever seen.

“Ten minutes,” said Rarity, her voice dire. She tried to untangle her mane with a hoof, then with her magic. “Make that fifteen. I—we need fifteen minutes, and we shall be ready to go. I am never going to bed with a wet mane again. Fluttershy, where are my brushes!?”

Rainbow Dash chuckled and locked eyes with Fluttershy, who shot her a smile back and helped Rarity look for her grooming kit.

“We’ll be ready to go in ten minutes,” said Rainbow Dash.

“You have one who is flightless among your number,” said Phoreni, casting Rarity a quick glance as though she’d expected the unicorn to sprout wings overnight. “Fortunately, this is not a problem.”

“There’s a way to get up among the branches without flying?” asked Fluttershy.

Phoreni nodded and led them around the tree, heading straight down the slope towards the center of the Grove. “An easier way to our homes? Not as such, but to the Fortress, to the Sunwise Run, and to the exalted places. There must be a way for the young ones who cannot yet soar.”

Once they were cleaned up, clad in saddlebags, and moved outside, it was difficult not to look up all the time. The glowing plants were nearly invisible now; all was sunlight and shadow from the trees. Curiously enough, there weren’t a lot of peryton down on the ground now outside of peryton children in small flocks, but Dash could see a lot of shapes darting around above.

“You could just fly them all up on your backs, right?” Rainbow Dash asked. She tensed her wings a tad to test them, but if anything, they were worse than the day before. Little lightning bolts of pain lanced along the full length of her wings whenever she so much as thought about spreading them.

“We could be so reckless,” said Phoreni, her voice effecting the shrug that her body did not. “Flying items and children up and down is best done as little as possible, but mostly, in case should any monstrous beast breach the Grove, we must bring all the young and the infirm up high, and swiftly.”

“Has that ever happened?” asked Rarity, gasping. “That’s a dreadful thing to have to think about!”

“Yeah, it’s not like we get something crawling in from the Everfree every other week,” said Rainbow Dash, rolling her eyes. “Remember the stomposaurus invasion right before we left?”

Fluttershy nodded quickly. “It did ruin Roseluck’s garden. Again. But we’re lucky nopony else got hurt.”

“We always have the town hall if ponies need someplace to hide,” said Rarity. “It’s not all that different.”

“To answer,” said Phoreni, her voice a little sharp. Perhaps she was annoyed at the interruption. Perhaps Dash imagined it. “It has not happened yet, but is that an excuse? We do not believe it is. Always must we be ready. The Bow is unpredictable, but I am not the one to explain this. The High Warden holds that responsibility.”

“What’s she like?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“What is she like?” echoed Phoreni. She peered over her shoulder to give Rainbow Dash a blank look. “You would not like the answers I could give you, you would think them vague, and it would frustrate you, so there is no point. She is kin, and you will meet her. I will vouch for her as good kin.”

Rainbow Dash decided not to press the point. She was probably right. Arguing with Phoreni wasn’t much fun anyway, and clearly the peryton wasn’t interested in elaborating. Phoreni stared at Fluttershy now, or rather, at the red ball of fluff bouncing around on the top of her head. She’d been unusually energetic this morning, Dash thought.

“I feel I must ask about this bird,” said Phoreni. “Not many birds come to the Grove, because the trees do not suit them, but this one—is it a pet of some sort?”

Fluttershy tilted her head, and Scarlett adjusted, holding on to one of her ears with a tiny claw. “Who?” she asked. “Scarlett? Oh no. She’s a friend. We met on the road, and she wanted to come exploring with us, that’s all.”

“A friend,” Phoreni said, the word as flat as anything could be. Dash grinned privately and shrugged. Most ponies just accepted these things, but she’d seen her fair share of those who didn’t understand or believe Fluttershy’s rapport with animals right away. The peryton didn’t look bothered, though.

“Mhm,” Fluttershy said, nodding and smiling. “Do you keep pets or animals here? I haven’t seen any.”

“We do. Falconeers do their work mostly on the western middle circle,” she said, pointing ahead. “And there are always the ravens—but for our safety and so as to not betray our location, they come to the sentry post, not to the Grove proper.”

Scarlett peeped, chirped, and hopped about, and Fluttershy sucked in breath through clenched teeth. “Oh. Oh dear,” she said. “Um, we’re not headed to this western middle circle with all its falcons, are we?”

Phoreni shook her head. “We are headed to the centre, not the western middle circle.”

Dash squinted at the little bird who let out another set of frantic peeps.

“Oh. Okay, that’s fine. We’ll see you later,” said Fluttershy, going cross-eyed as she looked up at Scarlett, who peered right back down at her and rustled her wings. Scarlett took flight, darting away to disappear among the trees in the exact opposite direction of the group, going east.

“She said she’ll catch us some other time. She… suddenly decided she’s very busy elsewhere,” Fluttershy said, wincing. “She doesn’t get along with falcons.”

Phoreni stared at her. “She has told you this?”

Fluttershy tilted her head. “Of course. How else would I know?”

Rainbow Dash chuckled. For once, it was Phoreni who apparently decided not to press the issue.

Before long, the ground got notably rockier. They were getting closer to the centre of the crater, and idly Dash wondered if trees were supposed to be able to grow here—though they undeniably did.

“What kinds of trees are these?” asked Rainbow Dash. Applejack would probably have something to say about the dirt—or was that ‘soil’? It looked dusty and dry, and she kicked up a small cloud of dust when she scuffed the ground. Huge gray boulders were strewn about, almost all of them carved with symbols. She recognised Helesseia and a set of four wings that might be Selyria, but the rest made no sense to her. Many of them had large blocks of peryton script instead of symbols.

There were no peryton here, and no houses carved into these largest and oldest of trees. Rarity had mentioned the Ponyville Town Hall, and it was all Rainbow Dash could think of that some of the tree trunks would fit the entire building without trouble.

“What?” asked Dash, suddenly aware that Fluttershy looked at her.

“I said I think it’s some kind of Ironwood, maybe,” said Fluttershy. “I’ve never seen trees this large before.”

“Oh. Yeah, okay, thanks,” said Dash.

“And I suspect that is the largest of them all,” said Rarity, a little hoarse.

Dash craned her neck to follow the tree that shot up from the very center of the Grove. Stone lay scattered about, like the giant tree had exploded out of the ground and caused the very crater, and the canopy seemed so far above that Dash expected to see clouds mingling with the leaves.

Phoreni looked about for a moment and made for one of the roots that burrowed into the ground like a crash-landed dragon.

“How did you grow these trees?” asked Fluttershy, her voice full of wonder. “Is it magic?”

“We did not grow it. We gratefully roost in a gift given to us by Helesseia, some of the stories say,” said Phoreni, looking around as though she saw the tree and its sprawling, massive branches for the first time, too. This time, Rainbow Dash caught a toothy smile on the peryton’s face.

“This way,” said Phoreni, shaking her head. She pointed to an arc leading into one of the tree’s roots. She led the way, but paused just inside, blocking the dark tunnel that curved up, then down before disappearing into blackness.

“Is there a problem?” asked Rarity.

“A problem? Perhaps not, but I did not have the mind to bring a lantern. Would you—”

Rarity closed her eyes even as Phoreni spoke, her horn lighting up. Rarity smiled at the peryton. “Say no more, dear. Shall I lead us on?”

“That would be useful,” said Phoreni, stepping aside. Now it was Rarity’s turn to pause at the entrance to the tunnel.

“I suppose this place is going to be full of spiders, isn’t it,” said Rarity, and it wasn’t much of a question.

“They are harmless unless you attempt to eat them in great numbers.”

“Wonderful, yes,” said Rarity, her face scrunched up in disgust. “That’s good to know.”

The shadows played around them as they walked, Rarity’s light constrained by the narrow tunnel that barely left enough space for Phoreni and Rainbow Dash to comfortably walk abreast behind Rarity and Fluttershy—the latter called to the front to aid Rarity with a critical task.

“Ah! There’s another one!” said Rarity. “Right there!”

“Excuse me,” said Fluttershy. “Could you maybe climb up a tiny bit so we can get past? Yes, I know you’re out of reach. It’s just… my friend—it’s okay? Thank you.”

Rainbow Dash tapped her hoof on the wooden floor and waited. A moment later, Rarity moved on, satisfied that the spidery threat had been avoided by a comfortable margin.

“Your rituals strike me as curious,” was all Phoreni said.

“What’s curious is that no one has taken a broom to this place,” Rarity retorted. “Children use these tunnels?”

“Only rarely,” said Phoreni. “We may take young ones up to help cure them of their fear of heights if they are born unlucky—and once, after their birth, to introduce them to the High Warden and the Flightmaster.”

“Flightmaster,” said Rainbow Dash. “Okay, that’s a cool title. What do they do?”

“Ensure that everyone can fly, whose bodies will let them,” said Phoreni.

“So they’re the best flier in the entire town?” Dash asked.

Phoreni gave Rainbow Dash a long look. “The best flier? That is not obvious. They are our best teacher of flight, and the most passionate soul for teaching others these gifts. It exalts one to excel. It exalts one to cause others to excel, too.”

“Yeah yeah,” said Dash, puffing out her cheeks at the lecture and moving on. At least, it sounded like a lecture, but who could tell what went on in the peryton’s mind. Besides, she had a feeling there was something clever in those words, she just couldn’t be bothered trying to squeeze it out before breakfast.

For a while, they walked, and neither pony nor peryton spoke. The tunnel’s curve became more pronounced, and it sloped heavily, going around and around. The walls remained wooden and unadorned, usually the exact same shade of light brown. Once, Rainbow Dash scuffed her shoulder on one of the walls. It was hard to keep focus and not go blind. Everything was utterly unchanging, and it really started to get to her. Finally she spotted natural light ahead. Rainbow Dash squinted and shielded her eyes with a foreleg as they exited the tunnel.

The peryton didn’t sleep in. They were all up here. If the forest floor today was Ponyville’s streets on a lazy Sunday morning, they exited unto the train station in the Hearth’s Warming rush. What had looked from below like natural branches embellished with woodcraft was a seamless, perfect platform. The tunnel had spat them out in the middle of a broad, flat area that ran in a circle around the central tree like a donut.

Dozens upon dozens of peryton moved around them, and while the Ephydoerans were quiet by Dash’s standards, gatherings of people unafraid of using their voices made for a constant din. Some clustered by the edges and many more grouped up by a huge, doorless entrance to the inside of the tree they’d just left.

“This tree is Helesseia’s Promise, and the floor the Warden’s Fortress,” explained Phoreni to the small gathering of ponies. “Around the corner and inside, the High Warden’s Lodge, and the High Warden. There are four levels below, and three above. This is the home of all those who ward. Of all who take the paint.”

Knowing that, Rainbow Dash didn’t see many unpainted peryton around them, and none who loitered. Everyone who moved about did so with purpose, and everyone who talked looked serious. Just as Phoreni had said, another platform made a ceiling above them, and she imagined she could hear the distinctive sound of peryton walking about on branch-and-plank floors above and below.

Though Helesseia’s Promise was certainly the largest of the massive trees, it wasn’t unique. In the distance, Dash could see rings, semicircles and platforms of other shapes and sizes, all of them busy to varying degrees. Any tree that wasn’t studded with peryton houses of some kind had common areas, and she couldn’t even begin to understand what was going on in half of them. From every platform glowed white lanterns nearly lost in the daylight, but also long strings of dormant, smaller multi-coloured lanterns, as though the treetops were dressed up for a party. Were peryton diving from one of the furthest platforms?

“If it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll stay as close to the center as possible,” said Rarity, staring at the edge of the platform. “I realise you all have wings, but would it hurt to include some railings?”

“Heh, don’t worry, I’ll—uh, well, actually, Fluttershy’ll catch you. No problem!” Dash grinned.

“While I have no doubt she will, I’ll be happy to not fall in the first place, thank you,” Rarity retorted with a tight smile.

Rainbow Dash grinned at Fluttershy, though she wasn’t really sure it had been a joke. The more she thought about it, she became sure it wasn’t, but it didn’t really matter; Fluttershy didn’t appear to have heard them. She was still looking all around, her wings tight to her sides. When Phoreni moved, Fluttershy waited for Rainbow Dash and Rarity to flank her before she began moving herself.

“Um, I know you said it’s silly to ask what the High Warden is like,” said Fluttershy. “But what can we expect?”

It didn’t look like Phoreni had heard Fluttershy above all the noise. Rainbow Dash was about to repeat the question for Fluttershy when Phoreni halted by the portal that led into the tree.

“She will likely invite you to join in the Brush Games. You should accept if you wish to earn her respect.” Phoreni gave them a searching look. “It is your decision. Not all wish to have their mettle thus tested.”

“Games? Are you kidding? I’m in!” said Dash, bouncing on the spot. She hooked a leg around Fluttershy and Rarity each. “Bring it!”

“‘Brush Games’? I don’t exactly suppose it’s going to be chess or chutes and ladders, is it,” said Rarity, slipping out from Dash’s grip.

“I hope it’s chutes and ladders,” said Fluttershy, ducking her head and laying her ears flat.

Phoreni raised a brow half a smidgemeter and nodded her head towards the opening. “Come,” she said. “We are expected in the lodge.”

The central chamber of the Warden’s whatever—this tree had entirely too many names—was in fact its only chamber. A roughly circular room had been carved out of the tree’s trunk, large, but hardly covering its entire length and width. Simple wooden benches, desks and tables littered the room, and here was an abundance of something Rainbow Dash only now noticed she’d seen little of in perytonia so far: paper.

Peryton chatted over maps and notes, groups were locked in animated discussions—for Ephydoeran peryton anyway—and in the back, a particularly large group circled a large-scale model carved directly out of the tree’s trunk. The model made more sense than any map Rainbow Dash had ever seen; the painted trees and mountains looked like a huge game board of some kind.

“High Warden!” called Phoreni. “The travellers! Will you see them outside? The map—”

“—is no secret, I will see them here,” finished a peryton from the largest group. She looked like any other Ephydoeran around, an average-sized doe in camouflage paint with a myriad of marks shaved in her side. “Come!” she called, stepping away from the model.

They drew a complete lack of attention. Rainbow Dash was a little disappointed. They were visitors from afar, ponies that these people had never seen before, and they were paraded in front of the town’s guard—or whatever they were supposed to think them as—to barely a glance. The other peryton looked up, registered the ponies, and went back to whatever it was they were doing. Pointing to maps and scrolls and talking, mostly.

“High Warden,” Phoreni repeated, gesturing to the trio with a hoof. “The Ponies from Equestria that Orto mentioned, here at my sufferance.”

“I am the High Warden, and I have been told of your guesting,” she said, “The surprise is not your visit to the lodge, but your presence in Ephydoera. One surprise out of two, then. Less surprise is good.”

She looked completely indistinguishable from the rest of them. Even Mayor Mare had her cravat, but the peryton who stood before them could have been Phoreni’s slightly smaller twin. Fluttershy sketched a quick half-bow, and Dash followed suit. Rarity did the same, dipping her head.

“I am Rarity, and this is Fluttershy—” she pointed, “and Rainbow Dash. We were sent by the Princesses of Equestria, and we’re on our way to Cotronna. We’re pleased to make your acquaintance, miss…?”

Apparently she was Phoreni’s slightly smaller, and also her slightly more expressive twin. The High Warden tilted her head and furrowed her brow, then looked to Phoreni. “Your counsel, Phoreni. Have I been asked a question?”

“Ah, I’m dreadfully sorry,” said Rarity. “I was hoping for a name, but we don’t know your customs. If you wish for us to refer to you only by title, then of course—”

“I have no name. I am the High Warden,” came the reply with a full-bodied shrug. “I will take my name once again when my vigil is over.”

“The High Warden commands all those who take the paint, if they are warders, wardens, or ward in any other capacity,” Phoreni said as though that explained anything at all.

“And you said you are surprised to see us?” Rarity asked. “May I ask why?”

The High Warden frowned slightly. “Because I recall sending word that you should better visit Orto. I did not meet Red Sun Runner myself, but I expected to hear from Orto before your kind trod into Khosta.”

“Is that a problem?” asked Dash.

“We visited Orto, in fact,” said Rarity, smiling at her. “Then Stagrum—and now, we are here.”

“Is it what I had expected? It is not, but it is not an issue, either. I hope you have not found us unwelcoming, but we have talked enough of this for now. There are more important things before you are made truly welcome. You two,” she said, locking eyes with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy in turn. “You will not leave and return to the Grove again.”

“I’m sorry?” asked Fluttershy, drawing back half a step under the High Warden’s stare.

“What?” said Dash, her voice cracking in surprise. “What do you mean? Are you kicking us out?”

“It’s a misunderstanding, surely!” said Rarity, gaping.

“A threat? Exile? A misunderstanding? It is none of these,” said the High Warden. “It is a command. If you are to walk the woods beyond, you will tell Phoreni first. You threaten the safety of the Grove by coming and going so inexpertly.”

“You’re talking about last night?” Dash asked, snorting. “Come on, we were just outside the crater, it’s no big deal.”

Rainbow Dash got the distinct impression that the High Warden had taken all the expressions that the rest of the Ephydoerans did not use. All the other peryton in this town had put their frowns, their glares and their sneers in a box marked ‘High Warden’—and their stares. The way she looked at Rainbow Dash sent chills down the pegasus’s spine.

“Perhaps it is your speech. Perhaps we do not understand each other as well as we could,” said the High Warden. “But you will understand this. When it concerns the safety of the Grove, I do not suggest. I command. If you leave the Grove alone once more, I will see to it that you do not enter it again. Do you understand this?”

“We understand,” said a wide-eyed Fluttershy, nodding rapidly. “We’re very, very sorry.”

“Got it,” said Rainbow Dash, her ears wilting. This time, they did in fact, get some attention from the surrounding peryton, and she’d rather do without the sympathetic looks they got.

“We are understood,” said the High Warden, letting out a deep breath. ”You tell us you make for our kin in Cotronna?”

Rainbow Dash flicked her tail and tried to toss the tension away. It was impossible to tell if the High Warden was still angry with them. She wished Pinkie was here to make them smile a little more, but for now, she settled for letting Rarity speak for them. She edged a little closer to Fluttershy. Just in case she wanted her to.

“Yes, finding a ship proved problematic, and we were advised to take the rather more scenic route by a friend in Orto,” said Rarity, nodding. “If we intend to go to Cotronna by... Vauhorn, I believe it is—the other city on the northern coast—then we’ll be travelling north through the highlands, but we heard there was some trouble.”

“If you say this, then you are well informed,” said the High Warden, nodding gravely.

“We heard from the Bent Feathers. Well, we got a letter, actually,” said Fluttershy from behind the cover of her mane. “They said that some wagons had their things stolen, and that you hadn’t found out who’s stealing.”

Phoreni made a low, growling sound at the back of her throat. “The Bent Feathers should keep words of our movements, such as they know, out of the claws of those not of Ephydoera.”

“Calm, Phoreni,” said the High Warden, fixing her with a look before turning her attention back to the ponies. “These words are not as untrue as we want them to be. Vauhorn now sends tribute through Cotronna by land, or by sea to Stagrum and by land from there. Wagons have been stolen away on the trade road between Ephydoera and Vauhorn, this is correct.” She shook her head slightly. “You should not worry. There are many paths through the highlands. There are many paths north.”

“If what Fluttershy told me is correct, our map only shows two. Or rather, one road, which splits as it leaves the forest, one to Vauhorn, one to Cotronna directly,” said Rarity, pursing her lips. “If you don’t mind me saying, there’s hardly an expansive network of roads around here. Have you considered contacting your high consul about improving them?”

“Did I say roads? I said paths. The two of which you speak are the trade roads followed by caravans, the great wagons.” The High Warden turned about and made for the great wooden model further into the chamber, prompting the ponies to follow.

The carved model centered upon a forest wrapped around a curved mountain range. If Dash had to guess, the forest would be the Khosta, the forest they were in—and they called the mountains “The Bow”? She had no idea how big any of this was meant to be in the real world. Maps. She shrugged.

Someone had put a lot of effort into this model, though. The forest wasn’t just a green-painted area. They weren’t even models: Little trees were carved out of the sheer wood, cut into the ‘table’ itself, which was also part of the tree they called the Promise. The High Warden pointed to two indented lines leading out from the edge of the forest.

“The two great roads are the furrows you see here. They are one beneath the boughs of the Khosta, but split when they enter the highlands. You have options. You may run the edge of the Splitwood. It is safer than the Khosta, even without warders. You may stay closer to the coast where none dwell. Pierce the Splitwood, keep to the dells, the options are many. You do not have to follow the road.”

“If you are suggesting we make some off-road trek, we do have a cart, unfortunately,” said Rarity.

“It is a small thing,” Phoreni said. “These are not wild paths. If you know where to look, and if you are told of them, you may find them, and they will easily take you and your cart.”

“They will… take our—” Dash squinted. “So you’re saying we can probably follow these weird not-road paths?”

Phoreni nodded. “That is what is suggested. Options.”

The High Warden nodded absent-mindedly, her eyes on the model for a little longer. Around them crowded other peryton who moved papers to and fro, cross-checking paper maps with the one on the table, all of them carrying items in the nook of their wings or in their mouth. One leaned forward with their muzzle, gently placing a wooden chit on the table under a tiny carved tree.

For all that Dash was used to ponies carrying stuff around, she couldn’t get past how strange it was to be surrounded by so many horns—or antlers, in this case—and not see them used at all. Then again, Dash thought with a frown, she was the pegasus who’d taken a tunnel to get up here.

“We think too much,” said the High Warden at length. “We have moved along this road you mention many times. We have found nothing, and no signs of battle. We sent a flock of unpainted kin last season without trouble. Dishonest hearts have made off with the tribute, and thieves, weak of mind, will already have scattered.”

“Or Vauhorn claims to have sent the tribute, but lie to avoid meeting their promises,” said Phoreni.

The High Warden snorted. “Rid your heart of the darkness of that thought, warden.”

Phoreni closed her eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling noisily while she nodded. “It does not matter. The High Warden is right. I do not see why anyone would trouble you three.”

Rainbow Dash looked over at her friends, and neither of them seemed to have anything to add. She shrugged. Why would anyone want to trouble them in the first place? The two peryton does seemed satisfied with this only now, after discussing it at length like they were in some strategy meeting.

“I am in agreement,” said The High Warden. She turned her back to the carved map. “Then, before you leave, Phoreni will help you plan a path, but I consider the road safe enough anyway. I am more concerned with a different threat. A far more grave threat to Ephydoera, and one that involves you three.”

“What, more?” Dash asked. Fluttershy shuffled a little closer, and Dash felt her hackles rise. Had they managed to anger these weird peryton in some other way? How easily offended could they be?

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean,” said Rarity, the unicorn frowned slightly.

“The threat is that you should think this is all we do,” the High Warden said. Without waiting to see if they followed, she led the little group outside, circling around to the sunny side of the platform and crossing over to its edge. “There is more to Ephydoera than this here, the heart of our efforts to keep safe. The Brush Games have begun today, as it is the first day of the Seven Suns of the Storm.”

Rarity kept a respectful distance from the edge while the High Warden gestured ahead to another large flat area among the trees. This one only had one main level, but it was built and shaped out of the branches that joined three trees together, an immense flat platform crowded by festive lights and throngs of peryton at work.

“At the Sunwise Run, we prepare for the Brush Games. Not every day is a battle, but time is best spent as Daros in pursuit of Helesseia’s strength, of Selyria’s long gait and of Glandros’ perfection. At noon, we will begin the search for the one who is champion when the storm hits.”

Rainbow Dash could feel herself tense up in the best possible way. She forced her wings to lie still, but could no more stop herself from grinning at the thought of a proper competition than she could fail to read a challenge in the High Warden’s eyes.

“Find your morning meal if you have not already. At the sound of the horn, come show us the skill of your home city.”

Chapter 14

Khaird

I hope this letter reaches you well. Your message was forwarded by Princess Celestia this morning, and along with the message came your quite exotic friend. Since this forces me to write (pft, she’s dictating. Hi, I’m Maven) this letter in all haste so your friend can take this reply back to read to you—and she is being quite insistent about this—please forgive any mistakes in spelling or fact. (ha, I never make amny spelling mistakes, and she never proofreads anyway)

Unfortunately, I don’t have good news. In fact, I am very confused by your request. All this talk about ambassadors and city to city relationships is very much beyond what I can do as a mayor. As Mayor of Ponyville, I am indeed charged with a great many very important tasks (such as underpaying my secretary who does everything actually important), but all the things you ask about are really national matters, and need to be brought before the Princesses themselves. I am not quite sure why the Princess forwarded this to me, no, wait, don’t write that, I can’t be seen second-guessing a princess in an official letter

Perhaps there has been a misunderstanding, but I really can’t help you at all. I did hear that some of the ponies living in our wonderful town have recently gone abroad, and if this is related, I wish to state for the record that Rainbow Dash is not on the City Hall payroll. (yeah she is)

-For Ponyville City Hall, Mayor Mare

“Are the stairs like this for every level?” asked Rarity. “I’m very glad there are stairs at all, of course, but they are a little—”

“Trip-and-you-fall-off-the-platform-and-it’s-really-high-up, high-up-enough-that-it-makes-me-a-little-scared-and-I-have-wings-y?” supplied Fluttershy breathlessly, peering over the edge.

“Yes. That,” said Rarity, keeping close to the inner side of the steps.

The narrow stairs were built onto the outer edge of the platform, leading down to the slightly smaller ring below. Rainbow Dash idly wondered if her wings would carry her in a glide right now. Probably not. She couldn’t make herself worry much, though. After all, Fluttershy’s wings were in working order. At some point in the past, she would’ve laughed at the notion that it could make her feel safer. She’d happily kick that past self.

“Not every one of the Promise’s levels are built like this, but Pelessa has made room for you,” said Phoreni.

“And… that’s not a person, but an Aspect, right?” Dash asked.

“I believe someone mentioned it when I was doing the shaving work, so yes,” Rarity suggested.

“All the exalted places have access from tunnels below, or by bridges above,” Phoreni added, either not answering, or not having heard. She waited at the bottom of the stairs, and Dash hopped down the last four steps. This lower level wasn’t quite as busy. Wooden tables ran all along the outer circle of the platform, and there were various little alcoves cut or dug into the center of the tree, like market stalls, most of which were serviced by unpainted peryton. Some sort of café? It certainly smelled like food, and peryton were eating at many of the tables.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what is an ‘exalted’ place?” said Fluttershy.

“That which is high up and… important?” Phoreni said, her brow knit for a second. “That which is important enough to warrant the young ones seeing it before they fly—but that thinking is circular. Not good enough. The central parts of the Grove, central to our being, not central in space. Is this an answer?”

Fluttershy nodded quickly and smiled. “I think I understand, thank you.”

“Good. As I have told you, what is important is that the Sunwise Run can be reached without wings. Would we let our young miss the games? It is unthinkable. These games happen only once every cycle of seasons, and last only until the storm. Last year, the storm happened upon the first sun, so there were no games.” Phoreni glanced to the side, squinting against what sunrays pierced the canopy. “This year, we have our games for a day at least, and patrols say there will likely be no storm tomorrow either.”

Rainbow Dash sniffed the air and turned her side to the wind without spreading her wings, just enough to taste the breeze on her feathers.

“Yeah, I don’t—” she began to say.

“Probably not—” Fluttershy said at the same time.

Phoreni looked between Dash and Fluttershy, and the two pegasi looked at each other. Fluttershy shook her head and gestured at Rainbow Dash. “Sorry, you go ahead.”

“There’s probably not gonna be a storm the day after, either, that’s what we’re saying,” Dash explained.

The peryton nodded slowly. “Do I believe your words? I may, though I do not understand how you can say this.”

“Big storms let you know they’re coming if you don’t make’em yourself,” said Dash, shrugging.

“I trust you are convinced. I can do little with these words regardless.” Phoreni gestured to a nearby table. “Sit, and I will bring food. You will eat plants?”

“Of course,” said Fluttershy, Dash and Rarity nodding their assent. They made for the free table, Rarity pointedly sitting down opposite of the platform’s edge. Fluttershy sat down next to her, and Rainbow Dash decided against being the odd one out. She sat down as close to Fluttershy as she could get, bumping into her. It was worth it for the look upon Fluttershy’s face, especially as it transformed into a faint blush.

“Remind me never to bring you two to a fancy restaurant as a couple,” said Rarity with a roll of her eyes and a faint smile. “People are staring.”

“No they’re not,” said Dash with a laugh. The only peryton seated next to them was a lone stag who’d sat down at an adjacent table right after they did, and he wasn’t looking. She did have a point in that it looked a little weird with all three of them clustered together, but so what?

“They’ll probably just think it’s a pony thing,” said Fluttershy with a smile of her own. She didn’t actually move away from Rainbow Dash, evidently content with sitting flank to flank.

“Rarity? Can I ask you a question?” asked Fluttershy, quickly glancing over her shoulder to where Phoreni stood by one of the stalls. At least Rainbow Dash assumed that one was Phoreni. It was still hard to tell.

“Of course, dear,” said Rarity, cocking her head. “Something the matter?”

“Oh, no. I just wondered, when we were talking to the High Warden, you didn’t mention what we were doing here exactly. You didn’t say anything that wasn’t true, but you didn’t tell her what you told the Dockmistress in Stagrum, either.” Fluttershy tilted her head. “Was that on purpose?”

“Oh. That,” said Rarity, letting out a sigh of relief. “I thought that going into detail about the sigil and such was a little pointless and irrelevant. All it has done so far is to confuse the people they have in place of mayors. Do you think we should explain? I honestly don’t think it makes a difference. As I understand it, if we’re here at Khaird’s behest, it is to learn about the Ephydoerans. Also, they didn’t react at all when we mentioned the Princesses.”

“We could tell them if they ask, but you’re right,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head. “I just wanted to ask to make sure we agreed. This whole journey is a little bit like a friendship lesson, isn’t it?”

“It’s almost exactly like a friendship lesson”, said Rainbow Dash. “Princess Luna said that she expected a full report and everything.”

Fluttershy furrowed her brow in thought. “I don’t think she ever said that, at least not that I heard, but that would make sense. The Princesses will probably want a long letter when we get home.”

“I don’t expect they’ll need you to take notes. I have the journal, at least—” Rarity said, interrupted when Phoreni rejoined them. She slid a very large bowl off her back with the aid of her wings. The wooden bowl was easily the match for Pinkie’s largest punch bowls, filled to the brim with turquoise leaves.

“I will go collect the water as well,” said Phoreni. “Would you be offended if I asked another to join us?”

“Just leaves?” asked Dash, sniffing at the bowl. It smelled a lot like mint, but there was nothing else below the top layer; just a bowl full of leaves. She did catch a look from Rarity for her inspection efforts, though.

“Leaves,” repeated Phoreni. “And good ones. Foraging is one of the finest arts known to us. The best days begin with food not grown and unpacked, but found. Are foragers not celebrated in your city?”

“We mostly grow our food on farms, but I sometime go look for mushrooms in the Whitetail Woods, and I grow my own herbs,” said Fluttershy. “I don’t think anypony ever celebrated that,” she added, stifling a giggle.

“You do this, but it is not your calling?” Phoreni quirked a brow. “This is curious. Is the bounty of your ‘Whitetail’ such that everyone can freely forage?”

“I don’t think a lot of other ponies like to go looking for their own food anyway,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head. “The only other pony I ever meet there is Cheerilee.”

Phoreni nodded. “Your land must be open, and allow for a great many farms, then.”

Fluttershy looked at Rainbow Dash and Rarity each in turn, but Rainbow Dash didn’t know what to say. Sure they had a lot of farms, but they had a lot of forests, too. Fluttershy was on a roll with answers anyway.

“Well, um, enough to feed us, at least? The heartlands are both plains and woods,” said Fluttershy after a moment, nodding her agreement with herself.

“You’re asking a lot of questions,” said Rainbow Dash, tilting her head as far as it would go.

“I don’t mind,” said Fluttershy.

“I don’t, either!” Dash hurried to say at Rarity’s quizzical look. “You just haven’t cared a lot about—or, uh, well, haven’t asked a lot about Equestria before, but now you’re suddenly curious? Hey, it’s cool and all, I’m just asking, too!”

If there was protest budding in Rarity’s eyes before, now she nodded and looked over at Phoreni at that as though Dash had a point, and Fluttershy looked curious as well. The unflappable peryton took it all in stride with the barest of nods.

“Do I think your observation is fair?” she asked, tilting her head. “It has merit. I am a forest warden. I ward. It is what I do; all I do. I rarely have the time to think of what happens outside our borders. Sometimes not even outside the Khosta, much less Perytonia.” She gestured off the platform with a wing. “When you arrived, I knew I did not have the time to sate my every question on Equestria, and I do not believe in half measures. Do one thing fully.” She looked down at the ground, lost in thought for a second.

“And?” asked Dash.

“And I have lost my battle with curiosity,” finished Phoreni with the tentative beginnings of a smile. “Now I repeat my question. Will you object if I collect someone to join us?”

“Why would we mind, dear?” asked Rarity. “I’m certain there’s room for one more at the table.”

“I ask because I wish to give you the option to refuse,” said Phoreni. “In case the more timid of you do not wish for more company.” Rarity raised a brow, Fluttershy said nothing, and Rainbow Dash blinked.

“Okay, I’m cool with it,” said Dash, looking at Fluttershy, her voice deadpan. “Fluttershy. Would you mind one more?”

“It’s fine?” Fluttershy said, her voice making it a question.

“Then I will return in a moment with the water, and with company, but before I do so, I will say one more thing. The High Warden. She—” Phoreni paused, letting out her breath before starting anew. “One thing is, she commands. It is what she does. If she did not place the safety of the Grove above all, she would not be the High Warden.”

“We understand—” Rarity said, only to be cut off when Phoreni went on.

“Another thing is, your misstep under last moon was my mistake. That you believed it was safe to leave and re-enter the Grove thus? That is not your failing, but mine. I still try to understand what you must be told, and what you do not need to be told.” She let out a soft grunt. “This is my charge, not that of the High Warden, so do not carry dark thoughts of her. If you do, you must tell me.”

“You don’t have to apologise for her,” said Fluttershy, though Dash noticed that she did not meet Phoreni’s eyes, her gaze on the wooden table instead. “It’s okay.”

“We’re fine. You’re not gonna be in trouble just because we decided to take a little walk, right?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Feel free to eat. I will return in moments,” said Phoreni. She didn’t even acknowledge their words, walking off without comment.

“Did she apologise for the High Warden?” asked Rainbow Dash the second the peryton was out of earshot. “That was a really lame apology, and she wasn’t the one who was being rude. The High Warden was. I think?” Dash groaned. “I can’t even decide if I’m sorry or not, it was all just a stupid misunderstanding, who cares!”

“Well, they seem to take that particular misunderstanding seriously,” said Rarity. She hummed as she thought. “Regardless, Phoreni is certainly making an effort to explain, and I don’t think that’s easy for her.”

“Heh. She’s trying, at least,” said Dash, leaning forwards to sniff the leaves again. “I don’t know how much it’s helping.” There was something beyond the minty smell. Spices? Whatever this was, eating presented an obvious challenge.

“No plates? Do you think we’re just supposed to dig in?” asked Dash. The stag sat on the nearby table hadn’t even gotten his food. Clearly this place wasn’t big on service. On a table further away, two does ate straight out of the same bowl.

“I think she’s doing more than just ‘trying’. She’s doing really well,” said Fluttershy, frowning. “There’s no way for us to tell that she understands what we say about Equestria any better than we understand what she says about Ephydoera.”

“You’re still on that? Sure. I’m not saying I could’ve done any better,” said Dash. She grabbed a mouthful leaves, chewing noisily. They didn’t taste like the mint they smelled of, but like limes and peaches mashed together. “I would’ve made a horrible tour guide or whatever,” Dash said.

Fluttershy smiled at that, but only for a brief moment. “Am I the only one who thinks it sounded like she’s actually going to be in trouble because of what we did?”

Dash swallowed the chewy leaves and sighed. “Yeah, she didn’t say she wasn’t getting in trouble. She’s taking a chance on us, I guess, but come on, the High Warden didn’t sound like a complete grump.”

“She seemed perfectly reasonable,” Rarity agreed. “But I still feel a little bad about it.”

“Yeah? Well, you’re the only one who didn’t do anything wrong, so you shouldn’t,” Dash grumped. “Can we just eat?”

“Mm. How is the food?” asked Rarity, glancing about with some concern. “Are we to eat from the same bowl?”

“It’s good,” said Dash, planting her muzzle in the bowl to grab another mouthful. “Mh, tastier than any other leaves I’ve ever had. What’s the matter with sharing food?”

“Hygiene, for one,” said Rarity with a sniff. Her horn glowed softly, and a few leaves paraded out from the far side of the bowl, as far away as possible from where Dash had chowed down and Fluttershy presently went for a nibble. She levitated up a few of the leaves and chewed them one by one, both Fluttershy and Rarity nodding appreciatively.

“Maybe we could return the favour, since Phoreni is being so nice to us,” said Fluttershy, wiping her muzzle with the nook of a leg. “Perhaps we could be a little more accommodating in return?”

“How?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Like, try to be like her? Try really hard not to smile or to laugh, ever? Stare creepily at her and repeat everything she says as a question? I can do that!” She could see Phoreni and another unpainted peryton on their way back.

“Rainbow Dash, no,” hissed Rarity, also seeing the peryton on approach. Fluttershy was caught halfway between a giggle and imploring Dash not to do it, but didn’t matter. Rainbow Dash utterly failed to school her features, bursting out laughing at the panicked face Rarity made. The two peryton did not offer comment at first, placing water bowls on the table. Dash was glad they had brought drinks. Shade or no shade, it was getting hotter. She missed the rain already.

“These are Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Rarity,” said Phoreni, gesturing to the three ponies with quick nods of her head, then to the peryton at her side. “This is Khyrast.”

Khyrast was a little smaller than Phoreni, and Rainbow Dash had them pegged as a doe from the shorter tail-feathers and the colours—light brown dappled with a white that also graced their wing-tips, and a flank unadorned by any symbols.

“Khyrast is a steady companion,” said Phoreni, smiling ever so faintly. “He and I are close. These three, as I have explained under last night’s moon, are ponies from afar, if you recall the missive from Orto. They are under my charge.”

And just when Rainbow Dash thought she had the peryton down pat, she was proven wrong again. Stag, not doe. She wasn’t even frustrated any more. She just went with it.

“They are no threat to you or us?” asked Khyrast, but it barely sounded like a question, the sentence was tossed out into the air like somepony might say nice weather we’re having or Rainbow Dash might say nice weather I made.

“We’re very pleased to make your acquaintance,” said Rarity.

“Hello,” said Fluttershy.

“Do you really think we’re that scary?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Oh, and hey.”

Khyrast blinked. Phoreni tilted her head slightly.

“The whole ‘threat’ thing. You just asked if we’re a threat,” Dash said, pointing to Khyrast, but evidently this didn’t clear things up for him. He looked to Phoreni.

Phoreni shook her head slightly. “It is… common. Not greeting, but habit? The assessment, to understand you as friend or not,” she said.

“Huh, alright. If you’re super worried about ‘threats’, you sure don’t seem to mind letting strangers snoop around your secret fort, that’s all,” said Dash, slurping the water noisily. They shared the two bowls of water without much problem, but it was odd having to wait for others to eat before it was your turn to lean forward for a bite. Rarity’s face as she ran out of places to collect untainted leaves was good sport, though.

“Neither hydra nor glare beast are able to read or understand a map,” said Phoreni, not missing a beat. “And few will make allies of such beasts. Would we let the Heron in there? We would not.”

“This is a very strange topic,” said Khyrast, pushing the perytons’ water bowl towards Phoreni. “Drink, please. You have not had a single draught.”

Phoreni nodded at her friend and did as asked before continuing, her attention on Khyrast. “They use many odd words and have strange manners. You see now what I told you. Two have wings, one has a single antler, a horn, but they are all very different from the others. Three very different people.”

“And the horned one—my mistake, you have a name, of course,” said Khyrast, frowning. “This must be rude to any who can speak. Rarity?”

“That is my name,” said Rarity, smiling.

“I have met one who spoke of the way you used your magic to grace him with your skill, shaved into his side.”

“Oh. He was pleased with my work, I hope?” Rarity asked, clearing her throat. “I did my best in every case, I assure you.”

“Was he pleased? He would not cease talking of it,” said Khyrast, a slight note of laughter in his voice, rare in the usually almost toneless Ephydoerans.

“You speak of Aleisos,” said Phoreni. She glanced over at the ponies. “He does not know how to be silent,” she added, to a giggle from Rarity and Fluttershy both. Peryton gossip. Really, thought Dash, going for the rapidly emptying food bowl to conceal her own grin.

Khyrast nodded, the small peryton eyes crinkling as he smiled. “It is a treat to see someone whose use of magic is skilled and unrestrained, is what I wished to say. It is such moments that makes one wonder if we are too set in our ways.”

Rarity blinked, stunned for a split-second. “Oh. Oh, well, I—I am flattered, of course, I just thought you only used your magic for—that is, if you wish, I could of course try to teach you how I do it? I am sure—”

The stag shook his head slowly, interrupting Rarity’s stammering. “Is your offer kind? I suspect it comes from a bright place, but I, too, am set.”

The unicorn nodded at that. “I see. Well, if you change your mind, the offer stands.” She chuckled. “A common friend of ours would lose her mind at the notion of someone not wishing to learn a spell, but we are all different, I suppose.”

Phoreni tapped the ground with one of her small forehooves. “We may be set and stubborn, but you are not. Khyrast, these are travellers to shame the Bent Feathers, and as you hear, greedy for learning. Perhaps you can gift Rarity instead? Teach her some of our magic? The games are not yet set up, our food is eaten, and none could teach better than you. It would pass time.”

Rarity touched her own chest with a hoof. “Teach me?”

Rainbow Dash stared. “Teach Rarity wing-magic?”

“Will I teach?” asked Khyrast, looking at Phoreni for a long moment, finally tilting his head forwards in a peryton neck-bow. His expression softened. “Because it is you who ask, I will offer.”

“Focus the sum of your magic, all your prongs—”

“I don’t have prongs,” said Rarity, grimacing. Her eyes were closed, and her horn glowed with a faint aura of magic, but that was the sum of all that happened. Next to her sat Khyrast, his entire body glowing with a faint sheen.

Rainbow Dash passed ‘bored’ three stages of boredom ago. At least the platform slowly fell into shadow as the sun moved up overhead. If this was as hot as it was going to get today, Dash was alright with it.

“You’re not very protective of your magic,” said Fluttershy. “That’s a good thing, of course, just, um. I’m sorry, I don’t know what else to say.” She sat by Rainbow Dash’s side, the pegasi and Phoreni watching Rarity and Khyrast over by another table. The two had begged relative privacy closer to the center of the platform, still within earshot. “Not that I ever thought you wouldn’t want to share, either,” she rushed to add.

“Is your magic secret?” asked Phoreni, the simple question accompanied by a slight head-tilt and a blank look.

“I don’t think so,” said Fluttershy, looking askance at Rainbow Dash.

Dash shrugged helplessly. “Beats me? I don’t think pegasus magic can be taught, but I bet if Twilight met someone else who could use like… horn-magic or antler-magic or something, she’d probably be all over trying to teach them everything she knows, and learn everything they knew.”

Fluttershy giggled. “She would. I guess we’re lucky if unicorn magic and peryton magic translates at all, anyway.”

“Yeah,” said Dash. “Heh, Rarity’s really going at it, though. Wonder what’s gotten into her. She really wants to learn this wing-magic.”

Fluttershy bit her lower lip and nodded. She looked a little less pleased with this. “I hope she doesn’t hurt herself. I haven’t seen her this intense in a long while.”

Phoreni stared at the two pegasi while she drank deeply from the one remaining water bowl, then shook the wet from her muzzle. “To correct your words just now,” she said. “It is not wing-magic, it is body-magic. The wings are only one part of the body, and your friend does not have wings. She may learn to strengthen her other assets—if the magic ‘translates’, as you say. Or she may learn nothing. If it can be taught, Khyrast will teach it. He is uniquely suited to it.”

Four pony ears perked at that, and two heads tilted to various degrees. That gesture “translated”, at least. Phoreni fixed her eyes on her peryton friend, and again she smiled, something she’d done a lot more since he joined them.

“Among many other things, Khyrast is a teacher of this magic, of our only magic.”

“Oh. Okay, cool,” said Dash, trying to sound like this fact interested her a lot more than it did.

“I’m sure Rarity has said so already, but even if it doesn’t work, thank you for trying to share it,” said Fluttershy.

Phoreni’s eyes were still on Khyrast. “Few things are so sacred or secret as not to be shared. This I should have told you when we met, before I accepted the charge. Do not ask for the secret of our paints, do not pluck any bright yellow flowers with red leaves—it will ruin the foragers’ bounty next year—and do not do violence to us.”

“And stay away from trying to get you to say ‘yes’ and ‘no’,” added Dash with a short-lived chuckle.

Phoreni shrugged. “If you wish for the list of what is considered rude, we will be here all day, but you cannot give such insult as to make me wrathful without trying, I am sure.”

“Speaking of all day,” said Rainbow Dash, shifting her weight a little. “What about these games?” She’d been wanting to ask for a while now. Ever since they had been told about the games, truth be told, but people kept talking about other stuff.

“The Brush Games,” said Phoreni. “What of them?”

“I dunno, tell us about them!” Dash said. Her blood was up in an instant at the thought of a proper contest. “How do we compete? Do we have to sign up? What’s the prize? Last pony—or peryton—standing when the storm hits, how’s that work? Lay it on me!”

“It would be nice to know a little more about them, at least, if you don’t mind telling us,” said Fluttershy by way of support.

“I can explain,” said Phoreni, finally turning her attention to the two ponies in full. “You already understand we are heading to the Sunwise Run, where many of the games are held.”

“We don’t know what that is, but yeah,” said Dash.

“It is where all the games that do not require swimming or stalking happen, where most will wait to watch, where those who do not compete will encourage those who do.” Phoreni pointed off into the trees towards the large platform Rainbow Dash had seen earlier, wedged between three trees.

“That is the Sunwise Run,” she said, those last two words spoken with weight now. “All games are open to all who wish to compete, though our young may not join the stalking, for fear of losing them in the forest. I suspect stalking will not be of interest to you, either. It involves knowing the lay of the land, and skill at not being found. You would be at a disadvantage not having the former—and perhaps for your more vivid colours.”

“So, it’s a little bit like hide and seek? I can be very quiet,” said Fluttershy, smiling.

“Hiding? Evading pursuit by the hunters. If you stay still, you will be found, and you will enter the chasing,” said Phoreni. “It takes a toll on the body.”

“Oh. Chasing,” said Fluttershy, her ears flat against her head in a second. “I think I’ll pass. Chasing is bad. I don’t like chasing. And being chased is even worse.”

Rainbow Dash snerked and extended a wing the tiniest bit, just to poke Fluttershy with a single feather. “You can just pretend that they want to invite you to watch the dragon migration and you’d never be found or caught.”

Fluttershy exhaled through her nose and gave Rainbow Dash the mildest of glares. “So, what other games do you have? Are there any that aren’t as, well, scary?” asked Fluttershy.

“And that don’t require you to fly?” asked Rainbow Dash. She grimaced and managed to just barely get one wing lifted away from her body without spreading it. “I busted my wings a bit. Hydra fighting and flying hard and all that.”

Phoreni made a sympathetic noise and nodded. “This does not surprise me. You have spoken much of flying, but I have not seen you take flight since our meeting. Will you be well?”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be fine, I just need to stay out of the air for a few days.” She closed her eyes and sighed deeply as she felt Fluttershy’s hooves both under and over her wing-joint, the other pegasus gently feeling her way around. Though Rainbow Dash didn’t hesitate in calling herself an expert on wings and feathers, Fluttershy knew her way around muscles better than Dash did. Fluttershy stopped all too soon.

“I just wanted to see if you were still tense,” said Fluttershy, letting go. “Sorry.”

“Sure. Thanks,” said Dash, blinking heavily and shaking her head. “Uh, we were talking about what? The games! Yeah, so, any cool non-flying things?” she asked, desperate hope creeping into her voice. Just when she’d found peryton who liked flying, she was grounded. What if Phoreni didn’t think she was any good at flying at all?

“That is what we were talking about,” said Phoreni, nodding. “There are no flying games, and wings are not allowed in any of the contests. That is why they are the Brush Games. The Cloud Games are held in the cold season, the Brush Games at the bridge between summers.”

“Oh,” said Rainbow Dash. She couldn’t decide if that was lame or awesome, but it was convenient at least.

“The stalking I have mentioned, and it happens outside the Grove. Swimming is held at the Glittering Pools to the west, and the rest are held at the Sunwise Run. There are games of circles, of speed, of agility, of wingless jumping—”

“Wait, hold on, circles? As in, toss the flat frisbee thingy?” asked Dash to a questioning look from Fluttershy. “I played that in Orto!”

“Toss the flat ‘thingy’.” Phoreni repeated the words slowly. “That… I suppose that may speak of the same game. Some games are not unlike other games played in other cities. I know that Stagrum holds swimming competitions every summer as well. It was told to me by a trader who took an interest, but the games are not the same every year. That is why I cannot tell you exactly what the contests are; they change and we improvise when we must or wish. The tests of agility change, the run changes,” she tapped her hoof on the wooden floor as she rattled the items off. “Swimming can not change much, the stalking is the same, circles may have the rings changed—”

“How can you tell who’s the best if you change stuff all the time?” asked Rainbow Dash, frowning. This made no sense at all. “You don’t have records?”

“Records? Written ones?” Phoreni asked.

“Kinda! Like, an all-time champion at circles? The fastest run ever?”

Phoreni shrugged. “We do not. That would scatter the focus of the contest in the now. What matters is the champion of any of the games this season, and anyone may compete. Child or adult, warden or forager, everyone is welcome, and when we change the terms, some who would not otherwise compete may be tempted into trying.”

“I think that sounds wonderful, really,” said Fluttershy, smiling at Rainbow Dash. “Isn’t it good if more people try their hoof at something?”

Rainbow Dash gave a grudging nod. “Okay, yeah, I suppose that’s cool. But there’s still a winner, right?”

“Of course. There must be a champion for each game, and they get the honours, but if renown is your concern, there is always the joust. The joust never changes,” said Phoreni, glancing off the edge of the platform. “But sunlight is changing. I will explain it on the way. Khyrast!”

Rainbow Dash hadn’t looked over at, or even thought about Rarity and the other peryton for a good while. The unicorn hadn’t moved at all, focused like she only ever was when working on her designs, horn still softly glowing. Khyrast muttered a few words under his breath and sauntered over to their table.

“I am needed?” Khyrast asked.

“The midday horn will sound soon, and we have flightless among our number. We must move if we wish to be at the Sunwise Run in time for the opening,” said Phoreni.

Now that she mentioned it, Dash noticed the café-or-whatever platform they were on had become increasingly empty over the past hour. The lone stag at the neighbouring table left without having eaten anything, and even as she watched, some of the peryton managing the stalls put food away and leapt off the platform to soar—most towards the Sunwise Run.

“I did not think of the flightless,” said Khyrast, nodding. “You have foresight. I will take Rarity along the ground-paths. Will we all go together?”

Phoreni looked to the pegasi, frowning. “It will take longer by ground. I had thought to ask these two if they would like to see the other high places, to show them some things that may be new to them—places I would like to see if I had not seen them. I have now learned that Rainbow Dash has been reckless and can not fly today.”

“Hey, I busted that wing fighting your hydra,” said Dash with a snort, but it didn’t get much of a reaction. She’d be angry about it if that was the full truth. Dash deflated a bit. “Meh, I’ll go with Rarity then.”

“Oh, um, maybe we should all go together, really,” said Fluttershy.

“What, you don’t want to see the city?” asked Dash. The idea annoyed her. For a split second she thought it was envy—and sure, that too—but there was no point in them all missing out. “Just go with Phoreni. You get along fine, right?”

“Will I mind? I am willing, but it is your decision to make,” said Phoreni, shrugging.

Fluttershy hesitated only for a second, then nodded. “Okay. If you’re sure you’re alright with it,” she said, shuffling her wings. “Um, both of you.”

Rainbow Dash gave Fluttershy a lopsided smile and ground the top of her head against the other pegasus’ neck, giving her a little push. “Why would I mind? That’s stupid. You go on, we’ll catch up.” She stuck out her tongue. “Catch up. Ugh, I don’t think I’ve ever said that before.”

Fluttershy giggled and spread her wings in full, nuzzling Rainbow Dash. Now it was Dash’s turn to fight a blush, her cheeks tingling ever so slightly. She hadn’t expected Fluttershy to be affectionate in public. This was all backwards. Her wings itched. Backwards and awesome.

“Hey, uh, want me to take your saddlebags?” asked Dash to distract herself.

“I think I can handle it,” said Fluttershy with a smile, walking with Phoreni to the edge of the platform.

“Right, have a good time and stuff,” said Dash, waving.

“Fly straight ahead until I turn, you do not want to ascend or descend for a little while when you leave the Promise,” said Phoreni, fixing Fluttershy with a stern look. “Else, you may collide those who leave other platforms.” Fluttershy nodded her understanding, and they were off, just like that. Rainbow Dash scratched at her cheeks with the nook of a leg and turned to Rarity and Khyrast who wrapped up their lesson, talking in low tones by their table.

The tunnel inside Helesseia’s Promise was every bit as cramped and awkward going down, even with just the three of them. Rainbow Dash had to walk a cramped and creepy tunnel because she couldn’t fly. Just like how the stairs back up to the middle platform had been awkwardly narrow without any other—or a very specific—pegasus around as backup: because she couldn’t fly. It had been less than a full day, and already she had to work hard to force herself to think of other things.

“So, magic stuff going well?” asked Dash, breaking the silence.

“Well,” said Rarity, exchanging a brief glance with Khyrast. “It is a little hard to gauge my progress because I’m an adult learner, and while Khyrast’s teaching is very pedagogical, it’s hardly intuitive.”

“Is it because it’s not unicorn magic? Twilight’s taught you a lot of spells, right?” Dash asked, ducking under a thin, low-hanging branch that somehow stuck out from the inside of the tunnel wall.

“And I’ve taught her a few in turn,” said Rarity, nodding. “But yes, that may be it. We even tried to see if Khyrast could grasp one of my spells, and, well. It’s not quite that easy.”

Khyrast nodded as well, the gesture larger on his bigger frame. “I know the location of every locus in the peryton antler. I suspect unicorns have fewer, but the way I understand Rarity’s instructions, she asks me to do many things I cannot, so they are stronger or different.”

“Uh, hang on, I thought you didn’t want to learn spells,” said Dash, trying to think back.

“Were those my words? I do not recall them exactly,” said Khyrast. “I felt it would be a wasted effort as I would never use them, but I am a teacher, and I have a love for knowing,” he added with a shrug. “I did not want to impose, but when it became relevant to my task of teaching? It was not a waste.”

Rarity nodded and smiled appreciatively. “And if you someday change your mind, what I told you might help you figure out grooming magic and such.”

“That is not impossible. I simply have no desire to do this, not now,” said Khyrast, sounding almost cheerful. “And you have made progress on our magic, too.”

“Did you figure it out? Show me!” said Dash, grinning. “C’mon. Flaunt it!”

Rarity chuckled. “I made progress, that doesn’t mean I have it figured out.”

Khyrast tilted his head, one eye on Rarity. “You are a fast learner. Your aptitude for detail and finesse is unlike anything I have ever seen,” he said. “You can apply the magic, but you are perhaps too restrained. I cannot teach you to lose restraint.” He clucked his tongue.

“We still talking about magic, right?” asked Dash.

“I should think so,” replied Rarity, pursing her lips.

“Am I? For peryton, magic is tied to the body and the mind. I expect it is the same for you. So, I may or may not be,” concluded Khyrast.

Dash nodded. “Okay. Cool. So, topic change, tell me about the joust!”

Rarity blinked. “The joust?”

Khyrast let out a low sound that might’ve been a chuckle, echoing and soon lost in the wooden tunnel. “You are eager for the games. I see energy in you like I do in some of my students. I will tell you of the joust.”

“It’s one of the games,” Dash told Rarity, moving a little closer to walk right behind and between the two. “Sounds like it’s the most important one.”

“The joust is the most central game to the Brush Games, and it is the game to end each day, held when all other games are done,” said Khyrast, his eyes ahead. They exited the tunnel, filing out onto the ground in the shadow of the great tree. He didn’t pause to look around like Phoreni had, immediately turning around the great root that housed the tunnel entrance to walk them up the side of the crater whilst he spoke.

“I do not know what Phoreni has told you of the Brush Games, so in simple terms? Each game will have a winner for the day, though all who participate are celebrated. When the games end, the winner for the last day becomes champion—and remember, the games end when the storm hits, so all must try their hardest every day.”

Khyrast turned them left, following the trunk of another great tree. For a while they walked in its deeper shadows, the air a little cooler. He stepped over a rent in the earth made by a root just barely poking up from the ground.

“Mind your step,” he said, smiling. “Now, the joust alone is different. Most joust only once, and so, the champion is the one who performed the best on any one day. There is no winner for the one night.”

“Sure, but what is it?” asked Dash, moving around to walk abreast the others, pinning the peryton with a stare. These weren’t simple terms. This was everything she didn’t need to know. “What do you do?”

“We enter the arena with the intent—”

Dash suppressed a groan. “Okay, let me try again before you say a bunch of wishy-washy stuff. Imagine you’re jousting right now. What do you do. What’s the challenge? What does your body do?”

Khyrast shrugged. “We charge at each other, lock antlers, and try to wrestle each other to the ground.”

Dash’s elation at finally getting a clear answer was short-lived. She hopped over a rock rather than go around it. They’d stopped climbing, and circled around the center of the Grove now, making for three huge trunks in the distance.

“We don’t have antlers, though,” Dash said, her excitement solidly blunted. She glanced over at Rarity, assessing her horn, and the unicorn must’ve seen her intent.

“Darling, if you think I’m going to run at someone and risk receiving an antler in my eyes, you must be mad,” said Rarity. “I don’t think I even want to watch that from the stands.”

This time, Khyrast did laugh. It was a short burst, a caw so quickly ended that it almost sounded like a cough, but it was obvious he worked to keep his face straight. “Injuries do not—well,” he corrected himself. “Do they happen? It is very, very rare, and usually a sprained muscle in the neck at worst. The object is not to harm.”

They finally neared one of the three great trees of the Sunwise Run, and they weren’t alone on the ground. Scattered groups of peryton were on the same heading as they, moving towards the three trees, all of them with one or more children escorted by adults or adolescent peryton. The excitement in the peryton was palpable even if they didn’t jump for joy: the stoic and reserved Ephydoerans were noticeably more animated.

“You’ll forgive me if I remain unconvinced,” said Rarity after a moment.

Khyrast nodded slowly. “Will I accept that? I must, but let me try to explain again before you think we are brutes who fight for sport. The winner is not the one who wrestles the opponent to the ground. The winners are they who provide the most delight. The ones who surprise and elate. In most bouts, there will be a winner, but the ones who fight are not always opponents, and no one truly ‘loses’. These are ancient games, but they have long since lost their purpose of proving strength. We have other games for that.”

“Then how do you tell who wins?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Do you... vote?”

“In a sense, you are right. The High Warden, the First Nurse, the head of teachers—that is myself—and others will discuss it, but we listen to the drums of hooves on wood, the applause that appreciates the best story told on the Sunwise Run.”

“You make it sound like theater, like a play being put on,” said Rarity.

“Is it a play? It is that, as well. In many ways, it is an expression of what it is to be Ephydoeran,” Khyrast said with a nod. He pointed to one of the many busy tunnels set in the tree before them. “Let us ascend.”

The Sunwise Run wasn’t as big as the Ortosian plaza, but that didn’t save Dash from the shock of exiting the tunnel and stepping onto the large, flat area high in the tree-tops. Standing on the Sunwise Run felt more than a little surreal.

The three neighbouring trees interwove as though they were trying to hug each other close, but the branches that touched were all nearly perfectly level. Any gaps were filled with expertly fitted and smoothed woodwork—or at least Dash assumed that was the case all over. She could only see a bit of patched wood nearby; once they were over the threshold of the tunnel’s exit, she could see very little else at all. Peryton were still a fair bit bigger than the ponies, and it only took a small crowd to block their view.

That left her with looking up. If she had doubts that the platform would hold the entire Grove, even with it being a lot smaller than the cities of Orto and Stagrum, the solution lay in the trees. Hollows had been carved into the trunks above, with galleries and small viewing platforms both jutting out from the main trunks and resting on the higher branches. Many of them were empty for the moment, and a team of three unpainted peryton does busily worked on another spectating spot right overhead, using hoof- and mouth-wielded tools and some sap-like fluid on pieces of wood.

“Those are certainly not without… artistic merit, but I don’t know that I recognise them,” said Rarity.

Rainbow Dash followed Rarity’s eyes along the trees higher up still, to right above the uppermost galleries before the trees became a mass of branches and leaves to block out the sun. Each of the three great trees had a figure sculpted into it, far larger than any stone stele or other carving they’d seen so far.

“These three watch over the Brush Games and all other games held here at the Run,” said Khyrast, and Rainbow Dash got the distinct impression he wasn’t explaining, but reciting what he must’ve told hundreds of young peryton through the years. “From the tree to our left, Helesseia presides over those who gather, bringing strength and the fires within and the fires without,” he said, gesturing to a regal peryton with its snout pointed skywards and massive wings wrapped about itself, obscuring its body.

“To our right, Selyria protects those who come here to compete, warding our journeys and dreams, ensuring all our safe returns.” Dash frowned at the imposing sculpture of a peryton with a sharp beak rather than a muzzle, many-winged and rearing up, powerful body in full view making it look very different from the abstract sculptures of Selyria that they’d used for cover during so many nights so far.

“Finally, above us, Glandros encourages us to seek to exceed our own limitations. Though these three watch over us, most relevant of all the Aspects, there are smaller carvings to give each of the Aspects their place at the Run.”

Rainbow Dash craned her neck to look up, but it was impossible to get a good look at the sculpture right above them excepting a large hindleg and a closed talon kicking out. She shrugged. “They don’t look like the stuff we’ve seen before.”

Khyrast nodded at that. “I once guested one from Vauhorn who said the same. That they were curious. These are very old. If that makes them wrong to some, then those are words to which I have no response.”

“I think I rather like these less abstract, more… personable depictions, myself,” said Rarity, still looking at the Helesseian statue far above. When she finally managed to tear her eyes off it, it was to look around them, bringing her face to face with what Rainbow Dash had already gotten frustrated with: the crowd. “Hm. Unless we wish to spend our time watching peryton flanks, this isn’t a very good spot. Where should we go? Rainbow Dash, dear, do you see Fluttershy anywhere?”

Rainbow Dash gave Rarity a blank look that the unicorn didn’t notice. Without her wings and the ability to fly up and look, Dash didn’t have much to offer in that regard.

“We will have to push forward for a good spot, but there is time still,” said Khyrast, stepping aside to let a pack of younger peryton past. He ushered the ponies away from the tunnel entrance, to a quiet spot in the shadow of the tree they’d ascended, right under some empty galleries. “If you will wait here, I will find my love, and your friend. Phoreni explained that you have difficulty telling us apart, and the yellow one will no doubt be lost in the crowd for her smaller size, hard to spot by herself.”

“Your love?” Rarity asked with a gasp. “I did not know you were—do you marry? Oh my, I never realised that I never thought to ask, how do your relationships function?”

“Rarity, come on, we’ll never get to the games if we keep talking!” Dash groaned.

“Dear, that is not how time works,” Rarity retorted.

“There is nothing to tell. Ours is a love like but unlike many others. I like to think perhaps it is stronger than most,” said Khyrast, his neck stretched to look over the forest of antlers. “I think I see her pride. I will be back.”

“Quite the romantic,” remarked Rarity dryly when Khyrast disappeared into the crowd. She glanced about, then sat down against the wall of the trunk behind them, curling her tail around her.

Rainbow Dash didn’t comment, still trying to get a good look at the center of the Run. Every now and then she got a clear view of what she thought was some sort of stairs going down closeby. Maybe it wasn’t all flat after all. A trio of painted peryton looked as though they would walk past, but at the last moment, one of them pointed to the ponies.

“—the ones who left the Grove under last moon,” one of them said, words partially drowned out by the crowd. “Why are they still here?”

The smallest of the three peryton nudged the speaker in the side and pointed ahead. “They are Phoreni’s charge, do not—”

Whatever else they said, Dash couldn’t hear. The short peryton nodded at them, entirely expressionless, and they moved on. Rainbow Dash felt the back of her neck tingle unpleasantly.

“Did you hear that?” Rarity asked.

“Yeah,” Dash said. “I guess we were right. Phoreni’s stuck her neck out for us. Ugh.”

“Quite the turn-around for someone who didn’t seem very keen on the responsibility at first,” the unicorn remarked. “Let’s be grateful rather than dwell on the past, hm?”

“I know,” Dash grunted.

“But, we were speaking of romantics,” Rarity said, and Dash could hear the smile in Rarity’s voice alone. Rainbow Dash felt her entire body tense up, ready to run. She looked up without thinking, finding no clouds to hide behind. That particular reflex that had served her well when Rarity wanted an unmoving model, or Applejack wanted to talk about—she didn’t know what, something uninteresting. Apple farming?

“I trust that things are well between you and Fluttershy so far?”

Dash sighed, exhaling the tension away. She didn’t know what she expected, but that question was harmless enough. She turned around on the spot and wandered over to sit next to Rarity in their little nook.

“Yeah, things are pretty good,” Dash said, smiling lazily.

“Pretty good?” Rarity asked, one brow arched. “You seemed very close just now, at breakfast.”

Dash grinned at that. “Heh, yeah, we were, weren’t we? Nah, things are great. I just don’t want to mess this up—ugh,” she crinkled her snout in disgust. “Which I’m not gonna, obviously. Jeez, when did I get to be this lame?”

Rarity chuckled. “I think I would be more worried if you weren’t at least a little bit nervous—even you, Rainbow, dear.”

“Whatever,” Dash grumped.

Rarity shook her head and smiled, inspecting one of her forehooves. “Well. I hope you understand that if I’m here for you. For both of you. But I am glad if things are going well. I doubt either you or Fluttershy are going to do anything to hurt each other, anyway.”

“Of course not,” said Dash, frowning. If there was anything even more unthinkable than Dash messing something up, it was Fluttershy doing the same. She leaned back against the tree. “Stuff’s just different, you know? Talking. Touching.” She felt her ears warm up a little bit, but as long as she ignored it, it didn’t count.

“I should think so,” said Rarity, smiling at her.

“A lot of stuff’s been very different,“ Dash added, her eyes on the mess of peryton bustling in front of them. Stuck waiting here, she got tired just from watching it, so she closed her eyes.

“I won’t argue with that,” said Rarity. “At any rate, perhaps it’s a little early for me to even ask how things are. You’ve barely been together for a day, but you sound like you have a handle on it, so to say,” she added, like it was the simplest thing in the world. “I know you’ve been friends for longer than I’ve known either of you, but I like to think I know each of you, too. In fact, I probably know things about either of you that you don’t know about the other, which is—”

“Like what?” asked Dash, popping one eye open to stare at her. “What’d she say?”

Rarity let out an exasperated sigh. “She has said nothing, I am saying that I like to think I know you two. I’m trying to… lend a little authority to what I was about to say before you so rudely interrupted me.”

Dash perked her ears as subtly as she could. “Which is?”

“Which is,” said Rarity, her voice prim, “That because I know you two, I can safely say that as long as you trust and love each other, you will be wonderful together.”

Part of Dash wanted to laugh because it sounded too corny. Another part of her wanted to laugh because it was obvious. Instead, she just nodded dumbly, so maybe there was a third part to it all.

“Yeah, we will,” said Dash. Sure, they were different, but she wasn’t going to let that stop them. Silence settled over the two ponies once more as Dash again watched the Ephydoerans. Stern-faced wardens patrolled here and there, and though they gathered and talked in groups, none of them were half as animated as any of the Ortosians or Stagrumites ever were, and the green and blue-painted peryton would look almost as out of place in Stagrum as the ponies did.

It wasn’t like Dash and Fluttershy had to be all that different, anyway. All the touching and nuzzling promised to be more fun than she’d expected, too.

If her wings weren’t acting up, Dash might’ve insisted they go flying in the treetops yesterday, and who knows how that would’ve worked out? If Dash got some crazy idea into her mind that she wanted Fluttershy to try, Fluttershy probably wouldn’t have been half as happy with how the evening had turned out. Rainbow Dash would’ve had to watch Fluttershy’s smile fade, hesitant and pained until she relented—or didn’t.

Instead of doing something Rainbow Dash would’ve liked to do, they met in the middle. Or, they did something Fluttershy liked, really, but making Fluttershy happy made Rainbow Dash feel good, too, so that was a win.

“Hey, thanks,” Dash added, a little more quietly. She felt a hoof on her side, but Rarity didn’t say anything else. Dash was thankful for that, too, content to wait in silence.

“There you are!” said Rainbow Dash, jumping up to stand when she spotted three familiar faces emerging from the ever-growing crowd. “Did you get lost or something?”

“We’re sorry we’re late,” said Fluttershy, trotting over to grab both Rarity and Rainbow Dash in a tight hug around their necks. “We spent a little too much time elsewhere, so when we got to the Sunwise Run, there were too many people here. We weren’t allowed to land. We had to use the tunnels. Poor Khyrast has been looking for us forever, and we weren’t even here!”

“Yet, when we did arrive, his memory played tricks. He said he left you under the protection of Selyria, but here you are, in Glandros’ charge,” added Phoreni with a quick glance up at the tree that gave them shadow.

“Let us save a portion of blame for later. You were late. Maybe we should meet in the joust and settle it,” said Khyrast, but it didn’t sound like a challenge or even an argument. Rather, the two looked at each other and smiled. Phoreni even shifted her wings on her back a little, though Dash didn’t know if that meant anything to peryton. Was she excited?

“The treetops of the Grove were a little scary,” said Fluttershy, low so only Rarity and Rainbow Dash could hear. “But it was a lot of fun, too. I wish you could have seen it. I’m sorry.” She squeezed them tight before she let go.

Dash leaned forwards to push up under Fluttershy’s jaw with her snout, grinning. “Come on, if you hadn’t gone, none of us would get to look around.” She stared at Fluttershy’s saddlebags. They bulged. “Did you get find anything cool? What took you so long?”

“I’ll show you later,” said Fluttershy, smiling, her cheeks still glowing from the nuzzle. “Phoreni told me all about the joust. Did you see the other games yet?”

“What you see here,” said Rarity, gesturing to their little corner, “is the extent of our exploration.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, moving a little closer to their two peryton friends, who talked in low tones by themselves. At least, she’d decided to think of them as friends, despite their weirdness. “Hey, wanna go do whatever it is you do? Find some games?”

“That is what we are here to do,” said Phoreni, pointing towards the middle of the platform with her antlers. Where peryton had been milling about in every direction before, chatting and whatever else, now there was a general movement inwards. “Let us get a drink from a water carrier and make for the center.”

The ‘center’ was in fact the vast majority of the Sunwise Run. Rainbow Dash didn’t often wish she was taller—and she’d have to be an awful lot taller to see over the crowd anyway—but it was stupid to think how long they’d spent waiting on what was just the outer ring, especially when a quick hop and a hover would’ve shown her everything if she had the use of her wings. She’d guessed right anyway: There were in fact stairs, and while those stairs ran the entire length of the imperfect triangle of the platform, it was only a few steps making vast and broad concentric depressions. It let them get an overview, though, and probably served as seating.

Below, peryton set up all kinds of contests. One large flat area was covered in what was either sugar or brilliant white sand, and peryton ferried in some large, odd-looking saddles. Right ahead, just down the steps, peryton assembled a high jump, and further on, more of them set up large, vertical rings next to a small track that reminded her a lot of the Ortosian game of circles.

Scattered groups of peryton sat on the stairs all around with bowls of food and jugs of water. While it wasn’t as claustrophobic as the streets of Stagrum, it was plenty crowded for collisions. Rainbow Dash yelped as something struck her in the side and whirled around.

“Hey, watch where—” she began, sighing when she came face to face with a wide-eyed peryton half her size. She grinned. “Careful, squirt,” she finished, a little more quietly. She reached out to ruffle the little thing’s lack-of-mane, maybe give her a light noogie or something, but the child darted off.

Dash rubbed at where the short, blunt antlers had poked her in the side, vaguely aware that Fluttershy looked at her, boring a hole with a smile.

“What?” Dash asked, squinting.

“Nothing,” said Fluttershy. Dash felt her cheeks heat up and stepped a little closer so her shoulder touched Fluttershy’s. Rarity and the peryton were talking. If they were gonna stop for a second, she might as well be comfortable. She spotted an obstacle course of some kind in the distance, and at the far edge of the Run, painted peryton flew around the rim of the platform, probably telling others to use the tunnels.

“You’ll be careful, won’t you?” asked Fluttershy, frowning at her. “Some of these games look a little scary.”

“I don’t need to be careful,” said Dash, grinning. “I just have to win. And hey, that goes double for you. The winning and the careful stuff.”

“Oh, I don’t know that I’m going to compete,” said Fluttershy, her tail drooping.

“Seriously?” asked Dash. “Look around! This isn’t some sort of Equestrian Games or whatever, this looks more like, uh,” she paused, thinking. “I don’t know, a hang-out. Look at it, nearly everyone’s working on setting up stuff! It’s like that snowball fight that broke out in the market square last winter!”

Fluttershy chewed her bottom lip and looked down at all the preparations. She nodded slowly. “Maybe? If we go together, I’m sure I could try, but I don’t know.”

“They said it’s all about trying. All their children are competing, too,” Dash pointed out.

Fluttershy nodded slowly, her wings brushing against Dash when she let them hang a little loose. Dash felt a little stab in her gut at that. Was she doing it again? Was she trying to egg Fluttershy on? She looked at Fluttershy, searching for any trace of reluctance—

“I’m sure I could try the game over there,” said Fluttershy, pointing to the far side where they were setting up the variant of circles. “It looks almost like a party game.”

“Sure, that sounds cool,” said Dash, masking her sigh of relief with a smile. She’d already decided she wasn’t going to ask again if Fluttershy said no, but it was obvious that Fluttershy was at least a little excited, too. Her ears were straight and her wings free. “Let’s go see if they want help setting it up? You gotta at least watch me try the thing over there, too—” Dash said, pointing to the sandpit. “—whatever it is, I want in.”

Fluttershy giggled and nodded. “I’ll try my best cheers.”

“Rarity! Wanna come play circles?” asked Dash. “We’re hitting that one, then the sandpit, come on!”

“I still don’t understand why I can’t toss the discus with my magic,” said Rarity with a small frown of distaste as she held the brightly painted wooden hoop to its matching base. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised with the Ephydoeran stance on magic—excuse me! Is this alright? It’s not too close to the other ring?” she asked, receiving a nod from the games master before continuing her diatribe, “—but I still don’t like the idea of biting this discus thing.”

“Seriously, you’re still not over it?” asked Rainbow Dash, giving the hoop Rarity held a whack with a hoof. It settled with a satisfying click. “Biting on to things to grab them isn’t new to anyone who isn’t a unicorn, you know.”

“I’m not trying to insult pegasi or earth ponies, if that’s what you’re implying,” said Rarity, rolling her eyes. “For goodness sake, Rainbow Dash, am I not allowed to have some hygienic standards?”

“Um. I… don’t think it’s not insulting when you put it like that,” said Fluttershy, tilting her head. She pushed the next hoop-stand a little, aligning it with the others. “I don’t mind, really, but…”

Rarity huffed. “Well, I’m sorry if I came across as rude, but I hope they wash it between uses. I can’t be the only one who thinks so. Do you think that’s everything set up?”

Dash looked about and shrugged. A few other peryton groups who’d been helping out now milled about aimlessly or sat down on the ground. “Dunno. The stag with the red scarf thing around his hindleg stopped barking orders at people, so probably?”

It had taken seconds for Phoreni and Khyrast to introduce the ponies and explain that they were here to play, and the peryton in charge accepted it instantly. Perhaps it was because of Phoreni’s paint? The peryton seemed to listen to those who wore the blues and greens of the wardens, and if Khyrast was some sort of super-teacher, that couldn’t hurt either.

Then again, the more she thought about it, the less Dash believed it mattered. The peryton seemed far more concerned with setting up their games and having a good time than they were with pointing out that the ponies were different. Dash just couldn’t decide if that made more sense, or less sense in this place where the peryton had neither the Ortosians’ curiosity nor the Stagrumites’… whatever it was they’d had. Dash accepted a drink from a water carrier who passed by. The barrel-bearing peryton were lifesavers, every one of them.

“Okay, so, how’s this work?” asked Dash of nopony in particular, scrunching her snout.

“I suppose we ask the ‘games master’ person,” suggested Rarity. “I don’t even know the rules.”

“In Orto, you just ran around the track really fast, then tossed the flat thingy onto another flat thingy,” said Dash. “Then someone helped you up, did some math, and told you you’d lost.”

Fluttershy giggled. “That sounds like half of a story.”

Dash snorted. “Nah, that’s the entire story, really. This isn’t exactly the same though.”

“Are these the rules in full? You understand half of it,” came a familiar voice from behind. Dash froze and grimaced. It wasn’t that the peryton were very sneaky, but she wasn’t good at picking Khyrast out of a crowd yet, which meant he appeared as though from thin air all the time.

“You probably throw the discus through as many hoops as possible?” said Fluttershy, gesturing to the wooden targets they had set up. A tunnel of ever-shrinking hoops led away from the circular track. The first hoop was wide enough for Dash to jump through. The last few were barely wider than the discus. To top it off, they’d been asked to set them up in a slight curve.

“That is what remains the same from year to year,” said Khyrast with a nod. A small distance away, the games master had laid down on the ground, legs tucked together as he talked to some particularly young peryton, gesturing to a discus as he talked. Maybe they were being taught the rules for the first time.

“You mentioned some changes,” said Rarity. “You change the distance between the hoops?”

“And the curve. Twelve seasons ago, we changed the scoring. Usually, it is circles ran in thirty beats of the drums multiplied by the rings cleared.” Khyrast paused to look at the children flocking to the games master, and it was hard not to join in his smile. A whole new generation of athletes. Of discus-tossers, at least, Dash corrected herself.

“D’you have a smaller discus-thingy for the children?” Dash asked.

Khyrast shook his head. “A separate discus for the little ones? We have not made one such, but see the pride when they run their first lap and clear the first ring.”

Dash grinned. “Alright, that’s cool. Where does the line start? Do we get more than one try?” she asked, hooking a foreleg around Fluttershy’s neck. “Let’s give it a go!”

Khyrast frowned for a fraction of a second. “I hope you do not misunderstand the spirit of these games. I should have asked how you conduct your contests of skill, but we do not make ‘lines’. You may try as often as you like, but do not be greedy. If you have a bad throw, you may try again, but take a moment to watch and celebrate others’ efforts before you take another turn.”

Rainbow Dash nodded along quickly. “Alright, as many tries as I’d like, and the best one at the end of the day is the champion. Got it!”

Fluttershy made a small noise of protest when Dash made for the games master, a needless clearing of her throat that was almost lost in the low drone of peryton talking all around them. Rainbow Dash wished she’d missed it, but she didn’t, so she stopped as surely as if her tail had been caught in a doorway.

“Rainbow Dash? Maybe we should let the children go first? We can watch for a little while,” said Fluttershy.

Dash slouched, sighed, hung her head, lay her ears flat and dropped her tail for good measure. “Fine.”

Watching the young peryton try their best at this variant of circles wasn’t as bad as Dash had expected. The group of five settled down by the track-side while the youngest of peryton challenged themselves, and most of the awkward, long-legged balls of downy fluff and claws and blunt antlers gave it their all. Even the ones who didn’t want to try were made to at least lift the discus.

While Dash waited for her turn, the others passed the time with aimless chatter about the history of the games. This variant with the larger track and the hoops was apparently really old—Rainbow Dash didn’t really pay much attention. She rested against Fluttershy’s back, lazing in the midday heat. Having a girlfriend meant having a portable pillow. Dash didn’t stir until the last of the children had run three whole laps, the dizzy stag chucking the discus in the completely wrong direction.

“Gotta love the speed on that one at least,” said Dash, rolling over and getting up. She raised a hoof and cheered, her voice lost among the hoof-stomps and laughter. “Nice going, kid!”

Phoreni stretched as she and the others all rose to stand. “Now, perhaps we should all give it a try?”

“About time!” said Dash. “Hey, you never mentioned the prizes. What do we get when we win?”

“It varies. They fit the contestant,” said Phoreni, leading the group towards the games master by the edge of the circle. “Last time we held the Brush Games, the winner of circles was a warden. He got to choose his next patrol. The winner of the high jump was a toolmaker, and I believe she was gifted some very fine pots for her gardens. The closest friends of the contestants usually help find a suitable reward, and to be asked help find the reward is an honour.”

“That sounds like a lovely custom,” said Fluttershy, nodding and smiling brightly. “That way, you know that they’re going to love it.”

“Yeah, but you can’t put pots or whatever on your trophy shelf,” said Dash, though she honestly didn’t care that much. It wasn’t about the prize so much as it was about the winning—but it’d be nice to know what she was going to get.

“Let’s give this a try then,” said Rarity, fluffing her mane. “I will go first, unless you mind terribly much?”

“I don’t mind,” lied Dash, trying very hard to stand still while Rarity approached the games master. The unicorn was given a discus—accepted with a bare minimum of grimacing before she bit on to it—and instructed to take her place in the circle. Dash had expected that people would pay more attention now that the children were done playing around, but the atmosphere didn’t change much. Some of the spectating peryton started up a steady beat of hoof on wood. Where one set of hooves would be a sharp noise, together they made an echoing drum.

“Rarity the unicorn”, said the games master, the words obviously foreign and awkward to him. “Thirty beats when you are ready. Glandros watches.” It wasn’t a loud announcement, and there was no official go signal. It confused Rainbow Dash a little. She thought she’d delivered something of a white lie when she told Fluttershy this was nothing like the Equestria Games, but now she suspected she’d accidentally told the complete truth. It put the other pegasus at ease, at least. When Rarity began running—well, cantering, really—Fluttershy tapped her hooves along with the beat, and Dash did the same.

“She must be very precise, to take such a leisurely pace,” commented Khyrast when Rarity was on the opposite side of the track.

“Do not be rude,” chided Phoreni. “Their legs are shorter.”

“Come on, faster,” Dash called, protesting their comments with a loud cheer. “Move those legs, girl!”

And so Rarity did. She broke into a gallop for the last fifteen beats. When the unicorn came to a stop by the curved line of hoops, she flicked her head and tossed the discus in an elegant arc through two of the hoops before it hit the side of the third. The drumming broke into light applause, and Dash stomped her hooves as loudly as she could to try to kick it up a notch.

“Five rounds and two hoops, it makes for ten points,” called the games master. Rarity bowed left, right and center before she made her way back to her friends through a few polite nods of acknowledgement as the applause scattered.

“You hold the record,” said Khyrast, nodding slowly. “If you wish to try again later, you may want to see if you can give magic to your legs, perhaps.”

“You did very well,” said Fluttershy smiling. She got up and hugged Rarity lightly, and the unicorn beamed. Dash gave her a little hoof-pump when she looked her way.

“I did feel a little dizzy, I have to admit. I don’t have much practice throwing things in that manner,” said Rarity before frowning. “Khyrast, dear. Did you just say magic? I thought magic wasn’t allowed?”

“The rules are to throw it with your body,” said Phoreni.

Khyrast nodded. “That is the game, to throw using your body, but there is no rule against magic. This puts you at a disadvantage without body magic, but you did well.”

“That is an incredibly inconvenient technicality,” said Rarity, huffing.

“You did your best,” said Dash, trying to sound impressed. “Hey, you could’ve run all the way and probably gotten more laps. You should try that next time!”

Rarity chuckled. “And get all sweaty? Please.” She shook her head. “Fluttershy, dear, would you like to try? None of the others seem to be rushing to it.”

“They will be waiting for our group to finish,” explained Phoreni. Sure enough, there were plenty of other groups of peryton around the track who gave the three ponies and their peryton friends the occasional glance.

“Okay, I can try,” said Fluttershy. She resettled the wings on her back as she got up, pressing them tight against her sides, and Dash immediately leaned over to rub her cheek against Fluttershy’s wings, saying nothing at all. Fluttershy rustled her wings and let them hang loose again, smiling at Dash.

Feathers no longer tortured, Fluttershy stepped into the ring and accepted a discus. The drumming started up again, and Fluttershy closed her eyes for a second, her chest heaving with a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again and sought Rainbow Dash, Dash already looked right back at her, grinning wide.

“You got this. Crush it,” said Dash. Fluttershy probably couldn’t hear her, but the sentiment of her grin got through. Fluttershy put her head down and kicked off—straight into a gallop, turning tight around the track.

Rainbow Dash didn’t know it was possible to feel so good doing nothing at all. Her wings quivered as Fluttershy ran as hard as she could, her mane trailing behind her. There she went, her girlfriend giving it her best. Rainbow Dash yelled something—probably something encouraging, but she didn’t remember what. Now Dash was up on all fours, stomping both her forehooves with every beat.

Twenty-seven beats. Twenty-eight. She wouldn’t make another lap. Fluttershy stopped by the hoops, flinging the discus with the momentum of her run. The wooden thing flew straight through the first three hoops before it missed the curve.

“Awesome!” Dash called. Was the applause louder now? Maybe it was just on account of Dash’s thundering hooves alone. When Fluttershy made her way back towards them, Dash met her with a tight hug around the neck.

“Eight rounds, three hoops. Twenty-four points,” announced the games master. Dash could feel Fluttershy’s breath steadying while her heart still hammered away. She held her close for as long as she could without making it weird for their friends. Fluttershy was flushed but smiling, and Dash touched her own snout to hers.

“That was awesome,” Rainbow Dash repeated under her breath. Fluttershy said nothing, reaching out to wrap a wing around Dash’s neck for a second, leaning her head against her.

The mushy stuff came at a price, though. When Dash didn’t seize the initiative, Phoreni instead made her way to the track, and Dash bit back a groan. At this rate, winter would come before she got her turn, but whatever. She joined in the drumming beat once more, tapping her hooves alongside Fluttershy, Rarity and Khyrast.

The disappointment of having to wait a little longer didn’t last. When Phoreni stepped into the ring, the peryton did in fact perk up a little. They were all a tad more alert, and when Phoreni’s antlers pulsed with light that shot down to her hooves and claws, Dash’s impatience transformed to a touch of concern instead. Phoreni shot off around the track fast enough to kick up dust.

The warden’s hooves scrambled for purchase, but she leaned into the curve until she lay nearly flat. Dash could see her hind-claws dig into the wood, could feel the draft with each of the peryton’s laps. Dash stopped drumming, lost in simply staring, watching. She lost count of the laps. Phoreni ground to a halt, her rear touching the ground with the abrupt stop, waiting a few precious seconds to take a deep breath before she flung the disc. It sailed through the first four hoops, curved through the fifth, and though it hit the rim of the sixth target, it bounced through.

“Eleven rounds, six hoops makes for sixty-six points.”

Maybe the peryton hadn’t woken up before now because, from their perspective, the children were still playing up until this very moment.

Dash snorted at her own dramatics and brushed away the cold tendrils of fear—no, of mild concern—that were trying to get at her heart. She could beat that score. Easy.

Chapter 15

Fluttershy

Thanks for coming along for dinner, and for giving Winona a good look, too. Ever since you came by, she’s been happier than ever. Right now she’s stood by the west fence barking in the direction of your cottage. I think you’ve made another friend. D’you mind terribly much if I let her out to visit you sometime? I expect you’ll say it’s no trouble, but you’d probably have to bring her back by the scruff from the look of things.

As for what we talked about after dinner? Hoo boy. I guess I owe you an apology. Writing ‘sorry’ is a lot easier than it is saying it in person, and I’m sorry if I acted a hard-head last night.

I get that you and Rainbow Dash go way back. If you’ve got a handle on things and if that’s how the two of you work and that’s something you’re fine with, I won’t stick my snout where it doesn’t belong. I’ve never seen stranger friends, but I’m not one for making enemies either. You make her sound like a stand-up pony, and I hope she knows she’s lucky to count you as a friend. Maybe I’ll be friends with her too, one day, just like you said, but we’ll see.

That's that done with, anyway. Don’t be a stranger. And let’s talk over the fence in the future if you don’t mind. Easier than these letters. I nearly spilled ink over the ledgers writing this out.

Ps: I forgot to mention one thing. If that whole mess was about getting you to do the hymn introducing Princess Celestia at the Summer Sun Celebration, that puts us on the same team! The Apple family’s providing the catering on the occasion, so maybe we’ll run into each other setting up and all.

Pps: Granny Smith says this Summer Sun’s gonna be “a bad’un”. Mind you, she says that every year, so don’t put much stock in it. She wanted me to tell that to “that pretty young filly without a voice to her muzzle”.

-AJ

Rainbow Dash couldn’t beat Phoreni’s score, much less that of the lithe stag who scored eighty-four points later. If she took the time to match their throws, she couldn’t beat their laps, and if she gave the running her all, she threw wide every time. She never came close to their totals. When she went for a second run right away, nobody batted an eyebrow, but after her fourth go in a row, Phoreni suggested they maybe take a tour of the other games before returning.

They went back for another shot every once in awhile, but there were a lot of other games, too. More than they’d initially seen, in fact. Some contests didn’t require much space, relegated to the edges of the platform, and some games were only now being rigged up. Wherever they were, the games usually had the same problem: Even if they let entrants of all sizes and ages play, a peryton with freaky magic and twice Dash’s body mass always had the advantage when wings were out of the question.

The peryton didn’t seem as concerned with winning, either, and maybe that was an advantage as well. It certainly ruined Dash’s concentration. She winced as she felt her hindleg touch the bar, landing on the soft stack of mats a moment later. She’d failed her high jump again. Rainbow Dash groaned and flopped over on her other side. Fluttershy and Phoreni walked towards her. Khyrast and Rarity were probably still off getting a meal somewhere.

“I’m sure you’ll make it next time,” said Fluttershy, offering a hoof to help her up. Dash ignored it, rolling off the mats to stand.

“It doesn’t matter. My target was a full hoof lower than what the others are jumping, and almost two lower than the record!” said Dash. “I bet I would’ve done better at that weird sand-run if the weights actually fit my body.”

Phoreni nodded slowly. “You may have. Your endurance is not lacking, but I again urge you to think on the fact that winning is a target, but also unimportant. One tries to win, but it is not the goal, not the thing to be gained.”

Rainbow Dash had heard a million variants of that over the course of the day. Though the sun waned, Phoreni was not out of new ways to try to tell her that the games were supposed to be about fun and celebration and all that other stuff. Dash nodded and shrugged. “I know.” Of course she knew, and she was having fun, but winning was what Rainbow Dash did. Just like Rarity did Rarity things, and Fluttershy—

“Hey, Fluttershy. You gonna give this a go?” Dash asked as an afterthought.

“Oh. I don’t… think so? I think I’m alright, that’s fine,” said Fluttershy, her eyes remaining on the jump target. Rainbow Dash gave her a long look.

Fluttershy had seemed content to watch for most of the day. Dash could probably convince her otherwise, and it’d be awesome to see Fluttershy give it a try—especially if she gave it her all like she’d done at the game of circles—but pushing the issue might just make Fluttershy unhappy. She looked fine right now, but things were better if Fluttershy could be more than fine. They’d have to find something Fluttershy wanted to do, later.

“That’s cool,” said Dash. She grinned at the memory of Fluttershy’s first attempt of the day. “Hey, you had the record at circles for a few minutes!”

Fluttershy’s smile fell a little bit. Her eyes lingered on the high jump for a moment before she gave Dash her full attention, nodding. “I did, but I don’t think that counts for much, really.” She gave a weak giggle.

“That’s more than I managed,” Dash laughed. “Maybe there’s time to give it one more go?”

Phoreni craned her neck to look past the peryton who moved about. There seemed to be a lot more movement now than before. “Do I believe you have time for another attempt? I do not think that you do. Sunset comes, and with the horn at sundown, the joust. Let us be swift and find our friends. Good seats are a treasure.”

It was about as energetic as Phoreni had been so far. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash exchanged glances as they followed their peryton friend around, finally finding Rarity and Khyrast by one of the tunnel exits. The two of them had brought food, and in twice as much of a hurry now, the two locals led them towards the central arena.

The biggest single area of the Sunwise Run was another few steps down from the main games floor. It was easy to see why they had chosen the endurance running arena for the joust they kept going on about: The large, unmarked oval space was visible from the outer steps as well as its closer, inner stairs, giving peryton ample choice of seats with good view.

All those seats were needed, too, now that the other games ended. More peryton flocked in from the tunnels, and the edges were cleared to let more of the Ephydoerans land, many shaking wet off their wings or picking branches out from their feathers.

Minutes later, the group sat on the lower part of the inner stairs, just behind most of the younger peryton. Dash would’ve considered complaining about being stuck with the children if it wasn’t so necessary. She shifted a little to the side so one of the few adults in front didn’t block her view—not that there was a lot to look at just yet.

“Now what?” asked Dash. She leaned over and grabbed one of the roots Rarity and Khyrast had brought for snacks.

“Now we wait for everyone to get seated,” said Phoreni.

“Careful, dear,” said Rarity. “They’re meant to be scraped with your teeth, They’re much too hard to be bitten and chewed.”

“I knew that,” said Dash, pausing her efforts to bite off a piece of the root. “But where do we sign up? Is there a games master?”

Phoreni shook her head. “A games master? Nothing so formal. Those who have ideas, challenges, thoughts, stories, or something to show will do so. The only true formality is the speech at the horn.” She gave Khyrast a long look, and the other peryton took a draught of water before he stood. He seemed oddly stiff even for an Ephydoeran in that moment.

“I dread this moment every year, you must know,” said Khyrast, stretching his neck side to side.

“I am aware you do not love it,” replied Phoreni. “I am also confident you will add to Helesseia’s tales with your gifts.”

“You’re giving a speech?” asked Fluttershy. “Oh dear. There’s an awful lot of people. Um, good luck?”

“I am, and thank you. I and some others will speak,” said Khyrast. “The High Warden, the First Nurse, the First Forager, the Tender and all others who will speak as a matter of tradition.” He shook his head and carefully made his way through the thickening crowd, heading for the center. It was easy to pick out a dozen or so other peryton who made way for the arena. Dash recognised the one painted peryton as the High Warden—or pretended to, anyway. It didn’t matter.

Finally the last of the daylight disappeared. The exact moment of the sunset was unclear under all these leaves, but that, Dash assumed, was what the horn was for. From the center of the Grove sounded a weird, long noise that could easily have been a strange bird’s call except for its volume. The oddest, hoarsest—and only—bird-horn Dash had ever heard.

With the darkness settling in full, the luminescent plants around the Grove that Dash had almost forgotten about became a lot more apparent. The luminescent mosses, berries and vines glowed twice as bright as last night, to say nothing of the colourful lanterns from the galleries and branches all around them. In a long moment, the Sunwise Run was transformed into a prismatic protest against the darkness, and a hush went over the crowd. The peryton in the center of arena formed an outwards-facing circle.

“The Brush Games,” said the High Warden. “Are a story of how far we have come. Are we the creatures we once were, that we barely remember, struggling to elevate ourselves above—”

Dash zoned out. Her eyes glazed over, and her desire to pretend to be asleep was tempered only by the fear that she might blink and wake up tomorrow to find the games were over, her chance to compete lost. Instead, she chanced a very subtle ahem, trying to catch Phoreni’s attention. Phoreni glanced down at her.

“Hey, so, don’t we need antlers?” Dash whispered. “How am I gonna—”

“We would listen to this,” said Phoreni, cutting her off. “It is tradition.” The peryton fastened her eyes back on the speakers. Dash took a deep breath and sighed. Some other unpainted peryton spoke now.

“—the dual nature, these games held where earth meets sky—”

Nope, still boring and infinitely less important than the question of how she was going to win if she couldn’t wrestle with antlers. Yes, sure, it wasn’t an actual fight. Dash got that. Fighting friends wasn’t cool any way you shook it, but even if it was just a little bit of wrestling, she didn’t have the right equipment.

Fluttershy moved a little closer, placing her saddlebags in front of Rainbow Dash. Dash had nearly forgotten that Fluttershy had done some unexplained shopping earlier. It was almost enough to distract her.

“Fluttershy, if you had fun shopping and all, that’s cool—” said Dash, lowering her voice a tad when Rarity hushed her and glared, “—but unless you got me a pair of antlers—”

“I got two pairs of antlers,” whispered Fluttershy, pushing the saddlebags open to reveal two pairs of antlers.

“You got two pairs of antlers,” said Dash.

“I did,” Fluttershy replied, sounding and looking almost as confused as Dash felt. Confused or excited. Confused and excited? She couldn’t tell. The two pegasi stared at the antlers for a quiet moment, their presence as sudden and absurd as the time Pinkie Pie procured the hoof-paint kit at the last Royal Dinner—but a lot more convenient.

“—take a moment to look ahead? We will do this, but also stand frozen for a moment and tell the stories of this day and its infinite truths—” drifted Khyrast’s high-pitched, almost doe-like voice past the pegasi.

“Seriously, what the hay, Fluttershy,” said Dash, unable to keep the laughter from her voice as she opened the saddlebags further to find delicate, ornate harnesses attached to the antlers.

“When Phoreni told me about the joust, I asked her how ponies would compete without antlers, and she said that the antler-locking was really important to the joust,” Fluttershy whispered, pulling out the other set of antlers, a matching pair like the first, both in wood with swirling patterns painted in a forest green.

“Since these games are so important to them, they make these for peryton who lose their antlers, or are born without them. That’s not a lot of peryton, but they care a lot about giving everyone a chance to compete.” She ran her hoof along one of the antlers’ lengths, smiling at it.

Dash nodded appreciatively. That was cool of the peryton, of course. Almost as cool as having a set of antlers of her own. She grinned wide and tried to put on a pair, thrusting her head into the harness and fidgeting with the straps. Fluttershy had gotten two pairs, though. Maybe they were prone to breaking? Dash looked at the other pair, then at Fluttershy, and she hadn’t meant to ask a question. Hay, she didn’t even know what the question was, but Fluttershy answered anyway.

“I got two pairs,” Fluttershy whispered, smiling. “Just in case.”

“Awesome,” replied Dash. “Hey, help me out here.”

Fluttershy nodded and leaned in close, but it still took a little work before they had it properly secured so it wouldn’t shift about when Dash turned her head. Phoreni didn’t say much, probably both because she was listening to the speeches and because she already knew Fluttershy had these, but Dash would be lying if she didn’t admit that she enjoyed the weird looks Rarity gave them. By the time the speeches finished and the peryton all stomped their approval in a low, politely floor-shaking applause, Dash had a brand spanking new pair of antlers.

“How do I look?” asked Dash, smirking. “Best-looking peryton ever, or best-looking peryton ever?” She looked up trying to see if she could catch a glimpse of her antler-tips and froze when something poked her in the back of her neck. Her own antlers, of course. Fluttershy giggled, and Dash tilted her head to try to tickle Fluttershy with her new headgear. Fluttershy scrambled away with a yelp.

“You look ridiculous, stunning, or possibly both,” declared Rarity, shaking her head through a smile before she looked to Phoreni. “Are you sure this will be alright? And safe?”

“Don’t sweat it, jeez, she said it’s fine,” Dash said.

“Is there a chance of injury? A risk as small or great as any day. Unless you wish to hurt or be hurt, you will not be hurt,” said Phoreni. She nodded in the direction of Khyrast who forged his way back to the group. “And here comes the speaker,” Phoreni added.

“Ask if I am pleased with my performance, and I will tell I am pleased to be done for another year,” said Khyrast, sitting down next to Phoreni, his eyes on Dash with an unabashed smile of his own. “And I see we have young peryton among us, ready to take to the joust.”

“Can I just head right in there? Who do I fight?” asked Dash. She bucked the air and gave a little whoop.

“I think perhaps some lessons are in order, first,” said Phoreni, eyeing Dash’s hindlegs.

“Jousting lesson? Hey, are wardens good at this? Sign me up!” Dash said with a cheer.

Phoreni snorted. “Any child can lower her head and charge at someone with intent to harm. Sit and let others joust. Learn before you act.”

Rainbow Dash felt all the energy she’d built up, all the spirit with which she’d charged her body sink down to rest at the bottom of her hooves. “Right. Lame learning,” said Dash, slumping back down to sit.

“First, the challenge, the declaration of intent,” said Phoreni. In the distance, some of the peryton stood up, and both Phoreni and Khyrast did the same. All around them, seated and lying peryton rose to stand on all fours—children and adults—a large portion of all the peryton gathered at the Sunwise Run standing tall as if called by some unheard signal.

“We show our willingness to join the joust. Few of us will joust under this moon, but to stand is to show that desire, to be marked. Is it weakness not to stand? Not at all, but for many it is personal pride. See how many of the young ones rise.”

Phoreni actually smiled as she talked, animated and displaying sharp teeth in what Dash had long since taken to understand was peryton showing they were pleased. Part of Dash found it odd that Phoreni explained when Khyrast was the teacher of the pair, but her thoughts were scattered a second later when the peryton spread their wings.

The sound of hundreds upon hundreds of peryton spreading their wings, though they were neither synchronised nor hurried, was one of the strangest things Dash had heard in all her life. While far from loud, the vast, echoing rustle filled the air in a way that made her coat-hairs stand on end.

“All who are marked,” said Phoreni, her voice low and her eyes straight ahead, “stand ready with conviction in the stories they wish to tell. In the message they wish to send. In the pride they wish to show.”

Rainbow Dash meant to say something, but her words were whisked away by the faint unnatural breeze that the shifting wings sent about her, air displaced by a thousand wings like an earthquake caused by a million shrugs. She meant to stand as well, but she couldn’t make herself break the spell. Nothing moved any longer. She only barely managed to look at her friends and note that they stared at the sea of peryton wings just like her, wide-eyed and breathless.

The peryton rarely spread their wings unless they were flying, but now the ponies were surrounded by brown, grey and white wings, of colourful male feathers, of painted wings touching and overlapping. Wings spread among the trees and in the galleries, wings back-lit by lanterns white and coloured, and wings nearly lost in the darkness, countless peryton all staring across the empty arena. Was this a contest, too? Rainbow Dash could read neither Phoreni nor the huge crowd.

“All of us who stand would joust,” Phoreni said under her breath, more quiet still. “But will we stand for hours until our legs give way? We will cede ground without shame.” Khyrast furled his wings and sat. He was one of the first to do so, but soon, many of the others followed suit. More and more wings packed up and peryton sat or lay down until most of them talked quietly among themselves. Phoreni sat down as well.

“So whomever stands at the end ‘fights’?” whispered Rarity, her gaze still roaming the crowd. Quite a few still stood, but the number of wings on display dwindled.

“Not always,” said Phoreni, taking a drink from one of their water-bowls. Dash shook her head to clear her mind, reminded that food and water were things. She grabbed some leaves from a bowl Phoreni had procured from somewhere while the warden explained. Dash avoided spearing Rarity with her antlers when she made for the food, which was a nice plus. How did the peryton manage to avoid getting stuck everywhere?

“If two who are unfamiliar stand in the end, they are likely prideful, and will joust,” Phoreni continued, though Dash couldn’t tell if that was a yes or a no for Rarity. “If two groups remain, perhaps they will all march for the center and joust. If two who know each other stand, ready to joust as friends, and one lone peryton has the will to joust as well, the lone one will cede ground—look now, this is what is happening.”

At the inner ring, near the very front of the arena, a large grey-white doe stood with her wings spread in full next to a small child with tiny wings flared. Across the arena, and not far away from the ponies, two lithe peryton stood a small distance apart, and one by one, the two lone challengers furled their wings and sat. Only then did the doe and the child step into the arena.

“It will be a story of a storm weathered,” muttered Khyrast. “It is a good opening. With no Brush Games last year, this will be the first joust for many children, and something familiar is wise.” He shook his head slightly. “Sharos places a lot of faith in her youngest, however. He does not have many seasons to his name.”

“He will win, I am sure of it,” retorted Phoreni. “Her fawn is brave.”

“Is… is she going to fight her own colt? Or, her own child, I mean,” Fluttershy asked, clutching her mane with a foreleg.

“It must be some kind of play,” said Rarity, placing a hoof on Fluttershy’s side, though she sounded unsure. “Surely?”

“You are both correct. This is why you will learn before you joust,” said Phoreni without looking at them. If it was a stab at Dash’s eagerness, the comment barely grazed her, and she neither asked nor protested: Dash was busy watching, still riding the high of the energy displayed during the weird and awesome stand-off a moment ago when the joust began.

The little stag was the tiniest peryton Rainbow Dash had seen yet. His walk was unsteady on legs too large for his body, and he kept looking up at his mother as they slowly made their way to the center of the arena. The adult, by contrast, had striking colours for a doe. Her greys and whites were sharp and the colours barely blended at all. She was tall and powerfully built, head held high as she marched the child into the middle of the clear space, only looking down at the fawn when she turned to face him. The size difference was immense. He could’ve comfortably nested in her antlers.

The doe stomped the ground hard. Dash heard Fluttershy’s sharp inhale at the sudden move, and there were scattered gasps among the younger peryton seated in front of them. The fawn stiffened in fright, but he lowered his barely-formed antlers in response. A moment later came the crowd’s reply.

First, a single stomp, and then another. The hooves fell in with each other, taking up a slow beat nearly perfectly in synch. Dash looked around to see if she could spot who had started it, but it came from everywhere. Down in the arena, the doe now walked great circles around the fawn, and he turned on the spot to keep facing her. She completed a half circle, and moved in to stomp again. Thud. She used both forelegs this time. Another half circle. Still he followed her. Thud. She moved closer with each stomp, with each circle, putting more of her body into it.

The rhythm sped up ever so slightly. The steps gained half-steps. Thud thud thud. Thud thud thud. The doe sped up. Did the crowd speed up in response to the doe? Did the doe speed up to match the stomps? Rainbow Dash couldn’t tell.

“He wavers,” said Khyrast.

“He will hold,” said Phoreni.

Soon, the doe could make her circles no tighter, could move no faster. She bounced from forelegs to hind-claws in a mad dance around her child until she came to a stop stood above the little fawn. Rainbow Dash could see his disproportionate hindlegs shaking, but still he kept his antlers facing her. The crowd’s hoof-stomps had become a steady rumble now, still building, impossibly fast, impossibly loud, no longer sound but a feeling, a tide. The doe leapt back and lowered her body to the ground, coiled like a spring.

She charged forward. Her antlers and her legs flashed bright with magic, and she spread her wings. Even from where Dash sat, it made for an imposing sight, and the pegasus sat frozen, barely noticing Fluttershy’s iron grip around one of her forelegs.

The doe halted her charge not in front of, but on top of the fawn. The rhythm ceased. The echo of her hooves slamming down on either side of the child reverberated endlessly. The fawn stood unmoved, and all sound died.

“He held,” said Khyrast, nodding slowly to himself. He leaned down to grab one of the snack-roots.

“I said he would hold,” said Phoreni. “He may take the paint one day.” They sounded far away. On the other side of the crowd, a whistling noise started up, and though Dash saw the open-mouthed stag who made the sound, it took her a second to accept that it was a peryton who… sang? It stirred a memory of something she’d once heard—the hollow sound of wind through a fallen log, but deeper—and he was soon joined by another, this one higher pitched but still wordless, both tones changing in ways that made song even though it shouldn’t have.

In the arena, the doe ran in great circles again, this time slowly and with her head low. The stag followed, running to keep pace. She tossed her head, unfurled and re-furled her wings, all to this strange whistling two-toned tune. After she’d made a full lap, she stopped, as did the stag. The large doe reared up, then lowered herself ever so slowly, leaning forward to touch her antlers to the nubs on the stag’s head, chest heaving with breath as she did so.

The stag flicked his head, awkwardly bumping his snout against her antlers in a pantomime of a toss. The mother pulled back a little to avoid tangling her child in her antlers and reared up again, this time to fall over on her side. The instant her large body crashed to the ground, the song ended.

After a moment of silence, hooves hit wood again, this time in applause. The doe walked away, and the child followed. It was over. Dash blinked heavily. Rarity rubbed at her eyes. Fluttershy was glued to Dash’s side. Rainbow Dash could feel the coat of Fluttershy’s chest against her own with each breath.

Rainbow Dash cleared her suddenly dry throat. “That was... okay, I guess. The ending was lame though,” she said, tapping her one free foreleg on the ground, joining with the last of the applause.

“Very much reminiscent like a silent play,” said Rarity, nodding at her own words before she looked to their hosts, smiling. “You should come visit Canterlot some day and see some of the plays put on at the Royal Theatre. Some of their pieces are almost as intimate as this.”

“But you sounded like you didn’t know how it would end,” Fluttershy said, frowning at Phoreni and Khyrast.

“Was this all preordained?” asked Phoreni, tilting her head. “He could have broken. He could have run in fear. There is no point in acting out what is already decided. Any joust has at least two possible outcomes. Any story has infinite endings.”

Khyrast nodded. “The mother is the storm, raging against the child, but never touching. If the child is brave, she will let herself be wrestled to the ground, but young children often balk at facing down their parents’ fury.”

“Even as an act, that looked terrifying,” breathed Fluttershy.

“Is it an act?” Phoreni shrugged. “She loves her young one, but if trying to break her child’s composure is an act, if there is no sincerity in her movement, there is no purpose.”

“So they actually were fighting,” said Dash, trying to wrap her head around it. “Just not… like, with their antlers and stuff.”

Rarity looked thoughtful at that, saying no more, but Phoreni nodded. “I think you begin to understand. Or, I now understand what it is you did not understand before. I agree with your words, though I find them an inelegant explanation. Watch now, more stand to be marked. We will sit this time.”

Rainbow Dash spotted the two lonely peryton across the arena, both standing with their wings flared again. Groups and single peryton rose, far fewer in number now. A stag next to the ponies and their friends stood, but sat down again almost immediately. This time, the two peryton on the far side did not let themselves be cowed, and after a minute, all others were back on the ground. The drumming of hooves started up even before the two stags reached the arena, both flexing colourful feathers in the multicoloured light of the Run.

“Lovers, do you think?” asked Phoreni, glancing over at Khyrast. “They are young.”

“I remember one as a student,” Khyrast said with a snort and a smile. “Dothast. His fire burns strongest without. If they are lovers, I expect we will see him joust every summer until he learns balance, and if there are any to be hurt this joust, it is him.”

If there was a ‘story’ to be read in these two stags and their joust, Rainbow Dash couldn’t see it at first. They met in the centre, touched their antlers together, and backed off before moving towards each other again, clashing at a slow trot. Their antlers met with a clack. To the slow and steady drumming of hooves, the stags circled each other, making long runs around the oval arena.

“I don’t get it,” said Dash.

“A lovers’ quarrel?” hazarded Rarity.

“They don’t seem to be very angry, or fighting very hard,” Fluttershy said, letting go of Dash’s foreleg. “Thank goodness.”

Slowly, Fluttershy’s words became a lie. Just like the doe and her child, their joust sped up, and their clashes became faster, stronger, harsher. Dash felt Fluttershy’s wing snake around her side and saw Rarity bunch up with Fluttershy too—and in truth, she felt a little uneasy herself. What had began as a slow and boring act of synchronised moves gained an edge of violence. Phoreni shifted to sit up straight rather than laze with a hindleg under her body.

“Jousts between lovers are a good way to find that no petty quarrel is worth fighting over,” said Phoreni, frowning ever so slightly. “No issue is worth losing love to, and the participants are safe in knowing none can tell whether it is a quarrel today or a reenactment of one from the past opened up to new endings.”

“So you can’t tell if it’s a story or if it’s real?” asked Dash.

“How are the two different?” replied Khyrast, but before the pegasus could comment, Khyrast shifted the way he sat as well. Were both Phoreni and Khyrast ready to get up and intervene? The lovers had just run the entire arena lengthwise at a canter before clashing, and now they stood opposite one another again, heads lowered. One of the stags’ antlers glowed bright, magic working its way to hoof and wing.

Dash could feel the tension in the air. The stag who charged himself with magic broke into a run, and a few peryton in the audience stood up. When had the drumming stopped? It didn’t matter. Only one of the peryton charged. The other moved towards the contestant—his foe?—at a slow walk, and the runner noticed when he hit the center unopposed. The aggressive one slowed down, tossing and shaking his head before he lowered it to the ground. Dash let out a breath at the anticlimax.

When the two stags met and locked antlers for the last time, it was at a subdued walk. They tangled their antlers with each other and wrestled without strength. They didn’t push or pull at each other, didn’t try to force the other down. In fact—

“It almost looks like a hug,” whispered Fluttershy breathlessly.

“I think their eyes are closed,” Rarity whispered back. Dash didn’t have much to say, but part of her felt like she shouldn’t be watching this, like she was supposed to be embarrassed at witnessing something private. It didn’t last very long anyway. The two stags disentangled their antlers, and the one who had charged lay down before the other for a moment before the pair headed for the edge of the crowd together. This time, the applause was less immediate, building up slowly to a roar.

“And that was… good?” Dash asked.

“It wasn’t very complicated,” opined Rarity. “But a little drama never goes amiss. I certainly appreciated it.”

Khyrast chuckled with a caw low under his breath as the applause came to an end. “You have a keen eye, or make a good guess. Some would call this cheap or simple drama. Do I enjoy it? At times, but you must understand, Ephydoera missed its last games and are hungry for any story.”

“Alright,” said Dash, bouncing up on all fours. “Anything else I should know?”

“Only one thing: know to sit,” said Phoreni, shaking her head. “The evening is young.”

Time passed quickly as they watched peryton joust. It wasn’t that Rainbow Dash minded watching, but she really wanted to give it a try herself. They saw more ‘stories’, but not all of them were immediately recognisable as such. The ones that had peryton acting out scenes and roles made the most sense, even if they sometimes had surprising ends.

Phoreni explained and narrated as friends and families bonded, grudges were settled, and strangers sought new experiences. Finally they got to see contestants who made serious attempt at wrestling each other to the ground, and they must have seen at least two dozen of the jousts when Dash’s patience wore too thin to keep her down. When the peryton from the previous round were getting seated, Dash stood.

“Still impatient,” said Phoreni, though it didn’t sound like a reprimand. “Perhaps it is time for you ponies to tell us one your own stories.”

Dash grinned. “Stories nothing, I wanna show them my stuff!”

Phoreni nodded and smiled faintly at that. “You saying this does not make us disagree. You come here with a story, that of strangers come to visit from afar. None here know what to make of you, and when you joust, you show us something of yourself even were you to try not to.”

“Works for me,” said Dash with a shrug, but she was the only one of the three ponies standing. She glanced at Rarity, who shook her head before Dash even asked.

“I doubt those antlers would fit around my horn, but I won’t lie, dear. I have no interest, either,” said the unicorn.

“Alright, sure,” said Dash. She took a deep breath before she looked to Fluttershy, finding the other pegasus silent, eyes on the arena and on the crowd rather than her. As they watched the sheer variety of jousts on display, both Rarity and Fluttershy had obviously enjoyed themselves more and more. Nothing had been as violent as the two lovers in the second round, and Fluttershy didn’t cling to her as they watched anymore.

Rainbow Dash had thought on it a little more, too: Fluttershy probably hadn’t gotten two pairs of antlers just in case one of them broke. Dash had probably always known that.

“It doesn’t look that scary any more, really,” said Fluttershy with the beginnings of a smile despite her breathlessness. “Some of them seemed to treat it like a dance more than a fight. Oh, but there are ever so many people watching, though.”

She bought two pairs of antlers just in case, Fluttershy had said. She just hadn’t said in case what. In case she wanted to join, of course. Or in case Rainbow Dash convinced her to join. What was the difference?

Rainbow Dash could tell what would happen, even if she didn’t exactly know why she knew. Maybe it was something in Fluttershy’s voice, her posture, or maybe the way she said those words. Whatever the case, Dash would ask Fluttershy straight up if she wanted to come. Not just because she’d asked Rarity. She’d ask Fluttershy because Dash truly wanted her to come along.

“Hey, d’you want in?” Dash asked.

Fluttershy wouldn’t sound convinced. There were a lot of people watching, and that was a big deal for Fluttershy. Dash knew that. Did she sound like she wanted to give it a go if she could get past that one little fact, though? Maybe she did. In fact, Rainbow Dash would bet on it. Part of Fluttershy did want to try.

“Um, I don’t know,” said Fluttershy, scuffing at the ground. Her ears were half-cocked, and she shrank in on herself a tad as her eyes flitted around, taking in the sheer size of the crowd. Still, she didn’t say no, either, and there was a glimmer of hope in her eyes as she nibbled on her bottom lip.

Next, Dash would tell her that she should do it anyway—

“Hey, that’s cool, whatever you wanna do. If you just want to watch, that’s fine,” said Dash instead, looking away and ahead. “You gotta cheer really loud though,” she added.

No. There was no point. Dash knew how it’d go. She would tell Fluttershy she should come along anyway. Fluttershy would say she didn’t want to. Rainbow Dash would point out that she should do it because Dash thought she did want to. Fluttershy would refuse, Dash would insist, and at some point Fluttershy would either say yes or say no. Fluttershy would be scared out of her wits, at least until she forgot about worrying and started having fun.

If she ever did, in fact, really have fun. If Rainbow Dash was right in guessing she would like to come along.

Rainbow Dash was pretty sure that this moment wasn’t at all like when Fluttershy had refused to join her on the stage in Stagrum, but did that really matter? If they could do stuff like the walk yesterday, or like playing with the snickersnouts—if they could hang out without Dash having to see Fluttershy sad and worried, wasn’t that just better for both of them? They were girlfriends now. Who was to say Fluttershy didn’t go along with all this stuff just to amuse Rainbow Dash?

Was she responsible for all the pain she’d caused Fluttershy?

Rainbow Dash clenched her eyes shut. She lost track of things two or three steps ago, and she knew she was being dramatic. Fluttershy wasn’t in pain over being persuaded to fly a stupid cart over a brook or whatever else, and they’d always been close friends. She obviously wasn’t ruining Fluttershy’s life, but if she could just stop pushing Fluttershy altogether, so much the better and easier.

“Okay,” said Fluttershy, her voice quiet even for her. Her ears were wilted now, splayed to each side. “Good luck,” she added, pushing at the remaining antler-harness. “I think I’ll just watch, then.”

“That’s cool,” said Dash, stretching her neck side to side. “I’ll go alone, I guess.”

This blew. She wanted to try a proper joust, but she also really wanted to see Fluttershy in the arena. Maybe both at the same time. Playing around with Fluttershy would have been awesome, but what kind of pony pushed her girlfriend around to do something she might not want to do?

“A lone stranger with something to prove,” said Phoreni.

“There is purity in a display of skill,” agreed Khyrast. At least, he sounded like he agreed.

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and tried to put her mind to the task. All around, peryton stood and spread their wings, but she could barely get her wings away from her body. Dash bit her tongue and tried again. Even if she wasn’t ready to fly, she had to be able to spread the wings to join the joust, at least. Her main joints refused to cooperate. “Come on,” she hissed.

“Let me,” said Khyrast. Without warning, he stood and spread his great wings. In a flash, he furled them again, but the gesture got attention. “That,” he said, “will alert them to your presence. See now that you have many who wish to tell the story of one who meets a civilised stranger for the first time. Stand until one remains.”

Phoreni rolled her jaw, eyes scanning the crowd. “Most are young. They do not know what to make of a stranger. They will think you a child for your size. I will offer this: If you are insulted, sit and let the shadows cool your head.”

Just like Khyrast had said, many more rose up after they were made aware of Rainbow Dash. Dash snorted hot air and remained standing. They could think what they wanted. If they thought size mattered, they had another thing coming. She was used to that.

“Rainbow Dash, do play nice,” said Rarity, and Dash grinned back in response to her dubious look.

“Of course I’ll be nice,” said Dash. “I’m not a sore winner.”

Rainbow Dash’s hooves still itched at the idea that they might think her some little filly, and that the last peryton standing was small-ish didn’t help matters. Her annoyance didn’t last, though. The doe was small only for a peryton, and still stood a fair bit larger than her. Like most of the Ephydoerans, her opponent looked well-built and strong.

Opponent. Partner. Foe. Whichever it was, Dash knew that she herself was going to win. That was probably what the doe thought too, right? If she’d stood still until all others gave up, she must’ve really wanted to face Dash. The tricoloured peryton doe leaned forward, and Dash did the same, their antlers meeting in an awkward tap. The straps held her antlers in place well enough.

“Our meeting will be told in Helesseia and Selyria’s stories,” said the blank-faced doe, catching Dash by surprise. Did they all say something before they went at it? She shrugged, knowing what she’d say in Equestria, at least.

“Good luck. May the best pony win,” retorted Dash with a grin. She pulled back and trotted as far away as she could while the doe did the same. Most of the spats and the grudges had started like this, with a simple clash from a lengthwise run. When she reached the end of the arena, she almost missed her cue to move, startled by how different the drumming sounded from down here. The echo of hundreds of hooves on wood shook the arena ever so slightly.

The doe trotted towards her in a straight line. Was her opening run slower than the others? Was she going easy on her? Dash snorted and moved to match—except faster. She kicked it up a notch or two right off the bat. If they thought she was just a joke, she wanted to dispel that notion right away. She hadn’t won a single game all day, and it was time to change that. She caught a look of open surprise on the doe’s face when Dash lowered her head at the last second and launched herself forward.

Dash felt her brain rattle around inside her head with the impact. All sound was blotted out by the feeling of ramming her head into a wall. Fortunately, she had a lot of experience with that. Rainbow Dash tried to twist her head and drag the doe down, but the peryton expertly disentangled her antlers and pulled back, making Dash stumble and nearly fall. The drumming lost its rhythm for a second, and she could see a few peryton stand up.

Was it a protest? Were they going to try to stop them? Dash looked around in confusion—she hadn’t meant to go at it that hard.

Only when the doe began moving again did the hoof-stomps regain their composure, bundled together in a tight rhythm. Now the doe circled the center of the arena, and Dash didn’t really plan what to do next. She was forced to move by the threat of the doe running behind her, by the rhythm that needed her hoof-steps to be complete. Still reeling, her cheeks burning after her blunder, Dash didn’t have time to think. Like she held strings connected to her hooves, the doe was in control of Dash’s movement.

Was she? Why would she think that? Dash could stop any time she wanted, of course, but when the doe widened her circle and upped her pace a little, Dash had to do the same to keep her eyes on her. There was no magic at play here beyond the rhythm, but there was only ever one move that made sense, and that was to match what the doe did. When she cut through the invisible circle outlined by their moves, Dash did the same thing, and they met again. Clack.

Again Dash twisted her head, and the doe wrestled back. She was strong. Stronger than Dash. This time Dash pulled back, and now she was in the lead. Rainbow Dash widened the circle further, ran a little faster and farther, but when they were far apart, she slowed. She didn’t obey the rhythm any more—the rhythm followed her. Dash moved in again, but she didn’t run straight at the doe. Too obvious. Instead she darted left, right, left, running an obstacle course between the watchers’ stomps.

The doe followed—in her own way. Where Rainbow Dash darted left and right, kicking off the ground sideways, the doe made the moves more sinuous, snake-like, a constant wave, and Dash noticed her own movements smoothing out to match. When they met again, it was slower than Dash had intended, coming in from matching turns. Rainbow Dash tested her strength again, and she was still no match. The doe let her take a step forward and almost pulled her to the ground. Dash took a step back and tried to mimic the move, but she could no more move the doe than she could buck rain from a tree. They pulled apart again.

Someone started singing. One, two, three voices called into the night, a multi-toned coarse whistling that could just as easily have been the wind. Opposite her, the doe turned and Dash had to do the same. They circled counterclockwise now, their eyes still locked. The doe’s small, dark orbs were unreadable and her face expressionless, but her movement spoke, as did the way her chest moved with breath. She upped the speed. Did she enjoy this as much as Rainbow Dash?

And what the hay was this? Were they dancing or fighting? Dash didn’t have room for the question in her mind right now. She kicked off into a gallop and decided for the both of them: this very second, it was a race. Rainbow Dash chased after the doe, grinning in triumph when the doe’s antlers flashed. Her peryton partner had to use magic to keep up, but now they were matched. Once Dash realised this, they both stopped.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t tell whose idea that was. The song continued, but the rhythm had stopped. She’d seen this before. The time had come to end this. They faced each other, and they were close. When had their circles become so tight?

Dash ran at her. Neither of them ran very fast, but when they met, the sound of antlers on wooden antlers kicked the hoof-stomps into action again, a pulse-pounding rhythm that drummed faster and faster. The doe pushed and twisted. Dash let the push slide off her, broke the lock and dashed to the side, meeting her antlers again from a different angle. Dash pushed back, but the peryton dug every claw of her talons into the ground. This was a dance no longer. The doe gave no ground.

Again the doe pushed, as Dash had known she would. Dash knew she couldn’t beat her for sheer strength—but she could let the doe think she was stupid enough to think she could. Rainbow Dash shoved as though she was ready to meet the doe with all her might. The doe responded by redoubling her efforts, her antlers glowing as she pushed back again.

Dash was ready for it. She stepped back as fast as she could without breaking contact. She let the doe push towards Dash’s smaller form, guiding her down to the ground, turning her head and pinning the peryton doe to the floor, overbalancing her. The doe teetered on her left side legs for a moment that stretched on and on. The song halted, the final note echoing, lingering. Finally, the doe fell onto her side with a crash.

The drumming of hooves didn’t stop. It smoothly broke into applause, a rolling roar of stomps indistinguishable from each other. Rainbow Dash felt her heart swell with the noise of her victory. The sound of winning. It lasted all of three seconds, until she looked up into the stands to find Phoreni, Khyrast, Rarity and Fluttershy all applauding as well.

She stood frozen for a moment, her breath slowly settling. The doe got up and said something to her, and Dash replied—she probably said thanks for the game or better luck next time or something stupid. She instantly forgot. Dash made her way back towards her friends, the thrill of the win blunted as surely as if she’d flown into a mountain.

Rainbow Dash swallowed hard and breathed out through her nose as she slipped between the spectating peryton. This time she actually got some curious looks. If they had underestimated her before, perhaps she commanded a little respect now? Dash desperately wished she cared about that. Instead, she failed to understand why it felt so bad to do the right thing. She had resisted pushing Fluttershy to do some stupid joust, and she won. Why didn’t she feel good about that?

Phoreni talked to Dash. Rather, she talked at Dash, but Dash’s mind outraced the words. Would she feel good if Fluttershy headed down for a joust right now?

“You should give it a go,” said Dash, forcing a smile for Fluttershy. She shifted the saddlebag with the other pair of antlers towards her, but Fluttershy shook her head slightly.

“It’s okay,” said Fluttershy with a wan smile. “I don’t think I want to.”

“Yeah. Guess there’s a lot of people down there, huh?” said Dash, and all she received in reply was a silent nod from Fluttershy. She knew with absolute certainty that she could have convinced Fluttershy to go along with it earlier, but now the moment had passed.

“It was an excellent joust,” Phoreni said, her eyes on the far side of the crowd. “I do not think the doe expected such a fierce contest, but she will have been pleased with it as well.”

“You don’t think she wanted to win?” asked Rarity, arching a brow.

“Do I think she would have preferred to win?” asked Phoreni. “Perhaps, but I think you still overstate the importance of winning. In a good joust, both parties are victors. I believe she wanted to meet you, and that she was curious. The ending of this particular story was less important than the way it was told. You both learned much, and taught the Ephydoeran people, as well.”

Rainbow Dash said nothing. The joust with the doe felt wrong, now. She moved closer, sitting side to side with Fluttershy. When Dash nosed in under Fluttershy’s left wing and draped herself in a yellow feathery cloak, the other pegasus didn’t pull back or protest. Fluttershy smiled at Rainbow Dash and nuzzled the top of her head.

With each touch of Fluttershy’s muzzle, the wrongness subsided. As hard as Dash tried to put the joust from her mind, all she could think was that she wished it had been Fluttershy instead. A stupid, selfish thought. There was no way that could’ve happened without making Fluttershy upset, and Fluttershy, for her part, was unusually quiet now. Was she jealous? Was there something to be jealous of? Of course not, but they’d have to find something else to do, something Fluttershy really, truly wanted to do, instead.

The rest of the night passed in relative silence. Towards the end of the games, couples jousted for pleasure, strangers jousted to meet, and strangers became couples, all under the glowing lights of the Sunwise Run and to hoof on wood and bird-like throat-song.

The air turned colder and colder, and in the dark of night, after an inconclusive joust between two large does, the horn sounded from the center of the Glade again. Dash blinked and rubbed at her eyes. That last joust had been particularly boring, and she’d almost dozed off. Fluttershy stretched her wing a little more and after a second, put it back where it belonged—around Rainbow Dash.

“While they may have been your first,” said Phoreni, stacking their small, empty food-bowls and putting them in her neck-saddlebag-thing as she stood, “they have also been good jousts. There are a lot of stories and emotions to be released on the first day of the Brush Games. Judging will be hard, will it not?”

“Perhaps,” was all Khyrast said, yawning hugely. He stood as well, and all around them other peryton got up as well. In fact, every single peryton in view rose, and at a nod from Phoreni, the ponies struggled to stand as well. Fluttershy winced as she finally furled a wing that must’ve been really stiff by now—both wings, in fact. Only now did Dash notice that Fluttershy had lent her other wing to Rarity for warmth at some point during the night.

“Now we stand to be marked, every one of us,” said Phoreni. “Spread your wings, and acknowledge that though we may not all wish to share them, we each have stories to tell.”

Wings spread around the Run once more, twice as many as last time. Dash couldn’t see ahead for the wings spread by the adults minding the children on the front rows. “Yeah, that’s gonna be a problem,” said Dash, growling under her breath at her obstinate wings.

“Then have others spread wings for you,” said Khyrast, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Dash furrowed her brow, but Fluttershy spread her wings anew, one wing behind Dash, and one behind Rarity. That’d have to do.

“Thanks,” murmured Dash with a glance at her own back. “I’m gonna lose my mind if I don’t get my own wings back soon.”

“I’m glad to help, you know,” said Fluttershy, looking at her steadily until Rainbow Dash met her eyes. Dash expected her to go on, to say something else, but Fluttershy didn’t. They just looked at each other, and Dash didn’t know what to say. Should she say “thanks” again?

“Just focus on resting up, darling,” said Rarity, breaking the spell. “Being annoyed won’t heal them faster.” She rubbed a cheek against Fluttershy’s. “And thank you, dear. I’d be chilled to the bone without you tonight.”

The spread of wings didn’t have the same effect the second time around. However many feathers were spread, the moment soon passed, and the assembled peryton all furled their wings and began to gather their things, hurrying to finish their food and drink. Rainbow Dash could just barely see hints of movement towards the very edge of the crowd, a few of the more impatient peryton pushing their way through.

“There is always one or two who gets hurt trying to hurry off the Run,” said Khyrast with a soft sigh, his eyes on the far edge of the crowd as well.

“The Brush Games can be educational for the reckless,” said Phoreni, nodding slightly. “Will you head for home? I believe I will wait for the rush to subside for the benefit of those among our number who do not love the crowd.”

“I will leave you with our guests, and instead go see if Loriessa is already asleep,” Khyrast replied, rolling his neck. “She has never had the stamina to watch the games in full, and I will rouse her to make sure there is room in our bed for all.”

“Then we wait,” said Phoreni, nodding her farewell to Khyrast and sitting back down, motioning for the ponies to do the same.

It took somewhere between two and three forevers before there was even a dent in the number of peryton atop the Sunwise Run—or at least more time than Dash would’ve liked. When they finally started moving she saw Peryton flying off the edges of the platform, each and every one with wings and antlers pulsing with magic on the liftoff. The walk back to their beds was blessedly short, though, and Dash was thankful for it: the pit of the crater was really cold at night. She even caught a few of the younger peryton shuddering when they stepped out of the wooden tunnel.

Phoreni left them at their doorstep with promises to collect them tomorrow before noon for the next day of games, and Fluttershy found the strength to help her friends up to their makeshift gallery bedroom. In no time at all, they were all snug under their blanket with Fluttershy sandwiched between Rainbow Dash and Rarity. The latter demanded the windows be shut this night favouring warmth over fresh air, and Dash couldn’t be bothered to pick a fight about it. She was beat.

“Well, that was a long day,” said Dash, yawning into Fluttershy’s mane. The one bad thing about travelling was there was no time for naps. She nuzzled her way a little further into the soft tresses of girlfriend-hair and closed her eyes. Fluttershy shifted her wing to touch Dash’s side before she furled it again.

For a while everything was quiet. Rarity lay facing Fluttershy on the other side, trying to warm her hooves against the pegasus, and nopony spoke. Dash couldn’t quite find sleep, though. The only sounds were those of three ponies breathing quietly, with the occasional shivering breath by Rarity. Dash was dead tired, but still she lay awake in the near-complete darkness.

“Did the joust live up to your expectations, Rainbow?” came Rarity’s voice, barely above a whisper. If somepony told Dash Rarity was talking in her sleep, she’d believe it. Dash couldn’t see her at all anyway.

“I guess,” Dash replied. “They like to play rough, that’s cool. Would be cooler if they weren’t so weird, but yeah, this is my kinda party. I guess you liked Orto and Stagrum better, huh?”

“Mhm. If only for the extra opportunities for hygiene. That, and a hundred things more, really, but Phoreni and Khyrast are absolute darlings,” replied Rarity, yawning. “What about you, Fluttershy?”

“It’s scarier than Orto,” Fluttershy replied. “But they’re very nice and good at taking care of us here,” she added. “I don’t really think it’s a contest to try to decide who’s nicer.”

“Mm, I agree with that,” Rarity murmured.

“I don’t know,” admitted Dash with a shrug. “I think I’ve given up on trying to compare them anyway. When we get to Vauhorn, they’ll all be wearing fish on their heads or something.”

Dash couldn’t hear it, but she felt the soundless giggle that went through Fluttershy’s body, making Dash smile.

“We should probably ask Phoreni about that,” whispered Fluttershy. “She seems to understand us a little. Maybe she can tell us what Vauhorn is like.”

“Hey Rarity, if they’re wearing fish on their head, are you gonna wear one?” asked Dash, grinning. “Maybe make a little fish-hat?” There was no answer aside from a soft, incoherent murmur.

“She’s asleep, I think. Sorry,” Fluttershy whispered.

“Oh. Alright,” said Dash, exhaling through her snout. She rubbed her muzzle against the back of Fluttershy’s neck. After a moment, Fluttershy turned around to face her, slow and careful to avoid waking Rarity. Rainbow Dash scooted back to give her a little space. She could barely see the tiniest glimmer of colour, the blue of her eyes shining in a hint of moss-given light from outside. She didn’t know if Fluttershy could see her, too, but now they lay there, staring near sightlessly, breathing.

Dash still felt bad about today, and she couldn’t tell quite why. She had no idea what Fluttershy was thinking, either, but she had no interest in whining about it, not even just to herself. Action spoke louder than words, anyway.

“Hey, can you spread your left wing?” Dash whispered.

“Of course, but why?” asked Fluttershy.

“You’ve been using your wings a lot more than usual. How’re they holding up?” Dash asked. She reached over to hold a hoof to Fluttershy’s muzzle. “Don’t answer that, just let me have a look. You just washed when when we got back yesterday night, right? You didn’t preen?”

Rainbow Dash could just barely see the ghost of a frown in the darkness. She heard the rustle of hair as Fluttershy nodded.

“They’re fine, though, really,” whispered Fluttershy around Dash’s hoof.

“C’mon. I’ll help you out,” Dash replied. Her wings probably were fine, but if an A-grade preening from Dash didn’t cheer Fluttershy up, nothing would.

This time, Fluttershy did move, quietly shuffling around until she had the blanket a little lower on her back without dragging it off Rarity, but her wings were still tightly furled, unyielding and unspread even when Dash gave them a poke.

“Maybe I could give your wings a look instead,” Fluttershy suggested.

“Nah, I got this,” said Dash. “Give me your wing.”

“Really,” whispered Fluttershy, a little more insistent. “I don’t mind.”

“Yeah, well, I mind,” Dash replied with a soft snort. Sure, Fluttershy might do a decent job with a little bit of instruction, and honestly, it’d probably feel nice even if she didn’t do a good job—but it’d be selfish. Right now, Dash really needed to do something for Fluttershy. “Come on, give me some feathers.”

Rainbow Dash heard Fluttershy sigh, and a few seconds of silence later, she finally spread a wing and let Rainbow Dash at her feathers. Dash sat up to better reach the wing, but also to let more of the faint light fall on Fluttershy. If her girlfriend was a little down right now, she’d be smiling brighter when her wings were in perfect order.

Dash didn’t really need to see to do her work, of course. She knew Fluttershy’s wings as well as her own, and she could navigate by the touch of feathers on her snout alone by this point. As gently as she could, and as roughly as she had to, she ran her teeth along Fluttershy’s primaries. She tugged lightly at feathers to get them in order and used teeth and snout to pick out anything that wasn’t supposed to be there, mostly the occasional twig. She almost did the fourth primary from the edge twice, but she recognised it right away and moved on automatically.

That might actually be a little weird, Dash realised. Not for the first time, she thought back to what Rarity had said. It must’ve been weeks ago since their little chat upon reaching the coast past Orto, but she actually let herself consider this whole preening business for a second.

When Tank got sick, or when Dash thought he might be sick, Rainbow Dash went to Fluttershy for help because she knew she herself was useless for anything more than feeding him. Similarly, Fluttershy could probably keep her wings in order well enough to fly and stay healthy, but if she needed proper wing-care, she’d come to Dash. It made perfect sense, right? Normal!

“It’s not normal at all, is it?” Dash said more than she asked, voice muffled by Fluttershy’s feathers.

“Sorry?” Fluttershy whispered.

Rainbow Dash pulled back and wiped her muzzle. “I said, it’s not normal, huh?”

“I heard you, I just… I’m sorry, I’m not sure what you mean,” said Fluttershy, returning a helpless look.

“Wings. Preening and everything. Thunderlane never helps Flitter out. I don’t help anyone else. You don’t preen other pegasus’ feathers. It’s not really… normal,” Dash said, the word rapidly losing its meaning.

“I don’t know exactly. We both moved from Cloudsdale when we were younger than most,” Fluttershy said, shifting where she lay, flexing her wing before she spread it again. “I think it’s common in families, sometimes, but… not really. Mostly pegasus couples, I think.” Her voice trailed off.

Dash puffed out her cheeks. It didn’t mean anything by itself. Who the hay cared if Dash did something weird—if they did something weird? People could say or think whatever they wanted. Nopony Dash felt inclined to care about gave a hoot, and they were a couple now anyway, there was just one little detail.

“So it’s kind of... intimate or something,” Dash chanced.

“I guess,” Fluttershy whispered, barely louder than the faint creak of branches far above. Dash hadn’t even realised they could hear the slight movements of the tree before.

Rainbow Dash frowned. “It’s kinda weird that you let me keep doing it after you fell in love with me or whatever you wanna call it. Right?”

Fluttershy folded her wing and looked up at her. Fluttershy’s eyes were the only thing visible in the darkness now, everything else around it disappearing. She stared at Dash for a long moment before she lay back down again, her gaze straight ahead. There was nothing to see there except some empty shelves.

“I just didn’t want anything to change,” said Fluttershy, and with those words, she looked away.

Dash took a deep breath. The way Fluttershy said that, the words were heavy with meaning, but she couldn’t tell what. “Right. Uh, okay,” she heard herself say. “Isn’t that kind of the point of of being together? Like—”

“Oh! No!” Fluttershy squeaked, clapping a hoof to her mouth when Rarity rolled onto her other side. Only when they both heard the soft sounds of Rarity still fast asleep did she continue, quieter, but even more urgent. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just—I want to keep everything we had, too. I didn’t… I didn’t want you to stop.”

“Okay, yeah,” said Dash, masking a sigh of relief by nudging Fluttershy’s wing and going back to taking care of her feathers instead. There wasn’t a lot to do, really, but she went over each feather with exacting care. She didn’t want to stop preening Fluttershy either, really.

“I’m sorry if it feels like I lied to you,” said Fluttershy. The hurt was plain in her voice. “I didn’t mean to.”

“You didn’t,” said Dash with a snort. She reached over to lay a hoof on Fluttershy’s side, gently kneading her for reassurance or something like that. Fluttershy relaxed a little, so maybe it worked. “I’m just too stupid to notice or think about that stuff,” Dash added with a shrug.

“You’re not stupid,” Fluttershy said.

It wasn’t the words. It was the way she said it. It was no defiant declaration or a reprimand, nor did they sound like a few nice words thrown into the air as random encouragement. Fluttershy sounded almost weary—tired, but she still stated it as a simple fact that Dash had to believe. And so she did.

At some point, Fluttershy fell asleep, and Rainbow Dash continued her work for a little while, sneaking in between Fluttershy and Rarity to start on the other wing. She wasn’t stupid, but she wondered what would’ve happened if she’d dragged Fluttershy along today, pushed her until she agreed to come joust with her. She knew that she herself wished she had gotten Fluttershy into the arena with her, but wasn’t that selfish?

Rainbow Dash wondered if she’d have cared if they hadn’t just become a couple. Maybe she wouldn’t have, and maybe this would’ve gone wrong. Maybe today would’ve joined the list of those memories she wished she could forget—memories that she didn’t even always know she held.

She hadn’t thought about that climb up the mountain and the mess with a slumbering red dragon until recently. Along with it resurfaced the vague recollection of a morning outside of Town Hall over two years ago. She thought she’d forgotten all about it.

Rainbow Dash could do better. She could be better. Rainbow Dash knew all about better. She nuzzled in under Fluttershy’s wing and gently coaxed it to furl. Fluttershy murmured something in her sleep, and Dash sat down next to her, getting started on her own wings, doing what she could without spreading them. Things were definitely mostly good weird, and she couldn’t go around wondering and second-guessing herself all the time, anyway.

So what if she would once have shoved a trembling Fluttershy onto the arena floor in front of a huge crowd? So what if part of her still wanted to do just that? Fluttershy was with Dash now, and Rainbow Dash could be the best girlfriend the world had ever seen.

Chapter 16

Yesterday’s ‘joust’ was quite the thing to behold, absolutely, but now, without the claps and hoof-strikes of thousands of peryton to drown out my thoughts, I can’t help but think. I woke up early and I feel awful, just plain awful.

It is bad enough that I haven’t made any progress on creating something to woo these Ephydoerans. If that were all, I would manage, but add to it the rigors of travel (I am only now feeling rested, this very morning) and my continuing failure to keep up—

I feel I must mention here, I am ever so glad we are staying in Ephydoera for a week. If we were to return to the road today, I would be crushed. Even if we are spending this time doing sports, it is infinitely preferable to traveling. Our last few days on the road were a little better than the first, but still.

My point: The failure to create anything of worth is far from the full extent of my woes, nor are these concerns of my hindering our travels. In addition, I wonder if Twilight would have grasped Khyrast’s spell by now. I cannot for the life of me bring this spell to life, and I know it has nothing to do with horns and antlers.

At least Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are engaging each other in a romantic something like a romance. I wish I could say I was only happy for them—because I am, of course I am!—it just makes one feel a little more… alone about these problems.

Mine is a four-fold failure, then! I am doomed to forever find no respite from my fashion disaster, no refuge from the weakness of my body, no solace from the tendrils of jealousy, and no shelter in the wonders of magic, thus—

Ah. No, I think I have an idea, actually.

Yes, if these Ephydoeran peryton are so enamoured with their symbols, and if they enjoy my stylised variants on their known patterns, I have some time before I open the doors this morning. I can utilise their own designs, and create an entirely new line… yes. This will work.

It will work, simply because it has to work. I need success right now, more than ever.

-R

Rainbow Dash woke late. She knew she woke late because her first impulse wasn’t sleeping in. She rubbed her eyes and threw off the clammy blanket. Somepony had thrown open the windows before they left the bedroom.

Dash yawned. No Princess Luna tonight either, and this time she found herself thinking it was a bit of a shame. Princessly visitations were alright, if a little weird. She also remembered that there had been something else missing in her dreams, but she couldn’t tell exactly what. Had she had that thought before? Something about these past two nights was missing, and it didn’t really bother her, she just felt aware of it.

Now she really wished Luna was about so she could ask her. It sounded like a question for a dream-expert. Dash trotted over to the lip of the second-floor gallery, testing her wings. They spread almost fully today, but if there was one area of her life where it paid to think first and act second, it was her wings. She hopped down, landing neatly next to the table with a loud thud, some nearby pottery clattering in response.

“Good morning, dear,” came Rarity’s sing-song voice. Dash yawned again and waved at Rarity’s back. The unicorn busily worked away on a peryton stag’s flank, shaving elaborate patterns into his coat with a magic glow shaped into a wedge, chased by short hairs falling onto the ground as a result. The door stood wide open, and a couple of peryton loitered outside.

Rainbow Dash glanced about for something breakfast-like, but found nothing edible unless she wanted to start licking kelp-cake crumbs off the table. She grabbed a drink of luke-warm water from a bowl on the same table and meandered over to Rarity.

“Would you say that Helesseia’s simple variant symbol needs to be just so? I think it would look better if the bottom was a little flared,” said Rarity.

“Is it changeable? What you have already done is admirable,” said the stag. “I will leave satisfied as it is, with thanks for your labour, and honouring the gift of allowing you to perform it.” He slipped off the thin bench and nodded to Rarity, and the unicorn herself curtsied and smiled.

“My pleasure, truly. Tell the next cust—well, the next one to wait just a moment, if you please, would you?”

Rainbow Dash watched the peryton go. Rarity smiled at the next peryton in line and closed the door with an excuse me. All around the bench, white, brown, grey and cream-coloured fur lay in small piles—and by a small shelf, some folded cloth that hadn’t been there yesterday. Rainbow Dash recognised Rarity’s fabrics mostly because the peryton weren’t big on silks and whatever. One piece hung off the shelf with a vaguely familiar symbol—something that she’d seen on some peryton flanks.

“That yours?” Dash asked, pointing.

Rarity’s eyes followed Dash’s hoof. She winced almost imperceptibly. “Yes,” she said, the word stiff as nothing else. “Did you sleep well, dear?”

“Yeah, sure, thanks,” said Dash, frowning. “What are they?”

“An attempt at fashion. Some flank-covering shawl items that did not go over well,” Rarity said. She didn’t sound sad. She didn’t give the requisite sigh. In fact, she didn’t look at them any more, bent over to clean her workspace area of coat-hairs.

“Okay?” Dash asked, but Rarity said no more. “Right. Anyway, why didn’t you wake me?” Rainbow Dash asked, instead. She was still unsure whether she was supposed to be annoyed or grateful, so she decided not to decide.

“Mm, that was Fluttershy’s suggestion,” Rarity explained, finding her smile again. “We’re both very sorry about your wings, and she thought a little rest might do you good. There’s not much for us to do until Phoreni comes by to pick us up anyway.”

“I guess,” Dash said, leaning against the wall. “Okay, thanks,” she added, smiling. “Where’s she at?”

“Your girlfriend—” said Rarity, pausing on that word for a half-second. Dash grinned. It sounded good to her ears, but did Rarity expect her to blush like a school filly or something? “—is out on an errand. While most dining places are down on the ground, my clientele informed me that if there’s anything to help your wings, their ‘healers’ will be the ones to know. I asked her to get food, and she insisted on asking around a little while she was at it. We’ll have breakfast soon, I imagine.”

Fluttershy flying around a strange city all on her own just to see if she could find something to help Dash’s wings? Rainbow Dash didn’t usually care to do maths, but she was pretty sure this clocked in at somewhere around seventy percent awesome, twenty-five percent nice, and fifteen percent something else. Fluttershy might be the nicest pony ever, but this was above and beyond, even for her. Even for girlfriends, right? Fifteen percent weird.

“That’s cool,” said Dash, summing it all up.

“Indeed,” said Rarity. “Well, would you be a dear and tell the next peryton in line to come in?”

“Why’re you working on all this shaving stuff, anyway?” asked Dash, tilting her head. “If you want us to model some stuff, just let us know. I could probably pull off all these games in a vest and a saddle, just hold the skirts.”

Rarity shook her head. “I’m afraid I don’t see the point. They clearly don’t use clothes here, and even if by some miracle a traditional dress goes over well here, who’s to say they will be popular in Cotronna or Vauhorn?”

Dash squinted. “But you love making dresses and stuff. Who cares what the peryton over in Cotronna think? If they love your stuff here, that’s awesome. You’ve gotta try, right?”

Rarity’s snout crinkled. “One, I’ve already tried,” she said, gesturing to the folded fabric on the shelf. “Two, Cotronna is our destination.”

Dash shrugged. “Sure. For the invitation and stuff. So what? You saw the games masters wear those leg scarves yesterday, right? You could make way cooler sashes to go with your dresses, and—oh my gosh, I can’t believe this lameness, you actually made me talk about fashion!” Rainbow Dash grimaced.

“I can probably create a better scarf than the crude things the games masters wore, yes, yes,” said Rarity, waving a hoof. “There is not much point to that, though. No, I must create something perfect.”

Dash snorted. “That doesn’t sound like fun.”

Rarity said nothing more, a painted smile on her face as she gestured to the door, so Dash left it at that. She opened the door just in time to see Fluttershy gliding down to the ground a small ways off. Dash didn’t say anything to the peryton who stared at her, waving the first stag or doe in with a foreleg. Dash was busy.

Rainbow Dash leaned against the doorframe, watching her girlfriend land with fully laden saddlebags. Fluttershy glanced over her back, tucked her newly preened wings tight to her body and leaned low to the ground as she breathed deep. Clearly the little shopping trip had taken something out of her, but when Fluttershy turned and made for the tree-house she held her head high.

Until she realised Dash had been watching her all the while, at least. Now, Fluttershy nearly tripped over her own legs, blushing furiously as she walked past the line in front of their door. None of the peryton seemed to pay them much attention, but when Dash darted in to nuzzle her neck in passing, Fluttershy squeaked and sped up, and Dash couldn’t hold back the laughter any more. She kicked the door shut and stepped back inside.

“Rainbow Dash, if you’re going to bother Fluttershy, at least try not to scare my clients away as you do so,” Rarity said without looking up from her work.

“Bother the Ephydoerans? I don’t even know how to do that,” Dash said, still giggling, but her mood dampened a little when Fluttershy didn’t join in the laughter. Rainbow Dash made her way over to the table where Fluttershy unpacked the food she carried, including a bag of leaves, some roots, and something that was either a cluster of large berries or some very small fruits. What was the difference, anyway? She leaned in for a sniff. They didn’t smell all that bad. It also let her get a good look at Fluttershy to make sure she hadn’t gone too far and upset her girlfriend with a little bit of teasing.

Fluttershy barely seemed to notice her, swiftly setting the table. She didn’t look upset at all. She smiled, in fact, and if anything, she seemed excited.

“Equestria to Fluttershy,” Dash said, frowning. “Well, or, Perytonia to Fluttershy, whatever. You in there?”

Fluttershy finished putting all the food on the table, and fished out one last item from her saddlebags: A low, flat jar closed with fabric and string. She beamed. “I’m sorry, hi Rainbow Dash,” said Fluttershy, leaning over to nuzzle her, catching Dash by surprise. “Are you hungry?”

“Somepony’s feeling good,” said Dash, giggling. “I could eat, but what’s in the jar?”

“That’s a secret,” said Fluttershy, grinning at her. It was almost unsettling to see Fluttershy this happy, but only almost. Dash was helpless not to grin back.

“Alright? Okay, awesome. Uh, is it for me? What is it?” Dash tried.

“You’ll see after breakfast,” Fluttershy said, flexing her wings.

“Oh come on,” said Dash, leaning close to the jar. She sniffed it experimentally, but it didn’t smell at all. “Give me a hint!”

“Breakfast first, surprise later,” said Fluttershy, giggling.

“They accepted gems, then?” asked Rarity from the other side of the room, leaning in to blow away some loose coat-hairs from her customer.

“Yes, but they didn’t really seem to know how much to take, and I didn’t know either, so I just told them what we got for the gems in Stagrum,” Fluttershy replied, sweeping the jar away before Rainbow Dash could “borrow” it for further inspection. She held it up and out of reach from the grounded pegasus. Dash scowled. “They said it was okay since they barter with Stagrum a lot, but I think they’re more used to trading favours,” Fluttershy added.

Rarity hummed. “Excuse me, do you use these Stagrumite bronze slivers at all?”

The peryton stag she worked on nodded softly. “Will we take them? None will turn them away, but if a trade can be made without them, all the better. They are mostly for caravans, are they not? Phostos smiles upon all even trades regardless.”

“That’s the most interesting thing I have heard in my entire life,” said Dash, deadpan. “Rarity! Hurry up and finish, I’m really hungry. Let’s eat!”

“Mhm, I bet,” said Rarity, the soft blue glow of her magic steadily carving patterns into the peryton’s side. “And I assume this hunger has nothing to do with Fluttershy’s little surprise.”

“No,” lied Dash, glaring at Fluttershy’s eye-rolling. “Are you done yet?”

“Now, I don’t want you to get too excited,” said Fluttershy. She cleared some space, moving away the remains of their breakfast to put the jar back on the table.

“Nope, too late for that,” said Dash. Her wings itched until she let them hang a little more loosely on her body. She leaned over the table and squinted.

Rarity wiped her mouth and pushed the water-bowl away. “If it’s dessert, I don’t think I can take another bite,” she said. “Rainbow Dash, you’ve hardly eaten at all.”

“Eating a big breakfast before a full day of games is an amateur mistake,” Dash said, cocking a brow. She cleared her throat and made her voice as flat and stern as she could, mimicking Phoreni’s pitch to the best of her abilities. “Do I look like an amateur? I do not think I do. I look like the pony who’s gonna win big today. Now, what’s in the jar?” She hadn’t stopped wondering, agonising every moment while she waited for Rarity to finish her “carving” and all through the breakfast, too.

Fluttershy undid the jar’s cover, putting the cloth to the side, and a sharp, acrid scent filled the room immediately, let off by the white stuff inside. Fluttershy covered her snout. “Oh my. He said it was strong, but I never imagined—oh goodness, I hope this works.”

“In danger of repeating Rainbow Dash’s words, dear, what is it?” asked Rarity.

“It’s for Rainbow Dash,” said Fluttershy, sticking a hoof into the jar, bringing it back up with a layer of sticky goop. “Could you come over here, please? I need your wings.”

Dash did as asked, frowning at the white stuff and the smell both. “Okay, it’s like… medicine?”

Fluttershy nodded and smiled. “I visited the wardens and asked if they had something that might help you get back on your wings a little faster, like chamomile tea for bed rest, or flushflower for headaches, but they didn’t have anything like that. They said that they like to just get plenty of rest. I think their wings may be a little more fragile than ours.”

Dash shrugged. This was all common knowledge. You couldn’t do much for overexerted wings. Rest up, pack it with ice if the joints swelled, the usual stuff. She hissed and let out an involuntary giggle as Fluttershy started spreading the sticky stuff on her wings. It was cold. Very cold.

“But I did find something. Or, someone,” Fluttershy continued as she slathered Dash’s feathers. “When I was out buying food, a peryton told me that he’d seen me visiting the wardens’ healers. He wasn’t a warden himself, but he asked if I was hurt and needed help. He was ever so nice, and said he used to buy some ointment from travellers from Vauhorn who used it to treat their wings.”

The room lit up as Rarity caught some of Fluttershy’s spill in her magic, putting it back in the jar. “Well, that’s a stroke of luck,” Rarity said. “No offence, dear, but if you’re grounded for one more day, I might go crazy.”

“Nah, that’s fair enough,” said Dash. “There’s a reason I stay in bed when I hurt my wings. Or, you know, crash at Fluttershy’s place.”

“At least you’re aware of how frustrating you can be,” said Rarity, nodding.

“You mean how frustrating it can be,” Fluttershy suggested, grabbing another scoop and applying it to Dash’s wings At some point, the stuff stopped being icy cold—now it felt warm.

“No, dear, I really don’t,” said Rarity.

“Like I said, fair enough,” said Dash, grinning.

Fluttershy rubbed the last of the ointment around the base of Dash’s wings, and Dash closed her eyes, leaning into the touch. It felt nice, really, even when Fluttershy wiped her hooves off on Dash’s side. It was a shame she was finished already. She’d have to bother Fluttershy about a massage again sometime soon—maybe she should try to give Fluttershy a massage instead?

“How are you feeling?” asked Fluttershy. “Any better?”

“It doesn’t feel all that different,” Rainbow Dash admitted. “Hey, can I put these babies back in place yet?”

“Oh, of course!” said Fluttershy. “Sorry. You’re just supposed to keep out of sunlight for at least ten minutes after applying it. You probably won’t notice it helping right away, but maybe you’ll feel better in a day instead of two or three? It’s not magic, but it’s supposed to be very good.”

“Alright. Neat,” said Dash, furling her wings and sitting back down. It might not be magic, but even if it wasn’t even proper medicinal ointment, it was something. She tapped her head against the side of Fluttershy’s neck. “I owe you one.”

Fluttershy bit her lip and smiled. “I’m glad to be able to help,” she said.

With breakfast over, there really wasn’t much else to do. Rarity went over to clean her work-area more thoroughly, and Fluttershy brought the dishes over to the water-pump, giving them a rinse. They agreed that they’d have to leave Uncle Mennau a thank-you note for the use of his place, and luckily, they also agreed Rainbow Dash should probably sit and rest her wings for a little while. It beat doing dishes or cleaning, so Dash did as told.

“Hey, Fluttershy. D’you wanna go see if we can actually find some animals after the joust tonight?” Dash asked on a whim. Fluttershy would probably love that, especially if they didn’t get sidetracked again. Not that Dash’d mind either way.

“Oh, I don’t know,” said Fluttershy after a moment, rinsing the dishes with her back turned. “It gets very late.”

“If you do decide to go, please don’t forget to let Phoreni know ahead of time,” said Rarity, leaning in close to scrub the floor with her magic. “I don’t think any of us want to cause another incident. For Phoreni’s sake and our own.”

“We could ask her about animals here,” said Dash, perking up. “She’s a warden, they run around the forest a bunch. If they don’t know where to go do some, uh, animal-watching, then no one does!”

“It’s okay,” said Fluttershy. “I really think we should really just focus on the games, if you don’t mind too much.”

“Alright?” said Dash. She frowned. Sure, it did get a bit late—and that was about as far as her thoughts got before there was a knock on the door. Rarity opened it without looking up, still scrubbing the same spot on the floor.

“If you wish for an appointment—oh, hello, dear,” said Rarity, smiling up at Phoreni.

The peryton warden took one step inside and sniffed the air. Immediately she furrowed her brow and looked about the room until her eyes fell upon Rainbow Dash. Now her mouth hung open. “What have you done?” she asked, her voice hoarse.

“I don’t understand,” said Fluttershy, her breaths quickened and her voice bordering on panic.

“Nor I. The ointment did this?” asked Rarity, frowning deeply. “Is it a side effect?”

Rainbow Dash carefully stretched her wings, just a little. They felt just like before, achy and stiff but otherwise fine. The ointment hadn’t helped, but it hadn’t hurt either. That’s something, she thought, but they were still undeniably green. Both of her wings and part of her back—plus the occasional splotch on her side—were coloured the very same forest green as Phoreni’s top half, the green of the wardens.

While the ponies gathered around Rainbow Dash and tried to figure this out, their peryton friend said nothing, watching them in silence. The door still stood open, and outside, the peryton who’d stood in a loose line before now crowded around it, staring and occasionally talking in low tones amongst themselves.

“So… I guess this is bad?” Dash hazarded. She stretched her wing as far forward as she could, sniffing it. The wings didn’t smell half as strongly now, and a poke revealed nothing. It didn’t leave any of the stuff on her snout. It must have dried already. “It’ll come off, right?”

“It will not come off easily, or soon,” Phoreni finally said, staring at Dash’s wings through narrowed eyes.

“I still don’t understand,” Fluttershy repeated helplessly, her eyes darting back and forth between Dash’s wings and the empty jar. What little ointment was left in the glass container had turned a light shade of green.

“Now, if I recall, this paint is very important to you,” said Rarity, shaking her head slowly. “We’re very sorry if this is a bit of a social misstep, but I assure you—”

Phoreni cut her off with a raised hoof and a glare. She turned her head to glance over her shoulder, looking at the peryton who waited by the door before she answered.

“Is it a misstep?” Phoreni asked, her voice sharp. “I believe it would be good for you to begin packing your things. You cannot stay.”

“What?” snapped Dash. “Are you serious? It’s just some paint!”

Rarity gasped. “You’re throwing us out? Surely you can see that this was just an accident!”

“It was my fault,” said Fluttershy, taking a step forward. “But I didn’t mean to! If you’re going to punish somepony, it should be me.”

“No. Nuh-uh,” said Dash, up in a flash. She pushed Fluttershy aside and stepped in front.

Phoreni let out a long, drawn-out sigh and held up a hoof for silence again. She glared at Dash. “It is not ‘just some paint’, however much you say this. I have told you this and more. Did I ask much of you? I did not think I had asked too much. First, explain to me the circumstances of this shame. It is your turn to help me understand.” She turned to Fluttershy. “Speak.”

Fluttershy nodded rapidly and swallowed, glancing past Phoreni to the crowd.

“For goodness’ sake, can we at least close the door?” Rarity asked in a hissed whisper.

“May we speak in private? You will speak now, and the door stays open,” said Phoreni.

“I—okay, um, so, I visited the big tree—the Promise—and the health station there, the hospital, I don’t know what they called it—”

Rarity stepped up to stand side to side with Fluttershy, opposite of Rainbow Dash. “Darling, please. Breathe,” she said.

Fluttershy paused and took a deep breath as asked, though Dash could see she still trembled. Rainbow Dash leaned a little closer as well.

“I asked for something to help Rainbow Dash’s wings heal, but they didn’t have anything like that,” said Fluttershy. “When I went to buy some food where we ate breakfast yesterday, a very nice peryton said he’d heard me ask for help for hurting wings. He had a jar in his saddle—well, in his bags. He said he had a spare and sold it to me for a gem. It was supposed to be ointment, I was just trying to help!” Fluttershy bit her lower lip.

“This is not ointment,” said Phoreni, pointedly staring at the empty jar. “This is paint for the wardens only.”

“Yeah, we figured that out by now,” said Dash dryly.

“And this paint would not be ‘sold’ by anyone,” Phoreni added, her expression darkening.

“M—maybe the peryton who sold it to me made a mistake? Maybe he thought it was something else?” Fluttershy stammered. “He said he got it from someone else, please don’t be angry with us just because—”

“None would sell it to another to be sold, either,” Phoreni snapped. “You cannot tell the truth, you—”

“Back. Off!” Dash snarled, taking a step forward. She felt a stab of pain as she flared her wings as wide as she could, shielding Fluttershy and Rarity. “Are you calling Fluttershy a liar? Because if you do, we’re gonna have a big, big problem.” She bared her teeth and pinned her ears flat.

Phoreni took one step backwards, turning her head to one side. Dash had no idea what went into that gesture, but she didn’t care and didn’t move. No one got to talk like that to Fluttershy or any of her friends.

“Please be reasonable,” said Rarity, lowering one of Dash’s wings with a hoof. “Surely you don’t believe we would be so insensitive. We’ve all had a wonderful time together, here. You can’t just throw that away!”

“I was only trying to help,” came Fluttershy’s faint voice from behind Dash.

Phoreni looked over her back to the peryton watching. She shook her head slowly. “Perhaps this is one of the things that do not translate, either. You do not understand the hurt. This is not only offensive to us as a people, but to me.” The painted doe did not even look at them any more. She turned away from them, facing the door. “I will try to look past the hurt in time, but I blame myself. I have not made it clear enough how important the paint is to us.”

“So you don’t believe Fluttershy, then. You believe we did this on purpose,” said Rarity with an unladylike snort. “Why would we?” Dash felt her hackles rise again.

“It does not matter what I believe. It will not come off easily,” said Phoreni. “You are here at my sufferance. At the wardens’ sufferance. Ephydoera will see how callous we are with our tasks and our tools, and we will all be weakened for it.” She walked away, lingering in the doorway where the other peryton now moved aside.

“I ask that you do not harm me further by saying these things do not matter—do you not have things that matter to yourselves? Can those things not be threatened? Are you all so rootless and impossible to harm that you do not see it?” Her voice became impassioned by degrees, but when she finished, Phoreni slumped, slinking out the door with her head low. “I will return soon to escort you north. I will put you on the trade road to Vauhorn, and ask you not to return.”

“Okay, hear me out,” said Rainbow Dash. “If you can find the guy who sold us the stuff—”

“Cease,” said Phoreni.

“Fluttershy, do you remember what he looked like? What was he called?” asked Dash.

“I didn’t get a name,” Fluttershy mumbled into her mane.

“His feather-colours? Anything? There’s gotta be a way to find—”

“Cease!” Phoreni hissed. “Do I care about the details? They are nothing to me, not at this moment.” She gave Dash an intense look. “We will take you to the main trade paths and show you the one that leads to Vauhorn. Do not convince us to do even less.”

“If you would just listen—”

“I will not listen, it is you who must listen,” Phoreni retorted. “You must cease speaking.”

Rainbow Dash exhaled through her nose, making sure to glare at Phoreni, returning her stare. She didn’t look angry right now, but her actions spoke loud enough. It wasn’t the first time Dash had tried to reason with the peryton, and she only kept at it because Rarity seemed to have given up. None of the other five wardens who escorted them spoke at all. They’d been on the narrow forest paths for a while now, and Dash was getting really tired of all the stares her painted wings still earned.

It wasn’t like Rainbow Dash had never been kicked out of a place before. She knew Pinkie Pie, after all, but it was one thing to be banned from Snowmelt’s ice cream parlour for a week. It was something else entirely to be exiled from a city—or a forest? The walk from Mennau’s tree-house to the edge of the Grove was something Rainbow Dash would not soon forget, and Fluttershy had barely spoken since. All those hostile looks from painted and unpainted peryton alike had taken a toll even on Dash, and she was used to a bit of stink-eye in the pursuit of winning.

Dash sighed and tried to get Fluttershy to look at her, but the other pegasus had her eyes squarely on the road, putting one hoof in front of the other. When Dash reached out to touch a wing to her side, Fluttershy didn’t react at all. What was Phoreni’s big idea anyway? She’d made a show of stopping every now and then, announcing what had happened to the curious onlookers. These trespassers have humiliated the wardens. They are being escorted to the Vauhorn trade road without delay. She had flipped from friend to stone-faced warden in an instant.

“Do you want me to take a turn with the cart, dear?” asked Rarity.

Rainbow Dash barely registered the question at first. She glanced over her back at the cart while she thought about it. She’d forgotten she was harnessed to the thing, really, already used to pulling the extra weight and trudging down the endless road.

“I’m fine,” said Dash, shaking her head. “I can’t believe this.”

Rarity said nothing, staring ahead.

“You ever been kicked out of a place before?” Dash asked.

“Unless you count that disaster at the gala, of course n—oh, no, that’s not quite true.” A smile tugged on one of Rarity’s cheeks. “Pinkie Pie and I were… asked to leave once.”

“Snowmelt’s?”

“The very same.”

“Fluttershy?”

“Mhm. It’s a wonder Pinkie Pie gets any ice cream from Snowmelt, ever,” said Fluttershy. She didn’t look up, but she wore a wan half-smile herself.

“I don’t know. I think the mystery is how she keeps that place running. Snowmelt’s just a grump,” said Dash, snorting. “And some things aren’t worth kicking ponies out over, if you ask me.” She hadn’t planned that little stab at Phoreni, but Twilight would be proud of her snark.

Twilight probably would’ve also had a plan that got them not kicked out. Or un-kicked-out. Whatever the case, Phoreni didn’t so much as blink. Dash got a stern look from one of their escorts, though. None of them ran, jumped and ducked in the forest nearby like they had on the way to the Grove. If the peryton walked any closer, they’d be force-marching the ponies shoulder to shoulder.

They were well past the hottest part of the day when the narrow, annoying, branches-grabbing-at-the-cart-wheels-y path spat them out onto a wider dirt road. While it would be a stretch to say that the exact place was familiar, the brown dirt road and the distant clucking sounds of the river Meronna definitely registered.

“Lelyrros, take the flight back on the path two short runs east,” said Phoreni. “We will go on patrol before we make our way back to the Grove. The High Warden will think ill enough of me for letting these travellers roost with us, so let us wander until moonrise. We will discuss the route when we are alone.”

One of the painted stags nodded, tilting his head east. The remaining peryton darted through the brush, disappearing in an instant. The stag alone lingered for a moment.

“I will find you,” Phoreni added. “First, I will give the ponies one final favour in setting them on the trade road to Vauhorn. I was given charge. I will see this to its end.”

The warden-stag nodded again, vanishing into the dense undergrowth without a word. Phoreni stared off into the direction the rest of her patrol had gone, silent for a while.

“I do hope we haven’t caused trouble for you, dear,” said Rarity, her ears splayed. “I feel just terrible about this.”

“It’s okay if we have to leave, but please don’t be angry with us,” said Fluttershy, her voice as thin as Dash had ever heard it.

“You’re not actually in trouble this time, are you?” asked Rainbow Dash. She tried very hard to shut up the part of her that wanted to yell at Phoreni for being so stupid about all of this. The hurt on Fluttershy and Rarity’s faces didn’t make it easy, but she also knew that Phoreni had done a lot for them already.

“Be quiet, be still,” said Phoreni, perking her small ears. Did her horns glow ever so faintly just then? Whatever she was doing, Dash’s sympathy rapidly waned. If she was going to keep being a jerk over an accident, fine. See if she cared.

“Now, follow,” said Phoreni, hopping onto the dirt road and waving them on. She didn’t look half as rigid as she had a moment ago, and not until that moment did Dash realise the difference between the Phoreni they’d met on the road days ago, and Phoreni as she’d been when they hung out at the joust—not that it mattered. Dash pulled the cart between the last of the intrusive bushes and frowned.

“Yeah, we’re not really in a rush right now, thanks.” Dash said, letting out a great snort. ”Just tell us which way to go.”

“Rainbow Dash, there’s no need to be rude,” said Rarity, her heart clearly not in it.

“Oh, I’m the one being rude—”

“The paint is important,” interrupted Phoreni. “It is no joking matter.”

“I get that,” said Dash, glaring at her. “We all get it. We got it when you walked us out of town.”

“As important as the paint is to us, our safety matters more, always,” Phoreni continued. They were getting another lecture? Now? Dash stared in disbelief. “Ours is the task of protecting against the Bow. Ours is the guardianship of not just Khosta Forest, but all of Perytonia.”

“You’ve told us all this before. So what?” asked Dash, her voice steadily rising. ”We said we’re sorry, and Fluttershy didn’t mean to do it, but if you don’t believe us? If you’re so mad at us right now? Just tell us which way to go and leave us alone!” The words hurt coming out of her mouth. She’d really pegged Phoreni as cooler than this.

Phoreni slowed her step a little, letting her fall in with the ponies who walked close together. “Fluttershy, ask me a question,” she said, as quiet as Dash had been loud. “Ask me if I believe you had ill intent. Ask me, do I believe your story?”

Fluttershy shrank back against Rainbow Dash ever so slightly, glancing nervously at the peryton when Phoreni leaned in a little closer. “I don’t understand, why?” asked Fluttershy.

“She doesn’t have to do anything you ask,” Dash said, sneering. “You told her you don’t believe her.”

“I am not sure I appreciate the tone either. If I have to be honest, I think we are past the point of humouring you,” said Rarity with a sniff.

“I do not care what it takes to make you do this,” said Phoreni, blank-faced. “I call upon the sum of gifts I have given you. Housing, guidance and food. I am owed this. Ask me if I believe you.”

Dash shook her head, having no idea what Phoreni was on about, but she sounded urgent, almost desperate. It was starting to unnerve Dash. She reached out with a wing to support Fluttershy, but it didn’t look like Fluttershy needed it. The other pegasus stood a little taller, nodding.

“It’s okay. Well, do you? Do you believe that I didn’t mean it? Do you believe what I told you about the stag selling me the ointment?” Fluttershy asked, raising a brow.

“Yes,” said Phoreni, staring at Fluttershy with unblinking eyes. “Yes, I do believe your story as you tell it. No, I do not believe you would lie, steal or mislead.”

“Then nothing of this makes sense,” said Rarity, shaking her head. It took Dash a moment to register that Phoreni had used the words that they supposedly tried never to use here in Ephydoera. Direct yes's and no’s. Was that meant to be a big deal?

“But you still want us to leave,” Fluttershy said, swallowing audibly.

“I can tell you still do not understand what you did,” said Phoreni, and now she, too, sounded sad. She turned away as she spoke. “Perhaps you never will, but you must believe that the pain I felt is real, and that the insult—the affront to the wardens is real, too, but if you are not to blame, then…” she sighed, still fixed on the trees by the roadside. “Then we will understand and move beyond in time. If you can not understand this because your city is so strange it does not let you see, then I am sorry, too, for I have not been greedy enough in asking and learning of you as you have of us.”

“Fine,” said Dash, stopping on the spot and forcing the others to stop with her. This was getting entirely too confusing, complicated, or stupid for her, and she wasn’t sure which. “Then tell us what to do to fix it. Are we still friends at all? What’s going on?”

Phoreni chewed her cheek, silent for a moment before she replied. “Are you forgiven? There is hurt, but these wounds will heal. If you were believed, one could make your case before the High Warden. There are always exceptions, there are always ways to make right from wrong. We do not wish to wring out apologies, we do not wish to punish. If there is an explanation, who are we to jealously cling to our hurt?”

Fluttershy blinked and stared and Dash tried to wrap her mind around all the stuff Phoreni had said, leaving Rarity to speak up. The unicorn’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“So what you are saying,” said Rarity, her every word crisp and precise, “is that you didn’t have to escort us out. You are are saying that you knew of a way to make this right, or at least that you could take us before the High Warden to let us explain properly?”

Dash felt her heart hammer in her chest. “Kicking us out was your idea? This is your call?”

Fluttershy shook her head from side to side. “But… but you’re the one who walked us through the Grove and told everyone we were being taken away just now. Did you lie? I thought you just said you believed us—that you believed me, but you didn’t believe me at all earlier! I don’t understand!”

Rainbow Dash heard the rush of blood in her ears, her muscles tensing up, her jaw creaking as she clenched her teeth. She hadn’t been a little wrong about Phoreni, she’d been dead wrong, as wrong as she could be. The peryton who stood in front of them was the worst sort imaginable, and Dash was an idiot for thinking—

“I do believe you, and I am helping you, now walk with me—” Phoreni began.

“Helping?!” Dash shouted. She pushed and tugged at the harness to get herself free, never mind the straps. “How about I help you a little? I’ll show you how helpful I can be!”

“Be still,” hissed Phoreni. The peryton doe leaned in until she was snout to snout with Rainbow Dash, and the only thing that calmed Dash a little was the concerned look on her face. Anger, Dash could have understood, because she was plenty angry herself, and she wanted Phoreni to show regret, but instead she got concern. Worry.

“Walk with me, please.” Phoreni said, urgent. She drew back and glanced to each side, scanning the surrounding forest before she walked down the road without looking back.

For lack of any better option, with her anger blunted, Rainbow Dash followed, and the others did the same.

“I need to leave soon if I am to catch up to my patrol,” said Phoreni. “I deserve some of your scorn, and you deserve all of my gratitude. Not just for the peryton who might have gotten hurt by the hydra you chased off, but for helping me.”

“We don’t seem to have done much good at all,” said Rarity with a huff.

“Do I struggle with questions of self-worth?” asked Phoreni. “I never have, but you still have made me see in myself joy in showing Ephydoera to visitors. This you cannot take back. You have made me a bigger person. But first, before all, I ward. When I am surprised, when I am uncomfortable, I become what I always have been. A warden. A protector.”

“If you’re trying to say sorry, you’re doing a terrible job,” muttered Dash.

“I did as I planned,” said Phoreni. “Fluttershy, you must now describe to me in detail the kin who sold you the paint.”

Fluttershy gave Phoreni a dubious look. “I thought you didn’t care. Rainbow Dash suggested that maybe we should try to find him, but you didn’t want to hear it.”

Rarity drew a sharp breath, her eyes widening. “Fluttershy dear, it may be best if you tell her as much as you remember. I think I’m starting to see.”

“If only one of you yet understand, I am doing a poor job of explaining,” suggested Phoreni. “I thought I had made this clear as soon as we left the Grove. Our safety may be at stake.”

“You think what happened was deliberate,” Rarity said, lowering her voice. “That someone did this to us on purpose.”

Phoreni nodded. “I believe it may, and that someone did.”

Fluttershy said nothing, expressionless. Dash blinked. “Hang on,” she said. “You think the guy who sold Fluttershy the paint was trying to get us kicked out?”

Phoreni nodded, moving the group along a little faster. “None would sell it. None should. Two crimes have happened today, and your use of the paint is not one of them. The first is that the paint has made its way outside the wardens’ keeping. The other, that you were turned away and made to leave the Grove.”

“You did that!” Dash said, groaning with exasperation. “You’re the one who ‘turned us away’. That wouldn’t have been a problem if you’d—”

“If I had let the one who did this know we were on their trail? If I announced that I believed Fluttershy, they would be gone in a moment,” said Phoreni, not missing a beat. “They predicted my reaction to be the reaction of any warden. Who in their right mind would believe strangers—outsiders they have met days before—when they say the unthinkable has happened? We had an audience when I discovered what had happened, and I could not betray that I believed you. Now, because of my subterfuge, the ones who did this believe themselves safe and hidden.” She shook her head. “This only serves a purpose if I am right. If this is malice and not Esorys’ absurd chance.”

Fluttershy looked up at Phoreni, smiling with folded ears. “But you do believe me?”

“I have said this,” said Phoreni, glancing back down at Fluttershy. She took a deep breath before she continued. “Perhaps that makes me unfit to ward. Perhaps I have lost my mind, but I believe you. I have barely met you, but I see an earnestness in your heart that only the greatest of warriors have. I see in all three of you a bond.”

“That doesn’t answer the question of why anyone would do such a thing,” said Rarity, the unicorn’s brow knit in a severe frown. “What could we possibly have done to make someone wish us gone?”

“In looking to solve the mystery of the wayward paint, I hope to find the answer to this as well.” Phoreni sighed. “And now that you perhaps believe me, I may as well say the words: I am sorry for what I had to do. If there is a misguided kin among my people who fears strangers, this is not how one shows it. This wrong will be made right. Perhaps in time I will find someone to carry a letter to tell you what comes of it, but for now, I will show you a clever path to Vauhorn.”

Rarity let the cart catch up to her, rooting around it while they walked until she produced the map Khaird had gifted them. She unfolded it and held it aloft with her magic in front of the ponies. “It’s just the rightmost fork past the river, is it not? Well, the ‘eastern’ fork, I suppose. As much as we appreciate it, I am sure we can find it on our own if you are in a hurry.”

“That is not the path I will recommend,” said Phoreni without looking at the map.

“So you lied—well, misled people about that, too?” asked Fluttershy. “You told everyone you’re taking us to the trade road. Very loudly, too.”

For once, Rainbow Dash understood where this was going. “You think we’re still in danger,” she said. She stared at the trees that surrounded them, but unless they were very afraid of an ambush by bushes, there was precious little terror there.

Phoreni shook her head. “Do I believe you are threatened? I think what happened in the Grove is strange, but I cannot see why anyone would threaten you, unless you have a secret purpose here. If you are diplomats, I see no reason, but safety is my purpose, my calling.” She leaned back to nip at one of her own feathers, frowning when she turned her attention back to the ponies. “I misled everyone, my patrol-flight included, for your benefit, and I will show you a better path just in case. If only for this, you must now believe I care about you.”

“To be quite honest, I don’t know where we stand right now, dear, but I believe you,” said Rarity, sighing.

“I’d like to think we’re still friends,” said Fluttershy with downcast eyes. “Really, I’m very sorry about what happened.”

“I don’t know, sure,” said Dash with a shrug. It was so much easier to believe that Phoreni wasn’t some kind of lying jerk, anyway. “This is still a dumb way to have to leave.”

“Is this the farewell I would have wanted? I lament what has happened, too,” said Phoreni with a full-bodied sigh. “But if we have established trust again, then I now need you to tell me as much as you remember about the stag who sold you the paint. After this, I will give you directions.”

Fluttershy nodded swiftly, Rarity dug around their belongings looking for something, and Rainbow Dash pulled the cart along, keeping an eye out for ambushes from the bushes.

“After… bridge,” Fluttershy said, speaking around the sketching tool she’d borrowed from Rarity. “Marked with red. Straight... ahead. Was that all?” How she managed to write while moving, and on a map Rarity held up for her with her magic, Dash didn’t know, but it was impressive to watch.

“That is as far as my path will take you. You will be out of the Splitwood and close to the coast, close to Vauhorn,” said Phoreni, leaning over to inspect Fluttershy’s writing as though she could read it. “You cannot go astray if you keep to my words. Even should you manage to leave the path or leave the Splitwood entirely, you are trapped between the two trade roads and will know if you have failed to heed my instructions. I am one of few who have walked the Splitwood recently, and my memory is sharp for brush-paths.”

“That was quite a lot of detail,” said Rarity, packing away her writing implements and turning the map around. Rainbow Dash barely looked at it, busy negotiating a particularly bad part of the road. So many rocks.

“If your directions take us all the way to Vauhorn, then this is a very long trip,” said Fluttershy, intently staring at the map.

Rarity chewed her cheek and nodded, lowering the map again to look over at Phoreni. “Exactly how long—or, well, how many statues, I suppose I should ask? They’ve been useful for keeping track of things.”

Phoreni shrugged. “How many guardians of Selyria will you find? It is hard to say. They are not spread evenly throughout these paths as they are on the roads. Do not be shy about bedding early or walking through the night, is my advice. You will be travelling for a week or more.”

“Oh,” said Dash. A week. Or eight days if it’s one of their weeks. Over a week in a forest. “Good. Great.”

“A week,” repeated Fluttershy in a hollow voice. “That means there’s no way we won’t be outside when the storm hits.”

“There is much shelter to be found in the Splitwood,” said Phoreni, squinting as she peered down the road. Dash could see a sharp turn coming up, and the rush of the river was louder now. “Better were you in the Grove and not alone, but you will persevere. Unless it falls early upon next sunrise, you will be in the Splitwood with many places to seek cover. You will find trees, ruins and holds.”

“Ruins?” asked Rarity, her snout creased. “Frankly, one visit to ancient ruins in a pony’s life is one visit too many, and I had mine in the Everfree long ago. Let me guess, some long-lost civilisation, forgotten by time and such?”

“Lost? They are ours,” said Phoreni, her face blank. “Many hundred years old. We roosted in the Splitwood before, but it made sense to move to Khosta from Splitwood. The Splitwood has no strategic importance, no threats. Better to be closer to the Bow and its dangers. I do not know exactly when or how Ephydoera moved from the Morillyn within the Splitwood as a whole. Perhaps I will ask Loriessa now that you have made we wonder.”

Fluttershy made a small humming noise. “You mentioned a Loriessa before. Are they some sort of historian?”

Phoreni inclined her head. “That, as well. She is a song-wright, one who takes an interest in the stories particular to Ephydoera, and one of my dear loves.”

“Wait, love? I thought you and Khyrast were, uh, together or something,” said Dash, raising a brow.

“We are. All three of us. Loriessa finds love in Aoras as well, but I keep to her and Khyrast,” said Phoreni with a sidelong glance at Fluttershy. “I understand that two of you are bonded in love, but for a while I wondered if it extended to all three of you.”

Dash felt a laugh bubble up while Rarity chuckled and shook her head. Fluttershy for her part gave a soft giggle and smiled fondly at Rarity. “We’re all very good friends, but yes, it’s not very common in Equestria for more than two ponies to be together like that,” said Fluttershy.

“This is curious to me,” said Phoreni, losing the fight with a smile of her own. “You all express your love for each other so much as to be embarrassing to me. You are twice as loud in your affections as any Ortosian I have met.”

This time Dash couldn’t keep from bursting into a fit of giggles. “You should meet Pinkie Pie. I’d pay to see that!”

“I would pay more to avoid that,” murmured Rarity. “I think we’ve done quite enough to damage our relations here.”

Phoreni elected not to comment, and Rainbow Dash’s laugh ended in a sigh, Rarity’s comment reminding her of what Phoreni’s stoic demeanour had made her temporarily forget. They weren’t just leaving. They were being shown the door. The sooner they left this place behind, the better.

Past the bend in the road, they soon hit a stout wooden bridge crossing the rushing river. The woodwork reminded Dash of all the platforms and buildings in the trees of the Grove, and both of the long bridge’s ends were nearly lost in the dense forest that hung out over the river. Phoreni stopped before their hooves touched wood, halting them at the threshold. Fluttershy cleared her throat just as Phoreni turned around.

“Before you go, um, do you have a moment?”

Phoreni took a deep breath and exhaled through her nose, nodding as she turned her attention to the ponies once more. “Can I spare another minute? I will help if I can, but my subterfuge is made more blatant with every moment I fail to join my flight.”

Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated, looking to Rarity and Rainbow Dash instead. Rarity nodded quickly, understanding passing between them.

“Yes, well, we wanted to ask if there was anything you could tell us of Vauhorn, and perhaps of Cotronna as well,” said Rarity. “Each time we arrive at a new city, we find ourselves a little—what would one say?”

Right. The asking about absolutely everything thing. “Clueless?” supplied Dash.

Phoreni knit her brow for a moment. “I understand your lack of understanding, but we are all Peryton, kin to each other—”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Dash murmured.

“—and trying to think of what is not obvious, is not easy,” Phoreni finished.

“Anything that helps us not offend anyone else,” said Fluttershy, her ears splayed. “That would be nice.”

“Their favoured Aspects would be a start,” said Rarity with a hopeful smile. “Perhaps if you tell us what they mean, that might help.”

“Vauhornites favour all Aspects,” said Phoreni. “This is not obvious. For one who does not know the Aspects—this is not an easy thing for me to imagine—you cannot speak well with them. Their speech is tied to the stories of the Aspects.”

Dash blinked. “Yeah, so, can you… try that again?”

Phoreni tapped a hoof on the ground. “Where a Cotronnan will demand ceremony in speech, the Vauhornite will share freely stories of the Aspects in speaking. To them it can be speech, not only knowledge.”

Rainbow Dash looked to Fluttershy, who looked at Rarity, who glanced at Dash.

“Okay?” said Dash.

Phoreni shook her head slowly. “You are receptive, flexible, and understanding, more than any I have met. You will adapt, but I do not know how to better explain. Both cities stand on ceremony, both are more fond of their stories than their storytellers unlike we, but Vauhornites more than all, as makes sense. From Vauhorn flows more stories than from any other city.”

“So it’s a city full of that old doe outside of Stagrum,” said Dash with a sigh.

“Phydra,” said Fluttershy.

“Yeah, her.”

Phoreni flexed her wings, sending dirt whirling about. “Is this all?”

“I think so,” Fluttershy said.

“Nah,” Dash cut in. “Fluttershy wanted to know what the animal life is like up ahead, and Rarity probably meant to ask you about clothes.”

Fluttershy did not protest, closing her mouth but looking at Phoreni with hope in her eyes. Rarity tried and failed to look uninterested.

“Well. I don’t want to impose,” said Rarity. “But if you have any insight into what they wear, well, I wouldn’t be ungrateful.”

“Animal life in the Splitwood is richer than the Khosta, and the forest is rarely trod,” said Phoreni, impatience clear in her voice. “Clothes? Wear? I do not know. Vauhornite traders walk unpainted like all kin who are not wardens, and Cotronnans will wear whatever fits their ceremony, I understand. For trade, this is nothing. I must be going, or else be missed and forced to explain.”

“Right. Yeah, you do that,” said Dash. She couldn’t be annoyed at Phoreni specifically any more, even if all the sneakiness and secrecy did her head in. She just kept thinking to all the cool stuff they would miss out on. “Heh, have fun with the joust and all.”

“It will be lesser for the lack of you three,” said Phoreni. They were simple words, but she gave Dash a long, unreadable look before she went on. “Make no mistake, I hope to see you again one day and I think us friends, but we need time apart for the hurt to heal. The paint unearned needs to be gone.”

“If it was up to me, it’d be gone yesterday,” grunted Dash, staring at her green wings and the discoloured splotches about her side. “You sure it can’t be washed off?”

“New feathers or time are the only solutions I know.” Phoreni spread her wings fully, the larger mirror of Dash’s own. “Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, our meeting has been a boon, and your journeys are the journeys of Helesseia, Selyria, Daros and all. Your home city and Ephydoera are one. Joy and luck to you.”

Chapter 17

Warden Phoreni,

The High Warden calls you to the Lodge. You will appear before next sun, or you will give up the rights of the paint.

This relates to the events of the Equestrians recently departed from the Grove.

-High Warden

“This is a load of hay,” said Dash. The cart-wheels rolled against the bridge and the river made river-like noises. Three sets of hooves reluctantly attacked the bridge, and hard steps clopped against wood, threatening to drown out her words.

Dash raised her voice a little. “I said—”

“Yes!” said Rarity, even louder, capping herself off with a sigh. “We get it, Rainbow, dear. You are angry, and we are all upset. This is not how I imagined our visit to Ephydoera ending, either.”

“I’m not angry!” snapped Dash. “I’m annoyed. There’s a big difference!”

“Maybe frustrated?” suggested Fluttershy with a smile. “I’m a little bit frustrated, but I’m ever so relieved Phoreni believed me. I don’t know what I’d do if she hadn’t.”

“I know what I’d do,” snarled Dash.

“Rainbow Dash!” said Fluttershy, frowning at her.

“What?” said Dash, but it was pointless. She dipped her head. “I get that she was trying to help, and yeah, she’s stuck her neck out plenty for us.” Rainbow Dash felt her snout crinkling. “But she could have told us—”

“Girls, please,” groaned Rarity.

“Whatever,” said Dash, taking the cart off the far end of the bridge, putting them back on the dirt road. She glanced along the river. The Meronna ran straight enough that they were afforded a rare and clear look west. They were closer now than they’d been even on that night on the hilltop: Behind the closest mountains that loomed large were more peaks, mountain upon mountain with a touch of dark green at their base that Rainbow Dash hadn’t noticed in the dark of night.

“I think this is the first path,” said Fluttershy. Dash looked up, and saw Rarity and Fluttershy standing by the side of the road, pointing to a partially obscured path that led off the road—and more bushes hungry for cart-wheels. Dash grunted and nodded, forcing the cart through. Once again, the canopy above grew more dense. Though the forest wasn’t quite as bad as it had been closer to the Grove, it was thicker than the eastern edges of the Khosta by far.

“I still feel this is a touch paranoid,” commented Rarity.

“Better safe than sorry, right?” Fluttershy replied. “And speaking of safety, maybe we should look at all the things we have on our cart. We didn’t have time to pick up food—”

“Oh dear,” breathed Rarity, freezing.

“—so we’ll just have to graze or forage. I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Fluttershy finished. She smiled with obvious optimism that Rainbow Dash tried to join in on. The memory of the dry grasses she’d tried on the southern Perytonian plains weren’t pleasant, but they were in a forest now. Something had to be edible here.

Rarity, who now looked around with a critical eye, must’ve come to the same conclusion. She no longer wore the look she’d had a moment earlier, not unlike that one time Dash told her Pinkie Pie had made breakfast in her kitchen.

“I—well. Alright, I hope you are right,” said Rarity. “Let us take stock of all we have, shall we? Help me clear some space.”

Rainbow Dash wasted no time in ditching the cart and enlisting Fluttershy’s help in bending away some nosey ferns and plants while Rarity rooted around the cart. A shadow passed over Rainbow Dash’s head, and she ducked as Rarity’s supply chest sailed past.

“One chest containing assorted fabrics and tools of the trade,” said Rarity with a sour look. “Including a few failed projects, Stagrumite jewellery, three Ortosian scarves, three winter scarves, and four complete—if dusty—dresses that will fit pegasi, and are of no interest to peryton.”

“Maybe the peryton in Vauhorn or Cotronna will like them,” said Fluttershy.

“Perhaps you’re right,” said Rarity, chewing her bottom lip before she turned back to the cart. “I understood what Phoreni said as the Cotronnans maybe being more open to fashion, but forget the dresses for a moment—she also said that they were partial to ‘ceremony’? I don’t know what to make of that.”

“Maybe like the Summer Sun celebration,” Dash said. “That’s a ceremony.” Fluttershy shrugged and eeped as three pairs of saddlebags zipped past her and came to a gentle halt atop the chest.

“Saddlebags!” Rarity announced. “Mostly personal belongings. Mine contain toiletries, basic makeup, my sketching tools and paper, the box with the royal seal, as well as the magical parchment specifically made for use with the dragonfire. Also, my journal.”

“I just have the book on wildlife, the reports from Red Sun Runner we all have, and the traveller’s kit Twilight suggested we bring. Oh, and the two pairs of antlers,” Fluttershy added when she saw the large wooden prongs poking out from the bags, her smile fading for a second.

“Your saddlebags don’t seem to close fully,” Rarity pointed out, frowning at them. Her magic surrounded the butterfly-adorned saddlebags. “Let me fix—oh. My apologies.”

Fluttershy tilted her head and blinked as a small canvas bag fell out of her saddlebags at Rarity’s touch. “Um, that’s not mine,” she said before Rarity could tuck it away. The unicorn frowned and levitated the bag closer to her.

“Indeed? I don’t recognise this either. Rainbow Dash?”

Dash shrugged. “Beats me. I’ve never seen it.”

Rarity looked to Fluttershy again, who shrugged helplessly.

“Well, then… I suppose we’ll have a look?” Rarity asked nopony at all, shaking her head. She opened the bag and peered inside, one brow quirked impossibly high. “It’s… leaves and some roots. They smell quite good—look.”

Rainbow Dash peered inside the bag when Rarity pushed it a little closer, and Fluttershy did the same, though Dash at least was no closer to an answer.

“I guess someone… dropped it?” Dash said.

“Dropped it inside Fluttershy’s saddlebags. Really,” said Rarity with a flat look.

“I think those are the same leaves and roots we ate yesterday, actually,” Fluttershy said. “And the only one who’s been with our things except us—”

“Is Phoreni,” Rarity finished for her.

Dash frowned. “You think she snuck it onto our cart when she ‘helped’ us pack? She said she was just trying to get us out of there quicker.”

“Mm, but we now know she didn’t… well, we know she was just putting on a play, almost,” Fluttershy said. “I guess she was worried we’d go hungry.”

Rarity sighed. “Well, it’s not much, but it’s something. That’s very kind of her.”

Fluttershy nodded. “But we shouldn’t eat it tonight. We should save it. The roots won’t spoil.”

“If you say so,” Rarity allowed, packing the bag away. “But, we were taking inventory. That’s my saddlebags done, as well as Fluttershy’s. What about you, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Like I said way back, nothing important.”

“Darling,” said Rarity, fixing her with a look. “This is not the time to be coy. If you have anything that might make our journey easier, do tell us. Any ointment for sore hooves? I’ve been thinking about how silly it was for me not to bring any.”

Rainbow Dash very carefully avoided looking at Rarity, or Fluttershy, or anything else for that matter. She cleared her throat. “Yeah, uh. I doubt I have that.”

“You… doubt it?” asked Fluttershy, tilting her head.

Rarity stared at the saddlebags emblazoned with her cutie mark, and for a second, Dash wondered if the unicorn would make a grab for it and open them without asking. It didn’t matter. Dash would probably have to fess up at some point.

“Right, so I have no idea what’s in my bags,” said Dash, kicking at the grass with a hoof. “You got me.”

Rarity stared and blinked rapidly. Fluttershy looked at Dash like she thought she was exactly as crazy as she was. Or, well, crazy might not be the right word, but it certainly rhymed with “crazy”.

“I may have been a little lazy about it. I put off packing until the last moment,” said Dash, flicking her itching ears. “When Twilight told me—uh, yelled at me that we would be late for the train, I tossed everything in my top bedroom drawer into the saddlebags and ran so it wouldn’t look like I hadn’t packed.”

“Wonderful,” said Rarity, rubbing her forehead. “I expect a stale sunflower sandwich and some mold. Moving on!”

“Hey, it fooled you!” said Dash, grinning triumphantly. Neither Rarity nor Fluttershy looked particularly impressed, though. Fluttershy even did that little shake-of-the-head that was full of her own special brand of pity, and Dash decided to drop it.

“Bottle of dragonfire, carefully wrapped in our sleeping blanket,” Rarity went on. She separated the two, folding the blanket atop of the saddlebags, and turned the bottle around in her magical grip before she put it on top. “I think we’d best keep this one as safe as possible. They said it only works once, so we’ll have to save it for when we need to ask for transport back home.”

“What else’ve we got?” asked Dash. “Any of the grass balls left?”

“You ate the last of those days ago, dear,” said Rarity, hovering over the last of the items on their cart in short order. “One sack of gems, one map, a tarp as un-fabulous as they come, the wooden bowls, and those strange water-bags Naressa gave us that I forgot about.”

“I guess we’ll need those now since we left those huge jars behind,” said Dash, not mourning the heavy things in the least.

“Yes, that is a bit of a shame,” agreed Rarity. “I suppose we better fill those bags in the river now while we have a chance.”

“Especially since we’ll be travelling north and leaving the river behind,” said Fluttershy with a quick nod. “Even if it’s a little less hot now, we’ll need plenty of water. There might not be a lot of rivers and streams for us to drink from, so we have to be careful.”

Rainbow Dash stuck a hoof in one of her ears and rooted around for the source of an itch. “Eh, I dunno. If we run out, I can probably grab a cloud somewhere and wring some water from it. We’ll be fine.”

“While that is a good backup plan, I don’t know that I like relying on that,” said Rarity, sounding a little less convinced. “It will have to do. I suppose when this storm hits, water will be the least of our worries.”

Rainbow Dash spread her wings as much as they would let her, sniffing the air. “Yeah, well, it’s not today or tomorrow,” she said. It was hard to tell with all the weird forest-smells about, and there was barely any movement in the wind at all. “Besides, it’s just a storm, how bad—”

“Could we, um, maybe not finish that sentence?” asked Fluttershy.

“How bad can it be?” said Dash, grinning.

As Phoreni suggested, the Khostan paths that the wardens used often stayed close to the roads, and this particular one ran mostly straight—except to dip close to, and run parallel to the road once in awhile. It was perfect for keeping an eye on anyone else travelling on the road proper, and just wide enough for their little cart. Wide enough, and clear enough of overgrowth that Dash happily let Fluttershy and Rarity take their own turns with the cart.

Had the lone peryton Dash saw at their rest stop by the waterfall used these paths? She still couldn’t fully believe it hadn’t been one of the Ephydoerans who supposedly spied on them.

It didn’t matter too much. If there was one thing that worried Rainbow Dash a teensy tiny bit—and nothing did, of course—it was how none of the three ponies had further pushed the idea of not following Phoreni’s advice. Keeping off the road meant that they thought there was even the smallest chance there was something to worry about. If Dash didn’t say anything, did that mean she thought that was possible, too?

“Here’s the first branch,” said Fluttershy before Rarity had even unfolded the map with its instructions. “We’re supposed to keep right until we exit the Khosta, which shouldn’t take long. That’s easy to remember.”

Rarity put the map back down with a quick nod. “Not much room for us to fail, I don’t think.”

Rainbow Dash squinted at the so-called path. She wouldn’t have noticed the off-shoot going left if Fluttershy and Rarity hadn’t pointed it out to her.

“How’re we gonna know when we’re really out of the forest?” asked Dash while Fluttershy tugged the cart to get it moving again. “When we left Stagrum, there were trees everywhere before it really became a forest. It’s not like there’s a border.”

“This path is supposed to hit the main road before it splits in two,” said Fluttershy. “I’m sure it’ll make sense.”

“Alright,” said Dash with a shrug and her eyes fastened upon Fluttershy—on her girlfriend. That word would probably never get old. Also decidedly new, Fluttershy didn’t seem half as bothered by the cart as Dash remembered. Maybe it was the cooler evening air. Or maybe Fluttershy had gotten used to it. Stronger. Dash was more than okay with the realisation.

“Phoreni said we’d have to follow the main road for a short while, if I recall, but right now, I’m more concerned with finding somewhere to sleep,” called Rarity from the front.

The point was well made: Without statues a day’s journey apart, they were forced to keep moving without the promise that they’d eventually find a statue to serve as a natural stop. It had been past noon when they left town, and sunlight faded by degrees. Innumerable bushes, ferns and freakishly large flowers passed by, and suddenly, Fluttershy’s turn with the cart was over. Rarity took over without a word, they moved on, and sundown came all too fast. Rainbow Dash grabbed the cart again a little earlier than her turn, to no protest. Now she brought up the rear of their little procession, trailing in the wake of Rarity’s magical light.

Bit by bit, what Dash considered a comfortable travelling temperature became a pleasant chill. More than once, Fluttershy broached the idea of bedding down in the cover of trees for the shivering unicorn’s benefit, but Rarity wrapped herself in their heavy blanket as they walked and resolutely trudged on. At first, Dash thought Rarity’s walking blanket act was funny, but that only lasted until she felt the nip of the cold herself.

Rainbow Dash was minutes away from stopping their single-file walk dead in its track, planning on enforcing Fluttershy’s suggestion, when Rarity grinned in triumph. The shuffling mound of blanket brightened the light of her horn and pointed ahead.

“I believe I am vindicated, my dears,” said Rarity, indicating a shadow looming too wide to be a tree. Dash squinted as they drew near. The statue—and it was indeed a stone statue—stood a small ways off the path, once again testament to Rarity’s keen eyes. The shape wasn’t entirely familiar, though.

“What the hay,” said Dash, breathless only in part from the strain of pulling their cart through the brush.

“This doesn’t look like the others,” said Fluttershy, halting a half-step behind Rainbow Dash, rubbing one foreleg against the other. The two pegasi stopped by the edge of what could only be called a clearing by the most generous of minds. Not a hoof’s breadth of the area was free of roots, low-hanging branches or other greenery. Well, greenery, green-bluery and brownery. It was a miracle Rarity had spotted the statue itself.

The cracked and worn grey stone hugged lower to the ground than the normal Selyrian statues, and had only two wings rather than two full sets, both thrust forward forward in an arc to provide shelter with thick stone anchored in the ground. The figure of Selyria herself—or itself, Dash wondered?—looked even more monstrous than the others.

For all its lack of detail, and as overgrown as the statue was, Dash got chills from the mad look in the creature’s eyes, a beaked face frozen in a ferocious scream directed at the sky. It didn’t help that the ground around the statue was lined with glowing moss, casting a ghostly purple light that mingled with Rarity’s own blue-white glow for eerie effect.

Rarity let out a derisive snort. “For all I care, it could be a statue of myself wearing one of Short Sleeve’s ghastly spring line of crinoline dresses, so long as it lets me lie down and get my hooves under a blanket before they freeze and fall off. Fluttershy, if I give you light, can you see if any of these leaves look like the ones Phoreni packed for us? And Rainbow Dash, would you be a dear and bring our things inside?”

“Those are definitely not the same leaves,” said Rainbow Dash, grabbing one last mouthful of berries before she put the food and drink away. The large red berries tasted not entirely unlike… was it grapefruit? It was not her favourite, but it chased away the awful taste of the leaves Fluttershy and Rarity had found.

“I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy, eyeing the leaf-bearing branches critically. “I think they look the same, and they didn’t taste that bad, but something must’ve been wrong.”

“Or missing. They must have had some sort of spices or sauce in the Grove,” Rarity suggested, worming her way further in amidst the two pegasi. She lay in between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash under the blanket, both of them drafted to act as unicorn-warmers while they ate. Dash shuffled a little closer. Once Fluttershy convinced the largest of the spiders to let them borrow their home for the night, and with the moss as a cushion underneath, the stone shelter became downright cozy.

If you ignored the creepy glow from outside, that was. And the many small spiders lurking about. And the creepy bird-beaked face of the statue. And the particularly cold night tonight that made even Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash huddle under the blanket—and their water painfully cold to drink. And most of all, if you forgot the fact that they should be taking part in some awesome games right now instead of camping out in a creepy grove.

Everyone was still thinking about it, and Dash could tell. The second it got quiet, Fluttershy had her eyes downcast, and Rarity stared blankly ahead. For Dash’s part, the recent memories were a roiling frustration in her chest made even stronger when she saw the look on the others’ faces.

“It’s dumb,” said Dash, unable to keep her mouth shut any longer.

“I think it would be easier if Phoreni hadn’t been quite so honest,” sighed Rarity. Dash had been right. They didn’t need to ask to know they were thinking the same thing. “I would have left twice as happy if I did not know we had truly hurt her,” Rarity added.

“I just can’t get all their faces out of my head,” said Fluttershy, pulling a snippet of blanket up to cover her snout and lowering her voice. “All those peryton looking at us like we’d done something terrible, staring at us. Do you think they… hated us?”

“For all that they are so very different from us, surely you can’t think there was hatred, dear,” murmured Rarity. “Disappointment and confusion, perhaps? Anger? I just don’t know.”

Dash shifted under the blanket to make sure she had her rear hooves on a fold of the blanket rather than the moss. There were probably spiders in the moss too. She craned her neck back to look at the stone hanging over them. With no real central pillar like the other stele, the entire inside arcs of both wings were covered in inscrutable writing, chipped and faded to the point where she doubted she could read it even if she understood it.

“I can’t imagine ponies hating anyone over something like this,” said Dash. Hate. Who bothered with that sort of stuff? Who had time for it? The walk out of the Grove had stung anyway. She’d been ridiculed in front of crowds before, mucked up stunts or made herself look bad, but today had gotten to her, too. “Heh, I can’t even imagine other peryton this angry,” she said. “We’ve made stupid mistakes all along, right? Can you guys picture Khaird telling us to leave Orto?”

Rarity shook her head ever so slightly. “No, but then, I couldn’t imagine Phoreni doing it either, up until today.”

“She was a little intimidating,” said Fluttershy, hesitating for a second. “Um, but… no, I don’t know. I don’t like thinking about it, really. She said it would be okay if we just give it time. Maybe we can talk about something else?”

“Yeah. I know,” said Dash, puffing out her cheeks. Rarity dimmed the light from her horn until they lay in the faint glow from the outside only. Fluttershy became a red-tinted outline of two ears, and Rarity only existed as light reflected on her horn-tip.

“I just can’t wait to meet the leader who can speak for all of these crazy peryton,” Dash added.

“Me neither,” Rarity muttered. “The knowledge that they must have someone who can make sense of this is all that keeps me sane.”

All the energy Rainbow Dash had meant to spend on the games today had to go somewhere, and with no jousts, no circles, no other kinds of physical exertion aside from a bit of cart-pulling, Dash lay awake for a while thinking about nothing in particular. There were a bunch of things she could think about, sure, but nothing she wanted to think about.

When she heard the rustle of someone turning around, when she caught the soft intake of breath, she instantly knew what was coming. Fluttershy lay awake as well, staring at her over Rarity’s sleeping form, and testament to how long they’d known each other, Rainbow Dash could’ve spoken in chorus with Fluttershy when she opened her mouth.

“I’m sorry,” whispered Fluttershy. “I—”

“Don’t,” said Rainbow Dash, trying hard not to sound too exasperated.

“I know you were really looking forward to the rest of the Brush Games,” Fluttershy continued, infinitely gentle and soft, but relentless all the same. “I didn’t mean to get us kicked out. I was just trying to help.”

“I know, it’s fine,” said Dash. “And it isn’t your fault.” What more could she say?

“Okay,” was all Fluttershy said.

As quietly as she could, Rainbow Dash slipped out from under the blanket and tucked the side in so Rarity wouldn’t be cold. Taking care not to step on anything or anyone, she moved over to the other side. “Scoot,” she whispered, grateful for the size of their blanket as she lay down close to Fluttershy.

She reached out to touch Fluttershy’s side. She didn’t really have anything reassuring to say, and if Fluttershy really needed somepony to hold her or whatever, she’d ask. The feeling of coat-hairs against Dash’s hoof was nice, though. She ran her hoof slowly up and down her side. The way she could feel Fluttershy’s body relax under her touch was twice as awesome as the warmth.

“I just don’t get why Khaird asked us to come this way,” muttered Dash.

“It’s not his fault, either,” said Fluttershy. Dash felt a light touch as Fluttershy’s feathers hooked around the base of her own wing. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and made a noncommittal noise.

“Sometimes, things are no one’s fault, that’s all,” added Fluttershy in a whisper.

“Sure,” Dash said with a quiet snort through her nose. “I just don’t want to muck up this whole mission.”

Rainbow Dash could feel Fluttershy’s sigh more than she heard it, a puff of warm breath against her face. “The Princesses seem to think we’ll find a way,” said Fluttershy. “They trust us, and once we get to Cotronna and give the sigil over, everything will be alright, and we’ll have made new friends. I’m sure.”

Dash nodded. She meant to say something back. To agree and admit that yeah, knowing all that helped a little, and Fluttershy was probably right. To disagree, to say that Perytonia was impossible to understand and that being tossed out on their butts still hurt. She meant to complain about how annoying it was to think both of those things at the same time, but instead, she fell asleep with her hoof slowly and awkwardly rubbing up and down Fluttershy’s side and chest, soaking in the shared warmth.

It was a dream. Of course it was a dream. Dash knew it was a dream, but while it was obvious to her now, she also knew that she wasn’t always as aware of that as she was in the present moment. Rainbow Dash woke up asleep in the middle of a flight through an endless gorge, green bolts of lightning zapping between sharp crystals embedded in the canyon walls.

She hurtled through the air, dodging her way down the crazy obstacle course faster than her wings should let her—faster than a regular, less awesome pony’s wings would, anyway. She zigged and zagged, but now that she was aware of what she was doing, she lost her focus. She was out of the zone.

A bolt of energy struck the stone wall right next to her, sending rockspray everywhere, and once she slowed down even the slightest bit, another green arc struck her straight in the chest. Rainbow Dash screamed as the force of a hundred lightning bolts hammered into her.

The scream petered out in a confused “AAaaaa… ah?” Dash bit the tip of her tongue lightly and squinted, touching her chest with a hoof as she hovered in place. It didn’t hurt at all, and she was completely fine. Because it was a dream. Rainbow Dash sighed, the tension blunted and her mood crashed. What was the point of flying some daring run without any danger at all?

With a dejected frown, she flew up to land on the flat ground over the lip of the gorge. Wherever she was, there was enough rock to go about: The sky itself seemed to be made of pure stone painted in the colours of night, a mass of purple stars and constellations dominating the dome. As Dash had expected, a bunch of changelings and a particularly large hydra waited for her up top, but she really wasn’t feeling it. Why couldn’t she dream up a game of circles where she beat the high score?

What she did know was that being reminded of today’s events in her dreams was really, really lousy, though. “Thanks, brain,” she grumbled. The Princesses trusted them to find a way to befriend Perytonia, and so far, all they’d found was a way to get kicked out of town. Good going, us. Hopefully their mayor didn’t send an angry letter to the capital or anything.

“Hey, Luna! You around?” Dash called, looking up at the night sky. Maybe the Princess had some tips. Maybe she knew the recipe for a sauce to make the leaves in this forest taste better. Mostly, Dash was bored. “Princess Luna?” she called again. It was pointless, of course. So far, the Princess had shown up at random, but it was worth a shot.

Or maybe it wasn’t pointless. The strange night sky warped and bent, and as it did, so did everything else. Rainbow Dash’s stomach lurched and her eyes widened as a very real and un-dreamlike feeling of sick passed through her. The entire world shifted, yanked away like a carpet pulled from underneath, above, around and inside her. A darkness darker than black slid in to replace it, changing so quickly Rainbow Dash struggled to remember what had come before it.

Rainbow Dash stood on an inky darkness that bled shadow onto her hooves, and above sparkled the most colourful night Rainbow Dash had ever seen. Stars were dotted thick in the sky, but more than just clusters and constellations, there was a constant riot of northern lights and other star-clouds and bits of colour that Dash couldn’t name or explain. Shooting stars gleamed in the sky without end, the spectacle so mesmerising she barely noticed when Luna stepped onto the ground next to her.

“Curious,” said Princess Luna.

Rainbow Dash offered the Princess a quick bow, and when she opened her eyes again after what was no more than a long blink, she saw the glass. All around them were infinite panes of nearly invisible glass, huge frameless windows hovering in the air right above the dark ground. The Princess barely seemed to notice Rainbow Dash, slowly turning on the spot.

“Where are we?” asked Rainbow Dash, her voice hollow and empty, lost in the endless expanse of shadow and glass lit by the multitude of colours in the sky. She rubbed at her own eyes. Did Luna look larger than usual? Larger, and darker? “And what’s going on?”

“We are in your dreams, Rainbow Dash,” said Princess Luna, though Dash could hear a note of doubt in her voice. “I would say ‘do not be alarmed, you are dreaming’, but I suspect you know this still. You called me.” She frowned ever so slightly, the large Princess staring down at Dash. “And I did not sense that I was needed, yet still, here I am. That is not supposed to happen. I am not to be dragged into dreams like this. How has this happened?”

Rainbow Dash’s mouth hung open. “I have dreaming superpowers? Ohmygosh!”

Luna rolled her eyes. “No, Rainbow Dash, you do not have ‘dreaming superpowers’, and for all the love I have for you and your friends? If this was your power, you will find that an annoyed Princess is no ally.”

“Right,” said Dash, nodding her head. “Okay, but I didn’t mean to do it, sorry about that—and I don’t even know what I did, but if nopony has been able to do this before, then that still counts as a power, right? Because I’ll take it—”

Luna’s deadpan stare shut Rainbow Dash up. When the Princess’ horn started glowing, Dash took a step back, but Luna’s magic faded away again without having done anything Dash could see.

“No. It is not you. It is something else,” Luna declared, her horn flaring again while she walked past Rainbow Dash, in amidst the floating glass panes. “Our link as ponies, Equestrians, you as my saviours, as… friends, that is only part of it. If that was the case, then why not the others Elements,” the Princess’ words trailed off into a mutter, and Rainbow Dash could only follow, forced into a slow trot to keep up with the taller pony.

“Okay, can you do the explaining thing?” asked Dash, looking up at her. “Because I have no idea what any of this stuff is. My dream was way different. This happened when you came in here.”

Luna stopped just short of the nearest glass window with an undisguised frown. “You are of course correct. You would not know how to create Halls of Silver, as these are called, and that… makes this mine, not yours, because I see none other.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t bother to ask. She just stared at Princess Luna and willed her to make sense.

“This is a construct of dreams. A place to store memories,” said Luna. “I used these to… store my memories and emotions, long ago.”

“Okay. Why are we here?” asked Dash.

“I do not know,” Luna admitted with a shrug. “I will find out. I refuse to believe there are secrets pertaining to dreams that can remain hidden from me for long. This is my domain, after all.”

“Cool,” said Dash, scuffing at the ground. The inky blackness was hard as steel, but still shifted under her hooves. The combination made her dizzy. “So, uh. What’s in the windows?”

“Those were the memories and emotions I mentioned,” said Luna, her gaze distant.

“Yeah. I figured. Can I have a look? Anything fun?” asked Dash, leaning to the side to get a better angle at the nearby window-thing, but it was transparent and empty. “Any embarrassing filly pictures?”

“No,” Luna replied. She arched a brow. “Perhaps you do not understand the gravity. I used to bottle up my hatred, my sorrow, my joy and… my jealousy. I stored all of it. This place—these places—contained centuries, millennia, but there is nothing left now. I have reclaimed it all.” The Princess let her eyes roam the endless expanse of glass. “This is an empty place, as it should be. Hoarding these emotions led to my becoming Nightmare Moon. In a sense, this is where she—where that part of me—was born.”

“Oh,” said Dash. Her tail and her ears drooped, and she felt very, very small and cold all of a sudden. She was pretty sure that Luna hadn’t moved, but now the Princess stood right at her side, all but touching, large and warm. It helped a little. Twice as much when Luna again spoke, her voice thick with emotion.

“I abandoned this long ago, Rainbow Dash. I speak with my sister and with my friends, and this night, I have shared the memory of a memory with you. It is safer, healthier, and less painful.” The Princess smiled at her, no less bright than Princess Celestia in that one moment. “I learned that you should always face your fears and your frustrations, that you must share your anger and your concerns. I will find out what brought us here, but before I leave—you called me for a reason, unwittingly or no. Is something amiss? Are you in peril?”

Dash managed a weak laugh. “Heh, nah. We’re fine. Wish we had some better food, but that’s about it. My snout’s cold.”

Luna tilted her head. “You do not seem to have any issues remembering this.”

“Huh. I guess not. I’m supposed to have a hard time remembering the real stuff, right? Well, I don’t.” Dash shrugged. She even remembered what Fluttershy had said right before she fell asleep, even if she couldn’t tell exactly when that had been.

“It may be this place,” said Luna, humming. “Regardless, if you are safe, rest assured that Sister and I believe in you. You are our best chance of fostering a good relationship with Perytonia.”

“We’re trying. We kinda messed up a little, actually, but I think we got a handle on it,” said Dash, swallowing a frown. “Don’t worry about it. How’s Twi, AJ and Pinkie doing?”

Luna shook her head. “I do not have details, but I know they are safe and well because the sun still rises. I believe they have matters well in hoof, just like I believe you will come through.”

Rainbow Dash groaned. “If you’re not gonna tell me, forget I asked. I’ve had enough of stupid rules for one day. I don’t care.”

“It is not a rule,” said Luna, affecting a small shrug that became a big shrug on her large frame. “I do not know. Even if I had made efforts to learn of their journeys, the most I could glean without being invasive and betraying trust would be to say just that. I cannot change this, but I might be able to offer relief. What little time off I take every night is coming up. Would you care to fight by my side once again?”

Dash felt a grin budding. “Actually, do you think you can create a track, some hoops, and a discus?”

When Rainbow Dash awoke, it was to a chirping sing-song that she wished wasn’t quite so familiar. She cracked open an eye, groaned, yawned, and kicked the blanket away. It was too early for this, no matter what it was.

“Scarlett says good morning,” drifted Fluttershy’s voice from outside the shelter. That explains it.

“It would’ve been a great morning if she hadn’t woken me up,” Dash called back, rummaging around in the relative darkness for a second, finding only moss and leaves. Before she could ask where all their stuff was, Rarity stuck her head inside and whisked the blanket away with a burst of magic, leaving Rainbow Dash with absolutely nothing.

“Breakfast, such as it is, is served outside, away from all the spiders,” said Rarity with a small shudder, disappearing again.

Dash grunted and slipped outside to where Fluttershy and Rarity waited with a well-organised and packed cart. Rarity bemoaned the state of their blanket, shaking and folding it atop, and Fluttershy offered Dash some of the berries they’d had yesterday whilst snacking on the horrid leaves herself. The red little rooster-wannabe of a bird sat on Fluttershy’s head singing away, and Dash didn’t mind it quite as much now. She felt a little more alive after a quick drink of water. It was already uncomfortably hot.

“You let me sleep in again,” said Dash, not complaining at all. Maybe she could convince one of them to pull the cart while she took a nap, too.

“I think we all slept in a little, really,” said Fluttershy. She held out a foreleg, letting Scarlett hop down to sit there instead. “Scarlett found us by chance and woke us up. Well, she woke me up, and I accidentally woke Rarity up. If not, we’d probably sleep half the day away.”

“Doesn’t sound all that bad to me,” said Dash with a snort and a grin.

“I think I’ve given up on the concept of beauty sleep at this point,” said Rarity, covering a yawn.

“We have a long way to go, you know,” said Fluttershy. She smiled and rose to stand, making for the cart and its harness. “If we’re going to take a day off, maybe we shouldn’t do it in this forest. We should probably leave.”

“Probably,” Dash agreed. She stretched her entire body, forelegs and hindlegs, twisting her neck left, then right. Finally, she spread her wings, noting that they worked just fine. She probably shouldn’t fly just yet, but despite looking weird and green, they didn’t hurt, either. Finally. It did wonders for her mood. “Alright. Let’s do this!” she said.

The forest of Khosta had taken its sweet time in transitioning from a light and sparse woodland in the east to become the tangled mess of moss and dense undergrowth surrounding the Grove. Now, in the space of half a day heading north, it changed its mind again. The path they followed veered further and further away from the main road trying to remain out of sight in a landscape that exchanged thick trees for slim ones, hid ferns and bushes to replace them with grasses, and climbed steadily upwards.

It began subtle enough. Dash pulled the cart right after a short mid-day rest, relishing the hard climb until it didn’t give her a downhill run on the other side. Instead, she got another another long and slow climb as her reward. Sure, every now and then she got a slightly more fun—but hardly thrilling—down slope, but bit by bit, they ascended as the forest grew thinner.

The path they followed had mostly just been a walkable strip cutting between the trees, and now it got harder to make out. After a particularly steep climb that had Fluttershy walking behind her to make sure nothing fell off the cart, Dash could look over her shoulder to see treetops.

“Almost looks like the view from the hill we found the night we got to the Grove,” said Dash, her head turned to look behind her as she slowed down. To the south, the Khosta looked endless. In daylight, it was no chaotic sprawl with a myriad of colours, but rather, an unbroken expanse of the forest’s unique blue-tinted-green treetops. If there was anything to the south of the forest, she could not see it, and unless she imagined it, the mountains curved away from them ever so slightly in the west. The tall peaks like rows of sharp teeth grew slightly less oppressive, fading.

“Can’t see any of those weird flashes we saw, though,” Dash added, coming to a stop. “Remember—”

Fluttershy and Rarity couldn’t have heard her. They stood still further ahead, waiting at what must be the top of the hill, climb, slope or whatever they were supposed to call it. There were entirely too many of the things anyway. One was too many when you couldn’t just fly over and ignore them, really.

“I’m sorry, did you say something?” asked Fluttershy when Rainbow Dash drew near. She tilted her head, and Scarlett tweeted in shrill protest, wings flapping as she tried to keep her grip.

“Nah, nothing big,” said Dash, shaking her head. “Just trying to see those lights in the mountains.”

“Oh,” said Fluttershy with a backwards glance. Her mouth hung open for a second, slowly becoming a smile. “It looks like it did from the hill outside the Grove. Goodness.”

“That’s what I said,” grinned Dash, moving to stand level with the others. “Oh, hey.”

“You asked for a border to this forest,” said Rarity, her brow knit as she stared ahead. “I suppose this is as close as one can get.”

There was no trace of the path any more. In all honesty, Rainbow Dash hadn’t seen anything she herself would trust or follow for a while now, and if Fluttershy and Rarity had insisted they were on some sort of track before, there was no point in even pretending any more.

The last hour had seen smaller trees and sparser growth, but no forest lay over the hill. Ahead and to the left rose a steep, grass-covered mound that climbed until it obscured the distant mountains. To the right, flat and verdant plains that stretched on and on, in one particular place until Rainbow Dash imagined she could see the ocean, or Equestria itself. In other places, the horizon hid behind hills. Small copses of trees or large bushes nestled in dips, in pits and near a tiny lake in the distance, but what truly caught Dash’s eye was the swaying of endless, knee-length grass moving with the gentle wind. Everything was coated in green or yellowing grass.

“I suppose,” said Rarity, her voice quiet as though not to disturb the nothingness ahead, “we should join with the road unless we want to get lost.”

“I think that sounds like a good idea,” agreed Fluttershy in a whisper, staring unblinking ahead. “It should be to our east—our right, I mean.”

“We’ll be fine,” declared Dash, rolling her eyes and pushing past them. She could even see the road ahead, a darker strip that dipped out of sight after climbing a small hill just barely in view. When Rarity and Fluttershy moved to follow, Rarity’s head didn’t turn with her body, still pointing north like the arrow of a compass, or like she was a pegasus herself.

“These are the highlands, then. I wish I could preserve these images,” said Rarity with a wistful sigh. “How silly of me not to pack my colouring tools. I may not be a painter, but I am sure I could do something with this sight.”

“Heh, you’ll probably get sick of it soon,” said Dash. It was just a huge bunch of nothing.

Only, so much nothing looked very different from down on the ground. Even when she flew as high as she could go, past Cloudsdale, past the highest natural clouds at the top—when farms and cities could fit under her hoof—there was always something to hold on to. Something Equestrian in sight.

“Maybe we’d get tired of it if we were taking the road, but we’re not following the highlands, remember?” said Fluttershy, tearing her eyes off the expanse of grass. “We’re going right off the road again.”

“Yeah, I know,” said Dash with a grunt, suddenly feeling a little more fondly towards the plains or highlands ahead. The endless open skies were a welcome sight compared to the oppressive forest they’d left behind.

She gave her wings a slow flap, and the worst she could say was that they felt a little sore, like she’d just landed after a particularly tough workout. Now all that was left was to hope Phoreni’s instructions didn’t take them through nothing but deep forests and caves.

“Y’know, I kinda expected more,” Dash admitted.

“Perytonia’s infrastructure is nothing if not consistent in its disappointments,” said Rarity.

“I didn’t really think there would be a lemonade stand or anything like that, but… maybe a sign would be nice?” said Fluttershy.

They found the crossroads with daylight to spare. The past few hours had passed in silence that was in part pleasant, and in part the inevitable result of baking sunlight with neither trees nor wind to take the edge off. They’d taken many a small break with the cart parked squarely in the middle of the road, catching their breath and drinking water in the shadow of their tarp. Not even Scarlett seemed inclined to say much, the red fluffball’s constant song silenced. During one of these breaks, they spotted some animals in the far distance, but Fluttershy couldn’t tell what they were.

They were the only travellers on the road, Dash felt quite sure about that at least: After the first time they switched cart-pulling duties around, the road and the surrounding area became flat enough that she could see forever. Nothing moved except the swaying grass that now reached all the way up to their bellies, and when they sat still for more than a minute, Dash had to wonder if maybe the grass was actually still, and they were the ones moving from side to side.

That was why she was so glad when they got to the crossroads. That was why she was so infinitely disappointed in the dirt road when all it did was unceremoniously split and carry on. Everything looked the same still. Now to their west and behind them, hills. To the east, nothing. Ahead, straight or to either side, absolutely nothing, made worse by the fact that—

“We’re supposed to just leave the road?” asked Dash. She imagined that the second they stepped into the grass, they’d disappear and never be seen again. A year from now, three rugged and shaggy ponies would part the grass and find themselves in Ponyville.

Rarity already had the map out, levitating it in front of Fluttershy. The unicorn was probably grateful for a break since it was her turn with the cart. “Yes,” said Fluttershy in response to Dash. “At first, we just need to keep heading north—”

“Which I am given to believe we don’t need a compass for, if the two of you can tell where that is,” said Rarity, earning a nod from Fluttershy, who pointed due north without looking up.

“It’s that way. We should just barely pass into the woods before we reach the Morillyn Gorges,” said Fluttershy, holding a hoof to the map when Rarity made to pack it together. She frowned, then squinted, stretching her neck out to look past it.

“Whatcha got?” asked Dash, cocking her head.

“Oh, well, I was just looking at the directions again. The map doesn’t have a lot of detail, but it’s been very accurate with its distances,” said Fluttershy, nodding to Rarity and smiling. “I don’t think I need the map any more, thank you. Um, but, yes, we really should be able to see something by now. Ahead, I mean. Unless Phoreni thinks we can head through the forest for days without any point of reference, these gorges have to be nearby. I don’t understand why we don’t see them.”

“Alright, I’ll fly up and have a look,” said Dash, taking a deep breath. “I’ll be back in a second.”

“Darling, your wings need rest,” said Rarity. “I’m sure Fluttershy—”

“I got it,” said Dash, blowing her mane out of her face. She tested her wings for the umpteenth time today, and they felt better yet. A testing stroke, then another. As much as she didn’t like the green paint for reminding her of their exile—and twice as much for reminding Fluttershy of it—she was almost tempted to believe it did help her wings heal faster.

“Rainbow Dash? I can fly up, it’s no problem,” said Fluttershy frowning at her. “I was just thinking out loud, and it could just be the grass that’s in the way. The gorges aren’t even on the actual map, it’s just—”

“I got it,” repeated Dash, grinning as she put her wings to use. Enough joking around, they were ready for some real wing power. With enough care and a post-recovery, pre-flight routine to make her old flight instructors proud—done in a tenth of the usual time—Dash was ready to go. Wings forward, back, up, down, fold, unfold, test, test again and go. Rainbow Dash launched into the air, her heart soaring twice as high as her body. She carved a few simple loops into the sky as she shot up and up, slow only by her own standards.

The air stood still, there were next to no currents, and already she felt the heat sapping her strength. She didn’t care. Dash herself moved, and so she forced the wind to touch her face and tousle her mane. She built a roar of air rushing in her ears with the effort of her own wings. When she’d gained enough speed, she shut her eyes and let herself drift for a second, basking in the results. It wouldn’t do to get injured right off the bat again. Rainbow Dash glided for a moment or two before she realised she was supposed to be doing something.

Right. Use eyes. Scouting stuff. She looked north, and immediately saw what Fluttershy had been talking about. They were close to a forest that filled the gap between the two roads that split off and disappeared in the grass. North of the fork lay a gorge that looked like a brownish red pit, like somepony had poked their hoof in a freshly baked cake or something.

Or, not like that at all, but now Rainbow Dash was keenly aware of how long it’d been since she’d had cake.

The mountains looked the same as ever. Was there anywhere in Perytonia where one couldn’t see them? She couldn’t make out the coast, anyway, and there was entirely too much grass to see up here. Rainbow Dash dipped her head and sailed towards her friends, spotting Fluttershy coming in to land as well. The other pegasus circled from a spot a little lower down, Scarlett a red speck orbiting her in turn. Fluttershy had probably taken flight to check for herself.

Dash felt a twinge of annoyance. Didn’t Fluttershy think she’d do a good job? No, that wasn’t it. That wasn’t it at all. She was annoyed because she hadn’t asked Fluttershy to come along with her. She forgot. Next time, then. Dash landed and furled her wings, only now realising she was short of breath.

“It’s there,” said Dash between breaths. “Saw the gorge and everything.”

“Yes, dear, Fluttershy just told me,” said Rarity with a bemused smile.

“I’m sorry, you were taking a while,” said Fluttershy, looking halfway to an apology herself, though she didn’t give it voice. “Did you have fun?”

“It sounds a lot like you’re asking me if I’m glad to be able to fly again,” said Dash with a raised brow. “Are you serious?”

Fluttershy giggled and did not press the issue, shaking her head. Rainbow Dash moved over to bump her flank against Fluttershy’s side, and Rarity didn’t say much, her eyes straight north and the cart unmoving.

“Want me to take the cart for a sec?” asked Dash. She tossed her head back and wiped her brow. “I can take it. You wanna run for a bit, too? We could at least trot.” She rustled her wings and leaned against Fluttershy again, the other pegasus giggling and shaking her head at Dash. Dash grinned. She couldn’t be blamed. She had her wings back, and she felt good.

“Hm? Oh, no, I am sure I can handle it,” said Rarity, though she still stayed put, still had hesitance plain on her face. She licked her lips and tapped the ground with a hoof. “This is a thing we are going to do, then, is it?”

“Do what?” Dash asked, reaching up to push her mane out of her face.

“You mean not following the road?” Fluttershy chanced, and Rarity nodded.

“Phoreni said it would be safer, but as I recall, it’s hardly a shortcut,” said Rarity.

Fluttershy nodded in agreement, glancing at the cart where the map poked out, wedged between the supply chest and the cart’s side. “You’re right. The road is nearly straight. Going through the forest won’t be faster, or even as fast, and besides, some of these instructions… um, I didn’t really get a chance to ask her for details, but it doesn’t sound like it’s the easiest path. It’s going to be slower.”

Rarity nodded again, slowly this time. “I feared as much. And we’re doing this because we trust her advice?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Why would she lie?”

“Darling, it’s not about lies,” said Rarity with a weak smile. “I think we can all agree that Phoreni has our best interest in mind. It’s about trusting her judgment. Do we think she’s right? Do we believe we are in danger?”

Dash blew hot air through her nose and turned around in a quick circle. “I’m not afraid of grass, and there’s nothing here but grass. So, no, we’re not in danger of anything but going crazy because there’s too much of it.”

“And those wagons that went missing, that was a long while ago, really,” said Fluttershy, scuffing the ground. To Dash’s ears, it sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than anypony else, her voice trailing off.

“But we’re still going to take this… off-road route?” asked Rarity, relentless with her questions. “We still have the option of the direct road to Vauhorn or Cotronna, or even doubling back to Stagrum to wait for a boat.”

Fluttershy bit her lower lip. “I wouldn’t mind heading back, normally, but even if the Ephydoerans didn’t mind us travelling through the forest again, I don’t know how safe I feel there, either. You know. Because… hydras.”

Dash frowned. “What’s up with this interrogation? Phoreni knows her stuff, and she gave us directions. Why are you making this difficult? What do you think? You think we should turn back now?”

“I think Fluttershy is right in that going back is a poor idea. Also, if there is even the smallest chance of monsters or ruffians along the roads,” said Rarity, “then we definitely ought to take Phoreni’s advice. I just wanted to know we’re all on the same page.”

“Right,” said Dash. “That’s fine. I’m cool with whatever, but I vote we head north. Off the road. I don’t wanna look at all this grass any more than I have to.”

“I think that’s the best option,” said Fluttershy, nodding quickly. “Especially if there’s a storm coming. We can’t be out in the open in the middle of a storm, so I vote we go north, too—unless you mind, Rarity?”

“Not at all,” said Rarity, smiling. “Let us, then.”

Rarity set the cart moving straight ahead in defiance of the crossroads, fording the tall grasses as one would a river, bent stalks springing up again in her wake.

Finally, they were making progress. Dash whooped and took wing. She flew for all of five seconds before she decided against it, landing again with wings sagging and a curse for the dumb heat.

“Anyway,” said Dash, grinning as she fell in step with the others. “If there are gonna be any monsters on this side of the forest, where are they going to be, huh? On the road, or in a hidden gorge?”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Darling, the wagons disappeared from one of these roads, Phoreni said she’s travelled this way before, and,” she said, raising her voice when Dash opened her mouth to protest, ”the one monster we’ve had the misfortune of meeting ambushed us in the middle of a road.”

“Rarity, I’m kidding,” said Dash, rolling her eyes. She looked over at Fluttershy who had her wings tightly jammed to her side, but otherwise hadn’t said anything. Dash reached out to brush against her side with a feather-tip, relishing in having full wing control again. “We’ll be fine,” said Rainbow Dash, just in case Fluttershy was actually worried because of some dumb joke.

“I’m sure we will,” said Fluttershy with the beginnings of a smile, and Scarlett chirped noisily in agreement.

“I mean, what are the odds of running into any more monsters?” Dash added. “Practically zero!”

“I also really, really, really wish you’d stop saying those things,” said Fluttershy, sighing.

If Rainbow Dash had any doubts about the decision to leave the road behind—and she didn’t—they’d be squashed when the monotony of the grasslands gave way to sparse woods with thin trunks and small-leaved trees, bringing blessed relief from the unending fields. As much as forests weren’t great for flying, it wouldn’t be a problem unless it got as thick as the deepest woods of the Khosta.

Those lingering doubts about leaving the road, which she absolutely did not in any way have, would have returned a moment later when the sun crept towards the horizon, and the ground fell away.

If she’d had any doubts.

Which she didn’t.

“So, let’s talk about gorges,” said Rainbow Dash. “I thought I knew what that word meant, and I guess I don’t. Fluttershy? Rarity? What’s a gorge?”

“This is just a really big canyon. Canyons and gorges are the same thing, I think. It’s not not a gorge,” said Fluttershy, taking half a step forward and clenching her teeth when she accidentally knocked a small rock over the edge of the drop. The rock fell, and fell, and fell, the echo of its final impact against the hard ground far beneath completely lost—no, just very delayed, Dash corrected herself. There was a faint clatter in the end, but Rainbow Dash couldn’t see the rock any more.

The height wasn’t the problem for Dash, obviously. It was the suddenness of it all. The rent cut into the forest, a long pit of red rock and brownish earth bared before them in an otherwise green countryside that grew greener and forest-ier by the moment. It wasn’t like Rainbow Dash had never seen a canyon or gorge or whatever before, but the way the ground just disappeared in front of them was unsettling. They stood above a wide cliff-face of a drop hundreds of strides deep, the otherwise jagged and irregular canyon given a sudden start like a trench dug with a spade. Dash squinted. Was it the distance, or did the gorge get narrower and shallower the further it went? She couldn’t tell.

“And the map says we’re supposed to head down there?” asked Dash.

Fluttershy still stared. “Not the map, but Phoreni said we should run the length of the gorges that run north and north-east. The first one was supposed to be just past the crossroads, and this must be it.”

“Walking down there would probably hide us from any prying eyes,” said Rarity, leaning over the edge. “But we’ve hardly been hiding thus far. Do either of you feel it makes a big difference whether or not we actually follow the canyon floor?”

Rainbow Dash looked ahead to the sparsely wooded terrain that surrounded the canyon. Grass under their hooves or rock and dust. Open sky or creepy canyon.

“Show of hooves, everypony in favour of moving along the gorge?” asked Dash, thrusting a leg in the air before she’d finished the sentence, and neither Rarity nor Fluttershy hesitated in joining her. Rainbow Dash set off in a trot before anyone had a moment to change their minds.

“Just as well,” said Rarity. “I don’t see any path or stairs leading down there.”

Rainbow Dash laughed and flexed her wings. “Like that’s the problem.”

“It doesn’t look natural,” said Fluttershy, her eyes still on the sheer drop even as they rounded the corner created by the canyon’s sudden termination and headed north again. She eyed the cliff-face critically. “I don’t know for sure.”

“I don’t think any of us here claim geology as our special talent,” chuckled Rarity.

“Well, that’s the thing,” said Fluttershy, blushing faintly. “I read a book about natural terrain and everything once, I just don’t remember much about it. I wish I did.”

Dash snorted with laughter. “Okay, I know you read some pretty weird stuff sometimes, but a book about gorges? That’s gotta be the sort of book Twilight keeps in the library just because she wants one copy of everything ever written. I don’t think even she would read something like that!”

“Natural terrain,” repeated Fluttershy with an indignant frown, resettling her wings on her back. “Not just gorges and canyons.”

“Okay, okay, natural terrain, you got it,” Dash allowed, giggling still. “As long as this thing is pointing in the right direction, let’s just go,” she said. It was nice to know Fluttershy agreed that the place was creepy anyway.

Without further comment, Dash moved the group a bit further away from the edge. It wasn’t like they had a real path to follow any more, and the coming darkness didn’t help. They trekked across low grasses, small bushes and colourful flowers that poked out from the dry ground, past tall, thin trees with annoying, shallow roots that seemed to pop up under the cart-wheels on purpose.

“Perhaps we could stop here?” asked Rarity before long, pausing to lean against a tree while rubbing at her eyes. “I’m getting used to us pushing onwards in a mad dash for these statues, but I understand we won’t find one here.”

“What, you want to sleep here?” asked Rainbow Dash, halting the cart. She spread her wings a bit and tasted the wind, scowling. There was no cover in sight. “There’s a wind coming from the north-west. It’s gonna get cold for you.”

“Yes, well, that is certainly going to be a bit of an issue,” said Rarity, her brow knit in a transient frown before she smiled brightly back at Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy both. “Luckily, I travel with two warm friends and a blanket. I’ll prepare our bedding if one of you could be a dear and see about finding us something edible that isn’t dry grass.”

“I can go have a look around,” said Fluttershy, emptying her saddlebags and strapping them on. “I’ll be right back. I’m sure this forest has something delicious hiding somewhere.”

“Hey, I’ll come with you,” said Dash, freeing herself from the cart.

Fluttershy tilted her head. “Are you sure? I know a little bit about plants, so it’s no problem at all.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I eat. I’m pretty sure that’s all I need to be able to tell if something’s food.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Well, that’s part of it, but I can handle it. I’ll find us something to eat.”

Rainbow Dash set off into the forest, such as it was, grinning at her. Fluttershy could probably handle a few berries by herself, but she could handle it way better with Rainbow Dash. “Let’s go!” she said.

The southern parts of the Splitwood was less a forest, and more plains upon which somepony had sneezed a helping of trees. A lot of trees, sure, but they rarely touched, so the blue skies above were always in view, and Dash was glad of it. She spotted a small owl sitting on a far-off branch, and more than once she saw something darting away through the undergrowth. Where the Khosta’s animals had rarely been more than faint sounds, here they at least let the ponies get close before they ran away.

They still ran, though.

“I’m starting to feel like the only mare at a stallions-only bar,” said Rainbow Dash with a huff. She’d caught a small family of something that looked like long, antlered cats staring at them, but the creatures scurried away before she got a good look.

“They just need to get used to us,” said Fluttershy, smiling in the general direction of the critters.

“You mean get used to me,” Dash countered, giving her a look. “If you were alone, they’d be all over you.”

Fluttershy squinted at a particularly large and green bush. “Maybe,” she allowed. “But I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time for that. We’re looking for food, remember?”

“Right,” said Dash, nodding and glancing around. There wasn’t a whole lot to look at, and the bushes didn’t bear any obvious fruit like they did in the forests of Khosta. “Okay, so, I got nothing,” she admitted. “Do we just start… digging for random roots? I don’t see any mushrooms.”

“I think the leaves of these bushes can be eaten. See how something larger than a caterpillar has been eating from the top?” asked Fluttershy, trotting over to it. “I think—”

Rainbow Dash darted in and grabbed a few, chewing thoughtfully before she spat them on the ground and stuck her tongue out. “Ech, they’re okay, but let’s see if we can’t find something better. I’d rather have grass than those leaves.”

Fluttershy blinked and stared at her. “Um, so, maybe next time, let’s… wait for a second before we try eating it. Leaves can be poisonous, you know.”

“They didn’t taste like poison,” said Dash, shrugging, and she couldn’t help a laugh, holding out a hoof before Fluttershy could protest. “I got it, okay, fine. I just don’t see any berries or anything. Wanna check elsewhere?”

Fluttershy didn’t reply immediately, looking almost straight up. Rainbow Dash followed her eyes, and saw she’d been wrong. There were definitely berries, but they were nestled deep amidst the leaves of some of the trees. The tallest and thinnest trees around bore pale yellow berries. There was just one problem.

“Who makes trees like this?” asked Dash, gaping.

“I think they’re beautiful in their own way,” protested Fluttershy.

The bushy crowns of the grey-trunked trees bristled with sharp spikes amidst the brilliant green leaves, guarding the berries jealously. Trust the mare who thought porcupines were ‘cute’ to appreciate a tree that wanted to stab you.

“So, because the spikes are hollow,” added Fluttershy, “there’s a good chance that they carry some sort of venom, but that also means the berries should be safe to eat.”

“Makes sense. You wouldn’t put traps around something if it wasn’t good stuff,” said Dash, squinting at the treasure trove of no doubt tasty berries.

“Something like that, yes,” said Fluttershy, biting her bottom lip. “I don’t think kicking the tree is a good idea in case we get showered with needles, but I bet if we were careful enough, we could loosen some of the berries. I’m sure one of us could do it.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash heard herself say. Unless they wanted to eat dry grass, one of them would have to fly up. Someone who could control themselves well in the air. Someone who was elegant and careful enough to harvest the berries. Out of the corner of her eye, Rainbow Dash saw Fluttershy test her wings and clear her throat.

“Do you think I—”

“Alright, you catch the berries, hang on,” said Rainbow Dash. She kicked off, hovering close to the top of the tree inside of a second, pausing in front of the spikes.

“Okay, sure,” said Fluttershy, her voice a little more quiet.

Part of Dash wanted nothing more than to ask, poke, prod and goad Fluttershy into doing it instead, of course. To push Fluttershy into showing her how much better she was at flying than she gave herself credit for. In fact, the more Rainbow Dash thought about it, the more she regretted saying she’d do it herself, but it was easier this way. She didn’t have to be the worst pony ever, pushing her girlfriend around, and she didn’t have to risk Fluttershy being sad—or even failing and hurting herself.

“Ready?” asked Dash, looking down below. Fluttershy nodded, the saddlebags open and held in her mouth. Rainbow Dash flew a little closer and poked at a cluster of berries. With the lack of wind, it was easy enough for the seasoned flier to knock the first few bunches of berries loose, and she only nearly stabbed herself once or twice in the process. Poke. Berries. Poke, more berries. Foal’s play. Minutes later, Fluttershy called up to let her know the bags were full.

“You sure? Both of them?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Both of the bags, and most of my mane,” Fluttershy called back, shaking her head violently side to side, sending berries flying and making Scarlett sit on her back instead.

Rainbow Dash sailed down to land next to her, giggling at all the berries still stuck in Fluttershy’s pink tresses. Scarlett leisurely pecked away, making a meal of cleaning her mane.

“I guess that means they’re good?” Dash asked. “What do you say, bird?”

Peep.

“She seems to think so,” Fluttershy agreed, carefully putting the saddlebags back on, leaning around to secure the straps.

“Move over, fluffball. Let me have a taste,” said Dash, grinning. She leaned in and nabbed a few of the berries stuck in Fluttershy’s mane to an indignant peep from Scarlett. She’d expected a laugh, or maybe a cry of protest when Dash got some of the berry juice into Fluttershy’s hair, but all she got in return from her girlfriend was a faint smile. Fluttershy leaned against her without looking at her, rubbing their cheeks together before she started walking back towards where they’d left Rarity.

“They taste like oranges and pears at the same time,” said Dash after a moment of silence, staring at the back of Fluttershy’s head. “They’re actually really great. Good call.”

“That’s nice,” said Fluttershy, smiling back at her. “I’m sure Rarity will be happy.”

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy looked fine again, but Dash wasn’t blind—or deaf—to the fact that Fluttershy had gone quiet. “Hey, you’re not mad that I scared away all the animals, right?”

Fluttershy eyes grew wide. “What? Oh! No, of course not, I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head. “Not at all. And you didn’t, really.”

Rainbow Dash nodded once. Maybe Fluttershy had really just wanted to go berry hunting alone? She was about to ask when her when her wings loosened against her body on sheer reflex, and she heard the rustle of Fluttershy’s feathers as well. The two pegasi stopped in their tracks without a word, and Rainbow Dash cocked her head. A second later, Scarlett darted out from the cover of Fluttershy’s mane, a red streak peeping madly and zipping straight south, darting left and right between the trees until she was gone.

“The storm’s coming,” said Fluttershy, her voice breathless.

“You felt that pressure drop too, huh?” Dash asked, grinning. She walked past Fluttershy, dragging the feathers of a wing along her body to set her moving again. Fluttershy returned the touch, but she didn’t look nearly as excited as Dash did.

“How could I not?” Fluttershy asked.

“Hey, I don’t take it for granted. I’ve been in the weather patrol for years,” said Dash with a shrug. “Not all pegasi are as, uh—”

“Sensitive to it?” Fluttershy finished for her.

“Yeah, see, that’s a lame word for it, but sure,” Dash said with a snort. “Whatever, never mind. I know you’re good with the weather stuff, I just wasn’t thinking.”

Fluttershy’s cheeks lit with a faint blush. Dash felt good about that. Even if she couldn’t and shouldn’t bully Fluttershy, she sure as hay could tell her she was awesome.

“Bet you could do a better job than Thunderlane at weather duty too,” Dash added.

“Okay, now you’re just teasing me,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head.

“Seriously? You’ve met Thunderlane, right? If I wanted to tease you, I’d say you could replace Cloud Chaser. She’s crazy, you know. She’s good at her job, and she’s not lazy,” said Dash. “I think she’s the only one.”

Fluttershy blinked, staring at Dash nonplussed.

“Yeah. It’d take you hours of training to get that good.” Dash smirked. “Then you could probably do her job.”

Fluttershy rolled her eyes, her only reply a half smile.

“What?” asked Dash, and even though she was serious, she couldn’t keep from laughing. “You—oh, hey, I think I see Rarity. That’s her magic. Let’s eat!”

Chapter 18

It has to happen in Cotronna.

If there is a way for me to redeem myself in my own eyes, it is by creating something that is more than just good. It must be perfect, and what better audience, what better moment to present an ultimate creation than at the culmination of the efforts of our journey? All that goes before the ceremony—Phoreni did mention the Cotronnans stand on ceremony—may as well not have happened. What is the use in showing dresses to the Perytonian equivalents of Ponyville and Hoofington when we are destined for Canterlot, for Cotronna?

I will create a dress to steal their breaths away, and it will be my crowning moment.

-R

The last thing Rainbow Dash remembered before she fell asleep under the open sky was that the moon had been very bright, but she was almost positive she’d dreamt nothing out of the ordinary, and still there was no storm.

Rarity’s makeshift little shelter consisted of their tarp tied between a tree and their cart with numerous scarves, but as ramshackle as it was, it held up fine against the lame wind. When they woke up, the air pressure was lower yet, but barely any rain fell at all. Now, as they continued their trek along the gorge, the few clouds on approach from the west were insulting to her and Fluttershy’s predictions.

“You’re sure this rain wasn’t the weather you felt coming?” asked Rarity. She’d offered to take an extra morning round with the cart to let the pegasi fly up and check every now and then, obviously nervous about the storm—but this wasn’t it. The “rain” was barely enough to get Rainbow Dash’s mane properly wet and Rarity hadn’t so much as mentioned a want for an umbrella.

“There’s a storm coming. This isn’t a storm. This—” said Rainbow Dash, gesturing at the sky and its pitiful offering of water, “—isn’t even a drizzle.”

The best that could be said of the weather was that the cooler temperature allowed for a comfortable trot, the cart rattling along over the low roots as the three ponies searched for cover.

“She’s right. I’m actually starting to get a little worried,” said Fluttershy, her ears splayed as she looked west. The woods were sparse enough here that with the aid of a small rise, Dash could see almost all the way to the horizon without taking wing. The tops of the mountains in the west were visible, but there were no storm clouds in sight. “I don’t really know what this means,” Fluttershy said. “But I really hope we find these ruins or some other cover soon. There is going to be a storm.”

“And a doozy, too”, agreed Dash. “You didn’t see Fluttershy’s little bird take off. She was outta here.”

“I hope she finds a safe place, too,” Fluttershy said, sighing. “She wanted to get back to her own forest, and that might be for the best.”

Rarity nodded. “Well, if you are worried, then so am I. I’d feel a lot better if I knew exactly what I am supposed to worry about, that’s all. Or rather, when.” She made a hissing noise when the cart bounced off a particularly large root, keeping her head down and her eyes on the ground again.

“Their storms are probably just a bit weird,” said Rainbow Dash. She extended a wing and wrapped it around Fluttershy’s middle, tugging her a little closer. “Don’t worry about it.”

Fluttershy smiled at Rainbow Dash and nuzzled her cheek as they trotted on, and Rarity smiled at the pair. Rainbow Dash let the wing rest there for a moment longer and ground her cheek against Fluttershy’s neck in retaliation. This girlfriend stuff was more than just alright if she could grab a touch here and there without having to make a big deal out of cuddling. She gave Fluttershy another little tug with her wing before she let go, making their coats brush together. Fluttershy hadn’t said anything more about last night.

Under the feather-light rainfall, refreshed by the few drops that made it down to the ground, they quickly ate up distance in the woods, switching the cart-pulling duty as often as they could. They passed colourful little flower-clusters and trees on their left, and to their right, the canyon was barely visible, its edges overgrown. The clouds got a little thicker, but no more rain came, and later, when Rainbow Dash glanced to the side, she couldn’t see any trace of the gorge.

“Hey, I think the gorge turned,” said Dash, though she kept moving.

“We’re still heading north,” said Fluttershy, her brow knit in concern. “We haven’t gotten turned around or anything.”

“I thought you were just taking us a little further away from the eyesore like Rainbow Dash did,” said Rarity. The unicorn was the first one to veer off to the right, and both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash followed.

“Well, I understand why we can’t see the canyon any more,” called Rarity, stopping no more than ten paces ahead. Rainbow Dash raised a brow when the pegasi caught up, Fluttershy picking her way between the trees with the cart in tow.

“What?” asked Dash, giving her a quizzical look.

“Look about you, dear,” said Rarity, pointing south to where the canyon ceased to be.

There was no better word for it; the canyon ceased, became not-a-canyon by degrees, the perfect inverse to the abrupt start to the gorge they’d followed for half a day’s travel. A small grassy ditch pointed straight south from where they were standing, slowly widening and sinking. Further along, it looked like a dried-out riverbed that kept growing larger until it became an open-topped tunnel in the earth, and finally, the vast and gaping maw of the first of what the peryton called the Morillyn Gorges.

And it was only the first. Not long after they resumed their journey north, they found the second gorge. Maybe it was a tiny bit smaller than the last one, but it was still huge by any measure. Dash idly wondered if emptying the whole of Whitetail Lake into it would fill it up. Probably not. Whatever the case, the southern end of the second gorge was another cliff, this one partially collapsed.

At least the weather didn’t change. What had begun as a stressful search for cover—for anywhere to stay out of the promised storm—lost its edge of panic. Though they’d found nothing like cover by the end of the day, they spent another night in the shelter of a tree that provided nothing of the sort. Before noon the next day, just as a light drizzle let up, they stood at the northern end of the third gorge, and Fluttershy halted the cart to ask Rarity for the map and their notes.

“How many of these did you say there were?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“I don’t think I said, because I don’t know,” replied Fluttershy, adjusting the harness with a wince while she waited for Rarity to unfold the map in front of them. “Phoreni said we were supposed to follow the first three, and there’s at least one more we’re supposed to cross over later. I worried that it would be hard to follow her directions, but I guess not.”

“Alright,” said Dash, unable to keep from giving the strange south-facing cone-shape a distrustful look. Fluttershy must’ve caught it, because she did the same, and went on.

“It… I—well, like I said, I don’t remember what I read in the book, but I’m pretty sure that gorges or canyons aren’t something that just happens in the middle of a forest like this.”

Rarity hummed and finally had the map out, sheathing it in her magic to hold it in front of the three ponies. “You two seem rather obsessed with these canyons—or gorges? We really should decide on one of the two, but regardless, is something the matter? Am I the only one who does not mind them terribly much, as long as we’re not down there?”

Fluttershy shook her head, leaning in to study her notes. “Maybe it’s because I’ve spent a lot of time outdoors, but I find them… strange, I guess,” she said, her voice trailing off into distractedness. “We’re on an entirely different continent anyway.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t say much. It wasn’t like she was afraid of the gorges, but maybe she just sensed what Fluttershy had put into words. Different continent nothing, they didn’t belong. The rest of the forest made sense—though the Splitwood bothered her for a very different reason. Rainbow Dash looked up, catching a flock of large birds flying south by south-east.

“While we’re on that topic, any of you feel like this place is really, uh,” Dash hesitated. She tried to find another word for it, one that didn’t sound like such a stupid whine, but she couldn’t think of one, so she spat it out anyway. “Ugh, lonely?”

“There are animals here, just like in the Khosta,” said Fluttershy, stretching her wings briefly. “Not just birds, but there are mammals both big and small, and I’m sure there are reptiles down in the canyons.”

“Yeah, sure,” said Rainbow Dash, frowning. Desolate. There was a better word, but Fluttershy hadn’t really answered her question. Maybe the animals would have helped it feel less desolate if they actually hung out together. Rainbow Dash had asked if Fluttershy wanted to go say hi to some of the local critters earlier in the morning, but Fluttershy didn’t seem to feel like it. There was a first.

“Maybe it’s the lack of roads,” suggested Rarity. “Even without anyone else travelling them, they’re a sign of civilisation, such as it is.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. There was probably some truth to that. Besides, they’d always known the Khosta was populated, and after meeting the Ephydoerans, the knowledge that they inhabited the forest filled it with life. Then again, the first time they’d travelled through that forest, they hadn’t known about the peryton allegedly hiding in every bush.

Maybe it was just the want for a road to follow, then. “So, not just me?” Dash asked. She’d lost track of her own thoughts, but she was pretty sure neither Fluttershy nor Rarity had given her a clear answer.

“I believe I just agreed with you, darling,” said Rarity, one brow quirked.

“I don’t think I could ever feel lonely when there is so much life around,” said Fluttershy, helping Rarity fold the map. “But it’d be nice knowing that there are people around, even if they don’t want to talk to us. Now, we’re following a short trail next. Maybe that helps a little?” she asked, turning the cart slightly left before she set them moving deeper into the Splitwood, away from the gorge and the single tree that sprouted from the very end of a furrow that grew into a vast canyon.

“Lead on, dear,” said Rarity, following in Fluttershy’s wake. “For all that these canyons did not bother me much, I think just about anything will look better than those eyesores.”

“Bet you five bits you’re wrong!” said Rainbow Dash, grinning.

“Because I am nothing if not benevolent: If you don’t have the bits, I also accept payment in the form of modelling services,” Rarity called.

Rainbow Dash barely heard her. She wasn’t annoyed in the slightest with having lost this particular bet. If Phoreni’s secretive paths—paranoid, Dash recalled Rarity calling it—took them through more locations like this, being stealthy and sneaky was fine with her.

It had taken them a few moments of rooting around before they found the three painted trees that marked the beginning of the faint path. Not half an hour later, it led them to gentle hills that a mindless traveller would have yielded to and veered slightly further east. Instead, crossing over the hills, the three ponies now walked in a small secluded valley that had flowers as a beach had grains of sand.

Yellow, blue, red and purple petals on tall stalks tickled Dash’s belly as she ran—and she couldn’t not run. It was as impossible to simply walk as it was not to laugh. Rainbow Dash galloped over to the others, coming to a screeching halt by the cart. Fluttershy and Rarity had parked it by a small brook that passed through the valley.

“Come on, cut loose a little,” said Rainbow Dash, grinning wide.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, dear,” said Rarity, chuckling as she filled their water-bags to the brim, “but I think I’ll be busy a while. Tulips aren’t just beautiful, their petals are delicious as well. They’ll be a perfect accompaniment to those wonderful berries you found.”

“Tulips?” asked Rainbow Dash, squinting. The flowers did look familiar. “Don’t we have those back home? These are tulips?”

“Rainbow Dash, you’ve seen tulips before,” said Rarity with a deadpan stare. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

“Of course I’m joking, jeez,” lied Dash, rolling her eyes for effect. Maybe she had, maybe she hadn’t. Flowers were flowers. What she knew for sure was that she hadn’t seen an entire valley filled with nothing but these particular flowers, and if they were tasty, that was a double win. She wasn’t particularly hungry at the moment, though. She felt like moving.

“Hey, Fluttershy!” Dash called.

Fluttershy looked up from her efforts on the cart, tossing a few empty bags Rarity’s way. “There you go, Rarity. Those are the bags from Naressa’s box. Maybe you can fill those with petals.”

“Wonderful, thank you,” said Rarity, smiling back at her.

“You’re welcome,” said Fluttershy, turning her attention to Rainbow Dash. “I’m sorry, did you say something?”

“I didn’t, but I was gonna,” said Rainbow Dash, spreading her wings and stretching her neck. “Come on, let’s go for a run!”

Fluttershy winced as she rubbed at her own sides. “I guess that could be okay, but, um, maybe not too fast? I’m still a little sore from all the cart-pulling.”

“Sure, whatever you want,” said Dash, turning on the spot, but she hadn’t even begun moving when her eyes were pulled skywards by an unseen force.

“Did you feel that? Do you think—” was about as far as Fluttershy got. Rainbow Dash was already in the air.

“Let’s go!” Dash called, soaring straight up, but she knew what she would find even before she cleared the height of the valley, even before she flew higher than the trees that surrounded it. Clouds blocked the horizon to the west, and some of them had even snuck overhead, unnoticed because they carried no rain and were so light, they barely hampered the sunlight.

Dash kept climbing, and soon she heard Fluttershy trailing her, steady and familiar wingbeats that moved the other pegasus a lot faster than Dash had expected. She had a tendency to surprise ponies whenever she was excited—or frightened. Rainbow Dash punched through the cloud layer seconds later, and a soft whuff of displaced cloud-matter signalled Fluttershy’s arrival right afterwards.

For a second, the two pegasi simply hovered in place. Rainbow Dash was vaguely aware of Rarity calling after them, but though it made no sound, nothing was half as loud as the storm brewing over the mountains in the west. The roiling dark clouds speared on the peaks of the Bow lit up with flashes of lightning providing a stark contrast.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it,” whispered Fluttershy.

“It’s probably not gonna be half as bad when it hits ground level,” said Rainbow Dash, her eyes affixed to the absurd size of the cloudmass. Her every feather itched. Half of that storm would still be worse than anything she herself had broken—or made. She looked over at Fluttershy and found her ears pinned to her head and her eyes large. “We’ll be fine,” Dash added, forcing a smile.

“It’s moving really fast,” said Fluttershy.

“Yeah.”

“So, um, we should probably get moving.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, again. It was hard to force her eyes away from the sight.

“Rainbow Dash!”

“Right!” Dash snapped, shaking her head quickly and preparing to dive. “Okay, yeah, let’s go tell Rarity, let’s go. Let’s go!”

Rainbow Dash touched hooves to the ground within the same breath she told Fluttershy to hurry up, neatly squashing a few of the tulips Rarity was gathering petals from. The unicorn shot her a half-hearted glare.

“I take it that your weather senses are tingling?” she asked, closing off a bag and depositing it on their cart. “Do tell, what are the news?”

“Storm,” said Dash, her head turning west despite herself. She couldn’t see anything from down here except some unthreatening and dull grey clouds, but still her snout was guided stormwards by an unseen force.

“I can’t believe we didn’t notice sooner,” said Fluttershy, landing right next to Rainbow Dash. “Rarity, we should probably start moving.”

“Sooner? The two of you’ve been talking about this for days now,” said Rarity. She moved towards the cart, but Rainbow Dash slipped past her and strapped herself in as quickly as she could. There was a time for being polite, and there was a time for speed.

“Yeah, well it still snuck up on us,” said Rainbow Dash. “Fluttershy, which way out of the valley?” It was a pointless question. The hills that surrounded them were low, and the path only pointed one way.

Rarity’s gaze darted between the two pegasi, and she bit her lip. “I have to be honest, you’re starting to worry me a little bit now. How dire is it?”

“Let’s drink up, eat a flower or two and get moving,” suggested Rainbow Dash.

“Hours?” asked Rarity, her voice bordering on hysterical.

“Probably,” said Dash. At most. She tried not to break into a full gallop. She’d rather not leave Rarity and Fluttershy behind. They crested the valley, the cart-wheels rattling as they ran. “Fluttershy, where to next?”

“I don’t think—” Fluttershy said between breaths. “—it matters!”

“How can it not matter?” asked Dash, shooting Fluttershy a confused look.

“Because we don’t know where we’re going!” Fluttershy replied. She slowed down, and Rainbow Dash brought the cart to a halt. The leaves on the bushes around them rustled in a wind that hadn’t been there moments before. If there was such a thing as an ominous rustle, this was it.

“After this path, we’re supposed to keep heading north until we find another stream,” Fluttershy explained, hanging her head as she caught her breath. “And we’re supposed to follow it north by north-east until we find another path through a thicket, but none of those will shelter us from the storm, and we don’t know details. We could be following the stream in the open for hours, maybe even days!”

“There has to be somewhere for us to seek refuge,” said Rarity, turning on the spot as though there was the slightest chance they’d missed a sturdy cottage nearby. “We can’t be caught out in the middle of a storm! Where are these ruins? Where is this shelter Phoreni spoke of?”

Rainbow Dash turned to glance at the cart—where was the map? “Okay, so the stuff Phoreni told us is useless, but maybe there’s a cave or something on the map? Can you have a look?”

Fluttershy shook her head, sighing. “It doesn’t have anything like that.”

Dash groaned. “What’s the point of the map if it doesn’t have anything useful on it? No caves? No ruins? We’ve been looking for days!”

“Maybe,” Rarity cut in, her voice a few octaves too high. “Maybe we can have discussions on maps some other time, and focus on trying to avoid getting swept into the sea by the coming storm?”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Come on, that’s never gonna happen,” she said. “You’ll get smacked in the face by a flying branch, or maybe blown into a tree or a rock. That’s what you gotta worry about.”

“Not helping,” hissed Rarity. “And we’re not moving!”

“Because Fluttershy’s right!” snapped Dash, gesturing to the other pegasus. “There’s nowhere to hide in this forest, and we’re running blind! The only thing we have is a map that’s so bad, it doesn’t even show a bunch of canyons that could swallow Ponyville five times over and have room for lunch!”

“That’s because it’s not that kind of map,” said Fluttershy, puffing out her cheeks before she continued. “If you’d looked at it, you’d realise that Perytonia is really huge. We haven’t seen a fraction of even the Khosta. It only shows the outline of the Splitwood, nothing more, but maybe if you have a look you’ll see something I don’t?"

“I—guh, no,” Dash waved a hoof. “Forget it. Maps don’t make sense to me. If you say there’s nothing on it, there’s nothing on it.” She stuck out her tongue. “Can’t keep me from thinking it’s a dumb map if it doesn’t have the canyons and the ruins on it though. I bet you can’t find a map of Equestria without the Ghastly Gorge on it.”

“Speaking of gorges,” said Rarity, her brow knit in that very unique way that bespoke an idea. “There was an almost unbroken chain of those. As much as I had hoped we were done with that particular part of our journey, do you suppose there is another one nearby to our east?”

“Well, this is… rather more dramatic than I had imagined,” said Rarity. “Looking at it with the prospect of actually going down there, I mean.”

“Are we really going to do this?” asked Fluttershy, grinding the edge of a hoof into the ground.

“If we stand around thinking about it for long enough, the wind’s gonna make the choice for us,” replied Dash. Every now and then, a powerful gust pushed at them, whipping rain against their backs and sending tails and manes flapping over the canyon’s edge. Either they’d lucked out, or, as Dash was more inclined to believe, there was in fact always a canyon to their east.

Whatever the case, the weather still picked up, and it was getting harder to see clearly. The canyon loomed large ahead, and Rainbow Dash didn’t fancy her chances crossing it with a heavy load in this wind anyway. If they’d ever had a chance to outfly the storm, the moment had well and truly passed—and besides, past experience showed what a bad idea flying the cart around was. Whatever Rarity and Fluttershy talked about now was lost to Dash, so she made the choice for them all and leapt off the ledge.

Rainbow Dash zig-zagged and banked as she shed the height of the drop, but to her relief, the wind lessened the second she dove into the canyon. Funneling a little air under the ungainly cart to keep it right was easier going down. She looked up and around as she descended, spotting the familiar outline of Fluttershy’s wings attached to a larger shape pulling great circles above her. It wasn’t like giving Rarity a ride down was a huge deal, but Dash grinned all the same—a grin that disappeared bit by bit as the world was eaten up by rock.

Every time she made a turn, the grey sky above shrunk. The walls of the gorge weren’t merely sheer, but angled away from the edges. When she landed, it felt for a moment as though there was no air left in the world. The darkening cloud-cover was just a small strip far above. Everything else was red rock and spindly growths poking out of dirt rapidly turning to mud as the rain grew.

The wind whistled and howled madly, and despite the rain-carrying gusts that snuck their way down to the valley floor, Dash’s mouth felt dry just from the sight. She heard Fluttershy touch down next to her, but didn’t really pay much attention. Rainbow Dash didn’t know how long she stood there, feeling the cart’s harness dig into her side until she caught one word that carried meaning, sticking out. Ruins.

“What?” asked Dash, blinking.

“I said, this explains why we hadn’t found the ruins,” said Rarity in a tone that suggested repetition. “Did you not notice coming down?” Rainbow Dash had no clue what she was on about until the unicorn gestured ahead, further south along the canyon.

“Right,” said Rainbow Dash. “No, I was busy trying to get the cart down safe.”

Whether or not they were the ruins Phoreni had mentioned, Rainbow Dash had no idea, but someone had clearly lived here, once. Not too far away, a low wall ran the full width of the canyon. Beyond, built on the canyon floor, hewed and sculpted into the cliffs and connected by bridges arcing from one wall to the other, were buildings and homes that, if they weren’t ruins, were clearly ruined. Dash followed Fluttershy and Rarity, the three moving along the canyon by unspoken agreement.

All was stone in every shade of red imaginable—and a couple more. Curved domes of fitted stone slabs with collapsed roofs, once-tall spires long since toppled and low towers with missing walls. If there was anything that was not rock, Dash figured it must’ve rotted or washed away long since—and no wonder. The rocks themselves looked like they’d tried their best at rotting away, too. A sudden gust of wind from behind spread one of Dash’s wings against her best efforts, hurrying the ponies along.

“I meant to say,” said Rarity, looking to Fluttershy as they approached the ruins’ outskirts. “As much as I appreciate borrowing your wings, will getting out of here be a problem?”

“We could always just walk out on the north side if it comes to that,” said Fluttershy, glancing up.

“There’s plenty of space to gain height, we’re good for getting out unless Fluttershy and I both mess up our wings,” said Dash. She took a deep breath and tried to focus on the truth of those words. Plenty of space, technically, but not nearly enough for her tastes. She, too, looked up again, and every time she did, she wished she hadn’t.

“Well, that’s a relief at least. Now to find somewhere to wait this terrible storm out,” Rarity muttered, stepping over a fallen stone as they mounted the chest-high wall. Rainbow Dash spread her wings to fly the cart over, but another sudden gust made her reconsider. She grunted with effort as she pulled the cart over a particularly low and ruined section instead.

“Anywhere down here is better than anywhere up there right now, at least,” said Fluttershy. The three paused just inside the wall, next to what must’ve been some sort of forum or marketplace, an open space with a lot of large, square slabs too simple to be bothered by time.

“Sure, but I don’t think ‘anywhere’ is good enough,” said Rainbow Dash, twisting around to look every which way. It was hard to get a full view of the place from the ground. Everything down here was partially collapsed and ruined, and much of what had been built into the cliff-side had fallen down, leaving small holes and ledges like pockmarks high up in the stone.

“You don’t think we could just rest against a wall on the other side of this wind?” asked Rarity, frowning slightly. “Not that I wish to settle for being uncomfortable if we’re going to be here all night, mind you.”

Fluttershy shook her head briskly. “The canyon’s going to flood from all the rain-water. We need to get higher up.”

“Ah. Wonderful,” said Rarity.

“And there’s—” Dash began.

“There’s a cross—oh, sorry,” said Fluttershy.

Dash shrugged. “Yeah, that. There’s a crossing wind, too. Didn’t you feel it just now? The wind’s picking up down the canyon too, and when the storm hits in full, there’s gonna be rain coming from every direction, and hard. Trust me. There’s gonna be no place safe from the wind.” She grinned. “I don’t second-guess you when it comes to fashion and stuff looking good, and you can trust us with weather. We want something better than a crummy wall. Best thing would just be hiding out on top of the clouds, really.”

“Yes,” said Rarity, her voice tight. “But as we’ve discovered many times so far, I am not a pegasus, so that’s not an option. And besides, I don’t know that my fashion sense is to be trusted lately, either.”

“Rarity…” said Fluttershy, walking a little closer to Rarity and resting her head against hers.

“Jeez, okay, that joke crashed,” said Dash. “Sorry?”

“No, no. There is nothing to apologise for, and this is not the time for dramatics, I realise that,” said Rarity with a brief sigh, nuzzling Fluttershy. “As for cover, how about there?” she asked, pointing ahead to a building Rainbow Dash hadn’t noticed before. The large, circular structure was built into the canyon wall on ground level, and stood almost untouched in defiance of the word “ruin”.

“It looks like some kind of fortress,” suggested Fluttershy, that last word spoken with an audible frown.

“Guess it’s built to last. Makes sense that it’s still in one piece,” said Dash with a shrug. “Let’s go?”

“It’s just… I thought Phoreni said these were Ephydoeran ruins,” said Fluttershy, hurrying to catch up when Rainbow Dash trotted along.

“Yeah?”

“Well, they didn’t really build anything out of stone, did they,” Fluttershy half stated, half asked, wincing as another strong wind blew past them, sending manes askew.

“I don’t recall her saying they were Ephydoeran ruins in particular, actually,” said Rarity, straightening her soaked mane and scowling at the result. “All the other peryton must’ve had master stonecrafters among them, though. They built their cities out of stone. Consider all the statues and the stele we’ve seen, too.”

“Speaking of, uh—” Dash cuffed the bangs of her mane when they got in her face again. “Okay, yeah, no, I don’t care about that, but before I forget, our manes are getting seriously long. Rarity, can you give me a haircut sometime soon? Because it’s starting to drive me crazy.”

Rarity gave Rainbow Dash’s mane a long look, and soon, she turned her scrutinising gaze unto Fluttershy as well, finally nodding. “I’m no stylist, but you two are getting rather scruffy. Remind me later, will you? I don’t know that now is the time.”

“Got it,” said Dash with a chuckle, her step slowing as they came to a halt in front of the fortress. “Pretty sure we found a good place to stay, though.”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t imagine the storm capable of touching the building in front of them. It didn’t inspire awe in the same way Castle Canterlot’s tall spires did, and it was certainly a lot smaller, but the chunk of red stone looked solid.

It also looked a lot like someone had cut a multi-layered wedding cake in two straight down the middle and shoved one half against a wall. Rainbow Dash was pretty sure she had Pinkie Pie to blame for the way cake imagery kept invading her head, but however she thought of the fortress, they’d come as close as they could by ground with the cart.

“Why would they… I almost want to say they’ve planted all these rocks here?” asked Rarity, frowning at the field in front of the fortress.

“It does look a little bit like a garden, doesn’t it?” said Fluttershy, and Dash could see the resemblance. A full semicircle field of tall, thin rocks separated the building from the hollowed-out houses of the rest of the ruined city. The ones that hadn’t broken off were as tall as a pony. Rainbow Dash slipped out from the harness and flew just off the ground to get a better view, but there was nothing much to see, and the wind kept tugging at her. She had to work her wings to stay steady in the confusing mess of currents that whirled around just above the canyon floor.

“Yeah, it keeps going all the way to the fortress entrance, but we can walk between them just fine. I don’t get it,” she said.

“Very well. Where is the entrance?” asked Rarity. “Can you see?”

“Uh, there’s one straight ahead, but it’s really narrow. I don’t think the cart fits there either,” said Rainbow Dash. The entire ground floor, the first circle—layer of the cake, whatever—didn’t have a lot of entrances or windows, only a few narrow gaps, but the layered design meant the second level had wide landings clearly intended for fliers. “There are some wider doors higher up,” she said, coming to an awkward landing. “Jeez, this wind—anyway, yeah, I guess the people who built this could fly, so maybe it’s a peryton fortress after all.”

“We still don’t have a real solution,” said Rarity, nibbling on her lower lip.

“Huh? Sure we do. We just walk up to it. If we can’t get inside down here, we’ll just hop onto the landing. I’m sure we can get you up there.” Dash shrugged.

“And the cart?” asked Rarity. She ducked when a sudden burst of wind slapped them with a blast of rainwater, dirt and dust, wet and dry at the same time. “Ack! It’s getting worse!”

“Oh. Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash. “Carrying all the stuff inside is gonna be a pain.”

Fluttershy nodded quickly, raising her voice against the storm that started to find some purchase even down in the canyon. “We can’t just leave the cart out here in the storm, either! If the wind picks up much more, it could get damaged. Maybe we can find a safe place to hide it?”

“You couldn’t just fly it up to there?” asked Rarity, pointing to the landing beyond the field of stone pillars. “It would be much easier if we could just pull it inside.”

“Uh, so,” said Dash. “The wind that’s coming through the canyon is a mess.” It wasn’t even close. Flying the stupid cart in wind or rain? Annoying by itself. Wind and rain at the same time? That’s how stuff fell off the cart last time. With unpredictable explosions of wind coming from every which way? It was one of the rare kinds of reckless that even Rainbow Dash didn’t find tempting. Maybe if there was some fun to be had in failing, or if there was a real reason to do it. Hay, maybe on a really good dare, but not—

“I’m going to try,” said Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash wondered if she’d heard wrong. Her mind went blank for a moment while Rarity hurried to double-check the straps that secured their tarp to the cart. Before Dash knew what was going on, Fluttershy had the harness secured, and Rarity stepped aside to give Fluttershy a clear run.

“I—uh, okay,” was all Dash managed. Fluttershy locked eyes with her, and though the wind blew her mane in her face, Rainbow Dash caught a smile amidst the mess of pink hair.

“I think I can do it,” said Fluttershy, simple as that.

Except it wasn’t simple at all. Everything about this was confusing to Rainbow Dash, and the wind was only a small part of it. Fluttershy took off at a gallop and launched into the air with the cart steady behind her. She lowered her head, and when the first sideways gust hit her, she banked and compensated, handing it perfectly. Fluttershy looked over her shoulder, and it wasn’t to check the cart—she sought Rainbow Dash, and Dash stared back.

She couldn’t not. She couldn’t help staring. Fluttershy had leapt at doing something even Dash herself wasn’t keen on, and Rainbow Dash felt her own wings spread in wordless support. A blast of wind lifted the cart, threatening to toss it over Fluttershy’s back, and Fluttershy hurried to follow it up. She was halfway across the stone garden already, and Rainbow Dash’s face hurt from the grin she wore. If there was a part of her that wanted to feel jealous—a part of Dash that wished she’d jumped at the opportunity to do this herself—it was trampled by the urge to cheer.

Fluttershy flew straight, again, all her usual grace transformed into power. She kept looking back at Rainbow Dash, and briefly, Dash wondered why. Did Fluttershy think that she had to do this? She couldn’t. She wouldn’t. But then, Fluttershy also wouldn’t usually leap at something this dangerous. Rainbow Dash’s wings swayed with the wind, and she furled them to stop them flapping about. When the next sideways gust hit, Fluttershy struggled to right the cart again before she had to bank the other way.

Did she think she had to do this because Rainbow Dash wouldn’t? That didn’t make sense. That couldn’t be it, but maybe Rainbow Dash pushed her to do it, even if she hadn’t meant to. Had she said something without thinking? Fluttershy couldn’t actually want to try this. If she did, Rainbow Dash didn’t know what to do with the way her heart hammered in her chest. She was excited in the same way she got excited any time she’d bullied Fluttershy into doing something she didn’t want to. How was that okay? What if Fluttershy did this despite not wanting to, somehow still because of Rainbow Dash?

Was that wrong? Why did that matter? Had these things mattered before? And what if she lost control of the cart and failed?

Rainbow Dash swallowed bile. “What if” were the two stupidest words she knew. They had no place in her vocabuwhatever. In her head. She loathed those words now more than ever, but suddenly, she couldn’t watch. She caught Fluttershy cast another quick glance over her shoulder, and this time, Rainbow Dash looked away, gritting her teeth.

“Oh dear—look out, darling!” cried Rarity a moment later, and Rainbow Dash caught a flicker of green light in the corner of her eye.

Rainbow Dash tossed the harness onto the floor, panting and wiping her dripping mane out of her face. “I don’t know if we need that any more, but there’s nothing more out there,” she said, shaking wet off her wings and planting herself on the ground with a sigh. “The rest’s just… pieces of cart, and I don’t think we can fix it. I’m not Applejack, but I can tell it’s gonna need more than just glue and nails or whatever.”

Rarity nodded and smiled her thanks, depositing the loose cart-harness over by the rest of their supplies, everything neatly sorted and drying where relevant. Thankfully, there was an excess of dry to go about for once. Where the ground floor of the fortress was dark, cold and utterly empty except for water trickling in through the slim door-like portals, they occupied the next floor up, which was a little more pleasant—if you liked dry rock.

Thick walls of carved stone created an antechamber that might’ve once been used for mustering. Or song practice. Or lunch. Rainbow Dash didn’t have a clue about military stuff, but whatever they did here couldn’t have required a lot of props. Stubborn stone furniture still survived, stone cider-racks resting along weathered walls. Or maybe they were scroll-case holders. Who knew.

Beyond that, a single stone table stood by the stairs they’d come up, and three of the walls had dark and doorless portals they’d left alone so far, more concerned with getting everything inside. It hadn’t taken very long. Rarity took stock, Rainbow Dash carried their stuff inside, and Fluttershy… well. The soaked pegasus sat leaning back against the stone guardrail of the stairs, pointedly looking everywhere but at Rainbow Dash whenever she came in with a new load of stuff.

“You’re sure you’re okay?” Rainbow Dash asked, not for the first time.

“I’m fine,” replied Fluttershy, the exact same answer as last time, but Rainbow Dash didn’t know what those words were supposed to mean. She walked up to her girlfriend and reached out to gently run a hoof along her body, putting a little pressure here and there. Ribs, side and front. Wings. All the parts she tended to bust when she herself crashed.

“Any of this hurt?” she asked.

“No, I’m fine,” said Fluttershy again, sighing softly, her eyes on the air between her eyes and the ground.

Rainbow Dash believed her easily enough. It hadn’t been a particularly dramatic crash—the wind smacked the cart against the fortress wall, and Fluttershy didn’t fall very far. Besides, Fluttershy was made of tougher stuff than that. She poked Fluttershy’s wings again and checked for any indication that Fluttershy was in pain, but she got even less of a reaction than she expected. Fluttershy’s face was utterly blank.

“Darling, you need to collect yourself,” said Rarity, getting up and walking over to stand in front of the dejected pegasus. “No pony’s perfect. Please don’t beat yourself up over this any more.”

Fluttershy looked up, offering Rarity a smile so brief it might as well not have existed.

“What’s the problem? We didn’t lose anything important,” said Dash, leaving Fluttershy’s wings alone for now. She let her hoof rest on her side for a second longer before she withdrew. Fluttershy had no cause to be mopey about this. If it was anypony’s mistake, it was Dash’s own for not stopping her. For being too awestruck to do so. For enjoying it until right before the crash.

“Some of the berries are berry paste now,” Dash continued, shrugging. “We’re down a bag of water in the middle of a rainstorm. Big deal!”

“And the dragonfire,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head. “The bottle of dragonfire broke, too.”

“Okay, yeah, that’s a problem, but eh,” said Dash, shrugging. She’d almost forgotten they had it, and they could probably just buy a boat or something when they wanted to go home, right?

“Yes,” said Rarity with a huff. “We lost the dragonfire, and that may be a bit of an issue, but we’ll cross that bridge when we reach it. Fluttershy, darling dearest, you must understand that we don’t blame you.”

“I know that,” said Fluttershy, reaching over to wring a few drops of water from her mane.

“Please don’t think—wait, you… do?” asked Rarity, blinking.

“Then what’s the problem?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Of course I know. I don’t think either of you would be that mean to me on purpose, but I am very sorry,” said Fluttershy, clambering to stand on all fours and puffing out her cheeks. She glanced over at Rainbow Dash, inscrutable for a second. “And there’s no problem.”

“Well, ah, then… I suppose all is well? And your apology is both accepted and unneeded,” said Rarity, walking back towards their belongings in the middle of the room. “We will have to figure something out with regards to all my supplies. The chest will hardly fit in my saddlebags, and I want to bring as much as possible with me—and, if you are feeling better, let us find somewhere less drafty to sleep.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about packing your saddlebags for a while, at least,” said Rainbow Dash. Along the far wall, a wide portal led to the landing on the roof outside, rain whisking past it in huge drops blown almost perfectly horizontal. If not for the light of Rarity’s horn, it would be pitch black now, and the wind howled, whistled and roared, multiple voices in concert with each other.

“Fluttershy! Your services are required!” called Rarity. The unicorn stood by one of the room’s many exits, nervously tapping a hoof on the floor, and Fluttershy hurried over. Rainbow Dash made her way towards them as well, finally starting to feel a little tired after all the running, flying and thinking. It had been a long day. Another day of almosts. She was almost sure that Fluttershy was fine. Fluttershy wouldn’t let something as silly as a little accident break her, and if she felt bad about the crash, Dash was sure Fluttershy would feel better once they found something to do that the other mare really wanted to do.

“These are ferralopes?” asked Rainbow Dash. “I thought you said they lived in the forest.” She squinted at the slim, pointy-snouted, six-legged and antlered creatures as they ran in little circles around Fluttershy’s legs, sniffing and touching with unabashed curiosity. More than a dozen of them inhabited the first chamber they’d explored, and where Rainbow Dash stood as close as they’d let her, Rarity stood half-way outside the room.

“Usually, but they’re very adaptive,” said Fluttershy with a faint smile, ducking her head a little as one particularly inquisitive ferralope climbed up her mane to sit on her head, peering at her upside-down. It made a chittering noise, and Fluttershy shook her head in reply.

“Whatever they are, I hope they don’t mind sharing this place with us,” said Rarity with a barely-suppressed frown. “And that they don’t like the taste of my fabrics.”

Fluttershy shook her head again and bent low to the ground, letting the creature hop off her head. It rushed over to Rainbow Dash in the blink of an eye, rising to stand in front of her. It barely reached her knees when it stood on the hindmost set of legs. Dash leaned close to it, tilting her head. It tilted its head to match, sniffed her, and ran back to the others.

“I’m sure they won’t bother us or try to eat our things,” said Fluttershy, giggling at the resulting chorus of chatters from the ferralopes. “They mostly eat roots and dead beetles.”

“Ah. Dead beetles,” said Rarity with a strained smile. “Charming. If you say they are no problem—”

“And that they don’t see us as a problem,” Fluttershy interrupted.

“—then I am sure we will be the best of friends,” Rarity finished, smiling faintly. “Let us move our belongings into one of the other chambers.”

Rainbow Dash cocked a brow. “What, you just wanna grab the first empty room we find? I’m as tired as the next pony, but we have an entire fortress to explore!”

The three ponies filed out of the room, and Rainbow Dash could already see that the neighbouring chamber was much like the one the ferralopes inhabited: a narrow room with some stone shelves and nothing much else. Rarity and Fluttershy paused at the entrance, Rarity tapping a hoof on the ground.

“I think Rainbow Dash has a point,” said Fluttershy, glancing at Rarity. “Maybe we’ll find something better if we keep looking. Aren’t you cold?”

“Freezing, in fact,” said Rarity, frowning with clear annoyance. “I’ve become entirely too used to that, but no, perhaps you are right. There are stairs up in one of these chambers, and one of these openings has to lead to something other than a glorified supply closet full of animals, surely.”

“Okay, but before we get mad at me, I’m not saying I think we’re gonna find a bedroom with fluffy pillows,” said Rainbow Dash, gesturing to the other doorless portals that led away into shadow. “Just that this place looked a lot larger from the outside.”

“Of course,” said Rarity with a small sigh. “I would like to complain that I feel done with walking for the day, but frankly, my body is not the only weary part of me this moment. Let’s go see what we can find, at any rate. You’ll forgive my complaints.”

Rainbow Dash wasted no time picking a room at random, moving towards it with Fluttershy and Rarity in tow, the blueish white light from the unicorn’s horn blending oddly with the red stone.

“I don’t think you’re complaining,” said Fluttershy while Rainbow Dash squinted. The leftmost portal led to a hallway—more like a tunnel, really—with tons more openings in each wall. Boring. She headed back out and checked the next one over instead.

“You don’t have to try to make me feel better, dear,” said Rarity.

“That’s not what I meant,” Fluttershy replied. “I just mean, well, we’re all a little tired after running all day, but that’s normal. If you don’t mind me saying, I think you’re doing a lot better now.”

The next room showed a lot more promise, a small chamber containing a broad set of stairs in good repair.

“You’ll forgive me if I don’t relish the idea of ruining my figure.” Rarity let out a half-hearted snort and shook her head. “I’m sorry. You may be right. I don’t mean to be rude.”

Rainbow Dash paused her ascent, already on her way up the stairs. She was half-way to tuning their conversation out, but no way could she let that slide. She snorted with laughter as she stuck her head up to the next floor. “Ruin your figure? Rarity, you look great!”

“Not if one is trying to maintain a certain look, dear. We’ve been over this,” replied Rarity from below, the other two mounting the stairs and the light following. Rainbow Dash couldn’t see anything much without Rarity, so she hopped up and waited on the landing.

Whatever “look” Rarity was going for, she was certainly more toned now than she’d been when they boarded the airship weeks and weeks ago. She’d always kept in shape, sure, but a long gallop through a building storm hadn’t knocked her out like Dash had expected. At worst, the unicorn was a little crankier for it.

The journey had even kept Rainbow Dash in shape despite missing her usual training sessions, and Fluttershy? Rainbow Dash couldn’t keep from grinning to herself. The outdoorsy pegasus had never looked better, and Dash nuzzled her in passing just because she had to. Fluttershy smelled of rain and—Dash scrunched her snout. Of rain and of the apparently rather strong-scented ferralopes.

“Did you notice these symbols outside, too?” asked Fluttershy. Apparently she’d not noticed Dash’s little gesture, staring at a nearby support column. Now that Rarity brought the light, the room revealed itself. Two rows of large parallel pillars cut the room in three, and on each of the stone pillars were two symbols repeated amidst row upon row of peryton script, one a triangle with a jagged halo, the other four wedges in two rows.

“One of them is Helesseia, I’d recognise that one anywhere,” said Rarity, moving closer to inspect one of the stone pillars. “The other one I don’t know, and if I’m not mistaken, the letters are different.”

“Different?” asked Rainbow Dash. She peered at the unintelligible letters, but they looked like a flock of crows had gotten into the apple cider and danced around in wet mud, just like all the other peryton writing. “What do you mean? How can you tell?”

Rarity cocked a brow. “The many hours I spent helping Ephydoerans with their markings, for a start.”

“If you’re right, I guess it’s not all that surprising that their writing changed,” said Fluttershy moving to the next nearest column. “Old Equestrian is so different from how we write now that Twilight has to use magic to translate old books.”

“I recall her saying that, yes,” said Rarity, pursing her lips. “What confuses me is that I should at least remember seeing this other symbol, given that I am fairly sure I shaved most, if not every one of the forty-nine Aspects onto someone’s flank during those two days. It must be related to one of the Aspects that allow for virtually unlimited artistic freedom—though then I wouldn’t expect to see the same symbol twice.”

“Does it matter?” asked Rainbow Dash, shrugging and moving towards the only door leading further into the fortress. The room only had the one exit—not even a single way out to the landings outside—but it was also the first actual door they’d seen, the rows of pillars terminating in a stout double door.

“I don’t suppose it really does, no,” said Rarity, returning the shrug and following.

“Aren’t you at least a little bit curious?” asked Fluttershy, her eyes lingering on each of the columns as they moved past them, endless reams of unreadable script.

“Sure I am,” said Dash. “But if we can’t read it, we can’t read it. Wait, Rarity, do you know Twilight’s translation spell?” she asked.

Rarity shook her head and sighed. “No, and quite honestly, it doesn’t even make the list of things I regret not picking up before we left. Or, well, it didn’t before now. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” said Fluttershy, leaning against the unicorn as they walked. “Rainbow Dash and I couldn’t cast the spell in the first place anyway.”

“Don’t even worry about it, I was just asking,” said Dash, more concerned with how the door ahead kept growing. She had to count the columns to make sure they were actually still moving towards the set of wood and metal doors.

Rarity let out a shivering breath. “Translation spells or no, I would still give up half the dresses in my boutique for a spell that created warmth right now. Or for Twilight to be here.”

“Me too,” said Fluttershy. “Or, well, I mean… I think I’d really like to see something familiar now. This really isn’t the coziest of places. I miss my couch. Snuggling up with Angel in my cottage would be wonderful.”

Rainbow Dash decided that the great hall they were in must’ve taken up the majority of this floor. In fact, it was larger than it should be. Were they inside the cliff wall, now? Underneath the earth? Dash shuffled her wings when they came to a stop in front of the two massive doors, ancient wood with bands of metal. She gave one of them a cursory shove, but it didn’t move.

“Alright, so we’re not going through here. I guess we gotta try the tunnel below,” said Rainbow Dash, frowning at the thought. She started moving towards the stairs again. “Weird that there are no stairs up. Unless I forgot how to count, there’s what, three or four more floors?”

“I know what you mean,” said Rarity with a sigh, and Rainbow Dash was confused until she realised she wasn’t talking to her, but to Fluttershy still. At least they followed while they talked. “I could go for a glass of warm vintage cider and a moment to myself in my workroom. Work would be relaxing compared to this, I feel,” Rarity added.

Rainbow Dash hopped down the last few steps of the stairs. There were more doors—or portals, really—another floor down, but even from here she could see a thin layer of water covering the ground floor already. Tunnel it is, then.

“I’d also like to see Twilight, Applejack and Pinkie Pie again soon—and Spike and all the others, of course,” Fluttershy went on.

“Oh, definitely. I’d want a moment to myself first, to collect my thoughts, but right now, nothing sounds better than a quiet evening with just us girls,” Rarity replied. “And then—heavens, re-socialising after this journey will be quite the task, I hadn’t even thought of that. What if I forgot to tell someone of my leaving, and they don’t see the notice on the Boutique’s door?”

The tunnel loomed before Dash. It pierced straight into the raw stone of the canyon wall, and when Rarity finally brought her light close, infinite shadows played with the rows of doorless opening. Metal hooks carried rusty, empty lanterns and miniature alcoves lined the walls containing stone statues much more delicate than anything else in the fortress—and thus, each and every one of them were broken.

“Rainbow Dash?”

“What?” asked Dash. She stopped by the first set of rooms, glancing left and right. Identical chambers with low stone frames and alcoves—no, shelves—carved into the walls. Bedrooms?

“I asked you what you miss the most,” Rarity said, studying one of the rooms intently as she spoke. “Parties at Sugarcube Corner? A good nap?”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “Dunno. Don’t think about it much,” she said. “Okay, I guess these are all bedrooms.”

“The hallway turns up ahead. Maybe there’s something else around the corner,” said Fluttershy pointing down the hall, though she waited for Rainbow Dash and Rarity to start moving before she followed.

Their hoof-steps sounded entirely too loud without the backdrop of Rarity and Fluttershy’s conversation. Hooves on solid stone shouldn’t make this much noise, but their passage echoed, muted only partially by a layer of dust. Every time Rarity took a step, the light bobbed and the shadows shifted to match. The ever-present roar of rain and wind from outside receded slowly.

The hallway wasn’t that long, but it felt like it went on forever. Rainbow Dash wished Rarity and Fluttershy would keep talking. She was stuck actually trying to answer Rarity’s question, deciding if there was anything she missed. Their friends would be fine. Ponyville would be there when they got back, and Tank would be happy to see her. What did she actually miss? No particular place. Nopony she wouldn’t get to see again soon, relatively speaking.

If she missed anything, it would be Fluttershy. Not Fluttershy herself—that very pegasus trod on her tail and whispered an apology even as Rainbow Dash finished that thought, the three ponies clustering together as they walked down the eerie hallway. No, she missed doing stupid fun stuff with Fluttershy, which was a big part of what they did. Or, used to do, before Rainbow Dash realised how much her bullying had hurt her.

“Hey, so, Rarity. Can’t you use magic to keep your body warm?” asked Rainbow Dash. It’d be something to talk about. Anything was better than thinking about things she’d thought about before, problems she’d already solved by deciding to be a better girlfriend, problems that thus weren’t problems at all.

“I told you, dear. I can’t,” said Rarity, her words a little more crisp than usual. Clearly she was touchy about that.

Dash rolled her eyes. “Well duh. Not a heat spell or anything, but the magic Khyrast taught you. Wasn’t that supposed to make your entire body stronger?”

“Stronger, not warmer,” said Fluttershy, stepping over the shattered remains of a lantern.

“Sure, but we don’t know exactly how it works.” Rainbow Dash scratched her snout. “Maybe it’s like getting a good workout, or like when you’re ready to go and the adrenaline’s flowing. Being tired makes you cold, so being not tired’s gotta help keep you warm, right?”

Rarity gave Dash one of those smiles that weren’t a smile at all. “Ah yes. Perfect logic,” she said, immediately shaking her head at her own words. “No, that is unfair of me. I will admit I don’t know how it works, so maybe it would be worth a try if I knew how to do it.”

“I’m not a unicorn, and I don’t know how magic works, but I haven’t even seen you try,” said Dash. Finally they reached the corner, and she bit back a groan. More of the evenly spaced doorways. It ended in a larger room ahead, though.

“Maybe you’ll have better luck now that there isn’t quite as much pressure?” suggested Fluttershy, offering Rarity a smile. “If you think you can do it, that is. I don’t know if keeping the light on wears you out and you’re tired from that. Your light spell is very helpful.”

Rainbow Dash briefly imagined how the evening would look without Rarity’s light. Specifically, how it wouldn’t ‘look’ at all. She turned over her shoulder to lock eyes with the unicorn. “What she said,” said Dash. “If we only get one of the two, keep the light on. I don’t want to have to feel my way out of here.”

Rarity let out a soundless snort through her nose. “Any unicorn foal can create a light, it’s hardly impressive. But, very well. If it will please you, give me a moment to try the spell Khyrast taught me.”

The three ponies halted in the middle of the hallway while Rarity closed her eyes and focused. The light from her horn dimmed a little, then flickered, and Rainbow Dash swore she could see a faint glow around Rarity’s hooves.

“Focusing on the lower prongs. Prongs my hoof,” muttered Rarity. The light dimmed further, her horn now barely more than a tremulous candlelight. Fluttershy took a single step towards Rarity and glanced over her shoulder. Again there was a soft glow around Rarity’s hooves, but it was gone before Dash could think of something encouraging to say. Rarity opened her eyes again, and the light brightened until Dash had to shield her eyes.

“If there’s warmth to be had from that, it is from frustration,” said Rarity, her ears flat and her voice nearly dropping to a growl. “I am sorry. Let us continue this little exploration effort and find our way back to our blanket. Curiosity is not worth catching a cold over.”

Rainbow Dash nodded and gave Rarity’s side a poke. “Hey, you’ll get it next time.”

“You did better than last time, too,” said Fluttershy, nodding enthusiastically.

“Hey, can you turn the light back to… uh, ‘normal’ I guess?” asked Rainbow Dash as she headed the group further down the hallway. She looked inside each room they passed, but the most interesting thing she’d seen so far was a room that had two bed-frames rather than one. “Does your horn-light have settings?”

Rarity chuckled. “My horn does not, in fact, have settings. Surely you’ve noticed that I can control the light however I like.”

Fluttershy giggled as well and shook her head. “Maybe you can turn it back to the way you had it a minute ago?”

“Hm? This is the exact same spell, and the exact same amount of magic I put through my horn most of the time, dear,” said Rarity, giving Fluttershy an odd look. “What do you mean?”

“Quit messing around, there’s definitely something… odd.” Dash’s voice trailed off, and her step faltered.

At first, she thought Rarity was showing off because she didn’t manage to do the body magic spell—that maybe she just kept her light as bright as she could to prove a point or something. Slowly, Rainbow Dash realised that was not the case. The walls were not brighter because of Rarity’s unicorn magic, and the stone was the same red stone as it had always been. Except for the small matter of the way it gave off a glow of its own.

“Um, is it just me—”

“No,” answered Rainbow Dash, stopping in the middle of the hallway for the second time, Rarity and Fluttershy each bumping into her flank.

Light emanated from the walls down the hall. Not from the walls themselves, Rainbow Dash noticed, but from the empty lanterns, and in one case, from right below the hook from which a lantern had no doubt once hung. When she blinked, she swore she could see a simple, unpainted wooden door in the corner of her eye, but when she turned to look, there was nothing but an empty portal to an empty room. Rainbow Dash spread her wings in a flash and glared down the hall.

“What the hay is going on?!” Rainbow Dash called. “You guys are seeing this, right?”

“I don’t know what I’m seeing, but I’m definitely seeing it,” said Rarity, her voice quavering.

“G-ghosts,” Fluttershy stammered.

“I don’t know about that,” said Rainbow Dash, turning around to face Fluttershy. She meant to say something reassuring, something confident and cool to reassure her girlfriend—and herself—but Fluttershy looked the other way, staring behind them. When Dash saw past Fluttershy to the shape walking towards them, there was really only one thing to say.

“Okay, that does look like a ghost.”

It was already upon them, and there was no time to scream. The whole thing happened without noise except for a sharp intake of breath from Fluttershy when the translucent peryton passed straight through them. The large ghostly shape flickered, only parts of its body visible from any angle, and continued down the hallway without a care in the world. Fluttershy dropped her tail and curled it around one of her hindlegs and Rarity took a distressingly slow breath in.

Rainbow Dash packed her wings away and finally worked one of the seeds from their morning meal free from between her teeth. The citrus-berry seed had driven her crazy all day.

“Okay, so, let’s follow it,” said Rainbow Dash. She managed two steps before her walk was arrested by something hooked around her hindlegs and a sharp tug on her tail. Rarity grabbed her with her forelegs, and Fluttershy bit down on her tail, both of them staring at her.

“What?” Dash asked.

“Can we maybe not follow the ghost?” suggested Fluttershy, spitting out Dash’s tail-hairs. “I vote we run. Running and maybe screaming sounds really good right now!”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “It didn’t hurt us, and I’m bored. Let’s see what’s going on. Come on, I’ll keep you safe!”

Rarity’s eyes were large as they flitted between the ethereal lights and Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow, you cannot be this crazy. Fear of ghosts is perfectly normal if they are in the room with you.”

Dash nodded. “Sure, but these aren’t really ghosts, because there’s no such thing as ghosts, right?”

“About that,” said Fluttershy, hyperventilating quietly by herself. Rainbow Dash didn’t look. She touched her side with a hoof for comfort instead.

“If you’ve ever listened to Twilight for more than a minute at a time, you’ll know that’s circular logic,” said Rarity, frowning at her. She sounded more annoyed than afraid, now. “You can’t say they’re not ghosts because there are no ghosts.“

“Sure I can,” said Rainbow Dash. “Want more proof? Ghosts are supposed to be scary,” she said, sticking her tongue out as she tested the waters. Further down the hall, she saw a flickering shape pass from one room into another. “Nope. Still not scared,” she said.

“I have no single name. I am every echo.”

“What does—ah,” said Rarity with a sigh. “Yes, that wasn’t your voice, Rainbow Dash,” said Rarity.

“Nope,” said Dash.

“That was another ghost,” whispered Fluttershy.

“Lovely,” said Rarity.

Rainbow Dash turned to face the peryton stood behind them, and though it was hard to make out detail with all the shimmering and see-through-ness, she got the distinct impression it was looking straight at them—or through them. Dash didn’t feel like admitting that she wasn’t not a little uneasy right now, so she didn’t.

When a pulse of light shot from the peryton, washing down the hall and leaving half-unreal doors, lanterns and other peryton shapes in its wake, she was perhaps a little creeped out, too.

One moment they’d stood in a dead and desolate stone hallway playing tricks on them, and now it was filled with transparent life. Peryton walked up and down the hall chatting amicably without words, two peryton lay next to each other on a bed inside an open room right next to them, and all kinds of junk rested along the walls. A peryton tripped over a ceramic vase and it shattered without a sound, the spectre running along quickly with a backwards glance.

“Can we talk about my plan again, please? The one with the running and maybe screaming?” said Fluttershy, pleading, though she sounded decidedly less panicked now.

Rainbow Dash frowned and leaned down to poke her snout against Fluttershy’s feathers. “You’re going to hurt your wings, you know. Let them loose a bit.”

Fluttershy glared at Dash. “Those wings are staying just the way they are, and so are my ears, and my tail.”

“Fine,” said Dash, rolling her eyes. “Be scared.”

“I am!” Fluttershy snapped.

“Okay! Jeez!” said Rainbow Dash. She wrapped a wing around Fluttershy’s back and tugged her close, stroking slowly with her feathers. “Better?”

“A little,” said Fluttershy, deflating a tad and leaning back against her.

“Well. Hello,” said Rarity, who had been staring at, and been stared at by the peryton shape for a while now without a word. The peryton—the ghost, probably, Dash grudgingly admitted to herself—hadn’t done much, but the occasional flicker gave it definition. It carried large saddlebags across its back, and another bag around its neck, right over a scarf that billowed in an unseen wind. Ethereal ribbons hung from its antlers, and its tail-feathers were tightly bound.

“We are not a ‘you’, but I will speak,” replied the peryton in a sharp voice that rang true and clear where all the other ghostly proceedings around them were faint echoes at best.

Rainbow Dash cocked a brow. “What does that mean?”

“I am Rarity, and these are my friends, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. What—ah, with whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?”

“We do not know what a Direclaw is.”

“Pleased to meet you?” asked Fluttershy. The ghost said nothing. “We… we don’t know what that is, either, I’m sorry.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “Well, since we are speaking, may we call you ‘Echo’, or do you have—”

“I am pleased to meet you,” said the ghost, its tone shifting suddenly, warmer and friendlier by far. “This is Burning Stone Redoubt, the home of hundreds of peryton. Here—.”

“Here what?” asked Dash. The creature stopped mid-sentence, but none of them had spoken to interrupt it.

“Rarity, could you try moving?” asked Fluttershy, chewing her bottom lip. She moved aside, forcing Rainbow Dash to move as well, making space for Rarity.

Rarity did as asked without so much as a questioning look at Fluttershy, taking a few steps sideways. The ghost didn’t turn to follow, its shimmering face still on the spot where Rarity had stood.

“It’s not—” Fluttershy said.

“Those are many questions. I do not know what an Aspect is,” said the ghost.

“It’s not talking to us,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head. “I don’t think it knows we’re here.” Rainbow Dash could feel the other pegasus’s rapid breath against her side, and she couldn’t keep from feeling a swell of pride. Dash herself hadn’t noticed, but her girlfriend, though scared out of her mind, had.

“Then who is it talking to?” asked Rarity. She brightened the light from her horn further, looking all about. “Is there someone else here? I don’t see—”

“I do not know—” the echo interrupted in its monotone voice, this time cutting off when it flickered, disappearing like a snuffed-out candle. The thing—or another one that looked just like it—faded back in a second later, its voice changed again to a higher pitch. “Of course, I am happy to help a visitor. What do you need? Of course. Follow me.”

Rainbow Dash swallowed. “Okay guys, I’m gonna tell you a secret, alright?”

Rarity raised a brow. Fluttershy looked over at her with concern.

“I’m definitely starting to get creeped out.”

“I do not know anyth—” the echo said, once again interrupted by its entire form flickering.

“Please say something else,” hissed Rainbow Dash, doggedly trailing the ghost-creature as it retraced their steps, marching out of the hallways.

“We could always… not follow it,” suggested Fluttershy. “Doesn’t that sound nice?”

“I don’t know which is the safer option at this point,” said Rarity, and if anything, Dash agreed that there were a lot of questions. She would’ve preferred that they faced a real ghost who would talk to them even if it scared her mane off her head. Anything would beat the slow pursuit of a bright shape that shed no light, a trek through what had plainly once been the fortress dormitories, rooms filled with peryton rooting around their ethereal belongings, talking and laughing without sound.

“I wonder if the doors are real. Or, well, if we can—” Fluttershy began. Before she’d even completed the sentence, Rainbow Dash stuck a hoof through a door in passing. It went right through the pointless and ineffectual un-door that failed to hide a sleeping peryton beyond. The only real reaction was Fluttershy stiffening in fright.

“Nope. They’re not real,” said Dash.

“Maybe you should be a little more careful,” said Rarity, frowning at her. “What if it had been dangerous?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Wasn’t.”

“And now I guess we know that,” said Fluttershy, sighing. “Please don’t do that again. We don’t know what’s going on.”

Rainbow Dash’s return quip got stuck in her throat. She was going to say that she knew that whatever was going on exactly, it was probably just some spooky ghost-like thingy who was playing tricks on them, and that they were worrying about nothing at all. Well, maybe not nothing, but not worrying was definitely on the agenda.

She hadn’t thought about what to expect beyond the hallway, though. When they finally passed through the doorway onto the main room of the floor, Rainbow Dash hadn’t expected so much life.

See-through peryton of all shapes and sizes milled about the large chamber, and despite how hard it was to make out details that shifted and shimmered on colourless bodies, she still was struck with the realisation that she’d never seen a more varied group of peryton.

Some wore ribbons in their antlers, some wore sashes and other garments, some walked with their wings half spread. Some clusters of soundlessly conversing peryton resembled each other, some were a mix. In the center, a small queue formed by a large table staffed by five peryton who looked nothing like each other. The stone table looked more real than the rest of the stuff—because it was. The table had been there when they first got here, and was still there.

“I do no—” the echo said yet again, flickering and reappearing, the most solid of any of these ghostly apparitions.

“Oh,” said Fluttershy.

It was a soft “oh”. The sort of noise reserved for details or asides that meant nothing in the greater scheme of things. An “oh” Rainbow Dash would use when someone told her she’d eaten the last cupcake that was meant for Applejack. “Oh. My bad”. The word and the intonation she’d use if Pinkie Pie told her the party had been moved forward half an hour, or Fluttershy mentioned that she was out of green tea.

“Oh” was Fluttershy’s reaction when she glanced past Rainbow Dash and out the portal that led to the roof of the floor below. A ghostly door stood half-way open, and beyond, the city had changed.

“Huh,” Rainbow Dash herself managed to squeeze out, seeing what she had seen.

The storm raged on, the wind roared, the rain hammered down on unyielding stone, and the inhabitants of whatever this town was called paid it no mind. Domes, half-domes, spires and towers that had fallen when they found the gorge now also stood complete with their holes mended by ghostly light. Peryton lived, laughed, and ran down the streets heedless of the weather. Two large peryton hugged each other by a street-corner below, only the top halves of their bodies visible through a very solid and un-ghostly stone block that had toppled over. The darkness of the storm hid most of the town, but as far as Rainbow Dash could see, the city was both alive and in ruins.

“I do not know anything about that,” said their companion-ghost.

“That makes two of us. Or, four,” breathed Rarity. “Where is it going?”

“Upstairs?” Dash chanced, looking away from the madness outside. It hurt her brain to try to keep the two worlds separate. It was far easier to keep her mind on the task ahead, even if it she had no idea what they were doing, following the spectre as it carefully made its way between the other peryton. “Heh, it’s like the world’s creepiest tour guide,” she said with a snort of laughter.

“I don’t think the others can see him, either,” said Fluttershy. “No one’s looking at him.” She walked around the other ghostly shapes, scrambling away when one nearly collided with her. Dash just walked right through them.

“I wish we had some actual answers,” said Rarity with a nervous glance to each side. “No, I wish we had questions, actually—hey! Do mind where you’re stepping!”

Rainbow Dash cocked a brow. Three peryton stood right on top of all of their supplies. The smallest one actually sat down on the floor, right on their food.

“I don’t think they can see, or even touch it, Rarity,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her.

“It’s the principle of the thing,” Rarity retorted with a sniff. “That’s just plain rude. Haven’t these ghosts heard of manners?”

“I do not know anything about that,” said the echo, mounting the stairs.

“And I thank you for that concession,” said Rarity.

“You really need to stop talking to the ghost,” said Rainbow Dash, leading the way after it.

“Oh please.” Rarity rolled her eyes. “I know they can’t hear us. Or, should I say, ‘I don’t know any—’”

“Please don’t,” said Fluttershy, shuddering.

Nothing much had changed on the next floor up. No more ghostly furniture appeared, and there was precious little clutter. The only real addition to the great chamber with all its pillars was a huge number of peryton, many of whom walked in circles around the columns, reading or talking with their mouths moving in unheard speech. Or was that mostly unheard? Was there a whisper at the edge of hearing? Rainbow Dash twitched her ears to try to dispel that notion. She wanted none of that.

“Of course,” said the echo in an amicable tone. “What would you like me to read?”

The three ponies exchanged glances, but none of them said anything. It would have been pointless either way, of course, but the waiting took on a decidedly nervous tone. When the echo started moving towards one of the nearby pillars, Rainbow Dash could swear she heard its hoof-and-claw-steps, the distinctive peryton walk muffled but audible. Had the echo always made sound when it walked?

“This? This is a tale of the creation of the Morillyn Gorges—”

Again it cut itself off, flickering.

“Why does it do that?” asked Rarity. “Why the half-sentences?”

“Why don’t you ask it?” Dash retorted, grinning.

“No, it’s… I actually wonder, too,” said Fluttershy, pre-empting Rarity’s response. Her brow was knit in thought as the three followed their guide. “When it flickers, it doesn’t ever continue where it left off. It’s like it’s being interrupted.”

Rainbow Dash tilted her head. “Well, yeah. It’s being interrupted—”

“No, I mean like someone or something is interrupting it.” Fluttershy held a hoof to her mouth. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt you. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like we’re just getting half a conversation. Like there’s someone else telling the poor ghost to be quiet all the time, like they’re asking questions and then telling it to be quiet.”

“There’s obviously another part to this conversation,” said Rarity, nodding.

“Okay? What do you think that means?” asked Dash, scrunching her snout.

Fluttershy shrugged. “Maybe nothing? It means that the other person is asking a lot of questions this poor thing can’t answer, that’s all. And that there are a lot of things they don’t want to hear about. I’m sorry. I’m just thinking. There’s not much to do except think and listen right now, is there?”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Fair enough. Me, I’m wondering why the door isn’t all ghost-like.”

“This is a tale of the first visit—” Again the echo stopped.

“What do you mean, dear?” asked Rarity.

“The door’s closed, but if the… the other door, the ghost door is closed, why isn’t this door all ghost-y and stuff? I saw a little bit of ghost-stuff on the cider racks and the table down below, and they’re there. Uh, I mean, they’re here, too. Why can’t we see the ghost door like we can see the ghost table?”

“Maybe the door opens inwards, and is open for the ghosts?” Fluttershy suggested. “I don’t see any hinges.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Yeah, I don’t know.”

The echo tilted its head sideways. “The Longing? Of course, follow me,” it said, and so the ponies did, following it across the floor to one of the furthest pillars. “This is a record of the events following The Longing.”

“Did any of the peryton we’ve met so far mention a ‘longing’ so far?” asked Rarity, humming.

“I don’t think so?” said Dash. “Like… a long thing? Or wanting something?”

“Phoreni said that she at least doesn’t know what happened here except that they migrated peacefully,” said Fluttershy, chewing on her cheek.

“I don’t kn—” Another flicker.

“Back to that again, huh?” asked Dash, but the spectre went on right away, quickly popping back into existence.

“In the wake of The Longing, the decision to leave was made together, and all council members are agreed. The pillar was etched tonight, the story was written as it happened. Tonight, The Ever Soaring will lead the peryton people—” another flicker. “—this is the truth as it happened tonight. Aholari Minds the Field, Tender Orybissa, First Cl—” the shape flickered yet again, and this time it seemed that it wouldn’t recover.

The white glowless light that formed its body blinked rapidly and winked out, and Rainbow Dash held her breath for long seconds before the ghost reformed as though it had never been gone.

“—will lead our people away, and we are excited. The five expedition leaders will forge our many paths. Our stories. The Ever Soaring has made his promise, and so have the others. This is a time of opportunity and promise, and the peryton people will leave their homes, will leave the gorges. Few are those who do not see the wisdom of this, and the Tenders have tried to reason with those who disagree.” It paused for a second, head forward and nodding slightly as though listening attentively to something Rainbow Dash couldn’t hear. Now more than ever did it feel like half a conversation.

“If you wish for me to tell you these specific things that are not true, you may wish to employ a different spell. I can not tell you these things. I can not read them from the pillars. I can not make them truth. I can not make this a memory.”

“A spell,” Rarity said, her eyes widening. She repeated the words as though she’d never heard them before. “Maybe this isn’t a ghost after all?”

“I would very much like to believe that. I like that. That is a nice thought. I’m going to believe it,” said Fluttershy, nodding so quickly her mane flew about.

Rainbow Dash scratched one leg with the other. “Wait. But—”

“I am not sentient. I am memories. I am echoes,” said the peryton, as though it spoke in answer, in explanation to the ponies. “If you dissolve this spell and make another spell, you may have greater success.” A short pause. “Yes.” Another pause. “Yes. If you dissolve—” a brief flicker. “I will wait until I am awoken. Yes. I will repeat. I will wait for magic that belongs to peryton sworn to none of the five tribes. I am an echo. I am memories. I am gone.”

The ghost faded. All around them, the peryton circling the pillars began to disappear, fading all together and ever so slowly.

Chapter 19

Cally, dearest.

Soon, the amber passes on to you. I can not be the Guide forever, and it is you who next will stake out the course for our people. There has not been a summer-born child in our family for a long, long while, and I think it is a sign.

I know you will do great things. You must do great things. I, your mother, and your mother’s mother, we have all done what we can, but if someone is to do something truly wonderful for our people, then I think it must be you.

I believe that during your Guidance, our people will be happier than ever. You will uncover the path for us to follow. Under your light, we will see clearer than ever. Your summer’s warmth will illuminate us all.

Quiet finally settled upon the hall. Only when all the ghostly stuff had gone did Rainbow Dash manage to make up her mind: the apparitions had in fact made sound. Not a sound, but a low persistent susurrus noticeable only by its absence when it died along with the disappearance of the last of the spectral peryton.

“So,” said Rainbow Dash, a single syllable to shatter the deafening silence. This far inside the large fortress chamber, the storm outside existed only as a faint roar.

“Yes,” said Rarity. The three ponies stood in a half-circle facing the spot where their unwitting peryton guide had disappeared, clustered uselessly next to one of the great pillars whose letters were arcane to them.

“I’m still going to go with ‘it was a spell’”, said Fluttershy, rubbing a foreleg against the other and clearing her throat. “And I’ll be very happy if you don’t try to convince me I’m wrong, thank you.”

“I’m honestly sure of that, as well,” said Rarity, nodding slowly. “And I’m not just trying to comfort you. Let’s all agree we’ve seen Twilight do… stranger things with magic.”

“Well duh,” said Dash, rolling her eyes. “There’s no such thing as—”

Rarity scoffed. “Oh you do not get to pretend you didn’t think they were ghosts for a while.”

Rainbow Dash tried to keep a straight face, but laughter spilled forth anyway, brushing away the last of her lingering uneasiness. She made for the stairs. “Okay, who cares, I’m starving. Let’s go get some cold berries, flowers and water. Yum.” Dash made a face, though in truth both the berries and the petals were tastier than they had any right to be.

“So, what happened here is a little bit like Hearth’s Warming Eve in reverse,” said Rarity, her brow furrowed in thought as she followed after Rainbow Dash.

“I guess so,” said Fluttershy, a little more quietly. Her head hung low and her eyes darted between the pillars as if she expected the shadows to jump at them any moment now. Rainbow Dash slowed down a little to let her and Rarity catch up.

“What, you think they all lived together here?” Rainbow Dash glanced back at her. “Like… Ortosians, Ephydoerans, Stagrumites and everything?”

“You heard what the gh—ah, what the… magical construct said,” Rarity said, quickly correcting herself with a self-conscious frown. “Peryton tribes looking for new opportunities? ‘Many paths’? They looked very diverse down in the chamber below. Maybe they all came from here, or places like here?”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “If they all lived together, why’d they want to split up? That’s stupid and backwards!”

“I believe that is part of the point I was making, though without quite as much vitriol,” Rarity tersely replied.

Fluttershy shuffled her wings on her back. “I don’t think that they have to be stupid to do that. We don’t know—”

“What, you think that’s a good idea? Pegasi, earth ponies and unicorns packing up and splitting off?” Dash asked while she thought. If anything, the peryton should do the opposite. They would be much better off it they weren’t so far away from each other, right?

“That’s not at all what I said,” Fluttershy replied, narrowing her eyes. “I’m saying that we don’t really know what they were thinking.”

“They don’t seem to know what they were thinking, either,” Rarity murmured.

“Yeah, what’s up with that? I probably know more than Phoreni about their history right now!” Dash laughed when she realised it. “I could go teach in the Grove! Miss Dash, history teacher.”

Rarity chuckled. “That’s one peryton. She said one of her ‘loved ones’ was a historian of sorts. Surely it’s not quite so dire.”

“Yeah, I guess,” said Rainbow Dash, scrunching up her snout. “Besides, I don’t think I wanna be a history teacher anyway. I feel like a more boring pony just for having said it.”

They were nearly across the great hall, approaching the stairs. The constant backdrop of the drumming rain got louder.

“I don’t see why that’s so wrong, anyway,” said Fluttershy, her eyes on the floor as they went. “If they don’t worry too much about their past, I mean. If that’s their decision.”

“Well, of course,” said Dash shrugging.

“And besides,” Fluttershy went on. “The only reason we really remember the story of the pony tribes is because of the Hearth’s Warming play—”

“Sure, but—” Dash tried, but Fluttershy didn’t stop.

“—because I don’t know anypony who cares about really old Equestrian history except Twilight. If it wasn’t for the play, I don’t think we’d know how Equestria was formed either, and the play is tradition, not history.”

Rarity nodded as though Fluttershy had said something profound. Rainbow Dash wasn’t so sure. She paused with her front legs on the first step of the stairs down, waiting for Fluttershy to pass her. “I have no idea what you’re getting at,” she admitted.

Fluttershy stopped as well and gave Rainbow Dash a long look. “I’m just saying that maybe they had good reasons to want to be a little apart, just like we had good reasons for coming together, but we don’t know.” She took a deep breath and let it out while turning away. “I just don’t think we should jump to conclusions.”

“Alright. That’s cool,” said Dash, tapping a hoof on the hard stone of the stairs. It still didn’t sit well with her. “Actually, I’m still gonna go with ‘that’s stupid’, but okay.”

Fluttershy sighed and closed her eyes, shaking her head before she moved down the stairs, Rarity and Rainbow Dash following close by.

“What’s the difference between Hearth’s Warming traditions and history anyway?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Can’t it be both, and about all about hanging out with friends and the spirit of Hearth’s Warming and everything?”

“If you ask me, it can be both—or neither,” said Rarity with a wry smirk. “And ‘the spirit of Hearth’s Warming’? Really? This from a pony whose appreciation for the holiday mostly stems from tearing through any wrapped gift in sight.”

“Hey, somepony has to appreciate the presents, too,” said Dash, grinning back at her.

Rarity shook with a soundless laughter. “Of course, dear. You just want to make sure the presents are cared for, too. I forgot how deeply you care.”

Rainbow Dash would’ve laughed if she wasn’t still mulling Fluttershy’s words over. She didn’t have a return quip ready anyway—not that she’d have time to make one. Fluttershy turned at the bottom of the stairs.

“Rarity, that’s not nice at all,” said Fluttershy, her eyes narrowed.

Rarity breathed out through her nose, putting on a languid smile. “Darling, I—”

Fluttershy cut her off, her frown deepening and her voice raised a touch. “You know Rainbow Dash cares a lot about all her friends even if she doesn’t always show it!”

“Fluttershy! It was a joke!” Dash said, giving her a quizzical look. “Jeez, relax.”

Rarity blinked, looking between the two pegasi, to Fluttershy, then to Rainbow Dash, and then back to Fluttershy again with confusion plain on her face. “I’m sorry, but Rainbow is right. We were joking, I promise—are you alright, dear? I didn’t mean to upset either of you.”

Fluttershy’s mouth hung open for a second, a faint blush visible under the glow of Rarity’s horn.

“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy finally squeezed out, her ears splayed. “I guess I misunderstood—I, um, the sound in here is a little strange, it’s a hard to hear everything right. Sorry.”

“Of course, think nothing about it,” said Rarity, smiling brightly. “It was probably in poor taste given the gravity of what we just witnessed. Again, I apologise. Shall we see about that meal? We still need to decide where we’ll bed down, too.”

Rainbow Dash said nothing, following in their wake. Even if Fluttershy had missed the laughter and the tone of her and Rarity’s voices, Rainbow Dash didn’t know what to think about Fluttershy leaping to her defense like this. Fluttershy wasn’t really one for overreacting—well, not these kinds of overreactions, at least. Of course it was just a joke, and of course Rainbow Dash cared about her friends. Who was Fluttershy trying to convince?

They made their bed in the innermost chamber of the first floor. Past all the once-again-empty bedrooms they found what must have been a common area of sorts. A large room with stone furniture: Benches, tables, and a rudimentary stoveless kitchen. Washrooms and storage rooms branched off it, but that was about it. Everything they found was in well-worn stone, and all else was gone, the room unadorned and undecorated except for simple engravings along the walls. They reminded Rainbow Dash of peryton antlers in gold.

With their tarp as a noisy cushion to make the hard stone floor a little more bearable, the three lay down to sleep after their meal. It couldn’t be terribly late, but no one, Rainbow Dash least of all, seemed inclined to pretend they weren’t tired.

Rainbow Dash yawned. Rarity’s hooves were cold. She locked eyes with Fluttershy, the two staring at each other for a moment. Dash didn’t have much to say, so she smiled a weary smile. Fluttershy smiled back and turned around, probably to lend Rarity more of her warmth. The light from Rarity’s horn dimmed with a whispered good-night, and sleep claimed Rainbow Dash almost instantly.

“Cocoa,” said Rainbow Dash, “or, hot chocolate. What’s the difference? Isn’t chocolate cocoa? Same thing, right?”

“Pardon?” asked Rarity, one brow quirked.

“Hot chocolate is chocolate and milk,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her. “Cocoa is cocoa powder, and you use that to make chocolate. You like hot chocolate. That’s what I usually make for you, at least.”

“Alright, hot chocolate then,” said Rainbow Dash. She tilted her head a little more, grinding lightly against Fluttershy’s neck, and she felt Fluttershy nuzzle her other cheek in return, leaning over her, breath warm against Dash’s coat.

“Hot chocolate what?” asked Rarity, still looking confused.

“I could go for hot chocolate right now,” said Rainbow Dash, shrugging.

They’d let Rarity have the blanket. The two of them had a good pair of wings each, and both blankets and wings were just for show anyway: it wasn’t all that cold. The daytime heat warred with the chill of the raging tempest, and it was almost cozy watching it all from their spot near the stair room, a good distance from the open doorway to the roof with its occasional rain spatter.

Rainbow Dash didn’t know exactly what time it was, but Rarity insisted it should be mid-day. Despite the dark clouds, they could see all the way to the canyon wall opposite of the fortress sometimes, light ever changing, rain never falling the same way two minutes in a row. Lightning strikes sharply outlined the abandoned city beyond.

“Personally, I’d ‘go’ for a window between myself and the storm,” said Rarity, pulling the blanket tight around herself with a glow of magic as though she was actually cold. “They didn’t say for how long this storm would go on, did they?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “They didn’t, but it can’t last much longer. It’s moving so fast, it has to pass soon.”

Rainbow Dash scratched at her snout and nodded absent-mindedly. Fluttershy was right. It should pass soon, but she felt compelled to watch it nevertheless. Keep an eye on it just to make sure the storm obeyed the rules that she’d so rigorously been taught—the rules she’d learned by herself, tasted and felt through years of weatherwork.

That was definitely the reason she suggested they move their lunch out to the first floor chamber. It had nothing to do with preferring to be out from under the tons upon tons of rock overhead in their bedroom-cave.

“I just hope the scary magical peryton don’t come back,” said Fluttershy, stifling a yawn. “Even if it was just a spell, I’m glad it’s just us here, now.”

“You didn’t get much sleep at all yesterday, did you?” asked Rarity, frowning with concern even as she yawned as well. “Well, I’d say I’m sure we’ve seen the last of that whole mess, but I don’t know. We don’t even know what caused it in the first place.”

“The echo-creature said something about that,” said Fluttershy. “A spell ‘not of the five tribes’, I think.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Yeah, and it happened right after Rarity tried casting the peryton body magic spell. It makes sense. For magic, anyway.”

“I’m afraid it doesn’t,” said Rarity, shaking her head ever so slightly. “There are five cities, and they mentioned five tribes with five leaders following this ‘Ever Soaring’. Don’t you think they correspond? If the Ephydoerans are one of these, the body magic spell I cast was definitely of the five tribes.”

Rainbow Dash blinked, flicking one ear. “Uh. Okay, maybe, I hadn’t thought of that. I just figured, hey, you tried to cast some peryton spell, but you’re not a peryton.”

Rarity appeared to consider that for a moment. “That… well, it may be that simple. I don’t know, dear, but I will say I won’t be trying that particular spell again until we’re well clear of this place.” She crinkled her snout as she looked around, distaste slowly transforming into amusement.

“And, speaking of things being simple?” Rarity continued. “Yesterday we were discussing why they would split up—if that is indeed what they were doing—but I think we may have missed the simple fact that you’d be mad to wish to keep living in a horrid canyon like this. Maybe they woke up one day and realised that anywhere else would be better.”

Fluttershy giggled, and Rainbow Dash just grinned in response.

Rarity tired of staring at the storm at one point. She brought her dressmaking supplies from their provisional bedroom, and as the unicorn whiled away at her sketches and plans for some outfit or other, Fluttershy spent time with their roomies.

At times, there was precious little of the other pegasus visible beneath the long weasel-like antler-beasts that played with her at the other end of the room. Rainbow Dash’s attention was thus divided between keeping an eye on the storm, and stealing glances of Fluttershy playing with her animal friends. Because she only kept half an eye on the outside, it took her a while before she saw it.

At first, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. Next, she thought it must be a branch or a bush she’d missed before, but she already knew this was no branch, bush or tree. The open portal that led to the landing didn’t afford her a good view of the approach to the fortress, but finally her eyes caught sight of a tall shape disappearing behind a corner. It was unmistakably some sort of creature.

Rainbow Dash looked over to Rarity and Fluttershy, both of them busy in their own way. She opened her mouth to speak, but she didn’t even know what to say. She’d had nothing more than a brief glimpse, and the only thing that stuck in her mind was how strange it was that whomever it was hadn’t been blown away by the wind.

“So, uh,” she said.

Rarity didn’t look up, busy with paper and sketching tools. Fluttershy made a soft, inquisitive noise, looking over at her—and a half-dozen ferralopes stared with her, their game instantly halted and their bodies frozen.

“I think there’s someone outside,” said Rainbow Dash. She’d barely finished her sentence when she heard noise from below, splashing in the water pooled on the ground floor barely louder than the lapping against the walls and stairs.

“Or inside,” Dash corrected herself. She rose, stretched out every muscle in her body, tested her wings, and looked to the staircase, wondering what sort of creature would brave this kind of weather, and for what.

Rainbow Dash could hardly imagine a less threatening sight. She couldn’t help staring, and somehow she knew that behind her, Rarity and Fluttershy did the same. No doubt their eyes were as wide as Rainbow Dash’s when the strange creature took the last step up the stairs. The scratch of quill against sketching paper ceased, and the ferralopes scurried back to their den.

The large bird’s two legs were fully half of its height, and their steps made less sound than the steady drip of water from the feathers of great sky-blue wings wrapped about its body. Its white neck curved forward, back, then forward again, an S-shape ending in a long beak and two unblinking eyes that regarded them in relative silence. A string dangled around its body, a necklace of pouches in place of pearls.

“Food. You have it, but you do not offer it.”

It took Rainbow Dash a second to realise that the harsh croak had carried words, and that they had been spoken to her as the closest of the three. She glanced over her shoulder at Fluttershy and Rarity for help, but they looked just as confused at the bird who now paused in front of them as if on an afterthought.

“Egocentrism. Covetousness,” the creature said, loud despite its beak barely moving. “The arrogance of four-legged species, to think only they have the capacity for speech.”

“I—uh, hey?” said Rainbow Dash. She didn’t catch all of it, but she was pretty sure that had been rude. “What’s that supposed—”

“Oh, no, this is hardly the first time we’ve met civilised two-legged species,” said Rarity, stepping past Rainbow Dash with an affable smile. “But that doesn’t mean much either way, does it? We’re far from our home, and I imagine we’re just as strange to you as you are to us. I am Rarity, and I am pleased to meet you,” she said, gesturing to the two pegasi in turn. “This is Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Might we know your name? Oh, and would you like some berries?”

Rainbow Dash was grateful for the unicorn’s poise, shaking her head and taking a deep breath. It wouldn’t do to blow up within ten seconds of meeting someone new.

“Berries? No. If all you eat are berries, you are useless and your offer is an insult to me,” the bird declared, brushing right past Rarity and Rainbow Dash with long strides, making for the stairs that led up to the pillar room.

Rarity went from a polite smile to nonplussed to a dangerous frown in half a second. “I see that courtesy is lost on your kind. Among ponies, it is considered polite to say thank you, even if that’s a no thank you.”

The creature, easily half again as tall as any of the ponies, paused at the entrance to the stair room. Its long neck twisted around, expressionless with unblinking eyes staring right at Rarity, then Rainbow Dash, and finally looking over at Fluttershy. The other pegasus had sat silent by the entrance to the ferralopes’ den-room, saying nothing, but now she quailed under the brief look it afforded her.

“Do you eat tulip petals? Do you want some clean water? Are you cold from the storm?” asked Rarity, softening a tad. She cleared her throat. “Let us start again, shall we? You have our names, what is yours?”

The bird stood silent and still while Rarity’s smile became more and more strained. Upon closer inspection, one question bubbled to the surface in Dash’s mind. The thing was all feathers, fluff and twig-like legs. A strong gust would blow it over.

“And how’d you get through the storm?” Dash asked. Obviously it wasn’t going to answer Rarity.

“Ankle-guards of lead,” the bird replied immediately, almost before Dash had asked. “Glue on my feet, and ten strong others to hold me down.”

Rainbow Dash squinted. There was nothing on its feet, and she’d couldn’t see anyone else ‘holding it down’. “You don’t have any of those things,” she said, scrunching her snout.

“Then you see only what is before you. There can be no storm,” said the bird with a tone of utter dismissal. “Or there is a storm that does not wish to touch me.” It turned around and disappeared upstairs without a backwards glance, leaving the ponies alone once more.

There was definitely a storm, and it finally abated. The wind still howled and the rain fell in great drops adding to the flooded valley floor, but Rainbow Dash could tell it would soon pass. She stuck her head outside and looked up, getting her first taste of sky in a full day. The clouds weren’t quite as dark. If it was up to her, they’d already be moving.

“Okay, last item,” said Fluttershy, pointing to a small bolt of fabric. “I think this one fell out of the chest when I crashed. There’s a little bit of mud on it. Should we leave it?”

“Oh, no! No, I need that one,” said Rarity, a note of panic in her voice as she opened her saddlebags. “Are we quite sure we need all this water?”

Rainbow Dash chuckled as she walked back to the site of their packing efforts. “You’ve said that about everything.”

“I have not,” said Rarity with a huff. “This particular orange will go well with peryton who have a lot of brown in their coats. I left the navy blue, did I not?”

“No, that one’s in Rainbow Dash’s saddlebags,” said Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash took her word for it. She hadn’t really paid attention to what they gave her to stuff her saddlebags with. The only things they left behind were the majority of their gems, the wooden bowls, and the supplies Rarity didn’t need—which wasn’t a lot, all stashed in their chest. Fluttershy refused to leave behind their antlers for whatever reason, and Dash didn’t protest. They were cool. Rarity managed to pack their old dresses away without wasting too much space, too. When Dash shook her body, her saddlebags clattered with tools and supplies.

Rarity sighed. “Alright. Rainbow, be a dear and take this water-bag instead of the navy blue. I’ll carry this bolt.“ She meticulously unpacked and began swiftly repacking her saddlebags again. “I don’t know which is the bigger miracle: That the dragonsfire didn’t burn up everything in my saddlebags, or that I’ve managed to get all the glass shards out. I’ll count us all lucky that I packed it in the paper the Princesses sent with us and that nothing else burned up—now, if you don’t mind, I’ll just tie our blanket and our tarp on top of one of our saddlebags. They’re much too large to fit inside.”

“I’ll carry those,” said Fluttershy, nodding. “I think that’s everything. I’m sorry we have to leave the chest behind. It’ll be hard enough for all of us to carry full saddlebags and all our water. You’re sure you can’t leave any more of your fabrics behind?”

Rarity shook her head resolutely. “I’ll carry them all myself if I have to. I don’t know what I’ll need for my future designs exactly, but I know now what I must do.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful,” said Fluttershy, smiling bright for a moment. “But, wait, um. Phoreni didn’t say a lot about Vauhorn and Cotronna and their fashion, how will you know what to make?”

Rarity flashed an ingenious grin. “Darling, you’ll just have to wait and see. In fact, I will have to wait and see myself, but I know that I’ll have to make something for when we meet their leader in Cotronna.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “You’re gonna surprise yourself, too? Have you been taking lessons from Pinkie Pie?”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Very funny, dear. I don’t know the specifics yet, but it feels good to finally have a direction. A plan!”

“Well, I’m happy for you,” said Fluttershy, leaning over to nuzzle Rarity.

“Oh, it’s not just for me,” said Rarity, resting against Fluttershy for a second. “It will be a moment to remember. Imagine it, the Equestrian delegation meeting the Perytonian ruler for the first time. All eyes will be on us, and they will be blown away by the wonders I’ve created, a display that will be a revelation to all!”

Rainbow Dash raised a brow. Rarity coughed.

“Well, aim for the stars, at least,” said the unicorn. Her ears lay flat. “And besides, hyperbole is among the many tools in the fashionista’s toolbox. You don’t woo the crowd by saying you’re going to be ‘acceptable’.”

“Now you’re talking my language,” said Dash, grinning, stretching out her legs. “You guys wanna get moving?”

“It’s still a little stormy outside,” said Fluttershy, but Rainbow Dash didn’t miss the glance she’d tossed towards the stairs down. Neither had Rarity, it seemed, the unicorn openly staring at the staircase leading to the flooded ground floor.

“Make no mistake, I’m eager to leave as well,” said Rarity, chewing her bottom lip. There was no “but”, no further protest. They were obviously all thinking about the same thing.

The strange bird had returned from upstairs not long ago, pausing by the entrance to the dormitories where the ponies had their beds. It had stared at them wordlessly for a full minute before apparently deciding against entering the dark tunnel. Instead, it disappeared downstairs, the occasional slosh of water echoing with its passing. Rainbow Dash had no idea what it was doing—unless it was trying to creep them out. It managed that part spectacularly.

“What is it?” Dash asked nopony in particular, barely bothering to lower her voice. “Have any of you ever seen, or even heard of anyone like that?”

“Not ever in my life, and between Canterlot High Society soirées and the hubbub of Ponyville, I like to think I’ve seen a lot,” Rarity murmured in reply.

“It’s not like any bird I’ve ever seen,” Fluttershy added in a whisper. “It looks like some birds I’ve met but… it’s not. What do you think it’s doing here?” whispered Fluttershy.

“Aside from being rude beyond belief?” asked Rarity, her muzzle crinkled with obvious distaste. “I haven’t a clue. I’m surprised that neither Phoreni nor any of the other peryton mentioned sharing this land with others.”

“I dunno, do you think it lives here?” Dash said, tapping a hoof on the ground, eager to get moving instead of standing around talking about it forever. “It’s probably just passing by or whatever, just like us. Let’s go?”

“I suppose, but then, this is hardly a likely place to run into other people by chance,” said Rarity, not budging. “You should ask your animal friends if this place is always this busy,” she added with a half-hearted grin at Fluttershy.

“Oh, it isn’t,” said Fluttershy, smiling back at her.

Rarity blinked. “That was a joke, but now I have to ask. How do you know that?”

Fluttershy tilted her head. “Hm? Oh, I already asked them. I usually ask any animals I meet about anything scary going on. For both our sakes. They said it’s been a long time since the last time anyone came here, years ago. Rover was just a pup back then!”

“Someone came here a few years ago? You think that was Phoreni?” Rainbow Dash asked. She adjusted her saddlebags and scratched her side before taking a demonstrative step forward.

“I don’t know, maybe,” said Fluttershy, shrugging. She took a few steps towards the stairs down and stretched her neck to look down below. “Maybe we can just go now?” she suggested in a whisper. “It’s probably a little rude of me to say, but I think I’d rather get rained on than stay here.”

Rarity looked lost in thought for a second before she replied. “No, I—” she began, lowering her voice further. “It is more than just annoyance. It, he, she, they—whatever it is, it feels wrong.”

“Hey, I wouldn’t want to invite them to my birthday party either,” said Rainbow Dash with a shrug. “Come on, let’s go.”

The murky water was more a full hoof’s breadth deep, exactly the most annoying depth it could be. Trying to wade without lifting her hooves looked stupid and was slow going besides. It was too shallow to wade, but too deep to make it easy lifting her hooves out of the water with each step. That, and the water was heavy with mud.

They passed through the ground floor of the fortress in silence. Rainbow Dash thought she saw the creature’s shadow moving about in a room adjacent to the front chamber, but she decided to put it out of her mind. Soon they were out, squeezing through the narrow openings, picking their way through the flooded stone garden and the waterlogged city beyond. She spotted a cluster of dark beetles on a large rock, moving about to stay always downwind and above water. Had they been doing that all night and day?

Whatever the case, the storm was releasing its grip. Every time the wind shifted, the next gust was weaker. It was worse above, outside the canyon, but the rain poured down at a steady slant. Thunder rolling in from above reverberated endlessly between the rocky walls, but she knew it came from the far east. The storm would pass towards the coast, and then beyond.

Maybe it would hit Equestria? She’d never heard of storms that hit any Equestrian shore like clockwork every year, and besides, the airship had taken them not just west, but south for days. It would hit some other foreign land. A desert? A tropical forest? An icy waste populated by some other people even weirder than the peryton? Hard to imagine.

Maybe the storm headed for the home of the bird who’d intruded upon their little sanctuary of probably-not-ghosts. Had the Princesses sent ponies there, too? She’d forgotten which way the rest of their friends were headed. Maybe Twilight, Pinkie and Applejack were there. She hoped they had somewhere better to shack up than a crummy canyon.

“I’m glad we’re all here together,” said Fluttershy. It took Rainbow Dash a second to realise they were Fluttershy’s words and not her own thoughts. In fact, she still wasn’t sure. Fluttershy’s tail dragged along the dirty water, and her eyes were ahead.

“Yeah, me too,” said Rainbow Dash. She wanted to say something more, but she didn’t know what. She settled on a smile for Fluttershy and Rarity before she looked up, not for the first time. It didn’t matter that it still rained and that the weather was still a little rough. The further along they went, the more the canyon opened up. Less rock, more dark-grey clouds.

“I—ack!” Rarity stumbled, nearly slipping on a rock beneath the water. Fluttershy hurried over to steady her, and Dash herself walked closer to Rarity in case she slipped again. The unicorn glared at the muddy water and the dripping tail-end she’d failed to keep dry. “Right, as I was trying to say: I agree. I can’t imagine what it must be, doing something like this alone.”

Finally they passed the outskirts of the drowning city. Rarity called for a halt to make sure their saddlebags were properly shut so the rain wouldn’t ruin any of their belongings, and when she was satisfied, the three paused to look behind them, past the city’s outer walls poking up through the lake that was the canyon floor and to the fortress that had sheltered them through the storm.

“Speaking of alone and other dreadful things, when I said this bird made me uneasy,” said Rarity, tilting her head slightly to one side. “I didn’t want to say anything in there because there’s rude, and then there’s just plain—well,” she sighed, tapping one hoof in the water to no sound at all, making little waves lost in the splash of rain.

“What?” asked Rainbow Dash, frowning. “I thought we all agreed the bird was creepy and rude.”

“I don’t know,” said Rarity, briskly shaking her head. “It’s not just that. I don’t wish to go on about this forever, but did you not feel something more? I felt… uneasy.”

Fluttershy lay her ears flat. “I feel uneasy around a lot of people.”

Rarity sighed. “Never mind. I am probably over-thinking it. Our last interactions with other people have not exactly been the best, have they?”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “Yeah, no. Let’s keep moving. The sooner we’re outta here, the better. I’ll eat grass and sleep under creepy statues for a week if we don’t have to come back here.”

Grass underhoof. Rainbow Dash couldn’t remember the last time she was this happy for something so simple. Even more than nestling up in the bed of her cloud-home at the end of a long day, stepping onto the grass felt like a well-earned reward.

It had taken hours to clear the canyon. In their hurry to leave the fortress behind, they had consigned themselves to slogging through murky water, burdened with saddlebags too full to comfortably fly with and heavy enough to press against her wings when she furled them. They could probably have flown topside earlier somehow, but back then, the wind was still too harsh for flying around with a passenger.

Now the rain let up, and the wind could do no worse than tug at their manes and sodden tails. The walls to their sides shrunk, and they made their way out of of the waterlogged canyon, up a slippery overgrown slope to flat ground. Rainbow Dash spotted the dark blue sky in a gap between clouds that did not last. It was already late, but it hadn’t yet gotten properly cold.

Rainbow Dash had expected destruction, a forest flattened with toppled trees and uprooted bushes everywhere, but there was nothing of the sort. Outside of the multitude of leaves plastered to the ground everywhere, there was no sign that there’d been anything but very heavy rain.

“Everything’s fine,” said Rainbow Dash, frowning at a nearby tree, a thin trunk with light grey bark. She frowned at the entire forest, really. At the oddness of it.

“I think your last spring storm caused more damage, honestly,” said Rarity, humming appreciatively as she looked around. The trees were a little bare, and many of the colourful flowers had been stripped of petals, the smaller plants and their berries washed away. Hardly ravaged, the forest had been cleaned.

“It wasn’t my spring storm,” said Rainbow Dash.

“It was your scheduled rain that accidentally got upgraded,” Rarity retorted.

“Yeah, well—” Dash paused and grunted. “Then call it my upgraded rain,” she finished, letting out a snort of laughter. “If I wanted to make a storm, I could do better than that drizzle.”

“Regardless, the ground is still uncomfortably squishy,” said Rarity, huffing as she inspected a dripping hoof. “My hooves are pruny.”

Dash cocked an eyebrow. “Did you really expect it to be dry up here? This is where the storm was at its worst! Or, well, that’s what I thought, anyway.” She gave the nearby forest another good look. She saw the occasional torn branch upon closer inspection, but nothing like what she’d expected.

“I think the plants here have adapted,” said Fluttershy, a small smile on her lips. “Their roots are deep, and the trees are flexible. Maybe the soil is different, too?”

Rainbow Dash blinked twice. “Different how? Dirt’s just… dirt, right?”

“It’s not really that simple,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head.

“Okay, Applejack,” said Dash.

Fluttershy giggled. “I’m just thinking. Maybe the earth here takes to the water in a different way. If it didn’t, the roots wouldn’t help the trees much. Some flowers are still okay, even if their petals are gone. Their stalks should have broken. I don’t know exactly what this means. I’m not an expert on this, after all.”

“Relatively speaking, you are exactly that,” said Rarity with a lopsided smile. “The premiére botanist of this forest. I don’t suppose you have any thoughts on our chances of finding somewhere dry to rest tonight?”

“It’s not a tree, is it?” asked Rarity.

Rainbow Dash shook her head and laughed. “No, Rarity. It’s not a tree, jeez. Give me some credit. You already asked that.”

“Is it… thorns?” Fluttershy asked, pointing at a spiky bush as they passed it. “Or tubers?”

“Nope!”

“Very well, unless you’re cheating and making something up, I give up,” said Rarity, shrugging. “What is it?”

“Thunderberries,” said Rainbow Dash, grinning as wide as she could. “That’s a point for me!”

Fluttershy blinked. “Thunderberries? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of those.”

“Yeah, me neither,” Dash admitted, pointing to the side of the path. “But it’s a good name for those blue berries that keep popping up on every tuft of heather we see.”

Rarity sighed. “Darling, that’s a perfect example of cheating. You can’t just invent new names for things in a game of ‘I spy’. In fact, that is the exact thing I told you not to do, not twenty seconds ago!”

Rainbow Dash was not so easily cowed. She simply smirked at Rarity and cocked a brow. “Really? I’m inventing stuff? Okay, so what are they ‘really’ called?”

Rarity opened her mouth, but closed it again with no word spoken. The only thing Rainbow Dash got in return was a low-effort glare.

“Exactly. Thunderberries,” Dash declared, giggling.

She could do this for days, and not just because Rarity refused to play by Dash’s more fun and creative rules. After the storm, they were unlikely to ever run out new things to put names to.

Yesternight’s soggy nap had threatened to put them all in a foul mood. After a short walk, cold and wet, the freezing wind forced them to bed down early. Still raining and with the ground wet, they had huddled together wrapped in their blanket, again packed in their tarp, falling asleep in a group hug to keep Rarity warm.

All thoughts of complaint were washed away when they woke up in a different place entirely. The sun shone down on their faces, and on a forest in full bloom. Trees and bushes budded with green nubs, berries and flowers they’d never seen before poked their heads up, and mushrooms had seemingly sprung up overnight—and they were still springing. Last time they’d taken a break, Dash watched leaves and petals unfolding before her eyes while she had a drink. Every hour, the forest grew greener.

“Are these the trees you collected those delicious citrus berries from?” asked Rarity, looking almost straight up as they passed beneath a particularly large tree.

Rainbow Dash tilted her head to look at the spiny tree. It had fewer thorny bits now after the storm, but it certainly looked similar—except that the tiny berries that grew under the protection of the spikes were deep red, and budded in rows rather than clusters. “I think so?” Rainbow Dash hazarded.

“I’ve never heard of anything like it—like this,” said Fluttershy, bumping into Rainbow Dash when she, too, looked up. “It’s an entirely new season. I guess this is why the peryton kept talking about early summer and late summer like they are two different things altogether. They even called them ‘first’ and ‘second’ summer.”

Rarity nodded her agreement. “I just hope those particular new berries are half as good as the old ones were. I appreciate the variety of new fruits and mushrooms—if they are safe to eat—but anything light and refreshing is sorely needed right now.”

“At least we’ve still got water left,” said Rainbow Dash. “I wouldn’t like being stuck drinking out of puddles or trying to gather cloud-water or whatever.” She strained her wings against her saddlebags out of habit. She could work them free if she wanted to, but the fact that there was pressure on her wings annoyed her.

Carrying water was heavy work, and decidedly un-fun. Despite this, they’d all become keenly aware of how precious water was during these first few hours on the morning after the storm: The heat had changed character entirely, becoming humid and cloying. Breaks were called for early and often. Almost as often as Rarity had suggested she’d love a bath to wash off this ‘ickiness’.

Six times since this morning, if Dash’s count was correct. Despite being used to the long walks by now, the unicorn did not deal well with sweat. Matters weren’t helped by her bringing out her fabrics and her sketches every time they stopped, never truly resting.

Rainbow Dash was vaguely aware that there had been a time when they’d actually argued about taking breaks. She didn’t remember exactly what had been said, but pushing ahead under the merciless sun didn’t just feel like the past, it felt like a different reality entirely. A reality where Dash thought she could beat the heat by running faster.

She paused and reached up to scratch an itch on her snout. Another difference was that in this alternate reality that may have been the past, she cared how fast they were moving because they had some sense of progress.

Sure, Fluttershy had found the overgrown trail they were looking for and gotten them back on track. The forest trail climbed and fell, twisted, turned and ran straight for an hour, but what came next? How many more days? At some point, they would hit Vauhorn and hopefully meet some friendly new faces, but then what? They’d get to Cotronna and give them the sigil, invite peryton to party, yadda yadda, but what then?

Dash snorted to herself. This was why she didn’t usually think ahead. You either ran out of space, or you hit a wall. You eventually hit nothingness, or, in this case, the lack of a ticket home.

“So, about getting back to Equestria when we’re done with all this,” said Rainbow Dash as they finished the trail’s latest punishing climb. Cresting the peak of its ascent, the path led down into a small flooded valley and disappeared into the water.

“I had forgotten about that,” said Rarity, frowning deeply. “I suppose we’ll need a plan of sorts.” She braced herself, carefully picking her way down the hill, obviously afraid of slipping on the wet grass.

“I’m sorry I ruined the bottle,” said Fluttershy, digging her hooves into the earth with each step to keep from falling. “I really am.”

Rainbow Dash pushed the saddlebags further back on her body. The blanket on top was still a little moist, refusing to dry completely—and thus heavy. Still she managed to spread her wings to glide even if it was awkward. She sailed past Fluttershy and Rarity, landing at the edge of the little lake. Even beneath the shallow and still water’s surface everything looked vibrant and green, like a very cheerful foal’s caricature of a swamp.

“In the absolute worst of cases—” said Rarity, sticking her tongue out as she navigated the final few steps, halting next to Rainbow Dash on a thin strip of flat grass around the rim of the tiny lake, “—I imagine the Princesses will send someone to look for us and bring us home if they don’t hear from us for much longer.”

Fluttershy leapt the last little bit of the slope, gliding down to join the others. She squinted as she looked across the lake, pointing ahead. “I see the trail on the other side. Let’s go around, it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.”

“I don’t like that scenario, I must admit,” Rarity continued, following Rainbow Dash, who in turn followed Fluttershy, the trio walking single file on the narrow edge of the lake. “I suppose I take some comfort in knowing we likely still have enough gems to purchase passage if we can find a captain willing to take us across the sea. It can’t be that far from Cotronna to … hm.”

“Las Pegasus should still be closest,” said Fluttershy, her wings spread for balance. “If we could ask someone to take us east, I think it’s maybe a week by boat.”

“Yeah, ‘hello, captain. Here’s a sack of gems, can you sail straight east for a week please?’” said Dash, cackling.

Rarity raised a brow in question, silent for a moment. “Do you think that’s unreasonable?”

Rainbow Dash’s laughter petered out. Now she, too, was given pause. “I—er. I… I have no idea, actually. Is it?”

“I don’t know either,” admitted Rarity, shaking her head. “That’s why I ask. I have never hired a boat in my life, but it looks like we have no choice in the matter.”

That was where this conversation was always going to end up. The wall of them not knowing, of “we just have to see”. Except, it wasn’t really true. Dash had an ace hidden in her mane.

“I could ask Princess Luna.”

Fluttershy glanced over her shoulder at Rainbow Dash, one brow raised, and Rarity tilted her head in question.

“And how would you do that?” asked Rarity. “We lost the dragonfire. That’s the entire reason we’re in this situation—and Fluttershy, I can hear you waiting for me to finish my sentence so you can apologise again,” she went on, raising her voice slightly. “I will not have it.”

“I wasn’t going to, promise,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head without looking back. “But I do feel bad about it, sorry.”

“Yeah yeah,” said Rainbow Dash, cutting through what threatened to be a very uninteresting aside. “Anyway, I’ve been talking to her in my dreams. That’s what she does, right? Dreams and stuff.”

“Twilight said she’s supposed to be the guardian of the dream-world or some-such,” Rarity mused, curiosity plain in her voice. “Do you suppose that if one of us tried, we might reach her that way?”

“I don’t think it’s that simple,” said Fluttershy, angling her wings about to keep balance. Rainbow Dash tried to get a good look at how her feathers were doing until she realised she was getting distracted. She shook her head to clear it.

“Uh, yeah it is. It’s totally that simple,” Dash said. “At least if you’re as awesome as I am.” She hopped up to walk on the slope so she could see Rarity and Fluttershy both at once.

Now, Fluttershy’s ears perked up. “Well… It sounds like something Luna might be able to do, maybe. I think I had a dream like that, once, where she helped me, but—”

“You’re not listening. I’ve done it!” Rainbow Dash said. “I’ve talked to Princess Luna!”

Rarity blinked. “You’ve talked to Princess Luna about getting us back home?”

“Well—no,” Dash admitted, deflating a little. “About other stuff. I bet I could, though. They’re not dreams—or, they are, but they’re not just dreams.”

“I really hope you’re right,” said Fluttershy, biting her lower lip. “But some dreams feel very real, sometimes. I’ve had a few dreams like that.”

“If you’re right, could you ask her tonight? Or, couldn’t you have done so yesterday night?” asked Rarity, frowning slightly. “I suspect it will take them a while to prepare an airship, especially if we want them to land in a different city.”

It was an effective one-two punch to whisk the wind from under Dash’s wings. Support that allowed for doubt, and a very good question. Rainbow Dash sighed, letting out a long breath until she was empty.

As clearly as she tended to remember her dreams when she woke up, as sure she was of everything she had said just now, her memory wasn’t perfect. The last dream in particular was a bit hazy. Was it just forgetfulness? Whatever the case, she vaguely remembered Luna being reluctant to help the last time they’d talked, and one extra detail bothered her.

“I haven’t seen her for a while, actually,” Dash admitted, her wings sagging for a moment. “I don’t know what’s up with that. Last time, stuff got weird with all these… uh, she was talking about memories and how I dragged her into a dream and stuff.”

Rarity and Fluttershy exchanged glances, and now Dash received a set of worried looks. “I… okay,” said Fluttershy, her voice soft as could be. “I don’t know either, but I believe you, at least. It sounds different from any dream I’ve ever had, but I trust you.”

Rarity smiled and nodded her assent. “I don’t think I understand it myself, but you’ll let me know if there is anything I can do, won’t you?”

“Yeah, sure, thanks,” said Rainbow Dash, having little more to add. They finally circled around the lake that resembled an overgrown puddle more than anything else, and as Fluttershy had suggested, the trail continued on the other side.

If Fluttershy and Rarity believed her, that helped, but Rainbow Dash wasn’t looking for support. She’d hoped to be able to reassure them that they had a way back home. Now, all she could think was that she had no idea where Princess Luna had disappeared off to. How many days had passed since the last time Dash saw trace of her? Weren’t Rarity and Fluttershy worried about being trapped here? Rainbow Dash wasn’t worried, either, of course. She never worried.

She was just aware of it.

The valley led to another. The trail met a small cliff-like wall of rock and climbed it in narrow zig-zags, one particular zag nearly warranting an aerial rescue operation when Rarity stumbled. Rainbow Dash didn’t really pay attention to all the climbing, to all the up between their frequent breaks, with a lack of down. She blamed Rarity for their inattentiveness anyway. The unicorn started a debate on their evening meal plans that lasted a good while.

That discussion ground to a halt when the shrubs and ferns that had formed the left side of their path—an opposite to the cliff on their right—disappeared, a lapse in vegetation affording them a clear view, a green window-frame to the west. Again the mountains of the Bow came into view.

Rainbow Dash was tired of them, now. They were far in the distance, curving away, ever smaller whenever they saw them, but still they dominated the inland view. Part of Dash wanted to tell the others to wait, to fly over there as quick as she could—whether it took hours, days or weeks—just to see them up close. To get it over with and stop wondering what they were about.

“I wonder what it’s like, living in the shadow of those mountains with all the monsters Phoreni mentioned,” said Rarity, levitating one of the water bags over for a sip. She rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck side to side.

“Are you kidding me?” asked Dash. “Like… living next to the Everfree Forest? You can ask Fluttershy, here,” she said, reaching out to rub her girlfriend’s side. “Or literally anypony in Ponyville. You live way closer to the Everfree than they do to the mountains.”

“The Everfree isn’t that bad,” said Fluttershy, her ears splayed. She leaned against Rainbow Dash and sighed. “Applejack’s farm is just as close, anyway.”

“I don’t know that the two can be compared,” Rarity said.

“Yeah, because we’re not chasing monsters back in there nearly every week,” Rainbow Dash said, laughing.

“Maybe every month…” Fluttershy added, her voice nearly lost.

“Even so,” Rarity said, raising her voice a little, glaring at Rainbow Dash. “I’m not trying to claim which one has it worse, what I mean is that it’s clearly affected the peryton more than the Everfree has affected us, and I wonder if it’s due to the shadow of those awful mountains.”

“It hasn’t, really, though,” said Fluttershy her lips pressed together in a thin line as she stared at the mountain chain in question. “It’s only really affected the Ephydoerans. The Stagrumites and the Ortosian peryton barely even mentioned the Bow.”

“Uh, yeah,” said Dash, quirking a brow. “Because they’re too busy making coins and trading or, uh, having parties or whatever they do in Orto—”

“Farming, wasn’t it?” Rarity interjected.

“—to help out. That’s unfair, if you ask me.” Rainbow Dash snorted and shook her mane out, nuzzling Fluttershy on the flank to prompt her to move.

Rarity shrugged and followed, lifting a low-hanging branch out of her way. They walked in silence for a few minutes, the tall hill quickly shedding its height.

“It doesn’t matter, anyway,” said Rarity, glancing to the side as though she could still see the mountains through the forest that eagerly swallowed them up again. “We’re heading for Vauhorn, and they’re likely unaffected by this all.”

“Yeah. We’re heading for Vauhorn,” Rainbow Dash repeated, stepping over a muddy puddle that hadn’t yet dried completely. It was hard to picture what civilisation looked like anymore. They’d just walked for a single day since the storm, but it felt like forever owing to all the breaks in the sweltering heat, all the shifts in terrain. The bangs of her mane were slick against her face. “Heading to Vauhorn, whatever it’s like, some day.”

“We’ll get there,” said Fluttershy. “When this trail ends, we should be close to a small river running north by north-east.” She exhaled noisily. “But I’m a little frustrated, too. I really, really wish I had a proper map for this forest instead of looking for landmarks blind like this.”

“While I sympathise and agree, I hope you realise that you’re doing a wonderful job at navigating,” said Rarity. “Thank you, dear.”

“I’m just trying to do my best,” said Fluttershy dipping her head. “It’s not much.”

“Not much,” Rarity echoed, raising a brow with a wry smile. “Little miss ‘one week to Las Pegasus by boat’. You have a talent for working with maps and distances.”

“Yeah, what she said,” Dash added, grinning at Fluttershy’s smile, and at the faint blush that warmed not just Fluttershy’s cheeks, but Rainbow Dash herself, too. “I couldn’t do that at all. It’s basically magic.” With every word spoken, Fluttershy glowed a little brighter, an earnest smile on her face that made Dash feel fuzzy and good.

They reached the bottom of the hill a little later, and the ground gave them all of a single step of flat ground before it climbed again. The heat relented a tiny bit, but the wind died to compensate, keeping it unpleasantly hot even while they kept an eye out for a place to bed down for the night, right up until it suddenly turned freezing.

“We’ll get there,” Fluttershy said again, her voice a mere whisper barely caught by Rainbow Dash who now walked at her side. Fluttershy looked at her while she spoke, the glow in her cheeks long since faded and the smile faint as she repeated herself. No more words had been spoken since they’d descended the hill.

The terrain ever shifted. The peryton had called the Khosta just by that single name, but it had been an endless expanse of forest. The Splitwood, despite having wood in its name, contained a lot less wood and a lot more everything else. Peryton names were weird.

Sure, the Splitwood was mostly an endless variety of trees and plants that bloomed in this strange second summer, but they’d seen deep and dramatic dells, large lakes, great glades, flower-filled verdant valleys and the occasional—and ever smaller—canyons.

Fluttershy’s frustrations with Phoreni’s loose directions slowly morphed into appreciation. They crossed streams or rivers frequently, finding fresh and clear water every day. They’d even taken to lightening their load a little, one water-bag empty—now that they followed a river, they didn’t need to carry water at all. It put them all in a better mood. It put Rainbow Dash in a better mood at least. She’d let herself fall to the rear of the pack for the moment, staring at her friends’ backs.

Staring at her girlfriend. She still liked the word. Thinking it. Saying it and watching Fluttershy’s reaction—which wasn’t much, these days, actually. It set Rainbow Dash thinking. Had nothing really changed? The only thing that was notably different was that cuddles were on the table, so to speak.

Rainbow Dash watched Fluttershy’s tail swaying from side to side, the end dancing about. She saw her stretch out her wings and neck as they all moved along at a steady walk, as slow in the heat as the river that flowed rather than rushed at their side.

No, if that was all that had changed, Dash would be happy with it. Rainbow Dash didn’t know if this was what she herself had hoped for when she convinced Fluttershy to give the girlfriends thing a shot, but she liked the sound of it. Snuggling, to be around Fluttershy even more, and an exciting feeling of not knowing what else might happen later. An open sky ahead ready to be filled with just about anything.

Dash scrunched her snout in disgust at her own dramatics. They still had that. As much as planning was a chore, as much as the future was never half as exciting as what one could make of the present, the present was the problem. Fluttershy acted weird. That was what Dash meant to think about, not some idle day-dream.

Ever since the last night in Ephydoera, and even more so after they’d taken up in the fortress to hide from the storm, Fluttershy had been stiff compared to her usual self. Wooden. No longer could Dash make her blush just by looking at her. She’d never wanted Fluttershy to be some quivering puddle of a fan-mare, but this felt just as wrong.

What could she say, though? That Fluttershy wasn’t her usual self? Fluttershy was never peppy in the same way Pinkie Pie or any of her other friends were, and she’d asked her if she was alright. If something was wrong, Fluttershy would tell her.

“There’s another one. Oh, no, there’s more than one this time, actually,” said Fluttershy, slowing down a little, indicating their left.

On their side of the river, the woods were comparatively sparse, but the trees that grew here were the largest they had seen in the Splitwood. They didn’t hold a candle to the giants in the Khosta, or even Equestrian oak, but they were still appreciably thicker than the wispy trunks common in these woods—and thick enough for someone to build their homes in them.

“I think this is the biggest tree-house ruin we’ve seen yet, it’s almost like a small village,” said Rarity, sidling up to Fluttershy’s side. The closest of the houses didn’t look entirely unlike the houses Rainbow Dash had spotted among the tallest reaches of the Grove. Perhaps ‘house’ was the wrong word for some of them. Nests, maybe.

“I wonder why they haven’t fallen apart,” said Fluttershy. She pointed to a particularly large building that straddled a cluster of trees, almost like the Sunwise Run—except barely larger than the ground floor of a Ponyville home.

“Well, that one has,” said Rarity, scratching one leg with another. “But they must have treated the wood with something. Surely there are many ways to make wood resistant to water, wear and tear. I suppose somepony who knows a thing or two—” she paused, leaning over to the side to let out a great sneeze. “Ack, pardon me. As I was saying, somepony who knows architecture might tell us why they haven’t been blown away by the storm. To me, that’s the bigger mystery.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Wind’s a little less here. There could be a hill between us and the mountains, but that’s all I got. I guess you still don’t think it’s a good idea to sleep in any of these?”

Rarity shook her head briskly. “Just because they’re still standing doesn’t mean we should push our luck.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I agree. I wouldn’t even feel safe sleeping underneath them. Not that it makes a lot of difference now without the rain.”

Rarity gave a lopsided smile and snorted. “Listen to us. This is what our standards have come to, hm? ‘Why, no-thank-you, we’d rather sleep under the stars’.”

“Well, under a tree, really,” said Fluttershy, giggling. Her eyes roved between the house-nests, nibbling on her bottom lip. “We could always see if there’s something inside. Maybe they left something behind? We’d have to be very careful, of course, but I—”

“Good call! I’ll be back in a sec,” Dash declared. Her saddlebags were already on the ground, and a second later, her body was in the air, shooting away towards a large tree-house nearby.

What had she been thinking about? Right. She knew she’d caught on to Fluttershy acting “different” before. She also knew she’d come up with some unsatisfying half-answer about time. About newness. Truth was, despite spending all day together, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash didn’t do half as much stuff as they used to do.

Rainbow Dash ducked her head as she hovered in through an open window of sorts. The entire tree-house was simple wood. No door, no shutters, and next to no contents. Piles of wood that had rotted, unlike the walls. Further inside the house, something lay on the floor next to some wooden pulp. She landed and picked up the a stone statue that lay on its side. It was smaller and more delicate than any stonecraft Dash had seen so far, a rearing peryton no larger than the width of her hoof. She tucked it away in her tail for the moment, shifting it around until it snagged on her hairs and lay safe.

Of course, they were travelling in sweltering heat, slowly cooking, half of their time spent drinking water to stay safe and sane. They were in a forest. How much more could they really do together? Rainbow Dash couldn’t exactly ask Fluttershy to dinner.

On second thought, that part would always be true, really. She didn’t want to subject anypony to her own cooking, least of all Fluttershy, but what could one do in a forest? There was nothing to do.

Rainbow Dash tilted her head and perked her ears. What was that sound? The creaking? It sounded almost like—

Dash turned around, watching the world beyond the missing door go from showing the branches of nearby trees to pointing to a tree-trunk, then to grass. The world tilted. It’s almost like the house is collapsing. Great.

Her wings were out in a flash, the green-painted feathers a blur at the edge of her vision as she shot towards the doorway, curving to match the pitching house. A loud snap, then another. Pieces of wood whisked past her, broken off—and then she was out. Rainbow Dash hovered in place at a safe distance, watching the house tumble and collapse to the ground with a loud groan.

“Uh. I—” Rainbow Dash yelled, interrupted by another thunderous crack. The fallen building folded in on itself one final time, punctuated by a desultory snap. “I’m fine!” she called, waving at Fluttershy and Rarity. Fluttershy hovered right next to Rarity, covering her muzzle with a hoof.

Her eyes lingered on Fluttershy for a moment longer. No, there was nothing to do here in the forest except explore dangerous, collapsing ruins, fly up high to check their course or swoop along the occasional gorge to scout out dark stone buildings—and she was very aware that she did these things alone now. Rainbow Dash headed for another likely house nearby.

She remembered Fluttershy with her flight goggles on, flying her heart and wings out inside the wind-walls of a tornado. Her heart soared with the memory, and so many like it. She recalled how she’d felt when Fluttershy seized the initiative and flew their cart across the stone garden, adjusting and accounting for every shift in the wind, like she’d been born in a hurricane.

Rainbow Dash slipped inside another one of the houses. This one was even emptier than the last, but one of the walls were unusually smooth and had symbols vaguely reminiscent of the pillars in the fortress. They meant nothing to Rainbow Dash.

Of course Fluttershy could handle herself. What did it say about Rainbow Dash, though? What did it make her, who was so eager to ignore how much the day before the hurricane effort earlier this summer had cost Fluttershy? What kind of girlfriend brushed past the fact that Fluttershy had crashed the cart in the end? Rainbow Dash made for the next house. She’d check out one or two more, but it wasn’t half as fun by herself.

“Nothing at all?” asked Rarity.

“Nah,” said Rainbow Dash, rejoining the others. She slipped into her saddlebags, grunting and frowning at the extra weight, then reached around to retrieve the tiny stone sculpture hidden in her tail. “Found this, but that’s all. All the houses were empty.”

“I suppose it matches what Phoreni said about a migration. You wouldn’t leave much behind if you didn’t have to,” Rarity mused, starting them off at a walk down the river. “It’s a lovely little sculpture, though.”

“I guess. If the Ephydoerans lived here, shouldn’t the statue thingy be wood instead of stone?” Dash asked. She looked to Fluttershy for her thoughts, but the other pegasus simply shrugged.

“There was no shortage of stone sculptures in Ephydoera, as I recall,” Rarity said after a moment. “Mennau had quite a few, at the very least.”

“Mh,” Dash hummed, curious now, despite herself. “Okay, forget Ephydoera for a second. Do you think Khaird knows about any of this? Or Phydra? Mirossa and her mom?”

Rarity pursed her lips. “I suppose it is possible? I don’t know. Khaird said Orto had a library, and Phydra was some variety of author, but also a guide of sorts? We asked neither of them about the history of their people.”

“Yeah, we didn’t,” Dash agreed.

“Maybe we should have asked, but we didn’t know it’d come up. I still don’t know that it really has come up,” Rarity absent-mindedly added, her eyes on the river. “We’re just speculating, and I don’t suppose we tell new acquaintances our history when we first meet them, either.”

Dash chuckled weakly. “Eh, you’re right. We could have asked boring questions then, or be really curious right now.”

The river had more stamina than they, keeping up with them for the rest of a day cut short by the cold. Every day, the temperature drop was a little more abrupt, so when the sun sought the treeline, the three ponies started looking for somewhere to sleep. This particular evening, the sun bled into a pink and orange blob that partially hid behind clouds in the far distance, lending a reddish tint to the entire forest around them.

They’d found another cluster of three tree-houses, barely spotted across the river and well hidden, but these were all in various states of decay. Again Rainbow Dash seized upon the chance to check them out, and again they found little. Now, as the darkness slowly fell upon them, they hit a particularly thick patch of forest, and Rarity’s horn once again lit the way. The light flickered as Rarity sneezed.

“Bless you,” Fluttershy said, her face fraught with concern. “You’re not coming down with something, are you?”

“I doubt it,” said Rarity, sniffling. “Maybe I’m allergic to something in the air, I couldn’t tell you.”

“As long as it’s just sneezes,” said Dash, frowning. “You feel okay, right?”

“I feel just fine,” said Rarity. “And I’ll feel even better if you don’t mind us stopping for the day.”

“Already?” asked Rainbow Dash, biting back a grimace. Sure, it was getting late, but it wasn’t that cold just yet. She knew why Rarity asked, anyway. Every day she had her fabrics and papers out before they’d even eaten, lost in her work.

“I am sure we can continue for another minute or two,” said Rarity, sighing. “I just have an idea or two I wish to expand upon.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t protest. They walked on in the deepening dusk for a little while longer, and just as Rarity opened her mouth, no doubt to declare that their extra few minutes were up, Dash spotted a faint, purple-red glow deeper inside the forest.

“Hey, turn off the horn for a sec, I see something,” said Dash.

Rarity blinked. “How are you going to see without—”

“Just do it,” said Dash.

Though the sun hadn’t given up on them just yet, not having Rarity’s light shining in her eyes helped. “I see it too,” said Fluttershy, pointing off the path. “Look.”

The coloured glow seemed vaguely familiar, somehow. Fluttershy gently pushed some bushes aside and made her way through the undergrowth, and Rainbow Dash uttered a wordless protest, but Rarity followed after her. It was a group investigation, then. Dash jumped through and trotted after them.

It took no more than twenty steps before Rainbow Dash realised where she’d seen this light, and half a minute later, her suspicions were confirmed when they entered the luminescent glade.

“It’s the moss from the Khosta,” said Dash, frowning at the hanging glow-growth. “What’s it doing here?”

“The moss, and the statue from—oh, no, I take it back,” said Rarity, correcting herself. “Huh.”

“The trees,” was all Fluttershy said. Her contribution was two disconnected words spoken breathlessly, and Dash saw that she was right. It wasn’t just the moss, but the trees, the ferns and the dark grass too—everything in the grove looked transported from the Khosta and straight to here—to whichever part of the Splitwood they were in.

Large, thick-trunked trees sprouted blue-green leaves, glowing moss hung overhead and snaked around great roots, and in the center stood what Rainbow Dash thought was another variant of the Selyrian shelter-statues. Past the first glance, she wasn’t quite sure. This was no monster.

The stone creature reared up on its hind-claws, but compared to most peryton, its forelegs were too large and its wings too slim. Rather than a pair of antlers, it had a single one on its left, with no indication that there was a matching one that had broken off. Moss crawled up its legs and haunches, and there was no peryton script anywhere, no base pillar. Despite this, the stone was rough, pitted in places. If stone aged, then this was old stone.

“I don’t think this was built to be a place to sleep,” said Fluttershy, walking past Rainbow Dash. She craned her neck to look up at the large statue, her mouth open as she stared. “It’s very beautiful, though.”

“Yeah,” said Dash in unplanned, but honest agreement. “I’m not big on statues, but… yeah.” She cast a skywards glance, one of her wings itching. “It’s gonna rain a bit tonight, by the way.”

“Then let’s appreciate this statue, aesthetically and functionally,” said Rarity, levitating her saddlebags off her back with some effort and placing them under the statue. “The wings won’t do much for wind, but they’ll keep the rain off my fabrics. Would one of you be a dear and fetch water from the river?”

Dash reached behind her, fetching the statuette from her tail. Easier to keep the sharp and pokey thingy there than in her saddlebags. She held it up against the larger statue. “Heh, they look a lot alike,” said Dash, putting it back. “Alright, yeah, I’ll get the water.”

“I think the blue berries taste—”

“The thunderberries,” Rainbow Dash interjected.

“Okay, I think the thunderberries taste the best,” Fluttershy allowed, smiling at her and reaching for the water.

“If you like them, you should probably put them in your mouth,” said Rainbow Dash, chuckling. She reached over to poke Fluttershy’s muzzle. “You got some blue on you, there.”

“Oh,” said Fluttershy. She licked the coat of her foreleg and rubbed at her muzzle. “Better?”

“Yep! All clean,” said Dash, still laughing. “You’re a super messy eater.”

Fluttershy giggled. “The juice is the same colour as your coat. You probably have juice all over you, too. Besides, it’s a little hard when we’re just eating them from the ground. I wish we’d kept the bowls.”

“Yeah. Makes it harder for anypony without cheating magic,” Dash said, shooting Rarity a grin.

Rarity didn’t look up, bent over a piece of paper with a sketching coal, one end of the blanket wrapped around her.

“Rarity? Nothing?” Dash asked, again to no answer. The unicorn stuck her tongue out and drew a big cross over her sketch, flipping the paper over to the other side with a sigh.

Fluttershy shook her head, putting a water-bag away after a sip. “She’s busy, I guess.”

“Yeah, what else is new, heh,” Dash said, stretching. The rain she’d predicted finally came down, light as could be, barely enough to make a sound against the leaves and the grass. Still, there was some comfort to watching the drizzle from the umbrella of the strange statue’s wings.

Still, she wouldn’t miss this forest when they got out. In this particular glade, it felt as though they sat in both the Khosta and the Splitwood all at once. They were in every forest, and she couldn’t wait to leave them behind.

“Oh. There’s another one,” said Rainbow Dash, spotting a tiny set of eyes peering at them from the edge of the glade, hiding in a dark spot unlit by any of the luminescent flora.

“Mm, that’s a hare. He’s been watching us for a while now,” said Fluttershy. “He followed us from the open forest.”

“Cool,” said Rainbow Dash. “Wait, since the huge grove of spine-trees, or before we hit the river?”

“Just the last half of today,” Fluttershy said. “I think he’s trying to find a new place to stay.”

Rainbow Dash nodded as though that made sense. As though walking for half a day was a short distance barely worth mentioning. She doubted she’d look at the train to Canterlot the same way ever again. How much ground could she cover if she took wing and flew as fast as she could for as long as they’d walked? How long would it take to fly back to Ponyville from here?

She looked at Rarity, engrossed in her work, impatiently tapping the side of her cheek with a stick of charcoal, not noticing the smudges she made. She looked at Fluttershy sipping water while she watched the grove’s edge, her mane long and shaggy, the muscles of her haunches a touch more defined than they used to be.

Maybe Rainbow Dash could fly across the world if she put her mind to it, but she’d sooner leave her wings behind than her friends.

Dash frowned at the stupid, invasive thought. She’d do neither of those things. What she could do, and apparently did, was cross half the world with two ponies who were very close to her.

“Should we go say hi or something?” asked Rainbow Dash, letting out a nervous chuckle. “You’re kind of getting a lot of attention and it’s freaking me out a bit.” She noticed a grey fox-like creature watching them from behind another tree. Maybe it was an actual fox. Maybe a fox and a hare sat within ten strides of each other. These things happened around Fluttershy.

“It would be a little rude not to,” said Fluttershy, getting up on all fours, slow and unthreatening, her eyes not directly on any of the creatures lurking about.

Rainbow Dash stood up and stretched out her wings. She yawned and put a hoof forward, trying to make it as slow as Fluttershy had once taught her. Tried to teach her, anyway.

“It’s okay,” said Fluttershy, touching a hoof to Dash’s chest. “I think I can handle this.”

“Well, duh,” said Dash, rolling her eyes and pushing forward lightly. Of course Fluttershy could “handle” introducing Rainbow Dash and herself to some local animals. What was gonna happen? A stampede?

Fluttershy’s hoof didn’t yield, gentle but insistent, an apologetic look on her face. “Really. I think it’s best if I go say hello by myself. You don’t have to worry about it, promise.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t sit down again. She watched Fluttershy go, confused by the languid smile she put on, the easy smile that she reserved for these kinds of occasions. She was indistinguishable from the Fluttershy who nurtured birds in her own home while Rainbow Dash sipped her cocoa—or was it hot chocolate? The expression contrasted with the tighter, more strained smiles she gave Dash whenever Rainbow Dash returned from one of her solo flights to check something out.

Maybe it wasn’t all that strange. Fluttershy always acted easier, more relaxed around animals. Fluttershy was so much more, contained more than the way she behaved around animals, but it was a part that Rainbow Dash felt like she understood, or that she should understand. What she didn’t understand was why Fluttershy didn’t want her to join in this time.

Fluttershy disappeared into the bushes. Dash could see her mane and a snippet of her tail, a little movement here and there by pink hair made deeper red by some hanging moss nearby. She caught the occasional word spoken in hushed tones.

“So, what’re you up to?” asked Rainbow Dash, moving over to Rarity’s little makeshift studio—an island of fabrics spread out all around her, barring entry.

“Hm? Planning,” said Rarity, stifling a yawn.

“Need any help?”

“Mm, no, I’m not quite at that stage, but thank you ever so much,” said Rarity without looking up, her tone breezy.

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Alright. Making anything cool?”

Rarity shook her head slowly. “No, dear. I’m making—or rather, planning something… redefining.”

“Meaning what?” Dash squinted, leaning over to try to see what she was drawing, but there was nothing coherent she could see. Rarity didn’t answer.

Rainbow Dash had nearly fallen asleep when she felt something move behind her. Her sleep-addled mind hadn’t heard Fluttershy join Rainbow Dash and Rarity in bed, but there was no mistaking it. She recognised the movement, the grace ruined by an overdone effort to be careful and quiet. She recognised her by touch when she felt cold and rain-moistened hooves against her.

She didn’t move, and she didn’t say anything, too close to falling asleep, too comfortable under the warm blanket to do anything at all. A moment later, Fluttershy’s forelegs wrapped around her lower neck lightly, hooking around her chest and hugging her from behind. One hindleg rested atop her, and a wing awkwardly wrapped around to touch her belly, ensnaring Rainbow Dash in the larger pegasus completely.

Rainbow Dash didn’t know if Fluttershy knew she was awake. What she did know was that it wasn’t cold enough for a pegasus to need her warmth, but nevertheless, when Fluttershy drew her closer and squeezed her tight—when Fluttershy rubbed her muzzle against the top of her head—she heard Fluttershy’s breath shudder.

Chapter 20

There comes a time in a mare’s life when one declares ‘never have I been this frustrated before in my life’. Never mind earlier today, or last week, or any of the other times I may have said this: I have never been this frustrated before.

Every time I’m part-way into designing something I think wonderfully combines form and function, whenever I find a stunning way to blend common peryton colours with wing holes, ways to part cloth around their tail-feathers, or reach some revelation on how the presence of antlers and their shapes may influence geometry use—every time, I stop and realise that they are still dresses, forced to discard my work.

Yes, I am a fashionista, and if something can be considered fashionable by anyone of note, I have duty and an obligation to know and master it. When Salad Fork somehow managed to make those awful little ear-clips in vogue, I had to figure out how to incorporate them into my work. But first and foremost? I am a dressmaker. I make dresses. I brought supplies to make—

I’ve made my point, and made my source of frustration clear. I sit down to enjoy the challenge of producing these designs only to throw them away because Perytonia and dresses don’t mix.

My purpose here in Perytonia is to dazzle their princess-person with my designs, but if it cannot be done with a dress? Or rather, if it is not to be a dress...

I need to think. My brief foray into accessorizing in Ephydoera yielded nothing, either, but there is, there must be a path to this ceremony that waits for me in Cotronna, the crowning moment that will surely make up for all this horridness. Perhaps I am not taking enough creative liberties. Or perhaps this is less a process of creativity, less about my own vision.

Those words do not sit well with me, but perhaps it is the only way.

I would ask Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash for some input, honestly, but I understand if the two of them wish to spend some more time together, instead. Indeed, how prophetic is it not that the cart, a cart with two wheels, broke apart? There is no room for a third wheel—and in fact, had we two blankets, I should wish to sleep apart from them, as is only proper. What is romance if not friendship elevated? Why should they wish to keep somepony such as I about?

...Alright, Rarity. I shall admit this only to myself: That may be a touch dramatic. Regardless, I feel I must afford the two a little more time to themselves. I will not descend into petty jealousy just because we have technically become a two plus one. I must not.

-R

Despite what she expected, Rainbow Dash did not find herself mid-kick when she came to, nor was she surrounded by malicious monsters to fight. In the space of half a heartbeat, she went from knowing nothing, to a keen sensation of having her nonexistent expectations upset. After all, that was how things usually went. In fact, hadn’t she had a dream like that earlier? When was earlier, and when was now?

All she knew was that instead of having a blast fighting some creature or other, a presence left her. She felt the touch of feathers not her own, and then she was alone, which probably meant she had one of her rare, un-awesome dreams. That didn’t explain why the one dream fled, chased away by another.

She tried to take in her surroundings, but they disappeared before she could understand them. This, too, had happened before. She recalled glass, a pitch-black darkness and a pool of colours all blending, but there was no time or room for remembering. These things, the glass and the colours, they were here, and they were now. They hurtled towards her as if called by her attempts to remember.

Infinite panes of glass shattered in her face without sound or impact, spraying drops and not shards. A rainbow sprayed in her face like Pinkie Pie squirting multi-coloured frosting at her—except it had only colour and no substance. A jet of utter-black spilled like hot chocolate into air or ground or both or neither. Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to gasp, but her reaction was too late. It had already happened. It was over.

No, not over. Stopped. A single square of glass hovered mid-air, the only object left in existence. Now she knew for sure she remembered this. There had been another dream like this one—and the way everything froze was known to her too. The stillness was more familiar than the chaos by far.

“I’m… dreaming again, okay, that I get,” said Rainbow Dash, words spoken to the void though she knew she wasn’t alone. “But this is still weird. I’ve seen this before, right?”

“You sound uncertain tonight,” came the reply. A perfectly calm and even voice with a clear presence, filling the place entirely despite coming from nowhere at all. “Tell me, Rainbow Dash. Do you remember where you sleep?” Luna sounded part curious, part amused.

Rainbow Dash flicked her mane and snorted. She opened her mouth to tell her yes, to say that of course she—of course what? Of course she was asleep? The only reason she knew that was because she knew she dreamt.

There was another Rainbow Dash, another her, an equally awesome pegasus who slept… somewhere, but she couldn’t recall where or how. She remembered perfectly now that she had talked to Luna in her dreams before, twice—no, three times. The third time was hazy.

“It goes without saying that these are more of mine,” said Luna. She stepped out of the nothingness to Rainbow Dash’s right or her left. The princess glanced at the single pane of glass and blew at it like one would a birthday candle. The only fixed point in vision disappeared, leaving only the two of them. Dash widened her stance, fearing for a moment she’d fall over.

“Yeah. That’s what I meant. I think I remember this,” Rainbow Dash said. The memory of that last dream with Luna slowly came back to her, of a place of glass and a vivid sky, but tonight’s earlier dream remained elusive—as did everything else outside of it. “We’re still in the forest. A big forest,” she finally remembered, clinging on to thoughts that eluded her.

“Clearly your clarity last time was an effect of my dreamscape. I may have collapsed this one when I… reacted,” said Luna, pursing her lips. “With it, the bridge is lost.” She stared off into the distance as though there was something to see beyond the black.

Rainbow Dash shook her head slowly. “I don’t get it. What’s going on this time? Can you take it from the top?”

Luna smiled ever so slightly, inclining her head. Her horn took on a silvery sheen, and rather than glow like other unicorn horns, hers resisted spreading light like it should. It drew Dash’s attention for a moment, and that was long enough to miss what had happened. Now they stood in a night-swept glade of great oaken trees under a full moon, fireflies thick in the air.

“There. This should be easier on the eyes for you,” said Luna. She didn’t wait for an answer before she went on. “As for what is ‘going on’? Less than you might think. The last time you dreamt, you were in the shell of my discarded memories. Do you remember this?”

Rainbow Dash nodded slowly, her eyes on the fireflies as they danced. “Sure.”

“I have yet to figure out how that happened, but I have been… alert, ever since,” said the Princess, shifting her weight from one set of legs to the other. “I have been waiting and watching for anything out of place.”

“Is something’s wrong?” asked Dash. She frowned and spread her wings.

Luna shook her head slowly, though she smiled. “Do not worry. Nothing is wrong. I am merely curious despite myself, and tonight, my vigil was rewarded when the shells—the echoes—were touched again.”

“Okay,” said Dash, scratching at her own neck. “So, be honest, am I being awesome or just really annoying? Because I’ve no idea how I’m making this happen.”

“It is not your doing. It is not you alone who find yourself in these halls,” said Luna. “I was mistaken last time. All three of you wander. I speak to you because you are more lucid in your dreams—even if your connection to the waking self is not perfect.”

Rainbow Dash blinked, her every muscle tensing up. “What?”

The Princess raised an eyebrow. “I just told you. You likely remembered things related to the waking world better last time we met because of the dreamscape you borrowed. This one is gone.”

“Not that!” Dash said. “What do you mean all three of us ‘wander’?”

Luna shrugged. “If you worry about Fluttershy and Rarity, they are quite alright. They dream in this place, too. Or rather, in similar places, but dreams are often confusing, usually forgotten, and these are harmless, as dreams almost always are. Is this something you would rather not have known? I thought it inconsequential to tell you.”

“I don’t know,” Rainbow Dash admitted, puffing out her cheeks. There were too many words, too many details that she didn’t know what to do with. Even hearing that her friends had similar dreams to hers right now was confusing because part of her wondered if they were really asleep. Her brain rejected the fact, because she didn’t know it. “Jeez, I don’t know about any of this! I don’t know what to do with any—”

“It is unimportant,” said Luna, cutting her off with a shake of the head. “And I did not mean to intrude unannounced, either. I am still looking into this business of these dreamscape shells on my own, but to tell you the truth, chances are greater that you will unravel this mystery, rather than I. I hope you will let me know if you discover anything that explains this. I am very curious.” She hummed. “Curious. I repeat that word often because it is true. I am even a little bit annoyed at this point, I must admit.”

Rainbow Dash nodded quickly. “Hey, sure. Count on me. Well, on us. We’ll let you know what we find out, but I don’t even know where to start. Uh, and besides, I wouldn’t be able to tell you, would I? I don’t usually remember stuff when I go to sleep, that’s half the problem.”

“Sometimes you do. Even without the aid of one of these dreamscapes, it waxes and wanes,” said Luna, shrugging. “You remember some things if you focus, surely, but if nothing else, you may tell me when we meet in the waking world. It is no matter. This is not urgent.”

“Alright. Cool. Yeah, you’ve got a deal. I’ll keep an eye out for… stuff that explains stuff,” said Rainbow Dash.

The Princess nodded again in return, her eyes drifting. She turned on the spot and took a few steps towards the darkness beyond the trees as though to leave. “You said you are in a forest. All is well?”

She tried to remember, she really did, but all Rainbow Dash remembered was that she was really frustrated with the forest. The Splitwood, it was called; She’d cursed the name a fair few times, so it stuck.

“Eh, the place is pretty much the worst, and it’s really hot, but yeah, I guess,” Dash said. Luna nodded, but did not move, hesitating. The silence hung between the two of them for a moment, wobbling.

“I would offer to stay—perhaps ask if you would let me join your battles tonight,” said Luna, her brow creased with the smallest of frowns, “but I have much to do, and besides, I see no foes of your design. Your night is spent in another kind of battle.”

“Yeah, I get it,” said Dash, not getting it in the slightest. She waved a foreleg and grinned. “We’ll catch up some other time.”

“Catch up,” said Luna with a wry grin. “Yes, I suppose we will.”

Yet still, the Princess did not move. She looked at Rainbow Dash as though there was something still unsaid, expectant. She turned about to face her again.

“So… uh, why are you still here? No offense or anything,” asked Rainbow Dash. “You said you were busy and everything. If you have to go, that’s cool.”

Luna nodded slowly. “I am indeed busy. It is the deep of night, and the dreams are my domain. That means I am on duty, guiding dreamers through the waters of their terrors.”

“Yeah. I guess you’ve got a lot to do,” said Dash. “And you came by here just to…” she trailed off, thinking. What had Luna really said in their conversation so far? Not much. “To tell me to keep an eye out?” That wasn’t much of a reason for a busy Princess to come visit.

Luna smiled, a lopsided and languid thing to go with another nod. “While I was here, I wished to let you know to ‘keep an eye out’, yes, but those who know me, know that I show up to help soothe those who are in distress. To extend a hoof in assistance. I come to help those who fight battles they cannot win alone.”

“Right.” Dash scrunched up her snout and her brain both, thinking. “But all three of us are having the same dream. Why’re you here and—”

“You are in the same place in your dreams. You do not dream of the same thing. It is only the stage upon which you dream tonight, and it matters very little in the grand scheme of things.” Luna shook her head. “I do not consider a dream within empty memories very terrible. As I have said, it is confusing at worst.”

“So...” Dash began again, trailing off into silence when Luna arched a brow precariously.

“Need I speak plainly?” Luna asked. “I came here to see to you, because you may need me.”

“I’m not some little foal having a bad dream,” Dash retorted, rolling her eyes, but even as she spoke, memory rushed back to her. She knew what she had dreamt before Luna’s arrival, and with the realisation came a stab of fear—no, confusion and frustration, maybe.

“You are not,” said Luna, simply. She walked back past Rainbow Dash, into the little forest clearing she’d made. The Princess sat down at its center, plopping down her haunches unceremoniously, her forelegs straight. “But then, to have fears and concerns is not the sole domain of the youngest. You are wise enough to understand that sometimes, we all need a little help.”

Rainbow Dash swallowed and nodded. She couldn’t deny it. That didn’t mean she had to like it.

Luna smiled at her. “Distress can be many things. In our dreams, we sometimes try to work through that which we cannot grasp when awake. Tonight, it seems your dream has fled from you. I cannot help much without knowing what troubles you, but I have two good ears, and I can listen.” She tilted her head to the side. “Do you remember your dream now? Will you let yourself think of it?”

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, sparing a second to consider how ridiculous that act was—closing eyes that were already closed. Back in the waking world, Rainbow Dash slept tightly entwined with Fluttershy, and she knew that only because it was a contrast to the dream where the other pegasus was unreachable.

She didn’t know what that was supposed to mean. Fluttershy wasn’t going to disappear or anything. Thinking about that made her heart feel cold, but it only lasted until she realised how utterly ridiculous it was to think that they should move apart, scatter like—like what? Like the Perytonian tribes? Another memory recalled at random. A tidbit of recent events she could not place.

Wherever it came from, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash weren’t like that. They weren’t two Perytonian tribes who would suddenly declare they had nothing in common, like two cities built far apart.

“Are we?” asked Rainbow Dash of nopony in particular, frowning deeply. “We’re not that different, and even if we are, who cares?”

Luna blinked. “Who? Is this the source of your anguish? Are you still concerned with the differences between Perytonia and Equestria? You mentioned something of this when we spoke some time ago.”

“Eh, yeah, sure, that,” said Rainbow Dash, shrugging. It was way faster and less lame than having to explain all her thoughts about Fluttershy to Luna, and besides, to do that, she’d have to know what those thoughts were in the first place.

“We’re so different,” she said, sighing. Just like the cities. “But I don’t know what to do about that. It didn’t use to be a problem. I still don’t know if it is.”

The Princess pursed her lips. “Matters of culture can be challenging. We knew this when we decided it was time for Equestria to reconnect with her neighbours. I am sorry if this causes you distress. The task still falls to you, of course, but I have no desire to be neglectful. Perhaps I may offer some simple advice?”

Rainbow Dash snorted, disturbing a firefly who strayed too close. “I’ll take anything I can get.”

“Often, we think we are at the center of all things. I am perhaps more qualified to say this than most, and I can tell you that we are always wrong. If you seek to understand a people that think differently, compromises must be made.” She tilted her head skywards, stretching her neck to each side. “Broadening your understanding does not mean you have to abandon the ideals upon which Equestria were built. Seeking the center for the sake of understanding does not mean you have to always dwell in it.”

Dash ran the words by herself twice, trying to understand what Luna said. Compromising and seeking center. Compromise. It was a word Dash associated with accepting second place, with saying “good enough”. It was an awful word, but perhaps there was something to it. Never mind Perytonia right now—was this what Rainbow Dash had been doing wrong all along?

Once she realised that pushing Fluttershy hurt her, Dash had tried to make sure Fluttershy didn’t feel pressured into doing the stuff Rainbow Dash wanted to do, but trying to do the stuff Fluttershy herself wanted to do didn’t work out either. The answer was obvious. They had to find something that belonged to neither of them. Neutral ground.

“Alright, hey, that… actually helps,” said Rainbow Dash, trying not to sound too surprised. “I’ll be fine, but thanks, really.”

“Truly?” asked Luna, slowly standing up. She let out an indignant snort, stretching her wings out. “Do you know, many—ah, some have said my words tend towards the cryptic and obtuse, but I never believed it myself, hmf.”

Rainbow Dash let herself fall, the narrow walls rushing past her for no more than a second before she spread her wings to arrest her dive. Ducking under a rocky outcropping, she collected the end of the dangling rope in her mouth. There was barely enough space to fly down here, and she took some solace in that. It couldn’t really be called a gorge or a canyon. If anything, it was a ditch full of sharp rocks.

Rainbow Dash tied the rope off on the wooden post at the opposite side, just like she’d done with the other one. Of course, it didn’t really make for a rope bridge. All the wooden bits were shattered and lost among the rocks below.

“Ta-daa,” Rainbow Dash announced, bowing to the complete lack of applause.

“Wonderful,” said Rarity with a bemused smile, standing no more than ten strides away, on the other side of the ditch. “Granted, were I to be critical, I would ask how this helps us, but perish the thought.”

“Eh, it doesn’t, but maybe someone will see it’s broken and fix it. We nearly missed it, and the bridge’s supposed to be a landmark,” said Rainbow Dash, shrugging. Mostly, she’d seen a challenge, and she’d taken it. Thinking back, she probably could have pulled the ropes up by their other end and thrown them across.

She hadn’t asked Fluttershy to help her out, of course, not just because she knew she probably shouldn’t, but also because she now knew it was fine not to. They’d find something else to do. A compromise.

“That’s a very nice thought, at least,” said Fluttershy, running a hoof through her mane as she smiled. “Though I guess if the peryton are the ones who use these trails the most, they could probably fly across, too.”

“Speaking of which,” said Rarity, leaning to peer over the edge.

“I got you,” said Dash, zipping across the gap and bending down. “It’s barely a jump, but I’ll take you.”

Rainbow Dash peered over her own back as the little ditch receded behind them. It was easily the least remarkable feature of the Splitwood, a papercut to the Morillyn Gorges, a footnote amidst colourful or flooded valleys and collapsing ruins. It became exciting for one tiny little fact, though.

“So, that’s it?” asked Rainbow Dash. “That’s the last thing on the list?”

“Yes, that’s the last of Phoreni’s directions,” said Fluttershy. Where Rainbow Dash looked all around, trying to find some proof that they were about to leave the woods, Fluttershy seemed calm and collected. Dash tried to follow her example, but it wasn’t easy to stop looking for proof that the forest released its grip on them. There’d been bare patches in the middle of the woods, too. Tree-less groves and clearings the size of small plains that made meaningless the way the wood grew sparse past the ditch.

Hopefully they’d catch a glimpse of Vauhorn sometime soon. Rainbow Dash hadn’t seen anything the last time she flew up high, and it was a hassle to get the saddlebags back on now that they had to carry water again. She’d even settle for the monotony of the road now. Even if they were down to a crawl in the terrible heat, she’d take anything to speed things up a little—and that was as far as she got in thinking ahead before she realised something else.

“Aw, come on,” Dash said, groaning.

“What is it?” asked Fluttershy, looking over at her, eyes filled with concern. “Are you alright?”

“Something the matter?” asked Rarity.

“I forgot to tell Luna that we need a ride back home,” Dash admitted, sticking out her tongue. “I just realised.”

Rarity raised a brow. “You had one of these… seances with the Princess?”

Rainbow Dash snorted with soundless laughter. “You make it sound weird. I just remembered I had saw her in my dreams last night. She wanted to have a chat about the dream—” she paused for a split-second. “About the place we all dreamed about.”

Fluttershy made an inquisitive noise. “What do you mean? I don’t remember dreaming anything, really.”

“Nor I,” said Rarity.

“Yeah, I know,” said Rainbow Dash, shrugging. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Worry? I hardly worry, but all this dreaming business sounds stranger every time you mention it,” said Rarity, shaking her head.

“Uh-huh,” said Rainbow Dash, adjusting the straps of her saddlebags. The cloying heat made her want a break even though they’d just had one. Thinking about it now, would it get worse when they found the road and lacked the cover of the trees? “Hey, Fluttershy? D’you know where we are on the big map at all?” she asked.

“I have an idea, but I was actually thinking of going up for a look,” said Fluttershy. She forced the group to a stop in the middle of nowhere. They’d just been heading due north-east since the ditch anyway. Fluttershy loosened her saddlebags.

“Hey, I got it,” said Dash, trying to wriggle out of her own. Fluttershy didn’t slow down in the slightest, already shaking her wings out, her head moving side to side in disagreement.

“If you’re uncomfortable with maps, you probably can’t check what you see against the map we have. I want to have a look, anyway,” said Fluttershy. She took off and hovered in the air with slow wingbeats. “We can always go together, you know.”

Rainbow Dash nodded slowly. Of course they could. It was hardly a pulse-pounding activity for them to share in, but it was something, especially after all the times Dash had struck out on her own lately. On the other hoof, there was something else she needed to do right now. “Right, yeah. Uh, you go ahead, actually. I’m gonna take it easy.”

Fluttershy hesitated for a moment, her mouth half open. She then nodded quickly, flashed a smile and took off between the treetops. Rainbow Dash watched her ascend until the trees hid her from view.

“So, yeah,” said Rainbow Dash, clearing her throat. “Rarity, you got a second?”

The chat with Luna had cleared stuff up for Rainbow Dash. She knew what to do about Fluttershy, and that was great and all, but at the same time it felt a little silly to talk to Princess Luna about it—well, listen, really—when she had friends right by her side. Maybe she should tell Rarity the full story, really.

Except, Rarity wasn’t really reacting at all. Rainbow Dash should’ve seen it coming. The moment they stopped for even a second, Rarity had her sketches or her fabrics out. This time, she inspected the contents of Fluttershy’s saddlebags while taking notes.

“Hey, Rarity,” Dash tried again.

“Hm? I’m sorry?” asked Rarity. She locked eyes with Dash briefly, smiling at her before she went back to her work, now sitting down with a charcoal stick and a fresh sheet of paper.

“You busy?” Dash asked. It wasn’t that she needed help, but Rarity knew tons of stuff.

Silence. Rarity said nothing.

“Hey, Rarity!” Dash said, a little louder. “You got a minute?”

“Huh? Of course, dear,” said Rarity without looking up. “We can talk while I work, surely.”

Rainbow Dash sighed and shook her head. “Nah, never mind, whatever. What are you up to? Making dresses for Vauhorn?”

Rarity nodded absent-mindedly, leaning a little closer to the paper. “Yes, in fact, but the dress is really rather unimportant in the grand scheme of things. I would suggest you wear the same dresses that I made for Orto or Stagrum, but they’ve gotten dirty, so I may as well put something together while I learn more about them.”

“Okay?” said Dash, trying to ask every question she had with that one word.

“Whatever they like or don’t, I’m sure there’s one thing that they are proud of, one essential element that makes them… them,” said Rarity, as though that explained everything. “I’ll explain when I finish this creation.”

“Okay,” said Dash, again, nodding emptily. She glanced skywards, shading her eyes with a leg to see through the harsh sunlight that pierced the canopy. Already she saw Fluttershy on the descent.

“The road’s right to our east,” said Fluttershy before she’d even landed. The pegasus wiped her forehead, out of breath—and it was no wonder. The sun had not yet set, and the heat was merciless.

“Right to our east, as in, a stone’s throw away?” asked Rarity, packing her papers away. “Or right ‘right to our east’ as in, we’ll get there before Hearth’s Warming?”

“Right over there,” said Fluttershy, beaming. “We’re really close to Vauhorn now. I think I saw the city—the coast’s a lot closer, and the Spokes are mostly behind us, so I know where we are. We can cut straight east to the road and follow it north.”

“Awesome job, Fluttershy,” said Rainbow Dash. She grinned and leaned over to nuzzle her girlfriend, and Fluttershy leaned past her, holding her in a hug while still breathing heavily.

“Yes, assuming we want to do that,” said Rarity. Dash squinted. Rarity sounded—and looked—dubious of the prospect.

“Hit me. Why wouldn’t we want to?” asked Dash.

“I guess the sun is a little worse, but the canopy’s lighter here, so we don’t have a lot of shade anyway,” suggested Fluttershy. Rarity nodded at this.

“There is that. I’m just thinking back to Phoreni’s warnings, that we might not wish to use the roads,” said Rarity, shrugging. “On the other hoof, walking along the road will doubtless be faster.”

“Alright, yeah, and we know Phoreni wasn’t kidding around, but I still don’t know if this isn’t a little paranormal,” said Dash. “It’s weird to keep thinking we have to hide all the time.”

“Paranoid,” said Rarity. “You mean paranoid.”

“Well, um, after the things that happened in the fortress, maybe both,” said Fluttershy, smiling weakly.

Rarity sighed and nodded at Fluttershy. “I will give you that,” she said, turning to Dash again. “Again, I’m just presenting our options as I see it. I have no pony in this race. I’m not even calling for a vote, I’m just mentioning it for completeness’ sake.”

“I don’t think it really matters,” said Fluttershy with a pointed glance to the sky. “The sun won’t be up for much longer, so maybe we can at least get to the road before we decide if we want to talk on it or beside it? Oh, and I’d also like a drink first.”

“Yeah. Snacks, water, and let’s go!” said Rainbow Dash.

They found the road at sunset, and it was all Rainbow Dash could think that the broad, rock-strewn strip of dirt had waited for them forever. So familiar was the Vauhornite trading road—as a continuation of their path from Orto forever ago—that though she’d been desperate to find it for a week now, she was tired of it the second they stepped onto it.

Of course, it wasn’t the dumb dirt road’s fault. Much of the problem was that Fluttershy had been right about the heat. As the Splitwood unceremoniously thinned out into nothing, the sun bore down on them twice as hard, and now Dash was a puddle of regrets over not suggesting they follow the Splitwood a little further north.

Now that the sun disappeared and the wind picked up, the sweat that clung to her body and refused to evaporate instead froze. Though she couldn’t see it, Rainbow Dash smelled the sea on the wind. The coast must be near, further to their north, past the shrubs and rocks in the distance. If Rainbow Dash found the wind annoying, that meant Rarity would be in for a hard time.

“Wanna find a place to sleep right away?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“I think that would be best, yes,” said Rarity. Her lips tugged in a mirthless smile. “On the bright side, all these water breaks make for a lighter weight to carry.”

“I’d actually worry about running out of water if I didn’t think we’re close to the city,” said Fluttershy. “It should be just over the ridge ahead, past that hill.”

“Speaking of which, maybe that’s our stop for tonight,” said Rarity, squinting as she looked ahead. Rainbow Dash raised her head to try to get a good look, too. It was too tempting to let her head hang while they walked.

The hill stood out more and more the closer they got. The landscape around was a far cry from the monotony of the plains near the Splitwood’s southern edge, full of crags and rocks in the east and generously green to their west, and the hill at the top of the long climb ahead blended the features to each side of the road, a natural green tower. Now that the dark threatened, Rainbow Dash saw light from the very top. A fire, probably.

“Looks like there’s someone there,” Rainbow Dash said, exhaling loudly through her nose. “Jeez, I almost forgot that was a thing. Other people. And no, the creepy bird doesn’t count.”

“I’m sure he wasn’t all that bad,” said Fluttershy, biting her lower lip. “Maybe we should have tried harder to be welcoming and nice.”

“We did try harder,” said Dash. “And besides, you’re only saying that because he’s really far away now.”

“Anyway,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head and smiling. “I guess these are traders leaving Vauhorn, or heading to it. I hope they’re friendly.”

“Leaving Vauhorn, I should—” Rarity said, pausing to let out a sound somewhere between a cough, a sneeze and a bark. She stopped and grimaced, levitating out a handkerchief from one of her saddlebags. “Pardon me.”

“I thought you were done with that coughing and sneezing business. You’re actually getting sick,” said Dash, frowning deeply. “That’s not cool at all.”

“I’m sure I’m—ack,” Rarity cleared her throat noisily. “I am fine, thank you. I just got something in my throat.”

“Rarity.” Fluttershy said nothing but her name, the one word spoken with sympathy. She moved a little closer to the unicorn, leaning against her for support while they walked.

“As I was saying,” said Rarity, shaking her head briskly, blinking rapidly. “They’re leaving Vauhorn, because otherwise, they’d have risked being caught out in the storm like we were. Unless they’re travelling from some other town nearby, that is.”

“Yeah, one of the small peryton villages we’ve seen so many of,” said Dash with as much sarcasm as she could scrounge up. “I thought they weren’t supposed to travel this road, though.”

“They said single wagons had their goods stolen. This looks like a caravan,” said Fluttershy, pointing ahead.

The hill grew only steeper the closer they got. Three large and fully loaded peryton carts stood parked in its shadow by the road, near a path that led up the side of the hill. A chorus of distinctly peryton laughter spilled from the top, and Rainbow Dash saw a familiar-looking stone shape by one of the edges, Selyria’s more common shape barely visible between verdant green growth that covered the height. Rainbow Dash took point, brushing a much-abused low branch aside. Circling the hill three quarters of the way around, they reached the top a minute later.

A large fire burned in the middle of a packed dirt clearing, blindingly bright now that the sun fully set, and a full dozen peryton sat and lay at rest in a space circled by trees at the edge of the hilltop. The Selyrian statue stood to the side, identical to the ones on the road to Stagrum, and at its side rested a large flat slab of rock reminiscent of the Ortosian stele, rife with inscriptions.

“We have visitors!” announced a stag with purple wing-tips, turning to face the ponies who paused at the very edge. The raucous laughter and chatter petered out while all around, heads turned. Some gave them curious looks, some were dismissive, many offered mere glances and polite smiles or nods—and from all of their antlers glittered silver, gold and gems in the light of the fire, bangles around their legs. Stagrumite traders, then.

“Hey,” said Rainbow Dash, waving a hoof. She glanced at Rarity, but the unicorn said nothing, rubbing at her eyes. “Mind if we take a nap here?” Dash asked, not really sure what else to say.

“Selyria’s embrace has room for all who wander,” said the stag, dipping his head.

“Let Selyria have a nap herself, along with all the others,” said a doe sat next to him with a warbling laugh. “Every time I visit Vauhorn, I can happily go a season without hearing her stories told again.” Her words were met with scattered laughter and a few shakes of the head—and one case of a sharp jab in the side by a stag. This seemed to be a signal of sorts, the peryton turning to each other, talking and by and large ignoring the ponies again—excepting one, who turned away from the group. The doe stared intently at Rainbow Dash.

“That is a curious shade of green,” she said, her face unreadable.

Dash had to look at her own back before she remembered what the doe meant. The green covering her wings and splattered across her back didn’t stand out that much, and especially not in the partial darkness. She’d tried to forget about it—and nearly succeeded, travelling with only Fluttershy and Rarity for company.

“Yeah, real curious,” said Rainbow Dash, flashing the inquisitive doe a stiff smile. She pointed to the statue and nudged Fluttershy and Rarity into motion around the peryton, stopping right in front when it became apparent that the shelter-statue was, for the lack of a better word, full.

“Well, this is disappointing,” said Rarity, yawning and tilting her head as though if she just looked carefully enough, another stone wing ready to house three ponies would appear. Blankets completely covered the space inside.

“I… guess maybe we should head back down?” Fluttershy suggested. “We could find a nook in cover from the wind, but the best thing would probably be to head back into the forest.”

“It’ll take forever to find something better than a tree or two in there,” said Dash, sighing.

“Have we been greedy and unfair?” asked the voice that had greeted them. The stag moved to stand at their side with the faint rustle of silver chains in his antlers. He leaned down, head slightly askew as he inspected the interior of the statue. “We must fix this. Clear some room from yourselves, and we will take what is left. Leave to me the task of explaining.”

“Hey, thanks a bunch,” said Dash, smiling back at him.

“Actually, do you think we could borrow—well, that you could make a little room around the fire? We think our friend is getting sick—” Fluttershy said, but once that word was out, she got no further. The stag drew back, a frown plain on his face.

“Thalereia!” he called.

“Yes, Tholmoss, star of my sky?” came the reply, loud above the chatter of the other peryton.

“Bring from our carts the dregroot for a tea!” the stag yelled, turning quickly after to Rarity, squinting at her. “You have blankets for warmth? And you are not allergic to dregroot?”

“Really, this is all unnecessary—” Rarity protested.

“We have a blanket, and I don’t think we’ve ever seen dregroot,” was as far as Fluttershy got.

“Also a blanket, if you can find one!”

“All that you ask!” the other voice replied, a mono-coloured grey doe with glittering antler-pride darting out from the group by the fire, leaping off the hill’s edge and sailing down.

“Well, there’s a side of the Stagrum peryton I hadn’t seen before,” said Rainbow Dash. She pushed one of the peryton blankets a little more out of the way, spreading theirs in its place.

“Mirossa told us,” said Fluttershy. “She said they cared for each other a lot in Stagrum.”

“But they ‘show it differently’, yeah, I know, I remember, I get it,” said Dash, shaking her head. “It’s not that I didn’t believe it, it’s just still a little weird seeing it.” She peered outside the shelter as she spoke, just barely spotting a snippet of the yellow cotton blanket the peryton had wrapped Rarity in. The unicorn rested by the fire, sipping tea.

“And a little funny. Where’s their whole fair trade thing now? They’re being really nice,” Dash added.

“They did say they’d help in exchange for a story,” said Fluttershy, nudging the peryton blanket partly back in place, diplomatically halving the bed-space Dash had made for them.

“If Pinkie Pie could get a cake for a story, every shop in Ponyville would be bankrupt,” said Dash with a giggle. “Whatever, I’m glad they’re being so nice, even if Rarity’s fine. Ish.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “She’s alright now, but she’s definitely coming down with a cold. I just hoped this would make her rest a little.”

Rainbow Dash nudged their saddlebags further against the center of the statue, next to all the peryton’s personal belongings. All their stuff was settled. They had a place to sleep for the night, and everything was squared away. They’d had a drink, and she’d grab a light snack before bed—could those apple-like things they found yesterday be grilled? ”Wait, hang on a minute,” she said.

Fluttershy tilted her head, looking up from her efforts rooting around in Rarity’s saddlebags. “Hm?”

“You hoped? You planned this?” Dash asked, and from the way Fluttershy lay her ears flat and nervously glanced over towards the fire outside, she knew she’d been right.

“Not so loud, please! And, um, okay, not really?” Fluttershy said, sighing. “I just hoped that if I told the peryton Rarity was sick, she’d have to take a break. If that didn’t help, I don’t know what I’d do.”

Rainbow Dash scratched at her snout and nodded. “Okay, I guess you got a point. She never leaves her dresses alone any more.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I’m happy if she’s enjoying her work, but she really does need rest. I just hope we make it to Vauhorn before she gets worse.”

“I don’t know she’s really enjoying all the dress stuff that much, either,” said Rainbow Dash, frowning.

“I tried asking her about that, but it’s a little hard to talk to her about it,” Fluttershy admitted.

“Yeah,” said Dash. When Fluttershy stretched her wings out, so did she, like a yawn transmitted from one to the other. Another burst of cawing laughter from outside. The near-full moon and the reflected light from the fire lit up their faces. Rainbow Dash looked at Fluttershy, and Fluttershy looked back, both of them quiet for a moment.

“Your mane’s really long,” said Rainbow Dash, as though it had ever been anything but. Of course, her bangs didn’t usually look like they tried to reach for the ground, and these days, her tail dragged. “I like it,” she added, helpless to hold back a smirk.

“Thank you,” said Fluttershy, lowering her gaze as she smiled back. “You should try growing out yours one day, too. Is it getting in your way now?”

“Yeah, it kinda is,” replied Dash. She didn’t really have the option of not looking at her mane now. It fell in her face no matter what she did. “Rarity said she’d take care of it, but she’s been busy.”

“Mm,” was all Fluttershy said.

Rainbow Dash tapped the ground. “Hey, she has a pair of scissors left somewhere, right? You already have her saddlebags open, can you check?”

“I think so,” said Fluttershy, one brow cocked. “Why?”

Dash shrugged. “You’re good at that sort of stuff. It would be awesome if you could get rid of the hair that gets in my eyes.”

Fluttershy’s hesitation was so brief and so swiftly quelled that Rainbow Dash didn’t really have time to think about whether or not she should’ve asked. Perhaps it was a stupid impulse, the sort of question old Rainbow Dash would’ve asked, something that began as a simple issue and would evolve into daring Fluttershy, into pushing her on.

Then again, they were talking about a simple mane cut. Before she could reconsider, Fluttershy had her snout deep in Rarity’s saddlebags again.

“Most of her tools are for unicorns, but I think she had a razor of some sort, somewhere—oh, here it is,” said Fluttershy, resurfacing with a folded razor in her mouth. With a little hoof-work, she unfolded it, eyed it critically, and folded it again, tucking it under a wing. “I’m sure it’ll do fine. I’m not good at mane styling, though, but we can try together?”

“Uh, if you’re not sure, it’s cool,” said Rainbow Dash, but Fluttershy already made for the gap in the shelter’s wings opposite of where they’d come in. She stuck her head outside and waved Dash over before she left.

“What, are we hiding, now?” asked Rainbow Dash when she stepped onto the small space between the statue and the eastern edge of the hilltop. From the higher vantage point, the moonlight fell upon craggy hills for as far as she could see.

Fluttershy nodded. “Kind of? What do you think Rarity will do if she sees us doing this?”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “Probably try to take over? I don’t know if she’s the same way with hair styling that she is with fashion or—”

“She’ll feel bad because she said she’d do it,” said Fluttershy, sighing. “And she’ll think we’re upset with her when she should really try to get better instead of worrying about our manes.”

“Oh. Okay. And that,” said Rainbow Dash, splaying her ears.

“Come on, sit,” said Fluttershy, patting the ground and smiling at her, and when Rainbow Dash didn’t immediately comply, she brushed at the grass with her tail. “There. Better?”

“Jeez, relax,” said Dash with a laugh, taking a seat. “I don’t need you to do much, I just want to see where I’m going.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I’ll just trim the front a little. It really looks the same right now, just longer.”

“Well duh, I’ve had the same style since forever,” Dash replied, grinning.

“For as long as I’ve known you, at least,” Fluttershy replied. She wiped her hooves on the grass and moved Dash’s mane about a little, as if trying to decide where to begin, but Dash didn’t worry too much. She had already decided they were going to do this. It’d work out or it wouldn’t.

“Did I ever tell you why I keep my mane like this?” asked Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy paused. She put the razor back under her wing, having just grabbed it. “No? Is there a story?”

“Oh, nah,” Dash said. “No—or, well, kinda. Mom and dad used to do my mane. Mom told me that she’d cut it to look like a lightning bolt so I’d fly faster.” She grinned at the memory. “Guess it works, huh?”

“I guess so,” said Fluttershy, giggling. “It does look a little bit like that with the one long bang you like to keep, but um, you’ve kept it the same ever since? That’s a lot of pressure.” Her laughter petered out, and she took a deep breath.

“Come on, relax,” said Dash. She reached out to touch Fluttershy’s chest with a hoof, smiling at her. “You’ll do fine. As long as you get the hair out of my face, I’m good.”

Fluttershy looked her deep in the eye, drew breath again and nodded, smiling back. “Okay. Can you bend down a little lower for me, please?” she asked, and a moment later, she went to work on Rainbow Dash’s mane.

Dash didn’t know where she found this calm. She should insist Fluttershy stop in case something went wrong and she got upset—not that there was a lot to get upset over. Anyway, this time she just couldn’t work up the energy to worry herself.

Maybe it was the comfortable knowledge that she had a new and better plan. Once they got to Vauhorn, she’d figure out something to do that worked for both of them. Right now, Fluttershy would do her best with her mane, and she’d probably do a great job. Rainbow Dash looked up as much as she could without moving her head.

“Doing good,” said Rainbow Dash, though honestly she couldn’t tell. She had slightly less hair in her eyes. More hair on her snout, though. She blew away a few coloured strands.

“Mh nearly donh,” Fluttershy replied.

“Awesome,” said Dash, though she was disappointed to hear it. With every cut, Fluttershy tugged at her head a little, every one of her moves deliberate, measured. The peryton on the other side of the statue sounded distant, a world apart. Right now, it was just the two of them, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. When Fluttershy put down the razor and wiped some hairs away with a gentle hoof, it was entirely too soon.

“Is that better?” asked Fluttershy, her eyes on Rainbow Dash’s forehead, fidgeting.

Rainbow Dash tossed her head about, shaking it left and right. When she stopped, she could only see a snippet of her mane that she knew she’d forget about in a second because it’d been there for years upon years.

“Perfect,” Dash announced with a huge grin. She leaned over to grab Fluttershy in a tight hug. “I owe you one. Hey, actually, d’you need me to give your mane a look? As long as you don’t mind ending up very, very short?”

Fluttershy giggled and hugged her back, one leg around her neck. “No problem at all, and, um, that’s… a joke right? You won’t be offended if I say ‘no thank you’?”

Rainbow Dash laughed and pulled back. “Of course I’m kidding,” she said, running a hoof through Fluttershy’s mane. “If you’re my girlfriend, that means this mane is at least like… forty percent mine, and I’m not trading it for anything.”

“Maybe you would trade some of it for a little preening?” asked Fluttershy, nodding to Dash’s wings.

Rainbow Dash spread her wings and gave them a quick look, one by one. Sure, she’d been thinking about that a lot lately, and it’d probably feel good, but Fluttershy had already done her a favour. She shouldn’t push her luck. Or, push her pushing, as it was. She shook her head. “Nah, I’m fine. Haven’t been flying a lot lately or anything, right?”

Fluttershy’s smile waned a bit as she nodded. “I guess we haven’t, really.”

Of course, wings still needed cleaning. Rainbow Dash rolled her jaw as she thought. Maybe she should offer to give Fluttershy’s wings a quick look? “What about yours?” Dash asked. She already knew what the answer would be.

“I’m fine, too,” said Fluttershy, looking over the edge of the hilltop. “I can clean them myself tonight.”

“Right, yeah,” said Rainbow Dash. She took a step towards the edge, standing side to side with Fluttershy. At first she thought there was nothing to see but rocks and darkness, but Fluttershy squinted and leaned forward.

“What’s up?” Dash asked. She couldn’t figure out what Fluttershy saw until the other pegasus pointed ahead.

“Down by the large boulders right across the road,” she said. “Do you see them?”

“Oh, yeah,” said Dash. A group of small, thin creatures rested on a rock, their features lost to the night. Even as they watched, a dark shape flew in from above and took up position next to them.

“They look a lot like our nightfishers,” Fluttershy whispered. “I’ve never seen this many in one place.”

“Our what?” asked Dash.

“Equestrian Nightfishers,” Fluttershy repeated, giving her a look. “You haven’t seen them before? They’re rare birds who stay up all night to hunt bugs that only come out after sunset. They’re wonderfully social.”

“Uh, I don’t think I’ve seen them, no. I haven’t really looked,” Dash admitted. “Wait, are these the ones who hang out on your roof all summer and make a fuss if I pop by in the evening?”

“Mm, no, they stay away from light,” said Fluttershy. “They’re actually very pretty, but it’s hard to get a good look.”

“Oh. Huh.” Rainbow Dash could see how. Or rather, she couldn’t. They were too far away, and it was far too dark.

She stole a glance at Fluttershy, and she caught Fluttershy looking back. Fluttershy didn’t offer to show her the nightfishers up close, but then, Rainbow Dash didn’t ask, either. When the silence held, Rainbow Dash moved around the hilltop’s edge. Were those lights in the distance? Circling the far side of the trees, more and more lights came into view.

She sat down against a tree looking north, catching the first real look at the coast in what, weeks? The lights glittering far away had to be Vauhorn, an indistinct glow more than anything else. Fluttershy sat down next to her, but not nearly close enough. Rainbow Dash scooted over and draped a wing around Fluttershy’s side. They smiled at one another.

What was it Rarity had said, way back when? Rainbow Dash had asked her a question, and Rarity said something about how in Equestria, they called coming together “harmony”, just like the Elements. Extending a hoof. Meeting halfway. Luna had said something of the same, and Rainbow Dash just had to find a way towards it, and to hope that wherever Dash and Fluttershy met would be half as good as the stupid little minute they’d spend together fixing Dash’s mane. Half as perfect.

“What do you think it’s like?” asked Fluttershy.

“I dunno,” said Dash. She reached up to make sure her mane lay right, but thought the better of it, leaving it alone. “Phoreni said they talk weird in Vauhorn, and coming from her, that could mean anything.”

Fluttershy giggled and nodded. “I guess so. As long as we get along, I’m sure it can’t be all that bad.”

“Yeah. It’ll be even better if they have hot meals. And beds,” Rainbow Dash said with a lazy grin. She tugged Fluttershy a little closer. They were already close, touching, but it wasn’t enough. She rested her head against Fluttershy’s neck, making the taller pegasus rest her head atop hers. “Maybe something to drink besides water,” Dash added in a murmur. “Someone who can make sure Rarity’ll be fine.”

“She just needs rest, but staying out here in the wild wouldn’t be good for her,” Fluttershy said, nodding so that her cheek rubbed against Dash’s head. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and tried to pull Fluttershy a little closer still.

Chapter 21

By raven for all cities and all kin,

After deliberation, the council concurs with Ephydoera and their letter earlier this same spring. This task falls to Orto, who will best take their measure. We find in our stories that Orto served this purpose upon our meeting with Cotilla, and we will ask that they do so again.

By raven, Orto will tell what comes of this meeting, and what concords are struck—and otherwise, Orto picks what path best aids all kin in meeting these Equestrians.

-By the Quills of the Council of Cotronna

“Seeya around,” said Rainbow Dash.

“And thank you ever so much for the tea. Are you sure you don’t want your blanket back?” asked Rarity.

“If you have not noticed, it is not the season for blankets.” Tholmoss cawed with laughter as he strapped himself to one of the wagons. “And you have repaid us with stories and a fine gem.” All around the roadside, peryton did the same as he: A pair pulling each of the three wagons, with another three pairs trailing.

“Your generosity is appreciated all the same,” said Rarity, glancing at her back to where the blanket lay tightly folded.

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Yeah, thanks and all, but hey, if you stop by the Autumn Hymn in Stagrum, tell them we said hi!”

“I do not know of it, I am sorry,” said Tholmoss, the stag’s head tilted quizzically.

“But I do,” Thalereia said, craning her neck in a small head-only bow. “I will tell the proprietess that ponies of Equestria send their greetings. Helesseia’s mercy and Selyria’s cloak on your back.”

“Good luck,” said Fluttershy. She waved, as did they all. Three great peryton wagons rolled onto the road and moved southwards, a small cloud of dust in their wake on roads that had long since forgotten all about the storm and its rains—even if the grass had not. Even if the air had not. Already Dash felt clammy again, and they hadn’t even begun moving.

“On the road again,” said Rarity, rubbing at her eyes. “This sun is awful. I really wish I had thought to bring something with which I could make a hat for each of us. Ah well. At least this time our goal is in sight. Figuratively and literally speaking.”

“Yeah. It’s right down there,” said Rainbow Dash, inspecting her straps to make sure her wings were okay. The saddlebags were still entirely too full to let her flap her wings properly—unless she pushed them way back, maybe. Dash gave them a nudge, then shielded her face from the sun with a wing.

“I guess we should get there sometime today if we start moving now,” Fluttershy added. “Are you feeling better? Did the tea help any?”

“Well, I’m not feeling worse,” said Rarity, but Rainbow Dash didn’t buy it. The unicorn looked tired. Still, she was the one who took the first step, and soon they were all moving.

“I wonder what they were trading,” said Rainbow Dash, glancing over her shoulder. The peryton wagons were hidden from view now. The towering hilltop with the Selyrian statue stood at the absolute highest point in sight, and now they began their descent on the other side, down a long and straight slope.

Fluttershy tilted her head. “Why didn’t you ask?”

“Because that’s rude, duh,” said Dash. “Remember I told you about the other traders between Orto and Stagrum? They don’t like talking about what they’re trading.”

“We touched upon it last night,” said Rarity, stifling a cough. “They mentioned they carried a full load of cargo for Vauhorn to Ephydoera, but it wasn’t trade as such. They called it tribute. We heard someone say something like that before, and I still think it’s a strange word to use.”

“They said they liked to forage,” said Fluttershy. “But they didn’t have any farms. Maybe it’s food.”

“Probably something like that,” said Dash, though she’d already lost interest in the topic. Far more interesting was the way the road sloped. “Hey, this is a really steep climb going the other way, huh?”

Fluttershy looked down at the dusty path they walked as though seeing it for the first time, and three sets of pony eyes ran its length. The road ran from the rise they left behind and all the way down to an indistinct grey blob partially hidden by hills near the coast. Green grasses lined the road’s flanks, and part of Rainbow Dash fervently wished for winter. This would be the biggest, most awesome sleigh ride ever.

A few trees dotted the western side, and there were some rocks further to the east where the slope curved like a leg shielding the distant city, but most of the landscape ahead was a broad and immense downwards slope, perhaps steep enough—

“It makes sense, really,” said Fluttershy, glancing to their right. “The Spokes to the east are supposed to be very tall cliffs, and I guess this is the beginning of the northern coastline.”

“I’m still pleased we don’t have to make this climb in the heat,” said Rarity with a backwards look. Already the road behind them looked daunting. Rainbow Dash felt thirsty, and they’d barely started moving. Of course, she didn’t really care about what the slope felt like to walk.

“Sure,” said Dash. She stopped, making the others do the same. “Kinda not what I’m talking about. Fluttershy, can you carry both our bags?”

“I—um,” Fluttershy hesitated. “I guess. Why, though? If you’re tired, maybe we can take a break instead? I—”

“Could you fly with both our saddlebags?” Dash asked. “Push yours further back, put mine on top but leave your wings free? What if we dump most of our water?” It wasn’t impossible. Ignoring the stupid water-bags, Dash had seen Fluttershy carry more before.

Rarity tapped a hoof on the ground. “Darling, what are you on about? Can you just tell us?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “We can get there in no-time if we hit the air.”

“This has been true every day,” said Rarity, her frustrations stymied by obvious curiosity. She glanced down the road. “You two have told me it’s not really an option. Why now?”

Fluttershy already had her saddlebags off and started draining the water. “Because she’s not talking about flying, exactly. We can glide all the way,” she said, catching on. “If you’re thirsty, you might want to take a drink now.”

Rarity cocked a brow, but it was Rainbow Dash who spoke, and she couldn’t hold back a chuckle. “Wow, uh, okay, I guess that means you’re in?”

Fluttershy nodded quickly. “I’d like to get Rarity to a bed as soon as possible. Could you maybe start getting rid of the water you’re carrying, too?”

Rainbow Dash gave Fluttershy a wing-salute, grinning wide. “Yes ma’am.”

“You’re overreacting,” said Rarity, somewhat undermining her words with a hoarse-sounding cough. “Besides, I don’t relish the idea of hanging onto your back for hours—”

“Try minutes,” said Rainbow Dash, cackling. “And that’s just because I don’t want to mess up my mane.”

“If we’re gliding, I think it’ll be closer to an hour,” Fluttershy interjected, shaking out her wings.

“Well duh,” said Dash, pushing the empty water-bag back into her saddlebags before giving the whole thing over to Fluttershy. “And hours are made of what?”

“Please don’t,” was all Rarity said, shaking her head and bringing out her handkerchief for a sneeze.

“That’s right. Minutes,” said Rainbow Dash.

Vauhorn rushed to meet them. Where the other cities had patiently waited in the distance as though they didn’t care whether or not the ponies came to visit—or snuck up on them, in the case of the Grove—the city by the sea quickly grew. The the last few minutes, it had gained detail faster than Rainbow Dash could really process it.

The air pulled at Dash’s mane, Rarity’s grip tightened around her neck, and the road was a blur right below legs tucked in for speed. The occasional tree, shrub or rock whisked past them, as did a number of stele surrounded by miniature gardens. Already the great sprawl ahead was too wide to take in all at once. She flapped her wings once. Fluttershy did the same to keep up, but it was awkward going. Best just to keep wings spread and glide.

The city stretched out under the morning sun, greedier for the shoreline than the other coastal cities. The majority of Vauhorn rose as a thick band of stone buildings, stouter and of a grey stone a few shades darker than the memory of Orto’s—reminiscent of Stagrum’s square architecture, but without wood in sight, and familiar in its tendency to sneak in curves and domes atop, wherever they would fit. A few farms dotted the surrounding hillside, and some large buildings crowded around the rocks to the right, hugging rising cliffs that took shape further east.

“I think we need to land!” Fluttershy called. She let herself fall a little bit lower. She’d touch the ground if she set her hooves down.

“Why? This beats walking!” Dash shouted back, grinning. “We’ll hit the city in a minute!”

In a sense, they’d already reached the city. The first few farms were at their side—now at their back as they sailed along. Large plots of land growing rye and less-familiar grains, bowl-shaped houses uniquely placed outside the city in small clusters deep in the sloping fields. Lacking anything like walls or a river to form a natural boundary, the road itself served as a marker separating large two- or even three-story buildings from smaller buildings and the inland farms. Already, Rainbow Dash could make out the first of the Vauhornite peryton and more detail still.

Two peryton stood close together at the top of one of the few flat roofs in view. Large, coloured banners hung from horizontal flag-poles. A group of young peryton raced down a street next to a wall painted with the outline of an antlered head, and at the crossroads ahead stood a cluster of peryton with bright red sashes, all facing their way. Looking straight at them, in fact.

“Right, because of the greeting party,” Dash said, mostly to herself. Did they think they could block their path? They stood in the middle of the road, like Rainbow Dash couldn’t sail over them with a single stroke of her wings.

She didn’t. Instead, she broke her speed, and both she and Fluttershy landed in synch a small distance down the road from the peryton group. Rarity slid off Rainbow Dash’s back with a groan, stretching her legs out one by one. For a long moment, she stood still with her eyes closed, simply breathing. Dash frowned while she put on the saddlebags Fluttershy returned to her.

“You gonna be okay, Rarity? You don’t look so good.”

“Even if I were okay when we took off,” said Rarity, leaning back as far as her neck would let her, “I wouldn’t be now. I think I’m sea-sick from air. Air-sick. Is that a thing? I never had that during those rare few chariot rides home from Canterlot, but it’s definitely a thing now.”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “Yeah, well, if you got complaints about my flying, you can ask Fluttershy to carry you next time,” she said. “Not that it was flying. We glided. Big difference.”

“I… don’t think she asked at all, you’re the one who—” Fluttershy tried.

“Next time,” said Rarity, glaring at Rainbow Dash. “The next time I consent to clinging to your back for an hour while I’m under the weather? I don’t see that happening. My underside hurts like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Aha! So you admit you’ve been getting sick all along?” said Dash, grinning in triumph.

Rarity rolled her eyes and let out a dramatic sigh. “Was there ever any doubt about that, dear?” She coughed as if on cue, accepting a drink of water from Fluttershy, downing what little water the pegasus had refused to pour out. When she’d drained the water-bag, she let out a breath and wobbled slightly. Dash reached out with a hoof to steady her. While they waited for Rarity to collect herself, she took in the city beyond the peryton arrayed just ahead.

All the streets were spaciously wide, the path turning from hard-packed dirt to proper roads. If proper roads were supposed to be paved with large stone tiles, anyway. Starting with the wide street that separated the outskirts from the city proper, most of it was stone, but any pretense that the larger buildings past the paved road formed anything like a wall was ruined by the sheer amount of variety.

No two facades looked alike. Paintings of peryton and of other creatures, scenes and vistas, banners, signs and scraps of cloth with peryton script hanging from metal poles or the lip of a flower-pot, subtle variations in the stone used, cracked, mended or haphazardly turned into a work of art—it all made every single building distinct and unique, bonded only by the general architecture and stonework.

"I still think this was a better idea than walking,” said Fluttershy. “Walking for hours and hours could have been even worse for you.” She shielded herself with a wing when Rarity coughed again and shook her head. “You poor thing, we need to get you some rest right away!”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” said Rainbow Dash. She meant to complain that an hour of gliding with a passenger hadn’t exactly been comfortable for her, either, but Rarity sagged and looked far more tired than she had when she got on her back. Dash pushed away a tiny twinge of concern and flexed her wings one by one, her eyes on the very ineffective but demonstrative roadblock ahead. Less worrying, more progress. “If they’ll let us in, anyway,” she added. “Let’s see what’s up.”

Even as they approached their little sash-wearing welcome committee, the sounds and scents of the city outskirts came to meet them halfway, muted and quiet in the morning hours. Vauhorn rubbed sleep out of its eyes. Dash sniffed. It smelled like sea salt, unfamiliar spices and a host of other stuff she couldn’t name.

“Now, I can tell this is one of those situations where a good first impression is important,” said Rarity, clearing her throat and fluffing her mane. “Let’s be our best and try to act with some restraint.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged when she noticed Rarity looking at her in particular. “I have no idea what you mean. I’m the most restrainful pony ever.”

“If you’re tired, you don’t have to do all the talking,” suggested Fluttershy with a sideways glance. “Not that I don’t think you’ll do a great job, but…” She trailed off as they made their approach.

They were almost at the crossroads, the seven or eight bulky peryton staring at them, flanked by tall houses. The street was easily wide enough to let them pass, but somehow Rainbow Dash doubted it would be that simple. At the same time, it wasn’t like they were staring down a group of Canterlot Castle Guard after accidentally ruining a window or twelve.

Quite the opposite, really. The peryton were as varied as any seven peryton—she’d counted now—could possibly be. One wore a mask that covered his face. No, her face, probably. Short tail-feathers. Two of them had jewellery in their antlers, reminiscent of, but different from the Stagrumites, and a large stag had a length of coarse rope tied around his barrel, his wings tied to his body. Their red sashes looked the same, though.

“What the hay,” Dash muttered. “Is this some sort of circus?”

“To your question, Fluttershy, dear: I’m sure I am capable of stringing a few words together,” said Rarity, switching gears and raising her voice a moment later, addressing the peryton. “Hello there! Is there a problem?” It came out a little hoarse, but accompanied by a radiant yet expectant smile the likes of which only Rarity could pull off.

“We observe and tell again,” said a tall brown-white peryton doe with an eyepatch, her tone conversational, “the story of when Morrashon stood upon the sunlit shore and faced the two-stalked companions who left not a mark in the sand. They bore no flag, they revealed no intent, and Morrashon would not let them pass.” She turned her head to the side and tilted it ever so slightly, peering down on the ponies with her one free eye.

“Morrashon was wise beyond time,” said a stag with blue-tipped wings, shifting the sash on his body with a shrug. “Though he was born forever the year after tomorrow, his wisdom is ageless.”

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes, her gaze blankly ahead. She knew there had been words, but she very much struggled to attach them to anything inside her head. She was halfway to a “what” when Rarity beat her to it.

“Pardon?” asked Rarity, fluttering her lashes. “We’re here on a peaceful visit—a diplomatic visit, in fact. May we enter the city?”

“Well, um,” said Fluttershy, raising a foreleg as if to protest, but she apparently thought better of it when some of the peryton turned to look at her, shrinking back.

“You would enter Vauhorn. On what pretense?” asked the doe.

“Pretense?” echoed Rainbow Dash, frowning. “What, d’you have to have a pass or something?”

“We promise we won’t cause any trouble,” added Fluttershy.

“There is no ‘pretense’ to be made,” said Rarity smiling still. “We’re simply here to visit, and then we’re passing through. If we may see your mayor or whomever is in charge of your city, that would be wonderful, too. I believe they have been notified of our coming.”

The doe who had first spoken narrowed the one eye slightly, clearly not impressed. “Heard has been the tale of the the Unclawed, of Eakus of All Graces, who watched strangers soar with shadowed hearts and warded us from their anger.”

“No, seriously, what?” said Dash.

“Ah,” said Rarity, nodding quickly as though anything they had said made sense. “Well, I assure you, our hearts have no anger in them, and if our… arrival was a little unorthodox, then I apologise. We were in a bit of a hurry.”

“What? You have a problem with us flying?” asked Rainbow Dash, snorting. “Why?” She turned to Rarity. “And when did they say that?”

“Furthermore, I believe we just revealed our intent,” added Rarity, ignoring Rainbow Dash. “We’re here on a diplomatic mission. Now, if that is a problem, I am sure we can come to an agreement if you would tell us exactly what the issue is.”

“Like Rarity said,” Fluttershy added, stepping up until she stood in line with Rainbow Dash and Rarity. “I think there’s been a letter. Maybe you could ask your mayor?”

Most of the peryton exchanged glances, the sash-wearing stags and does muttering among themselves and nodding. A few of them even took a step or two to the side, but the doe to first have spoken simply stretched her neck out, glancing at Rainbow Dash’s sides—to where her wings poked out, only half-hidden by the saddlebags. After a moment, she turned a baleful gaze on her companions.

“Remember also the stories not as often told,” said the doe, her tone dire. “Remember well the gift of the Ever Soaring, who turned covetous in his quarrel with Phostos. Remember one who sought to gain his gift of colour and was cast down.”

Now all eyes turned to Rainbow Dash, and the peryton crowded around their leader again, staring. She could feel her discoloured wings burning under all the attention.

“Wait, you’re talking about us? What the hay does any of that have to do with us? Who is the ‘Ever Soaring’, and what does that have to do with me and my wings?” asked Dash, her voice cracking on that final word. “Can we please talk normal?”

“Their heart was found false and foul,” said the doe with an air of finality. “They were asked to leave, and never return. Consider this.”

“Who was asked to leave?” Dash asked. She was nearly yelling at the incomprehensible doe, now.

“I… I don’t think—” Fluttershy stammered.

“Listen, if you’ll just—” Rarity began, covering her muzzle to cough. “If you’ll give us a moment to explain—or rather tell us what it is that we need to explain, I am sure we will come to an understanding,” she said, but even as she spoke, the peryton shook their heads and muttered among themselves again. Rarity drew a hissing breath. Rainbow Dash ground her teeth. What were they on about?

“Do explain the perfidy you suspect these poor people present.”

The loud and clear voice silenced the whispering peryton and forestalled whatever icy comment Rarity had been about to make, the unicorn’s mouth shutting without a word uttered.

Even before he came into view, Rainbow Dash knew that he was hurt. She heard his steps, a curious clop clop-clack, clop clop-clack, which made sense when the sash-wearing peryton parted to reveal a stag, slight of build and with a missing hindleg. His left rear knee ended in a stump, and otherwise he was unremarkable enough with green and purple tail-feathers and wingtips both.

“If you would take the time to consider the strangers’ unwrapped words,” said the stag, “You would know their truth. They are indeed expected, and even were they not, I always thought most of Morrashon’s stories were of overzealousness.” He smiled even as he approached—or wore what Dash had come to think of as a broad peryton smile anyway—hobbling his way through the peryton ranks to stand steady on three legs between the two parties.

“And the Quarrel of the Secret?” asked the doe, looking rather unimpressed. “What is it that you make of it?”

The stag nodded slowly, appearing lost in thought for a moment. Rainbow Dash was about to ask someone to explain what was going on when she caught Fluttershy giving her a look, as though she read her mind. Fluttershy shook her head ever so slightly and Dash sighed internally, keeping her silence in this standoff or whatever it was.

When the stag spoke up, he didn’t sound like he partook in a conversation any more. His voice took on a sonorous timbre, as though he recited a poem or spoke a song without music.

Came the claw-bearing beasts gleaming beaks bringing words,

Shed no blood on the sand, not a tail-feather fell,

Came the two-legged un-horned beast without teeth

Ask the one who did open the gate what he’d sell.

“I ask you,” he added, barely pausing for breath and staring at the doe not unkindly. “How you understand it. Does it not temper Morrashon’s wisdom? I do not question your authority—”

The doe shook her head quickly, and with a faint glow of magic shifted her eyepatch onto the other eye. “There is no authority to be questioned. You are correct. Their measure is not possessed by me, and our—no, mine was action out of concern this morning when I saw their approach from afar and no others thought to consider Morrashon’s stories.”

Rainbow Dash leaned a little closer to Fluttershy. “Do you think they remember we’re here?” she asked. Fluttershy made no reply, but Rarity hushed her very quietly, making Dash sigh yet again.

“Travellers, I have done you injustice,” said the doe, facing them and tilting her head forwards in a deep bow. “Consider Morrashon’s story my defence, but I lay my errors in your shadow.”

“Right,” said Rainbow Dash, frowning as the other peryton stepped to the side of the road in groups. Only the doe and the three-legged stag remained in their way. “Okay. So, we’re cool?” she asked.

The doe blinked. “Your… your words, they carry no meaning for me to grasp, but if you ask if you may enter the city, I am not, have not been a barrier, only a watcher. Are my errors passed by in your shadow?”

“Are your... “ Dash mouthed.

“All is forgiven, dear,” said Rarity, smiling at her. “Thank you for your consideration.”

The doe nodded at that and moved towards one of the groups by the road-side, smiling at the stag as she passed by. “Your insight is welcome, and your actions credit tales of Helesseia’s golden tongue.”

“We all have our passions,” the stag replied, smiling back and returning a slight bow.

Rainbow Dash puffed out her cheeks. “Yeah. We’re cool, apparently,” she declared. “I don’t even know what’s going on.”

“Don’t you remember what Phoreni said?” Fluttershy whispered. “She said they talk of—or maybe in stories.”

“Well, duh, I remember that,” said Dash, who had in fact not remembered. “I just don’t get why—and is nopony else bothered by how this is the second time in a row we get stopped trying to just get into a town? What the hay?”

“We all speak in stories in one manner or another, do we not?” asked the stag. While the red-sashed peryton slowly dispersed in amicably chatting groups of twos or threes, he remained with them, standing at their sides facing the city as though he, too, sought entry.

“No?” asked Dash, though she could already tell her protest would be ignored.

“And besides, Eirissia made clear that she never meant to bar your passage,” the stag went on, watching the last of the peryton disappear around the corner. “Rather, she merely meant to learn your purpose. Was this not clear?”

“I am afraid this was neither clear nor obvious to any of us,” said Rarity, shaking her head slightly. “I got the impression she would not let us enter.”

Fluttershy shuffled her wings. “We, um… we were warned, sort of. You just use a lot more anecdotes than we do, among other things. It’s a little hard to understand. We’re not really from around here—but I guess you can see that.”

“But why?” asked Rainbow Dash, squinting at the weird stag. “You’re talking just fine now,” Dash added.

The stag let out a small warble, as short and sharp as Rarity’s coughs. “Why do you ask questions? Why this obsession with clarity and simple words? How does one ignore that even these strings of common words are not unstoried and each of them come with their own history?” He glanced at Dash for a second, but nothing more.

“Because—” Dash tried, sighing when she couldn’t think of an answer right away. “Well, those are different questions, you can’t just answer my question with a question! I think.” She looked over at Fluttershy, desperate for any kind of support.

Rarity levitated out her handkerchief and wiped her muzzle. “Rainbow Dash, dear, could we please focus for a moment?”

“If it helps,” said Fluttershy, frowning ever so slightly as she thought. “Maybe you can just always think that they’re talking about us when they tell a story. I think that might make it a little easier to understand, but yes, we should probably, um, well—” she paused when the stag turned awkwardly on the spot with two hooves and a single hind-claw, coming about to face them.

“Maybe we could introduce ourselves and try again,” suggested Fluttershy, smiling up at him. “Hello, I’m Fluttershy.”

“Rainbow Dash,” said Dash, stretching her neck from side to side. “Hi.”

“And I am Rarity, a pleasure,” said Rarity, nodding.

“And so began the longest of journeys with the spreading of wings,” said the stag, inclining his head very slightly. “And the longest of discussions, the heartiest of debates with a single syllable—hello. Ah, no. That’s two syllables.” He frowned. “That’s embarrassing. Hi, then. I am Neisos, and you must be the ponies from Equestria.”

“You’ve heard of us?” asked Dash. “That helps.”

“That’s a relief,” said Rarity, sighing. “And something of a first.”

“Well, second,” said Fluttershy, tilting her head. “Someone told you about us? Was that… Khaird? Do you know him?”

“Hm? No, that name is not familiar to me,” said Neisos. “I only remember reading some missives seasons ago, that is all. It was a guess, but a very strong one.”

Fluttershy nodded and lay her ears flat. “Oh. Okay. I just thought I would ask.”

“Red Sun Runner was a name on the letter, a visitor of your kind who heralded your coming, I understand. Red Sun Runner, Rainbow. Your names are very curious,” added the stag, tilting his head to one side.

“You’re the guys who have names that don’t mean anything,” said Dash, snorting. “What is a ‘Neisos’, huh?”

Neisos arched his brows and nodded very, very slowly. “What is a Neisos? Now, you ask very impressive questions.”

“Well, be that as it may,” said Rarity, raising her voice a smidge. “You seem very well informed compared to some, and that is an absolute delight. Do you know this city as well? May we ask you for directions to an inn or a hotel—one of the places you call resting houses?”

“It would be my delight to help. My day is not taken or planned as of yet,” said Neisos, and no sooner had he spoken than he led the way into the city in his hobbling gait, left foreleg first, then his two right-side legs. “And if I am well informed, it is because I have perhaps a greater interest in the stories of yesterday than many. I am as Orsshur when she dusted off the stories of yester-season with the reverence of the primal stories that echo but are never told.”

This time, Dash took some solace in the fact that Fluttershy and Rarity looked as lost as she did.

“Could you… try that again?” asked Rarity. “Do you mean… no, I am sorry, could you rephrase?”

“Orsshur, the Aspect of greater understanding sought through new angles of that which is not yet set, she who molds the clay in the oven?” The stag cast a curious glance over his back as they walked. Every building around them was two or three stories tall, grey stone tiles made unoppressive by the width of the streets and the generous alleys, and the monotony shattered by an infinite display of… was it right to call it all art, all the cloth and paint that ran rampant everywhere? It was almost impossible to spot unpainted stone on the building walls.

“My head hurts,” said Rainbow Dash. “No, that doesn’t make any sense, how is that an answer? I don’t even remember the question now!” The visual chaos of the city didn’t help with trying to focus on understanding the cryptic peryton.

Neisos stopped, turning with some difficulty to look upon the ponies with obvious concern. “I sought to explain that Eirissia meant no harm. She and the others took on the sashes today to keep watch on Vauhorn, but they doubtless have other work, too. They do not have the luxury to mind the affairs of yesterday.” He shrugged. “They were doubtless told of your coming in a communal meeting, but it may have slipped their minds. I also sought to tell you that I myself have kept an eye on the roads due to having taken an interest ever since the missive arrived.”

“Then why couldn’t you just say that?” asked Dash. She didn’t know how many ways she could ask that question, and how many more times she could stand not getting an answer.

“Are there such challenges in my words?” asked Neisos. He looked between the three of them, and neither Rarity nor Fluttershy denied it, at least.

“It’s, well...” was about as much as Fluttershy said.

“Yes!” said Dash.

“We obviously use the same words,” said Rarity. “Nearly, anyway, but all these stories are new to us.”

“Oho,” said Neisos. “Only this? Most peryton will relate to the stories, but then, I suppose these are not stories you have been taught.” He twisted his head around to scratch his lower neck with an antler. “Much better. Now, these are Peryton aspects. You will have other functions in place, Aspects or tools of your own—”

“If I may interrupt,” said Rarity, smiling affably. “Even without that, I think your use of similes is a touch excessive compared to what we are used to, and that is the real challenge. But please, we respect your customs, of course—”

“Not customs! Tools and habits,” said Neisos, shaking his head briskly. “Tools I may put down if I wish. I will trade in unstoried words as much as I can. I understand that those who deal with trade caravans and visitors face similar… if I call them complaints, do not take offense.” He grinned at that, moving along again, gesturing down the street with his head. They were coming up on a plaza nearly empty in the morning hours. In the center stood a fountain whose waters glittered in the morning sun.

“For now? Come. Fountain. Drink. These words must be universal, and after you have had your fill, you must explain one word that I overheard in the rudeness of my eavesdropping. To which story does the word ‘mayor’ belong?”

The plaza was more of the same in that little was the same. In a corner, a group of peryton erected makeshift stalls for some kind of market, but opposite of them, young peryton played with a ball. Dozens of houses and a couple of sign-marked shops faced the open space, but the vast majority of them were so lavishly decorated—and no two of them in the same manner—that the signs almost disappeared in the visual noise. Rainbow Dash tried to imagine Ponyville if every house celebrated a different holiday. Hearth’s Warming wreaths on one house, Summer Sun stuff on the next.

At least the water didn’t taste any different. Fluttershy filled one of their water-bags for Rarity to drink from, and the others drank right from the sparkling waters. Two other peryton had a drink, and children rushed past them, a few pausing to stare unabashedly. Dash gave it a five out of ten on the curious-peryton scale, which ran from something to Orto. Stagrum to Orto, probably?

“Do you all get your water from the fountains, or do you have some other way to get it?” asked Fluttershy. “Should we fill up here, or do the resting houses here have their own water?”

“Yes,” said the stag, tapping a hoof on the ground, his gaze distant for a moment. “A need for a place to stay was mentioned. The resting houses will be filling up with the first caravans from Cotronna soon, and while it is certain that you will find a bed somewhere, I have a better idea.” He brightened in an instant, gesturing wide with a foreleg while he leaned against the fountain, smiling. ”Come stay at my house!”

“I dunno, sure?” Rainbow Dash said, more a question for the others than it was an answer. She looked at Fluttershy, who looked to Rarity, who in turn shrugged and looked at Rainbow Dash.

“It’s very nice of you to offer,” said Fluttershy, dipping her head in thanks.

“If you have the room, it would make things simpler,” said Rarity, covering her mouth with her handkerchief to cough. “We would be grateful if it is no imposition.”

“Imposition? Not at all. Room for you and more besides is had at my house,” he said, shaking his head. “My dearest and our children are all away for some days. It is just around the corner, and then two more corners. Come.”

Neisos took off at a quick walk, faster than Dash expected. Every now and then, he shifted his weight with his wings as he walked to keep his balance on three legs, and the ponies followed. They’d barely caught up to him when he spoke up again without looking back.

“It is you who do me a favour, to tell you the truth. An empty house tells a poor tale, and to fill it with life is auspicious. Twice as much when the life is strange and new.” He laughed a sharp trill. “It reminds me of the earliest stories of Pelessa. A blinding omen faced with open eyes—”

Rainbow Dash hadn’t meant to groan quite so loud, but Neisos stopped mid-sentence all the same. Before Rainbow Dash could consider whether she’d been a little too rude, wondering if she should apologise, the stag laughed again, twice as loud.

“Or!” he said, “To use other words for you: A pinch of sense is enough to tell that anyone who travels across half of Perytonia—and perhaps half the world—braving storm and strangeness to come to Vauhorn bearing green wings and curious questions, they are capable heroes, and I would not give up the chance to meet you were my wings in a vice.”

“Right. Sorry, I just… stories are gonna get old, and fast,” Dash muttered. “And please don’t ask me how my wings got like this,” she added, making Fluttershy wince.

Neisos nodded. “I will respect that wish, but I am still confused by your refusal of stories. There is nothing that does not have a story—my home is just around here,” he said, turning down a spacious alley, taking them out of the baking sun and into cooler shadow.

Rainbow Dash cast a backwards glance. Rarity lagged behind a little, and Fluttershy walked at her side. She waited for them to catch up while Neisos walked up to a nearby two-story building with a curved roof, a wooden door painted in children’s hoof-paintings flanked by windows with open shutters, multicoloured curtains drawn inside. He leaned against the wall for balance while pushing the door open. Normal doors. One point for Vauhorn.

“I don’t suppose you have hot water?” asked Rarity, pausing before the door. “And perhaps… I realise we ask much, but do you have more than one room? I believe I’m coming down with something, and I’d rather not pass it on—or keep my friends up all night.”

“I am not blind, and I did think you may have fallen ill. I simply did not want to make assumptions.” Neisos preceded the ponies inside, lost in the relative darkness for a moment while he talked. “Do your people also get colds, then? My sympathies, and apologies for not expressing them sooner. Everything about your appearances is strange to me, and I have so very many questions—”

“I’m a girl, a she, not a ‘stag’,” said Dash as she entered, waving the others inside as well. “Not a guy, okay? Cool? All of us: girls.”

“And now, though it matters little in the greater context, I have one less question,” said Neisos, smiling toothily.

Neisos’ house—or his family’s house, Dash supposed—was every bit as spaciously designed as the city outside. One part of the large chamber she stepped into was clearly some sort of living room area with a low table that would seat ponies comfortably, and another area was cordoned off by thin wooden screens painted with scenes that meant nothing to her. Beyond stood some contraptions Dash didn’t know, a small oven, and a bunch of paints, while the rest looked living-roomy enough. Shelves and cupboards all over, stacked with scrolls, books, statues and knick-knacks.

“Rooms for you will be found upstairs,” said Neisos, gesturing to stairs set along the far wall. “You may take my children’s rooms. Or, if you are not comfortable sharing beds and want for three bedrooms rather than two, I will find elsewhere to sleep, and you may take my bed also. While you get settled, I will heat some water and find an oil that may prove soothing for you—Rarity, is it?”

“Yes. Rarity the unicorn—” said Rarity, splaying her ears and letting out a wracking sneeze followed by a groan. “—who right now is rather annoyed that she is not Rarity the pegasus, since pegasi apparently can’t get colds.”

“Hey, we can still get the feather flu. That’s like, ten times worse,” said Rainbow Dash, frowning.

“Um, I don’t know about that,” said Fluttershy, glancing over at Rarity. “Colds look pretty bad. But you’re right. We can’t get colds, so we can probably share a bedroom, you know.”

Rarity looked to the two pegasi in turn, her snout covered with her handkerchief. At length, she shook her head. “No, I think we’d all rather have some privacy for our parts in my being sick, really.”

“Either way, let’s get you to bed,” said Fluttershy, nosing Rarity on the flank to herd her towards the stairs. “Thank you again,” Fluttershy added, smiling at Neisos. Rarity already had her saddlebags hovering at her side in her magical grip.

“A little extra cleaning around the house is no price at all. I will have my reward in plenty through your—”

“Stories,” Dash finished in silent chorus with the peryton, mouthing the word as he spoke it. She saw Rarity and Fluttershy’s tails disappear up the stairs, instead following Neisos towards the open portal that presumably led to a kitchen of sorts, pausing only to put her saddlebags away by the large table when they passed it by.

Despite the sheer amount of space in the few but large rooms, it was full of life even in the absence of Neisos’ family—some of the signs familiar, some of them confusing. Wooden shelves overflowed with scrolls and a few books, a stack piled at its base. Paintings crowded the walls, the table bore half-eaten food, and the corner with the oven Dash pegged as a potter’s workshop was a mess.

“You still have not explained this word,” said Neisos when Dash stepped into the kitchen which consisted mostly of stone counters and a small stove, strange smells drifting in from a half-open door to a pantry. Someone had either discarded an attempt at baking, or simply not put the flour, butter and all other things away. That, at least, was some relatable chaos, an understandable mess less foreign than all the tapestries and paintings.

“What?” asked Rainbow Dash, shaking her head quickly. “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention, what word?”

“The missive,” said Neisos, tossing some wood into the stove and hovering over a long match and a rock, lighting a small fire. “As I said, all I know is that Equestrian diplomats would visit Orto, and to see you here so soon is surprising unless I missed another letter. Regardless, you come here speaking of wanting to see a ‘mayor’. What is this?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I don’t know, the person in charge here. The leader of the city, you know? Like, uh, we have Mayor Mare, and I guess she handles anything that’s boring? She was the one who told me I couldn’t move my house to right over Ponyville. That sorta stuff.”

Neisos nodded thoughtfully, levitating over a kettle and filling it with water from a small pump by a faucet. “Now I have more words I do not understand, and I do not know we have someone like that.”

Dash raised a brow. “Okay? Who got the letter, then?”

“The Raven-Tenders attached it to the Ravenwall. None and everyone received it, but I imagine the council read it as they do all things, no matter how inane.” He paused and let out a little cackling caw. “Protect those poor peryton from their burden. And to your example, they would decide in a case such as you describe. They certainly handled Ohrinna’s takeover of this house.”

“Alright, so you have a ‘council’. That works, I guess,” said Dash, shrugging. She’d questioned their decision to visit all these peryton who worked like mayors ever since Stagrum anyway, but it helped to know if they had a city council. “Can we meet them? I think we really just wanna say hi; introduce ourselves and everything before we head over to Cotronna.”

Neisos leaned over the kettle, then dipped a hoof in the water, sighing. He opened the stove and lit another match. Clearly the fire had gone out. “Yes?” he said, making it a question, leaning halfway into the stove and surfacing with a muzzle tipped with soot. “Yes, you may, of course. This kind of situation, I believe it is what the council should do. Decide on things.” He coughed and closed the door to the stove, smiling now. “They do many other, more important things. When it comes to these things you say your ‘mayor’ does, I am perhaps no more informed about my council than you are about yours.”

Dash nodded and grinned. The smile was infectious, and when he spoke plain, he seemed cool enough. “Hey, that’s fine,” she said. “I guess we got that in common. Thanks again for the assist earlier, really.”

He shook his head briskly, turning to sweep some flour off a counter, absent-mindedly cleaning as he spoke. “No, your thanks are misplaced. As I have said, they never meant to bar your way, only to question, as is their right. Questions must always be asked.”

“Pft, you didn’t like my questions earlier,” said Dash, leaning against the counter.

“I did not reject your questions about why we accept the storied nature of the world,” countered he. “I questioned your questions, and you gave up.”

Rainbow Dash blinked. “Uh. Okay, right. No really though, I don’t care if you don’t think it was a big deal, we appreciate the help. Are you some kind of guard captain or something?”

He laughed again, a sharp rattling laughter that he quickly stifled. He shook his head and made a show of wiping the toothy grin off his face. “I am sorry, no. I did not mean to laugh—”

“It’s fine,” said Dash with a shrug.

“—but no. I am captain of no one and nothing, and in case it is still not clear, they were not ‘guards’. They were concerned citizens who take on the sashes to act as patrollers some days of the week,” he continued, his mirth mellowing by degrees. “And my authority over them was only the authority of reason. All peryton will listen to reason, and the doe to whom I spoke is exceptionally reasonable, if protective.”

“Yeah, I’ll say,” muttered Rainbow Dash.

“Of course,” he added, “you must ask yourself, were you slighted because of her conduct, or was your pride too far extended? I will say it was both, but let me apologise for her all the same.”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “You still haven’t answered. If you’re not a guard, do you go around town looking for ponies to talk to every day?”

He shook his head as though that had been a fair suggestion. “I mind my family’s children and teach them our stories for now. If anything, I have designs on becoming a teller of stories, but I suspect I may join my love in some craft when all our young are of age.”

Dash nodded at that. Her eyes wandered about the room, but next to the visual noise of the main chamber, the kitchen was plain and familiar-looking, excepting its size allowing for the larger peryton. Neisos made a hobbling turn, putting some stacked bowl and utensils away.

“You stare at my leg,” said Neisos, stretching his neck to put something on top of a tall shelf. “Or rather, at my lack of one.”

Rainbow Dash splayed her ears. She hadn’t thought he would notice, but clearly he had, even when he didn’t look at her. “Sorry about that,” she said, looking away.

“Why? I am not offended,” he said, giving the kitchen a quick once-over. Apparently satisfied with what he saw, he smiled a touch. “However, the room is pregnant with your desire to ask me why I only have one leg—and you just asked me if I have something like a profession, to which my answer was not clear. Maybe you understand there is a connection. Maybe you wonder why.”

Rainbow Dash nodded. The last bits only hit her as an afterthought, but now that Neisos had suggested it, it was hard not to wonder. “Right, okay, I’m curious, but it’s rude to stare. At least for ponies. I didn’t mean to do it.”

Neisos inclined his head. “Then ask me, how did I lose my leg?”

Dash squinted. “Okay, you’re being weird about it. Are you gonna explain it by telling me some story with a bunch of people or Aspects I’ve never heard about? I’ll pass.”

The peryton clucked his tongue. “You are astute. I would in fact share it through a story, but I understand this somehow frustrates you. You have expressed this more than once by now.”

Rainbow Dash grunted. She hadn’t really thought about it that much, and now she kind of had to. “Frustrated? I don’t know about that. I like stories just fine, I just—ugh, you’re talking about one thing, and then suddenly you’re talking about something else.” She frowned. How else could she explain it? It made her feel stupid.

Neisos nodded, simple as that. “Then I will instead say that I lost my leg in an accident at the amberstone quarry where I worked. As a result, I discovered a new purpose.” His antlers glimmered as he scratched his nose with a touch of magic. “To me, these events, these summaries are insufficient. By telling it through the story of Daros’ rebirth through his simple duties, I can better explain the transformation that took place, the sense of renewed purpose.”

“You were… transformed?” Rainbow Dash asked, raising a brow.

“See?” asked Neisos. “Now you are interested. Yes, transformed, but in a way that resists such simple explanation. Drawing upon other stories lets me embellish and flavour the events, of course, but they also allow me to share the depth of an experience.”

He poured the boiling water from the kettle and into a large bowl, mixing in a little water from the pump and levitating it by Dash’s side. “Moving is a little more troubling now, as you may understand, so I turned hedge-storyteller, and my life has become richer for it. It is a good story, Daros’. Mine? Not by itself. Take this water to your friend. I will be along with towels and an oil in a moment.”

Chapter 22

Acacia

I don’t know when you’re back from your leave, but since our shifts don’t collide until I’m done covering for Soft Strides, and I don’t have your home address, I’m leaving this for when you get back.

One of the other attendants found this scrap of paper clearing the Day Lounge and brought it to me. I’ve been debating with myself whether or not to bring this up to the Princesses, as they’ve been very busy lately. This is no normal detritus. The attendant in question would’ve thrown it away if not for noticing a magical aura about it.

Now, I don’t have a horn myself, as you are well aware, but I can clearly recognise the enchanted paper keyed to the lounge. This is the same paper used by Princesses for urgent messages, but it bears no message. I haven’t crossed paths with either of the Princesses today, and hope maybe you can bring it up if you think it seems important.

-TA

“Is there anything else we can do?” asked Fluttershy, leaning a little closer with her ears pinned to her head.

“I have hot water to wash my face with, cold water to drink, some quite frankly horrid… smelling oils? And, I have a soft bed,” said Rarity with a little chuckle. “Darling, I’m doing fine enough, though I expect I’ll get worse before I get better. My throat hurts a little, but it’s hurt for days.”

“You should have told us sooner,” Fluttershy scolded. “All those nights sleeping in the cold—”

“I didn’t feel very cold under the blanket,” said Rarity with a scoff. “Excepting my hooves, perhaps. It’s not your fault, dear.”

“No, it’s all of our faults,” sighed Fluttershy.

“Fluttershy, it’s a cold. She’ll sneeze it off or whatever it is other ponies do,” said Dash, rolling her eyes at the dramatics. Besides, the idea of a “cold” felt laughable in the daytime heat, even though peryton houses kept relatively cool compared to the outside.

Rarity had gotten the bigger room, a double bedroom with smooth stone walls, an abstract tapestry, and two soft beds not much different from any other. Here a toy wagon, there a few books, and by a wooden shelf, some puzzle items that probably required magic to solve. Dash had no idea.

She’d poked her head inside the single bedroom opposite a minute ago, and the floor of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash’s designated room was covered in metal samples, scraps and tools. They’d had to meticulously clear a path to the bed just to put away their saddlebags without incident.

“Anyway, you just need to stay in bed until you get better,” Fluttershy said. “And you’ll let us know if you need anything, won’t you?”

“Yeah, and while you’re working on that getting better thing,” said Dash, scratching her snout. “We’ll… do what?”

“Whatever do you mean?” asked Rarity. She leaned over the edge of the bed, scooting her saddlebags a little closer with her magic, levitating out her papers and her fabrics, then dusting off the floor before arraying them at the foot of the bed. “I don’t need you to wait on me.” She paused at her own words. “Well. Not every hour of the day, anyway, but there are things to be done.”

Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “If Neisos manages to get us an audience with the council, we should probably go as soon as we can.” She puffed out her cheeks. “I really don’t like the idea of going without you. I don’t know what we’ll say.”

Rarity snorted. “Oh don’t be silly, dear. The only reason we visit them is to be polite. Just tell them ‘hi’, I suppose. No, when I say things to be done, I mean a quite different kind of work. I will create a new set of dresses, and I need you to find some way to show them off. Some venue or other to see what the Vauhorn peryton think. They seem to have a far more varied approach to fashion than any of the other cities we’ve visited so far.”

“Hey, no fair,” Dash called. “If I can’t fly when my wings are busted, why do you get to do all your dressmaking stuff when you’re supposed to rest?"

“Oh for goodness’ sake, Rainbow, recovering is not a contest,” Rarity huffed.

“She’s right, though. You really shouldn’t overexert yourself,” Fluttershy chimed, narrowing her eyes at the nascent dresses in front of her. To Dash, it was a warning look, like she might take them away any moment.

“You either get the Rarity who does a little work to keep herself busy, dressmaking being second nature to me,” said Rarity matter-of-factly, lying still in her bed as her magic unrolled a small bolt of white silk, “or you get the Rarity who lies in bed with nothing to do and constantly complains about this fact.”

“Good luck with the dresses!” said Dash, grinning.

“I… I guess it’s nice if you have something to do,” Fluttershy sighed.

“Yes, it is,” said Rarity, nodding sagely. “And thank you, Rainbow Dash. Did you like the half-length skirt of the first dress, or the second one? Perhaps you would prefer a saddle? I have two designs, and I could fit both to either of you.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I don’t care as long as it doesn’t touch the ground.”

“Very well,” said Rarity. “Now, if you’ll graciously allow me to do work—”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” said Fluttershy, her tail drooping.

“—then honestly, if the two of you wish to go see the sights of the city, I will be fine by myself here,” Rarity continued, smiling at Fluttershy. “I know you didn’t mean to upset me, and you didn’t. I didn’t mean to be quite so rude either, but I can not lie here with nothing but incomprehensible books for company.”

“Well, if you’re fine,” said Dash, turning to Fluttershy. “Wanna go see if there’s anything fun to do here?”

Fluttershy chewed her bottom lip. “Can we at least wait until Neisos comes back from the city council? I don’t want to leave Rarity completely alone.”

Rarity shook her head, not looking up from her work. “That’s—”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Dash declared. No argument there. She walked over to one of the room’s high windows and pushed two layers of curtains aside, one heavy, one light as gossamer. She had to rear up on her hindlegs to look out at the city. The sun scorched the rooftops now, but compared to Stagrum, Vauhorn still slept. Rainbow Dash remembered Stagrum as a forest of antlers. Maybe it was just the narrower streets. Orto had been busy, too, but they’d visited during a festival. The Festival of Mironna, was it? Myrtella?

What the view from the second-story window didn’t remind her of was Las Pegasus, but a world apart, it still made her think of the view from the hotel room. The elaborate scrollwork, the tapestries and banners became the magically fluorescent signs of the Equestrian city. The streets were now cobblestone, the windows had glass, and the few peryon in sight became a throng of ponies excited to visit the City of Games.

Did she miss it? Not Las Pegasus. She missed half her friends, a world apart. They’d be fine. She also missed someone else, someone who wasn’t quite as far.

“Hey Fluttershy, you know what we should do while we’re here?” asked Rainbow Dash. She let the curtains fall back into place. “We should go on a date!”

“A date?” Fluttershy returned the words with a note of panic.

“Yeah! A date!”

“I—um, okay,” said Fluttershy. At length she nodded and spread her wings a touch, even smiling ever so slightly. “Okay, I guess that might be nice, actually. What did you have in mind? Maybe… maybe we could take a lovely evening flight together?”

Rainbow Dash grinned back at her. “I don’t know, maybe. If we’re gonna be around for a few days anyway, I’ll think about it for a bit. I just wanna look around today, but we should totally go on a date someday.”

Fluttershy nodded, her smile earnest now. “If Rarity doesn’t mind us taking a little time together, that sounds wonderful.”

At first, Rarity simply shook her head without looking up. “Mm, no, I told you I would be fine just a moment ago—oh, but I am happy to hear it, that’s wonderful,” she added, tilting her head. She put down the fabrics she matched together. “I’m curious, now. Is… flying considered a proper date?”

Rainbow Dash cocked a brow. “What do you mean proper?”

Rarity shrugged. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I know you have restaurants in Cloudsdale. Going on a walk together is hardly a romantic date, is it? Not that everypony necessarily enjoys the romance itself, I understand.”

“Okay, first off,” Dash said. “Walking and flying are totally not the same.”

“I don’t know if I understand what a ‘proper’ date is, either,” Fluttershy said, rubbing one foreleg against the other. “I know many earth ponies are fond of picnics.”

“Isn’t this the kind of stuff you should know?” Dash asked, pinning Rarity with a look.

“Why?” asked Rarity, frowning. “Just because I enjoy romance doesn’t mean I know everything. Besides, I’m a unicorn, and one who knows her tastes very well. A date in my mind includes very specific things. If flying is a date to you, then that’s wonderful. Anything can be a date if you wish it to be, I imagine.”

Fluttershy nodded and smiled at that, apparently satisfied, while Rainbow Dash’s attention drifted, and had been drifting for a while already. Fluttershy was down for a date, and that was really all she’d been asking. She moved over to inspect some open books on the floor, squinting at the curious scrawl while Fluttershy and Rarity talked about something or other concerning coughing and sneezing and being sick.

The book had pictures, too. Stylized peryton with exaggerated wings and antlers. Beautiful scenes of peryton with feathers spread in front of the rising sun or elaborate landscapes. Another one was mostly graphs and rows of similar signs repeated. She turned the page just as she heard the door on the ground floor open, movement at the edge of hearing.

“Am I interrupting?” a familiar voice called from below, steps halting at the bottom of the stairs.

“It’s your house, dear,” Rarity called back, covering her snout just in time to catch a sneeze, followed by a disgusted noise and a hastily applied handkerchief.

“That means come on in,” Rainbow Dash added. A few moments later, Neisos stuck his head in from the hallway.

“I return,” he said, twisting his head around to look across the hall. “And I see you have settled in there as well, good. These two rooms will do, but this state of Deimesa’s room, I apologise. She aspires to work as a water technician.”

“A water technician?” Dash asked, failing to see what all the junk in the other room had to do with water. “Like, with rain?”

Neisos tilted his head. “With the tools of the water technicians. With pipes and pumps, of course.”

“Right, never mind,” said Dash, shaking her head, instantly bored.

“It’s fine anyway,” said Fluttershy, smiling at him. “We’re the guests, and it’s not a problem at all. Did you find the city council? Did they want to see us?”

“Find?” Neisos asked. “There will always be one or more of them at the council-house. That is their duty, and there is not much of a formal audience to be had. They will see you at any time you desire, as though were you citizens. It is as I suspected: they had read and still remember the missive at the Ravenwall, and the council is right next to it, easy for you to find.”

“If you tell us where the Ravenwall is, whatever that is, probably,” said Dash with a grin.

“This, yes. Of course,” Neisos agreed.

“What is this Ravenwall?” asked Rarity. “I assume it is analogous to the… what did they call them in the other cities? Raven house? House of ravens? One of those things. Something of a post office.”

“I do not know what a ‘post office’ is, but if that is where your council communicates with other cities to share stories, and where the other cities chime in on our business—and where urgent matters are delivered—then yes, it is a post office,” he said, stretching out one of his wings half-way and scratching his belly with it.

“So, kind of a post office,” Dash concluded, mostly to herself. “Kinda but not.”

“To give you the full tale as I saw it,” Neisos added, almost as an afterthought. “The council member I spoke to seemed very pleased to hear of your arrival, delighted to hear you decided to visit.”

“D’you wanna get it out of the way right away?” Dash asked, glancing at Fluttershy.

“Maybe,” said Fluttershy, biting her lower lip.

“We could just go say hi or whatever, just like Rarity said,” Dash suggested. “If they’re as impossible to understand as the peryton we met at the edge of town, that’s fine, we can just leave. We don’t really need to ask them anything, like how to get to Cotronna, right?”

Fluttershy shook her head quickly and giggled. “No, not at all. It’s just along the coast, not very far away.” She looked over at Neisos, and the peryton raised a brow.

“When one calls the journey to Cotronna ‘not very far’, you stand before a traveller,” he said, dipping his head slightly. “She is our closest neighbour among sister-cities, and along the coast as you say. If you manage to lose your way there, you have closed your eyes.”

“It’s a little more than half the distance from Ephydoera to here, but we’re not going through a forest this time, so that’s something,” said Fluttershy.

“Yay for that, I guess,” said Dash. With the mention of Ephydoera, she couldn’t not glance back at her discoloured wings, swishing her tail quickly from side to side in annoyance. Just as she did, there was a small thunk. Dash whirled around, backing off a step. A small stone statue lay on the floor, and it took her a second to realise she recognised the statue of a rearing Selyria.

“Oh. I forgot I still had that tangled in my tail, jeez,” said Dash, wincing at the crack the surprisingly solid statuette had made in the floor. “Sorry about the, uh... It’s just a little hole. I’ll just put it back.” She pushed a tiny piece of tilework that had been chipped off back into place, patting it for good measure. “The rock. Not the hole. All good now.” Fluttershy gritted her teeth and sucked in breath between her teeth, and Rarity sighed.

Neisos didn’t really seem to pay attention to the chipped stonework. His eyes were on the creature that lay on the floor. “May I?” he asked, pointing to the dark stone statue with a hoof, momentarily balancing on two legs.

“Huh? Sure, go ahead, you can borrow it,” Dash said with a shrug.

“It’s not really ours,” said Fluttershy, shooting Dash a glance.

“Oh. Yeah,” Dash admitted, grimacing. “I guess we found it in some of your ruins. You can have it if you want. Heh, I thought my tail was just heavy ‘cause it was getting long.” She flicked her tail about some more, relishing in how much easier it was now.

Neisos shook his head slowly, turning the statue around in his magical grip before putting it down on the floor upright. “The statue interests me a little, yes, but the stone moreso.”

“The stone?” Rarity asked, cocking a brow. She hung over the edge of the bed, and the statue took on her particular magical glow, whisked over to her side. She squinted. “It’s just stone. It’s no kind of gem I know of.”

“Oh. Right,” said Dash. “You said you used to work at a quarry, and that’s like… a stone… place?”

Neisos nodded. “An amberstone quarry. This statue is not made from our local source of stone, but I know Perytonian stone all the same, and this strikes me as curious.”

“We found it in the Splitwood. It’s probably from there,” Fluttershy suggested.

“As far as I know, neither peryton nor quarries hide in there,” Neisos said, frowning. “But it is no matter. The stone is not from there, either, nor is this Ortosian, Stagrumite or Cotronnan stone. We trade samples by caravan every once in awhile.”

“Alright,” said Dash, nodding. “Cool. What the hay does that mean?”

Neisos smiled. “Nothing. The stone is not from Perytonia. This is curious, that is all.”

“D’you wanna keep it?” asked Dash. “We found it in some peryton ruins, and it is a peryton, so I guess it’s yours.”

“You think?” asked Neisos. He walked over to the nightstand where Rarity had left the statuette, leaning in close until his snout nearly touched the thing. “To me, it does not look like a peryton at all. It is strange stone, and a strange creature. I can do nothing with it. Thank you, but keep it.”

Rainbow Dash blew her mane out of her face. “Alright, it’s all the same to me. I’ll use it as a bookend or something—no, hang on, Twilight’s gonna love it! Strange and mysterious old artifact? Right up her alley.”

“It’s not magical, dear,” said Rarity. “I think we can rule out ‘artifact’”.

Neisos’ belly made a gurgling sound, and the peryton cleared his throat. “Speaking of mysteries, you mention the Splitwood, and I am eager to learn how your people commit events to story, to memory. If I were to ask how your journey here was, would you answer? Preferably over some…” he paused, tapping a slim hoof on the ground as he stared at a curtained window for answers. “Lunch? Dinner? I will start making food at once if you will tell me your preference—and offer a helping hoof or two, perhaps?”

Fluttershy nodded and smiled at Rainbow Dash. “I’m sure we can keep you company, at least. Maybe we can eat up here when we’re done?”

“Eating on a bedroom floor? Don’t be silly, dear,” replied Rarity. “Those traders we met last night were a little too insistent in their generosity when they shared their food, and I’m not particularly hungry. Besides, I’d like to get a little more work done. I’ll be here if you need me."

Rainbow Dash squinted at Rarity, but she didn’t really have any protests ready to go. She headed for the door. “As long as we’re not making kelp cakes, I’m in.

“I have spoken to Stagrumites on occasion,” Neisos said with a nod. “And yes, the hill you rested upon is known to me as well. It is the Northern Crown. If you look to the south at sun-up, the stone of its western face can be seen from Vauhorn.”

“That’s neat,” said Dash. She reached for the ladle, helping herself to an extra quarter portion of Neisos’ vegetable soup. He called it vegetable soup, anyway, but Rainbow Dash only recognised half the ingredients. Whatever the hay a fennel was, it tasted good. “So yeah, Rarity got all sneezy, so we flew all the way down here, end of story,” Dash said.

“Not the end,” said Neisos, smiling. “Never the end, and even where those exist, ends interest me little. In your case, some other pieces of the story are far more engaging than the chase for a conclusion.”

“Alright?” Dash asked, taking a sip of soup. Had she forgotten to leave out any of the embarrassing details beyond the wings? She was glad Fluttershy had headed up to check on Rarity. It let her omit certain near-disasters involving collapsing Splitwood treehouse-ruins, too.

“The ‘bird’ you say you met in the ruins,” said Neisos. He flipped his own bowl upright and placed it on the center of the table, then poured what little soup was left in Fluttershy’s bowl into the kettle again. “The defaced stele so far south. Your meeting with Khaird. Different things will stand out to every individual. We learn different things from the same stories.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t say anything to that, busying herself with her soup. Hooves on stone announced Fluttershy’s return, the other pegasus taking her seat next to Rainbow Dash. “She’s asleep,” Fluttershy said. “I put the water next to her bed, but she looks fine, and she’s breathing okay.”

“Mostly the bird,” Neisos repeated, his face blank.

“I’m sorry?” Fluttershy asked, looking a little bewildered.

“Dunno, he’s thinking about the bird,” Dash said, shrugging. “The creepy one in the ruins. I told him the rest of the story real quick.”

“Oh,” said Fluttershy, pinning her ears back. “I’m sorry if we sounded very… mean. I’m sure she’s a great bird and everything, whatever her—or his name is.”

Neisos shook his head. “You tell stories clearly and without prejudice. I respect that it is hard to share so many suns’ worth of travels and experience simply and quickly, but this part in particular seems to me an omen.”

“Great,” said Dash, finishing her soup. She flipped her bowl around and put it on top of the others just like Neisos had done. “So what’s the bird an omen of?”

“I do not know,” Neisos admitted, smiling. “Omens do not reveal their true purpose until they are fully illuminated.”

Dash raised a brow. “So basically, it’s completely useless.”

Fluttershy frowned. “Rainbow Dash, that’s not very nice.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “I’m not saying he’s useless, just that if you say something that means… that something means something, but that you don’t know what it means, what’s the point?”

Neisos nodded slowly. “Your words are not unwise. My reply is that stories have different meanings at any one point of their telling—but! This was not a dinner and philosophy. This was a dinner and a question of how you came here. I have my answers, and you wish to see the council, I understand.”

“Yeah, that’s the idea,” Dash agreed, getting up and stretching out her entire body. She tapped Fluttershy on the back with a wing even as the other pegasus rose to stand as well. “You wanna get going?”

Fluttershy nodded and smiled back at her, though her tail drooped a little. “I guess we’d better get it over with.”

Neisos grabbed the stack of bowls in his magical grip and stood. “I would offer to join you, but I understand you would like your friend to not go unattended.” He took a few steps towards the kitchen before he paused. “The council goes nowhere, mind you. Would you not like to wait for your friend to get well? You say you are diplomats, and it is not my purpose to pry, but if you would have word with Vauhorn, are these proposals too urgent to wait?”

“We don’t really have any ‘proposals’ or anything,” said Rainbow Dash with a short laugh. “Nah, we’re just gonna say hi, really, because… that’s polite and everything?”

“Khaird seemed to think so, at least,” said Fluttershy, nodding along. “It’s a nice thing to do.”

Neisos nodded at this. “Then I have received more answers than I even asked for. You remember the directions I gave you, yes?”

“I remember. We’ll be fine, thank you. Your streets are very organised, at least from what we’ve seen,” said Fluttershy.

“And we can always just fly up,” said Dash grinning. “But yeah. Right, then left, and straight ahead or something.”

“Um, right, then right again,” supplied Fluttershy.

“Same thing. Like I said, we got it,” Dash concluded.

“He seems really nice,” said Fluttershy, casting a look over her back, down the street. At least it wouldn’t be hard to remember which house on this particular street was Neisos’. Every one of them looked plenty distinct.

“Yeah. I want to say ‘but he’s a little weird’ too, but… you know. Peryton. So, duh,” said Dash with a grin.

Fluttershy shook her head slightly and smiled. “I don’t think you’re wrong, they’re just… different, and he’s a little more different. I guess we’ll find out if most of the peryton here are more like him, or if they’re like the peryton with the sashes who stopped us on the road.”

“I’ll take kooky peryton over angry peryton any day of the week,” said Dash, crinkling her snout as she thought. “I think.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Well, they probably don’t have to be one of the two,” she said, and Dash nodded her agreement at that.

If she had to guess, though, the peryton of Vauhorn were probably weird by default, simply because they didn’t look suspicious or skeptical in the least—nor did they look as intensely curious as the Ortosians. They came up on the end of Neisos’ little by-street, and a peryton watering some plants stared at them as they walked by, nodding to herself as though she drew some meaning from their passing. Two stags chatting by an open doorway followed them with their eyes, their conversation twice as animated when the ponies had moved past.

When they hit the larger street and took a right down the thoroughfare, there were more peryton about, but not by much. The few people out and about rested in shadow, or crowded around fountains and roadside water pumps. Most of them wore something, be it a sash, a tailband, a mask or something weird in their antlers. One in particular caught Dash’s eyes, her entire body coloured red from snout to tail-feathers. Other peryton stared at her, too.

“I guess they mostly stay inside during the middle of the day because it’s even warmer here,” said Fluttershy, her eyes skywards for a second. “I wonder if that’s because we’re further north, or if it’s the second part of the summer.”

“Hm? Eh, maybe both,” said Dash with a shrug, but she felt it too. They’d been on the move for mere minutes, and already she felt icky. At least there were some clouds out today. The sun would pass in shadow soon. The red doe passed from view, obscured by another peryton. “Jeez, it’s like everyone’s playing dress-up here. It’s like a costume party just without something... ” she trailed off, sticking out her tongue as she thought.

“Without a theme?” Fluttershy suggested.

“Yeah. They’re all just wearing different stuff.” Rainbow Dash watched as two peryton made a lie of her words, a pair of does wearing identical feathered half-masks talking in low tones in the shrinking shade of a building. Their heads turned to follow the ponies as they passed, faintly smiling. “Almost everyone,” Dash added, lamely.

Fluttershy shuffled her wings and smiled. “Maybe they think we’re just peryton in costume, then.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “If I was this good at costume making, I’d be—uh. Well, I guess I’d be Pinkie Pie.”

“I guess so.” Fluttershy giggled.

“Maybe I am wearing a costume,” Dash suggested with a smirk. “Maybe I’m wearing the coolest costume imaginable: a costume of me. It’s got a newly cut mane and everything!”

Fluttershy snorted with laughter and flushed for a second, probably as surprised as Dash was at the sound she’d made. She covered her muzzle with the nook of a leg. “Well, I like it,” Fluttershy said, swishing her tail over to touch Rainbow Dash. “And I’m sure that if you had help with the mane, the pony who helped did her best.”

“It’s great,” said Dash, simple as that. She extended a wing part-way, just to touch Fluttershy’s side. It was too hot to wrap a wing around or bother her otherwise, but she kept a feather in contact with her girlfriend just because. The broad street sloped gently down as it forged straight ahead. In fact, she could see a pier and the water far ahead. Clear blue water sparkled in the sunlight, almost half as bright as Fluttershy’s eyes in the corner of Dash’s vision. She wasn’t one for mushy stuff, sure, but she couldn’t not notice.

Of course, that also meant she noticed Fluttershy wasn’t looking ahead, trying to find the Ravenwall—whatever it was—that supposedly bordered on this road. Fluttershy stared right at Dash. Normally that’d be fine. Normally, ponies staring at Dash was awesome, but Fluttershy’s smile was stuck at three quarters. Dash tilted her head and fixed her with a look.

“What’s up?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Fluttershy didn’t startle or panic or any of the other things Dash might have expected her to do when caught staring. Instead she let out a breath so deep she must’ve held it all the way from Ponyville.

“I think we need to talk,” said Fluttershy.

“Alright?” asked Dash. “That’s… cool? Because, y’know, we’re talking right now. Like I said, what’s up?”

“No, we need to talk about being together,” said Fluttershy. She looked to each side of the street, her ears wilting. Peryton watched them lazily as they passed.

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Yeah? You got an idea for the date? Maybe you can decide what we do the next time, but I got a plan for this one.”

“Um, that’s great, but that’s not—” said Fluttershy, pausing when one of the rare few peryton who walked the streets passed by them, the other pegasus’s eyes following the doe until she was gone. “Actually, maybe we can talk about it later, when we get back. I’m sorry for bringing it up.” She flashed an uneasy smile. “There’s a lot of people around.”

“Sure thing,” said Dash. She cocked a brow when she felt Fluttershy’s right wing wrap around her body. So much for it being too hot. She didn’t say anything, though, nuzzling Fluttershy’s cheek in return. Talking now, talking later—no difference. They crossed over another one of the plazas Vauhorn placed squarely in every intersection, this one crowded not just by tall three-story buildings surrounding it, but by peryton occupying it. Rainbow Dash set course for the central fountain without thinking, thirsty already.

“What do you think is going on?” asked Fluttershy, watching the one half of the plaza busier than the rest. There had to be at least five dozen peryton involved, and for a moment, Rainbow Dash thought most of them were wingless. At a second glance, she saw that they just had their wings bound tight with cloth the same colour of their bodies.

Rainbow Dash watched between sips, the scene changing every time she resurfaced after dipping her muzzle in the fountain. The wingless crowd parted to reveal four peryton with thick swaths of cloth bound around each leg. The next time she looked, a perfectly mono-coloured doe stood in the center with an ornate golden beak affixed to her muzzle. On her back were not one, but two sets of wings spread, the second one an elaborate pair of cloth or paper feathers.

Rainbow Dash wiped her muzzle and nudged Fluttershy softly in the side. “C’mon, you should drink a little too.”

Fluttershy didn’t say anything to that, just like Rainbow Dash didn’t really answer her question either. She had no idea what the hay was going on, and she liked to pretend that no one else did, either. It made the whole thing funnier, anyway. On the other side of the plaza, Vauhorn seemed an almost normal city. A friendly-looking stag sold tomatoes to a family of four from a stall not yet set up. Three peryton with strange tools worked on the stone steps of a storefront. A couple touched their antlers together on the opposite side of the fountain.

“Let’s find out what this Ravenwall thing looks like,” Dash said, casting one final look at the peryton throng. Where the wingless peryton had danced a moment ago—hopping from forelegs to hindlegs—now they talked amongst each other as though the performance was over, but the mood seemed serious. No one Dash could see laughed or smiled.

“Let’s,” Fluttershy agreed, nodding, though both their eyes were on the performers until they left the plaza behind.

They crossed another plaza, then another again. Each plaza and every length of the main street proved that Vauhorn didn’t lack in normalcy, many of the peryton who defied the baking sun doing very regular things in streets dressed up for a dozen different festivals. And then there were the peryton who didn’t do regular, normal, everyday things.

“Consider the auspices of the laughing bird,” said a doe walking past them. She wore a gauzy thin saddle-like cover in fiery reds and yellows and no expression at all. Her antlers were painted bright orange.

“Uh, I’m good, thanks?” said Rainbow Dash. She glanced at Fluttershy who looked equally helpless and turned back to the doe expecting a follow-up or an explanation, but she’d already left. A couple of paces behind them, she saw and heard the doe repeat the exact same words to a stag, who merely smiled and nodded, carrying on down the street.

“This really is a lovely place,” said Fluttershy, casting a worried look behind them, “but I am looking forward to getting home soon.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t know whether to laugh or solemnly agree, so she did both. “Heh, yeah. I could go for a nap in my own bed right now.” She scratched at her snout. “Or outside your house. My place doesn’t get cold enough in summer. I really need to make more windows.”

“You’re sure you’re not just saying that because it’s hot right now?” asked Fluttershy, tilting her head. “You’re welcome at my cottage anytime of course.”

“Maybe. I don’t know. Right now I don’t remember what feeling cold is like,” Dash grumped.

“Well, you should come visit anyway, and once you’re visiting, you really should come inside. I’ll make some tea,” Fluttershy added, smiling faintly, her eyes on the ground as they walked. Dash closed her eyes for a moment, pretending she was back home.

“Sure. Hey, make that lemonade, maybe. Anything cold,” said Rainbow Dash, but the thought soured immediately. “Or cocoa if we don’t get back before winter. I’m not gonna bet against that—but hey, I don’t have to help set up the winter snow, so go us.”

Fluttershy frowned and bumped against her. “Don’t say that! We’ll be home with plenty of time left for fall, too!”

“Did you just… hip check me?” Dash asked, blinking.

“And you mean hot chocolate. It’s hot chocolate you like, not cocoa,” Fluttershy added with the tiniest huff possible.

Rainbow Dash felt her cheeks heat up a little, but it was eclipsed by the growing grin on her face. “No seriously, did you—”

“I think we’re here,” Fluttershy said, interrupting her.

“Here where?” Dash asked, but she had her answer when she followed Fluttershy’s gaze to the right, to where the various stone buildings disappeared in a large road-side square.

It wasn’t that it was really a wall. It wasn’t a raven either. Not actually, but nothing had ever quite been so you’ll know it when you see it as the jagged boulder almost as tall as any of the surrounding buildings. It cast shadow from feathers carved into its top half, stylized and sharp towards its tips, gradually less distinct as they merged to become one with the rock. The only other feature on the barely-a-sculpture was the polished square on its own shadow side, affixed with dozens of scrolls and the residue of glue evidencing hundreds more taken down.

The ravens perching upon the rock were another, less subtle hint. Black-winged birds sat wherever there was space, with many more hopping around on the ground below, where a peryton with a feed bag doled out birdseed. One of the ravens warked, and another replied.

“Oh. Yeah. That’s probably what a ‘Ravenwall’ looks like,” Dash said.

The two ponies paused by the roadside. Rows of ravens sat next to each other, one rustling its wings and taking off. The large message board upon the Ravenwall drew the eye, but it took up only a corner of the large, tiled plaza placed almost haphazardly in the otherwise structured city.

“If the city hall thing was supposed to be right next to the Ravenwall,” said Rainbow Dash, eyeing the large building set deeper into the plaza. Large, wide, and all columns and empty space, it reminded her more of a gazebo than a house. A small and shockingly green lawn guarded it, out of place amidst all the stone.

“That has to be it,” Fluttershy agreed, nodding her head, and Rainbow Dash set course for one of the entrances at random. It was hard to pick one. The building had more open arches than it did walls. A peryton left one of the far portals heading for the Ravenwall, a scroll clutched in her magic. The bird-feeder walked to meet her.

“I wish Rarity was here,” said Fluttershy, her ears drooping as they neared the council-house. Her head tilted back as they walked the narrow path through the little lawn, as though her eyes were stuck on the tallest point of the building, where the outer columns met the roof. “And I wish we’d asked what the council is like.”

“Relax, jeez,” said Dash, batting at her side with a wing, a feather-light prod. She stopped at the foot of the low stairs that circled the building. From here, they could see peryton walking to and fro inside the building—and straight through to the other side, too. Rainbow Dash exhaled. “Yeah, and me too. I don’t know what we’re gonna say.”

“You did say we should probably just say hello,” said Fluttershy. She smiled, trying to encourage Rainbow Dash with her own words. Dash snorted.

“Yeah yeah, I know.” Dash tossed her head to make her mane lie right. “But all the other times, we’ve needed directions, and we’ve had other stuff to say. We wanted to ask about the roads, or check about a boat or whatever, but Cotronna’s just down the road, right? This is small talk. Without Rarity.”

“Not right down the road, but we know where we’re going this time,” said Fluttershy, not sounding entirely convinced by her own words. “But… maybe not? We don’t know if the roads are safe, or if there’s anything wrong, so I guess we should ask about that. Goodness, are we getting careless? There are all sorts of things that could be wrong—”

“There we go,” said Dash, cutting her off and grinning as she mounted the stairs. “Exactly what I was looking for. Now there’s a reason to talk to these people. Come on, let’s go!”

“A reason?” Fluttershy asked, trotting a few steps to catch up.

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash. “Like… if we’re gonna keep doing this whole ‘meet the mayor’ thing. Council. Whatever.”

“I always thought we were doing it because we promised Khaird.” Fluttershy slowed down as they passed between two massive stone columns, then an arch. They walked inside a large chamber, segmented off by large, solid walls with doors to either side. The ceiling was tall and painted in the colours of the sky, making Dash shift her wings to make sure she couldn’t feel a breeze that hadn’t been there a minute ago, ensuring that they were, in fact, inside. Their hooves echoed, loud on the hard stone floor.

Three peryton with simple, white face-fitted masks sat around a low table in the middle of the chamber, colourful pillows almost lost in all the space. Two more peryton conversed over by a column across the hall, and one walked past, seeming not to notice them. All of them wore the same masks, not a single one without.

Fluttershy’s mention of Khaird—and relating the tale of their meeting to Neisos earlier this morning—brought back the memory of that evening chat with the kindly consul and his map weeks ago, before leaving Orto. One particular thing he had said stuck out in particular.

“This was his ‘agenda’?” Dash asked, her voice low.

“I’m sorry?” Fluttershy whispered.

“If we’re here because of Khaird, like you said,” Dash whispered back. “And he just… wanted us to say hello and stay in each city, I mean. What kind of master plan is that?”

“Master plan? I… don’t think that’s what agenda means,” Fluttershy said, blinking. “Or, that’s probably not what he meant by it. He’s not some evil—”

“I know he’s not Ahuizotl or something!” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “I just mean… I thought he barely knew these peryton. Why would he want—”

“Generous tidings and fresh winds!” a sharp voice declared. One of the masked peryton by the table looked their way, and his two companions did the same. As though the entire room woke from a trance, every set of eyes was on them.

“Right, showtime,” murmured Dash. “Uh. Hi,” she tried, waving a hoof. “We’re… here to say that. Hi. From Equestria.”

“They visit gently upon our shores. Their steps must be seen like Alargis’ first—” one peryton began, only to be cut off.

“Aw come on, not this again,” Dash muttered under her breath.

“No, pack away the tired words, this must be seen in different context,” said another. The three by the table stood, and while Dash wasn’t exactly scared by the confusing and chatty peryton who converged upon them, the white masks didn’t help.

“Do not see, listen only,” said a third. “Suppose—”

“Suppose nothing, that is my exact point!” said the second. The peryton furthest away hurried to catch up, and another one rose to stand from behind a column, clearly awaking from a nap. He, too, moved in their direction. Scattered peryton became a semicircle, slowly constricting around them.

“All that which is, is once something that has been—”

“You must give the present the space to become before it can connect—”

Rainbow Dash tuned them out. It wasn’t really something she meant to do, but Fluttershy’s silence was far louder than the confusing chorus of voices. The yellow pegasus shrank back against her.

She’d always known that unlike her, Fluttershy didn’t enjoy the attention of crowds. Right now, she remembered the vivid description Fluttershy had offered her long ago, trying to make Dash understand how an excess of attention made her feel. She didn’t want to—what was the thing Dash had suggested Fluttershy should do? An aerial trick for Dash’s parents?

Something dumb. She didn’t remember that part, but she recalled the words, just like how as of late, every pained admission—every doubt and fear Fluttershy confided in Rainbow Dash when Dash tried to push her to do something—she recalled it all with crystal clarity. Like a wall pressing in on you until you can’t breathe, Fluttershy had said.

As much as she tried to pretend otherwise, there were moments Rainbow Dash knew that feeling. Right now? She didn’t feel a scratch of that. Instead, the memory, coupled with the chaos of the chattering peryton called forth two simple thoughts.

One was that she wished Fluttershy wouldn’t feel this way. Dash wondered if she could help. It’d be cruel to step aside, to try to force Fluttershy to deal with this—she’d never do that. But at some point, everything she tried to do to help Fluttershy became just as cruel in her mind.

By comparison, the other thought, the other impulse was easier to act on. A relief, almost.

“Hey!” she said. Her second thought came out a shout. The peryton were crowding them, crowding Fluttershy, and they needed to back off. She stomped a hoof for effect. “C’mon, give us some space!”

To their credit, the peryton did. The noise died down, not immediately, but by degrees. Two masked does continued their discussion in lower tones, moving away from the pack. Where a moment ago, Fluttershy’s side had pressed against Dash’s flank, she now stepped to the side and took a deep breath.

“The ponies, of Equestria. We were reminded of your potential visit by a citizen,” said a stag, stepping forward—which brought him almost chest to snout with Rainbow Dash. “And we are as Khylari upon drawing the first line.”

“Some of us,” said a doe, raising her snout a tad. “Will rest in the shadow of Chorossa’s auspices for the time being, but your arrival will ripple pleasantly, Orsshur’s waters flowing over all.”

“Great,” said Rainbow Dash, her ears twitching in annoyance. Fluttershy didn’t have a lot to contribute right now, and Rarity wasn’t here. She tapped a hoof on the floor as she thought. “Hi, again. I guess I’m ‘like’ Rainbow Dash when she had to listen to a lot of names and stupid words she didn’t understand.”

Masked faces glanced at masked faces, the sudden silence a bigger question mark than any hidden expression could convey. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath.

“I—we don’t know half of those names. Can we just… talk normal?” Dash suggested, puffing out her cheeks. “No Chorossa this or Selyria that. I’m Rainbow Dash, and this is Fluttershy.” She grimaced. “I told you my name already. Whatever.”

“It is as I said,” spoke a brown stag with rust red wings following another pause, and Rainbow Dash instantly took a liking to him when he extended a foreleg to push the closest peryton back a step. “See this first freed from context, and understand it later. Or!” he said, raising his voice a tad to forestall protests. “In favor of a maskless day? They do not know the Aspects. Consider this for a brief moment.”

Another stag shrugged. “Then we must relate the stories in full, for a fuller understanding to be reached. What Aspects favor they in their Equestria?”

“I have only distantly heard of Equestria,” said a doe. “Do they call their Aspects by name—”

“They—”

“Silence, please!” the defending stag called. His antlers glowed, magic surrounding his simple white mask to remove it. He looked unremarkable enough save for a small scar on his lower lip.

“But… but it is reflection day,” protested a stag on the other side of the semicircle, sounding positively indignant. Others murmured their agreement, but a doe took off her mask, and another one followed suit. Soon all the peryton were unmasked, blank and expressionless masks replaced with the confused and annoyed faces of people. Dash let out a sigh of relief.

“It is reflection day,” the kindly stag agreed. He bent down until his head was level with the ponies. “Which is six days out of every week. It is rare that we have visitors. Who here remembers the last time we had guests? The zebra visitor how many seasons past? Who here were in council then?”

A few hooves raised off the ground. Less than half.

“Enough to share in this knowledge: let us not repeat the confusion of that visit. Wear no mask on your face or in your mind for now, and let us do as they ask.” The brown stag smiled at Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy in turn. “Please understand the nature of your welcome here today, as it is reflection day. Welcome, ponies of Equestria. I am Orssus.”

Rainbow Dash looked to Fluttershy. Fluttershy looked back at her and blinked. “Okay, thanks,” said Dash. “I still have no idea what ‘reflection day’ is.”

“Then we must explain,” announced a brown-white doe with a full-bodied shrug and a glance at the stag with the scarred lip. “I am Theissa. That story of what reflection day is, is one of three, maybe four turns. Will you allow such an extravagance of words?”

“Oh, do put away your bruised true self,” Orssus retorted. He pointed to the central table, a few of the peryton already drifting towards it. “Come sit. Voices will be calmed if you will tell us this one thing first; will you permit your story to be reflected upon?”

“Again, no idea what you’re talking about,” said Rainbow Dash absent-mindedly. She followed—and made sure Fluttershy followed her in turn—but amidst all this strangeness, the craziest thing of all was the only thing that wasn’t. She watched two of the peryton quarrel over an extra pillow, a supremely mundane squabble in a setting where nothing else added up.

“Maybe you can try to explain it… in a different way?” asked Fluttershy as they approached the table.

“Oh! So you do have a voice as well,” said Orssus, looking at her for a moment with genuine surprise. “Yes, hm. The irony is, you have answered your own question. What I ask is, when you leave, may we discuss the meaning of your visit? There will no doubt be much to reflect upon, no matter how few words are traded.”

“Uh, why wouldn’t that be okay?” asked Rainbow Dash, dearly wishing they had brought Neisos along as a translator. “I give up. Fluttershy, help me out here.”

The stag scratched a flank with his wing as he sat his hindquarters down on a pillow, gesturing for them to do the same. “Meanings change over time. Even that which is written in stone will not be read by the same eyes forever.”

Fluttershy sat down next to Rainbow Dash and rubbed a foreleg against another, chewing on her lower lip for a second. “Okay. That’s fine, I think. If you’re asking if ponies have a problem with that, I mean? I think the answer is no. You can talk about us as much as you’d like.”

“Sure,” Dash agreed, shrugging.

“You are generous, and we are off to a good start,” said Orssus, nodding at that, but Rainbow Dash wasn’t quite so sure. The chaotic debate that had met them at the entrance persisted. At least now the majority of the peryton were busy talking to each other rather than at them. Only two peryton gave the ponies their undivided attention, the rusty stag called Orssus and the skeptical doe, Theissa.

“Right. You just said words I understood, so I guess that’s good,” said Dash, nodding in return. “Let’s, uh, keep that up. I’ll bite. What the hay is ‘reflection day’?”

“It is the six days of Orsshur’s ascendancy,” said Theissa, her face and voice impassive. “Six days, in sets of three, twice every week, it is the council’s task to wear the masks to consider every story without judgment. It is also when we settle disputes.”

“So you discuss all the stories about the Aspects with each other?” Fluttershy suggested, saving Rainbow Dash from a headache. “You… discuss philosophy, and try not to let your personal feelings get in the way when you make decisions?”

The doe frowned and did not reply immediately, and all around the table, ears had perked up when Fluttershy spoke, though they did not offer comment either. They were clearly listening, but not partaking in the conversation. Orssus looked pensive for a moment, then nodded.

“Your frame is not the one I would choose, but I understand you are not entirely wrong. When we do not mediate conflicts, ours is not a work of philosophy, though. Philosophy is idle work. We gauge the value of stories that pass through this room.” He looked up at the tall, sky-blue ceiling. “We share our reflections, the links between stories, and the possible wisdom to be understood from them. Our words travel to every city by raven and by letter when kin seek answer.”

“So you are all claw-priests?” asked Fluttershy, tilting her head. “We met someone who used those words.”

Theissa’s stoic demeanour cracked at that, a tiny smile showing. “No, we are not claw-priests. They deal in the First Stories, and we deal in what comes after. That makes us storytellers, not claw-priests—but are we not all storytellers in the end? The word means so little.”

“Some more radical storytellers hold that belief,” retorted another doe across the table.

“Some less ‘radical’ kin,” said Theissa with a huff, “would do well to remember Selyria’s encounter with Morrashon.”

Nope. There was the headache in full. Rainbow Dash groaned out loud and threw her head back. “Can’t you guys say anything without using all these other stories?”

The peryton around the table didn’t look quite as bewildered as they had at Dash’s first outburst. If they argued all the time, maybe they were used to that sort of thing. Whatever the case, they mostly continued chatting amongst themselves, but the stag at their side nodded slightly. “We can and do, but let me try to explain.”

“I don’t even know if I want to hear an explanation,” Dash admitted with a sigh.

“You can tell me, at least,” said Fluttershy, smiling at him.

“Then you will have an example. I will tell you how this story relates to your question. Or, how it relates to our discussion on what a storyteller is,” said Orssus, shifting his seating a little to get comfortable.

“Morrashon is the Aspect of stalwart guardianship, the stone, the one who never blinks. I will give you the shorter, less florid tale. When Selyria came across him in her eternal wandering of all realms, he cried.” Orssus leaned a little closer, lowering his voice a touch. “You see, he was fraught with doubt and fear, because his entire life was spent guarding the gates—guarding every gate, the conceptual gates-of-gates themselves. When he came face to face with Selyria, the most travelled of all, he feared that he would have no story to tell.”

Rainbow Dash nodded along as he spoke. She tried to envision this happening, but it was hard when every statue of Selyria looked different, and she had no idea what this Morrashon was like.

“He shared these concerns,” the stag went on. “And bared his heart to Selyria, for such is her burden and her delight, to listen to the deepest fears of everyone, for all are kith or kin to those of the First Stories, and she is one of the two. He told her that he worried that when he opened his mouth to speak, he would have nothing to say, that he had seen so little compared to she who wandered the forever-paths. What stories could he tell, he who had stood rooted to the spot since his birth, he who had neither leg nor wing to move him?”

Dash felt one of Fluttershy’s wings touch against her side. She responded in kind.

Orssus closed his eyes and smiled. “Selyria did not offer him pity, but she instead asked him what he had seen. She asked him, where had his mind wandered? What did he dream? Who had he met—for the only way one meets no one by sinking root is if everyone does the same, and Morrashon was unique. She told him that she herself can never be Morrashon, she can never have sunk deep those roots of stone. She told him that for knowing what she does not, his stories are as large as hers, and she would not be the only to want to hear them.”

“And then what?” asked Rainbow Dash when Orssus had been quiet for a few seconds.

“Then Selyria left,” said the stag, his smile widening. “As she did, always does and never does.”

“That’s it? That’s the whole story?” Rainbow Dash asked, tilting her head. “That’s a lame ending.”

“That is their first meeting,” said Orssus. “And since then, the story has been told four times eight thousand times, again and again—until it was referred to today. Until today, Theissa invoked it to suggest to Cholaussa that, is it not an interesting juxtaposition? Is it not curious that we use this title of ‘storyteller’ to suggest that our stories are important, when we all have stories to tell?”

Orssus let out a long breath, shaking his head slowly from side to side. “But at the same time, are we not Morrashon, attached to this building where we discuss and decide on how to advise other storytellers to help people become sharp of mind? At least—” he said, looking askance at the doe. “That is how I understood Theissa.”

“You are ever keen,” said Theissa. “But there is more to be said and thought about it, I feel. Perhaps later.”

“A story told again and again,” Orssus repeated, turning back to the ponies. “Until finally today, I told it to the two of you to explain how we peryton use these stories in our debates. How the Aspects can aid in our growth. Tomorrow, perhaps I will use the story of the ponies of Equestria who were told the story of Morrashon’s first meeting with Selyria, if it is relevant. Or perhaps I will indeed tell the story of the Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy who understood not a word that was spoken, but listened with open ears despite. This, I think, would be a story of diplomats of a very kind people.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Thank you. We met people who explained the Aspects and the stories to us before, but it’s very nice to have an example of how you do it, too.”

Rainbow Dash nodded slowly. If she thought she understood it a little better now, she didn’t want to admit it. Someone would tell her she didn’t, that she was wrong, and she’d rather just pretend at this point.

“But, this has been a very large digression to a question,” said Orssus with a suppressed laughter that came out a muted cluck. “The short answer is yes. We are all storytellers who advise others, but we are also the council when we need to be, and in this radical old claw’s opinion, far too rarely do we get to act as the diplomatic branch of the city. What may Vauhorn do for you, and what can you do for Vauhorn, Equestrians? Would you like some water, or perhaps food?”

“I’m good,” said Dash, flicking her tail. She exchanged a look with Fluttershy. After all those words, it felt super lame to admit that they were really here to say hi.

“We just wanted to introduce ourselves, really,” said Fluttershy, her ears pinned back sheepishly. “I guess we’ve done that and more. We’re sorry if we disturbed you, or if you were busy.”

“Disturbed,” Orssus repeated as though the word held no meaning to him. “Disturbed… no, I do not think you understand. We are as—ah,” he paused with a toothy grin. “In simple words, our purpose is to debate, to discuss and disagree. This is restful to my ears by comparison.”

“I think I’ll stick with wrangling storms,” muttered Rainbow Dash.

“You say introductions, however,” Orssus said. “Does this mean you will be staying for a while and return to us, perhaps upon next sunrise?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Fluttershy admitted, her brow furrowed. “Rainbow Dash?”

“Yeah, no idea,” said Dash. “We’re waiting for one of our friends to get better, but we’re not really sticking around town for a very long time.”

Orssus tilted his head to the side. “Now I admit to some puzzlement. We are glad for the ripples you cause, but I understood the missive said you were diplomats of some sort. A delegation from Equestria.”

Fluttershy nodded. “That’s right,” she said, a half-smile tugging on her lips and her eyes on the table. “At least, that’s what we’re supposed to be.”

“Then,” said Orssus. “Do you carry no words for Vauhorn? Is your visit here not your intent?”

“Sure. We meant to come here, kinda,” said Rainbow Dash. It wasn’t like they’d ended up here by accident. “We’re just visiting, really. We’re obviously heading for the capital, for Cotronna for all the… can you say ‘diplomacy stuff’? Rarity would probably say, uh—”

“To handle all the diplomatic affairs?” suggested Fluttershy, shrugging helplessly.

“Let’s go with that, yeah,” Dash agreed. “Affairs. We figure we’re gonna talk to the princ—uh, the... head councilperson there, I guess you call them.”

Orssus nodded slowly, his gaze distant. The chatter around the table was a little less, now, ears perked all around. “Well,” he said, his voice a little lower at first, but it soon picked up, his smile returning—and with it, the noise in the room picked back up. “Then we are glad to guest you for as long as you stay. If you are not certain you will return to this house, perhaps you will tell of your home city of Equestria before you leave? There is sunlight still, and we love to listen.”

“Sure,” said Rainbow Dash when Fluttershy didn’t protest. “We can tell you about Equestria. It’s not our ‘home city’ though. That’s Ponyville, and we’re actually both born in Cloudsdale.”

“Then tell us of your Ponyville,” Orssus said, hovering over another pillow. Theissa shrugged and shuffled a little closer as well, and another peryton put a pitcher of water on the table.

Chapter 23

Rainbow Dash was right. In hindsight, walking all day was, in fact, getting easier before I came down with this awful cold, so I suppose I won’t be needing yoga for a while when I get back.

At least I have something to keep me busy. I doubt these dresses will go over well, but I relish the challenge of my limited materials remaining. Working on new designs is always pleasant work, especially when I know my friends will like them.

Friends. Now, I know my isolation here is my own doing, but what else can I do but give them room to grow as they’ve become so much more than friends?

Ah well. I should enjoy making these dresses while I can, even if that enjoyment is rather tempered when I realise I’ve failed before I even tried. Remember, Rarity, these are mostly just to test a theory.

-R

“I hope Rarity hasn’t worried too much about us. That took a lot longer than I thought it would,” said Fluttershy, glancing skywards. It was already well into the evening hours, and though the moon was large and bright, the added glow of magical street-lamps faded the stars. “They really enjoyed hearing about home,” she mused.

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash, shaking her head even as she laughed. ”C’mon, just try and tell me you don’t think that’s weird. I’ve never met anyone who was so excited to hear us talk about Ponyville.”

“They would probably love to get a copy of all the friendship lessons. They’re all stories, too,” said Fluttershy. She pointed down a side street. “Oh, it’s this one, I remember the masks hanging from the corner wall.”

“Probably, but they ate up all the normal boring stuff, and didn’t care about some other things,” Dash countered, following as Fluttershy led the way. The streets were nearly empty in the mounting cold, and only the cover of the buildings shielded them from the wind. Finding their way back was quick and easy enough, though. She could see Neisos’ house ahead, just past the house with all the landscape paintings on its walls.

“Like, okay, I get that not everyone’s crazy about trains and stuff, but they were creepy silent sometimes,” she added.

“I don’t think they didn’t care, I just think they didn’t understand,” said Fluttershy, shifting her wings on her back. “I don’t know for sure, but they don’t move a lot, remember. It’s got to be strange and exciting for them to hear about someone who moved from one city to another. They didn’t really seem all that interested in Cloudsdale, though, not after we told them that Ponyville was ‘our city’.”

“Moving cities. Not exactly the thing I want to be famous for,” Dash said, laughing. “And besides, how’s that crazy compared to travelling here all the way from Equestria? We should’ve asked how they feel about the Bent Feathers. Shouldn’t they be excited about peryton who travel a lot, too?”

Fluttershy pushed the door open slowly, nodding to herself and giving it a shove when they both heard familiar voices inside. “That would make a lot of sense, but we don’t actually know they were excited, exactly. They just listened closely,” she said, holding the door open for Rainbow Dash. Inside, the room was warm and bright, owing to magical lights along the ceiling and a fire burning in the small fireplace. Heavy drapes hung in front of the shuttered windows, and Rarity sat swaddled in blankets by the table, playing some sort of board game with Neisos.

“Oh, you’re awake,” said Fluttershy, smiling at Rarity. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m just fine, darling, but thank you for asking,” replied Rarity, sounding a lot more nasal than earlier this morning. Next to a stack of small wooden game pieces lay a collection of well-used handkerchiefs. “Well, I’m managing, at any rate,” she added, following Dash’s eyes to the little cloth-pile. “How did it go?”

“Hey, before we answer that,” said Dash, kicking the door shut, “Neisos, what do you think of the Bent Feathers?”

“Weren’t they called the Broken Feathers?” asked Fluttershy, taking a seat by the table.

“Nah, Bent Feathers, I’m sure,” said Dash.

“They are curious and rootless kin, and I say this without much judgment,” said Neisos, still staring at the game board—a richly painted miniature world with intricate pieces to go with it. He frowned and placed a tiny wooden house on an island, nodding to Rarity. “Your turn,” he said, looking up for the first time since Dash and Fluttershy returned. “Why this question?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged and sat down next to Fluttershy. “Just wondering. We talked to the council a bunch, and they really wanted to hear about Equestria. Or, well, about Ponyville, anyway.” She rubbed her forelegs together for warmth. It was cold outside for how early in the evening it was, and pegasus or no, she appreciated the fire in the hearth right now.

“We do have the advantage here,” said Rarity, sniffling into a handkerchief. “We’re in their lands. We can see how they live with our own eyes, but they have to ask. It’s natural they’d be curious to hear about us.” She levitated a wooden ship onto a dotted line between two islands on the game board and placed a tiny cube next to it. Neisos scowled.

“You built up to seizing that trade route all along,” said the stag.

“Of course I did, dear. It’s a game of business, as I understand it, and business rewards meticulous planning and attention to detail.” Rarity rubbed at her eyes. “How many points is that?”

Neisos collected a mound of small wooden chips from his side of the board, sweeping them up with his magic and dropping them into a tiny bag. “Enough to win the game. Uncanny.” He shook his head and flashed Rarity a smile before he turned to the pegasi. “I am sorry, my head was in another place—you say your dealings with the council bore fruit?”

“I don’t know about fruit. We just talked a bunch,” said Rainbow Dash.

“I see,” said Neisos, tilting his head slightly. “Was this your intent?”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “They asked that too. Or, they were all… I don’t know, ‘is that all’ and stuff. What gives?”

Neisos drew back, silent and with his mouth slightly open for a moment before he replied. “I… did not mean to cause anger. I do not know what a diplomat of Equestria, a foreign delegate, an ambassador—whichever of these titles you hold—actually does, or is supposed to do. I ask for my own sake.”

“Right,” said Dash, flicking an ear. “I’m not angry, I’m just, eh. I don’t know. Whatever. Like I said, we just talked a lot about Ponyville, really.”

“It was very interesting, but a little exhausting, too,” Fluttershy added, blowing her mane out of her face. “I think my throat is a little sore.”

“You better not be getting sick, too,” said Dash, shooting her a glance. “But yeah, you guys make a little more sense now, so that’s cool. We forgot to ask about all the crazy masks and the dances and stuff though, ugh. Fluttershy, you were supposed to remind me!”

“I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy, sighing. She, too, looked to Neisos. “But if everyone in the city does it, it can’t be a big secret. We saw a very strange dance in one of the squares here. A lot of strange dances, actually, and… I think I understand some of it, but it’s still really confusing.”

“It’s a reenactment of sorts, dear.” The answer came not from Neisos, but from Rarity. The unicorn stacked all the pieces and folded the game board while she spoke. A large group of islands painted on sea-blue bent once, then once more, neatly squared away. “They get closer to the Aspects’ stories by dressing up like them. Like an interpretation. We discussed it before you came in, actually.”

Neisos nodded. “The word ‘reenactment’ strikes me as clumsy, but the rest is correct enough. Forty-nine Aspects by count, but more stories by far, and for all those stories, it is easier to remind one of them and to understand their purpose with paint, mask and other trappings.”

“So it’s like a play?” asked Rainbow Dash. The image of the Ephydoeran jousts sprang to mind immediately.

The stag furrowed his brow and made a clucking sound. “I… the answer to that question is complicated. My first answer is ‘no’, that it is not a play, but it is life, history and potential futures. Maybe I can give you a longer answer later if that is not sufficient—”

“But right now, Neisos, dear,” Rarity interrupted, “you are running late.”

“You are right,” said Neisos. The stag rocked himself to a side before he stood up, balancing on his single hindleg. He hobbled over to a wooden cupboard, producing a small collection of tiny jars which he put into a bag slung about his neck.

“While you were at the council, an acquaintance visited to remind me that I had promised to mind their children while they did some work,” said Neisos with an apologetic smile. “There is still soup left—you will not think me unkind if I leave you for the night?”

“You should’ve left long ago, I would have been fine by myself,” said Rarity, waving a hoof. “You’ve been very kind, please, don’t worry about me or us.”

“Thank you for taking care of Rarity,” said Fluttershy, dipping her head.

“You do what you gotta do, we already owe you one,” Dash said, waving as well.

“I will return deep in the night, I expect. Crossing town is a little slower for me, as you may see. Make yours my house,” said the stag, making for the door as swiftly as he could.

“If walking’s hard, why don’t you just fly?” asked Dash on a whim. “Not all the time, but it’s not too hot out when the sun’s down.”

Neisos paused in the doorway, gazing into the open air for a second. “Another good question. The heat is certainly part of it.”

Rainbow Dash tilted her head and waited for an actual answer.

The stag sighed and returned a helpless smile. “I could, but I have not flown much since my work at the quarry ended, that is the simple truth. For now, I am late.”

“Alright, good luck,” said Rainbow Dash. She didn’t protest. There were limits to how much she could badger someone they just met anyway. Neisos disappeared out the door without another word, and Dash arched her neck, stretching and yawning. She got up and walked around a bit rather than risk falling asleep where she sat.

All the decorations of the room seemed different in the aftermath of their visit to the council. Were all the little paintings, the masks, the shawl hanging on a wall—was all of this connected to some story or other? Even the wooden cupboard by the stairs had engravings on it.

The idea that nothing in the living room could be simple and exist just for itself made her head spin. Suddenly she appreciated the creepy blank masks the council wore a little more. With everything else so steeped in meaning, the white masks were the only thing they had seen that she knew for sure didn’t have to mean a bunch of other stuff. Rainbow Dash shook her head to herself and walked further into the room.

“Have you been up for long? Did you talk to Neisos all evening?” Dash heard Fluttershy ask. She herself slipped into the kitchen proper and opened a cupboard with some effort. Cups and bowls of varying sizes, nothing else.

“A while. He was happy to explain some things about Vauhorn that we wished to know, but I expect you’ve heard most of it from the council by now,” came Rarity’s reply. Dash tried another cupboard, and found only cloth and a few scrolls. She slammed the door shut and snorted. Who kept that stuff in their kitchen?

“Oh. Um, well, we didn’t really listen so much as we talked, really, but we learned a lot about how they use their stories,” said Fluttershy.

“Mmm, I understand there is nuance to it, but as I think I said earlier, it helps to think of it as extended simile.” Rarity’s voice sounded hollow and distorted when Dash stuck her head inside a closet. Nothing edible here either. “They just place a lot more value on it, and their indirect take on history is fascinating,” Rarity went on. “Did they tell you about the waterfront here?”

“No? Why?”

“Oh, just that they, like all the cities save for Ephydoera, have ships of their own, and Neisos has family in trade,” said Rarity. She paused to blow her nose and made a sound of obvious disgust. “Ugh. Where was I—yes, he said that we might actually be able to catch a ship back to Orto if we wish. One of his brothers has a trading ship that recently left for Cotronna, and it’ll head back here soon to take some cargo there.”

“We still don’t know that we need to go to Orto,” Fluttershy pointed out. Even from the other room, Dash heard her clear her throat in that barely-audible way she did when she was nervous. “We don’t really know how we’re getting back home at all.”

“I just need to remember to bring it up to Luna!” Dash called. She opened the stove’s door and frowned. She could probably re-heat the vegetable soup, but starting a fire was a chore.

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out, dear,” Rarity’s voice drifted in from the living room. “But yes, anyway, it’s an option if we think it’s a better idea to wait for the airship in Orto in case they return to where they left us. Apparently this relative of Neisos will stay in Cotronna for a while, so I don’t think we have to hurry too much, but I hope to get well soon.”

“I hope so, too,” said Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash took a step back and gave the kitchen another look. Without her head stuck in cupboards and drawers, she realised why she didn’t find any food. She rolled her eyes at herself and groaned. At the other end of the long chamber stood the door to the pantry. She pushed the door, but nothing happened.

“I’m glad you’re taking some time to rest. It’s good for you,” Fluttershy said, her voice a little more quiet now. “Does that mean you’re done with the dresses, or are you just taking a break?”

“Hm? Oh, no, dear, I am nowhere near done with the dresses I’ve planned for Cotronna, but I am all but done with the ones I wanted you to model for me here in Vauhorn,” said Rarity. “In fact—Rainbow Dash? I wanted to talk to you about that. Both of you. Could you come in here?”

“Yeah yeah, give me a minute,” Dash shot back. The door didn’t have any handle or knob. Many of the Vauhornite doors did, just not the drawers or this one particular, and very important door. She pushed it a little harder, but drew breath through clenched teeth when all it got her was an ominous creak. A sliding door, then. Rainbow Dash put a hoof to it and pushed sideways, finally getting it open.

The pantry was full of fruits, vegetables, unlabelled jars and much more, a full family’s worth of food. She spread her wings a bit, nosing some stuff off the shelves and into the keeping of her feathers. Some fruits she recognised, some she didn’t, but soon she had a collection of edibles all nestled safely on her back between her wings, noting once again that she’d almost forgotten their colour.

“D’you think the reason they didn’t say anything about my wings is because they thought I was playing dress-up like the rest of them?” asked Rainbow Dash, rejoining Fluttershy and Rarity. She let the fruits spill loosely onto the table and sat, grabbing a strange yellow thing. A probably-fruit of some sort.

“Maybe?” said Fluttershy, glancing at Dash’s painted feathers. “We haven’t seen anyone get very upset over it, but you did get a lot of looks when we walked to the council.”

“Wait, really?” asked Dash.

Fluttershy tilted her head. “You didn’t notice?”

“I was busy looking at other stuff!” Dash flicked an ear, wincing when Rarity loudly cleared her snout. Louder than was strictly necessary, she was pretty sure.

“So,” said Rarity, sniffling. She shuffled the items on the table around, separating the fruit from the game board and its pieces, re-stacking the stuff Dash had knocked over. “Another interesting little tidbit Neisos shared with me—because he was excited for it, I think—was the event the day after tomorrow. Did the council mention it?”

“No?” said Dash, cocking a brow. The yellow fruit resisted eating. It was like biting down on rubber.

“I think one of them mentioned that they would not be working, or not reflecting two days from now. I thought that was just something like their weekends,” said Fluttershy, grabbing an apple for herself.

“They have this custom—” Rarity began.

“Do they even have weekends?” asked Dash. She finally managed to bite off a piece, but it didn’t taste anything at all. She spat it out and stared at the yellow chunk. Maybe not food after all?

“They—huh. I don’t actually know,” said Rarity, scratching at her snout. “I never thought to ask. They clearly think in terms of weeks, even if they are a day longer than ours, but...” She shook her head. “We’re getting off topic—”

“I don’t think we ever got on topic, actually,” said Fluttershy, laying her ears flat when Rarity groaned.

“They have a custom,” Rarity started anew. “Called the Alluvium, or the Rippling. Both of those, apparently. I think the Alluvium is a Rippling, or the Rippling is the Alluvium, I honestly didn’t catch that, but as far as I understand, it’s something of a… contest?”

Rainbow Dash perked her ears.

“Or, no,” said Rarity her snout crinkled. “Not a contest, a… judgment? It sounded to me like a fireside gathering of sorts where they share stories—”

Dash exhaled and grabbed a grapefruit, discarding the stupid yellow rubbery thing.

“—except they cannot, for that one day, be old ones. Or, how did he put it? ‘Only stories not told, though certainly stories experienced, lived or heard’.” Rarity furrowed her brow. “How a story can be heard without being told I couldn’t tell you. It’s about telling new stories.”

Fluttershy nodded and smiled at that, apparently pleased. “I think that sounds very nice. They spend a lot of time with the same stories, discussing them and interpreting them in different ways.”

“So what you’re saying is that they’re just looking for new stuff?” Dash chanced.

Rarity graced them both with a tired smile in turn. “Something like that, yes. I think you two have summed it up better than I ever could.”

“But… it’s not a contest?” Dash asked, eyes narrowed.

The unicorn let out an exasperated sigh, making a big show of rolling her eyes and all even though she still smiled. “No, darling. There are no prizes, no pedestals, no medals, and no—well... alright, I will grant you this, I don’t know that there is no cheering, but Neisos emphasised that they just listen to stories and decide for themselves which stories they add to their canon of stories, so to say. The storytellers of their council have a lot of sway in this, but it’s really for peryton to decide for themselves.”

Rainbow Dash let out a yawn, making sure to be as loud as possible about it.

“Charming,” said Rarity.

“If it’s just a sort of story festival, that could be wonderful,” said Fluttershy, swallowing the last of her apple, scrutinizing the remaining fruits on the table. “If it’s more like… ghost stories, then, um, maybe not so much.”

“I didn’t ask for specifics. I don’t know if there’s a big stage or anything like that,” said Rarity.

“Mh-hm,” hummed Dash, spitting out some grapefruit skin. “What does that have to do with us?” she asked.

“I’ll definitely have the new dresses finished by then,” said Rarity. Her horn lit up, and the discarded grapefruit peel floated over to a corner of the table. “I hope I’m well enough for us all to go, but if not, would the two of you mind attending? All I need is for you to wear the dresses I’ve made, ask a few of them what they think of it—if they can think of a dress as a dress and not a mere costume. Mostly, I’d need you to see if they wear anything else, if there is anything that isn’t specific to certain stories.” Her brow furrowed in thought. “Perhaps there’s something that more than most of them wear? Some nugget of what they consider fashionable like the jewellery in Stagrum, even if they don’t think of it—oh, or one part of the dress that does stand out to them, something they appreciate.”

Fluttershy looked over at Rainbow Dash, smiling expectantly. “I’m sure we could try our best.”

“Sure,” said Dash with a grin, grabbing a cluster of grapes. “If they’re gonna share poems or anything, I’m gonna fly back to the Splitwood and do something fun instead, like… sit in a canyon or something, but listening to people tell stories when that’s the point? I’m down for that.”

The path to bed was still a minefield of metal parts and tools, and the lack of light didn’t help. With neither magic nor a clue on how to otherwise light the globe hanging from the ceiling, the room stood dark, and Rainbow Dash would have to carefully measure each step.

If she didn’t have wings, that was. Dash hopped into the air and flew over to the single bed, wobbling precariously on the touch-down. Mattresses were terrible landing sites. Fluttershy sat on the other side, still awake. Dash had wondered if she would fall asleep while Dash herself went for a quick pre-bed snack.

“That was a long day,” said Rainbow Dash. She leaned over the side of the bed, stretching to reach a nearby windowsill and nosing the heavy curtains aside for a peek outside. A narrow alley ran between Neisos’ house and the one opposite. A peryton sat with their back to the open window right across from her. Light spilled from the neighbouring house still, but otherwise it was as dark outside as it was in their borrowed room.

“Mm,” said Fluttershy. Her eyes were on everything and nothing, wandering the room as though she could see clearly in the darkness. Rainbow Dash suddenly remembered something.

“Hey, you told me to remind me you wanted to talk to me about something,” said Dash, tossing the words into the air while she tried to figure out the bed. They were definitely sitting—or standing, in her case—on a cover of some sort. No pillows, apparently.

“I did,” Fluttershy said, looking over at her. “I mean, I do.”

Rainbow Dash paused her efforts to will a pillow into existence. She locked eyes with Fluttershy for a second, and that was enough. Never mind the particular way Fluttershy’s voice had gone soft and quiet, or how her ears were neither splayed nor perked, either. She could tell from the way Fluttershy looked at her that she wanted to say something big, or something difficult. Maybe something annoying. It didn’t matter.

When Fluttershy got like that, Dash knew she just had to listen—which meant to say she needed to wait and shut up for a moment. Rainbow Dash folded her legs under her and lay down in the middle of the bed, neither far away from nor close to Fluttershy. She stretched her wings out and poked at her feathers, busying herself with some mindless cleaning.

“I… don’t want you to misunderstand me—I hope you won’t,” said Fluttershy, pausing to nibble on her lower lip. “But ever since we decided we should try this, being, um, being more than friends, you’ve been acting different.”

Rainbow Dash licked her lips and folded her wings as she thought. “Uh, okay? Didn’t we talk about this? Isn’t… that kinda the point? Is this about all the touching and stuff? Because if you don’t like it—”

“Oh no!” said Fluttershy, her cheeks lighting with a faint blush. “No, that part is good. Very good. I like all the cuddling and everything. I like that. I’d like more of that, and I hope you do too.”

Dash shuffled sideways across the bed until she lay side to side with Fluttershy. “‘Kay, good,” she said when their flanks touched. Touching was good. She’d be disappointed if that was the problem. Dash stole a glance at Fluttershy’s wings. More touching would be even better. Hopefully one of these days Fluttershy would get over whatever it was that made her not want help with her preening. She’d gone silent now, though.

“But?” Dash asked, tilting her head.

“It’s not just you. It’s us, and it’s not about the new things that we’re doing now, like cuddling,” said Fluttershy, sighing. “It’s the opposite. I wanted to talk about… what we used to do, and how we used to do it. Things we don’t do any more.”

Rainbow Dash let out an internal sigh of relief. Was that all? She saw Fluttershy already working on a way to explain further, or perhaps to take back what she’d said, to apologise for what she thought was a terrible thing to say, but in truth, Dash was glad to hear her say it.

“Yeah, I know,” said Dash.

“Y—you know?” Fluttershy echoed, big eyes trained on Dash’s own.

“Yeah, of course I know,” said Rainbow Dash, flicking an ear in annoyance. Admitting fault was never fun, but it wasn’t like she was blind to Fluttershy being unhappy, either. Dash knew she’d pushed harder than she should have, harder than the best girlfriend ever should have.

Being girlfriends was different from what Dash had expected—or perhaps that was a lie, actually. She hadn’t considered it a lot, but trying not to push Fluttershy around all the time wasn’t a big ask, right? If that frustrated Dash every now and then, that was Rainbow Dash’s own problem.

“I haven’t been as awesome a girlfriend as I could’ve been, I get that,” Rainbow Dash added, swishing her tail uselessly against the wall.

“I… didn’t mean to—” Fluttershy muttered. “I didn’t say that.”

“Well, you didn’t,” said Dash, darting in to nuzzle her cheek. “I did.” That earned her a soft giggle and a shake of the head from Fluttershy.

“Okay. I just… what I meant was that I want us to do more things together. Like we used to. As long as you understand that,” said Fluttershy. She reached out with a wing to touch against Dash’s side. “Because I really love you for who you are.”

“Yeah, I think so too. That’s why we’re going on a date tomorrow,” said Dash, a grin spreading across her face. “It’s gonna be great.”

“Oh,” said Fluttershy, smiling back at her now. “I… I didn’t think you understood, but if you do, that’s wonderful.” She pushed her mane out of her face and shifted around to pull the cover up over her back, leaving room for Rainbow Dash. “I’m really looking forward to tomorrow, but we should probably get some rest, then. You were right, it’s been a very long day,” she concluded with a soft laugh.

“No kidding,” said Dash, yawning and lying down next to her. She rested her head against Fluttershy’s neck and murmured a good-night.

She’d lied a little bit. She didn’t have a clear plan for a ‘date’, but she had the beginnings of an idea, and that was all she needed. The obvious point of Princess Luna’s advice still stuck with her, to find some sort of neutral ground.

This was the exact reason Rainbow Dash wanted to turn her house around. Years ago, it’d taken a young pegasus one night in her house-in-progress to learn that no matter how many layers of curtains, shutters, or random pieces of furniture piled up against a window, a single ray of sunlight would inevitably find its way to your face when you wanted to sleep.

“Come on, I fixed this,” the sleepy pegasus mumbled, cracking an eye open to receive the blinding glare head-on—as well as the realisation that this house probably wouldn’t rotate.

Not without a very big tornado, anyway. Some smaller tornado must’ve whisked away Fluttershy, though. That was the ruling theory until she heard familiar voices from down below. Familiar and unfamiliar ones, actually, and more than a few of the latter.

“What,” Dash grumbled, twisting around under the covers. She was uncomfortably hot. When she spotted the tiny peryton child stood in the doorway staring at her, she was plain old regular uncomfortable, too. The little thing was barely more than half her size, talons too large for its legs and tail-feathers nothing but a short tuft.

“Uh. Hey,” Dash offered.

The child ran off, wings flapping uncontrollably at her side. His side. Dash thought she caught some colour in there. She let out a great yawn and stepped off the bed—straight onto an upright piece of metal tubing. She didn’t even acknowledge the pain, instead closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. One of those days, she thought. Guess they happen outside of Equestria, too.

Downstairs, the morning was already well underway. Rainbow Dash paused at the bottom of the stairs to shake off the last dregs of sleep, one foreleg on the railing and her head resting on top of it. Two children—the little stag she’d seen earlier, plus an equally tiny doe—quarreled in the middle of the large living room. By the kitchen door stood Neisos and a tricoloured doe with large wings, and next to them, a third and slightly smaller doe, grey with white flecks on her flank.

Whatever the three peryton talked about was lost to Dash in the shrill quarreling of the two children. Rarity sat by the table as she had yesterday, sewing on a dress of some description, still packed in blankets and with cloths for her snout and red-rimmed eyes. Only when she stepped down into the room proper did Dash spot Fluttershy over by the gathering around the kitchen door on the far side, half hidden behind the larger peryton bodies.

“Good morning, dear,” said Rarity when Dash sat next to her. The unicorn didn’t look up, but smiled all the same, a needle busy at work in her magical grip. “Slept well?”

“Yeah. Sure,” said Dash, letting out a great and final yawn to cap off the whole waking up thing. She shook her head and cuffed her mane. “Eh, actually, no. I don’t know, I don’t feel like I slept at all, really. Don’t remember what I dreamt,” she said, forcing the lie. She had a vague sense of what she had dreamt, but she would rather not think about it.

“And you usually do?” asked Rarity.

“Yeah. I think I told you,” said Dash. The children, finally done yelling at each other, disappeared behind the painted screens that separated the pottery corner from the rest of the room. They moved about as gracefully as Twilight on sugary cider.

“And Helesseia’s rays find their final mark,” said Neisos, grinning at Rainbow Dash. The little party by the kitchen turned to look at Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy smiled and waved, and Dash extended a wing by way of greeting to the new people.

“Hey. Name’s Rainbow Dash. Pleased to meet you?” Dash asked with a lopsided smile. “I guess you live here, and we stole your beds, huh.”

“I am Ohrinna,” said the larger doe, dipping her head slightly and making for the table at a slow walk. “I was told your name, but I do not know you have stolen from us unless you are as Pelessa whose gifts are often seen only in the coming seasons.” She cocked a brow.

“Probably not. It’s a figure of speech. I’m just trying to say thanks for letting us stay.” Dash shrugged and pointed to Neisos. “So, the two of you are together? A family?”

“They call it being ‘linked’,” said Fluttershy, sitting down next to Rainbow Dash. Dash wrapped a wing around her without thinking.

Ohrinna nodded her head, a faint smile on her lips. “As with the two of you, all stories about one of us is a story about the two of us, and of Myrtella,” she said in a tone suggesting agreement. She glanced over her shoulder at Neisos and the smaller doe. “And this morning in particular holds a shared story of the eternal breakfast bureaucracy particular to our home. Love, are the two of you decided?”

“I believe we are,” declared Neisos. “Deimesa, so swift of claw, will go to morning market and find something for us to eat with all authority to choose anything she likes, and I will begin making dough for—hm. For something to go with it. I am not decided. Phela-bread?”

“Starvation avoided, we live to see lunch,” said Ohrinna with a caw-like chuckle that ended when the younger doe tried to run past her. Ohrinna’s wing was out in a flash, forcing Deimesa to a halt.

“Why this?” asked Deimesa, glaring at the wing that blocked her passage.

“Because a custom we share with these ponies is to introduce ourselves,” said Ohrinna.

Rainbow Dash managed not to laugh, but she couldn’t keep from grinning. She waved at Deimesa. “Rainbow Dash. Hi.”

“Yes, Deimesa is my name, you were told, and now told again by me,” said Deimesa, flashing a forced but not impolite smile before looking up at Ohrinna. “Mother, may I go? Is it not more polite to feed our guests?”

Ohrinna nodded her head slowly. “Yes, yes, you may go, little gem.”

“Thank you,” Deimesa replied, ducking under her mother’s wing before she could fold it, slinging a bag around her neck and disappearing out the door.

“She has found an extra set of wings and legs both this week, has she?” drifted Neisos’ voice in from the kitchen. “Has our daughter decided she is no longer young?”

“If impatience is the mark of age, then you will never grow old,” Ohrinna retorted, rolling her eyes. Rarity chuckled and turned the dress around to inspect the other side, and Fluttershy smiled.

“Finally, there are two little creatures I spy inside my place of work—where they are not supposed to be,” Ohrinna added, turning to stare at two heads poking out from the pottery nook. They disappeared in an instant. “They are Berissa and Teilos, and should know better. Say hello.”

Two muffled hellos were had.

“Yeah, I saw one of them when I woke up,” said Dash, chuckling and addressing the corner of the room where the paper and wood screens failed to hide the children’s shadows. “Hi again.”

“I told them not to stare,” said Neisos returning from the kitchen, his chest white with flour. He leaned against the doorframe and brushed at the mess with a foreleg before he joined them at the table. “They are quite taken with the colours of your hairs.”

The two young peryton burst from their hiding spot, barrelling into Neisos just as he lay down by the tableside, nearly pushing him over on his side.

“Khylari!” one of them yelled, the red-brown, almost copper-coloured doe butting him in the side with short and blunted antlers.

“You lie!” said the other, pushing at his flank, the stag almost identical, but with blue on his wings and his tiny tuft of feathery tail.

“Do I lie?” asked Neisos, rocking a little with each shove, looking down at the assaulting children with a smile. “Or do Khylari’s stories cry at the abuse they get? Do you think it is proper to call upon a story falsely when you know the telling better than this?”

The doe continued her assault, her eyes tightly shut as she pushed and pushed at her father, but the young stag glared up at him.

“You said you wouldn’t tell!” he cried.

Dash caught the surreptitious looks cast by the children, and she had no idea what to do with her part in this. Fluttershy looked ready to burst into laughter, Rarity chuckled while she worked, and Ohrinna watched the children with rapt interest. Dash settled for confused silence. Children often warranted confusion—even though it was understandable in this case. Her mane was awesome.

Neisos leaned down, craning his neck until he nearly touched his muzzle to the stag’s, and now the little doe went quiet, too. “No, Teilos,” said Neisos. “You and your sister told me you thought her hair looked curious. I then told you not to be a nuisance to her. Tell me now, is this a lie? Is calling me a liar how I am greeted after not seeing you for days?”

Peryton ears were tiny things compared to pony ears, but now Dash had confirmation that they could in fact be bent backwards. Two very sheepish peryton children looked away. Or rather, one very sheepish stag, and one subdued but still frowning doe.

“You still shouldn’t have told,” piped the doe, spreading wings entirely too large for her body. Berissa huffed and turned, running for the stairs. “I’m going to read you Eakus’ stories!”

Neisos puffed out his cheeks and watched the little doe disappear upstairs, and a second later, Teilos followed after her, yelling for her to wait.

“I believe you do this on purpose,” said Ohrinna, her face unreadable.

Neisos wore a wry smile. “You think I would do that? To commit such rudeness, just to make Berissa interest her brother in Eakus, that they might find the inspiration to tell me what is obvious to us—that this little harmless secret was not mine to tell, and that I should, and will apologise? Would I do this?”

Ohrinna shot Neisos a perfectly deadpan look. “Yes,” she said. “Besides, I think seeing Deimesa’s return might be enough. They have asked her questions every step of the way home. You do not have to worry.”

“Deimesa,” said Neisos, smiling at the ponies and proving that the peryton had not, in fact, forgotten that they were there, “has just completed the forty-nine-fold path.”

“Which is what?” asked Dash. She recognised the number, at least. “That’s something related to the Aspects, right?” It was a safe bet. Most things in Vauhorn were.

“Yes. One week spent studying and contemplating each Aspect,” said Neisos, the pride obvious in his voice. “There are carvings around Vauhorn’s demesne, and most young peryton undertake the journey when they are ready to be children no more. Ohrinna and the twins collected Deimesa at Mehros Landing to the east, where Anhori’s first story is engraved in stone, the latest Aspect to be found.”

“If it’s not inappropriate to say, then congratulations,” said Rarity, smiling at Neisos and Ohrinna both before turning away to blow her nose.

“That’s wonderful,” Fluttershy agreed.

“Yeah, congrats,” said Dash, interested despite herself now. She tilted her head. “So, there are even more statues around the place than usual? Is this some sort of treasure hunt all over the countryside? I didn’t think you travelled a lot.”

“From your perspective, does anyone?” asked Neisos.

“‘A lot’”, echoed Ohrinna at the same time. “What is to travel ‘a lot’? Is it to be listed among those who walk in Ryshalos’ company?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. She looked for support, for anything to back her up while she thought. Fluttershy cleared her throat softly.

“I think that Rainbow Dash means is that other peryton we’ve met don’t travel between cities unless they are traders, so I guess we assumed that you didn’t really like travelling in general,” said Fluttershy. “I’m sorry.”

Rarity huffed and pulled her blankets tighter about her. “Come now dear, that can’t possibly be insulting,” she said, her brows creased. “Or… is it?”

“Mehros Landing is past the quarries,” said Neisos. “The demesne of Vauhorn is such as can be travelled in half a day—to walk west, south or east, or to sail north, and make it back before next sun. Anhori’s shrine is the farthest, and I know many visit even after this one formative journey. Does that make us travellers?”

“What makes a traveller,” said Ohrinna, frowning slightly at each of the ponies in turn as she spoke. “How far is ‘far’. You spawn the most curious questions, but they are good ones.”

“Thank you, I think,” said Rarity, one brow raised.

“I will leave you for a moment. I think the dough is ready for the oven,” Neisos announced, making his way to the kitchen again. For a little while, the only sound around the table was the rustle of fabric and the occasional sniffle from Rarity. Rainbow Dash folded her wing again and leaned against Fluttershy for a second, but any touch was uncomfortably hot. That probably meant it was even hotter outside right now. Dash awkwardly poured a bowl of water from a decanter set on the table. As per usual, the thing was made neither for hoof nor mouth.

“This is all talk of us and our people,” said Ohrinna. She shuffled her wings on her back in a very pegasus-like way, shifting her weight where she sat. “All this morning, Deimesa and I have asked only the simplest questions of you ponies—” she shook her head, looking from Rarity to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. “It is still strange for me to think you the same people—”

“We are, but we’re not,” Dash interjected.

“—but the question I would ask is how today would be told.”

Fluttershy blinked. Rarity kept working, and Rainbow Dash pretended not to have heard her, focusing on her water-bowl. At some point, somepony else would have to ask the stupid questions. She was running low on her “huh?” and “what?” quotas, and she hadn’t even had breakfast.

“My love asks, in her infinite curiosity,” Neisos said, his head poking in from the kitchen, “what will you do today?”

Ohrinna pitched her head forward a tad. “That is what I said.”

“I’m taking Fluttershy out on a date, for one,” said Dash, bumping her flank against Fluttershy to make her squeak and nearly fall.

“Courtship of sorts?” guessed Ohrinna.

“Something like that,” said Fluttershy, shooting Rainbow Dash a look. “I think. Rainbow Dash said she had something she wanted us to do. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind just going for a flight, but it sounded like you had something special planned for us to do together.” She smiled.

“Yeah, I got an idea,” said Dash, grinning back. It wasn’t a lie, really. She did have an idea, it just wasn’t completely clear yet.

“Meanwhile,” said Rarity, folding her dress over again, “I intend to put some finishing touches on some dresses for this… Rippling. Or Alluvium. Which is it? The story festival meeting… thing that you do.”

“Tomorrow’s Alluvium will be a Rippling, a shaping event,” said Ohrinna, as though this much was obvious. “You intend to share a story?”

“Hm? Oh, I don’t think so,” said Rarity, raising her brows. “I don’t think we have any stories to tell, really.”

“We have tons of stories,” said Rainbow Dash, tilting her head sideways. “There’s that time we saved Equestria—oh, wait,” she said, gasping in mock surprise. “That wasn’t one time, it keeps happening. Even here in Perytonia we scared off a hydra, just the three of us. Fluttershy’s done that twice. She’s basically a veteran hydra-vanquisher now!”

“That’s not true at all!” Fluttershy protested. “I haven’t vanquished any hydra. If you mean the one in Froggy Bottom Bog, we ran away!”

“Yes, yes,” Rarity said, waving a hoof in dismissal. “I suppose there are some stories, but I don’t know that any of them are appropriate! These peryton stories and their Aspects, they’re not about fighting and vanquishing, now, are they?”

Thinking about it, Dash didn’t know that she could remember any peryton stories that were about someone being “like” or “as” someone who vanquished great beasts or whatever. No words or protest came from the kitchen at Rarity’s assertion, and Ohrinna looked very carefully neutral while Rarity drew breath to continue.

“If my dear friends wish to share some stories, that’s wonderful,” Rarity said, flashing a smile at Fluttershy, whose entire body said no to that, and at Dash, who hadn’t really decided yet. “But in my case, I really just wanted a chance to show the peryton of Vauhorn some of my dresses and make some observations.” She hovered up the green dress-in-progress. It didn’t look as shiny and silky as the other ones, but that was all Dash could say for sure.

“You say you have no story you wish to tell. You have a ‘dress’, but no story for it to feature in,” said Ohrinna, words simple and flat, stated as fact.

“I suppose that is true, yes,” said Rarity. Her saddlebags floated past Rainbow Dash from under the table, and the unicorn rooted around until she found a measuring tool. “Is that a problem?” Rarity asked, almost as an afterthought.

Ohrinna neither nodded nor shook her head. “It is strange to me. It feels purposeless. But then, many things can be pleasant without having purpose, like art. I simply do not know that dresses are the same.”

Rarity froze, her magic winking out for a second. Her horn pulsed as she grabbed a hold of her tools again. “I—buh, alright, I… I will chalk this up to a—a misunderstanding. Darling, fashion is art!”

The peryton blinked and drew back slightly even though they sat far apart. “Have I upset you? To me, that which is worn is not that which is appreciated for being seen. What you wear is used to prove a point.”

“Couldn’t that point be to look good?” asked Fluttershy. She glanced nervously at Rarity, as did Rainbow Dash, fearing Rarity might explode or just fade away from the force of disagreement.

“The concept… could be discussed?” Ohrinna allowed, cocking a brow. “It is not something I have heard before. No stories come to mind.”

Rarity did not explode into a million pieces. Instead, she simply drew breath and exhaled slowly, clutching a hoof to her temple, then nodding along. She hovered the dress up for another critical look and resumed her work. “Well, that is… different from my experience, and I would love to have that discussion when I am less busy, perhaps,” she said. “But I believe that you have solved a mystery for me.”

Rainbow Dash scratched at her cheek as she thought. “Hang on. Does that mean that if we figure out a story to go with a dress, or a dress to go with a story, people are gonna go crazy about it?”

“I don’t know about that,” said Fluttershy with a sigh. “They probably won’t think of it as fashion even then, just as a costume.”

“Yeah. How do you even make a story about a dress?” Dash asked of no one.

“Rarity, I’m sorry—” Fluttershy began to say, cut off when Rarity shook her head briskly.

“It doesn’t really matter in the end, does it?” she said, her voice breezy. “This was always going to happen. These normal dresses I’ve made for Vauhorn were never going to go over well. As long as the two of you bring back some observations on the most popular things they wear here, it… no, it really doesn’t matter.”

“Love, are you upsetting our guests?” Neisos called from the kitchen.

“I think they are upsetting themselves this moment,” Ohrinna replied, pursing her lips. “In all seriousness, if I have acted as Khylari upon first meeting Eakus, then I apologise.”

“Khylari delivered truths to Eakus,” came Neisos’ voice again, the stag explaining before Rainbow Dash could even decide whether or not to ask. “Truths that were not only unneeded, but unwanted. An excess of honesty.”

“You really needn't apologise for telling me the truth,” said Rarity with a shrug. She covered a cough and smiled at Ohrinna.

“So… you’re okay?” Fluttershy asked, just as the front door opened to reveal Deimesa returning with her bag full and a cluster of grapes in the grip of her magic. She crossed the room at a run, dashing for the kitchen.

“I will be after we’ve had some breakfast, even if I can’t taste much of anything right now,” Rarity replied.

What worried Rainbow Dash wasn’t that Rarity might be upset. Rarity getting upset was a thing that happened, just like Twilight blathering on about boring things, and Pinkie Pie doing… whatever. No, what worried Rainbow Dash was the fact that Rarity genuinely didn’t seem upset about this whole fashion talk in the end. She shook her head. Whatever was going on, she herself had a date to plan, somehow.

“What’d you call this again?” asked Rainbow Dash, squinting at the last of the filled bread left on the table. She couldn’t take another bite, and as the Vauhornites did not believe in platters, the table was smudged with purple and red, particularly around Dash’s spot, but the twin children gave her some competition in making a mess before they ran upstairs again.

“Phela,” said Ohrinna, refilling her cup. “Made with jicama, filled with grape jam and a hint of—” her words trailed off as she looked to Neisos, clearly expecting him to finish the sentence for her, and when he did not, she frowned. “Some nuts.”

“Is the nuance of my cooking lost on you? Hazelnut, and pear, too.” He shook his head and stretched.

“Well, it was delicious, thank you,” said Fluttershy, dipping her head in a little bow. Rarity and Rainbow Dash said their thanks as well, and Deimesa gathered the leftovers without a word, carrying them off towards the kitchen.

“Mom! Dad!” The shout from the upper floor raised more than a few brows. Dash looked towards the staircase and saw a reddish peryton head, upside-down by the topmost stairs. “Berissa broke it! I didn’t touch it!”

“You helped!” Berissa protested, the little stag’s head disappearing from view, followed by the obvious sounds of a scuffle. Neisos sighed and shook his head.

“You or I?” asked Ohrinna.

“I have not seen them for days,” said Neisos, getting up. “I will see what chaos they have made this time.” He hobbled towards the stairs and mounted them with obvious effort, his one hindleg forcing him to hop every step.

“I guess they’re not so different from pony foals,” said Rarity with a sympathetic smile at Ohrinna.

“Then you and all your kin have my deepest sympathies,” said Ohrinna with a low warble of laughter. “You have children?”

“Oh, goodness, no,” said Rarity, shaking her head. “I don’t know that children are, ah, for me. Still—”

“Would one of you come upstairs, please?” Now it was Neisos’ head poking down from upstairs, the peryton looking worried. “I think we may have broken something of yours.”

“Did… I leave any of my tools up there?” asked Rarity, her eyes widening. She threw off her blankets and made for the stairs.

“I’ll go see if everyone’s okay,” said Fluttershy, trotting after her to catch up, the two ponies disappearing upstairs in a moment. Deimesa returned from the kitchen with a washcloth hovering at her side. She started wiping down the table, but the cloth was snatched away by a slightly brighter magical glow, Ohrinna taking over.

“Play the part of Salhalani. Rest for a moment,” said Ohrinna. She stood and moved around the table slowly, scrubbing at it as she went. Rainbow Dash scratched at her own snout. No sound from upstairs any more. No screams of horror meant that anything Rarity deemed precious was safe.

“You said you were going to perform a courtship ritual today?”

Deimesa’s question almost passed Dash entirely by before she realised it had been aimed at her. “Huh? Court—oh yeah. I’m taking Fluttershy on a date.”

“What is your intent? What passes for courtship among your kind?” asked Deimesa. It was a simple enough question, but the raspy-voiced peryton’s stare was a little more intense than Dash had expected.

“I have no idea,” said Dash, who felt a little bad for not having a good answer. She knew what she’d like to do, of course. Just going for a flight with Fluttershy was always a good time. Fluttershy had even mentioned that as a possibility, but she had to find a good middle ground. Fluttershy probably suggested flying exactly because she knew Dash would love it.

“You… are planning something, but you do not know what?” Deimesa said, her head slowly tilting.

“Something like that,” Rainbow Dash admitted with a shrug.

“Then, would you explain what a ‘date’ is, this curious ritual of courtship,” asked Deimesa. “Or does it defy explanation?”

“Such hunger for stories of Myrtellan themes,” said Ohrinna, her eyes gleaming. “Do you ask because you have been touched? Are you building the courage to show interest in someone particular? Did you meet someone during your journey?”

Deimesa returned a blank look. Ohrinna held up a hoof and folded the washcloth. “I will say no more. Ask your questions of our guests, and I will not even listen.” She stacked empty water-bowls and tossed the washcloth over her back, making for the kitchen.

Their talk had given Dash some time to think about it, anyway. Dates were more of a unicorn thing, sure, but she’d homed in on the word “date” exactly because it felt so strange to her. It certainly wasn’t part of Dash’s usual regimen. Maybe they could grab some dinner together and try to… be romantic about it? Rarity mentioned dinner as an option, and Dash vaguely remembered that Fluttershy had told her she’d thought some of the romance novels Rarity shared with her were “okay”. It didn’t get more middle-ground-y than something solidly okay, right?

“Dates can be anything,” said Rainbow Dash, glancing towards the stairs as she parroted Rarity’s words. “It’s just a stupid word for doing something together—but I guess sometimes ponies try to do very specific things. Like eating dinner and talking.”

Deimesa nodded once and cast a quick look over her shoulder, but her mother was out of sight. She lowered her voice a little. “Then, you should consider the House of Mist and Song. It is the best place to hide away together. From the midday sun, that is.”

“Uh-huh, hiding from the sun,” said Dash, smirking. “Not from nosey parents, huh? I’m guessing you’ve been there.”

The doe shifted her weight from one side to the other. “Perhaps.”

Dash chuckled. “Relax, I’m not gonna tell anyone. Anyway, what is it?”

“It is a low-dwelling—” Deimesa began, and perhaps she saw Dash’s confused look, because she immediately corrected herself. “A cellar-house? An underground floor of entertainment. Sometimes, displays of magical skill, sometimes conflicts of words, sometimes artists will show their works or create them while others watch.”

“Alright,” said Dash, spreading her wings to let some air in before she furled them again. That sounded perfectly averagely fun and not at all up either Dash or Fluttershy’s alley. “I’m listening. Do they have snacks? Any food?”

“Mm, the antlers I got in the grove,” said Fluttershy with a nod.

“How’d they break them?” Dash asked. “They were made for jousting and smashing into stuff!”

Rainbow Dash squinted and glared right back at the sun, but it was a futile battle that almost made her see the purpose of hats. At its zenith, there was no shadow to be had in the streets. More now than ever were they alone in walking the streets. Everyone else sat by fountains or kept indoors at the peak hour of sunlight.

Fluttershy shook her head. “They didn’t really break them, they just broke off a small part on one side. They were ever so sorry, the poor little things,” she said, but Dash thought she sounded not just sympathetic, Fluttershy always did, but sad as well. Rainbow Dash had never asked why she insisted on bringing the awkwardly large wooden antlers. Rarity hadn’t quarreled about the space they took away from her fabrics, though, so she probably knew what she was doing.

“Well, that’s not cool at all. Sorry,” said Rainbow Dash. She extended a wing meaning to try to hold it over Fluttershy’s head to shield her from the sunlight for a second, but she couldn’t reach. Instead she just poked a feather in her mane. Fluttershy giggled.

“It’s alright, um—what are you doing?”

“Nevermind,” Dash said, snorting. She slowed down a little as they exited the second plaza heading seawards. So far, they had followed the exact same road they’d walked yesterday on their way to the council by the Ravenwall, but this time she looked for something else, something very specific.

“You’re still not going to tell me where we’re headed?” asked Fluttershy. She didn’t sound entirely displeased.

“Not a chance,” said Rainbow Dash. The good thing about Vauhorn was that it was easy to get specific directions. You couldn’t go wrong with “the alley flanked by scrolls with eight waves, on the corner of a building painted with Glandros’ full form, the charging stag”. The issue was finding it among a thousand other scrolls with pictures and texts, hundreds of painted houses, and a dozen alleys between one plaza and the next.

“Is what you have in your saddlebags also a secret?” asked Fluttershy, glancing at Dash’s side.

“Nah,” said Dash, grinning. “I traded Deimesa a gem for some bronze slivers just in case. It was her suggestion.”

“I guess that means they’re a little more careful about what they trade here,” Fluttershy mused. “And it also means we’re going somewhere where you can buy things first?”

“Stop trying to figure it out!” Dash laughed. Finally, she spotted a set of huge canvas scrolls waving in the faint wind. She’d been looking at the wrong side of the street, of course.

“Sorry,” said Fluttershy, smiling and clearly not very sorry at all. Rainbow Dash crossed in front of her, heading for the alley. She could see stone steps heading down to the cellar under some kind of shop.

“Finally. This way,” said Dash, triumphant. Ten minutes in the midday heat had been enough to make her dizzy, and the promise of a reprieve made her speed up. Somewhere cool to kick back would be great, but she wasn’t too keen on the whole underground part. She had no idea what to expect from the ‘entertainment’ either, but she was sure that even if she would probably not love it, neither of them would dislike it, either. It was perfect precisely because it wasn’t.

Rainbow Dash stepped down the stairs, noting with satisfaction that the door wasn’t some stupid sliding door, but yielded to a light push. They stepped inside and Dash nudged the door shut behind her, pausing for a moment next to Fluttershy. After the blinding light outside, everything was pitch black down here, and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. She spotted a lot of small tables around the room, some almost as tall as she was, some low, circled by pillows for seating and made of wood rather than the otherwise dominant stone. Small groups of peryton occupied most of the tables. A dozen stags all clustered around one, sitting flank to flank.

Deeper inside the room, a large section of a corner contained what Dash could only understand as some sort of bar, two peryton walking to and from behind a tall counter. One of them magicked a bowl from out of sight, seized by a stag who nodded his thanks.

Along all the walls hung pictures with no common theme, and in the corner opposite the bar stood a low stage of well-worn, rough wood. A doe with washed out colours juggled three shiny spheres. They jumped up and down in the air with small bursts of magic keeping them aloft whenever they started to fall.

Some of the peryton talked amongst each other, and some watched the performance with rapt attention. When Rainbow Dash pointed to a free table and stepped further into the room, most heads turned to look at the ponies with obvious curiosity that lasted only a minute.

“What is this place?” asked Fluttershy, her voice a little lower than usual.

“The House of… Mist and Song? Something like that,” said Rainbow Dash. She took a seat by one of the low tables, nudging a few pillows over to make a comfy stack. Her eyes wandered over to the stage again. The spheres had to be glass. When the peryton doe’s magic touched them, they lit up in a myriad of colours. The entire room smelled like fruit.

“The House of Mist and Song. Okay, that’s… helpful,” said Fluttershy, her tone suggesting otherwise, and Dash couldn’t help but giggle.

“Hey, if I had a better answer, I would’ve told you. Honest,” Dash admitted, still grinning. They’d barely sat down when one of the peryton behind the bar tossed an apron over his back and wended his way towards them. The stag’s colours were muted in the dim light provided by the occasional globe along the walls, but his curiosity was not.

“Does Chorossa stand upon the deck of Ilyra’s ship,” asked the stag with a smile, his voice clear but low. “Or does Ryshalos’ stories usher you to our House?”

“Right, so, I know I heard the word ‘Ryshalos’ before,” said Dash, squinting.

“Have you travelled here by land or by sea?” the stag went on—or possibly explained? “I cannot count the years since last I had antlerless at my table.”

“We’ve travelled across both, really,” said Fluttershy, smiling at him. “I’m Fluttershy. Nice to meet you.”

“Aikurros,” said the stag, his head tilted forwards in a head-only bow.

“Rainbow Dash,” said Dash, clearing her throat. She tried to remember the words Deimesa had suggested she use. “We’re here on… uh, Myrtellan business. Or, her story is our story tonight, or something, so…”

The stag raised his brows, silent for a moment, then nodded again, deeper this time. “I see and understand. In that case, if you are not opposed, I will bring you something as refreshing as I can find but otherwise leave you to yourselves, hoping that you enjoy today’s entertainment.”

“Thanks a bunch,” said Dash, waving at him as he turned to leave. She caught the strange look Fluttershy gave her and her grin redoubled. “Myrtella’s the Aspect of all the lovey—”

“I remember who Myrtella is,” Fluttershy interrupted with a brief giggle. “I just, um, didn’t expect that.” Her smile mixed with a small frown as she looked about as though taking in the room for the first time. “I didn’t expect any of this, to be honest. I just thought we’d go for a flight or something. At least it’s dark. My mane is a mess, and I haven’t had a proper bath in forever.”

“Your mane’s fine,” said Rainbow Dash. “I like it when it’s really long, but you gotta try a short mane someday, too.”

“Maybe,” said Fluttershy, eyeing her own tail critically. “You should try growing yours out long, too. At least the back of your mane. Your tail looks great.”

“It does look great,” Rainbow Dash agreed, smiling lazily at Fluttershy. She’d wanted to make Fluttershy blush, maybe make her laugh, but Fluttershy’s eyes still roamed the room, distracted.

“Maybe when we get back,” Dash added. “Eh, it’s gonna get in my eyes though.”

“Not if you fly really fast,” said Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash tried to find a counter to that, but in the end all she could do was giggle. The bartender returned with a tray holding a decanter of orange liquid, two water-bowls, and another large and almost flat bowl of some purple jelly, garnished with red berries and some leaves arranged in a hook-shaped pattern.

“Add to her stories with your own,” said Aikurros, giving them another slight bow before returning to the bar. A set of clacking noises made Dash look up, and it took her a moment to realise that the sound was hooves on stone applauding the performer on stage as she stepped down.

“You know, I think Rarity or Twilight could’ve done that while asleep,” Dash whispered, grinning.

Fluttershy gave her a stern look. “Peryton magic is different. They seemed very impressed with it.”

“Hey, I’m not complaining,” said Dash, shrugging. “It looked cool, and I’m sure there’s stuff they can do that unicorns can’t.”

“And if there isn’t, it doesn’t really matter, either,” suggested Fluttershy with a faint smile. She leaned in to sniff the jelly-like substance. “They’re very good at making different fruit pastes and jellies here in Vauhorn, for example. This smells very good.”

“Uh-huh,” said Dash, catching a whiff of sweet berries. “Now, how do we eat it?” she asked, eyeing the small probably-a-utensil thing they’d been given, a small wooden wedge. “I guess they don’t realise we don’t have magic. Again.” She grimaced.

“I… guess so,” Fluttershy agreed, her ears splayed. “Maybe we could ask—”

Rainbow Dash planted her muzzle into the bowl and licked up some jelly. Whatever it was, it had grapes in it, but there was obviously a lot more. Currant? “It’s great,” she said, licking her snout clean. “If we’re eating it wrong, I don’t care. If they don’t realise we don’t have horns or antlers, that’s their problem.” Fluttershy let out a soft giggle and leaned down for a taste as well, her snout stained purple afterwards.

They couldn’t really talk while they ate, and Rainbow Dash was too hungry to sit around taking delicate little bites and chatting in between. Fluttershy didn’t seem inclined to do anything like that, either, so the jelly didn’t last very long. Soon after the juggler stepped down from the stage, a set of six stags left the large group by the other side of the room. As they walked, the sextet of lithe peryton magically unfurled coloured cloths and draped them about each other’s necks. Rainbow Dash shuffled over to sit closer to Fluttershy’s side. The other pegasus had gone especially quiet since they finished eating.

“The five!” announced one of the stags. He was the smallest by a margin, and the scarf-like cloth around his neck was grey where the others wore different bright colours.

“One whose voice is a chorus of few,” said another with a green shawl. Some of the other patrons stopped their conversations to watch. Others ignored the stage entirely.

“One whose voice is myriad,” the grey one retorted. He unwrapped his scarf and in his magic, it passed around the neck of the green-garbed one.

Rainbow Dash glanced over at Fluttershy, and caught Fluttershy looking back at her.

“This is, um, different from the jousts,” Fluttershy whispered.

“Morrashon, as of yet undiscovered—” said the grey one.

“Daros!” called the yellow one. “His wings cannot spread in a space so small.”

“If you wanted to use the word ‘lame’ once in your life,” Dash shot back at Fluttershy, “this would be a good time.” The six stags barely moved at all, at most spreading a wing half-way for emphasis, their every word addressed to an invisible spot in the middle of the semicircle they marked. Dash turned her eyes and ears away from the stage.

Fluttershy shook her head, a wan smile upon her muzzle as she gave the performers one more look. “Maybe we can agree that it’s very…”

“Different?” Dash supplied.

“That’s a better word,” Fluttershy agreed. “I’m sure they draw a lot of meaning from it.”

“I hope someone does. I’ll pass,” said Dash. The food was gone, and she didn’t particularly feel like ordering more. She grabbed a sip of the sweet fruit juice, stealing another covert look at Fluttershy. Was it the terrible play that made every one of her smiles so short-lived? No. She’d been full of energy when they left the house—as full of energy as any of them were these days—but now she looked weary, like the shade and the food had had the opposite effect.

“Hey, if you want to get out of here, we can do that,” Dash suggested. “Maybe they have…” she wracked her brain trying to imagine where else one might go. Restaurants? Did they have cafés? What other date-y things were there to do? Anything else that wasn’t so Fluttershy that the other pegasus might say no, just like she had wanted to keep the animals to herself now. Something that wasn’t so Rainbow Dash that it would be selfish to drag Fluttershy along.

“No. It’s fine. I’d like to stay here for a minute longer,” said Fluttershy. She shifted around, turning to look at Dash full on and clearing her throat as softly as only she could. “Do you remember when we talked yesterday?”

“Yesterday? Oh jeez, I don’t know, Fluttershy. When was that?” Dash asked, staring at her deadpan. When Fluttershy sighed, Dash rolled her eyes and let out a raspy chuckle. “Of course I do.”

Fluttershy nodded once, keeping her voice low even though the peryton who didn’t watch the play talked without care. “Okay, I believe that you remember, but I don’t think you understood what I meant. I… I think maybe I did a poor job of explaining what I meant, really.”

Rainbow Dash squinted. Or frowned. She felt her face do a squinty thing, anyways, her brow knit. “Alright?” She tried to think back to what Fluttershy said, exactly, but she came up short, and it wasn’t because she didn’t remember the details. “You didn’t really say much at all, actually,” Dash said.

Fluttershy did that thing where she looked somewhere between annoyed and disappointed. “Yes, because I didn’t really get a chance to speak at all,” she said. Dash winced, flicking an ear, but Fluttershy’s expression softened right away. “I’m sorry. That’s not fair towards you. What I mean is, you said you knew what I meant, so I didn’t explain. You said you understood what I meant about you acting different.”

Dash nodded as slowly and patiently as she could make herself. It wasn’t very slow at all. “Right, yeah. Because I did. Or I think I did,” she admitted. If Fluttershy hadn’t meant to tell Dash to get off her case and find something new for them to do, then she didn’t know what she meant, but she knew that needing to talk twice in a row this quickly was probably bad. She lay her head perfectly sideways when Fluttershy didn’t immediately reply. “Just let me know what’s up, lay it on me.” Rainbow Dash scooted a little closer.

Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came. Whatever courage Fluttershy had built up evaporated in a long sigh, the other pegasus mare looking away, fixing her eyes on a weak light-globe mounted on the nearest wall. Rainbow Dash said nothing, trying to be patient, but she couldn’t keep from tapping the stone floor with a hoof for a satisfying little clack clack clack.

“Could you maybe not do that?” Fluttershy asked, closing her eyes.

“Right,” said Rainbow Dash. She stopped and instead focused all her attention on trying to block out the nearly perfectly monotonous voices drifting over from the stage. The grey-scarfed one sat in front of the other five who stood perfectly in line with each other. Fluttershy swallowed and finally looked at her again, the beginnings of a smile on her face, obviously strained.

“Did you know Neisos is afraid to fly?” asked Fluttershy. It took Rainbow Dash a moment to re-adjust. She’d expected Fluttershy to say something different. What, she didn’t know, but not that. Why were they talking about Neisos?

“I, uh, I guess not?” Dash said, blinking. “Didn’t I ask him why he didn’t fly, earlier? It would be way easier for him to get around flying. With the leg and all, I mean.”

“I think it has something to do with the accident that hurt him,” said Fluttershy, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Rainbow Dash. “He doesn’t seem very traumatised, but before you woke up, Ohrinna mentioned that he used to fly a lot compared to most peryton.”

Rainbow Dash said nothing. What could she say? That was stupid. Not stupid of Neisos, but a stupid thing to have happen. She absent-mindedly nodded.

“Neisos himself said that he was happy with us,” Fluttershy went on. “He’s glad that we don’t treat him like some sort of wounded animal. A few peryton do that to him, and he doesn’t like it at all. Maybe he wouldn’t like me telling you this—I really hope he doesn’t mind—but he was almost glad you were curious, because you didn’t treat him different. None of us have, he said.”

“Well, duh,” said Dash, snorting loudly. “It’s not like he’s less cool just ‘cause he had an accident or whatever. If he wants us to be sad for him or something, that’s fine, he’ll tell us, but I’m not gonna start crying just ‘cause he lost his leg. That’d really annoy me, anyway.”

Fluttershy locked eyes with Rainbow Dash then, nodding slowly with her ears perked. She licked her lips before she went on, each word measured. “Everyone has weaknesses, and some—like a missing leg—are a little more obvious than others. But I don’t think I know anyone who wants to be pitied, coddled or handled like they’re fragile, even if you think they are. There’s a difference between pity, encouragement, and support.”

“I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy after a moment of silence, as though she had read Rainbow Dash’s mind. “I said I wanted to talk, but I probably sound like I’m trying to tell some sort of story.”

“Yeah, well, we’re in the right town for that,” said Rainbow Dash with a helpless burst of laughter. It was true, Fluttershy could’ve been any Vauhornite peryton right now—except the words were even more confusing exactly because they shouldn’t be. Everything Fluttershy said was plain and simple, except for the question of why she was telling Rainbow Dash.

“Seriously, I never said I didn’t like stories,” Dash said when Fluttershy’s silence stretched on again, the other pegasus staring at the table now. ”They get bonus points if they begin with Daring Do and the Something or Other,I just think it’s silly to say something that’s… that’s not what you’re really trying to say, and yeah, I know ponies do that all the time, too, I know! It just gets weird when it’s some—I dunno, some crazy fable or whatever. I get what you’re saying about Neisos, though. I didn’t know he was actually that bummed out about the flying thing.”

“I don’t know how ‘bummed out’ he is,” said Fluttershy. She puffed out her cheeks, casting Rainbow Dash these furtive little glances that Dash didn’t know what to make of. Dash was vaguely aware that the sextet of peryton left the stage. Someone entered the cellar—or maybe someone left. A bright burst of sunlight marked the door opening and closing.

“You know, sometimes, I’m glad that not everypony knows we’re the Elements of Harmony,” said Fluttershy all of a sudden.

Rainbow Dash cocked a brow at the sudden topic shift. “Okay? Heh, I wonder if the peryton even know what the Elements are, but I’ll bite. Why?”

Fluttershy shook her head, disappearing behind the bangs of her mane. Dash heard her sigh. “I’m sorry. I’m trying to say something, I guess, but—”

Dash waited, but there was no follow-up, no explanation, no real “but”. Was that all she had to say about Neisos? Was she that worried about him? Why suddenly bring up the Elements? When Fluttershy spoke up again, her words came faster, almost conversational.

“I’m glad people don’t know, because we’ve all worked so well together, we’ve become such great friends, and even closer than before, and it feels wrong to say that the Elements did that,” said Fluttershy, her ears splayed. “These have been the best years of my life, and it kept—keeps getting better.”

Rainbow Dash meant to interrupt. She meant to speak up in agreement, which was easy—and to say things had been even better since they tried out the romance thing, which was a harder sell. Fluttershy went on before she could speak, anyway.

“The Elements are just a small part of who we are. Do you know what makes Twilight Sparkle special?” Fluttershy’s eyes peered at her, half-hidden behind the pink hairs of her unbrushed mane.

Dash squinted. “Is that a trick question? Eggheadedness?” She held up a warding hoof. She could tell from her expression that Fluttershy wasn’t messing around. “Okay, fine. She’s smart and everything, great at all the magic and writing and reading stuff. You don’t want me to say that she’s just a huge head to put a magical tiara on, I get it. I know that.”

Fluttershy interrupted her with a quick nod. “She’s wonderful in many ways, but she’s a lot more than just the Element of Magic. The Element chose her—or came to her, I don’t know which—because she brought us all closer together. She does that to everypony she meets, somehow.”

“Sure. I hadn’t really thought about it like that, or, uh, at all, but yeah, I guess that’s true.” Dash tapped a hoof on the floor again, but stopped when she realised what she was doing. “Okay, what’s that got to do with us? You’re gonna tell me that you’re more than ‘kind’? Because… duh?”

Fluttershy didn’t even acknowledge the compliment, maybe because it was obvious. Or maybe she was trying very hard to carry on with what she tried to say.

“The Elements are just… a word, one thing,” said Fluttershy, her eyes fixed on the table again. “I don’t think they’re fair. Not to any of us. Yes, we’re all more than our Elements, though sometimes I don’t think I’m even that—”

“That’s a load of hay, you’re amazing,” Dash interrupted. She hadn’t even meant to say it. It burst from her, accompanied by a surge of warmth in her chest. Now, Fluttershy did smile, but it didn’t last.

“—and that means you’re a lot more than just ‘loyal’,” Fluttershy went on. “Sometimes, I think you don’t realise that. That you don’t think about it. You joke about how great you are at flying, and you are, but I don’t know if you’ve even noticed how you bring out the best in people.”

Rainbow Dash had been called awesome in a lot of ways, and knew a hundred ways to gracefully receive applause, be it by bowing, cheering, or simply letting others know that she knew that yes, thank you, she was in fact amazing. Now, she had nothing to say. All her words fled, and her ears itched like mad.

“You make m—” Fluttershy said, pausing for a shuddering breath. She lost momentum, but her words carried on even though her voice faltered and broke. “You make people better. You make them overcome obstacles and do things they didn’t think they could do. I think you could make a boulder sprout wings and fly if you just tried.”

They sat together in complete silence for a while. The door opened and closed again. Some peryton sat down at a nearby table that had been unoccupied until now, but if they spoke, Dash didn’t hear any of it. A clatter of pottery briefly penetrated the wall of quiet that surrounded them, but the rest of the world might as well not have existed. Perhaps it didn’t. Dash barely remembered the last time Fluttershy had spoken this much in such a short time. Maybe they were back in her cloudhome bedroom years ago, sat on the foot-end of Dash’s bed talking about everything that didn’t matter and mattered the most.

Fluttershy’s wings hung loosely at her sides, her primaries touching the floor, and her head was bowed. For Dash’s part, she didn’t know how to deal with this. What to say or do, where to look or what to do with herself. Where part of her glowed with pride, another part didn’t know if she deserved it.

“I… alright. I don’t know about that,” Dash muttered under her breath. She felt uneasy. It made sense for Fluttershy to care about the three-legged peryton if she thought he might have a problem. Fluttershy always cared, but that couldn’t be all Fluttershy wanted to say. That alone didn’t explain why Fluttershy had been… moody? Cagey? Whatever she’d been since Ephydoera, this didn’t explain all of it, but if Fluttershy was right, if Rainbow Dash really could motivate anyone, then she could certainly look to this one problem. Getting a peryton up in the air couldn’t be too hard.

“I just don’t know if butting my head in everywhere—” Dash tried, frowning. It sounded like self-doubt to her, and that was never fun, but there was a reason she hadn’t immediately jumped on Neisos when he said he didn’t feel like flying that one night. She hadn’t thought about it until now, but there had been a reason. “I don’t know if it’s always my business, y’know?” she admitted with a helpless shrug.

Fluttershy let out a soundless snort, her head bobbing. She smiled a little, but it wasn’t one of the weak, flighty smiles that fled the second Dash blinked—it was the beginnings of a real thing, a cautious smile that touched each side of her muzzle.

“Please don’t take this the wrong way,” Fluttershy said. “But that doesn’t sound like you at all, and that’s kind of the problem. When you see something that you think is… wrong, or could be better, you usually just go for it, and it works out, because you have a good heart.”

Maybe Fluttershy was right. Or rather, Rainbow Dash knew that Fluttershy was right. The more she thought about it, the more sense it made. She flicked her ears, and just like that, the House of Mist and Song poured back into the world. On the stage, a doe set up an easel for painting, and the cellar was almost deserted. Dash grabbed a hoof of bronze splinters, tossed them onto the table and stood.

“Alright. Okay, you don’t have to tell me twice. I guess I didn’t get it the first time, but I hear you. Let’s go,” said Dash. She had somewhere to start, something to do, and that energised her more than anything else—and now Fluttershy smiled back at her, eyes bright. In that moment, everything was alright again.

Maybe it was that simple? Maybe Fluttershy had just needed to get that off her chest, and they needed some time to themselves to talk. When Rainbow Dash shook her wings out and finally managed to open the inwards-swinging door, Fluttershy spread her wings as well, stretching, and they were as they had always been, the closest of friends. Rainbow Dash reached out with a wing to brush against Fluttershy’s neck as she passed her and grinned. More than friends, and Dash had come to enjoy that.

“Do you want to fly back?” asked Fluttershy as they ascended the stairs back to the alley. The sun wasn’t quite as scorching, now. Dash grinned.

“Would I,” she said, off the ground and hovering in an instant. Fluttershy followed, bright as sunshine herself.

Chapter 24

Ohrinna confirmed what I suspected. I’ll still finish these dresses simply because it would be a shame to waste all this material, but it is clear that the very concept of a dress is pointless.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are on a date, and I wish them the absolute best, but as for me? I need a better plan if I am to make a splash in Cotronna. Clearly self-expression and creativity are not the most important factors in achieving this.

-R

Vauhorn looked a little less like a mess of simple geometric shapes from above. Having seen Orto and now Vauhorn, Dash caught herself thinking that Twilight would appreciate the rows of streets and the square plazas all in perfect order, but soaring above the rooftops, she could see that the waterfront was a little less orderly. The docks had to obey the shape of the shore—unlike Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, who refused to obey the commands of the summer weather.

It was hot. It was atrociously hot to fly while the sun was still up, but still Rainbow Dash wouldn’t have it any other way, and from the way Fluttershy smiled at her when their eyes met, the feeling was mutual. In that very moment, Rainbow Dash was happy. Things were better between them, and it felt so very good to fly. In the streets below, a couple of peryton looked up as they flew past. Perhaps they thought the ponies were crazy for flying in the middle of the day. Let them.

And, thinking on flying, Dash had promised herself now that she’d talk to Neisos to see if she could help him out somehow. She didn’t really know what was up, if anything was up, but she was sure she could help. Fluttershy certainly seemed to think so. Dash looked over at her girlfriend again, flying a little closer. Almost too close, almost unsafe, but Fluttershy didn’t complain. They were both steady enough in the air that she had to wonder if they would match their wingbeats to fly a single wingspan apart. She wanted to try.

“I think I’m going to need a drink when we get back,” said Fluttershy with a giggle, slowing down for a moment to wipe her brow before she continued on.

“Yeah, no kidding,” Dash agreed, laughing. It was a mercifully short flight anyway. They passed another plaza. The House of Mist and Song was close to Neisos and Ohrinna’s place by air. Everything was close by air.

Amazing what a little time to themselves could do for a relationship. If there was anything else on Fluttershy’s mind, it was probably just homesickness. It wasn’t like Rainbow Dash was immune to that herself. Her eyes drifted north. Equestria may lay more east than north from here—she trusted her hunch there—but the endless blue waters were what separated them.

Rainbow Dash wasn’t homesick herself. Perhaps she never had been. The vast gulf between Perytonia and Equestria almost felt comforting. Once they got back home, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy would need to figure out what they could and couldn’t do together.

Maybe Fluttershy would let Dash preen her now that they were okay again? Maybe there were other things Dash liked to do that Fluttershy could join in on without hurting her or making Rainbow Dash the worst girlfriend ever. Awkward dates were clearly not a success, so even though she had figured out what made Fluttershy sad, she hadn’t figured out what they could do as a couple, yet.

Rainbow Dash frowned at herself. Somewhere behind her lay Cotronna, far beyond the Vauhornite farmlands barely visible from the low angle. These cities lay so far apart, with nothing in common, barely functioning together. Had Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash always been this way? Had Rainbow Dash just never noticed? Part of her wanted her friend back—no. Dash snorted. Now that she knew how to fix Fluttershy’s sadness, she didn’t need to be thinking about pointless stuff.

And she had figured out what made Fluttershy sad, hadn’t she? She was worried about Neisos, Dash was almost entirely sure, and if there was a difference between almost entirely sure, and entirely sure, the comfort of having something to do made up the difference. In her distraction, Fluttershy pulled ahead a little. Rainbow Dash sped up, caught up and overcompensated.

“You’re being very quiet,” said Fluttershy, struggling to catch up in turn. Her head was at a tilt, and without another word, she started their descent, making for what Dash presumed was the entrance to the alley of Neisos and Ohrinna’s house. Rainbow Dash followed.

“Yeah, just thinking, don’t even worry about it,” she said, putting on her most cocksure grin.

She still struggled to accept the strange praise and weird compliments Fluttershy had given her, but whatever. She had a plan. She had to talk to someone, and fix something. “I think I’m gonna have a chat with Neisos,” said Dash.

Fluttershy gave her a curious look at that, as though it wasn’t obvious, as though she hadn’t practically asked her to do exactly that, but it lasted only a moment. When they landed at the entrance to the alley, she gestured ahead. “I guess he’s home—he’s right over there,” said Fluttershy.

“Oh, cool,” said Dash. Neisos stood in the doorway of his house talking to two other peryton. He must’ve seen them, pointing at the ponies a moment later. The other peryton nodded and took off down the narrow street in the opposite direction. Neisos said something Dash didn’t hear, leaning out the door, and the two strangers sped up to a brisk walk, not looking back.

“What was that about?” asked Rainbow Dash when they got closer. Neisos waited for them, leaning against the doorframe.

“What was it about, who were they, or what did they want?” asked Neisos, gazing up at the sun as though there were answers to be had there. “Chorossa clutches the answer—or you do.”

“Who’sChorossa?” asked Dash, stopping just outside.

“And why would we know?” Fluttershy added with obvious confusion.

“Chorossa is the Aspect of the known becoming unknown, simply put, of obfuscation and confusion, and only potential future understanding,” said Neisos with an inscrutable look. “Or simply put, another way to say… I do not know. They asked for you not by name but by species, and I thought perhaps they might be friends of yours, someone you’ve met during one of your wanderings here.”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “Were they from the council, maybe? They did sound like they’d like to see us again if they got the chance, and they seemed to enjoy talking to us.”

“No. Or, I doubt it,” said Neisos, clearly chagrined. “I want to say they are not from Vauhorn, but I did not get their names, and when I told them that you did indeed visit us, and that you were just down the street, they said hasty goodbyes, like Daros before the threat of the hearthrug.”

“Oh. Okay, that’s officially weird,” said Rainbow Dash, her snout crinkling of its own accord.

“Yes,” said Neisos, his dark expression softening by the moment. “Yes, but while it is strange, it is also time for evening meal, you are just in time to help with preparations. Come!”

“You are certain you are not hungry?” Neisos asked not for the first, and likely not for the last time. “The Ever Soaring did not make his questing flight on an empty stomach.”

“Nah, I’m good, thanks,” said Rainbow Dash, distracted. She gave a little ground, letting Berissa push her a tiny bit before she pushed back—gently but firmly. The young doe was surprisingly strong for how thin her forelegs were, but Dash couldn’t shake the fear of hurting her.

Berissa shared no such restraint. Her soup stood half-finished on the ground next to her in the middle of the living room floor. Teilos stared at the two hoof-wrestlers over the rim of his bowl, almost as fierce and focused as his twin sister herself.

“Come on, try harder,” Dash said, grinning. She pushed a little more, bringing Berissa’s knee perilously close to the floor.

“It is no use,” Teilos piped. “You always win!”

Berissa pushed back as hard as she could. Rainbow Dash could tell she gave it her all, the child’s wings lifting while she yanked at Dash’s foreleg. Surprisingly strong, sure, but nothing compared to Applejack. Or even Apple Bloom. Dash moved with the push and let her knee hit the ground, gasping in mock surprise.

“I lost? Wow, kid. You got me!” Dash said, shaking her head. She smiled at the triumphant doe who stared at her own hoof as though she didn’t quite know what had happened. “I’ll quit while I’m still ahead. That’s four to one, but I don’t wanna take any more chances.”

“You beat her!” Teilos said, gaping.

“I beat her!” Berissa repeated. “I am as Selyria when she split the world!” The little peryton bounced from forelegs to hind-claws and cheered along with her brother as she danced. Rainbow Dash got up and headed for the table, trying to hold back a snicker. Neisos laughed and left the table to hug Berissa, starting some profound story or other about an Aspect, while Ohrinna shook her head with obvious mirth. Even Deimesa cracked a smile.

“That was nice of you,” said Fluttershy when Rainbow Dash sat down at her side. Fluttershy flipped her empty bowl upside-down and put it in the center of the table, as was apparently custom here, and nuzzled Rainbow Dash right below the ear.

“Yeah, well, you don’t get to tell Applejack or anypony else,” Dash retorted, relishing the touch. She let out a breath and closed her eyes for just a second. A pleasant, almost cool gust of wind snuck in through the one open window.

“Good afternoon,” said Ohrinna just as Rainbow Dash heard hoofsteps. Rarity slowly descended the stairs, a thin blanket wrapped around her.

“Oh, hello,” said Fluttershy, one ear tweaked in question. “Are you feeling any better?”

“Better,” Rarity repeated, blinking heavily. She stopped at the foot of the stairs. Neisos and the children continued talking and playing unabated. Rarity smiled at the sight. “Perhaps a little. I suppose I should eat something if I wish to be back at my best anytime soon.”

Ohrinna nodded sagely. “Food and rest. And water, always water.”

“In that respect, I suppose being sick in Perytonia isn’t very different from being sick in Equestria,” said Rarity, covering up a small cough as she stood by the table. “What is this? I’m sure it smells heavenly, but all I can say is that it looks good.” She sniffled.

“Sweetened fiddlehead and onion soup,” said Ohrinna. “Neisos prefers to take his time making it, but someone bought an excess of these things, leaving us with a clear and short path to dinner.”

“I like fiddlehead onion soup,” said Deimesa, unrepentant as she filled her bowl for the third time. Neisos did not comment. He had one leg hooked about each of his children’s withers, leaning in close to whisper to them.

“It was delicious, really,” said Fluttershy, nodding to the pot stood on the table.

“C’mon, sit down,” said Rainbow Dash. “You can use my bowl. I wasn’t hungry.”

“Mm, yes, that’s very kind of you,” said Rarity, rubbing at her eyes. “But I think I’ll take my dinner upstairs. I am making some progress, finally.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t try to mask her sigh. “C’mon, stick around for a bit. We haven’t seen you at all lately.”

“If you’re going to stay upstairs, could you try to rest, at least?” asked Fluttershy.

Rarity frowned. “I’ve just slept half the day away. I’ll be fine. If you don’t mind, I’ll just grab some of this no doubt delicious soup and be out of your manes in a moment.”

“Feel free to take as much as you like,” Ohrinna said. Rarity said her thanks and soon hovered a helping of soup at her side.

“Before I go, though,” said the unicorn, pausing with one hoof on the stairs. She looked over her shoulder at Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. “How did your date go?”

Dash snorted and grinned all at once. “The whole House of Mist and Song place was—uh,” she stalled herself, keenly aware that Deimesa was in the room. “It was… not our kind of thing, but I think the date went okay anyway.” She looked askance at Fluttershy, and the other pegasus nodded, one side of her muzzle tugged in a half-smile.

“I think it was good, yes,” said Fluttershy, and it sounded to Rainbow Dash like she meant it. “I think we’re going to be better than ever.”

Rarity nodded. “That’s good, I’m happy for you two,” she said, smiling at the pair, but she didn’t ask for details like Dash expected. The unicorn disappeared upstairs, tasting her soup as she went.

“The House of Mist and Song, is it?” asked Neisos, laboriously rising to stand. He hobbled his way back to the table, sitting down close to Ohrinna, but his eyes were on his eldest daughter as he spoke. “I wonder, where did you get the idea to go there?”

What Rainbow Dash hadn’t told anypony else was that Twilight had given her an extra special super secret one-on-one ‘diplomatic brief’ teaching her the essentials of official conduct. This was the perfect time to perform the most amazing diplomatic maneuver of all.

Rainbow Dash said nothing at all.

It didn’t help much. Deimesa’s sudden interest in her soup bowl spoke volumes.

“Vestrus sought to know all,” said Deimesa when more curious eyes landed on her. “Is it now a crime to wish to know where one might hide from the second summer’s sun at its peak?”

“Oh no, of course not, little gem,” said Neisos, his face blank and his voice full of sympathy for a moment. The curiosity and the smugness had transferred over to Ohrinna, quickly, invisibly, and convincingly.

“Of course,” added Ohrinna, flipping and putting away bowls as she spoke. “One has heard that at this house works a particular stag that one’s daughter took an interest in since long before she went on her journey, and rumour has it that he, too, has returned from his own—”

Deimesa threw her head back. “Mom!”

The table erupted in laughter, and when Deimesa tried to get up and leave, Neisos wrapped a wing around her back and spoke to her in low tones. Rainbow Dash hadn’t seen peryton blushing before, but Deimesa clearly had the capability for it.

“The place itself was very nice,” said Fluttershy when the noise died down a little. “It’s really clever to make these little hiding places for when the sun gets too hot.”

“It is tradition of sort,” said Neisos tugging at Deimesa with his wing, receiving a half-hearted glare. “A place to show what you have to offer, what you have thought of, what you have found—though usually, peryton travel as far across the city as they can. The idea is an exchange of local cultures. It is easy to get stuck in one way of thinking if you are friends with all your neighbours. Few visit their local corner clubs.”

“Without good reason, at least,” Ohrinna added, nodding. Deimesa shrugged off Neisos’ wing and grunted.

“It really did feel more like a theater of sorts than a café,” said Fluttershy, chewing on her cheek, thoughtful for a moment.

“Yeah, uh. Some of the stuff was really… something else,” Dash added. It was about as nice as she could be without lying. “The juggling was okay.”

“They used a stage just like we do in Equestria, or… almost like it,” said Fluttershy, her brow furrowed. “Does that mean there’s a stage at the Alluvium tomorrow?”

“No one stage as such, no,” said Ohrinna, shaking her head. “There are many. Stories are told by fires, and the stories that kin agree are worth keeping are brought to the next. At the height of the Alluvium, the stories that are not discarded are brought to the sunrise.”

“Wait, so… it’s some sort of competition after all? Like a tournament?” Dash asked.

“No,” said Ohrinna. “It is consensus, it is agreement. If you seek to win, you’ll have better luck throwing your slivers at a Shersang pile.”

“Which… I’m guessing is not a good idea,” said Dash, snorting.

“It is great, if your aim is to get rid of the slivers,” said Ohrinna with a chuckle. “No, but then, perhaps I do not give you enough credit. If the idea of winning motivates you to find a profound story, why not?”

“Profundity surfaces from the strangest of angles,” said Neisos, nodding slowly.

“But anyone is welcome?” asked Fluttershy. “How do you decide who tells a story?”

“There is no ‘process’, if that is what you expect to hear,” said Deimesa, shrugging. “There is fire enough for all.”

“Sometimes too much,” said Ohrinna with a caw of mirth. “You should have seen the last Alluvium. A great many ships needed loading or unloading during moonup—Tyvessa had suggested on a whim that they might make an extra round-trip before the storm. I saw not a single kin from the docks, and with so many busy during strange hours, many fires heard not a single story.”

Dash scratched at her snout. She honestly couldn’t decide whether the idea of some story not-competition excited her, but she’d have to check it out because of Rarity’s dresses anyway—if Rarity even cared about that any more.

“Okay, and the only rule is that the story can’t be… old?” Fluttershy asked.

“Cannot be told,” said Deimesa. “You do not bring stories already told.”

“Um, okay but what makes a story told?” said Fluttershy, deflating. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I understand.”

Rainbow Dash cocked a brow at Fluttershy’s sudden interest in the Alluvium, but whatever had her curious, Ohrinna and Deimesa did most of the talking now, anyway. While they went on, Neisos got up and surrounded the soup pot with his magic. Dash rose as well.

“Hey, I’ll help you out,” said Rainbow Dash. She grabbed the stacked empty bowls and tossed them onto her back, following Neisos towards the kitchen.

“This is very kind of you,” said Neisos, smiling at her. “And unwarranted. You did not even eat.”

“Yeah, well, I ate breakfast, and we’re still staying at your house,” Dash said. She frowned. “Huh, actually, now that your family’s back, what do we do? Do you have a spare mattress or something?”

Neisos shook his head and put the pot on the bench, gesturing for Dash to do the same with her cargo. “No, you will stay as you have, unless you object. I have spoken with two of my children’s uncles. My brother and his love have spare beds for them, and they live nearby. This is a special occasion, and it is no problem at all.”

“Sweet,” said Dash. “We owe you, thanks.”

“You offer fresh perspectives and insights,” said Neisos, shrugging. “The thanks are mine to give, though if you wish to help out with washing dishes with me, that, too, would be welcome.”

Rainbow Dash tapped a hoof on the ground. It wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. Besides, washing dishes was a chore on the best of days.

“Yeah, uh, maybe afterwards, but I was hoping I could talk to you for a bit,” said Dash, rustling her wings.

Neisos paused with the pot hovering right above the bench. He gave Dash a curious look, then slowly lowered the pot back down, nodding. “These would be the perspectives and insights that I alluded to? You do not sound like you are about to ask for another blanket, or like you changed your mind and are hungry after all.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Insights? Don’t get your hopes up, heh. Hey, d’you have a roof or something?”

“Would you believe it is deceptively hard to build a house without one?” asked Neisos. “But no, if you looked up, you would find mine is not suitable for even the smallest amount of philosophy. It is a curved roof like most.” He left the kitchen without further explanation, hobbling across the living room.

“We will be back,” he said as he passed the table. “Rainbow Dash and I must away to explore some architecture.”

Rainbow Dash smiled at Fluttershy in passing, the other pegasus mare tilting her head in question, but she soon went back to her discussion with Ohrinna and Deimesa—both of whom seemed entirely unfazed by Neisos’ crypticisms. Dash nudged the door shut once outside, and spotted Neisos across the street, waving at her from a narrow stone staircase set on the outer wall of the house opposite of his. The entire staircase was painted a garish yellow, painfully bright even in the shadow of the alley between houses.

“Mahoryn is very good and lets all his neighbours borrow his roof,” said Neisos when Dash drew near, taking the lead up the stairs, one awkward hop at the time. “In turn,” he added, grunting with effort. “He is welcome in any of our homes when the weather is too hot for his house.”

“His house is hot?” Dash asked. The narrow staircase was awkward, and she couldn’t even spread her wings here. She climbed onto the railing and leapt off, coming up next to Neisos in a hover. The peryton gave her a sharp-toothed grin—or a grimace.

“Yes,” said Neisos, pausing for a second before he resumed his climb. “The domes help much like do windows. Ask an architect, they may explain it. I cannot—ah, here we are, finally.”

The top of the two-story house was utterly unremarkable, a flat space with low walls and a tiny chimney that even now puffed smoke and smelled faintly of baking bread. Dozens of other roofs stretched in every direction, equal in height aside from the occasional three-story building. The southern hills were dark, and Rainbow Dash could just barely see the sea past the city to the north. Not too much of a view in her opinion, but Neisos stood by the wall facing east, watching the distant grey cliffs that marked the shoreline. A peryton flew low over the buildings, great wing-strokes carrying it ahead in the slowly fading light.

“You have questions,” Neisos suggested. “This has been the case since you arrived, always asking about things I did not think anyone would ask, and rarely asking about the things I imagined a traveller from a faraway land would ask. Not ‘what do you think of Anhori’s emergence’ or ‘what can be learned from the notion that nothing can be learned from Chorossa’, but ‘what do you think of the Bent Feathers’ and ‘why do you speak as you do’.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. She did recall asking those latter two questions. She didn’t remember getting great answers, but she was satisfied. “I don’t even know what Anhori is,” she said. “Probably another Aspect.”

Neisos nodded. “The recent-most Aspect found, yes, and one whose full purpose is yet to be unearthed through stories told. Every few generations, this happens. The purpose of the Aspects in general is temporarily thrown into question by those who are confused by such an undefined quantity before it settles—but that was not your question, that was mine. Yours was not even a question.” He let out a low warble-like laugh. “You would not have asked me here if you did not have something to say.”

Dash rolled her jaw. She reached up to rest her forelegs on the wall, hooves dangling over the side.

“Or perhaps you did,” Neisos quickly added. He smiled at that. “I cannot pretend to know you very well just yet.”

“Nah, you’re right,” said Dash. “How come you don’t fly?”

Neisos cocked a brow. “I told you this.”

Rainbow Dash snorted hot air. “No, you didn’t. I know you peryton can’t fly like us pegasi, and I know flying around when it’s hot is stupid anyway, but I mean really why. You used to fly a lot, didn’t you? For a peryton, anyway.”

Neisos didn’t smile any more, now. Just like Rainbow Dash, he rested his forelegs on the wall. “To ask when you have already asked is one thing, but to ask when you already carry answers means that someone has told you something.”

“Yeah.” Dash spotted another two peryton coming into view for a second, flying down a by-street. It wasn’t cold just yet, but it wasn’t as hot, either. “Sorry. Fluttershy told me, but it didn’t sound like a secret. If she wasn’t meant to tell, don’t blame her. I’m the one who can’t keep her mouth shut.”

That got a chuckle out of him, at least. “It is not and was not a secret. You did not offend.”

Rainbow Dash rapped the backs of her hooves against the other side of the wall. She counted the seconds until she got bored and decided the silence stretched on for too long. Two. Three. “So?”

“The accident at the quarry affected me, you surely can guess, but I can create stories filled with wonders that need no more than three legs,” said Neisos without looking at her. “I am happy.”

“Well, duh,” said Dash, resettling her wings. “I can tell that you’re doing good. That’s not an answer.”

Neisos sighed. “You are relentless. Are all among your kind like this? No—I know you are not. Your love understands the value of a softer touch.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t reply. She stared at him until he talked or told her to leave it. Eventually, he did the former.

“Flying at this juncture feels to me like a defeat. If you knew the story of Glandros who ran but could not walk, you might sympathise.” He twisted his neck around to scratch at his side with his antlers.

“Yeah, I don’t,” said Rainbow Dash. “Give me the short version.”

“The short version,” Neisos repeated, as though the words were foreign to him. “It does not carry the same weight. I would rather not, but suffice it to say that to do something because one has no option is not the same as doing something of one’s own volition. No—that sounds wrong to my ears.” He sighed. “A story of another is not justification for my own decisions alone. Or indecisions. Perspective, but not justification.”

Rainbow Dash rested her head on her forelegs, looking over at him with one eye. “So you don’t want to fly because you can’t walk as well?” she asked. “You don’t want to fly because you ‘have to’ fly? That doesn’t make sense.”

“It doesn’t, does it?” Neisos said, breezily. “You are right. I used to enjoy flying, often to my detriment. I had one little accident in the air, long ago, but it never tempered the joy I held for flying. The attention… I enjoyed less.”

“You keep talking about how it used to be,” Dash said.

“Yes. And I talk in circles around the issue,” Neisos agreed. He pushed himself away from the wall. “When you have been wounded like I have, you get sympathy. When you fly, you invite the eyes of others, even if just in passing. I want neither sympathy nor attention, and I especially do not want both.” He curled his upper lip in distaste and looked away. “I have not been forced to think of it so simply before, and now I am annoyed that it sounds almost surmountable. But only almost. Perhaps to different kin.”

Rainbow Dash moved past the peryton before he could get into a proper sulk, stepping in front and staring up at him. “Hey, you know, that’s fine,” she said. “Not wanting attention, not wanting people to look at you or whatever,” Dash frowned, “that’s cool if that’s you, I just think it’s really crummy if you want to do something, but decide not to do it just because… because of people—”

“There is nothing untrue about your words,” Neisos allowed.

“—and jeez, it’s not like you’re afraid of people in general, right? Because when you met us, you faced down a bunch of guards—”

“Citizens,” Neisos interjected.

“—like it was nothing!” Dash said. “If you don’t want pity or whatever’s the problem, I get that, that’s fine and all. I don’t know you that well either, but I saw you be awesome, so I know you can be awesome.” She paused for a moment, shuffling her wings. “Besides, it’s a waste.”

Neisos arched a brow. “A waste?”

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash, grinning and gesturing to his missing leg. “You’re way more aerodynamic with only three legs! If you can manage the lopsided draft, you’ll be faster than any other peryton.”

Neisos stared at her, blank-faced at first, as though the words hadn’t registered. A second later, the laughter hit him like a lightning bolt, his head arched back and a rattling caw of laughter shaking him, echoing into the evening sky. When Dash’s own laughter petered out into a chuckle, he still laughed on. Dash started to feel a little awkward when he finally looked down at her again, wiping his eyes with the nook of a leg.

“It wasn’t that funny,” Dash said with a half-smile tugging on her muzzle.

“First point of order, I disagree,” said Neisos, grinning wide. “As for the second, I do not remember the last time someone made fun of my leg. Allow me this.”

“Hey, sure.” Dash giggled. “Anyway, I just think it’s stupid. Fly if you wanna fly, but if you can’t, whatever. Just don’t beat yourself up over it either way. I just wanted to say my piece.”

“Well, your ‘piece’, be it a piece of wisdom or chaos belched forth, has been received,” said Neisos. He leaned against the low wall surrounding the roof, half sitting on it, half reclining against it. “I do not know whether or not to thank you for it quite yet, but I hope you weren’t expecting me to spread my wings and fly off in response.”

“Eh,” was all Dash said. “Expect” was a strong word, but she was open to the possibility. She’d take “not being yelled at” for the moment.

Neisos peered down at the street below. He waved at something, calling a good afternoon to someone Dash couldn’t see. Rainbow Dash stretched. Her body felt clammy under her wings.

“From where this fire?” asked Neisos.

“Come again?”

“All of you ponies have travelled so very far on Selyria’s wings, and all of you walk in her shadow with passion to shame Helesseia’s stories. It is plain for all to see.” Neisos tilted his head, wearing a subtle and barely visible smile, even for a peryton. “I can see you and your friends standing on top of the mountain, ready to split it, but now especially you carry fire in your eyes and words that weren’t there yesterday.”

“Okay, in Equestria, we just say ‘what’s up with you’ when somepony’s acting strange,” said Dash.

“Then,” said Neisos, his eyes gleaming with humour. “What’s up with you?”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Forget I said anything, keep talking all peryton-like, please.”

“Now who is the one who evades a question?” asked Neisos. Was that a smirk? It was already gone, the stag shaking his head briskly. “Forgive me. I should not pry. We are maybe not so familiar—”

“No, jeez, I dragged you up here to give you a lecture on flying and stuff, didn’t I?” said Dash, sighing. She drug a hoof through her mane. “Sorry. I don’t know,” she said. “Gotta do something, right?”

It wasn’t entirely true. She knew she’d talked to Neisos in part because she thought Fluttershy had wanted her to. Rainbow Dash had wanted to do so herself when she heard about Neisos’ self-imposed flightlessness, too, but that wasn’t why she’d done it.

“Unless one’s life is an unbroken story of Salhalani, one has to do something,” Neisos agreed, standing next to her. “Maybe I, too, must do something, even if I am not born to tell stories that resonate with Helesseia. Thank you for your insight, and for lending me your clarity.”

“Heh. No problem,” said Rainbow Dash.

What she hadn’t counted on was how good it felt to help someone, to make a difference for a little bit. There hadn’t been a lot of that lately. Even though she had won the joust, there hadn’t been a lot of things that had felt like wins.

Dash slung a foreleg over the wall again. The light would soon begin to fade in earnest, the sun reaching for Vauhorn. The few clouds that dotted the western sky were lit from below with a pinkish tint.

Rainbow Dash hopped onto the bed, marvelling at how the most consistent feature across all the peryton cities so far was their beds. Apparently they didn’t have springs here. Another thing to miss: Equestrian non-cloud-beds were a lot more fun to jump on.

“Is something wrong?” asked Fluttershy, her head askew. The other pegasus climbed the bed in a more sedate manner.

“Nah,” said Rainbow Dash, poking at the bed again. “Think anyone minds if I sneak a cloud in here instead?”

Fluttershy giggled and cast a glance out the window. They’d decided to leave it open. Better cold at night than suffocating in the morning. “I don’t think there are many clouds out,” she said.

“Yeah, I know,” Dash muttered, ducking under the blanket and surfacing on the other side, comfy and covered. Fluttershy lay down next to her, pulling the blanket over her body as well. She smiled at Rainbow Dash and leaned over to nuzzle her cheek. Dash laughed.

“Your snout’s cold!”

“Sorry,” Fluttershy replied, lowering her voice a little. Rainbow Dash retaliated by grinding the top of her head against the side of Fluttershy’s neck. They said nothing more, leaning against each other with eyes closed, but Rainbow Dash remained awake for another few minutes.

Is something wrong? I hope not, Dash thought. I don’t think so. Fluttershy had been happy to hear when Rainbow Dash told her she’d spoken to Neisos, but that was all. Happy to hear it, as though she’d just learned of Dash helping Applejack paint a barn, not as though something had been fixed.

A harsh raven’s cry startled Rainbow Dash awake, and she popped one bleary eye open. She caught a shadow passing by the bedroom window and the faint rustle of wings not her own, but it was already gone. Birdsong from the Whitetail usually never bothered her back home, but ravens were to birds what a healthy “breakfast muffin” was to a real muffin with sprinkles and glazing.

Rainbow Dash rubbed at her eyes and yawned. Muffins. Why was she thinking about muffins? The metaphor made no sense and was entirely too Pinkie Pie. Maybe she’d dreamt of Pinkie? No. If she’d dreamt of Pinkie Pie, she’d usually remember it, just like she tended to remember when she’d had awesome dreams about kicking monster butt. This morning, fragments of a particular bad dream fled from her, scattering under her attentions, and she was entirely okay with that. No Luna this night, either. She slipped off the bed and stood next to it, expertly avoiding the clutter on the floor.

Fluttershy still slept, her body moving with quiet breath and her snout making a faint whistling noise. The blanket shifted a little, the pegasus’s wings pushing against it.

“Guess it’s getting a little hot already,” Dash muttered to herself. Reflected sunlight spilled in through the window. It was the kind of early that Rainbow Dash made a point of sleeping through, and though normally she’d close her eyes and simply sleep harder, that ‘normal’ hadn’t existed in a long while. At some point, she had to let go of what she ‘used to do’. Regardless, going back to bed in this heat wasn’t exactly tempting.

She leaned over to pull the blanket away from her girlfriend, receiving a faceful of feathers when Fluttershy spread her wings and immediately folded them again. Dash giggled and blew her mane out of her face, making for the living room. She needed some water first anyway.

Downstairs was just as quiet, but brighter and busier. A few of the light-globes were lit, and both horn and antlers aided the morning light to brighten the room. By the large living room table, Rarity had a needle out, working on her craft whilst talking in low tones with Deimesa, who held a section of a dress for her.

“Morning,” Dash offered, heading for the kitchen. Rarity looked for a moment like she’d seen a ghost—something Rainbow Dash could say with authority, having witnessed that exact face.

“You’re up early,” said Rarity, her work momentarily forgotten.

“Yeah, I know,” said Dash. She stuck her head inside the kitchen, found a clean water-bowl and trotted back to the table. Deimesa filled it up from a decanter before Dash had a chance. She nodded her thanks. “Feeling any better?” Dash asked. She motioned to Rarity. “You’re not sitting here wrapped in blankets like some… uh, like an egg roll or something.”

“An egg roll,” Rarity repeated, squinting at her needle as she went back to her work. “Really?”

“Maybe like a burrito?” suggested Deimesa.

“What the hay is a burrito?” asked Dash. “Actually, no, never mind, jeez. I’m just wondering what you’re doing up so early, and if you’re better.”

Rarity smiled, but only barely. “I am better, yes. Either it was a mild cold, or Neisos’ horrid oils helped, but my sleep pattern is still more than a little ruined. I’ve been up for a while.”

“Right,” said Dash. She jammed a hoof in an ear and rooted around for the source of an itch. “What’s your excuse?” she asked, shooting Deimesa a glance.

“I woke with the sun every day for my journey,” said Deimesa. “It helped keep my mind on the task. I don’t know if I’ll go back to sleeping in, now.”

“If sleeping in is an option, you sleep in,” said Dash with a grin.

“We’ll see,” Deimesa replied with a smile. She got up and grabbed the decanter with her magic. “I’ll get more water and see if I can find some fruit.”

“Sure,” said Dash. She watched as Rarity… attached some dress thingy to some other dress thingy, lost in her dressmaking. “So,” said Dash. “You’ve been very busy lately.”

“Uh-huh.” Rarity didn’t even look up.

Dash cleared her throat. “You doing good? Like, not just the sneezing and the dresses and stuff, but… you know, generally? You wanna talk?” she asked. The words sounded exceptionally lame to her ears.

“Lately,” Rarity said after a moment’s silence. “The ‘sneezing’ has been a good portion of my time, and asking how I am aside from, as you so wonderfully put it, ‘the dresses and stuff’, is like me asking how you are, aside from the ‘flying and stuff’.”

“Hey, I do a lot more than just fly, that’s just what I’m best—er, one of the things I’m best at,” said Rainbow Dash, frowning. Besides, you haven’t asked how I am, she thought, and she both wished Rarity would, and was glad she hadn’t, because Rainbow Dash had no idea. “And that doesn’t make sense,” she added. “I’ve barely done any flying at all. I use my hooves more than I use my wings now, ugh.”

“That is a good point, and I fear I’ve used a terrible example,” Rarity allowed, putting down her dress and rubbing her temples. She sighed. “I am sorry if I’m snapping. I myself have certainly been working a lot lately. Finishing up these has been the easy part,” Rarity said, rustling the fabric of the dress. “As for the dresses I’m planning for Cotronna, that project is definitely causing some consternation, but you’ve no cause for concern dear, I assure you.”

“Okay, what’re you planning, exactly?” Dash asked, rubbing her hooves together. “Hit me!”

“I don’t know exactly quite yet,” said Rarity, looking up when Deimesa put down a fresh pitcher of water, returning soon after with a cluster of purple grapes, and then a bowl of peaches, sitting down next to them. “I’ve been asking Deimesa here some questions about Cotronna, but I don’t know that it’s something I can use input on beyond that, really.”

“You don’t know until you try,” said Rainbow Dash, grinning. Sure, fashion stuff was lame at times, but helping out Rarity wasn’t. It sounded like just the thing she herself needed. “Whatcha got? I’ll tell you if it’s cool or lame.”

Rarity pursed her lips. “I’ve been trying to tell you gently, dear. I think I’d rather work on this alone. I’m not always in the habit of taking… feedback at this stage.”

Rainbow Dash flicked her ears. “Right. Fine,” she said. “Anything new about Cotronna?”

Rarity glanced at Deimesa. The peryton cocked a brow. “I think you expect more from me than I have to give,” said Deimesa. “I explained only what all here in Vauhorn know, that they make ceremony and ritual out of the simplest of things, and both expect and wish to give respect in all things. Traders I met by Helesseia’s western tablets leaned heavily on symbols, too.”

“Symbols?” Dash asked.

Deimesa nodded. “All four of them imbued every item with importance. To me, they seem to emphasise symbols. Symbolism.”

“Coming from a city where literally every piece of clothing is a costume?” Dash asked.

Deimesa simply shrugged at that, offering no snappy comeback, but Rarity stopped her work, staring at her needle for a second.

“I had similar thoughts,” said the unicorn, her brow furrowed. “Deimesa, dear—do you have any reason to believe that traders are any different from the rest of Cotronnans?”

“I do not know, but I also don’t know why they would be,” said Deimesa. “Wagon teams are as all peryton, only perhaps with a greater desire to wander in Selyria’s shadow, hooves made for Pyn’s work rather than Ilyra’s.”

Rarity nodded at that, going back to her work, while Rainbow Dash grabbed a peach and smiled gratefully at Deimesa when she refilled her water-bowl. “Thanks,” Dash said. “Hey, if you’re so good at paying attention to what people say about other cities and everything—”

“I don’t think I am,” Deimesa interjected.

“—what d’you think of Ephydoera? Stagrum? What about Orto?” Dash sat up straight.

Deimesa nonchalantly flicked a grape towards her mouth with her magic. She missed. “Why do I deserve this interrogation?” she asked, turning around in search of the missing fruit.

“If you’ve been around the countryside talking to all sorts of peryton traders, you probably know this stuff better than anypo—any...peryton else,” said Dash. She grabbed a few grapes herself, rolling one towards the table’s edge and flicking it into the air. She caught it balancing on her snout, smirking at her before she ate it. “C’mon, shoot.”

“I met travellers from Cotronna by chance because Helesseia’s western tablets are close to the road at the edge of our demesne,” Deimesa retorted. “If you wish for something as low as gossip on other cities, you would have better luck at a resting house.” She brushed the grape off on her coat and tried again. It bounced off her snout and landed in the middle of Rarity’s work.

Rarity said nothing. A blue glow surrounded the errant grape, perfectly peeling it and then cutting it two. She ate one half and put the other half with the skin on the table, all without taking her eyes off the dress, looking almost bored. Deimesa blinked once.

“Sure,” said Rainbow Dash. “But I don’t know any resting houses nearby, and I don’t care that much, I just wanna hear what you have to say.”

“If you wish,” said Deimesa. “Ephydoerans ward the Khosta, and I expect they are as they must be to do their work. The only one I ever met was reserved but pleasant in his own way. Stagrumites will always walk with Phostos’ every word, and you can rely on their sense of fairness, just like Ortosians will bathe in Myrtella’s love and likely birth the most intrepid Bent Feathers.” She tilted her head. “You understand this is common knowledge, except perhaps the last bit, which was opinion given me by Aleissus.”

“Sure, sure,” said Dash, waving a hoof. She grabbed another grape, this time bouncing it on her snout two times, three times, four times. She kept it going as she spoke and thought. “Huh. You sound like you like them just fine, though.” Sixteen, seventeen.

“I don’t think we’ve met any peryton who said they didn’t like each other.”

However soft it was, Fluttershy’s voice startled Dash. She hadn’t heard the other pegasus approach, and the jolt of surprise sent her little pet grape high into the air. The questing fruit—or were they berries? Whatever it was, the purple missile descended at a perfect angle towards Rarity’s head.

The unicorn’s horn flashed. The grape pinged off a faint blue barrier and shot straight back at Rainbow Dash ten times as fast. Dash’s head jerked back at the impact that splattered her forehead with bits of grape.

“Good morning,” said Fluttershy and all the others.

“Ow,” said Rainbow Dash. She leaned over to rub her snout against Fluttershy’s side, making sure to share the grape stain, too, earning a giggle from Fluttershy.

“Have I ever said that I dislike kin who live in other cities?” asked Deimesa, her gaze pinning Rainbow Dash.

“Nah,” Dash admitted, leaning against her girlfriend. Fluttershy had been right. It wasn’t about dislike. “You all just sound so… lukewarm? Maybe you wouldn’t feel that way if you knew them better? Like, it’s confusing enough that you can know them a little, and know that you don’t dislike them, but you also don’t like them. I don’t get that.”

Deimesa knit her brow. “But I don’t know that I don’t like them.”

“Exactly!” said Rainbow Dash. “Because you don’t know them. Your cities are so far apart!”

“And you propose we… move our cities?” Deimesa asked with a deadpan stare.

“Yes? No?” Dash grunted. “I don’t know. Travel more? Hang out!” She puffed out her cheeks and let out a breath. She didn’t even know what she meant, what she tried to say or do any more, but she couldn’t help the idea that the peryton would be happier—or somehow better off if they were more like Equestria. She had no idea how their leader could understand all these different peryton if they barely understood each other, or how they functioned beyond sending trade caravans around.

Deimesa didn’t seem to have anything to say to that, but Fluttershy didn’t protest, either, the other pegasus casting furtive little glances at the peryton that Dash didn’t miss, as though she, too, wanted to hear the answer. At length, Deimesa grabbed another grape, this time placing it securely in her mouth.

“I don’t know that I understand your question entirely,” said Deimesa, at length. “It comes from a strange place, but I know this: With all your strange thoughts, you should give us a story at the Alluvium.”

“Did Neisos and Ohrinna already leave?” asked Fluttershy, glancing towards the stairs.

“No, the opposite,” said Deimesa, smiling. “They sleep in on the day of the Alluvium. They are very fond of it, and stay until the end.”

“When does everything start, anyway?” Dash asked. When Fluttershy reached for a grape, she grabbed a small cluster and put it on the table between them.

“I told your love much of this yesterday,” replied Deimesa, and Fluttershy smiled and nodded, but the peryton went on regardless. “When the light starts to fail, fires are lit in every plaza and where flames will fit. Most of town will be out in the streets.”

“You still don’t think you’ll be joining this year?” Fluttershy asked.

Deimesa shook her head. “Someone must watch Berissa and Teilos. My uncles are bonfire tenders tonight, and if left alone, Berissa will enact every story of Glandros until there is no house left. While I wandered, my parents have needed to call upon favours if they wished to join the Alluvium together. The least I can give them is a night to themselves, free of guilt.”

“Heh, that’s really cool of you,” said Dash.

“I don’t mind. I can think on the old stories I’ve read for another few weeks.” Deimesa let out a low, warbling laugh. “Maybe I will head out when my siblings go to bed.”

“If you wish to pass the time with some sewing, do let me know,” Rarity said, proving that she was actually still listening. “I can set aside some fabric and such.”

Deimesa smiled. “Maybe you can show me what it is that you do, but if taking care of the little Esorys-spawn does not exhaust me, I have another project best done when the house is as empty as can be. I may disassemble our water pump to understand its parts better and see if I can improve them.”

“Oh. You were studying to become a water technician, right?” Fluttershy asked.

“That is correct,” said the doe. “Water is important, and thus, so are the underground channels that carry fresh water.”

“Huh. I almost forgot,” Dash admitted, chuckling. “Thought you were gonna be a storyteller or a claw-priest or something. Guess not.”

“If the forty-nine-fold path makes a storyteller of one, then I suppose all of Vauhorn are storytellers in your mind,” said Deimesa, but the humour in her voice lasted only a second. “And you are not amused. Huh. That is what you think.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I don’t know about that whole journey thing, but you all talk the same way, at least compared to peryton from other places, so… yeah?”

Fluttershy fidgeted with her mane. “It’s not a bad thing, it’s just noticeable. We talked to Neisos about it a little.”

“It’s your culture,” Rarity added, turning her dress over on the other side. “Or your speech, I suppose. It’s interesting, that’s all, though you seem to use less of these similes than others.”

“If you say so,” said Deimesa. “I could not tell you. I do not think most of us consider how we say what we say—or maybe that is just me. If I speak unstoried and plain, it is because the journey has tired me, and I have many Aspects, many stories to think about before I speak of and in them.” She glanced at Rarity’s work in-progress. “What of you? Is this your… profession? Are you not diplomats?”

This time Rarity did look up. Glances were exchanged.

“I… I don’t think diplomat is really a profession in Equestria. Or, it wasn’t, but maybe it is now with the Princesses’ initiative?” Fluttershy asked, but Rainbow Dash had no good answer. All she really remembered and cared about was that the Princesses had sent a lot of ponies out to do what they did.

“I sure as hay don’t want that job title, anyway,” Dash finally said. Her attempt at laughter smoothly transitioned into a weariness at the very idea of doing this all the time. Even if she wasn’t always as homesick as the others, the idea of leaving again once they got back home threatened to change that.

“Since you asked, dear, I’m a fashionista by trade,” said Rarity with a brief but radiant smile. “I make all things fashion. In preference, dresses and other accoutrements to order—and for pleasure.”

“This is really strange to me,” said Deimesa, drawing back right after the words left her mouth. “I am sorry. I mean no offence.”

“And none was taken,” Rarity said without so much as a huff, working away on the dress.

“I take care of animals. I get a grant from Ponyville for it, I think,” said Fluttershy, dipping her head and smiling.

“You think,” Rarity repeated, her voice flat.

“Well, um, I haven’t really checked. Or collected. Or needed it after the modelling fiasco,” Fluttershy replied.

“You mean your success?” Rarity asked, arching a brow.

“If you want to call it that,” said Fluttershy, her ears bent.

Dash chuckled to herself and nuzzled into Fluttershy’s mane. “And I work—eh, I… do part time stuff for the weather service, I guess,” said Rainbow Dash. She crinkled her snout. Something about the word ‘work’ had always vaguely disgusted her. “I don’t know if it’s a job really. I mess about with the weather and get paid for it. Storms on commission are my favourite!”

“I understand that I do not understand ‘fashion’, but at the very least, I comprehend the work you do to create these dress-items,” said Deimesa, frowning with consternation. “I can also understand taking care of animals. We have farms, and some of them have animals, but… ‘weather work’? Do you divine weather, or clear up after storms, then?”

Rainbow Dash felt a budding grin coming on. “We have a bunch of time to spend before your parents wake up, right? A whole day before this Alluvium thing. Did we have anything else we wanted to do?”

“I don’t think I have anything I’d rather do,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her.

“I only came here thinking to grab some time alone before my uncles bring my siblings here,” said Deimesa. “What do you intend?”

“Why tell you what weather work is, when we can show you?” Dash asked, getting up in a flash and tapping Fluttershy on the side with a wing to get her moving.

Rarity raised a brow, but remained seated. “I think I will sit this one out and focus on my projects. Ah, and try to get better, of course.” She let out a sigh and fixed Dash with a flat look. “Do try not to start a hurricane, dear.”

Chapter 25

Twilight Velvet & Night Light

Shimmer Road 44b

Western Face

Canterlot

Dear Ms. Velvet and Mr. Light

I’m sorry for something as impersonal as a letter, but Princess Luna and I are a little busy these days. Otherwise, I would invite you to the Castle to discuss this, but it seems a little excessive when I really only have a simple question. One for Spike, in fact.

Would you ask him if he has used his dragon’s breath to try to send any letters using our enchanted scrolls lately? Maybe he just had an accident?

If he has, remind him that the scrolls attuned to the palace are not for play, and to please be careful in the future. If he has not, then don’t worry. There is no cause for alarm. I just thought it would be best to ask.

I hope you are doing well, and please tell Spike I said ‘hi’, unless he is the one reading this. In which case, hello, Spike. I am sure Twilight Sparkle and all her friends will be back home before much longer.

-Princess Celestia

From the Office of the Princesses, Canterlot Mnt.

“If you want to spend so greedily of my time, I would very much appreciate some explanation,” said Deimesa. The peryton still wore the same subtle yet permanent frown she’d put on when they left the house. Dash would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy that.

“Uh-huh, I bet you would,” said Rainbow Dash, grinning hugely. “And you already have some explanation. You asked what I meant by weather work, and we’re gonna show you weather work. Telling you more than that would spoil the surprise! Left, right, or straight ahead?”

Deimesa nodded ahead with her antlers. “Straight across here, then right when we can no longer go forward.”

Two other small groups of peryton moved in the same general direction as they, most with bags slung about their necks. One doe levitated a basket of fruits at her side. “There are no parks in the southern quarters, so most who desire a touch of green have their meals by the edge of the Saltwood,” Deimesa added.

“I meant to ask,” said Fluttershy, her head tilted. “We didn’t see any forests nearby when we arrived. Or, there was some to the west, I suppose it’d be, along the coast, but not near the city.”

“This is not much of a forest, either,” said Deimesa with a shrug. “A year ago I might not have said this, but touring the demesne, I have seen the Splitwood from the Northern Crown, and compared to that, the Saltwood is barely a copse of trees. Will you at least tell me why you need a forest for this demonstration? Is ‘weatherwork’ euphemism for being a forester?”

“No, it’s nothing like that, though weather mares like Rainbow Dash sometimes work with foresters,” said Fluttershy, glancing over at Dash. “Rainbow Dash? Why do we need a forest?”

“Oh, we don’t. At all. I just wanted to get out of town for a bit,” Rainbow Dash admitted with a laugh. “And to get some shade.” She hovered in the air and did a lazy barrel roll before touching down again, keenly aware of Deimesa’s eyes on her. She hadn’t said anything about Dash’s aerial acrobatics yet, far from fawning like Aroris at the festival in Orto, but the big-eyed stares from both Deimesa and the peryton they passed spoke volumes.

They rounded the street-corner, and then the next. The stone tiles and the tall buildings disappeared all at once, but here were no farms. Instead, the city gave way to dirt paths that spread out westwards, trading gaily painted walls for thin and multi-trunked trees in a landscape that never became half as dense and thick as the Splitwood at its worst.

Clearly this was a favourite picnic spot for the peryton, and breakfast was apparently an acceptable excuse for a picnic, too: A few families, friends, and the occasional single peryton sat scattered about the narrow paths under the sparse canopy.

“We don’t need to be away from the city for any other reason, do we?” Fluttershy asked after a long silence, her voice and look both laden with obvious skepticism. Accusation, even. “It’s not like you wanted to go somewhere with nothing to… break?”

“Relax!” Dash said, giggling. “We’re not going to cause any natural disasters!”

“Good,” said Fluttershy, smiling to herself. She nodded once, evidently satisfied.

“Not because I don’t want to, but because I told Rarity we wouldn’t,” Dash added, a little more quietly, but Fluttershy either didn’t hear her, or didn’t take the bait. Probably the latter. Fluttershy shook her head ever so slightly.

“You are doing Chorossa’s work today,” said Deimesa. “I know less now than I did when I woke up this morning.”

“Yeah, well, you’ll know how awesome pegasi are in a bit, so just hold onto your wings for a second,” said Dash, looking straight up and smiling with satisfaction. The clouds she’d seen when they left the house were still around despite the breeze that blew in from the coast. “Can you just… stay here for a second? We’ll be right back,” she said, eyeing a particularly fluffy cloud.

Deimesa looked around and gave a demonstratively full-bodied shrug. She walked over to sit by a tree not too far away from a couple who had their breakfast, a stag and a doe watching the ponies openly. Dash spread her wings and looked to Fluttershy.

“The small cumulus right above us?” Fluttershy asked. She wasn’t even looking at Rainbow Dash, her eyes on the sky.

“Read my mind,” said Dash, and just like that, the two of them took off, Fluttershy sketching her own spirals to gain height as they ascended, Rainbow Dash working her wings hard to shoot straight up instead. When she saw she was ahead of Fluttershy, she pulled a loop, and then another, adding little corkscrews as she went, tasting the air.

Dash stopped by a cloud that appeared in front of her. It didn’t matter whether it was the cloud Dash had set her eyes on a minute ago. With all the twists and turns she’d made, she couldn’t tell. It didn’t matter whether if it was the one Fluttershy meant, either. They both hovered by the same fluffy cloud mass together in the end, Fluttershy hanging mid-air with effortless ease despite her slightly slower wing-beats. She never looked as good as she did when flying, her entire body working all at once, now with the extra effort of labouring in the morning heat.

“Rainbow Dash?”

Dash blinked. “What? Did you say something?”

“No, but you looked a little distracted,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her. “I was going to ask if we should take this cloud down.”

“Yeah, sure,” said Rainbow Dash, shaking her head. She zipped up top and gave it a gentle push. Fluttershy fell in with her a second later, the two of them guiding the cumulus towards the trees. Not much of a forest at all, Rainbow Dash noted, easily able to see the entirety of the park-like spot where all the peryton sat, but her eyes weren’t really on the ground below. She was content to look at Fluttershy as they flew.

“You look really happy today,” said Fluttershy, tilting her head, but she smiled bright as she said it. “I’m glad.”

“Yeah, well, you look good too,” said Dash. She clapped a hoof to her muzzle in mock horror. “Oh, I meant, you look happy too. Oops. My bad.”

Fluttershy giggled and shook her head to get her mane out of her face, the pink tresses trailing her on the descent. “Well, thank you. And I am, too—oh, careful, don’t break the cloud.”

“Eh, I know what I’m doing,” said Dash, but she checked her speed a little. A portion of it had in fact started breaking up. She blamed the Perytonian air. Low-hanging clouds weren’t usually this fragile. “Speaking of clouds,” said Dash, shooting her a look. “You ever think about making a cloud-house of your own?” The idea came out of nowhere. She vaguely remembered asking Fluttershy this before. She probably had.

“Well, no. I… don’t think I’ve ever been as comfortable with cloud-houses as I am in my cottage,” said Fluttershy.

“Well, duh,” said Dash, chuckling. “I meant in addition to your cottage. Just like… a hangout or something.”

“I haven’t really thought of it, no,” Fluttershy repeated, chewing on her cheek. “I mean, I hadn’t. I don’t know.”

Rainbow Dash nodded. She’d have to ask more about that later, for sure. Any excuse to get Fluttershy up in the air, even if just to try to make a cloud… something. They were nearly down at ground level anyway, and they got some strange looks now.

Didn’t the peryton have weather magic at all? They looked like Pinkie Pie the first time Dash showed Pinkie Pie she could shape a cloud. Or the second time. Or any time Pinkie forgot so she could be amazed again. Deimesa’s face wasn’t far off that exact impression, was the point.

“You… are moving the clouds,” said Deimesa, eyes wide and blinking over and over as she stated the obvious. She extended one of her wings and stared at her own feathers in confusion. “I don’t feel any wind that explains this—how?”

“Well, magic, duh,” said Rainbow Dash. She let go of the cloud and hopped on top of it, while Fluttershy landed and packed her wings away. “Eh, actually, scratch that. Not magic-magic, but… uh.”

“It’s pegasus magic,” said Fluttershy with a little shrug of her own and an apologetic smile, as though to say I’m sorry we have these powers. Deimesa slowly approached the cloud and poked a hoof at it. Her hoof went straight through, and the peryton followed after, stumbling a little.

“You can’t touch it at all? Huh, that’s weird,” said Rainbow Dash. “Gilda can’t do any of the fancy stuff, but she can still sit on a cloud.” Rainbow Dash hopped up and down on the cloud just because she could. So soft.

“So when you say you are… in ‘weather work’, you move clouds for your people in Ponyville?” Deimesa asked. Her eyes were transfixed by the cloud. Again she reached out and tried to touch it, and again she found no purchase. Rainbow Dash jumped off the cloud, shaking her head.

“Nah. Or, I mean… kinda. We don’t move clouds for no reason at all, obviously. The biggest job I had was coordinating everything last time we filled the reservoir, but I do a lot more than just pushing clouds around.” She brushed her chest with a leg. “Just making all the weather for Ponyville, no big deal. Rain? Storms? Snow? Sweet sunny summer day? I gotcha covered.”

Fluttershy’s raised brow was louder than any words.

“Or,” Dash said, clearing her throat. “Fine, sometimes I… delegate that task. Like, tell Thunderlane to get off his butt and make sure the rain goes off on time. That sort of stuff. It’s not a full-time job, jeez. Pegasi are all supposed to help their nearest town.”

“You make it rain,” Deimesa repeated, her tone entirely flat. “How did you gain this power? Or… all of you can do this?”

“All pegasi,” said Fluttershy, nodding quickly, adding after a moment, “meaning Rainbow Dash and I, so, um, the ones with wings. Rarity has other magic, and so do earth ponies. You have magic we don’t, though. The things that the Ephydoerans did was very unique.”

“Ephydoerans and ‘we’ are not the same in every respect,” said Deimesa. She leaned down and stuck her head inside the cloud, pulling back out and shaking her head right afterwards though she could barely have been moist at all.

“It’s not a very… rainy cloud. We’d have to—hang on,” said Dash. “Fluttershy, give me a push from the other side.”

Fluttershy did as asked, pushing with her forehooves while Dash did the same, and in a few seconds, they had the cloud at half its previous size. Dash gave it a little nudge to let it float over her head, waiting.

“You’re all peryton, though, that’s all I meant,” said Fluttershy, looking to Deimesa and shuffling her wings. “Ephydoerans and Vauhornites.”

“And you are all ponies, but you also have different magics,” Deimesa retorted. Fluttershy frowned ever so slightly, one of her ears quizzically bent, but the peryton waved a hoof to forestall any protest. “If I may be as bold as Helesseia upon the first compact, I am not interested in, or worried about who can do what magic, nor do I care about competing one way or another. I only wonder about this: you say rain as though—”

The timing was perfect. Rainbow Dash didn’t even have to say anything. She felt the first drop hit her snout, and a second later, she stood in the middle of a light, localized drizzle so small it kept her tail dry. She tried to keep the smugness out of her smile, but from the way Fluttershy narrowed her eyes, she knew she failed. Dash caught a giggle out of her at the end, though. The nearby peryton couple hadn’t taken a bite out of their breakfast for the past five minutes.

“That… that is amazing,” said Deimesa, her voice reverent, her jaw hanging open, her eyes wide, and her feather-tips curving away from her body. Rainbow Dash didn’t want to disagree, but getting praise for creating rain that even now dried up? It was a bit like getting cheers for getting out of bed in the morning—or perhaps like getting cheers for something else that was actually easy. Mornings were everything but.

“Eh, that’s nothing,” said Rainbow Dash, grinning. She kicked the spent cloud apart with a zero-effort poke and a puff, shaking the wet out of her mane. “Fluttershy, wanna grab another one and show her some real cloudcraft?”

“I’ll get one,” Fluttershy replied, nodding and launching into the air so quickly, Rainbow Dash forgot to follow. She just stood there watching Fluttershy ascend, deciding that they really only needed one more cloud, and that Fluttershy could handle it. She could watch those wings at work forever. She spread her own wings to match, just because.

“You are very different.”

Rainbow Dash was annoyed not because of the words, but because of the distraction. “Yeah?” she asked, only half paying attention to Deimesa.

“I have spoken more with your—well, I understand you are not linked, but you may as well be,” said Deimesa. “Your love, then. I have spoken more with her than I have with you, but you are very different.”

“Mhm,” said Dash. She smiled. Fluttershy flew from one cloud to the next, choosing a bigger cloud each time, finally deciding on a good-sized one easily ten paces across. “What’s your point?”

“I don’t know that I have one,” said the doe, tilting her head. “Should I have one? She seems very nice.”

Rainbow Dash snorted and grinned. “Wow, and I guess I’m chopped spinach, huh?”

“I… did not mean to offend,” said Deimesa, drawing back. “This sounds like you think I have offended. I apolo—”

“Relax!” Dash snickered. “I’m laughing, aren’t I? I’m joking around. I don’t care, you’re fine, and yeah, she is, in fact, awesome.”

“Ah,” said Deimesa. She cleared her throat and glanced up at the sky. Fluttershy was finally on the approach. “Your… laughter is strange, that is all.”

“Says you,” said Dash with a final little chuckle. She broke into a grin when Fluttershy landed. “Nice catch, Fluttershy!”

“Thank you,” said Fluttershy, smiling wide. She kept a hoof on the cloud to keep it from drifting away. Dash could tell it was light. “What did you have in mind?”

“Absolutely no idea,” said Rainbow Dash, rolling her shoulders. “I was thinking of maybe making like… a table or something out of solid clouds or whatever—”

“That’d be nice,” said Fluttershy, nodding.

“—until I realised how lame that is,” Dash finished.

“Oh,” said Fluttershy, her ears wilting.

“Come on, we can do anything. If you wanna make a table out of cloudstuff, that’s like… stuff for a lazy sunday when my wings are busted after a hard day of training or a crash or something,” Dash said with a snort.

“Well, I guess the good and bad news is, that’s probably going to happen sometime soon after we get home, isn’t it,” said Fluttershy with a small frown of her own and a pointed glance at Dash’s back.

“Pretty much,” said Dash. She spread her wings and critically inspected her curiously green wings. Her discoloured but marvellously functional wings. “Or, y’know, scratch that. I think I’m gonna take it easy for a bit. I don’t wanna be grounded again anytime soon.”

“I think I heard you say that before,” Fluttershy said. “Maybe… every time your wings are healed.” She giggled, and Dash rolled her eyes. Rainbow Dash swatted at the air in front of Fluttershy with a wing, not bothering to move over to actually poke her.

“So,” said Deimesa, a little louder than normal. If her voice didn’t betray her impatience, the way she scuffed at the ground did. “You call this ‘cloudcraft’? You can do more than make rain?”

“Can we ever,” said Dash. But what? She could think of at least a thousand cool things to do with a cloud, and a good half of them began with a thundercloud. The problem with that was that Fluttershy wasn’t very fond of thunder and lightning. There were plenty of other options, of course, but she couldn’t quite put the idea away. Nor could she forget the words of the date yesterday.

Fluttershy had suggested Rainbow Dash could inspire people. Did that extend to Fluttershy? Her girlfriend hadn’t talked about herself at all, but maybe it still worked. If Fluttershy was right, if Rainbow Dash could get a wounded peryton back up in the air—and she still hoped to see that—could she get Fluttershy within a thousand paces of an active thundercloud?

She knew Fluttershy had a good reason to be afraid of thunderclouds, but they were simply too cool to live an entire life without. Right now, nothing was more exciting to Dash than the idea of Fluttershy messing around with thunderclouds like it was no big whoop. Maybe she’d even impress the peryton breakfasting around here, get a few cheers?

Forget that last part, really. What really mattered was that Fluttershy had confided in Dash that she wished she wasn’t quite so afraid of them.

“I got an idea,” said Rainbow Dash. She tried for her most confident smile, the kind she reserved for special occasions, such as all the time. “How about some thunder?”

She saw Fluttershy’s pupils shrink a little. She saw the way she shifted her wings, but that was all. Fluttershy took a deep breath and smiled after a moment, nodding almost enthusiastically.

“Sure,” said Fluttershy. “We can try to make a storm cloud.”

“Storm clouds?” said Deimesa, tilting her head slightly. “I… you may have shown me strange things that belong to the First Stories, if anywhere at all, but you can tame storm clouds? Is this a pegasus joke?”

An eager Fluttershy and a skeptic audience. If there were perfect conditions to make thunder, they were these. The peryton breakfasting about the park-like forest area clearly paid attention to them, but so far that was all they had garnered. Polite, if rapt interest. Rainbow Dash cracked her neck and stretched her entire body out.

“Do you think we can do it with a cloud like this, though?” asked Fluttershy, poking at the fluffy white thing she’d brought.

“In Ponyville? No way,” said Rainbow Dash. “But as hot and humid as it is here, and with the wind coming in from the coast? We just pack it tight and let it cook. Shove some air in there to bring the cold and we’re golden.”

Fluttershy nodded and started packing the cloudmass together, shoving at it with her forelegs. Her head popped over the rim of the cloud. “You know that with your experience, you could get a magnus-level storm license even without taking classes, right? You should be glad Mayor Mare never asked to see your license. If she knew you didn’t have one—”

“I’d still have to take an exam or a test or something, and I’d have to explain how I got so good at it,” said Dash with a snort. “Besides, I haven’t heard any complaints about my storms.”

“That… might be because you don’t have an office,” said Fluttershy, her ears splayed. “Mayor Mare gets a lot of complaints, actually.”

“Storms being too awesome doesn’t count as a real complaint,” Dash asked, grinning. “I think she knows, anyway. And, if she paid me enough that I could have an office, she could hire any other licensed storm-maker, so… it’s like a catch-a-kazoo.”

“A catch twenty-two?” Fluttershy asked.

“Gesundheit,” said Dash. The cloud was barely pony-sized now, and a lot darker than before. Fluttershy landed, took one step back, and then another.

“I don’t think you understand how strange this is to me,” said Deimesa letting out a short caw of laughter. Nervous laughter, perhaps. She leaned in closer, poking a hoof at the dark grey cloud. Her head jerked back when it came away wet, her small eyes wide as can be and her wings nervously rustling. “I… this is amazing.”

“I told you, we know,” said Dash, laughing.

“What now?” the doe asked. “You say this will thunder? This little thing?”

“Just relax. It’ll do that, and more,” she said, giving Fluttershy a wink. She knew that Fluttershy knew, too: a stormcloud like this wouldn’t just let out thunder. If they had done it right—and Rainbow Dash always did it right—they’d get a real, albeit tiny, lightning strike, and she couldn’t wait to see the doe’s face at that.

“More than thunder,” Deimesa repeated. She raised her hoof as if she wanted to touch it again, but did not. “I do not understand how such a little thing can do even that. Is it not just a heavy rain cloud?”

“It’s a surprise, just have a little patience, come on,” said Rainbow Dash, rolling her eyes. “Fluttershy, you wanna prime it, or should I?”

Fluttershy took a deep breath and puffed out her cheeks, letting it out slowly. Finally, she shook her head. “I think it’s okay if you do it.”

“Sure,” said Dash. She punched a hole into the center of the cloud and took off, fanning wind into the cloud while Fluttershy braced it from the other side. She gave it a few flaps extra just to be safe, and packed the hole shut. When she put an ear to the cloud afterwards, she swore she could hear a tiny rumble, noting with satisfaction that the core already built energy.

She also noted that Fluttershy still hadn’t run away. Maybe next time, she could get Fluttershy to start the cloud core mixing instead, but whatever the case, while Fluttershy’s ears told Dash she was worried, the other pegasus’s worried smile was still a smile. That tiny victory felt a thousand times better than anything else. As nice as it was to think she might’ve helped Neisos a little bit yesterday, right now she could look at Fluttershy and smile back. She wished this moment would last.

“So. Now what?” asked Deimesa again, who evidently did not share this opinion. She glanced back and forth between the two pegasi. “Why does it not shed its water?”

“Because it’s building,” said Dash, trying to temper her annoyance a little. She wasn’t annoyed with Deimesa’s impatience, of course. What concerned her was the idea that she might not actually end up impressed. What if she didn’t think the thunder and lightning was as cool as Dash did?

Rainbow Dash frowned. That was entirely too likely. After all, these peryton lived through the most violent yearly storm that Rainbow Dash had ever seen in her life.

“Building?” Deimesa asked.

Granted, freaky weather happened in areas not controlled by pegasi, and outside Equestria that was all the time. The cool part wasn’t the weather itself, even though that was plenty cool.

“Well,” said Fluttershy.

The cool part was that Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash did it with hoof and wing. At least, that’s what other ponies found cool. To Dash, that was normal. Still, if Deimesa wasn’t impressed, it didn’t hurt to have a backup plan. Preferably one that wasn’t a full-blown hurricane. They’d probably had one of those last week when the storm passed through here.

“We just started a process inside the cloud—oh, listen! There’s the first rumble of the thunder, did you hear it?” asked Fluttershy.

Though in truth, the more Rainbow Dash thought about it, the more she doubted that Vauhorn really suffered the worst of the yearly storms. It’d start to break up by the time it came here, right?

“It still does not rain,” said Deimesa, her smaller ears stiffly pointing skywards, though Rainbow Dash scarcely paid attention any more. “Curious. Can you make it rain by touching it, or must we wait?”

No, that didn’t add up. The storm wouldn’t break up from winds coming inland, obviously. Dash smacked her forehead. Sometimes, she could be so oblivious.

“Oh. Um, well, I probably shouldn’t. It’s not going to let off any water anyway, and I don’t want to spoil Rainbow Dash’s surprise,” said Fluttershy.

Besides, these storms refused to behave the way storms should. No storm should persist for that long. Probably. It was hard to tell without a proper sense of scale.

“She seems preoccupied,” said Deimesa, shaking her head. “I am not as Esorys before the unwatched fruit, I simply wonder what this thing can do. This is very new to me.”

You could only really get a good impression of what was happening from a proper overhead view, and she’d not gotten above the storm. Now, she regretted that. The alternative was, of course, she admitted to herself with a sigh, a map.

“Oh. Um, maybe I could...” said Fluttershy. “I really don’t know if I should.”

Maps still didn’t make as much sense to her as she’d like. Whatever the case, the point remained. She needed a better trick than a stormcloud as a backup. Perhaps a tiny twister? With all the people around, she’d need to control the twister well if she didn’t want to send everyone’s breakfasts flying.

“You do it, or you do not do it,” said Deimesa, shrugging. “I simply wonder what it is this thing will do. I am no stranger to storms.”

Of course she could control a twister. They just had a nasty habit of becoming—well, calling them tornadoes was a little dramatic. A single pony couldn’t make a true tornado, but sometimes a twister got a little large. Things happened. Imagining the look on Deimesa’s face when she saw Dash manage a twister, keeping it in place? Priceless.

“Oh, okay,” Fluttershy said with a sigh. “If you’re really that curious, it’d be very mean of me to keep you waiting. I don’t like surprises either. See, if I just give the cloud a tiny little poke—”

Or better yet, seeing Fluttershy manage a twister—

Crack.

“Fluttershy!” Dash yelled, the name wrenched from her. She caught a blinding flash and whipped around so fast she swore she could see the lightning bolt strike, her ears ringing from the blast. Fluttershy stood frozen with a hoof on the now drained and sullen grey cloud, Deimesa’s weight rested on her hind-claws, and the other peryton spectators stared or hurried away or had never been there in the first place, not mattering at all.

“Are you okay?” Dash asked. She hadn’t meant to ask the dumb, inane question, but she did, and she needed to hear Fluttershy speak. A thin line of scorched fur ran across one of Fluttershy’s hindlegs, and her tail-tip had been flash-burned away. Fluttershy slowly lowered her head, a movement infinitely smaller than the way her chest heaved for breath. Rainbow Dash could hear her panting all the way over where she stood—which, a second later, was right next to her. Rainbow Dash didn’t know what to do, so she hugged Fluttershy tight, wrapping her forelegs around her neck.

“I’m fine,” said Fluttershy, her voice thin. She hugged Rainbow Dash back without much strength at all. “Maybe… maybe we can make some very, very tiny dust devils instead.”

“Dust devils sound great,” said Dash, letting out a sigh and closing her eyes for a moment.

“I really did not understand. If you had told me—” Deimesa began, her lips peeling back in disgust. “No. I will unsay those words, that is an excuse, and I have none. I am sorry. Please understand that, at least,” she instead said. The peryton doe’s look was imploring. “I am sorry. I did not mean to goad you.”

“It’s fine, really,” said Fluttershy, a smile tugging on her lips. “I’m the one who is sorry. I can be, um… I could be better at putting my hoof down, I guess, but it was just an accident. That lightning should’ve struck straight down, not sideways. The chances of that happening are really very, very small. It’s over now anyway.”

Rainbow Dash said nothing. She herself had more experience with storms, but Fluttershy knew the theory just as well. Poking the thickest wall of cloud-matter shouldn’t have zapped her. There was no foul play, and nopony could even call it carelessness—just extremely bad luck.

“This way,” said Deimesa, pointing left when they hit an intersection. “It should be a shorter way home.” She shook her head. “But, no, I should not have asked. I should have understood that you dealt with strong magic that can cause harm, magic that needs to be treated with respect. I may as well have caused your wound, begging at best to be as Pelessa in her wondrous naivety.”

Fluttershy sighed. “It’s not really a wound, honestly.” She paused mid-step to lift her left hindleg, inspecting the charred line that ran straight across her hock. “My coat just got singed, and don’t worry about the tail, either. I didn’t feel a thing, and it was just as much my fault as yours.”

Rainbow Dash listened for a note of doubt in Fluttershy’s voice, for any indication that she’d actually been hurt, but there was none. Fluttershy and Deimesa both blamed themselves, and they’d been playing this game of apologies all morning and the better part of the afternoon, a second game while they messed around with eddies and rainclouds. Now the three walked the outer streets of Vauhorn on their way back, and they were still going at it.

They were still ignoring Dash’s part in it.

Rainbow Dash kept walking, now looking at Fluttershy’s burnt tail-tip, now trying not to, instead looking at the peryton who all seemed to be moving in the same direction as they. Their trek back to Deimesa’s family’s house merged with a small-scale migration from the edges of town and towards its center. Most of the peryton carried bundles of wood balanced on their back.

It’d been Rainbow Dash’s idea, and she’d started it. Fluttershy had nearly gotten badly hurt, and there was no point in discussing whose fault it was in the end. Rainbow Dash had a hoof in it. She wasn’t much for tear-laden confessions or apologies, and Fluttershy clearly didn’t see it the same way Rainbow Dash did, but Dash knew one thing for sure: she’d been wrong.

Suggesting they play around with thunderclouds was a terrible idea. As much as Dash loved her, Fluttershy could still be a doormat. There was a huge difference between inspiring others—between trying to make people be their best, trying to give Neisos some encouragement—and pushing her girlfriend around. What kind of pony would do that?

An attempt to ‘help’ Fluttershy get over her fear of thunderclouds, something she probably didn’t even remember telling Dash about, had nearly gone horribly wrong. None of this would have happened if Rainbow Dash could just keep the promise she made to herself back in Ephydoera. Don’t. Push. Fluttershy. It’s not complicated, Rainbow Dash. When had she gotten it back into her head that it was okay to do that?

Fluttershy clearly didn’t intend for this to happen when she told Dash all those things at their date. She just meant for Dash to be better at helping other people out. That was fine. That was something Rainbow Dash could do.

How many other stupid stunts could have gone wrong, anyway? Fluttershy could’ve gotten hurt when she crashed the cart in the gorge. Hay, even when she flew the cart over the brook on the road to Stagrum—also at Dash’s insistence—the cart could’ve upended on top of her and seriously hurt her!

Even now, Fluttershy kept close to Dash. It confused Rainbow Dash a little at first: After the near-accident, Fluttershy had been really… cuddly, smiling as though she was really happy, but Rainbow Dash knew she couldn’t be. In fact, the more Dash thought about it, the more it made sense. If Fluttershy had gotten scared, of course she would want Rainbow Dash close. Fluttershy still talked to Deimesa about something or other, but she walked close enough that her coat brushed against Dash’s.

Dash rubbed the side of her head against Fluttershy’s neck just to reassure her—and Fluttershy smiled back, returning the gesture by nuzzling the top of her head.

It was still confusing, really. Dash knew she was better at reading Fluttershy’s body than she was at interpreting her words, but right now her girlfriend’s worries were hidden so well not even Rainbow Dash could see them. Fluttershy’s wings hung loose and free, her ears were perked, and her now slightly shorter tail swayed at her back. If she didn’t know better, she’d think Fluttershy was genuinely having a great time. Fortunately, she did know better. She knew that she had to be frightened underneath her perky demeanour.

“—hope nobody’s going to miss those trees,” Fluttershy said. Dash blinked, tuning back into the conversation. Apparently the apology-fest was over.

“Okay, objection,” said Dash. “That was one tree and the other ones were bushes,” she said, laying her ears flat. “I dare you to find somepony else who can control a twister that well, anyway.”

“Perhaps my words for these things are not the same as yours,” said Deimesa, cocking a brow. “But I thought you meant to do as Fluttershy did and make a spinning wind that gathered leaves, which she called a… dust devil?”

“Sure, but my twister did that, too,” Dash said with a snort, eliciting a giggle from Fluttershy. “Nobody used those bushes anyway. Right?”

“That side of the wood? I doubt they will be missed,” said Deimesa, craning her neck to look straight up. She’d cast the occasional skywards glance every now and then for the past minute. “Those who prefer walking the greater demesne will have some questions, but wonder is good. Perhaps this is how Anhori will be defined, through stories of wonder over uprooted bushes.”

Rainbow Dash looked up as well, trying to figure out what Deimesa looked at. There was a shadow of some sort flying overhead, but the sun got in her eyes when she tried to make out the details.

“An osprey flies right overhead, still,” said Deimesa, frowning slightly. “You fed an osprey while we ate our lunch. Is it the same one, still hungry?”

“Oh! Flappington is still following us?” Fluttershy asked. She, too, looked up, smiling when she spotted the great winged shape. “He did say he felt a little lonely these days. Maybe he’ll come by for a visit tonight. I’ll have to find some more grapes.”

“You weren’t making a joke. You actually speak to animals. You speak their language.” Deimesa shook her head slowly. “I would refer to an Aspect to help me understand, but there is nothing like it to draw upon. The closest is unstoried words of The Curinion, said to speak to the beasts of the Bow, but I am lost.”

“Well, I don’t know about language,” said Fluttershy, pushing her mane back from her face. “I can’t make the exact same noises an otter makes, or even a fox, but we understand each other, at least.”

“I do not know that the difference matters,” said Deimesa with a desperate warble of laughter. “I am still lost. Can all of your kind do these things as well?”

“Nah, the animal stuff is all Fluttershy,” said Rainbow Dash, hovering up to stretch her legs mid-flight. She covered a yawn with a hoof. “It’s… part freaky, part awesome? Mostly awesome. You should see her back at her cottage. I don’t think there’s an animal within a day’s flight of Ponyville that doesn’t come by and say hi every once in awhile. She’s pretty much Ponyville’s biggest animal celebrity.” Dash grinned twice as wide when she saw Fluttershy’s burgeoning blush.

“I’m still a little surprised you can’t touch the clouds at all,” Fluttershy said, evidently brooking no discussion or praise of herself. “I’m sorry for bringing it up again, but I always thought it might be because of our wings, so I thought maybe you would be able to at least shape them a little.”

“It’s not just pegasi. Gryphons can touch clouds, at least,” Dash said. “And Luna can definitely do weather-y stuff, but I guess you weren’t there, last nightmare night,” Dash added in a mutter. The singe marks on Fluttershy’s leg reminded her of the weeks it had taken for her own coat to regrow and cover up the burn marks on her butt. How long would it take for Fluttershy’s little burn to go away? How long until Dash forgot that she was not supposed to push Fluttershy around again? Rainbow Dash snarled at herself internally, willing herself to remember this moment.

“Birds can’t, though,” said Fluttershy, frowning slightly. “Not the… I guess you could say the uncivilised ones, but it sounds so judgmental.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, glad for the topic, for the distraction. She shook her head. “That’s half the reason geese are so terrifying. You can’t even hide out in a cloud. They just act like the clouds aren’t there. They keep coming.” She suppressed a shudder.

“I still do not know that I can understand it as magic,” Deimesa said, shifting her wings. “Your friend Rarity, her magic is far more… if mine is a clumsy chisel made of wood, hers is a syrra blade. I cannot match what she does, but I understand it is magic. I cannot understand what you do with your hooves. Or your animal speech.”

“Yeah, I don’t know. It’s… whatever. Some pegasus eggheads at Cloudsdale University could probably tell you more about it the pegasus magic,” said Rainbow Dash. “But hey! If you think all the stuff we did today is cool, you should see Cloudsdale.” Rainbow Dash hopped into a hover, flying backwards. “That’s where we actually make the weather. Or, uh. That’s the motto, anyway.”

“You… make the weather there?” Deimesa asked with a skeptical squint. “Is that not what we have done now today?”

“Yeah it doesn’t make that much sense,” Dash admitted. “It’s a terrible motto.”

“Cloudsdale makes the clouds in the first place,” Fluttershy explained. “Some pegasi can do it with just their bodies and a source of water, but making all the clouds… well, manually, that wouldn’t be very efficient. They also make the rainbows and many other things that are hard or impossible to do alone. Like snowflake templates.”

“All the clouds,” Deimesa repeated. “Do you mean to say… that is where all clouds come from? That is hard to accept.”

“Nah, just Equestria,” said Dash. “And yeah. Making clouds? Way tedious.”

“But weather does not stop at city limits. That is why we get the summer storms from the Bow,” said the doe. She gave Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy a long look. “Are you pegasi ultimately responsible for the seven days of the storm, then?”

“Whoa, no, hang on,” said Rainbow Dash. “That’s—no! No. I… I don’t think so? Hang on, let me think.”

Fluttershy pursed her lips, her eyes on the tiled road as they walked. “No,” she said after a moment. “There are a lot of things that affect winds, but we mainly do water redistribution for crops and… I think the term is ‘local seasonal changes.’ Um, it’s probably a lot to explain, but I really don’t see how it could affect anything outside of Equestria much. Besides, we’re on the opposite side of Perytonia to the Bow, and that’s where the storm came from.”

Rainbow Dash nodded quickly. “Yeah. We’re just trying to keep things normal, not… freaky like the borders or here where seasons change by themselves all the time.” She scratched her head. “But uh, anyway, don’t you need those storms, too? It’s really dry here.”

Deimesa nodded in agreement. “Now that you ask, yes, we do. Vauhorn would be lost without them. It contributes to the groundwater, even though most peryton don’t realise.” She raised a brow. “I realise now I sound like I accused you of wrongdoing. I’m sorry for that.”

“It’s cool,” said Dash, exhaling loudly. At last they left the outskirts of Vauhorn and entered the city proper again. Though the air was rapidly cooling, the shade from the taller buildings was more than welcome. Here and there, peryton moved in groups carrying the same bundles of firewood they’d seen on their backs for a while now. Some of them even pulled carts loaded with timber, and Dash now realised they were setting up for the fires of the Alluvium, but clearly the ones moving wood now were the early birds: The first plaza they reached was still set up for some kind of market, and busy enough that she landed to walk with the other two.

“We should have gone around,” said Dash, muttering an excuse-me to a masked peryton who pushed past her with an apology of his own. Either peryton were big on last minute purchases or the plaza was a heavily trafficked thoroughfare. Most seemed to just be passing through, and she saw more than a few peryton packing their stalls together even now. If there was a theme to the market, Dash didn’t see it. Here some fabrics, there some tasty-smelling fried bread, and next to that particular stall, one that sold various tinctures.

“Oh! I’ll be right back,” said Fluttershy, ducking past Rainbow Dash, moving for a nearby stall with innumerable little jars and bottles marked in crow-footed script. Dash didn’t even have time to ask what she was doing. Fluttershy was already over there, digging into her saddlebags to produce some bronze slivers, her words lost in the din of the plaza.

“It was not an accusation, but a comment on your recklessness, I think,” said Deimesa. She stepped to the side and shepherded Dash out of the way of the crowd, placing the two next to a peryton who tore down her stall.

“The what?” Dash asked.

“This ‘Cloudsdale’,” Deimesa said as Fluttershy rejoined them, stashing a bottle in her saddlebags. “It sounds reckless to me.”

“Sorry?” asked Fluttershy. She looked up with the straps of her saddlebags in her mouth. “I mif’h fh’omething?”

“No, I’m confused,” Dash admitted, cocking her head. “What about Cloudsdale is ‘reckless’?”

“To so wantonly change things,” Deimesa shook her head and pointed ahead, setting the little group moving again. “No, let me try again. Change is fine, but to have such power, that is reckless. I am impressed with all you have shown me today because it is interesting, but it is also… unsettling.”

“Being able to make rain is power? And ‘reckless’?” asked Rainbow Dash, her snout crinkling of its own accord. “You know, I’m fine with that kind of reckless. Well, every kind of reckless. Mostly.”

“Maybe we did a poor job—excuse me—” Fluttershy walked a little closer to Rainbow Dash, flashing a smile at a passer-by. “Sorry, maybe we did a poor job of explaining it. It’s not really power. You know, there are a lot of things we don’t understand completely about peryton, either, and we’ve been here for weeks. Goodness, over a month, now. I’m still amazed by how great you are at working with stone, and we still don’t understand the Ephydoerans half as well as we’d like to.”

“Didn’t Rarity say something like that?” asked Dash. “We’ve seen your place up close. If you came to visit and saw Cloudsdale for yourself you’d see it’s fine.” She grinned. “As long as you don’t drink the liquid rainbows. Or stick your head in the cloud compressor. Don’t do that.”

“You may be right, but it sounds entirely too fantastic to my ears,” Deimesa admitted, smiling at that.

“Sure, but I think if anypony tried to explain the Grove in Ephydoera to me, I’d say the same. Trees that big? That place is crazy,” said Rainbow Dash, grinning at the thought. Already she felt the tree shrinking in her head, trying to fit into a memory. “And the great plaza in Orto? Jeez, you could fit Ponyville there. You have amazing things, too.”

“Ephydoera and Orto may. I have never been there. Vauhorn does not have these things,” Deimesa countered.

Fluttershy tilted her head. “Maybe you just say that because you are used to the things you have, like… wonderful tiled streets?”

“And the houses,” Dash added. “Painting every house with all sorts of crazy stuff? That’s awesome. Confusing, weird, but also awesome.”

“You might be right. I have not thought of it like this,” was all Deimesa said, evidently satisfied with that conclusion. She halted, and Dash held out a hoof to stop Fluttershy from colliding with a crossing peryton. The three waited at a little crossroads in between market stalls, an artificial little street crossing in dire need of a traffic conductor.

“If you have been to Ephydoera, I must ask,” said Deimesa, shooting Dash’s back a glance. “I assumed your wings’ colour was just a curious coincidence—”

“Can we not?” Dash asked. It came out a little snappier than she’d intended, but she knew it’d remind Fluttershy of everything that had happened in Ephydoera.

“Not what?” Deimesa asked, raising her voice a little to compensate for the background noise of the market. Someone was making a lot of noise nearby.

“It was an accident, and I’m getting tired of having to talk about it,” Rainbow Dash said, her snort lost in the din.

“You haven’t really explained it to anyone so far,” Fluttershy pointed out. She splayed her ears when Dash looked at her. “You don’t have to, of course, but it’s clear that everyone notices and is curious.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Fine. What do these wings tell you? What do you think happened?”

Deimesa blinked and looked between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. “They… tell me nothing? I know that in many of the stories, the Ever Soaring painted his wings green, and that the Ephydoerans do so as well. It is supposed to be the mark of a warrior, particular to the wardens. That is what gives me pause. I know the colour carries great importance, but I had not thought to ask detail.”

“Cool. Let’s go with that, whatever,” said Rainbow Dash, pushing her saddlebags back to cover more of her wings. If only she could turn her wings inside out like a vest to show another colour. She remembered Rarity making something like that, once.

“Not to change topics—” Fluttershy said once they made some progress through the plaza again, albeit at a crawl.

“Please, do exactly that,” said Rainbow Dash.

“—but maybe we should pick up something for Rarity while we’re here?”

“Sure. What’d you have in mind? I didn’t bring any money, just the food we had.” Dash wiggled her sides. She’d just tossed some fruit on top of the leftover fabrics and empty water-bags in her saddlebags, and whatever lay beneath that didn’t sound like gems or perytonian bits.

“Maybe some tea?” Fluttershy suggested. “I haven’t seen any tea around, though.”

“Tea is a winter drink. You won’t find much of it now. Hot drinks in summer are not common and won’t come to market for a little while yet,” Deimesa said, looking left and right as they walked, just like the ponies did. More stalls offered food, jars, boxes—one even presented a variety of the glowing globes Vauhornites used for light indoors.

“How about a handkerchief?” Rainbow Dash asked, slowing down next to a stall that carried nothing but. At least, they looked like handkerchiefs. “These are for blowing your nose, right?”

“Or cleaning other things, yes,” said Deimesa. She levitated up a piece of cloth embroidered with some abstract symbol that meant nothing to Dash, maybe a letter. The stall-keeper stag smiled at them.

“I think that’s a good idea,” said Fluttershy, smiling as well. “Do you see any you like? Something to remember Vauhorn by, probably. She’d like that, I’m sure.”

“How much are they?” Dash asked.

“Three slivers if you choose quickly,” said the stag, “I am about to leave, and would rather not become as Glandros upon the mountaintop.”

Dash pointed to two at random. “Fluttershy, pick one of these two?” she asked.

“Oh, um, left?” Fluttershy asked.

Slivers changed hooves, and Dash packed away a white handkerchief embroidered with a pair of wings and a wave—maybe an ocean or something?—and soon they were on the move again. Moments later, they were finally out of the plaza, and Dash could breathe again, no longer forced to stare at hundreds of peryton necks and chests. There were still a lot of peryton about, though, more and more of them carting wood around. For a while they walked parallel to a full-sized cart loaded with lumber.

“I do hope she gets better soon,” said Fluttershy.

“Who, Rarity? Yeah. Maybe we can get going tomorrow,” Dash agreed. “She looked good today. We can hit Cotronna in… how many days did you say?”

“Less than a week this time, probably,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her.

“You are eager to leave Vauhorn,” said Deimesa, looking down at the two ponies with a raised brow.

“Eager to get to Cotronna,” Dash corrected her.

“And to get home, really,” Fluttershy added.

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Yeah, and that. Both. It’s got nothing to do with Vauhorn, but we got stuff to do. ‘Diplomats’ and everything, right?” She couldn’t hold back a bark of laughter at that. The three moved to the side of the road to let a cart pass going the opposite way. This road was a little more narrow than most, and soon Deimesa turned them onto a broader, familiar-looking street. Dash recognised the long beach painted along three buildings on their right.

“Your eagerness, then, is because you carry treaties for Cotronna?” Deimesa asked.

“That’s right,” said Fluttershy, nodding. “Well, more of an invitation, really. I think the Princesses wanted to discuss treaties together instead of having everypony negotiate separately. We’re not actually trained diplomats.”

“What does a trained diplomat actually do?” asked Rainbow Dash. She chuckled. “We’re just messenger mares, really. I don’t even know how we’re supposed to be… didn’t they say ambassadors? I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean.”

“It just means that we represent Equestria,” said Fluttershy, as though that explained everything. “But you’re right. We really just carry a message, we don’t have the authority to negotiate even if we wanted to.”

“Shoot. What about all my plans to… uh… negotiate a—wow, this is so boring, I can’t even make a joke about it,” Dash admitted with a sigh.

They turned a sharp left, putting them onto the familiar alley that held Neisos and Ohrinna’s house. At least, Dash felt sure it was the same alley until she turned the corner, but it took her a moment to recognise it in the growing darkness as the sun sank lower. Hadn’t the magical streetlights been lit at this point yesterday? She only barely spotted the two peryton leaving the alley on the opposite side, no doubt carrying firewood like everyone else. She couldn’t tell. A little light spilled from the occasional open window, but even as she watched, shutters were closed and light muted.

Deimesa walked ahead without commenting on the darkness. At least the flat and clean roads made it safe to walk without light. “While I remember: did you talk to the Council of Vauhorn?” the doe asked.

“Did we ever,” Rainbow Dash laughed.

Fluttershy giggled as well. “We really did talk. We spent almost an entire day talking to them, sharing our stories.”

Deimesa grinned, mounting the steps to the house and pushing the door open with a little burst of magic. “That sounds like something the council would appreciate. Well timed ahead of the Alluvium, too, though I hope you have saved something for tonight.”

“Yeah, about that, are we late or something?” asked Rainbow Dash, casting one final glance down the darkened alley. If someone told her it was all over and that it was the middle of the night, she wouldn’t be surprised.

“You are just in time!” came Neisos’ voice from inside.

“Why are you turning off the lights?” asked Rainbow Dash. She turned her head to watch as Neisos stood beneath one of the globes that hung from the ceiling. His antlers glowed brightly, and the globe first dimmed, then winked out.

“Not all the lights,” Ohrinna said, returning from the kitchen with a small bundle of wood and placing it by the door. “Only the ones that may spill out through cracks in shutters and curtains.”

“Tonight,” said Neisos, beaming, “the only light outside will be the bonfires—all the better to attract the new stories and guide them to those of us who wait.”

“Stories aren’t moths, you know,” said Dash, chuckling. She turned to watch as Neisos approached the final globe in the room. This one he left aglow with a muted light.

“Maybe… we can think of them as fireflies instead,” suggested Fluttershy, puffing out her cheeks. “I don’t like thinking about moths and fire.”

“Sure, but my point is, it’s not like that—” said Dash.

“Please stand still,” Rarity said. She didn’t sigh so much as the words came out as a sigh by themselves. The unicorn rubbed bleary eyes and tugged at Dash’s skirt.

“Sorry,” Dash muttered.

“Stories are neither moths nor fireflies, of course,” said Neisos, smiling. “But those who wish to tell stories can be guided by the light of a good bonfire.” He spared a grin for Fluttershy. “And not to worry. Peryton, at least, have the good sense to avoid tripping into the fire. Mostly.”

“Mostly?” Fluttershy asked, her eyes going wide.

“Neisos, please,” said Ohrinna.

“Did I miss something interesting during my journey?” asked Deimesa, frowning at her parents. The younger doe stood by the stairs, every now and then popping up to the upper floor to, as she had put it, “ensure that neither of the two beasts destroyed anything else,” letting the others have the living room while they prepared.

“Let’s just say that one of your mother-aunts has some feathers to re-grow,” Neisos said with a caw of mirth.

“You laugh like that to her face and see how she appreciates it,” said Ohrinna with a shake of her head. “They will write books full of stories containing Helesseia’s fire without, after that.”

Neisos sobered rather quickly. “Oh, oh no. That is not in my plan,” he said, pointing to the kitchen. “I will go get a little more wood for our friends and leave this smile behind in the other room, in case we meet her.”

Rarity gave Rainbow Dash’s vest another tug and a magical pat, the unicorn circling her once and nodding appreciatively. “There,” she said, looking at the two pegasi. “I think that is as good as it is going to get, and they fit you as well as they ever will. I understand I made a mistake in relying on old measurements for your bodies. Since when were you a two and four fifths across?”

“We’re looking better than ever, you say? Thanks, and yeah, you’re right,” said Dash, grinning wide. She moved up to Fluttershy and nuzzled into her neck and chest-coat. Her girlfriend had never been so well toned before—and probably never blushed quite so hard.

“Not that I mind, but you’ll have plenty of time to be all lovey-dovey with each other tonight if you wish,” said Rarity with a huff. She brightened the glow from her horn a little. “For now, what do you think of the dresses?”

“You’re not coming with?” Dash asked, tilting her head.

Rarity shook her head. “It’s already cold outside, and this thing will go well into the night. If I am to get better by tomorrow, I shouldn’t. I feel better, but I think we can all agree it’s best not to risk it.”

“Oh. Yeah, no, that’s right,” said Dash, sighing.

“Please take care of yourself and get some rest,” Fluttershy agreed, giving Rainbow Dash a nuzzle before she took a step away, glancing over her back. The long, sweeping dress she wore was some dark shade of green, long enough to completely swallow her tail, especially with its tip missing. If Dash had a complaint it was that there was entirely too much dress and not enough Fluttershy. In that sense, she enjoyed her own vest and short skirt a lot more, all red and white with even more space around the wings this time. Rarity said the colours complimented her, and she had to take her word for it.

“I think it looks wonderful, Rarity,” said Fluttershy, smiling at the unicorn before she turned her gaze to Dash. “I think yours really shows off your wings and your legs.”

“Thanks,” said Dash, stretching out her legs one by one, watching Fluttershy as she did, and judging by the laughter and the flare of her cheeks, it wasn’t just a compliment on Rarity’s dressmaking skills.

“So, um, what did you want us to do, again?” Fluttershy asked, her eyes still on Dash. “Just try to see what the peryton think of the dresses? Maybe… ask one or two of them?”

“Mm, no, there’s no point to that, really,” said Rarity. She gave both of them one final, scrutinizing look and walked over to the table to grab a sip from a bowl of water.

“Uh, no point?” Dash asked, following her. “I thought that was the entire point?”

“I’m confused too,” Fluttershy said, nodding along.

“I’ve spoken enough with Deimesa and the others enough to understand Vauhorn’s stance on fashion,” said Rarity. “Or their lack of one.” She cast a glance towards the stairs, where Deimesa, Ohrinna and Neisos were engaged in a conversation Dash couldn’t hear. “In case you missed it, and I know you haven’t, they don’t do clothes, and if I had any designs on trying to change that, I recently learned that no one wears any clothes or masks tonight.”

Fluttershy nodded slowly. “I guess that makes sense, actually.”

Rainbow Dash squinted. “Right. Because they wear stuff to pretend they’re the Aspects or whatever, and tonight’s all about… not that?”

“They refer to Aspects’ specific stories, not the Aspects themselves, dear, but yes, that’s the essential truth,” Rarity agreed, taking another sip of water before putting the bowl away. “Any other day of the month, the dresses would have been considered props, and tonight, well—I asked Deimesa and Neisos both, and they agreed that it’s not offensive in any way. It’ll just be considered strange and irrelevant. Normal and unremarkable because we’re already strangers.” She shrugged and let out a soundless snort that shook her body.

“I’m sorry, Rarity,” said Fluttershy, deflating a little. She reached out to touch Rarity’s chest.

“So there’s no way?” Dash asked, frowning deeply. “You’re giving up without even trying?”

Rarity chuckled. “Darling. It’s not giving up. If I’d given up, I’d make washcloths of these dresses—terrible washcloths with silk in the mix, but nevertheless. If the peryton here like the dresses, that’s an unexpected but wonderful success, but I mostly made these to have something to do while I work on other, more promising plans. I’m mostly concerned with trying to get the attention of the Cotronnan court, hoping perhaps that will matter more.”

“Is there anything we can do to help with that?” Fluttershy asked, smiling.

“Mm, no,” said Rarity, shaking her head resolutely. “Deimesa will stay here for most of the evening, so I’m going to ask her what the most common Aspect here is. I know they say they pay attention to all of them, but there has to be a most popular or used Aspect—and a costume of some sorts that is more Vauhorn than anything else, surely. It might not have anything to do with Cotronna, but call it research. If you want to make me happy, you two have a wonderful night together, hm?”

“If you’re sure,” said Fluttershy, a worried frown on her face.

“Go,” said Rarity, stifling a yawn and gracing them with a tired smile. “Go and have fun, you two.”

“I think we can manage that,” Rainbow Dash replied, grinning back. She headed over to the door with Fluttershy, waiting while Deimesa and her parents said their goodbyes, the young doe tossing them a parting wave and disappearing upstairs.

“So, we just grab one of these?” Rainbow Dash asked, pointing to one of the bundles of wood neatly bound together with a thin rope. Neisos levitated one of the bundles onto his back, and Ohrinna did the same.

“It is customary to add to the fires you join,” said Ohrinna, nodding.

“Again, you do not mind us taking one night to ourselves?” asked Neisos, tilting his head. “It has been a while, you understand.”

“It’s fine, jeez,” Dash laughed. When Fluttershy put one of the wooden bundles on her back, she shifted her wings a little to make it lie right, then put a bundle on Fluttershy’s back in return. “I think me and Fluttershy are happy to get some more time together, too.”

“Especially since we’re going to be back on the road again soon,” Fluttershy said, smiling. “We will see you later tonight, or tomorrow morning?”

“Yes, with allowances for certain kin sleeping until mid-day after the Alluvium,” said Neisos with a glance at Ohrinna.

“You are just as bad, do not even pretend you are not,” Ohrinna retorted. “Have you said good-night to the children?”

“Good-night, you little hellions!” Neisos called, breaking into a sharp-toothed grin. “There, now I have. Let us go. Stories need to be told—and heard!”

Chapter 26

Pf. Shoross

While you acted as Ryshalos shown the use of his legs—out of the station on errands—two stags arrived. They claimed to carry a message for three travellers from afar, and asked where they might find them. In Pelessa’s unquestioning naivety, I gave them directions to an acquaintance of mine, Neisos. He currently guests three ‘ponies’ of whom we should have been told long ago. Though my memory is thin, I myself have seen these creatures.

Now I wonder. They claimed to come from dockside quarters, but they spoke like no dockside kin I have ever met, and their speech was uncannily plain, like Helesseia’s own voice, and with no ambiguity or width to their words. They did not give names. I leave you this note in case they should return: I would like to know from which part of the docksides they wandered and for you to help gauge their intent. The others see no cause for alarm, so I do not either, but I ever tread in Morrashon’s shadow, seeking to know.

Beyond this, I am off my duties now and head home. When your shift ends, you should remember Myrtella’s flight at Calthess’ words during the morning hours and join me.

-Eirissia

The streets of Vauhorn were transformed. In the brief time they’d spent grabbing a quick snack and getting ready for this Alluvium-thing, the last rays of sunlight had been spent, and this time, no magical globes made up for the loss. The narrow alleys were lit only by the light of a pale half-moon and a smattering of faded stars. Luna must be busy or lazy, Rainbow Dash thought. Otherwise light grey stone turned obsidian in the coming night.

Neisos and Ohrinna headed right, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy turned left, and it was with cautious steps in near-complete darkness that they traversed the alley. The city echoed with faint yet innumerable hooves and claws against stonework, far too many to all come from the occasional peryton walking the thoroughfare past the mouth of the alley.

“So, you want to head to the Ravenwall?” Rainbow Dash asked. “That’s where Neisos said the biggest bonfire was, right? If there’s somewhere to find a bunch of peryton and the coolest stories, that has to be it.”

“I don’t know, to be honest,” said Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash heard the rustle of her wings shifting against the fabric of her dress. “Maybe we could try to find someplace… smaller? I think that’d be nice.”

“Sure,” said Rainbow Dash. “We could just walk for a bit. They said this is gonna go on all night.”

“That’s what they said,” Fluttershy replied, and Dash could hear the smile in her voice. Finally they reached the end of the alley, and the light swallowed by the night and the city-wide blackout had its replacement. The plazas at the end of the road in either direction were brightly but haphazardly lit, many bonfires partially obscured by peryton casting long and dancing shadows. Even from here Dash could see a particularly large pile of wood set up for a huge fire at the center of each plaza, but both stood unlit.

“You sure your leg is fine?” Dash asked, glancing at Fluttershy’s side.

“I don’t feel anything, I promise,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her, and Rainbow Dash tried to take her word for it. At least it served as a reminder to Dash not to push Fluttershy around.

“We could head to the docks, if you wanted to,” Fluttershy added. “We haven’t even been to the seaside here yet.”

“Seaside it is!” Dash declared, wheeling them north and marching down the road with a bemused chuckle. “I don’t know how different docks can be, though. If there’s more kelp fishing going on there, if we can even smell it, we’re not sticking around. I’m calling it right now.”

Fluttershy giggled. “That’s fine. I’d just like to see the sea again. When we get back home, I think I’d like to go to the sea more often.”

“You could see it from Las Pegasus, too, you know,” Dash said. “But the train there has way too many detours. I wonder how long it takes to fly there. Can’t be too long.”

“Mm, I didn’t mind the detours that much, but I’m not sure Las Pegasus is… my kind of city,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head slowly.

“Heh, yeah, I guess not,” said Rainbow Dash. A few peryton hurried by, but no more wagons were about. A stag closed the shutters of a street-facing window from the outside in passing, glaring at it. Most of the peryton must be at the plazas by now.

“Isn’t Clopenhagen by the sea?” Dash asked, but the second she’d asked she winced at how stupid it sounded.

Fluttershy shook her head and smiled like it wasn’t the sort of stuff ponies should know. Like it was a fine question. “No, it’s by Lake Joyful, but it’s a really big lake. I was thinking maybe Sydneigh. Perhaps even a camping trip. The eastern sea has entirely different animals, you know.”

“Didn’t know, now I know, but I’m gonna be honest, I probably won’t remember,” Dash admitted with a burst of laughter. She shuffled the wooden bundle on her back around so it’d lie right. They neared the first plaza, and kept walking on through. All around the square were bonfires, most of them little more than campfires on flat stone around which sat groups of peryton. Some moved in to take a seat even now.

A hush hung over some of the fires where a single peryton spoke, and at others they were all engaged in discussion. With not a single magical light in sight, the flickering flames highlighted the forms of seated peryton—and of Fluttershy, her outline somehow shining brighter than the flames themselves. Dash didn’t even try to conceal the little glances she couldn’t not steal, her girlfriend turned into a shining corona of her own form when they walked near the fires.

While Fluttershy hogged her eyes, there was a lot to listen to. She caught a snippet of a sentence from an impassioned doe describing some Aspect or other struggling for breath underwater. At another fire, the deep and booming voice of a stag announced that he was Daros, condemning Myrtella for trespass. The next one over, a young peryton held a group of older listeners in their thrall, someone resting a leg around their neck for support—maybe a parent or an older sibling.

Dash’s ears ached from all the different stories going on, swivelling around trying to catch them all, but it was futile. More than once, Fluttershy had to nudge her to keep her moving, the other pegasus resolutely heading on until they’d crossed the square. In the distance glittered the fires of another plaza like this one, but the connecting road was dark and deserted by comparison. The multitude of voices faded and fell behind.

“Do the stories have to be about one of the Aspects?” Dash asked. She cast a glance over her shoulder, but already the bonfire storytellers behind them were as indistinct as the ones gathered down the road ahead, all reduced to backlit shadows.

Fluttershy shook her head. “I actually asked Deimesa about that, just in case. Usually it’s about the Aspects they know, but they can be about anything or anyone. That’s how the new Aspects are discovered. Someone just tells a story about something that isn’t one of the forty-nine Aspects, and… it sticks, I suppose.”

Rainbow Dash blinked. She looked over at Fluttershy to scan for anything suggesting that it had been a joke, but Fluttershy betrayed nothing like that. She simply tilted her head and looked askance at Dash.

“I’m sorry? Is something wrong?” asked Fluttershy.

“That’s how they decide which stories they believe in? Whether or not it sticks?” She snorted with brief laughter that became a helpless sigh. “I don’t get it. Phydra said to think of the Aspects like storybook characters or something like that, remember? It doesn’t work for me any more. I actually thought for a second I understood their Aspects and everything, but I really don’t. It’s driving me nuts.”

Fluttershy didn’t immediately reply. The fires of the next plaza loomed close. Rainbow Dash could hear the crackle of its bonfires and the susurrus of stories before the other mare spoke, and when she did, her voice was full of concern.

“I don’t think Rarity or I understand it that much better than you, you know, but we know they’re important to the peryton, and that’s what matters,” Fluttershy said. “Besides, now that you mention Phydra, she also said that the First Stories were special, so I guess there’s a difference between those and what’s happening here, where they all help make the new stories. I’m sorry if this bothers you, but a lot about Perytonia is still confusing to me, too. I promise.”

“It doesn’t bother me,” said Rainbow Dash. She scratched at her flank with a wing and lowered her voice a tad as they passed by a particularly quiet bonfire. “It makes me feel stupid. I’ve asked Neisos about this like… three times. Or, well, about stuff like this, and I think he’s actually really trying to answer, but it doesn’t work because I don’t even know what the question is.”

“Well,” said Fluttershy, for once the louder of the two, “if that makes you stupid, and I don’t think it does, we both are. Maybe it’d be more fun to try to enjoy the stories while we try to understand them, anyway. They’re just—” she paused, as if she expected Dash to finish the sentence for her, but when Rainbow Dash didn’t, she smiled and did so herself. “—different. And that doesn’t have to be so bad.”

Rainbow Dash huffed, forcing a smile of her own. “Yeah, you’re right.” She leaned over to nuzzle Fluttershy’s cheek. “Heh, thanks. Sorry if I’m being a party pooper. We should just find a fire and sit down, see if this is any fun. D’you wanna pick one of these? I think I heard something that sounded a little exciting.”

Fluttershy looked around, but she didn’t stop. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to walk a bit further. These are all a little… crowded.”

Dash shrugged. She didn’t really see the problem since Fluttershy had been fine sitting in the massive crowd of the Sunwise Run—but then again, Fluttershy had said she wanted to see the sea, so whatever. Dash didn’t protest when they left another plaza behind. This time, the end of the road didn’t present a square with fires casting a glow on the city, but rather, a mass of masts and sails.

“Huh, so they do actually have boats here in Perytonia,” said Dash. A peryton passed by going in the opposite direction, giving them an unabashedly curious look.

“Of course they do,” said Fluttershy, shooting her a frown that could barely be called that. “Most of the boats were just away when we were in Stagrum—”

“Wow. Way to kill a joke, Fluttershy,” said Rainbow Dash, staring at her, deadpan.

“Oh,” Fluttershy said, her mouth hanging open for a second. “Okay, sorry,” she said, letting out a little giggle. “I really should’ve gotten that. I was thinking of something else.”

“Not about boats? Or… ships? Which is which again?” Dash asked. Some of the masts ahead towered above the buildings by the docks, great masses of sail-cloth only barely lit by fires they couldn’t yet see.

Fluttershy shook her head slightly. “No, about Rarity.”

“Ah. Yeah,” said Dash. She’d made up her mind about the way Rarity was acting, but she didn’t know where to begin. It’d be talk for the sake of talk, so she just waited. She could tell Fluttershy was going to say something more, anyway. She knew, and Fluttershy knew she knew, just like things were supposed to be. Finally things were right again in the world. Since her wings were busy keeping the bundle of wood steady, she just walked a little closer to her girlfriend instead.

The only sounds on the empty street were distant voices and their own hoofsteps echoing faintly off the buildings. It all lent the night an otherworldly air not quite like anything else Dash had experienced, a shadowy half-tunnel filled with faintly reverberating sounds. To simply call it a huge outdoors ghost-story sleepover thingy was like saying that running was just like flying, or that a sailboat was like an airship.

The street exited onto a generously wide path heading west and east, the sounds of their passing replaced by the creak of wood that would’ve been lost in the city life on any other day. A small distance to the west, someone had lit a bonfire on the deck of a ship, and a few smaller fires dotted the tiled street. The dockside area was quieter than the inner city plazas, and a lot darker besides. Rainbow Dash swished her tail against her skirt just to see if it was quiet enough to let her hear the sound of tail-hairs against fabric. It was.

Fluttershy gave the smaller fires an appreciative glance, but kept moving. She pointed them east into the darkness, and Rainbow Dash didn’t ask. They walked to the lapping of waves and the occasional groan of the docked ships. Dash kept glancing out to sea, past the forest of masts and rigging, and it was impossible to say what made which noise, all the ships shifting slowly, almost dreamlike. Fluttershy headed them for a single bonfire far in the distance, and while Rainbow Dash doubted Fluttershy had planned this exactly, she moved with purpose.

“I really worried Rarity would fret over carrying these bundles of firewood on top of the dresses, since it might snag on the fabric and ruin them, but she didn’t say anything at all,” said Fluttershy, her brow creased.

Rainbow Dash glanced over her back without thinking. “Yeah, you’re right, but she pretty much said she doesn’t really care.”

Fluttershy nodded. “And that’s what I’m worried about. That’s not really normal for Rarity. She cares a lot about everything she makes.” She sighed and slowed down for a moment, touching the hem of her dress. “These are really pretty. She put a lot of work into these.”

“I… yeah,” said Rainbow Dash, peeking down at the chest of her vest. She didn’t know a lot about fashion, but she liked to think that if Rarity made something bad, she’d know it. Dash snorted. No, that thought didn’t stick. She wasn’t sure Rarity was capable of not pouring her heart into her work. Besides, Fluttershy did know dresses. “But, okay… if it’s not her being tired or anything—”

“I don’t think it is,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head. “She’s doing better now—”

“—and it’s not because she’s sick—”

“She’s really taking that a lot better than I thought, too,” Fluttershy added.

“—then maybe she’s just being Rarity?” Dash finished with a shrug.

“I don’t see how that helps at all,” Fluttershy said, sighing and tilting an ear. “I’m not even sure what you mean.”

Rainbow Dash scuffed at her own snout as she thought. Or rather, and she tried to remember what she’d already decided. “I don’t know exactly, but you remember like… uh, what, a month before we left? Two months? I don’t know, before the low cloud season, anyway. She was planning on making Applejack a dress for her birthday.”

Fluttershy nodded and smiled. “I do remember that. She went a little… overboard with that dress.”

“Yeah. A little. Don’t think Granny Smith’s ever gonna look the same way at Rarity ever again,” Dash repeated with a low, harsh chuckle. “What I mean is, when she gets a dress or a scarf or whatever stuck in her head like that, she’s just impossible.” She rolled her shoulders as they walked. The ships on their left were getting smaller, the buildings on their right lower. The one bonfire ahead was still far away, but she could see the end of the road. That didn’t make a lot of sense.

Fluttershy looked over at her, holding her gaze for a moment. Her mane shone, backlit by pale moonlight. All else was dark.

“Maybe you’re right,” said Fluttershy, finally looking away. “Did you try asking her about her new project? She couldn’t even say what she was making.”

“Yeah. I have no idea what she’s up to,” said Dash with a shrug. “She’s being all sneaky and secretive.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I don’t know that she’s trying to be secretive. I get the impression she doesn’t know what she’s doing. That’s worrisome at least.”

“She can’t be all obsessive and crazy if she doesn’t have anything to be obsessive about,” said Rainbow Dash with a giggle. “Come on, you know Rarity. She’s just busy.”

“Mm. Probably,” Fluttershy allowed. Now she smiled. “After all, if we were back in Ponyville, she’d probably be in her studio planning these things alone, and we wouldn’t even notice.”

“Exactly! I was thinking the same thing,” said Dash, but her grin faded when she realised her hooves touched grass. Fluttershy ground to a halt as well.

Distracted, Dash hadn’t noticed that they’d hit the end of the road. The woodwork of the outer docks continued for another couple of dozen strides, but there was nothing on their right. The last of Vauhorn’s buildings were behind them, and no farms occupied the lands near the coast: just in front of the ponies lay a huge and expansive beach below a small grass ridge. Far in the distance, some domed structures complicated the outline of the cliffs further along the coast. Dash vaguely remembered seeing them from the hills on their approach. The quarries Neisos mentioned, perhaps?

“Alright, what now?” asked Rainbow Dash. She raised a brow and looked at Fluttershy, trying not to laugh. She had no idea what had compelled Fluttershy to take them here, but she expected Fluttershy to mutter some unneeded apology or other, or for the other pegasus to wake up and admit she’d been distracted as well.

“I don’t think that’s a normal bonfire,” said Fluttershy, doing none of those things. She stepped off the road and picked her way down from the little grassy overhang, following a narrow path leading down to the beach. Rainbow Dash didn’t have much choice, neither in following, nor in feeling a little excited by Fluttershy’s determination, wherever it came from and whatever it led to.

Rainbow Dash squinted. “It’s a boat,” she said, scrunching her snout. “That’s a boat on fire. What the hay?” She felt her pulse quicken for a second before she realised that the peryton around it showed no signs of alarm.

A group of peryton, six or seven of them, sat in a loose semi-circle around a small burning boat. A long furrow in the sand led from the water’s edge to the middle of the beach. Maybe the boat was too wet to catch on fire entirely? Whatever the case, wood lay piled up against its bow burning merrily away.

Dash wasn’t just pulled along by Fluttershy’s impetus any more—now she had to know what was going on for herself. Fluttershy’s dress dragged along the beach, the tide receded, and the sand was cool under Dash’s hooves. Just as the smell of burning wood drifted in, they drew close enough to hear voices.

“—and there she found her,” a coarse voice said. “Selyria met with Chorossa, and together they watched the creatures’ joy upon dancing under the crescent effigy, having also seen their neighbours scorn the same idol. Chorossa insisted that this was simply their way, and that to look too closely would cause ripples unneeded. Better to leave it, she said.”

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash exchanged looks. They were close enough now to make out detail on the peryton in the fire-lit gathering. One of the listeners saw them, and after a curious head-tilt, waved them over without a word.

“Selyria rejected Chorossa’s words,” the speaker went on. He was a large and swarthy peryton—and never before had Dash found such a perfect use for the word. Swarthy. Parts of his antlers were chipped off, one eye didn’t seem to open completely, and one of his wings was bandaged. He smiled briefly at them, but continued uninterrupted, his words addressed to the fire.

“She drew her cloak of night about her and listened to their words, unseen and unheard, to learn that during the long night years ago, these joyous dancers who loved the starry sky had read into it a gift, where their neighbours found fear.”

Rainbow Dash motioned Fluttershy to an empty spot around the fire and sat down herself. There was plenty of space. Dash stretched her wings out in full, happy to finally get to put the firewood down.

“Thus, this is a story of learning,” said the gravel-voiced stag. “Of how Selyria’s tools can be as the wings of Vestrus, of how her cloak can aid in knowing. A bid for Selyria’s thirst for knowledge, too, so often forgotten. Those who doubt it must better remember the First Stories. She, too, hungers to learn.”

Waves lapped against the shore, the fire crackled and popped, and for a while, Rainbow Dash could hear Fluttershy’s quiet breath next to her left ear, all the peryton unnaturally silent. Just when Dash was getting creeped out in earnest, the peryton tapped their hooves on the sand, clapping. The sound of six peryton stomping the sand wasn’t much to write home about, but both Dash and Fluttershy joined in.

“You are right about Selyria and the First Stories,” said a grey-brown doe sitting next to the large stag. She almost disappeared behind his large bulk. “It is a less common part of her, but I am not sure about the message you bring. Duplicity and misdirection as a tool for knowledge?”

“I expected those words, and many will understand the problem thus, but this story must be shared somewhere,” said the stag in a gruff voice. “My friend’s exploits deserve that. She was chased away soon after, and barely escaped unharmed. I hope that some of you will carry these thoughts with you, because though these tools need not be used, we must be aware of their potential. Selyria will tell us this through her story.”

Some of the peryton nodded at that, but no one else offered comment. The stag looked over at the ponies, breaking into an almost unsettlingly wide and toothy grin. “I see that Selyria has a torrent of gifts for us tonight, bringing more fuel for the fire, too! What manner of creatures are you? Do you speak?”

“Sometimes,” said Rainbow Dash, raising a hoof by way of greeting. “Hey. Name’s Rainbow Dash. This is Fluttershy.”

“You sit with Mesarra,” said a doe on the far side. “My friend, the stag with no voice, is Phymos.”

“I am Vulenos,” declared the large and decidedly swarthy stag.

“Niressi,” said another doe. “This is Alartos, and—”

“Neralos, capable of speaking his own name,” a small stag shot. “What is your purpose?”

“Oh, we’re just visiting,” said Fluttershy, smiling at the assembled peryton. “We’re from Equestria. Um, nice to meet you. Please, don’t mind us.”

“I do not know the kin who ‘minds’,” said the one called Alartos, craning his neck in a little bow. “Unless you are as Esorys clothed in Eakus’ colours, you are welcome. Will you add to our fire tonight?”

“If it’s not too much to ask, maybe one of you can put the wood on the fire?” Fluttershy asked, looking from the firewood to the large fire. “Without magic, it’s a little...” she trailed off while Rainbow Dash pulled the string of her wooden bundle, bit onto a branch and tossed it at the fire with a flick of her head. It collided with a clack and flopped back out onto the sand barely singed.

“Best I can do,” said Dash. Some of the peryton laughed, and a magical glow surrounded some of Dash’s firewood, leaning branches and logs one by one against the bow of the boat.

“It is a good time to visit,” said Mesarra. She levitated a water-bag out from somewhere out of sight, putting it in front of the stag next to her. “This Alluvium will lead to great stories, I can tell.”

“Yesterday, you could tell it would be a good day,” said Phymos in a low voice. “You nearly broke your neck falling down the stairs right afterwards.”

“Yet I did not!” Mesarra protested, nearly drowned out by laughter from the others.

“I can tell that you are a great fortune-teller,” said Neralos, nodding gravely. “In all sincerity, hope you do not work at weather-telling.”

“I do, in fact,” Mesarra said, glaring at him through another burst of laughter, Vulenos’ caws so loud the sand nearly shook. Rainbow Dash raised a brow.

“You guys don’t know each other?” Dash asked. She’d assumed they were all friends. More than any of the inner city fires, this looked like some sort of picnic. They just needed marshmallows to complete the picture. And perhaps a normal campfire. “And what’s with the boat?”

“The two of us do know each other,” said Mesarra, extending a wing to cover Phymos’ back, the stag smiling back at her.

“As do we, unfortunately,” said Alartos, indicating Niressi and Neralos, receiving a roll of the eyes and a grin in return.

“And I sit in Pyn’s shadow, solitary tonight, but only tonight,” said Vulenos, the weather-worn stag smiling faintly. “If only family and friends gathered around a fire, the stories would not spread—and the boat? I had no more need of it, and it burns, so why not?”

“Why would only fast friends gather at a fire? The proceeds of the Alluvium are obvious and known,” said Neralos with a shrug.

“To one who has attended twelve Alluviums every year without fail, yes, but not to them. Do you not see?” Vulenos retorted before Dash could protest. He gave Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy a searching look. “When one travels far, the simplest of things become less than obvious, but you would not know this, young-feather.”

Neralos snorted loudly. “If I had known the Bent Feathers were giving out lectures for free, I would have come sooner—no, I lie. I would have stayed away.”

“Do recall a story or two of Eakus’ grace, Neralos,” muttered Alartos. “You are being rude.”

“You’re one of the Bent Feathers?” asked Fluttershy.

“And I return to you a question: you have heard of us?” Vulenos replied, letting out a caw of laughter. “Yes, yes I am, and I don’t see how it matters. I come here as we all have, to share a story and spread its knowledge. To spread it as far as it will fly by the interest of all kin. You heard some of my story of Selyria’s subterfuge just now?”

“We did,” said Fluttershy, nodding and smiling. “I’m sorry we missed the beginning.”

Vulenos shook his head. “You missed very little. Only a short journey around the edge of the Bow to find the strange folk who lived there, and their habits. You heard the important part, and my friend would be glad to hear travellers from foreign lands had heard even part of it.”

Rainbow Dash squinted at the strange stag. Part of her was tired of thinking about all this stuff, but it was hard not to be curious. “Yeah, but… you said this was a story about Selyria’s travels, but you also said this was for a friend. Are you friends with Selyria? That’s… not possible, is it?”

That got her a few strange looks, none of them offended or rude, but simply uncomprehending. Only Vulenos smiled and inclined his head slightly. “My friend—Valessi is her name—she made this journey, but by committing her actions and the lesson as I see them to a story, a story in the context of an Aspect with… with a known identity, I seek to spread what may be learned from it.”

“That is a curious way to explain—well, anything,” Phymos said, tilting his head sideways.

“I have answered this question before those who are not kin twice before, little claw,” said Vulenos, smiling at the speaking stag before he turned back to the two ponies. “Does it help, or does it create further questions only?”

“I think it does, for me at least,” said Fluttershy, smiling back at him and nodding her head.

Rainbow Dash felt Fluttershy’s eyes upon her. She nodded absent-mindedly as well. “Sure. Yeah, okay, I guess that makes sense.” She locked eyes with the soft-voiced stag on the other side of the fire, Phymos. “How would you explain it, then?”

Phymos looked taken aback. “I—I ah, that is… I have not thought to answer, I meant no quarrel. Perhaps—perhaps I would say that to ask of the relationship between the story as lived and the story as told through kin and Aspect is to question the strength of Deiasos’ shadow, or to bend—”

“Okay, hang on, please stop,” said Rainbow Dash, holding up a hoof before her head exploded. She pointed to Vulenos. “I’m gonna go with his version, no offence. Sorry. Telling a story like it happened to someone else, yadda yadda, teach people stuff. That works.” She grinned at Vulenos. “Thanks.”

“If we’re asking questions, do you mind one more?” Fluttershy asked, her voice trailing off as she looked around.

“Not at all,” said Vulenos, looking around as if to see if anyone disagreed.

“Why are you all the way out here?” Fluttershy said.

“Tradition,” replied Vulenos, the word rumbling forth with gravity. “We Bent Feathers attend every Alluvium to spread the knowledge of our travels to those who care, and those who care come here to listen in the fire and smoke. Rarely do our stories—usually of Selyria, Pyn and Ilyra—travel as far as the largest of the fires, but they reach the ears that care for these things.”

He paused to let out a soundless snort, his body rocking slightly. “Usually, only the last five bonfires have concepts, demands or themes, and some may say this tradition of ours breaks the greater rules of the Alluvium, such as they are, but I think there is in all peryton a healthy disrespect for the usual—and, speaking of disrespect! Ressa! Osos!”

Rainbow Dash hadn’t heard the two peryton approach. They were tall and lanky, and both a bright white Dash had mostly seen in does, but with colourful green, blue and purple feathers on wing and tail both. They sat down by the fire, smiling, waving and nodding all around.

“Ressa held us up, and will lie of this,” said one.

“Osos cannot tell truth if held to Helesseia’s fire,” said the other, grinning toothily and slapping Osos’ side with his feathers. “The others will be here soon, and—why hello, what is this we see? Strangers! Strange ones!”

Dash waved and said her hellos, and Fluttershy did the same, though Dash could tell the other pegasus’s attention was split between the newcomers and three more peryton who even now made their way down the beach towards them.

“Ponies, from Equestria, which I myself have heard of—but only heard of,” said Vulenos with a bemused smile of his own.

“Then it must be far enough away that not even Selyria’s wings can span the gap with you on her back,” said Ressa with a dip of the head. “Welcome. Tell me, Vulenos, have you shared your story yet? Are we late, and are any others yet to speak?”

“We are most of us done, none having wished to wait,” Vulenos replied. His antlers glowed faintly, and another log from Fluttershy’s firewood bundle made its way to the flame. “I will share mine with you two again tomorrow before I leave if you will hear it and let me borrow space in your bed. I am needed elsewhere soon.”

“Trouble?” asked Osos, a brow raised.

“Hopefully not,” said Vulenos. He shook his head. “This is not the night for worries, though!” he boomed. “I am ever as Pyn before untouched soil at the promise of one of your insights, but first I would see if we can ask these visitors to share a story. Ponies, do you have a story to tell?”

“Oh,” said Dash, scratching her neck. The idea hadn’t really entered her mind, and even now, she still had no idea what made for a good story to a peryton. It’d be a lie to say that she didn’t have any stories to tell, but all the adventures that came to her mind had one common aspect.

“Uh, I know you guys aren’t crazy for stories about fighting and stuff,” Dash said. “So I guess you don’t want to hear about the hydra butt we kicked, or the changeling invasion we stopped?”

Raised eyebrows and silence. Curiosity or incomprehension? Both? Think, Rainbow Dash, think. Maybe she should admit that they’d really just planned to sit in and listen? She wasn’t one to turn down an audience, though.

“Any suggestions?” Rainbow Dash asked out of the corner of her muzzle, lowering her voice a tad and leaning closer to Fluttershy. She knew full well that Fluttershy wouldn’t want to perform in front of a crowd of strangers, but for some reason, the other pegasus looked decidedly nervous. Another peryton wandered across the beach from the city and sat down by the fire, and Fluttershy rustled her wings.

“Well… it’s really just about telling any story that has a point, right?” Fluttershy asked. “Anything from Equestria would be new to them. It could even be about something simple, like… right before we left, when the six of us went to have dinner and all of us thought the others had remembered to bring bits? Or any of the times one of us helped someone else when they really needed it, or learned something, like the friendship lessons. Those kinds of stories are my favourite.”

“I was thinking something with at least a little more action,” Rainbow Dash admitted, sticking out her tongue as she thought. Her own last birthday? No, with the party games Pinkie made up, that probably counted as fighting or mortal peril. Last weather patrol meeting? Yeah, good luck finding a lesson or moral of any kind in that shouting match.

Fluttershy leaned a little closer still, whispering now. “Maybe that’s fine, really. Do you think they’d maybe appreciate one exciting story, and one other story?”

“Isn’t it just one story per person? I’m still fuzzy on that,” Dash replied. The other peryton had started talking amongst themselves, either bored or, more probably, politely giving them a little time by greeting the newcomers. Rainbow Dash could feel the energy building in the air regardless—or maybe that was her own excitement. Fluttershy hadn’t shot down the idea of an exciting story. The peryton might appreciate a story with some flank-kicking just because it would be different, right? Nightmare Moon, Discord, or that stupid party game, which had been the bigger challenge?

“I think it’s one story each, yes,” said Fluttershy, nodding slowly and smiling with infinite patience. “And there’s two of us.”

Suddenly, everything added up. Fluttershy meant to step up and tell a story as well. That was why her eyes kept darting about, scanning the small crowd assembled around the fire. That was why her wings wouldn’t keep still half the time, and were otherwise glued to her back. That was why her tail lay curled close to her body, and the very second Rainbow Dash realised, her blood froze. She felt the excitement well up in her, just like she had been excited at the prospect of Fluttershy playing with the storm clouds earlier today.

Today. As recently as today she had been reminded of how bad things could get when she pushed Fluttershy out of her comfort zone. She tried to quell the electric excitement that welled up in her at the thought of Fluttershy getting up and seizing everyone’s attention like it was no big deal—no. The exact opposite of that.

What really excited her was the thought of Fluttershy doing it exactly because it was a big deal. Fluttershy pushing past her fears and raising her voice, talking about… talking about whatever. It didn’t matter whether she planned a story on how they kicked Discord’s butt, or if it was about tea at her cottage. All eyes would be on her as she soared past her reservations and delivered a story. As she proved that she could.

It hadn’t gone very well with the thundercloud.

She wouldn’t get zapped by lightning this time, but she could quail under the weight of all the peryton staring at her. She might stumble under the pressure and feel horrible for having tried, or run away crying. There was barely a full dozen peryton here, but as friendly as they were, this was no gathering of familiar faces from Ponyville. Fluttershy had told Rainbow Dash time and time again how an excess of attention made her feel. Only recently had Dash listened.

Fluttershy licked her lips and cleared her throat, a gesture too subtle to get attention, but loud enough to make her intent clear to Rainbow Dash. “I’ll go first, if you don’t mind,” Fluttershy whispered, and as quiet as she was, Dash still heard the tremor in her voice. She could see Fluttershy’s chest moving with practiced, deep breaths. Any moment now, she meant to poke the thundercloud again. Less than an hour ago, Rainbow Dash had resolved not to let that happen again.

Time stood still. This year’s hurricane season might as well have been yesterday for how keenly Rainbow Dash now remembered it. Rainbow Dash had been so excited to show Fluttershy that she could do her part, too. Instead, she’d succeeded in breaking her, in bringing her to tears.

Would Fluttershy have strapped herself to the cart in the Morillyn Gorges if Rainbow Dash had tried harder to stop her? Would she have nearly hurt herself pulling that awesome—no, that ridiculous, dangerous stunt if Rainbow Dash hadn’t watched?

She certainly wouldn’t have gotten zapped by lightning today without Rainbow Dash’s stupid insistence. Today, Dash had resolved to stop. Today, she’d finally—no, today, she had again realised what a crummy thing it was to bully her girlfriend, and it happened without Rainbow Dash doing anything.

Did Fluttershy do this for her? Was this because of Dash? Why else would she do it? Apparently, her presence was enough. Sitting on the cold sand watching and listening, Rainbow Dash was about to make Fluttershy do something that could only end in tears.

Fluttershy took a final, deep breath, and Rainbow Dash watched it all happen impossibly slowly. Her chest rising, the subtle shift of her haunches behind the fabric of her dress. Fluttershy began to get up.

“Hey, so!” said Rainbow Dash, scrabbling against the loose sand. Time moved yet again, released from her grip, and Dash was up on all fours so fast she doubted she’d ever sat at all. A hush fell over the crowd, all expectant peryton faces trained on her—and on Fluttershy who stood with her, looking at Dash. Maybe Fluttershy thought Rainbow Dash would introduce her. Maybe she thought Dash would kick her loose and watch her flounder. Rainbow Dash was a better pony than that.

“I don’t know if we’ve got a story for you tonight or anything, actually. We didn’t really plan anything, so, uh, sorry to disappoint you. Maybe one of you—Ressa was it?” she asked, tossing the name in the vague direction of two of the newcomers. “Whatever your name is, I’m sure you’ve got a bunch of stories, awesome stuff! We should probably listen to those! You should, I mean.” She was rambling. She couldn’t stop. Trying to encourage someone else to speak wouldn’t stop Fluttershy from feeling forced to tell a story and break down into tears. Rainbow Dash had to remove the problem right now. Rainbow Dash was the problem.

“I—uh, I gotta go, actually,” said Rainbow Dash. “I gotta… go do a thing. I’ll catch you later. I’ll be back, I mean, maybe, probably—seeya!”

Rainbow Dash flashed Fluttershy a smile as she took off, a frozen instant of open surprise in her girlfriend’s eyes she wished she could unsee. Dash’s take-off sent Fluttershy’s mane askew, and then Rainbow Dash was away. The burning boat below receded until it became just one little glow among hundreds below.

Some bird or other passed Rainbow Dash going the other way. The large shadow let out a cheep that sounded like it belonged to something far smaller than the shape that shot past her. It might not’ve been a cheep, really. It could’ve been a peep. Hard to tell those apart.

“Cheep yourself,” Rainbow Dash muttered, but she put no energy into it, just like there was no effort in her flying. She was barely flying at all, really—she just glided on weak thermals from the city below, her wings idle and the dress flapping in the wind. She wished she could still feel her heart hammering in her chest from the takeoff, but she felt little.

Fluttershy would be fine, of course. Fine and having a good time with all the peryton, and better for a lack of Rainbow Dash around to push her into the ring and demand that she put on a performance. Even now, Rainbow Dash kinda wanted to see it, which was why she’d done the only thing she could to fix it: she’d left. She would see Fluttershy tonight anyway, and she’d probably have to explain, but that stuff would work out.

They’d be fine. Now, Rainbow Dash was aware that it wasn’t enough to not want to push Fluttershy around. She had to work on it. She had an aura about her that needed minding. Not just her regular aura that made everything more awesome, but a sneaky, second aura that made Fluttershy want to push herself hard, usually with disastrous results. Like the wagon—which she had to remind herself was a disaster and not awesome at all. Even though it kinda was.

Rainbow Dash dipped a wing and turned around. She’d almost left the city for the farmlands surrounding it, and there was nothing to see there now. No fires burned in the outskirts. Most of them were confined to the inner city plazas, but she spotted an occasional fire on a rooftop and a scattered few by the docks. One tiny fire, distinct by its solitude, burned right outside the city, on the beach to the east.

All the bonfires made the rest of Vauhorn seem unnaturally dark by contrast. Darker than the silent farms surrounding the city. Darker than the little wanna-be forest and the cliffs, and darker than the road that pointed due west along the coast to Cotronna, to their goal. Rainbow Dash ducked her head and tucked her wings in for a second to build speed, heading for the docks.

Above, the stars were now out in full, a chaotic mirror of the fires below. Or maybe the fires below were less random stars ordered by the peryton. Some of the bonfires were down to embers, and in a plaza right below her, a huge pile of wood lit up in a sudden roar of flame larger than any of the others. Dash cut through the cold night air, angling herself towards the docks.

Time must have passed. The bonfire by the beach had been deserted, and the fire burned low. No point in going back. She was glad. The decision was out of her hooves, and there were no takebacks. Dash smiled, deciding that she’d done the right thing. Over and done with. She’d taken the weight off Fluttershy’s back, and now the passage of time had taken the weight off hers in turn. Dash folded her wings tight and let herself fall lower still, looking for somewhere to land. Anywhere challenging would be good.

A pier? Too big. A roof or a chimney? Still too easy, and besides, she didn’t know which of the bits of building were solid and which were not. At this speed, painted rock was indistinguishable from an awning of cloth. A ship’s mast? Tempting, but someone would probably get mad at her if she missed and cut some ropes or whatever. Besides, she’d just spotted something equally good. Rainbow Dash steered her descent towards the very edge of the water.

Just outside the harbour, a small pier was marked for expansion, and some logs poked out of the water just beyond it. They were hard to make out in the darkness, but if she missed, she could always pretend she meant to do a cannonball into the sea. She dove faster, flapping her wings to add to her speed. Nothing to break the sound barrier. Nothing to write home about. Enough to get the blood flowing.

The sea rose up to meet her, faster and faster. Her vest pressed against her chest, one of the buttons wiggling about madly as though it wanted to tear away. Faster, faster, stop!—Dash spread her wings, breaking the dive at the last second, quick and powerful wingbeats arresting her fall. Her hooves impacted with a perfectly synced clop on wood, planting her like a weather-vane on the wooden pole and rattling her skull pleasantly. She grinned and gave herself a mental pat on the back, looking out at the sea and its shades of dark blue nothingness.

“Are you Iagasus come?”

Rainbow Dash whipped around so fast she got her own tail in her face and nearly fell off her little wooden perch in surprise. At the edge of the pier stood a light brown peryton she must’ve missed earlier, their head cocked sideways in open question.

“Jeez, don’t sneak up on me like that!” Dash snapped. “Wait. Hang on, am I what-now?”

“I have not snuck, I have stood here for a while now, before you came hurtling down from the sky,” said the peryton with an indignant frown. “I asked, are you Iagasus come, the Aspect of the word spoken in the thirteenth hour? He who brings council when it is needed the most? Are you he?”

Rainbow Dash stared at the peryton across the water, her eyes narrowing. “It’s she, not he. I seriously didn’t think I cared—” she spread her wings again, and sailed across to land on the pier proper. The peryton turned to keep eyes on her. “—but it’s getting really old. I’m not a stalli—wait, no. I’m not a ‘stag’.”

The peryton dipped its head. “Then I am as Eakus upon his first offence.”

Rainbow Dash waved a hoof. The last of her annoyance from being startled drained from her when she drew a fresh breath. “Whatever. It’s cool.”

“It is, for a summer night,” the peryton agreed.

“No, I meant—actually, forget it,” Dash said, rolling her eyes. “Yeah. It’s a bit cold out.” She shuffled her wings. The doe, if she was in fact a doe, stared at her, and Dash privately decided that if she made more small talk about the weather, Dash would rather dive for the sea, but the silence was equally uncomfortable. She should probably just say goodbye and leave, but what had the doe said when she landed?

“How the hay can you think I’m some sort of Aspect?” asked Rainbow Dash, one brow cocked. “You can’t touch them.”

Dash felt a touch on her side as the doe gently prodded. She stared blankly at the doe who calmly put her dainty hoof back down.

“That was why it was a question, and that is why I was confused. Now I know not to be,” said the doe with a shrug and a lurking smile. “But what am I to think when you arrive for me like this, exploding out of the darkness like a curiously garbed avatar of any and all Aspects whose stories one needs?”

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Obviously, you should think that I’m a pegasus pony travelling from Equestria, and that I happened to take a late night flight with a fancy landing stunt, jeez. Anyone here could figure that out.”

Another blank stare.

Dash sighed. “That’s a joke. It’s funny. Just pretend I said something that you think is funny, and tell me I’m like whatever Aspect is the funny one. Maybe clap a little, throw flowers if you’ve got’em, that sort of stuff.”

“I am adrift like Phostos with nothing to offer,” said the doe, shaking her head slowly.

“Heh, I actually understood that,” Rainbow Dash muttered, distracted. Past the doe, a large pack of peryton walked along the causeway of the dock. They were too many to just be friends, and moved in procession following a lead peryton who carried a half-burnt log in their magical grip. “Where’s everyone going?” she asked, watching the group turn down the first street leading deeper into the city.

The doe cast a backwards look. “The Alluvium, of course.”

“Yeah, of course, but where are they going?” Dash asked again, tapping a hoof on the wooden boards. Some peryton were easier to talk to than others, and this one was a two out of ten, tops. “I thought everyone was gonna sit around fires sharing stories and stuff all night.”

“The first fires have given out,” said the doe. “Now, we—they will seek out the larger fires, gather and tell the stories that found the most favour, and then again until we all gather at the last fire with the stories that echo the loudest.”

“Right,” said Dash. That bit was uninteresting by itself. Less interesting than one detail, anyhow. She narrowed her eyes. “‘They’, huh? What’re you doing here alone? I don’t see any other peryton moping, staring at the sea.”

“Why would you ask?” the doe said, her snout crinkled in a way Dash didn’t know peryton muzzles could. “What role do you play tonight?”

“Because I’m curious, because I’m bored, because it’s cold but I don’t feel like heading back home just yet, and because I’m in the mood for a story that makes sense.” Dash scratched her snout in the nook of one of her wings. “Take your pick. Take all of them, I don’t care.” She didn’t know which was more true, but she did know she didn’t feel like heading back right now, and besides—

“Who’s this Iagasus, anyway?” Dash asked before the doe had a chance to answer. “Aspect of whatever, brings help when you need it? Don’t think I’ve heard of that one before.” She raised a brow. The doe didn’t look particularly imperiled. “I don’t suppose you have a secret hydra problem?”

“All know of Iagasus, of course,” said the doe. “But few speak of the one who brings not deed, but word and sage advice to they who need it in the thirteenth hour. Perhaps because it is hard to weave a story around one whose stories are always particular and never general. Most of his stories remain personal for that reason.” She let out a sigh and turned to leave. “It is unimportant, you are strange, and I will find another place to be.”

Rainbow Dash soared over her head, landing on the other side of the pier.

“C’mon, now I’m really curious,” Dash said. “What’s up? Maybe I can help out!”

The doe did not miss a step, walking around her. Dash flapped her wings twice, flying upside-down to land right in her path again after a single half-loop. A peryton who didn’t remark upon how awesome she was at flying had to be way down in the dumps. Now she had to help. She spread her wings to block the doe’s passage.

“If you tell me you’re doing great, I’ll stop bothering you. Promise. If you’re not, what’ve you got to lose by telling me?” Dash asked.

The doe paused at that. She wasn’t so much staring at Rainbow Dash as she simply rested her eyes upon Dash’s with impassivity that shamed the average Ephydoeran.

“Pretend I’m this Igga-whatever, it doesn’t matter to me,” said Dash, grinning. “I’m outta this place tomorrow, probably, and I don’t know anyone you know. There’s like… a fifty percent chance I can help out even if you’re not having problems with a hydra.”

“Why all these words of a hydra?” asked the doe through narrowed brows.

“They’re awesome! Three, five, maybe even nine heads? It’s like you’re beating a bunch of monsters all at once—but that’s not the point,” Dash said, flexing her wings. “I’m guessing you don’t have a monster in your bedroom, so what’s up?”

Another bout of silence, but in the end, the doe shook her head and walked over to the pier’s edge. She cast Dash a surreptitious glance. “If you will be my little avatar of Orsshur, a vector for the new, then I will speak,” she said.

“You know, jokes about my size may actually change my mind,” said Dash, frowning, but there was no point getting too worked up about it. Even if this doe was her age or younger, she was a fair bit larger than Dash was. “Whatever, go on.”

“There is a stag,” she said.

Rainbow Dash let out a breath as her heart sank. Love trouble? Seriously?

“I have been fond of Nelyssos for a long time, and I do not know that he feels as I do. We have grown close, but not in the way I would wish,” said the doe, going from unreadable and reticent to gabbing in the blink of an eye. “This Alluvium, I left behind all my friends and went to a small gathering by the eastern quarters, a fire where I knew none. I thought speaking of my… uncertainties through the Aspects would be a welcome release.”

“Right. You told everyone about your crush as a story about someone else,” said Rainbow Dash, nodding.

The doe nodded in return. “I have been told I have the gift of speech. I wrapped it in Myrtella’s voice, and it… was appreciated perhaps too much. The others saw in it a useful lesson on appreciation of the desirable from afar. Not unlike Morrashon’s vigil with Myrtella on the Long Night.”

“I’m guessing that is… not good?” Dash asked, one brow raised a smidge.

“The others agreed it was the strongest story around our fire. As is custom, now that the greater fires are being lit, my story is taken to all the other fires to be shared.”

The doe cast her eyes over the edge of the pier, staring into the dark waters below. “The story will be heard by hundreds at least. I am no fool. It carries some wisdom, but it is not so profound that it will be told further than the nearest plazas. Still I worry that Nelyssos will hear it by chance. He will recognise some of the images I used. He is clever and we know each other well. He may understand everything.”

Rainbow Dash walked up to stand side by side with her. She meant to lean out over the water to get her attention, lock eyes with her for effect, but she simply wasn’t long enough. Dash kicked off and hovered out over the water in front of the doe.

“So if I get your… ‘problem’ right, you may have let it slip that you like this stag, and you’re afraid he won’t hear about it?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“That is the exact opposite of the issue. I worry he will,” said the doe, shaking her head. “Our words do not meet, and I think we are communicating poorly.”

“No, we’re not,” said Dash. She flew a little closer, forcing the doe to back up so she could land in front. “Something that happens, happens. If you can’t do anything about it, if you can’t even react, then that’s not a ‘problem’. That’s just... stuff. You’re not out there yelling for people to stop telling this story, so your real problem is that you don’t know for sure that he’ll hear about this. You’re worried he won’t hear it and understand you like him. You’re worried he doesn’t want to touch your antlers or whatever it is you peryton do.”

“I don’t—”

“You understand me fine,” said Dash, rolling her eyes. “If he doesn’t hear this story because he’s at the wrong bonfire or because he’s asleep tonight or something, nothing’s happened. You’re back where you started. If he does, I don’t know if that’s like, uh, romantic to you people or not. If it is, great. If not? If this is as weird to you as it is to me? Guess what? You probably wanna be the one to tell him instead!”

“You are suggesting that I fly ahead of my own words and become as the Ever Soaring when he—”

Dash groaned. “I know like… two of your stories, so no, I’m not saying you should do something ‘like’ or ‘as’ someone else. I’m saying maybe you should be yourself right now, and that yourself—that you—should do something, yes! If the cat’s outta the bag, you have to roll with it!”

The doe blinked. “I… do not know what a ‘cat’ is, nor do I know why I would put them in, or take them out of a bag for rolling.”

Rainbow Dash laughed and flew over to land on one of the pier’s supports nearby just so she didn’t have to look up at the doe all the time. She flexed her wings atop her new perch. “Go talk to him if you want him to know, or don’t if you’re fine taking a chance on nothing happening,” she said. “If you ask me, and you should because I’m awesome, you go tell him. Or maybe you shouldn’t take life advice from someone you just met. I don’t know what you really want. I just met you, but those are your options anyway. I don’t see what else you can do. That’s all the ‘help’ I have, sorry.”

Dash picked at her dress absent-mindedly, staring out at the water herself. There wasn’t much to see, just endless dark blue. It took a good minute before the doe said anything.

“You may not be Iagasus made touchable, but your words carry his weight,” she said. Steps against wood slowly receded, and her voice faded as she went. “Those are the ‘options’. I will see if I can find Nelyssos. I do know what I want.”

“Cool. Good luck,” said Dash. She waved a wing without looking back. However much she loved to help out, the good feeling she’d had a moment ago cooled by the minute, like a mug of warm cider in a snowdrift.

She couldn’t forget Fluttershy’s words even if she tried. You could make a boulder sprout wings and fly. Only, giving strangers advice didn’t feel half as good as the idea of Fluttershy stepping up to tell a story. Of Fluttershy bringing the thunder. Of Fluttershy saying “I did it,” no matter what it was.

The doe would probably get shot down. If Rainbow Dash had left her alone, she’d figure something out. Instead, Rainbow Dash crashed into her life and shoved her ahead, right into bad advice, probably. Rainbow Dash had planned to stand with her back turned for cool effect, but now she had to turn around to see if she could spot the doe, to fly after her and take back what she’d said. Too late. The doe was already gone, the docks lacking entirely in solitary peryton. The only other creatures about were a couple of high-flying birds and two peryton by a street corner nearby.

Rainbow Dash squinted. Neither of them were does, best as she could tell, and when she stared at them, they turned and left. It wasn’t worth thinking about: Peryton were weird at the best of times. Alone again, the pier lost its lustre, and she hopped off her perch, trotting away from the docks and towards the city proper.

She didn’t know what she was looking for, but once Dash hit the first of the wide thoroughfares, it became blindingly obvious where she was headed. Instead of a gathering of small fires, the plaza ahead held a single, huge bonfire next to the ever-present central fountain. There had to be hundreds of peryton gathered around it. Rainbow Dash trotted in its general direction.

Peryton were definitely weird. Only they would build a huge fire in the middle of summer. Granted, it did get cold at night. Dash shrugged as she made her way down the road, darkened buildings passing to either side in silence. It smelled like cold and nothing else. Maybe a whiff of smoke. Idly, she wondered what the others were up to.

Rarity probably slept—or worked on her mysterious project. Maybe Deimesa was out and wandering the streets if her younger siblings were asleep. She might run into her. What about Neisos and Ohrinna? They were probably sat around a fire like this one.

Would Neisos share the story of the day he met three awesome ponies? Would they be Aspects in the story, instead of themselves? Rainbow Dash would be… was Glandros the name they used a lot in Ephydoera? The cool athletic one, anyway. If they were after new stuff, a story about ponies would probably make it to the biggest bonfire they had. It’d easily get just as much applause as whatever was going on ahead. She was finally coming up on the plaza now, just as a roar of stomps began, applause building.

Maybe Neisos and Ohrinna would fly between the bonfires. She imagined she could see it now, Neisos soaring about with a big grin on his face, no longer putting himself down or worried about what others thought. The idea tickled her, and before she could stop herself, another image sprang to mind. She imagined she could see Fluttershy in front of a huge crowd applauding her.

It took Rainbow Dash a moment to realise that the reason she could see it was because that was exactly what happened in the plaza. Dash stopped dead in her tracks at the edge of the square. Over the heads of the crowd, she could just barely see a yellow pegasus in a dark, high-necked dress upon a tiny, makeshift stage so close to the fire she was nearly lost in its glare.

Her girlfriend nodded and smiled politely at the stomps of approval, though she kept her face half-hidden from view behind her mane. Even as Dash watched, she ducked and disappeared into the crowd, the applause slowly dying.

Dash took wing quicker than a lightning bolt. It didn’t take her more than second to spot Fluttershy walking through the crowd with Vulenos, the stag immediately recognisable by his bandaged wing. The pair headed for the edge of the plaza, Vulenos all but ploughing a way for the smaller pegasus.

“Hey, Fluttershy!” Dash called. A bunch of the peryton looked up, but she barely noticed, flying over their heads with all the speed she could muster. She touched down at the edge of the crowd just as Fluttershy and Vulenos pushed their way through. “Hey!” Dash called again, smiling when they saw her. Vulenos paused by the edge of the gathered peryton, and Fluttershy stopped right next to him.

Fluttershy said nothing at first, opening her mouth and closing it again without a word. She stared at the tiles of the plaza floor and let out a breath, while Vulenos inclined his head slightly in mute greeting.

“I just got here,” said Dash, gesturing to the fire. Another peryton stepped up on the stage, and the chatter slowly died down. She lowered her voice a tad to match, an excited whisper instead. “Was that a story you told—I mean, was it yours? Something you made up? I know they say it’s not a competition, but it sounds like it kinda is, and if you’re telling stories here at this huge fire, that means you’re winning, right? That’s awesome!” She couldn’t contain it. She moved over and slung a wing over Fluttershy’s shoulder, jostling her a bit.

“I think there is wisdom in Salhalani’s stories this moment,” said Vulenos, nodding his head away and to the side. “Which is to say, I will be over there if you need me, Fluttershy.”

“It wasn’t really a story I ‘made up’, but thank you,” said Fluttershy. She remained stiff under Dash’s touch, and she didn’t smile until she turned to Vulenos. “And you don’t have to go. If the story passes here, and if you don’t mind, do you think you could tell the story at the next bonfire? I’d come with you, of course.”

“I will do as you ask if that is what you wish,” Vulenos rumbled in his deep voice, nodding. “The story remains yours, and I hope you will tell it again yourself, but I will aid if I can. I suspect your words will find favour to be told again and again.”

“They seemed to like it, that’s why I’m a little nervous,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head slightly. “Thank you so much—I’ll see you back at the house, Rainbow Dash.”

Fluttershy glanced over at Dash with those final words, her tone as flat as her face was expressionless. Dash’s wing slid off her back as Fluttershy walked away. Vulenos nodded to Dash and followed, leaving Rainbow Dash alone. Another peryton bumped into her, apologising for nearly stepping on the smaller pegasus.

Finally the last few minutes caught up to Rainbow Dash. Sometimes, her thoughts were slower than her wings. Fluttershy had told a story as part of the Alluvium, and she was winning. Why was Rainbow Dash excited about that? She noticed a hundred little details about Fluttershy as she walked through the crowd with Vulenos a moment ago, wings tense, tail drooping, ears too rigid, suppressing her tremors even as the crowd’s applause faded. She’d noticed and immediately forgotten, blind to it just now.

Fluttershy had gone on without her. She’d gone on, forced into this even though Rainbow Dash tried her best to leave her alone. Did she blame Rainbow Dash? She had to, but even though Dash knew she had messed up big time, she got the impression that she had hurt Fluttershy by leaving, too.

What else could she have done? Why did none of this help?

Chapter 27

Princess Celestia

Canterlot

You post guys know where she lives, right?

The Royal Offices of the Princesses

Castle Road 1

Central Canterlot

Hi,

No? I haven’t sent any letters. You told me not to use the message scrolls while Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, R the guys were away. I haven’t really used my firebreath that much lately, really, except to help light some candles, and to make popcorn when Shining Armor and I hang out sometimes, and a bunch when I went back to Ponyville to visit Cheerilee, and when I haven’t sent any letters anyway.

Are Twilight and the gang okay? Shouldn’t they be back now? Can I come visit the castle sometime soon? I’m going to go back to Ponyville to clean the library with Cheerilee this weekend, but I’m sure I can squeeze you in sometime next week. I have a very busy schedule, you know.

-Spike

Rainbow Dash touched down near the mouth of the alley. To be specific, she touched down near the mouth of another alley, and it wasn’t the first “another alley” either. Trying to find her way back to Neisos and Ohrinna’s in a blackened city proved challenging, but fourth try was the charm tonight, she could feel it. Dash’s mood lightened when she recognised the stylized wings painted on one of the houses. Whoever lived at the north-eastern corner of the alley had good taste.

“Having problems finding your way back home too, huh?” Dash asked two peryton stood by the alley entrance. “If you just fly up, it makes a little more sense,” she offered.

They probably hadn’t heard her approach. Both the stags stared down the alley with their backs turned at first, and when she trotted past them, they stiffened, then observed her in silence. Dash stopped.

“Hang on, haven’t I seen you somewhere?” she asked, squinting. There’d been two stags at the docks as well.

“No,” said one of them. The other nudged him in the side and tilted his head down the main thoroughfare. They turned to leave without another word, and Rainbow Dash didn’t follow. Peryton still looked very similar to her, and the dark didn’t help matters. On the other hoof, she’d expected anything but a curt no. Maybe a strange look, or more likely, a reference to some Aspect of Noseyness. Now that she thought about it, the peryton who’d asked about the ponies at Neisos’ house had been a pair of stags, too.

Was that a coincidence? Suddenly curious. Rainbow Dash galloped back out of the alley, but they were nowhere to be seen. Two blazing bonfires punctuated the plazas at each end of the main street, but that was all. Rainbow Dash shrugged and turned back once more. They could’ve been anyone. A few seconds later she found Neisos and Ohrinna’s house and pushed the door open.

The downstairs common room was empty, and nearly completely dark. A single wall-globe glowed with a faint light, casting shy illumination on the increasingly familiar room. Books and scrolls lay scattered about the center of the room along with a few half-full water bowls, and the table bore food-stains not properly cleaned. She heard nothing at all, but the room smelled of bread. Rainbow Dash picked her way across the mess on the floor and mounted the stairs. Deimesa had probably taken the children to their uncles’ place.

Deimesa’s bedroom was empty, and Dash didn’t feel like sleeping, however late it was. She leaned against the wall next to the open doorway, putting her weight against it. Her head hit the wall with a thunk, and she was a good few minutes into doing nothing, thinking nothing, when she realised she did in fact hear something now. She thought of the last time she’d spent time in Twilight’s library while the unicorn read: that was definitely the faint rustle of paper.

“Oh, hey,” said Rainbow Dash, sticking her head inside the room opposite. “You’re still up.”

“Mm, same as yesterday, dear,” said Rarity. She looked up only briefly. This time, she wasn’t surrounded by crumpled paper and fabric samples. Rather, the unicorn sat on her bed covered in a blanket and with her snout buried in a book. She yawned and turned a page. “I slept in the middle of the day again, and I’m only now getting sleepy.”

“Ah. Right,” said Rainbow Dash, crossing the room to stand by the bed. Rarity’s book had peryton letters. Dash squinted. “Uh, you know we can’t read—wait. Did you learn to read Peryton?” Her eyes widened.

“No. I’m looking at the pictures like a foal,” came Rarity’s reply, her voice weary. She leafed through the pages, stopping only when she came to one covered in diagrams and a drawing of a simplified peryton. She levitated up a piece of paper to take a quick note before she turned the page again. “Research.”

“‘Kay. Making any progress?” Dash asked. She tilted her head to look, stealing a glance at Rarity’s notes. Daros: Sharp angles, mostly headwear? Also bodywear. Also, everything else. Deiasos: Emphasis on symmetric patterns. The next bit was heavily crossed out, then: inconsistent.

“No,” said Rarity, frowning deeply. “I am about to give up on this particular approach, I just wanted to have a last look, see if anything strikes my fancy for the Cotronnan dress I’m planning.”

“Cool, uh, let me know if you want any help, I guess,” said Dash. She glanced down at the dress she herself wore, touching up the buttons that had loosened a little with all the flying. The rest was nearly completely unscuffed. Partially. She sucked in a breath through gritted teeth when she remembered something. Remembered what she hadn’t remembered, to be exact. “Oh yeah, so, about that whole… asking what the peryton think of normal—uh, really cool dresses thing.”

Rarity arched a brow without looking at her. “I don’t suppose they cared too much for it. At best, they’d have the same reaction as Orto.”

“They didn’t say anything, but I forgot to ask. Again,” Dash admitted, wincing.

“I don’t expect it’d make a difference, dear,” said Rarity, turning another page.

Rainbow Dash shook her head at the sheer wrongness of this all. Rarity had asked her to do something fashion-y and she’d messed it up, but the unicorn wasn’t fazed at all. She was tempted to bite off one of the buttons of her dress just to see if Rarity would react, but she didn’t dare for fear that she wouldn’t. “I don’t get it,” said Rainbow Dash. “I don’t understand why you’re okay with that.”

“You’d want me to be crushed?” Rarity asked. Now she looked at her.

“No! Come on Rarity, I just—”

“Darling, I understand that they don’t look at dresses in the same way we do, do give me some credit,” Rarity continued. “I need a different approach, and I believe I do have one. That is why I am putting my efforts into research.” She shut the book loudly and put it away, a sheaf of paper hovering from the nightstand over to the bed—as well as some jewellery that Dash recognised as the Stagrumite antler-wear.

“Right, okay, but...” said Rainbow Dash, sighing.

Rarity leaned over the edge of the bed, moving her saddlebags a little closer. She levitated out one of the multi-coloured scarves from Orto. Her brows furrowed.

But what, Dash thought. She knew what she’d discussed with Fluttershy was true: When Rarity got working, she worked. The problem was, Rainbow Dash could really use someone to talk to now. Now more than ever. Rarity was smart, and knew Fluttershy almost as well as she did. Rarity could make sense of things that happened-or-didn’t between them. If Dash had messed up, maybe Rarity could tell her how to fix it.

“Hey, so, while you’re working and stuff,” Dash tried. Rarity hadn’t said anything since she started rooting around in her saddlebags.

“Rainbow, dear. Do you remember our discussion on harmony? I broached the topic in Ephydoera, as I recall,” Rarity asked. Now, Dash almost wished Rarity wasn’t looking at her. The stare she gave her was creepily intense.

“Uh, yeah, I do, actually,” Dash admitted. “What about it?”

“We keep going on about how different the peryton are,” Rarity continued. “I’ve thought for a long time that harmony is the one thing that they lack. At least, that’s how I see it.”

“Sure?” Dash asked. She tilted her head. “I’ve been thinking the same thing. Or, something like it, I guess—”

“They don’t have the uniting element that we ponies share,” Rarity said. “The Hearth’s Warming play is in many ways an expression of the harmony we’ve found, but what matters is the unification itself, like how the Princesses embody all the three pony kinds—it’s about symbols.”

“Yeah, sure, that’s cool and all, but first, d’you have a second—”

“I think I have an idea. One that will work for sure,” said Rarity. She smiled, but not at Rainbow Dash. Her eyes drifted to the floor for a second. “Yes. I think this will work. It will be my most… hard-hitting work yet.”

“Rarity—” Dash tried once more, but she knew she wouldn’t get through.

“Would you get me Fluttershy’s saddlebags? They’re in your room, aren’t they?” Rarity asked.

Rainbow Dash said nothing. She turned around and trotted over to collect the butterfly-marked saddlebags, returning seconds later to put toss them onto the bed next to Rarity.

“There. Okay, now, before you go all dressmaking-crazy,” said Dash. “D’you have a second?”

“Oh, I’m not going to make anything just yet. I need to see how this fits together first,” said Rarity, flinging the saddlebags open. “This won’t be a simple dress, this is a gift to all of Perytonia, and the Princesses will hear how much they love this one crowning moment.”

“That’s great,” said Dash, resettling her wings on her back. “So, I wanted to ask you about—”

“Of course, dear,” said Rarity, nodding quickly. “Now, do you know if Deimesa is here still, or did she leave already? I suppose she will have left.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, deflating a bit. Rarity wasn’t even listening, and she didn’t feel like a shouting match anyway.

“The markets will be closed by now,” Rarity added, frowning. “It’ll be much too late, hmh. I’ll have to find another way, but I’m guessing they’re particular to Vauhorn—that’s the entire point.”

“Awesome,” said Rainbow Dash. She turned and headed for the door.

“Where’re you going, dear?” Rarity asked, raising her voice even as Dash turned the corner. “Didn’t you want something?”

“It’s fine,” Dash replied, more to herself than to Rarity.

Rainbow Dash pulled the blanket over her body and ground her head against the wall, scratching at an itch. For a while she’d heard Rarity rooting around in her bedroom across the hall, but now all was silent. It had been a while since the last time Vauhorn gave signs of life, too. A huge bunch of peryton migrated past the nearest thoroughfare at some point, loud enough to reach her bedroom window, but now she heard nothing. Not so much as a bird call.

She still wasn’t sleepy. Maybe tired, but definitely not sleepy. She wanted Fluttershy to get back, but at the same time she didn’t know what she would say to her.

Was there anything to say? Dash yawned. Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe they were fine, somehow. Rainbow Dash needed to stop feeling… what was it, frustrated? Maybe even jealous? Not of Vulenos or anyone else, but that she herself hadn’t been there to watch Fluttershy. At the end of the day, she couldn’t not want to be around when Fluttershy did something cool. She just didn’t know how to stop herself from being the cause of the bad stuff.

Not stop Fluttershy from being cool, of course. Dash stifled a groan. Either this didn’t add up, or she was missing something—or perhaps it was just an impossible task? Rainbow Dash was fine with the impossible. She just needed to try harder, and everything would work out.

Maybe they were fine. She just needed to figure out some details or something. And she wasn’t sleepy at all.

Rainbow Dash awoke slowly to the soft noise of silk dragging across fur. She fought a yawn. In the scant moonlight spilling in through the open window, she watched Fluttershy meticulously fold her dress and put it next to Rainbow Dash’s on the dresser by the door.

“Welcome back,” Dash murmured.

“I didn’t mean to wake you, sorry,” said Fluttershy. She gave her a brief look and climbed into bed next to her, grabbing a share of blanket.

“You didn’t,” Rainbow Dash said. An obvious lie, of course. Fluttershy’s burnt tail-tip poked out on the other side of the blanket. “How’d the story stuff go? Did you win?”

Fluttershy pushed the blanket away a little, shuffling her wings until they lay on top. “Hm? Oh. I don’t know. I left a little early.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t ask why not. “Alright,” she instead said, wondering if it was okay that she was disappointed by that. Because she was.

“Your wings are a bit—eh, I don’t know. Feathers could use a touch-up,” Dash said. She tried for a grin and worked one of her own wings free to touch feathers against feathers. “Want me to give them a look?”

“No thank you. It’s okay,” said Fluttershy. She pulled the blanket back over her wings and eyed Dash’s wings in turn. “You’ve been flying a lot, though. Yours need to be preened, don’t they?” She gave Dash a long look.

Dash had to give her that. They did need some attention after all the flying and diving of tonight. At the very least, she’d need her primaries aligned. Small stuff Fluttershy could easily handle if she asked.

“Yeah. May—eh,” Dash said cutting herself off. No need to throw more wood on the fire. “No, they’re fine. I’ll fix it tomorrow.”

The silence dragged on, and in the end, Fluttershy looked away and closed her eyes.

“Goodnight,” said Fluttershy.

“Night,” said Dash.

Now Rainbow Dash was sleepy, and it took her many long seconds to realise that the reason she was so sleepy—and still tired—was because it wasn’t the first time she’d awoken that night. She didn’t know what had roused her up this time, but Fluttershy wasn’t in bed. She didn’t have to look far to find her, though.

Fluttershy stood by the far window, and a large bird rested in the opening high on the wall, casting shadows that were barely darker than the rest of the room. She recognised the osprey when the bird picked at a grape offered by Fluttershy with exacting care, and Fluttershy reached up to run a hoof along its feathered chest. Feeding birds in the dead of night. Nothing unusual about that.

“I’m sorry to bother you,” Fluttershy murmured.

Talking to animals. Also very Fluttershy. Dash closed her eyes again and tried to go back to sleep.

“Tonight was… I just wish things had gone differently tonight,” Fluttershy went on. “No—no, I mean it, it was awful.” Her voice lowered further still, a whisper become indistinct now, and Rainbow Dash’s heart sank. She heard Fluttershy sigh, and the bird made a tiny peeping noise.

“It’s okay,” Fluttershy said. “And I’m sorry I didn’t ask you before I included you, Flappington. We’re still friends, right?” She paused for a second. “Okay. I’m glad, that’s very nice of you. Well, um… I should probably get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow. We’re going to start travelling again. Take care of yourself, and maybe I’ll see you again on the road.”

A soft rustle and a few muted ticking noises, claws against the windowsill, maybe. “Thank you for listening,” said Fluttershy. A moment later came the sounds of wings spreading, followed by soft hoofsteps against stone. Dash felt Fluttershy lay down next to her.

One of Fluttershy’s wings snuck in under the blanket and wrapped around her body, holding her tight. Fluttershy’s head rested against her, and almost as an afterthought, she lay a foreleg across one of Dash’s until they lay side by side almost completely entwined. Dash let out a sigh masked as an exhale in sleep.

She hoped they were still okay, but Rainbow Dash now knew she’d been right. Tonight, she’d again pushed Fluttershy into something she didn’t want. She had just said it: it was awful.

When Fluttershy’s breath became steady enough that Rainbow Dash was convinced she was asleep again, Dash slipped her leg free of Fluttershy’s and worked herself out from under the other pegasus’s wing, sailing off the bed without a sound. Her throat was dry, and neither of them had filled the bedside pitcher of water. She grabbed it in her mouth and rubbed at her eyes, making a minor detour by Rarity’s room to check up on her. The unicorn lay fast asleep, surrounded by the contents of her bags, and some of Fluttershy’s, too.

Rainbow Dash shook her head and made her way downstairs, flying rather than walking to make less noise. She’d filled the pitcher and was on her way out of the kitchen when the door opened.

“—likely to the council,” said Ohrinna, walking into the living room, closely followed by Neisos. She paused to hold up her talons one by one, leaning against the stag while she scraped at them with a hoof. “I’m sure we will catch it eventually in full.”

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat, but the sound was low. With the pitcher gripped in her mouth, she didn’t really have free use of her voice.

“Of course,” said Neisos, bracing against her and smiling. “And I have no regrets, only curiosity. You understand that. Tonight was a night to be put down in a story of its own.”

“Never lose that gilded tongue,” replied Ohrinna with a low trill of laughter. She leaned over to touch her antlers to Neisos, almost like a little headbutt.

Dash frowned, and looked around for somewhere to put the pitcher. If they got affectionate, she’d have to pretend she tripped and dropped it. That’d get their attention. She walked away from the kitchen and into the room, making her steps as loud as possible.

“I’d sooner—oh, hello,” said Neisos, turning his smile to her. Ohrinna gave a start and looked over at Dash as well.

“You are home as well. Did you just get back?” asked Ohrinna. She put all her legs down while Neisos kicked the door shut and took his turn scraping dirt off his one claw with a foreleg.

Rainbow Dash put the pitcher on the floor. “Nah, been home since—uh, actually, I’ve no idea. For a while,” she said, squinting at the window shutters as though she could divine the time by staring through them. Still dark out, that much she could tell. “I was asleep and got thirsty. How’d the stories and stuff go? I kind of missed out on most of it. Or all of it, heh.”

Neisos chuckled. “As did we. Well, we missed the five gatherings, and also the fire of Ravenwall, but to some, that might as well be all of it.”

“Cool. Yeah, no, I missed more than that,” Dash admitted with half a smile. “Just so you know, I think Rarity’s gotten a lot better. We’ll probably get going tomorrow.”

“I regret this. I would like to have had more time to get to know you,” said Ohrinna, craning her neck in a slight bow. “You were a curious but pleasant surprise to come home to.” She tilted her head and smiled all at once. “Very curious.”

“Heh, thanks,” said Dash. She shuffled her wings uneasily. “Thanks for letting us stay.”

“It has been our pleasure, absolutely, but let us not say farewell just yet,” said Neisos, chuckling. “We will no doubt see you away tomorrow. And, speaking of labour for the morrow…” he trailed off, eyeing the state of the living room with thinly veiled disapproval. In the end, his eyes fell upon the scrolls spread about. “It seems a small hurricane has swept through, and I do not suppose you ponies have taken a sudden interest in—is that Daros’ tellings I see?”

“Deimesa did us a favour to the tune of Calthess’ refusal of Esorys,” said Ohrinna. She craned her neck back and yawned at the ceiling, slowly moving towards the stairs. “She can be excused for not cleaning up, I feel.”

“Yes,” said Neisos, frowning. “But the table has not been cleaned either—no, I have no desire to wake up to this. Go, love. I will follow if you will live without me for a moment.”

“You do as you must,” Ohrinna replied with a nod and a smile, disappearing up the stairs.

Rainbow Dash grabbed the pitcher of water and sat by the table. She’d head back upstairs in a minute. Maybe two minutes. She managed an awkward sip of water straight from the pitcher without spilling, watching as Neisos levitated the books back in place into a nearby bookshelf. He never grabbed more than one at a time in his magic, and took a few hobbling steps between the shelf and the middle of the room every time.

There was something calming about watching Neisos tidy the room, even if she herself didn’t care too much about whether the books were in the shelves or not. It was like watching Applejack buck apples. Applebuck season would be in what, a month? Two? She had no idea. Dash took another sip and blinked heavily. She really was tired.

“You said you did not listen to many of the stories,” said Neisos. He put the final book where it belonged and scanned the room, his eyes falling upon the table, giving the stains a dire look,

“Yeah. I heard like… half a story, tops. A pretty cool one, I guess, about some peryton—or Selyria, same thing with these stories, right?—travelling across the Bow. Something about dancing, I don’t know.” Rainbow Dash yawned and stretched her wings out. She’d sit for a little bit longer. She’d get up any moment now. Neisos disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a washcloth dripping in his magical grip.

“You hear any cool ones?” Dash asked. “Or tell any stories, maybe?” She smiled a touch at the thought she’d had earlier, of Neisos telling about meeting the ponies.

“Not this night,” said Neisos, shaking his head. The washcloth made a wet slap as he put it down on the table, but he did precious little cleaning. The stag stared at the rag. “But we could not avoid hearing rumours of one which stood out, and now puzzles me.”

“Yeah?” asked Dash.

“One of a far-away creature,” said Neisos, nodding to himself. “A winged one not a peryton, and while some may not put emphasis on the original speaker and on performance, they say a great bird featured in not just the story, but its telling.” The stag shot Rainbow Dash an entirely unsubtle glance, smiling only just enough for teeth to show. “And so people whisper of the first one who told it, and from the sounds constant in these whispers, it sounded a lot like a pony to me. Will you tell me you had no hoof in this?”

Rainbow Dash snorted hot air, rocking her where she sat. “Yeah, that was all Fluttershy. All her.”

Any other day, she’d feel so very good about saying that. It was Fluttershy’s victory, pure, undiluted awesome, except everything about it had also been terrible. Fluttershy couldn’t have enjoyed it much herself, scared out of her wits, and Rainbow Dash leaving had only made matters worse, somehow. To use Fluttershy’s own word, it had been awful.

“I see,” said Neisos. His antlers took on a muted glow, starting the slow and laborious task of scrubbing down the table. “This is a Ponyville custom, perhaps? To seek new experiences separate, and then share them later?”

“Not really, no,” said Rainbow Dash. She lifted the water-pitcher up to let Neisos clean underneath it. “Hey, what’d you guys end up doing if you didn’t go listen at the big bonfires either?”

Neisos’ smile grew positively languid. “There is a pond in the Saltwood that fills only after the summer storms, or when we are lucky to have enough rain. It is much used for bathing, but none think to go there on this night. We had it all to ourselves.”

“That sounds nice,” said Dash. She meant it, but the smile didn’t stick.

Neisos tilted his head. “You and your love have trouble, tonight?”

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes for a second, wincing at the question. When she looked again, Neisos frowned ever so slightly.

“Maybe that is not an acceptable question for some who have met so recently. I apologise,” said the stag, shaking his head briskly. “Let us together unsay those words of mine.” He balled up the washcloth and hopped his way towards the kitchen.

“No,” said Dash, sighing. “I guess it’s obvious, huh? It’s not that we’re not friends, I just don’t… I don’t like talking about that kinda stuff with anyone, I guess. Not even with my mom.” Not that she’d had these kinds of issues with anypony before, either. “Forget it. Can we talk about something else? Anything else to make me not think about missing my parents, too?”

“We do not have to talk at all. If you are tired, you should go to bed, and so should I,” said Neisos, returning to stand by the opposite side of the table.

“Yeah.” Rainbow Dash glanced at the stairs, but did not move. “Yeah, I know,” she said.

Silence reigned for a moment or two, and in the end, Neisos sat down, breaking into a sudden smile. “How would you like to hear a story?” he asked. “There is one I have wanted to tell since yesterday—” he waved a hoof as though to forestall protests, as if he expected Dash to flee. ”I promise you that where detail is needed, I will provide it. You will not lack for context.”

Dash shrugged and covered up another yawn. She caught Neisos giving his own damaged leg a glance as he settled down. Maybe she’d finally get to hear the story of how he hurt himself, a story she’d been promised a long while ago. “Sure,” she said, shutting her eyes and drawing a deep breath. No thinking about her mom. No thinking about Fluttershy right now, nor about anyone else. Storytime was good for a distraction. “Sure, why not.”

“It is about Vestrus,” said Neisos, almost a little too quickly once Dash said yes. “Now, before I begin, I must explain, Vestrus is not the most commonly discussed Aspect, nor the most often invoked, though he is not the least common, either.”

“So, top half-ish?” Dash asked.

“‘Top half’,” replied Neisos, and Dash could hear the smile in his voice. “Yes, I like that. If you divide the Aspects into two halves, most and least invoked, he is in the former category—though we certainly take care to remember all. Vestrus is one of the many Aspects concerned with knowledge. You may have noticed we have many concerned with knowing.”

“Not really,” Dash admitted. “I know a little about… half a dozen, tops.” She didn’t feel like explaining that trying to remember what each Aspect was about reminded her of cramming for tests, something she was notoriously bad at. ”Anyway, is ‘knowing’ different from ‘knowledge’?” she asked.

When Neisos said nothing, she cracked an eye open and found Neisos frowning at the table. “I wish to say yes,” he said at last. “But I could not explain it well. Chorossa is the known becoming unknown, but not a loss of knowledge. I did not mean to separate the two, but again, you have asked a very keen question, which proves my point.”

Rainbow Dash scratched at her side. Part of her wanted to try ask Twilight about that. The other, larger half held no illusions about her remembering or caring. “Okay, I’m getting confused already.”

“Then let me start anew with the story, and no such detours,” Neisos replied, smiling wide again and tilting his head forward in a slight bow. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and shuffled her wings to make sure they lay right.

“Vestrus had travelled far. He is the Aspect of knowledge for its own sake, the thirst for understanding without a preference for method, and this day, his journey was complete,” said Neisos. Like most peryton, he had his own storyteller’s voice, soothing and even. “He had travelled from the Southpoint Cliffs to the alabaster shores of Thoshh, and there he despaired, for there was no more to know. He enlisted Pyn, who travels the lands, and Ilyra, who journeys across the sea, but they told him what he already knew: he had seen all there was to see.

“He called upon Chorossa, Aspect of un-knowing, to blind him and unbind all he knew, that he might travel again and learn it once more, but she would not. Finally, in the dark of night, he cried out to Selyria, who contains within her vast wings much, she who is the seeker eternal. He said that if she could not help him, he would perish.”

“Drama, much?” asked Rainbow Dash with a snort. She envisioned a peryton stag standing on a white shore crying to a shapeless Selyria, now with many wings, now with few. Beak or muzzle. Whatever she was, she was no normal peryton.

“This is an old story,” said Neisos with a chuckle of his own. “It is hundreds of years old at the very least, likely older. Maybe kin were more dramatic then—but, I will go on. Selyria could not help, for she knows things differently, and has made peace with her restless nature where Vestrus could not. In her stead, Selyria sent Kholarys, whose name in its primary use is rare. Kholarys is the Aspect of purposeful deceit, of the endless scheme that always brings about change.

“Vestrus thought it cruel of Selyria to send a trickster in response to such an earnest plea, but he had no choice. He stood upon the shore and had seen all there was, and so he begged Kholarys’ aid, and in return, she told him to travel.”

Dash frowned and opened her eyes again, the story grinding to a halt in her head. “He already tried that,” she said.

Neisos nodded. “You speak with Vestrus’ voice. ‘I already travelled all there is to travel’, he said, to which Kholarys replied that she swore if he set his face to the rising sun and travelled until the horizon was at his back, he would learn something new. Kholarys, she does all things in excess except break a promise, but, she also said this: Should he grow tired before this happened, she would take his legs.”

“Take his legs,” Rainbow Dash repeated, deadpan.

The stag grinned. “As I said, old stories. Do not ask me how one steals someone’s legs—though I suppose I should know better than most.”

Rainbow Dash snorted. She tried to keep from laughing, but it was pointless, and Neisos shook with silent laughter as well. He waggled a hoof in the air.

“Now! If you are familiar with riddles, you may think of the passing of the day as the solution. If you travel for a day, the sun will set at your back. This much, Vestrus knew, but Kholarys added another rule: Vestrus must complete this journey in no more than four steps before mid-day.”

“Four steps? He could always just fly,” said Rainbow Dash. “That’s no steps! Wait, hang on, let me guess, he couldn’t fly, either. Stupid rules all around, right?”

“The story does not say,” said Neisos. “But he did not need his wings, nor did he take until mid-day. Vestrus did not fear Kholarys’ looming threat—remember, she does not break her word, and so she would take his legs if he failed. No, Vestrus waited for the sun to rise and turned around.”

“Turned around,” Dash echoed.

“He turned around,” Neisos said, dipping his head. “And you can imagine what happens when you turn your back to the horizon.”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “The horizon is all around. You can’t actually turn your back to it.”

Neisos scratched at his muzzle. “Yes, I… suppose that is true, if you wish to be exact, but in this case, I suppose they meant the horizon upon which the sun made its ascent.”

“There’s just one horizon,” Rainbow Dash said, letting her wings hang loose. “Same thing—but I get it, yeah,” she quickly added. “Fine, the sun is behind him, he wins the bet. What’s next?”

Neisos cocked a brow. “This is not quite how I usually tell stories. You are an unusually active listener.”

“Sorry,” Dash said, splaying her ears. She mimicked zipping her muzzle shut in one smooth motion, which only made Neisos look more confused. Dash sighed. “I’m… closing my mouth. Gonna be quiet and stuff. Vestrus has his back to the sun.”

“Yes, let’s see—” Neisos shook his head briskly. “So, Vestrus turned and placed the horizon—or the sun, if you will allow it—at his back. He then told Kholarys he has done as she asked, and now she is forced to give him what she promised. To this, Kholarys replied that she had promised to give him nothing, but that he would have what he sought, and Vestrus saw that he did.

“Vestrus saw the underside of the leaves. He learned of the shadow side of every tree, of the colours of the tail-feathers of every peryton, and of the backs of their legs. Turned around by Kholarys’ trickery, all was new not through Chorossa’s oblivion, but by making new his eyes.”

Rainbow Dash nodded her head slowly, waiting to see if Neisos would say anything else, but the peryton merely smiled softly, perhaps expectantly.

“So, the end?” she asked.

“That is the end,” Neisos said.

“I don’t know what Kholarys wanted his legs for anyway. What do you do with eight legs?” Dash asked, tilting her head. “Eh, whatever. Go Vestrus, I guess.” She poked at the table’s edge. With the story over, the events of the day trickled back to the forefront of her mind. “I just don’t see how that’s supposed to help,” she said, a little lower.

“You said you did not want help,” Neisos said. He levitated the pitcher over to his side of the table and grabbed a used bowl, filling it with water. “This was not intended to be a moralising story, or to help you and your love. I don’t know your problems, if any, but I will listen if you wish to tell of it.” He took a sip of water.

Rainbow Dash crinkled her snout. “No. Never mind,” she said, shaking her head. “Yeah I meant it. I don’t want to talk about it.” She could fix any problems she had with Fluttershy, and if Fluttershy had problems with her, what could Neisos do about it? If it was a fight against a monster of ‘problems’ she didn’t fully understand, Dash had no intentions of losing the fight either way.

“Yet, you look puzzled still,” Neisos said, taking another sip. He filled another bowl and pushed it towards Rainbow Dash.

“Yeah, I don’t know. If you weren’t going to tell a story about… I don’t know, if you weren’t trying to give advice, I kinda expected to get the story about your leg, to be honest,” Dash said with a snort. “Don’t get me wrong, that’s a, uh… I wanna say cool story, but how about ‘it wasn’t the worst story I’ve heard’?”

Neisos hummed. “The reason I have not told you the story of my leg is simple. One can only avoid so many instances of speech and story before a wall is built around a meaning from silence.”

“Yeah, simple.” Rainbow Dash squinted.

“Meaning to say, any purpose in telling that story is lost now in your anticipation,” Neisos said, smiling. “It is my story to tell, and I choose not to tell it for that reason, which is stronger to me than your curiosity. This, you simply must forgive without me apologising for it.”

Dash shrugged. “Sure. I can’t make you tell it. I’m curious, but you’re not getting me to tell anypony how—uh, the things I don’t want to tell anyone, so that’s cool.”

“Good,” said Neisos. “Instead I chose to tell this story because you reminded me of it, and I wish to acknowledge that. It is a gift for you to think on if your Ponyville does not have an Aspect to do Orrshur’s work, and a thank you to you and your friends. I hope you will tell them ‘thank you’ from me, either through the story, or in those simple two words.”

Rainbow Dash paused mid-sip of water, blinking. “For what?” she asked. “You’re the one who’s let us stay here and everything.”

“Think of the story I just shared with you,” said Neisos. “And let me give you some more context. The story is thought of as the birth of Orsshur. The Aspect of rediscovery through new perspectives sprung forth from this story. You understand, all peryton seek to know things. Travel is perhaps not as common for us as it is for you, but all Aspects exist for a reason—they are part of all peryton, too. All the Aspects’ possibilities are contained within us. That is their purpose.”

Neisos flipped his bowl over again and put it on top of the other dirty bowls, rising to stand up. He smiled down at Rainbow Dash. “When we talk of the Aspects who deal with knowledge, too often do we forget Orsshur. Too often do we all forget that our eyes are only our own, and not the eyes of all others, too. Meeting the three of you reminded me of how much is taken for granted when so much can change with a little shift. How much one can move the world with the tilt of a head. How trapped one can get in the supposed truth of one’s own world.

“Your visit to Vauhorn has no doubt refreshed Orsshur’s stories in the minds of many. You ponies visiting our home has taught my family much that we must think on, and I still cannot answer to my satisfaction why I do not fly. That is for me to consider.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t know right away what she could say to that. They’d definitely taught the peryton at the council a lot about Equestria, and if she understood this Alluvium thing right, Fluttershy’s story would basically be the talk of the town, but it didn’t feel right to accept thanks for just that, so she latched on to the one thing she did know to appreciate.

“Don’t worry about it, but if you get up in the air again, let me know.” She flashed a grin. “Send me a letter or something.”

“I will try to do this,” Neisos agreed, smiling. “And I hope that whoever takes the role of Orsshur in your Ponyville is renewed by our meeting. We will speak tomorrow on getting you supplies for your journey, but I will leave you now. I wish to have words with Ohrinna before she sleeps. Good night, Rainbow Dash.”

“Yeah, sleep tight,” said Dash. She sat for a moment longer, watching Neisos as he cleared the table and put the bowls away, then made his way upstairs. Only when he had gone did she get up.

Rainbow Dash stopped in front of the bed where Fluttershy lay quietly snoring, one wing still extended over the tangle of sheets where Dash had lain. Dash blinked heavily, spotting something white in the corner of her eye. The handkerchief they’d picked up for Rarity poked out from her saddlebags by the bed, and in it, an excuse to delay another minute. She grabbed it in her mouth and snuck into Rarity’s room instead.

She wondered if Neisos had in fact tried to give her advice and shared some cryptic wisdom with her. She’d love to be able to pretend that the story had helped, at least, but she didn’t see anything new in it. She already knew that the peryton saw things differently, that ponies and peryton looked upon the same thing with different eyes. She put the handkerchief on Rarity’s nightstand and made her way back to the other bedroom, hopping onto the bed with a measured wingstroke to cushion her landing.

No, what Rainbow Dash now worried about was that it wasn’t just the peryton who were different. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had always been very different, too. She’d always known that, of course, she just hadn’t thought it was a problem until recently. Just like Neisos said, a tilt of the head could change a lot—or in this case, a few words that took them from friends to girlfriends could change everything.

She ducked in under Fluttershy’s wing, and immediately the soft feathers wrapped around her. The pull was infinitely gentle, but Dash let herself be moved a little closer, wrapping a wing around Fluttershy in turn, shuffling near until they lay flank to flank, side to side.

At least when she slept, Rainbow Dash couldn’t mess anything up. She nuzzled in under Fluttershy’s jaw, nosing her neck and sighing. She’d find some harmony or whatever, a way to be less different and instead be the best girlfriend there ever was, but it wasn’t easy at all. After all the mess of today, she had to wonder if Fluttershy might not be wrong. Right now, she didn’t know if she could, or even wanted to make a feather fly in a windstorm, much less a boulder.

Chapter 28

This may be the most creatively bankrupt idea I have ever had. Every sketch burns my eyes and poisons my very soul!

Well, it’s not very engaging, fun, or interesting, is what I mean. This is not an act of creativity, but an act of… adaptation. Focus on the results, Rarity. At the very least, this will get their attention.

I am feeling better, at any rate. I’m keenly aware that I’ve neglected writing much about Perytonia in this journal, but there will be time for this later, I am sure.

-R

Some were flat and stacked, topped with salt. Others were displayed in rows, one loaf cut open to show juicy, colourful fillings. Rainbow Dash blinked heavily and covered a yawn, trying to stretch her wings out before realising her saddlebags were still in the way. She tried moving them a little, but forgot why she would do that in the process, and gave up. She closed her eyes and leaned against something, closing her eyes.

“Maybe three or four of those?” Rainbow Dash heard Fluttershy ask.

“You’ll want the shessa, mostly,” said Ohrinna, letting out an unabashed yawn of her own.

“Yes, phela will spoil within days—children, please,” Neisos snapped. Dash started fully awake again. Neisos put a hoof down to stop Berissa and Teilos from running in circles around him, holding them fast with a stern look. “A moment of Eakus’ grace is all I ask.”

“Okay,” said Fluttershy. “Four of the… shessa? I guess maybe we’ll want something to eat just for now, too.”

Rainbow Dash gave the arrayed breads another glance. They all smelled great. Usually, she’d just suggest they grab something and go. Usually she had time for breakfast. Now, she was too sleepy and hungry both, and couldn’t be bothered to complain about either. Fluttershy had a handle on it. Dash closed her eyes again, but this time, whatever she tried to lean on resisted her weight, pushing back.

“Darling, do try to remain upright,” said Rarity, propping her back up. Dash heard the others talking about something or other. For how long could ponies and peryton busy themselves with pointing at bread?

“I am trying,” Dash groaned. It was impossible to actually sleep, of course, but just past mid-day, the market was a quiet and muted affair compared to any- and everything yesterday. The baker’s stall was one of only a few set up at the plaza, and there weren’t many peryton about, most of whom looked as tired as the ponies and Neisos and Ohrinna’s family. The midday heat the day after the Alluvium had to be the single laziest thing in the world.

“Grape?” Dash heard someone say.

“Grape and pear,” said someone else.

“One for the fawns?” A new voice. Maybe the baker. Dash turned to Rarity and stretched her neck to each side, trying to do something besides yawning.

“Why are you so … I don’t know, awake and everything?” she asked.

“I’ve been up for a while. Deimesa and I’ve been shopping earlier,” said Rarity, cocking a brow. “As I told you when you woke up. Honestly, dear, I’m a little worried. Did you not sleep at all tonight?”

“I slept,” said Dash, waving a wing dismissively. “The problem isn’t for how long, it’s how many times I went to sleep.”

Rarity tilted her head in question. Rainbow Dash shrugged. Her eyes began to slip shut again when she heard the unicorn make an appreciative noise. A second later, something bumped against her snout. Dash opened her eyes to find a small loaf of bread hovering in front of her face. Rarity held it in the grip of her magic, and over by the baker’s stall, Fluttershy dug out bits from her saddlebags—no, bronze slivers or gems, of course.

“Thanks,” said Dash, catching a brief smile from Fluttershy while Ohrinna distributed the bread among the others. Breakfast for all, then. Dash grabbed the bread and took a bite of the spongy, fruit-filled bread. Food. She felt more alive by the second—and a little more confused when Deimesa returned from another stall, throwing something around Rainbow Dash’s neck.

“What?” was all Dash managed, peering down at the straps around the side of her neck, supporting a single saddlebag-like container near her chest. She had seen peryton wear the neck-bags all over the cities.

“I had them shortened to fit you,” said Deimesa, who wore a neck-bag of her own. “They are ohron. You said you might be short on space carrying all this food and your other supplies. I have one for you each. If your side-bags are already full, you will need somewhere to carry water.”

“Oh. That’s very kind of you,” said Rarity, accepting one for herself and securing it around her neck. She pursed her lips, giving hers a scrutinizing look. “I wonder if these will catch on back home.”

“Thank you,” said Fluttershy, smiling and nodding. “We still have our water-bags. We can fill those, but I think it’s better to put the water in our saddlebags and carry something lighter around the neck.”

“I still marvel at how much such small creatures as you can carry on your backs,” said Ohrinna, shaking her head.

“Or perhaps it is our necks that are strong to theirs,” Neisos retorted with a smile. He lowered his head to rub at his bleary eyes, balancing on two legs for a moment. He pointed to the fountain not far away. “Let us see about water, then,” he suggested, setting the procession of ponies and peryton all moving.

Rainbow Dash munched away as they walked, bread tucked away in the nook of a wing. They were easily the largest group on the plaza, and she couldn’t help but smile at that. That they’d woken up late was a given: the sun had crawled over the windowsill before Dash finally fell asleep. What she hadn’t counted on was the entire family insisting on coming along to see them off.

Dash grabbed a sip from the fountain, her body rocking when someone placed a full and dripping bag of water in one of her saddlebags. She grunted and widened her stance when another joined it.

“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, or like I doubt your words,” said Rarity, while Fluttershy helped her pack more water. “But are you certain we need all of this water?”

When neither Neisos nor Ohrinna immediately replied, Deimesa nodded. “Yes,” she said. “If there is one thing I can say under the weight of all of Khylari’s stories, it is that you will want all the water you can carry. I only know Vauhorn’s demesne well, but there is no reason there should be streams or rivers to our near west. It will be mostly groundwater. Underground reservoirs and subsurface rivers. Since you cannot drink from an aquifer, you will want to bring water.” Deimesa furrowed her brow ever so slightly. “I have heard there may be wells at some of the Selyrian statues, but I cannot say this for sure.”

Neisos shook his head. “You know well enough by now that to go a day even in shadow without access to water is unwise in second summer’s height.”

“It’s not that bad. This is it?” Dash asked, testing the weight. All around the fountain, saddlebags were being strapped shut and paper-wrapped bread put into neck-bags. Or ohron, if one were to be fancy about it, and Dash didn’t feel like being fancy about it.

“I think that’s everything,” said Fluttershy, nodding. Three fully loaded ponies and a family of five peryton all stood in a vague circle, exchanging looks.

“I suppose we make for the western side of the town, then?” asked Rarity.

“I just thought it’d be… heavier,” Dash admitted. When Ohrinna pointed west and the group began moving across the plaza, Dash spread her wings and checked the load the only way she knew how to: by taking off. Flying with all the food, water and the other junk she carried was tough going, but it was fine once she got her wings free from the saddlebags. At least, more fine than she’d expected. Maybe she was just getting used to the extra weight. Rainbow Dash landed and fell in step with Rarity.

“I should expect so,” said Rarity. “I took out some of my fabrics and my failed creations from Ephydoera.”

“Do you even have any bolts of fabric left?” Dash asked, frowning.

Rarity shook her head with a bemused smile. “Barely. Only what I think I’ll need. Deimesa mentioned that they do not have sheep in Vauhorn, so wool is precious to them,” she said. “Most of what I had left was wool, so I left it for Deimesa to give to some charitable causes. I won’t need it.”

“If you say so,” said Rainbow Dash, swallowing the last of her bread. She hadn’t eaten it so much as she inhaled it. Whatever berry filling the phela packed, she barely tasted it.

“If you’d packed smart, you’d carry less weight,” Rarity added, giving her a look. “You still insist on carrying around that statue. A stone statue.”

“It’s really small, it’s fine,” Dash said, chuckling. “I dunno, it looks cool. Besides, if we’re talking about bringing weird stuff—” she began, but she didn’t finish the sentence. She knew Fluttershy still carried the antlers around, making packing her bags especially awkward, but she didn’t feel like going on about that. Fluttershy turned around as though she’d heard and knew—or not. She looked worried, not annoyed or defensive.

“You didn’t leave behind the dresses you’ve already finished, right?” asked Fluttershy.

“You better not have,” said Rainbow Dash, frowning. “They were cool.”

“No, dears, I did not leave the dresses behind,” said Rarity, rolling her eyes. “Excepting the newest ones, they’re all mostly silk and weigh next to nothing at all.”

“And they’re awesome,” said Dash, squinting at Rarity, looking for any trace of doubt.

“I’m glad you liked them, at least,” said Rarity, her eyes ahead. She sped up a tiny bit, even though they were stuck following Ohrinna and Neisos’ lead through the quiet, sun-baked streets at a comfortable pace for the three-legged stag. The peryton family chatted amongst themselves, Neisos and Ohrinna magically holding the filled bread while the two younger children ate.

Dash shrugged and didn’t press the issue. Rarity was clearly eager to get moving again, and if she had been up since early morning, she must feel better.

“Oh!” said Fluttershy with a gasp. “I forgot to tell you, Rarity, I’m sorry.”

“Hm?” asked Rarity, one brow raised in question.

“I know you said not to worry too much about it, but you did ask us to see what the peryton thought of the dresses,” said Fluttershy. She shook her head, walking on the opposite side of Rarity. “I meant to tell you yesterday, and I’m very sorry,” she said, her ears splayed. “I didn’t think they noticed or cared at all, so I asked Vulenos—a stag who helped me a little—and he said that most peryton probably wouldn’t be able to decide what the clothes meant at all—”

“Ah, don’t—” Rarity said, trying to interrupt her, but Fluttershy went on.

“—so I asked him what he thought when he saw the dress, even if I had to ask him to think about it, and he said that he didn’t really think it meant anything, and he needed to be told about its ‘context’, so I think you’d almost have to explain fashion to them,” Fluttershy finished, her tail drooping. “It’s just like what Deimesa said. I’m sorry. And I’m sorry for forgetting to tell you, too.”

“It’s not a problem at all, dear,” said Rarity, shaking her head. “I don’t think it matters any more, and besides, I surmised much of the same from how Rainbow Dash didn’t get any unsolicited comments, either. I thought you knew that.”

“Oh,” said Fluttershy, her mouth hanging open for a second.

“Or, at the very least, I expect you’d both had the same experience if you attended this event together,” said Rarity, tilting her head.

Fluttershy said nothing. Rainbow Dash wished she had more bread to eat.

“Did one of you not like your dress?” Rarity asked, frowning now.

“The dresses were fine,” Fluttershy rushed to say.

“They were awesome!” said Dash at the exact same time. She liked her own vest and skirt just fine, and despite its crime of hiding Fluttershy away, Dash still remembered the way Fluttershy looked in hers, her figure just barely hid, her form backlit by a bonfire.

Silence followed. Rarity didn’t say anything, instead asking questions with her eyes. Dash didn’t answer. She looked at Fluttershy instead, and for the first time since yesterday, their eyes met in more than a passing glance.

Rarity didn’t know they’d split up yesterday. Rarity didn’t know why Rainbow Dash had to leave Fluttershy alone, but then again, it hardly mattered. She’d tried to talk to Rarity time and again. She’d even gone to Luna—though that was a while ago, now—and look where that got her: nowhere. Rainbow Dash knew she could do better. Stop pushing. She swallowed. Stop losing.

“So, anyway,” said Rainbow Dash, finally tearing her eyes away from Fluttershy. She didn’t know what to read into the searching look her girlfriend gave her. “Rarity, what’d you get?”

“Pardon?” Rarity replied.

“You said you’d been shopping this morning,” Dash said, watching the peryton children as she spoke. Done with their breakfast, and done running circles around the entire group afterwards, the two children with berry-stained muzzles now fell in with the ponies, trotting at their side and staring. “Hey there, kids,” Dash said, grinning at them before she turned her attention back to Rarity. “If you didn’t get stuff for our trip, what’d you get? Anything fun?”

“Hardly,” said Rarity with a wan smile. “A few odds and ends, but mainly I wanted to get a pair of those masks you said the council-peryton wore.”

“The white, blank masks?” Fluttershy asked. She slowed down a little to stop from walking into Berissa, who walked right next to, and partially in front of her, the tiny peryton’s head pointing almost straight up, staring wide-eyed at her. “Um, hello there,” she said, giggling.

“Yes, I know what you’re thinking,” said Rarity with a dismissive wave. “They do have some rather fetching sashes and even things that might be called clothing on a generous day, but these masks symbolize openness to all Aspects and to all stories. If anything encapsulates all of Vauhorn, it is those masks.”

“Sure,” said Dash with a shrug. She tilted her head at Teilos, who stared at her forehooves. “What’s up, squirt? Did I step in something?” She hopped into a short hover to check under her hooves, but they were clean enough.

“You will have to forgive,” said Neisos from the group ahead, clearly fighting back laughter. “Deimesa shared some tales of ‘pegasus magic’ you showed her.” Dash caught a low chuckle from Ohrinna as well, and Deimesa looked back over her shoulder with an apologetic smile.

“I did not mean to send Esorys’ zephyrs upon you,” said Deimesa. “Teilos, Berissa, come!”

“Can’t you ask them to show us how to make rain? Mom, please?” Teilos asked. Rainbow Dash glanced over at Fluttershy and grinned.

“They can make thunder and lightning! I want to see it!” Berissa added. Dash winced and felt her smile crack.

“If you want them to do this, you ask them yourselves, as is polite!” said Neisos.

Rainbow Dash did not feel up to making a thundercloud at all, and in the brief pause while the children rounded on them again, she couldn’t not look at Fluttershy and the singe-mark across her left hock.

Fluttershy, for her part, smiled. She looked up at the sky much in the same way Rainbow Dash would have done, a quick scan, left, right and above.

“I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy, leaning down to bring herself level with the two peryton children. “To make rain, or any other kind of weather, we need clouds, and there aren’t any clouds nearby at all today. We showed your big sister how to do it, but—”

“Deimesa!” Berissa shouted, turning to the older doe and running over to her in a heartbeat. “Will you teach me tomorrow?”

“Me too!” Teilos yelled, running after her. Deimesa clearly had practice walking with two younger siblings underhoof, because she did not miss a step.

“—but… um, I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant,” Fluttershy said, her voice trailing off, drowned out by Neisos and Ohrinna’s caws of laughter.

“If you can leave Daros to rest and act with grace today, your sister will teach you,” said Neisos.

“I don’t think—” Fluttershy tried again, but she didn’t even finish her sentence, clearly knowing she’d go ignored.

“We will try,” came Deimesa’s reply, accompanied by a sharp-toothed smile.

“Oh dear,” muttered Fluttershy. The two children fell in line and marched at their parents’ side almost perfectly in step with each other, clearly intent on their prize. Rainbow Dash completely failed at containing her laughter, still giggling when they came upon the end of the tiled streets.

A wide and well kept dirt road continued on, cutting straight through farms that became more and more scattered further away from town. Unlike the north side of the city, the western expanse was flat enough that it was impossible to see much beyond the rows of grape vines and other fruits and vegetables.

The three older peryton stopped at the last proper street corner of Vauhorn, the final tiled road encircling the larger stone buildings. With no gate or city limit marker, it was as good a place as any to stop. If someone had made a “Welcome to Vauhorn City” sign, Dash imagined it’d feel right at home here.

“Before we say our goodbyes,” said Neisos, glancing up at the sky where the sun had passed its zenith. He smiled at the group. “While you were taking care of your essentials, we spoke together, and decided we wanted to gift you something.”

“What?” asked Dash. “Oh c’mon, you didn’t have to do that.”

“You’ve given us far too much already,” said Rarity, shaking her head.

“It is not much,” said Ohrinna, simply. “We thought at first to give you a great urn inscribed with Daros’ tales for how well it fits your undertaking.”

Fluttershy blinked and looked at Rarity and Rainbow Dash both. She licked her lips. “That’s…”

“That is a joke,” said Neisos, raising a brow slightly. “It would not be very practical, and you cannot read it.”

“Ah. Of course, aha,” said Rarity, clearing her throat.

“Sorry, I just thought, um, since you make pottery,” Fluttershy said, her ears flat against her head. “I didn’t want to offend.”

Rainbow Dash elected to say nothing at all. She smiled a little. Maybe that way, they thought she got the joke. Two long seconds later, Deimesa levitated out a small glass jar from the bag around her neck.

“Here,” she said, letting Rarity take it. The unicorn turned it around, and Dash saw it was filled with white, green-speckled balls of some sort. “It is orassh—which, yes, I understand we must explain.”

“Candy?” Dash asked, leaning close enough that her snout touched the jar. Rarity frowned and moved it away, polishing it with a foreleg.

“It tastes sweet,” said Neisos. “To many, too sweet, but it is also said to cure any problem one might have.”

“Oh, it’s medicine?” asked Fluttershy, cocking her head. “That’s very useful, thank you.”

“No,” said Ohrinna shaking her head briskly. “The herbs we picked up earlier is medicine enough, I should think. These are said to cure all problems.”

“They are cure for nothing,” said Neisos. “They are sugars and sweet, sharp-tasting things that you eat with the acceptance that the strength of their cure is in the intent of the gift.”

Rainbow Dash blinked. This time, her smile-and-wait strategy failed her, because she felt her face warping into the shape of a question mark. The only consolation was the fact that Fluttershy looked equally clueless, but Rarity stared at the jar and finally nodded to herself.

“They are sugar pills,” said the unicorn.

“Sugar, mint, cocoa powder—” Deimesa began, the third peryton to make an attempt at explaining, but Rarity shook her head, interrupting her.

“No, I mean, sugar pills. In Equestria—though it’s certainly not common—sometimes you give somepony a sugar pill, a cure-for-nothing, but if you tell them it’s a cure,” Rarity chuckled, “sometimes they get better because they believe it helps.”

Neisos smiled. “That… is amusing, but likely the domain of Kholarys’ stories, for us. It is not deceit. Orassh is a common gift for special occasions. They are not easy to make, and as such, not cheap. Consider Phostos, then: In his eyes, the fair trade for the expense is the hope that they will help, and that hope, along with the intent behind the gift, takes the place of the deceit of your ‘sugar pills’.”

“If it tastes like candy, just having some candy helps by itself too,” said Dash with a shrug.

“Especially if you are Pinkie Pie,” Rarity muttered. “Still, that is a wonderful custom, even if it… took a little explaining,” she said, stowing the jar away in her bags and dipping her head. “Thank you ever so much.”

“I agree,” said Fluttershy, smiling. “That’s very nice of you. Thank you.”

“Thanks,” said Dash, nodding as well. “I wish we had something to give back to you. Sure you don’t want the little statue or something?”

Neisos shook his head. “This makes for a story of Phostos satisfied with your visit even had we placed much more on our side of the scales. This is nothing, and we should not keep you for much longer. However—”

“If you leave now, you may not make it to the first Selyrian shrine to the west,” Ohrinna said, continuing where Neisos left off. She reached out to pull one of her children a little closer, resting a forehoof lightly on Berissa’s head. “I have a friend with a sister in trade, and he tells me that these shrines are a day’s travel apart.”

“Yeah, I guess we travel a little faster than you guys do, though,” said Dash, trying not to be too obvious about gloating. “We’ve made up for lost time before.”

“With such short legs, I do not know how you do this if they were made for traders who are kin to us,” said Deimesa, shaking her head.

“Can’t help that we’re awesome, sorry,” said Dash, now permitting herself a smirk.

“I don’t know that we’ve made up for this much lost time, though,” said Fluttershy, eyeing the sun where it still crept across the sky.

“That is my point, and my concern,” said Ohrinna, nodding. “You may instead find rest at the western shrine to Helesseia instead, inside our demesne—if you still insist on travelling today.” She let Berissa go, and the little doe immediately ran off, charging into Teilos, the two children going down in a heap of play-fighting. Ohrinna sighed, and Fluttershy giggled.

“I feel much better,” said Rarity, smiling at Ohrinna. “I think it’s best if we leave as soon as we can, if only because it gives us a better chance to catch this relative of yours in Cotronna. A boat ride back would be a very welcome option.”

“What’s the difference between a shrine to Helesseia and Selyria, anyway?” asked Dash. A month ago, she’d maybe worry about whether or not they had a roof over their heads, but right now, she honestly didn’t think the bar for eligible sleeping spots could get lower. “I don’t think we’ve seen any Helesseia shrines.”

“Helesseia finds her home in house and hearth, not by the roads. I barely remember the western shrine from my own journey,” said Ohrinna, frowning. “It was long ago. Little gem?” She looked to Deimesa, who perked up.

“I visited it during my weeks in the western demesne this winter. It is the oldest Helesseian statue known to us,” said Deimesa, her tone reverent. “The only older Helesseian remnants are simple stele—but you do not ask for insights on the Aspects. If you look for shelter, you will not suffer. It is as covered as the Selyrian stele at Northern Crown.”

“That’s nice to know,” said Fluttershy, nodding in thanks. “I guess we’ll just stop there for the night unless we’re ahead of… well, we don’t really have a schedule.”

“Yeah, I’m not up for running after breakfast anyway,” said Dash, shrugging and grinning. “I’d need at least ten minutes before I’m down for kicking it up.” She scuffed the ground with a hindleg, rolling her shoulders. “Everypony ready?”

“One more thing, actually,” said Neisos. Rainbow Dash exhaled, her momentum blunted.

“Is something wrong?” Fluttershy asked.

“Wrong? No,” said Neisos, though Dash understood why Fluttershy asked. He looked everything but pleased. “But there is one final thing. I have thought on what little you told me of this strange bird you met in the Splitwood, and I now wonder—why do you not think it might be a heron?”

“Why don’t we… not,” Rarity repeated, blinking rapidly. “I beg your pardon? I’m not sure I follow.”

“Do you think it could have been one?” Neisos repeated.

“A what? What’s a heron?” Dash asked.

“Is that what they’re called?” Fluttershy asked. “The one we saw had a crooked neck, did we mention that? I think we told you everything we remember.”

Neisos and Ohrinna exchanged a long look. Long and silent, and the way Deimesa looked at the ponies honestly made Rainbow Dash a little antsy.

“What?” Dash asked, raising her voice a tad to break the spell. “What’s a ‘heron’?”

“I must be excused for this,” said Neisos, shaking his head. “Imagine that I described to you a strange creature I had seen—a yellow, four-legged creature, with stout legs and neck, feathery wings, and long pink hairs.”

“...Stout?” Fluttershy asked in a whisper, blinking and tilting her head forward to look at her own neck, looking for a moment like she performed one of those strange head-only bows that the peryton did.

“That’s not a strange creature, that’s Fluttershy,” said Dash, deadpan.

“And what you described to me is a heron, except you did not name it, so I assumed you were familiar with them and that it was not a heron. Perhaps you would not make the same mistake,” said Neisos. “But now I am sure.”

“I do apologise for cutting in, but you still haven’t said what they are,” said Rarity, frowning. “We all saw this creature, but we barely traded words. Surely you have a point in bringing this up beyond to tell us their name.”

“You know by now we do not travel as much as you,” said Ohrinna. “But that does not mean we hear nothing, and much is contained in our stories, which you also know—Berissa, do not hurt your brother.” She glared at the two children.

“Yes?” Dash said, tapping her hoof on the ground. These were things they did know.

“You are the first strangers I have seen,” Ohrinna said. ”That does not mean you are the first strangers, the first non-peryton I have known. Our stories contain much, and after kin—after peryton—there is nothing that features in our stories as often as the heron, who are named even in the First Stories. You are eager to leave, and to tell you every story with heron is the work of days, not moments, but they all end the same. The heron come to visit, and are turned away. The heron try to peddle their strange wares, and are turned away.”

“Turned away? Why?” asked Fluttershy. She curled her singed tail about one of her legs

“Heron are bad luck,” said Deimesa with a snort. She walked around her parents to nudge Berissa and Teilos apart with a gentle application of her antlers, standing diplomatically in between them.

Neisos gave Deimesa a lopsided smile. “This is true, but not very helpful. In the stories, the heron will have a plan, inscrutable and unknown perhaps even to the heron itself, but also thwarted only by the Aspect—meaning the person—who had the foresight to remember to turn them away as Helesseia once did, for the first mention of the heron comes from the First Stories. It is bad luck to paraphrase the First Stories, and I am no Claw-Priest, but I think I will risk it,” he said, furrowing his brow as he thought.

“I will take the children away,” said Ohrinna, nodding. Dash blinked, watching as the doe herded Teilos and Berissa a short distance away without delay, sitting down on the street-side with them.

“Why—” Dash began to ask.

“The words must be exact every time,” said Neisos, perfectly pre-empting the question. “They are the oldest words, and to so recklessly tear the words from each other into one simple meaning is callous, but I will do this for your benefit. We do not have the hours needed to find and ask of a Claw-Priest an exact telling. Listen, now.

“Helesseia wandered the land without shores—this already frustrates me to try to make simple—and she came upon the heron, watching their work. She showed admiration for their patience, if not for their work.” He shook his head sadly. “She likened them to the overflow of a river on the flat plains. After a great disaster, she saw that their work was not good. Forever after, when the heron sought to act, Helesseia denied them, but for every wall, they flowed around, for every dike, they filled it. The heron showed no anger, but simply kept moving. Their plan could be slowed, perhaps even set back so far it would never happen, but it could not be stopped, and so she told them to leave, denying them.”

“The western shrine has a very old story of Helesseia’s denial like it, which is not of the First Stories, and it is like this, too,” said Deimesa, nodding quickly. She waved at Ohrinna, who rejoined them.

“I wish you did not have to do this,” said Ohrinna, frowning. “It weakens the First Stories.”

“I shall attend the next telling with our children,” Neisos replied with a soft chuckle. ”Regardless, perhaps we are over-cautious, but our stories tell that they are best banished, stayed away from, avoided and ignored. These are not your stories, and I will not burden you with their weight beyond to say that I believe you did indeed meet a heron.” He smiled, but Rainbow Dash didn’t buy it. There was concern in his eyes still. “I am still surprised you did not know. Our stories tell us the zebra speak of meeting them wherever they travel, too, that these two species travel more than any other.”

“Never even heard of them,” Dash admitted.

“And we know a zebra,” Fluttershy added, looking pensive. “I guess we should ask Zecora when we get back.”

“Our list of things to do when we get back is getting very long, but yes, let us,” said Rarity with a small smile. “I do hope we’ll speak again. It’s been ever so nice to meet you.”

“If our meeting in Cotronna goes well, I’m sure people will start sending mail over the ocean,” Fluttershy added, smiling brightly as well.

“Come visit, or we’ll have to come back,” said Dash, grinning.

“Neither of these sound like such terrible fates,” said Neisos. He leaned forward with his muzzle pointing to the ground in a bow, Deimesa, Ohrinna, and a slightly dusty and scuffed Berissa and Teilos, too. Dash glanced left, then right, and joined in when Rarity and Fluttershy bowed as well.

“Okay, that’s great and all,” said Dash. “But don’t any of you ever hug?”

“They won’t ‘catch on’, and even if they did, it wouldn’t be because it’s you, dear,” said Rarity. “I just doubt a round of hugs is enough to start a—a revolution of physical affection. Besides, they probably think tapping antlers or whatever they usually do is more affectionate. Since when did you become such a champion of hugging, at any rate?”

“I’m not! I mean, I’m probably the best at it, because I’m the best at most things, but I’m not trying to start some hug craze!” Dash said. “But come on. Bowing? Bowing is for musty ceremonies and royal stuff, and it seems pretty stupid if antler-touching is the only other option. In case you missed it, I don’t have antlers.”

“Deimesa seemed a little uncomfortable with hugging,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head.

“Yeah, well, they were happy about all the other new ‘experiences’ we brought, right? How’s a hug any different?” asked Dash. Now she felt a frown coming on as well, her little rant stopped dead in its tracks. “Uh, you don’t think she actually mind—”

“She was fine, Rainbow Dash,” said Rarity. “Just a little… how would you put it? ‘Weirded out’?”

“Alright, cool,” said Dash. “Sure, whatever.” She worked a wing free from under the saddlebags just to wave it in dismissal, brushing the entire topic away. Behind them, the stone edifices of Vauhorn had been reduced to a black line barely taller than the pear trees of the orchards to either side, and the sun at their backs made their shadows impossibly long. “Jeez, they have a lot of farms on this side of town. That, or the sun’s moving fast today. Wanna canter for a bit?” she asked.

“I doubt we’ll make it to the Selyrian statue, dear,” said Rarity, shaking her head. “I meant it when I said I feel better, but if we can put the running and all that nonsense off until the morning, I’d be glad of it.”

“Meh, fine,” said Dash. They passed by the pear-tree orchards, the landscape opening up a bit. A little bit of clear land, then a farm that grew some vegetables Dash didn’t recognise. She could just barely spot the sparkle of blue water between the plants. No cliffs here, just beaches, be they sand or rock, and to their south lay farms, farms, and more farms, all crowding in the shadow of the distant hills.

Metaphorical—or was that ‘figurative’ shadow? Real shadow, not so much, anyway. Rainbow Dash kicked off and, with some effort, managed to grab a quick sip of water from her saddlebags while flying so she wouldn’t have to stop.

“I still feel a little bad for the way we treated that heron,” said Fluttershy when Rainbow Dash landed, though she didn’t appear to be speaking to Dash specifically.

“How we treated them?” asked Dash with a bark of laughter. “They were a complete butt. Besides, Neisos said they’re all bad news.”

“That doesn’t mean they deserve it!” said Fluttershy, frowning at the road as though the dirt path itself had insulted her. “Maybe they just had a really bad day. They can’t all be that bad.”

“Mm, it doesn’t take a genius to realise that it’s wrong of the peryton to condemn someone just because their stories tell them they’ve done so in the past. At least, that bit did not sit well with me,” said Rarity. She levitated out a bag of water for herself, grabbing a sip and then offering it to Fluttershy, holding it while she drank.

“Okay, when you put it like that, I guess that is a bit crummy,” said Dash, scratching her muzzle. “But they didn’t have stories telling them not to talk to ponies, and they sound like they get along with zebras, right? We know zebras are cool. Or, uh, speaking of zebras and first impressions, we kinda—”

“Yes, you don’t need to remind us,” Rarity huffed, her ears flat to her head. “We were wrong about Zecora, we were probably all thinking it just now—”

“I wasn’t. Now I feel bad about that, too,” said Fluttershy, sighing.

“—but I don’t see how that matters,” Rarity finished.

“Yeah I’ve no idea, I’m just saying,” said Dash with a shrug.

Rarity nodded. “Regardless, you’re right. The peryton have been wonderful to us—mostly—and I can’t speak for you two, but I simply cannot imagine the Ortosians disliking anyone. Maybe it’s just the Vauhornites?”

“No, don’t you remember Phydra telling us about heron visiting Stagrum? It sounded similar,” said Fluttershy, shuffling her wings. “And besides, I get the impression that they share their stories.”

“Oh. Phydra said that? I must have forgotten,” said Rarity, arching a brow. “That seems so long ago now, doesn’t it?”

Dash rolled her eyes. “Doesn’t matter. Neisos mentioned something about peddling, didn’t he? Isn’t that just selling stuff? Maybe this heron rolled into town with a cart full of rotten apples!” she said. “They didn’t say they disliked the heron. Where the hay do you get ‘condemning’ from? They just said that they were turned away, and that they were bad luck.”

For a moment, nopony spoke, but Rarity’s frown deepened bit by bit until Dash wondered if her eyebrows and her mouth would meet.

“I think you’re right,” said Rarity, finally, sounding exceptionally sour. “I still can’t shake this awful feeling I had the first time we met that heron, and I’m being unfair as a result. I probably missed your entire point, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I didn’t have a point. I know that the heron was a little… um, rude, I just think it’s sad to hear that the heron and the peryton don’t get along well. I know I said I didn’t feel anything wrong like you did when we left the fortress, but I still don’t like thinking about that meeting. I don’t know what that means.”

Rainbow Dash worked her wings free from the trappings of her saddlebags again and shook them out, as though she could shake away the memory herself, and she couldn’t tell why she felt compelled to do so. She didn’t remember feeling especially bad back then, either.

“Whatever,” said Dash, happy to talk about anything else. “Don’t judge a book by its cover. We know that. I just… won’t mind if we don’t meet any more books. Heron. Whatever.”

“And why haven’t we seen any of them before?” asked Rarity, humming. “Goodness, I can’t count on hooves and ears the different species I’ve seen in Ponyville over the past years, so if these heron are travellers, you’d think we’d have heard of them.”

“Anyway,” said Dash.

“We haven’t seen any zebra outside of Zecora, though,” said Fluttershy.

“True enough,” said Rarity. “Another question for the pile, hm?”

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to try to protest, to suggest they talk about something else, but the topic was spent anyway, and she didn’t have anything else to say in its place, so she simply pointed her snout west along the road and kept moving. They passed by a pasture of sorts, and Dash saw a few cows grazing—had she seen cows before in Perytonia? She couldn’t recall.

They left the last of Vauhorn’s western farms behind soon after, the last of them marked by a large packed-dirt circle of stele. The road kept close enough to the sea that Dash could taste the salt, a pleasant wind keeping the worst of the heat at bay while the sun sought the horizon. For a second, Rainbow Dash thought they couldn’t see the mountains of the Bow, but the grey tops were still there, slightly to her left.

Dash had no idea how the Bow managed to tower and positively loom despite being little grey nubs in the distance today. Probably just because in Equestria, mountains were usually solitary things, like a giant, clumsy unicorn’s horn poking out of nowhere, rather than rows of jagged teeth.

“Seriously, not being able to read these things is driving me crazy,” said Rainbow Dash, turning her head to keep eyes on a solitary stele by the roadside as they passed it by. “How long does it take to learn—no, actually, scratch that. Learning a language can’t be any fun. I just wish I knew how to read Perytonian.”

“I think the real problem would be finding someone to teach you,” said Fluttershy, her attention also caught by the stone monolith.

“Books, I guess,” Dash said.

Fluttershy nodded slowly. “But you’d need an Equestrian-to-Perytonian book. I don’t think you’d have an easy time learning it otherwise.”

“Right,” said Dash. Daylight still lingered, but only just. At their backs, the sunset was a vivid orange, the colour warmer than the wind. It’d been a short enough day, but she was more than ready for bed despite.

“I think I see it,” said Rarity, squinting off into the distance, towards the edge of the coast.

“Want me to go have a look?” asked Dash. She spread her wings with a snap. It wouldn’t be the first false alarm of a stele circle masquerading as their stop for the night. Nothing they’d seen so far had offered much cover from the wind, and Dash caught herself wondering if maybe they had missed this shrine-statue. Rarity had already wrapped herself in the thinner of their two blankets. “They said that this ‘demesne’ of Vauhorn is a day’s travel, right? We can’t actually have gone too far, can we?”

“No, I’m fairly sure this is it. Just look, dear,” said Rarity.

Rainbow Dash turned her head approximately two and a half smidges to the right, following the indication of Rarity’s horn.

“I think that’s the shrine we’re looking for, yes,” said Fluttershy, smiling.

“Alright,” Rainbow Dash admitted upon seeing the huge wings casting long shadows over a tiny peninsula that thrust out past the beach. “That’s probably it,” she agreed, following when Rarity headed them off the road and through the grass. The tall stalks brushed against Dash’s belly, and for a moment she wondered if she could just dart off to the side and lie down, pretending she’d disappeared. That’d get a good scare out of Fluttershy and Rarity, but the idea barely formed before she threw it away. She wasn’t in the mood for anything like it. She doubted either of her friends were, either.

The three soon moved onto a small path along the peninsula. It couldn’t be more than a hundred strides long, rock and earth defiantly ferrying grass over the waves of the sea to an overgrown statue’s little sanctuary. The plants around the little would-be island were gnarled and strange, but the statue itself stood completely untouched by the growth. Roots and bushes circled the peninsula’s edges, forming a low wall together with rocks, some of them sprouting colourful flowers.

“Do you know, when we found that statue of Selyria in the Khosta—the monstrous one—I told myself I did not think I could be surprised any more,” said Rarity.

“Or terrified,” said Fluttershy, her eyes on the top of the statue as it towered over them.

“Eh, it beats all these statues being the exact same, day after day, like back between Orto and Stagrum,” said Dash, though she honestly wasn’t entirely sure of that. The statue was far larger than any of the others they’d seen so far, and in some respects, it reminded Dash of the last statue they’d seen in the Splitwood.

The Helesseian statue reared up, kicking out with powerful forelegs that did not belong on a peryton, and her huge hind-claws gripped onto a tall, round platform rather than the ground. Her massive stone wings were spread in full, arching back instead of forwards, granting none of the cover Selyrian statues did. Her eyes were wide open, and her muzzle pointed straight up towards the sky.

Something about the sight chilled Rainbow Dash, but it wasn’t entirely unpleasant, either. To the east—exactly behind the statue—the sun set, and Dash’s coat felt almost electric, like she flew through a thundercloud charging up for a strike. The little peninsula and its dominating statue drank the last rays of the sunlight, casting the rest of the world into shadow by comparison.

Vaguely, Dash knew that neither Fluttershy nor Rarity moved either. All of them stood a few paces away from the statue, staring. When the sun finally sank into the ocean and disappeared, the statue glowed for a moment longer. Dash’s primaries quivered, the charge in the air disappearing without explanation. She spread her wings and shook them violently, frustrated. There had been no release. Where had it gone?

Rainbow Dash looked to the others, shuffling her wings to try to make them lie right, but she still felt antsy. Fluttershy stared at her own wings, clearly having felt it too, and Rarity’s horn glowed, which caught Dash’s attention mostly because Rarity went cross-eyed glaring at it.

“Stop that,” Rarity hissed, tapping her horn with a hoof.

“Is that… not you?” asked Fluttershy, tilting her head.

“No,” said Rarity, frowning, but even as she spoke, the light faded away, and Rarity huffed. “There.”

“What the hay was that?” asked Rainbow Dash. She stared at the statue, but there was nothing to see. Helesseia reared up, untouched by plants, all smooth stone unchipped and unblemished, not so much as a chip of her antlers missing.

“I don’t know,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head. She walked a little closer, slowly circling the statue. If there had been fear or apprehension in her voice on the approach, it had gone, now. She still fidgeted with her wings like Dash did, but that was all, and Dash followed in her wake. As large as the statue was, it wasn’t half as imposing as it had been a moment ago. The tension leaked from Rainbow Dash uncomfortably slowly, dripping off her like the midday sweat.

“It’s obviously magic,” said Dash, glancing back at Rarity, who followed in her steps as well, the three ponies moving in a line. “What kind of magic? You’re the one—”

“It wasn’t,” said Rarity, looking as confused as Dash felt.

“What?” asked Dash, blinking.

“This wasn’t magic. Not anything that feels like magic to me, at least.” Rarity scrunched up her snout. “I don’t suppose this was some sort of weather phenomenon? You two did your… your wing things, flapping and all.”

“Nah,” said Rainbow Dash. “There was a charge of some sort, sure, but it wasn’t actually anything—I dunno, weather-related? I would’ve smelled it if something lightning-y was about to happen.” She glanced up at the statue. They were right underneath it, now. The cylindrical base the statue perched on was every bit as polished as the statue itself. “Where’re we gonna sleep, anyway?” Dash asked.

Rarity adjusted the blanket around her body a little, pulling it up so it didn’t drag along the grass. “Deimesa said there would be shelter. As noticeable as this place is, are we sure this is the right one? I don’t see any inscriptions, either—”

“Oh, it’s here,” said Fluttershy, waving them over to the western face of the statue’s base. “I think I found it.”

Carved into the western side of the cylinder, a narrow, doorless portal led into the darkness of its hollow base. Rarity wasted no time in lighting her horn and poking her head through, disappearing inside a second later.

“Well, that explains it,” murmured Dash, following after. It wasn’t particularly large, but there was easily enough space for the three of them with room to spare for a peryton or two. In the middle of the circular chamber, a thick column supported the ceiling, engraved with peryton script.

“The letters haven’t faded with age at all,” said Rarity, circling the central pillar of the room. The light shifted weirdly when Rarity moved to the back of the chamber.

“The entire statue is like this, it’s almost too perfect,” said Fluttershy, the pegasus in shadow nodding.

“Yeah, I noticed that too,” said Rainbow Dash, slipping her saddlebags off her back, then the bag around her neck, casually putting them by the pillar. “Maybe it’s new?”

Rarity came back around, putting her bags by Dash’s. “I doubt it. They said this was the oldest known statue of Helesseia—but I suppose that can mean any number of things, really.”

“The grass by the statue is a little different from everything else here, too,” said Fluttershy while she worked herself free from her own bags. “The plants are different. Either someone’s put a lot of gardening effort into this, or—well, um. That’s all I can think of, actually, but I doubt this was done in a day.”

“Y’know, ‘no, Rainbow Dash, the statue isn’t new, you’re dead wrong’ works too,” said Dash with a snort. Fluttershy smiled faintly and shook her head.

“We don’t know, dear,” said Rarity. “But I don’t know what to do if not wonder,” the unicorn added with a shrug.

“If this is the story Deimesa mentioned, we know what the script says this time at least,” said Rainbow Dash, moving to the back of the room. There was little to see. Just a round room smaller than her bedroom. She poked at the pillar. “Something something, Helesseia, heron, rivers, flat plains, bad luck. Who needs to learn to read Perytonian?”

“You’re a natural, dear,” said Rarity, yawning while she unfurled their heavier blanket and unwrapped the other one from around her body. “Would the two of you grab the water and the last of the filled bread?”

Rainbow Dash shifted around a little, pushing the blanket back with her wings. She stared at the central column and all its little letters, if that was what they were. There were no spaces. To her, it still looked like pretend writing, the work of a foal with too much time on their hooves, like when Fluttershy had made a secret language for them to pass notes in flight class.

Rainbow Dash’d never learned that language, either, but she liked to think she did a good job of faking it. This particular pretend language presented a different challenge.

“If they find a way to send letters to us, how the hay’re we gonna read them?” Dash asked, frowning.

“What’s that, dear?” asked Rarity. She had her saddlebags out, rooting around while sat under the other end of the blanket.

“Letters. If anyone we’ve met writes to us in Perytonian, we won’t be able to read them,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Oh,” said Rarity, pausing her quest for whatever, staring blankly ahead for a second. “I didn’t think about that at all. You’re right.”

“That stinks,” said Dash. She poked her cheek with her tongue as she thought. “Maybe Twilight’s translation spell can fix that.”

“Perhaps,” said Rarity, finally fishing out a plain white thing that Rainbow Dash instantly recognised as one of the Vauhornite council masks. “But then,” Rarity went on, “I think she once said that one of the few things magic cannot do, is to make you understand something.” She tilted her head. “To be honest, I just remember her telling me that in isolation. I don’t recall how her translation spell for Old Equestrian factors into it. It’s not some sort of magic rule I learned in a magic class, at least.”

“If it doesn’t work, that’s really dumb,” said Dash. “We’ve met so many cool people, I wanna stay in touch!”

Rarity lowered the mask and smiled at Rainbow Dash. “Darling, don’t fret. I’m sure we’ll find a way—oh, welcome back. Everything went okay?”

Fluttershy shook her head briskly and ran a hoof through her mane to make it lie right, furling her wings as she stepped inside. “Oh, yes,” she said. “I, um, went to the beach. It didn’t feel right to go anywhere near the statue. It’s a little windy, too. You’ll tell me if you want company if you have to go, too?”

“Of course, dear,” said Rarity. She flicked open the saddlebags again and put the mask on top, levitating the bags over to the pillar.

“Oh, is that the mask you bought at market?” Fluttershy asked, smiling. “I think the council masks will make wonderful little keepsakes, really.” Her smile faded a touch. “Especially if you weren’t crowded by a lot of peryton wearing those, all closing in on you at once. I wouldn’t want to put it on my shelf, personally.”

“Keepsake?” Rarity asked, raising a brow. “It’s nothing sentimental, really. It’s for the ceremony.”

“The ceremony?” Fluttershy asked.

“For the dress I am making,” Rarity said. “Or rather, the costume I am making for the Cotronnan ceremony, or whatever it is we’ll have when we give them the sigil.” She didn’t sound very excited at the prospect, Dash noticed, mentioning it with all the passion of discussing chores.

“They have a receiving-a-sigil-from-ponies ceremony?” Dash asked. “How do you know that?”

“They must,” said Rarity, some of her fire returning. “They supposedly favour ceremonies, so they simply must, and if they don’t—well, surely they can appreciate if we make one.”

“Maybe?” said Fluttershy, her brow furrowed.

“Dunno, we’re really just there to throw them an invite, but whatever you wanna do—” Dash began.

“Whether it is an actual ceremony like anything we recognise as such or not is immaterial. It will be an event, and besides, it’s not about want,” said Rarity, her eyes narrowing. “Surely you understand that. I’ve met with failure after fashion-related failure here. I understand that putting all one’s eggs in a single basket is unwise, but Cotronna is my last chance at presenting something that the peryton will appreciate, at success, and this time, I really think I’m onto something.”

“I’m glad if you have an idea you like,” said Fluttershy, nodding slowly and biting her lip. “Of course I am.”

“I don’t even know that I like it,” said Rarity, letting out a snort. She pulled her blanket closer to her body. “But this has to work. It is not a question, just a simple fact. This must go over well.” She looked back and forth between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, sighing. “Maybe it’s easy for you to dismiss this. The cold was just the final straw: you both have wings and fit in here as well as anypony can be expected to. You’re not failing and stumbling your way through every place we visit.”

Rainbow Dash crinkled her snout. She opened her mouth to protest. That wasn’t fair at all, and besides, Rarity had done plenty of awesome stuff too. To the moon with the dresses, she wanted to say, but when she looked at Fluttershy and saw the other pegasus looking at her, Dash hesitated.

Did Fluttershy want to say something? Should Dash say something else instead? Usually she’d kick the problem in the flank and yell at how stupid something was. Dash would tell Rarity she was being stupid and wrong, that she was really awesome, and then Fluttershy would say something nice. All throughout this journey, they’d provided a one-two kick, but now Dash’s words scattered like cloudstuff under a hoof-strike while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash looked at each other.

They didn’t have to do it that way. They didn’t have to be as different as two peryton from different cities, but what else would Dash do or say?

It didn’t matter. The moment to speak had passed, and Fluttershy looked just as confused as Dash felt.

“Never mind,” said Rarity, shaking her head slowly. “That’s not right of me to say, I’m sure. Do forget about it.” Her magic surrounded a snippet of white that poked out from her saddlebags, whisking over a handkerchief. She cleaned her snout and sighed.

“Oh,” said Fluttershy. “That’s the handkerchief we bought for you at the market.”

“It’s wonderful,” said Rarity with a small smile. “Thank you so much.”

“I don’t remember giving it to you. I thought we’d forgotten.” Fluttershy tilted her head a smidge. “I’m sorry, I guess I’m wrong. I’m glad you like it, though.”

“Mm, I’m quite sure you did, and I do,” said Rarity, packing it away. A moment later, Fluttershy slipped onto their makeshift bed, and Rainbow Dash pulled the blanket up over their backs without a word.

“We really do need to make sure we have a way back home soon,” said Rarity. Rainbow Dash didn’t bother opening her eyes. She could tell from the murmur of Rarity’s voice that the unicorn was well on her way to sleep as well.

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash. Rarity hadn’t said the words, but Dash knew that the others wondered why she hadn’t talked to Luna about it yet. The problem was, Rainbow Dash wondered about that herself.

“Hopefully we’ll meet Neisos’ brother in Cotronna,” said Fluttershy. “I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time for that.”

“Mm. Perhaps that means we’ll visit some of the other cities again on our way back home.” Rarity yawned. “Rainbow Dash and I talked about it while you were outside. We don’t read their language, so we may have to find some other way to communicate with them, outside of letters.”

“We’ll find a way to stay in touch,” said Fluttershy, even more quiet than usual. “Somehow.”

Rainbow Dash reached out on a whim. She met one of Fluttershy’s forelegs questing towards her as well. She was warm to the touch. Dash kept her eyes resolutely shut, trying her best to sleep.

Rarity had been wrong about one thing, at least: Rainbow Dash knew what it felt like to fail. That she couldn’t get in touch with Luna now that they needed her was almost an afterthought. She’d also failed to be her best around her girlfriend.

Part of her wondered if things would be easier if she just told Fluttershy they should go back to being friends instead. She missed Fluttershy now more than ever, and the other mare acted even more distant, but she didn’t want to admit defeat. Rainbow Dash never backed down from a fight, never took a step back when she could instead fly twenty wingbeats forward.

Rainbow Dash snuck a wing around Fluttershy and clenched her own eyes shut even harder, as if she could will herself to sleep and dream—to dream anything but these vague nightmares. Her dreams had run away from her recently. She needed a blank dream of nothingness, and a chance of talking to Princess Luna.

Nothing. Rainbow Dash touched a primary to the corner of one of her eyes, trying to use the large feather to get rid of a particularly stubborn bit of eye sugar.

“You’re sure this isn’t spoilt?” asked Rarity. “They said it spoils quickly.”

“It’s fine to eat until you see discoloured spots,” Fluttershy answered, smiling. “Their bread is still made with grains, so it’s safe.”

“I’ll trust you, dear,” said Rarity, letting out a soft snort. “I’m tempted to just go for the hard bread anyway, whatever it’s called. At least that’s meant to be hard.”

“It tastes bleh,” said Dash, waving a hoof. She swallowed the last bit of her own filled phela. “I tried it.”

“When did you ever?” asked Rarity, tilting her head and flopping one ear in a very un-Rarity-like fashion.

“Last night,” said Dash with a shrug. She’d woken up twice in the night, but at least she wasn’t tired this morning, already back in travel-shape. She looked up at the statue again while she had a drink. Even from the shadow side where they had their breakfast, the outline glowed painfully bright. Another gust of wind tugged at her mane, a hot wind by any other measure, but pleasantly cold for a Perytonian summer morning. She grabbed her saddlebags and pulled the straps tight, Fluttershy and Rarity doing the same soon after, bags slipping around necks and blankets bundled on top.

Nopony said much as they left the statue behind, but Dash caught the others glancing over their backs, just like she did. Fluttershy mentioned she’d felt something electric like last night when she woke up at sunrise, but Dash hadn’t been awake. All Rainbow Dash knew was that she felt a vague sense of loss leaving the statue behind. She trained her eyes along the coast to the west instead.

“Yeah, I’m not in the mood for seven days of this,” said Rainbow Dash in a mutter. All of yesterday had been a single beach of rocks giving way to sand, becoming rocks, becoming sand again, while the hills inland flattened out. She could just barely make out a forest to the far south. The Splitwood, probably. “It all looks the same,” she added, but just as she complained, she swore she could make out something other than just endless flat coast in the distance.

“I think there are cliffs, or rocks at the very least,” said Fluttershy, looking in the same direction.

“I’ll have a look,” said Dash, in the air before the others could offer comment. Aided by the cool wind, and her bags feeling lighter still than yesterday, she cut almost straight up, sparing her saddlebags a quick glance to make sure they were closed tight.

She let herself be carried a little further inland, let the southwestern wind help her skywards and then kept going. It felt too good to work her wings to stop, she didn’t want to stop, still ascending when she felt her joints ache. Below, the peninsula shrank and Rarity and Fluttershy became tiny dots visible amongst the grasses only because of their colours. Finally, Dash levelled out.

Rainbow Dash wasn’t any higher up than she’d been during any of her scouting trips way back when they left Orto. The realisation made her want to keep going, but she’d already found an easy hover. If she needed an excuse for her slow speed, she could always blame all the stuff she carried, but it didn’t matter any more. Her momentum had fled.

She could still see Vauhorn and its farms to the east. Compared to the cliffs on the far side of the city, the lands to the west were flat. Some hills to the southwest cut all the way to the shore, and at some point not too far off, the road disappeared between some rocks, but the shore was still sandy as far as the eye could see. Which was far. The entire coast curved north to a point. At least there was some grey to break up the monotony of grass, sand and water. Something that wasn’t the forest to the south.

If she’d ever had any doubt that they walked near the Splitwood, they were now well and truly squashed. The verdant green woods stretched on forever, and knowing that it was far smaller than the Khosta, Dash’s mind spun trying to belatedly take in the other forest that they had barely seen. She folded her wings for a split-second and picked up a little speed, but decided against a dive. Rainbow Dash spread her wings again, descending in great circles instead.

“This is what you were eager for?” Rarity asked, arching a brow. On their left, a rocky ridge bullied the usually straight road, pushing it closer to the coast. In turn, the road disappeared behind strewn boulders, only to reappear a moment later.

“You make it sound like I’m some sort of rock-crazed mare,” said Dash, snorting hot air. “I just wanted something different to look at.”

“I kind of agree, really,” said Fluttershy. “It was almost too big, before. This is snug and nice. It’s even beautiful in places.”

“I guess,” said Dash, staring at some flowers that poked out from between some rocks. Every now and then, the road wended its way between the stoney hills, and plants hid in the unlikeliest places. “Honestly, I’m already bored of this, too,” she admitted. The landscape was hardly dramatic, and the last time she’d taken wing confirmed it. Low hills and mounds, a dry rock-scape presenting to the distant mountains. The beach was as white as ever.

“Maybe you’re just tired of walking,” said Rarity with a chuckle. “I think we’re all within our rights to be, really.” Her laughter petered out as she stared down at her hooves. “I’m going to need the longest hooficure in Equestrian history when we get back.”

“We’ll probably find the Selyrian shrine soon. It’s close to mid-day after all,” said Fluttershy. “Maybe we can take a break there while we discuss what to do.”

“Yeah. We either need to push hard or just take half a day off,” said Dash. She stretched her neck to each side, limbering up in pointless anticipation. She didn’t need to say which of those two options she preferred. Fluttershy and Rarity kept walking at their regular pace. Whatever. She’d convinced them to come along for a canter a little while ago, when the road was even flatter than now.

The outcroppings to their sides relented again, releasing them from the miniature valley. A wide, grassy rent cut through the landscape from coast to far inland. Just ahead, more hills. Were they hills if they were barely the size of a big house? More like piles of rock, really. Hundreds of them, like someone had salted the coast with boulders, none of which looked like the perfectly round boulders described in the Daring Do novels.

“I wonder what the shrine here looks like,” said Fluttershy.

“Probably much like the others along the roads,” suggested Rarity when nopony else spoke up, though she sounded distracted. “Did either of you see that?”

“See what?” Dash asked.

“Hm, no, never mind,” said Rarity, shaking her head. “I thought I saw something by… well, by the rocks,” she finished with a bemused smile.

“The statue here might be like the others,” Fluttershy continued with a nod, “but I don’t know. We’ve only seen a single one by the road here in the northern part of Perytonia. The waterfall statue in the Khosta was very different, even if it wasn’t as old as the ones we’ve found off the roads. Maybe this one is carved into the rock, too.”

“Is ‘Guess the Statue’ a game now?” asked Dash. “I guess it beats ‘I spy’. Barely.” She let out a raspy chuckle. “Whatever, I—oh, hey. We got company. Traders?”

“Traders without a wagon, in that case,” said Rarity, the three ponies’ heads turning as they walked. A group of peryton came into view, hidden behind a rocky outcrop until now. They were already easily within earshot, standing on a grassy knoll. “Not Stagrumites, at least. Nothing in their antlers. Maybe they’re Cotronnan?” she suggested, her smile brightening a touch.

“Travellers!” one of them called, dipping his head. All of the peryton, five of them in number, looked their way. “We ask your assistance!”

“Something wrong?” replied Dash, cocking her head. They didn’t appear to be in any distress at all. They just needed a checkered blanket and they’d be ready for a picnic. She glanced at Rarity and Fluttershy, who shrugged and turned right, moving off the road towards the little group. Dash got no reply except for a second beckoning wave.

“Can we help you with anything?” asked Rarity when they drew near. A few of the peryton stepped back to give them space, bowing low. The brown-white doe who had called them over nodded quickly.

“I, my sisters and my brothers—we have all lost the use of our antlers,” said the doe, her eyes downcast. Dash saw she stood over a bag, but she couldn’t see much more due to the grass. “We have all overexerted ourselves trying to fill our ohron with stones, but we cannot leave without these last two.”

“That is… a very strange problem to have,” said Rarity, raising a brow. “I don’t understand—are you traders? You trade… small quantities of—” she squinted at the ground, at something out of sight to Rainbow Dash. “Non-precious stones? What are these?”

“I think perhaps our magic is weak today. We must have eaten something foul, and these stones are very heavy, beyond our ability to lift. Can you aid us?” she asked. The doe motioned to the bag laying in the grass between her and Rarity.

“Tiny stones too heavy to lift?” Dash asked. “That sounds like, uh, what’s her name… a trick Khylari would pull, huh?” She grinned, but none of the peryton reacted at all. She’d expected some credit for using one of the Aspects, but instead, she swore one of the peryton glared at her, gone when she turned her head. Whatever, then. She probably got it wrong. “You want me to give it a crack?” Dash asked instead, taking a step forward.

The doe raised a hoof and opened her mouth, but whatever she was about to say, Rarity beat her to it.

“Rainbow, dear, I think I can handle lifting two small stones,” said Rarity, still looking dubious. “Just these two here?” she asked. “You want them put in your bag—or, your ohron, if you prefer?”

“Yes. That would be of great help to me and my kin.” The doe smiled wide without showing any teeth at all.

“Are you all… um, rock traders, then?” Fluttershy asked, shuffling her wings. “Oh, hello,” she added when one of the peryton moved a little closer, bowing to her again, his head low to the ground.

If they were rock traders, Dash was impressed with the way they moved the bags full of stone. Every one of them had an ohron at their side that hadn’t been there a moment ago, levitating them up and opening the bags while Rarity lit her horn.

“Not that I’m not happy to help, but you really could just have done this with your mouth, surely,” said Rarity, her horn brightening a tad. “Though, if you think it’s unsanitary, believe me, I sympathise—”

“Wait, I thought you couldn’t use your magic—” Dash began to say, as one of the peryton unfurled a length of rope from his bag. They weren’t full of stones at all.

“Um, what are you—” Dash heard Fluttershy say.

They were all cut off by soft sound like a massive intake of breath and a growing brightness. Dash yelped and covered her eyes, but it was too late. A blinding light washed over her in a loud whoosh.

“What the hay?” Dash yelled, her voice cracking. She blinked furiously to try to clear away the afterimage of Rarity falling backwards, of five peryton looking away from the blast. She jumped off the ground, startled into a hover on pure reflex just as there was a muffled crash below her.

Finally she could see again. Rarity lay on the ground, groaning, and a peryton tumbled over in a heap, tangled in a rope beneath Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy hovered in place a little ways off, and between and below them stood a peryton glaring at the other pegasus.

“What’s going on?” asked Rainbow Dash, frowning.

“Did something go wrong?” Fluttershy asked at the same time. ”Is Rarity okay?!” She began flying towards the fallen unicorn, but arrested her flight a split-second later when the doe in the center stepped in the way, looking almost as shocked as Fluttershy herself.

“They still do not believe what is happening,” said the doe, gaping. She gestured wildly at the pegasi. “Why do you hesitate? Go now! This our one chance!”

Four of the peryton spread their great wings, and ropes left their bags, sheathed in magic. Gone were their placid expressions, replaced with determined stares, but whatever they said, whatever they yelled at each other and at the pegasi as they took running starts and launched into the air, Dash heard none of it.

Rainbow Dash had reflexes honed by years of split-second decisions. She could realise the need for, decide to perform, and execute a ninety-degree turn all faster than Pinkie Pie could eat a tray of muffins—which was to say in no time at all. She could safely exit freefall from terminal velocity in the space between the lowest branch of an apple tree and ground level, something she’d done more than once.

During that single free moment afforded to her by training and experience, Rainbow Dash hesitated. She looked to Fluttershy as though she didn’t know where she was, as though she didn’t know the other pegasus hovered, frozen mid-air just as she.

Part of Rainbow Dash knew that they could do this. They needed to get out of here. No big deal. Rainbow Dash would distract the peryton by throwing a twister their way or swooping at them while Fluttershy grabbed Rarity and scooted.

Fluttershy would be terrified. Fluttershy wouldn’t think she could do it, but she would do it anyway and they would win the day. Heck—Fluttershy could outmaneuver the clumsy peryton while Dash picked up Rarity, instead. There were any number of ways this could go well, but for a half a second, Rainbow Dash did nothing but stare at Fluttershy, who stared back at her with wide eyes.

Did she always look at Rainbow Dash like that when something bad happened? Did Fluttershy rely upon Rainbow Dash to say something? Did Fluttershy need her to tell her to do this? What was to prevent it all from going wrong?

She knew she didn’t have to explain the plan. Fluttershy, we have to go, she would say, and Fluttershy would be at Rarity’s side in an instant because she’d know Rainbow Dash had her back. All she had to do was say the word. Or Fluttershy had to say the word. Somepony had to say the word, any word.

Rainbow Dash saw a peryton flying straight at her, slow enough to let her consider the colours of his smallest feathers glinting in the sun. She wondered for an instant if there was another way out of this, if maybe she could kick his stupid face and swoop under him—grab Rarity and yell at Fluttershy to get out of here. Maybe she could do it all by herself. Maybe that was the solution?

Half a wingbeat later, Fluttershy let out a yell. She got as far as “Rainbow—” before something crashed into Dash from the back. Everything went black.

Chapter 29

Luna

Find me when you wake up. Before your breakfast. We may have a problem.

-Celestia

The splitting headache told Rainbow Dash the difference between ‘waking up’ and ‘coming to’. At first, she wasn’t sure she had done either. She had to open and close her eyes a few times before she accepted there was at least some light nearby, and initially, that was all she got. Flickering light, and a loud rush of water. Something hit her in the back of the head. Not hard enough to be painful, but very annoying.

“Who—?” Dash said, but the question died in her throat unformed. She reached up to rub her head, but her legs were stuck. She pulled at them to no avail. Her forelegs were stuck together, and now she realised she couldn’t spread her wings either, and not just because she was on her back. Something slapped against the back of her head again, too.

“You will wish to lay still,” said a voice only partially succeeding in sounding gruff.

“Stop it, just—just hang on a sec,” said Rainbow Dash, gritting her teeth. “I gotta fix something.” She rolled onto her side and strained against whatever was in the way, but she couldn’t get her wings open no matter how hard she tried. Another light slap to the side of her head. Whatever jerk was responsible for—no, there was no one hitting her. Something hit her. The floor?

“I said, lay still,” the voice repeated, louder. Rainbow Dash squinted as the world around her slowly gained detail and her eyes adjusted. The night sky rushed by above, and that didn’t make any sense at all. No stars. A dark ceiling? She spotted some of those pointy rocks she couldn’t remember the name of, some of them hanging awfully close. Were they in a cave? What was up with the wood around her?

“Why are we in a boat?” Rainbow Dash croaked. She managed to lift her head just off the floor of the small vessel, peering over its rim. Far to each side she could just barely make out the cave’s walls through the light granted by a torch tied to the boat’s prow, its flames trailing overhead. She saw other lights around her, too. Three more boats barely bigger than the dinghies in Whitetail Lake, long and slim craft, all chasing torchlight.

Water rushed past them, the fire hissing with the occasional spray. Occasionally, foam splattered the back of the boat where a grim-faced peryton doe sat on her haunches, staring at Dash. Where was she? Where were they? Rainbow Dash’s heart skipped a beat.

“Where’s Fluttershy?” she asked. “Where’s Rarity? Where are my friends?” She strained against her bonds, pulling madly and wriggling as best as she could. If only she could slip one leg free, or better yet, a wing—

“Your friends are safe,” said the doe. Her antlers glowed, arresting Dash’s forelegs. Still dazed and weak, Dash redoubled her efforts to free her hindlegs. When the doe shifted her magic to her hindlegs, she tore at her forelegs instead, the boat rocking with each pull and throw.

“Cease this moment!” the doe snapped, her voice tinged with fear. “Are you mad?! You will throw us both in the river! Your friends are in the other boats, you can see them—stop!”

A splash of icy water hit Dash’s face, and she froze. Her heart beat wildly, but she forced herself to lay still even though her breath came ragged. She could swim just fine, but with her legs bound? Best not to take the chance. A quick glance showed ropes around her legs and her body, too. That’d be why she couldn’t move her wings. She let out a deep breath, and the doe visibly relaxed as well.

Peering over the rim of the boat again, the light was still faint, but she could see a snippet of pink hair hanging over edge of the closest boat. It was enough to calm her. It had to be enough. She leaned back down just as they hit another wave, the hull slapping against her head yet again.

“Fine. Water’s going the wrong way, in case you hadn’t noticed,” she said, frowning. “Or your boat is. Also, ow.”

“Clearly you ponies are great thinkers,” said the doe. She shifted her wings on her body. “Try to lie still. The river is violent. I would rather not you doom us both. You may wish to sleep. This journey will take a while. Too long,” she added with a sigh.

“Sleep. Right, yeah, cool, I’m totally gonna take advice from someone like you right now,” said Dash. “Where are you taking us?”

“Listen or do not listen. It makes no difference to me,” said the doe, ignoring Dash’s question. Her antlers were dead and dark, so whatever pulled them along against the flow of water, it was not her. The low ceiling of the cavern rushed along. They were moving fast.

“Do you fear the dark?” the peryton asked after a moment.

“Pff, no,” said Dash, rolling her eyes.

The doe nodded. “Good. When we leave these vessels, we must shadow your eyes, and I would rather you did not lose your other senses when we do.”

“Shadow?” Dash asked, scowling. “What the hay does that mean?”

The doe tilted her head forward, her antlers glowing with magic as she pulled some cloth out of the bag around her neck. “I am to put this bag over your head while we move for a little while,” she said.

“Right,” said Dash, sighing. She tried to shrug as best as she could. “That’s not gonna be fun.”

“You will have to forgive us for this,” said the doe, nodding.

“No I don’t,” Dash retorted. “I really, really don’t.”

At some point, Dash had slept. Despite wondering where they were going, despite the boat smacking her head, and despite how uncomfortable she was laying on her back, she could only stare at the darkness for so long before she dozed off. When she awoke, it was to a multitude of voices.

“—move them. You said yourself that they are quick as glare-beast,” said one voice. “Ahead of us when we did not expect it. What fell powers guide their steps, we do not know. They may slip.”

“If one of them runs, or even two, they will not leave the third,” said another. “That is not their nature.”

“That is what we were told, but I do not know I trust it,” said the first. “We know little of these creatures except their harmful lies. This is foolish!”

“We have our task, now still your voice. No more words than necessary when we move. Let me speak if we must,” said a third, deep and gruff voice. “And she is right. I trust the Guide’s words in this, but even if I did not? They weigh more than their appearance suggests. I have no desire to carry them. My back is bad enough as it is.”

“Well, if that isn’t the height of rudeness,” Dash heard a familiar voice mutter. “I weigh exactly as much as I—oh, good morning, Rainbow. Or, possibly evening,” said Rarity.

Rainbow Dash grunted and squinted. First, she only saw what she first thought were rows of candles. The glittering lights revealed themselves as strings of small stones studding the underside of four vaguely familiar upturned boats, reflecting the light of torches mounted on a wall.

Also, there was a flat wall, so that was new.

Apparently, she lay on the floor of an underground landing, large and flat steps carved into the side of the cave. Nearby, the river roared and foamed, the cave narrow enough that she could see the wall opposite, but outside of the simple platform there was little else except water and darkness. A group of peryton stood near a tunnel set in the far wall, talking. Rarity sat right next to Rainbow Dash, and to her relief, Dash saw Fluttershy on the opposite side of the unicorn, too, though it was hard to tell if she was awake. The other pegasus leaned against Rarity with her eyes closed.

“You guys okay?” Dash asked, clearing her throat.

“As much as can be expected,” said Rarity. She turned her head and nuzzled the side of Fluttershy’s head.

“Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash frowned. “How about you?”

“Sorry. Yes, I’m fine,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head. “I mean… I’m not, but I’m here.”

“Right. Good.” Dash sighed and closed her eyes for a second, her heart no longer in her throat. With a little effort, she managed to sit upright without tumbling into the water. “Where’s our stuff? Any of you figure out what’s going on?”

“Someone carried our things through that tunnel just before you awoke,” said Rarity. “And the stag who kept me company wasn’t very forthcoming at all. I demanded answers, but he kept telling me to be quiet. I’d say it reflected very poorly on him.” She sniffed, turning her snout up.

“And I just woke up, sorry,” said Fluttershy, her ears splayed. She leaned in front of Rarity to look at Rainbow Dash. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Head hurts, though,” Dash admitted, looking up when two peryton broke from the group and approached them.

“We are going to remove the bonds around your legs and cover your heads, and you will follow us. It is not a very long walk,” said a stag, levitating out a simple cloth bag from the pouch around his neck.

“I see,” said Rarity, giving him an arch look. “And you tell us this because we have the option to decline?”

The doe who had sat with Dash nodded. “You have an option. If you wish to remain bound, we will carry you. It will be unpleasant for everyone involved. Will you please walk?”

“I think I’d rather walk, at least,” said Fluttershy, her eyes on the ground.

Having a bag put over her head was unpleasant by itself, but at least it was big and loose enough that she could see her own legs. It’d be hard to walk otherwise. Rainbow Dash didn’t like the idea of being blind at the best of times, so she hurried up until she could see Fluttershy’s tail for guidance. It helped her keep moving, so she told Rarity to follow hers in turn. It was simple and monotonous enough—until they reached the top of the stairs.

After an endless ascent to the tune of dozens of hooves and claws, the stone steps suddenly ended. Rainbow Dash trod on soft soil, and a wall of heat and humidity slammed into her like a kick to the chest. Her head spun, and sharp birdsong chattered in her ears. She tried to spread her wings for any number of reasons—to fan herself, to taste the air, or just to try to fly away and escape the unrelenting warmth, but she was still bound, of course. She’d nearly forgotten the ropes around her midsection.

Dash stifled a sigh. Below her hooves she saw dark soil lit by shafts of reddish sunlight. She stood on a narrow path bordered by thick and darkly green plantlife.

“Let’s keep moving,” she heard a stag say. “Quickly now. And quietly.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t even have a reply for that. She’d thought northern Perytonia was as hot as any place could possibly be, and now she learned she’d been wrong. Having a bag over her head didn’t help matters in the least, and the air was as humid as a raincloud core.

“I can barely breathe,” she heard Rarity’s muffled voice behind her. “Not to mention what this is doing to my mane!”

“That is why we want to be swift,” said the same stag. “You must forgive us this, but it is not far.”

“Then tell us where we are going, and take off these unsightly bags!” Rarity snapped.

“You may notice that speaking, particularly yelling, means more breathing, which means less air,” said a doe’s voice. “If you feel faint, tell me at once, but otherwise, let us keep moving. For your own sake.”

Dash moved. She put one hoof in front of the other, trying to focus on the singed hairs of Fluttershy’s tail that bobbed ahead of her. She caught the occasional glimpse of colour amidst the greens, strange plants by the path-side, sometimes clinging to rock. Just as Rainbow Dash wondered at how strange the light was—it couldn’t just be the bag on her head—the heat lessened. Her neck no longer felt like it was on fire at least, and she stepped on wood. Logs? They’d hit a wider path, no longer going slowly downhill, and something blocked out the sun. She tilted her head slightly to the side, making the edge of her bag move. If only she could just see—

“Eyes ahead,” a sharp voice snapped.

“Right, whatever.” Dash had barely caught a glance of hooves by the side of the path. They were climbing a gentle hill, walking through an eerily silent crowd. Now that she knew, she thought she could hear them faintly whispering. It was impossible not to think of their forced march out of The Grove weeks ago, but even without the shame of that particular memory, this silence struck her as far more—what? Creepier? Heavier. It was the difference between a crowd watching her have a bad performance, and a crowd watching her sleep.

Occasionally, stray rays of sunlight pierced the cover, and she saw outlines through the cloth bag, shadows of what had to be buildings. Now they turned left, now a right turn. Sometimes they walked on hard-packed dirt, sometimes on small, stubby wooden logs half-buried in soft soil. After a long time walking upwards, the shadows to her sides disappeared.

“Are they—” someone said to her left.

“Hush!” said another.

“Hey there, what’s up?” said Dash, swishing her tail.

“Quiet!” said the same grumpy stag who did most of the talking. A second later, Rainbow Dash walked into Fluttershy’s tail just as the very same stag called for them to stop.

“Sorry,” Fluttershy muttered, barely audible.

“Why are we stopping?” Dash asked. She caught a glance of well-worn talons to her side as someone walked past her. The same stag again. She snuck a peek, tilting her head up, but all she could tell was that he walked all the way to the front. Past Fluttershy, at least.

“You will want to move out of our way,” said the stag, clearly speaking to someone else.

“You ma-ke a mis-take,” a voice croaked, each word glottal and heavy as though it cost the speaker greatly to voice them. “Why here?”

“It is not a question for you to ask. Not a decision for us, or for you to make,” the deep-voiced stag said. “Talk to the Guide if you have a problem with this. Or do not, because you decide nothing. Now move. We have her ear in this.”

A moment passed. Rainbow Dash imagined that the whispers nearby got louder—or maybe it was just the lack of any other sound, the missing hoof-steps and the lack of her own heavy breathing, given a moment’s rest. It didn’t last.

“Let’s move on,” said a voice to Dash’s left. Fluttershy’s tail disappeared out of view, and Dash hurried to follow. She barely caught a glance of another taloned leg, brightly coloured and too thin to be peryton, and then it was gone. They took a left. They walked, and the sunlight returned for a second. Right, then left again. The path got a little smaller, climbed, then widened, and suddenly she stepped on stone again. The light dimmed, and though breathing was still uncomfortable—hot beyond belief—it got better. She tried to spread her wings, and again she met the ropes, this time letting out a growl from the back of her throat.

“Who said we were to use this?” asked a high-pitched voice in front.

“No. Speaking,” the stag growled. “Try to remember. This way.”

“I—I still can’t see, sorry. I think I lost you.” Dash barely heard Fluttershy’s voice.

“Here,” said another, the voice of the doe from the boat slightly familiar to Dash’s ears now. “Mind your step, and careful not to scrape yourself against the wall.”

Now Rainbow Dash saw thick walls passing by to either side. They moved through a portal, a strong sweet scent wafting past them, and then through another narrow arch. The distant echo of voices faded, and again they were told to stop. A soft magical light made everything too bright, and the bag was pulled off her head. Rainbow Dash took her first deep breath in far too long, and she heard Fluttershy and Rarity do the same.

The ponies and no less than seven peryton all stood clustered inside a small room of roughly hewn stone, a far cry from any of the neat and smooth Perytonian stonework of the cities they had visited. Iron bars separated the furthest half of the room from the rest, running from the uneven floor and all the way to the ceiling, and shafts of sharp light spilled in from hoof-sized holes in the ceiling at the back of the room. It cast a strange glow over the entire scene, and the many shadows of the backlit iron bars striped their faces.

“Inside,” said one of the peryton, pointing a hoof to a simple, open metal door set in the iron bars. Dash recognised the voice of the gruff stag. He didn’t look half as scary as he sounded, unremarkable except for white splotches flecking his muzzle. None of them looked scary, really. They could’ve been a group of peryton from the streets of any Perytonian city.

Rainbow Dash shook her mane out and stepped closer to Fluttershy, pushing her against Rarity so they clustered together. Again she tried to spread her wings without thinking, straining against the ropes and wincing when her efforts yielded nothing. She stole a quick glance over her back, but she couldn’t see the knot.

“Alright. Enough playing around. Rarity, cut the rope and free me,” Dash said, widening her stance a little. She snorted hot air and pawed at the ground. “Let’s go.”

The peryton glanced at each other. One of them took a step away, forcing another one back. There was barely enough space for the crowd of peryton in this half of the room to begin with.

“I can’t, dear,” said Rarity. She didn’t even look at Dash, glaring at the peryton instead. “I can’t use my magic at all. I don’t know what these ruffians did, but I demand some answers! What did you do, and why are we being arrested?”

“Get the chains for this one!” snapped the stag in front, pointing to Dash. One of the peryton does stuck her head outside the room and hauled a length of heavy chain links towards them, yelling at another one to help her. “One of you go alert the others, close every door on the way out, and post guards until we have them behind the bars in case there’s trouble!” he added. A third peryton pushed a fourth, who nodded hesitantly and disappeared out the chamber.

“My wings are tied, too,” said Fluttershy, her tail low between her legs. “Rainbow Dash, maybe we should just—”

“There are hundreds of us just outside, don’t be a fool,” said the doe from the boat. “Step inside, and this does not have to be a quarrel in earnest. Please.”

Rainbow Dash sneered and took a step forward, delighting in their reaction. Despite being twice as many as them and almost twice their size, the peryton were clearly nervous. The doe tensed up, and most of them stared at her bound, green wings. Even the grouchy stag’s jaw was taut, and he said nothing—but they gave no more ground. A doe pointed her antlers at Dash in an open challenge.

“Maybe,” said Fluttershy, a little louder. Her ears were glued to her head. “Maybe we can just go along with it.”

Rarity huffed. “Rainbow, dear, I think Fluttershy is right. There is not much we can do for now—but I will have answers,” she added with a glare.

Rainbow Dash felt a gentle hoof against her side and sighed, relaxing a tad under Fluttershy’s touch. There was no room to fight. Even if she could get her wings free, the peryton blocked the doorway. It was barely big enough for the peryton to fit through—as though whoever had made this room was too lazy to dig a good-sized room for peryton, accidentally making it appropriate for ponies.

“Alright, fine, whatever,” said Dash. She turned a small circle on the spot, kicking imaginary dirt at the peryton.

“Chain her!” the stag snapped. “I will not have a warden-creature run wild in here!”

“They are meaningless,” said another when some of the peryton pushed forward, emboldened. “Those are false wings. It was part of their capture, you heard—”

“I do not care!” the stag replied, gesturing wildly with a hoof, ordering forth two does with a heavy length of metal chain between them. Rainbow Dash stepped back, but there was nowhere to go. Her flank hit the cold metal bars behind them, and her wings were already bound. She caught a wide-eyed look from Fluttershy, and for a moment it looked like the other pegasus might do something. Fluttershy moved towards her, but Rarity had a hoof to her chest, stopping her in an instant.

“Yeah, well, if my wings are ‘false’, whatever that means—” said Dash, grunting and twisting as they threw the chain over her back. She paused to snap her teeth at one of the does. She reeled and dropped her side of the chain. “—why are you so scared? What are you afraid of, huh? Come on, I can take you!”

She kicked out with her legs, a hoof ringing out against one of the metal bars behind her. The other doe grabbed onto the chain and tightened it around her barrel, and when it was wrapped around her twice, the grumpy stag stepped up and secured it with a large but simple padlock of sorts. The click of the lock echoed in Dash’s ears long after they worked away the no-longer-needed ropes from her body, and she slumped, breathing heavily.

“Now, inside. Please,” the stag said, the last word drawn out impossibly long. Three of the peryton moved towards them side by side, herding them through the opening, and soon the metal door slammed shut with a resounding clang. The stag who’d padlocked the chains produced a key, locked the door, and walked away without another word, most of the peryton leaving the room with backwards glances and unpleasant looks. Only the brown and white-speckled doe from Dash’s boat lingered, waiting by the door.

“You happy? Wanna tell us what’s going on now?” Dash asked. She braced her hindlegs and pushed against the iron bars. Nothing. They were solid. Maybe if she kicked?

“Before I go: If you need to relieve yourselves, call out,” said the doe, watching Dash’s efforts with utter impassivity. “The stag you just… met—Koltares—or I will take you, whichever one you are comfortable with. We will take you one at a time, but do not abuse our attention or you will go ignored, and none of us want this.”

“Wonderful, but we do not intend to stay,” said Rarity. “On whose authority are we detained? And what, exactly, did you do to my horn?” she added through clenched teeth.

“I don’t think we’re here on anyone’s ‘authority’,” said Fluttershy, folding her ears.

“I am not here for your questions, and I am not to talk to you more than I must,” said the doe, shaking her head. “But since I told you Koltares’ name, I will tell you mine to preserve balance. My name is Velysra. Velysra of Auspicious Spring. Again, do not abuse—”

“Don’t abuse?” Rarity interrupted her, the unicorn’s voice shrill. “You worry about us abusing you? Miss, is this a joke?”

“Whatever,” said Dash, walking over to Fluttershy. She bit onto the ropes around the other pegasus’ barrel and tugged. It was a lot easier when she could actually reach and get proper purchase.

“I don’t think there’s a reason to do that,” said Fluttershy, but she didn’t move away or tell her to stop, so Dash kept tugging and chewing.

Velysra shook her head. “This is the truth. Do you not realise we will have to bind your friend again if she is ever to leave this cell even for a moment? You have only made more work for us.”

Finally the knot came apart. Rainbow Dash yanked the loose ropes away and tossed them onto the ground. “Cool. I don’t care, though, but since we’re talking,” she said, tapping a hoof as she counted. “Fix Rarity’s magic, get my wings free, tell us why are we here, and tell us where our stuff is. That’s four questions. Let’s start there, huh? Oh, no: why don’t you just let us out? That’s five. Get answering.”

The doe gave Rainbow Dash a long look, then turned and left.

“Fine! Don’t answer us!” Dash yelled, her every muscle tensing until she felt Fluttershy nuzzle into the mane at the top of her head. The other pegasus spread her wings and stretched them out.

“Thank you for untying me,” said Fluttershy.

“Yeah, no problem,” Dash muttered, exhaling. She stared at Fluttershy’s wings and pushed uselessly against the chains with her own. Already they started to itch. “No point in us both being grounded. Not that there’s a lot of room to fly here, huh,” she said, looking up.

The holes that afforded the room light and air were long, narrow shafts cut through solid rock, all of them at the same angle. Most of them showed open sky beyond, and a few were partially covered by leaves or large, blue petals.

“Not a very lavish prison facility at all,” Rarity muttered. “There’s nothing here. No beds. Barely even dust,” she said, and she was right. The entire room was utterly bare.

“I don’t think this is a prison at all,” said Fluttershy. She stood by the far side of the cell now, her muzzle poking through the bars to stare out the open doorway leading from the room. Dash moved to her side, but there was nothing to see except the wall opposite.

“It’s not a hotel, that’s for certain,” said Rarity, frowning. “I wonder what we could possibly have done to be interred here. Did we break some law or other? Their method of enforcement is very brutal. Whenever our hearing comes up, I have every intention of telling them exactly what I think of this treatment.”

“What I mean is—” Fluttershy said.

“Rarity, it’s not a prison,” said Dash, interrupting her with a groan. “Come on.”

“Yes,” Fluttershy agreed. “We’re not even in Perytonia any more.” She moved over to stand right under the shafts in the ceiling, looking up as Dash had done.

“Obvi—wait, no,” said Dash, blinking. “That’s not obvious. We’re not?” She squinted up through one of the shafts. The sky was still blue, at least.

“What… do you mean, exactly?” asked Rarity.

“I don’t know,” said Fluttershy. Finally, she stopped her questing around the cell and faced Dash and Rarity. She licked her lips and took a deep breath. “But the birds I heard, the plants and the humidity—I think this is a tropical forest, a rain forest of some sort, and I don’t think there are any of those in Perytonia. I don’t know where we are, but… we’re probably elsewhere.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her shoulders and shifted her weight from one side to the other. She looked to Rarity, waited for someone to say something that explained things. That made sense of this. In the end it was she herself who asked. “Okay. We don’t know where we are, but who are they, what do they want with us, and why do they want us here?”

“I wonder,” said Rarity. She had that subtle frown she sometimes got when she was thinking, not entirely different from when Rainbow Dash tossed an impossible or stupid question at Twilight just to see what she’d say. “Allowing for our… internment here being a little non-standard, yes—I can see it now. Peryton or no, they don’t seem very Perytonian at all. They’re very different.”

“Uh okay, that’s not what clued me in. I was thinking about the whole ponynapping thing, because newsflash,” said Dash, flicking an ear, “none of the peryton we met were alike. That’s why this place is so annoying, difficult, confusing and—okay, I could go on. Do you want me to go on?”

“Oh. Hi, again,” said Fluttershy. She looked up, and Dash followed her gaze to the same peryton doe as before, returning again. Velysra strode into the room carrying Rarity’s saddlebags in her magical grip, her antlers glowing brightly. She put them by the far wall of the room.

“Those are personalized, and very precious,” Rarity said, narrowing her eyes at the doe, but she disappeared without comment, returning a few moments later with Rainbow Dash’s saddlebags, Fluttershy’s, and next, their ohron. When she finally brought the blankets, she put them next to the bars.

“I do not think you will need these for warmth, but you may want them for comfort. Stone is not friendly to joints,” said the doe, her face blank. Rarity stared at the blankets for a split-second before suddenly sighing.

“Right, no magic,” she muttered, still looking at the blankets as though she could will them to move. Fluttershy poked her muzzle between the bars and pulled the blankets through.

“Great, can you push the saddlebags through, too?” Dash asked. “Careful with mine.”

“No,” said Velysra, simply. “The blankets are harmless, but I am just placing your things here so they are out of the way.”

“I trust you did not so much as touch any of my personal effects,” said Rarity, staring at the doe.

The doe shook her head. “I have touched nothing, and I assume the Guide found nothing interesting either. She told me he does not care for what’s left.”

“What’s left?” Fluttershy repeated. “Did anyone else take anything?” She looked back and forth between the doe and the pile of saddlebags. Dash glanced over at her girlfriend, frowning at the note of fear in her voice. As far as Dash knew, Fluttershy didn’t keep anything precious in her bags.

“Still I do not know, and if I did? You may ask as many times as you like, but I am not here for your pleasure,” came the reply. “I will return with some food and water soon.” She turned to leave.

“When will we get answers?” Rarity asked, her voice rising, but the doe did not miss a step.

“Here. Take these as well. They should both be safe for you to eat,” said Velysra. Rainbow Dash cracked an eye open, watching some large, purple spiky fruits roll between the bars to accompany the smaller, yellow ones and the many small water-bowls the doe brought minutes ago. Finally, Dash got up and walked over to sniff at the offering. She grabbed a purple whatever-fruit.

“O-kayy, how much is it?” asked Dash, cocking a brow at Velysra. The peryton waited by the bars, saying nothing, and it weirded her out. “Ten bits for everything sound good?”

The doe tilted her head in open question.

“Rainbow,” said Rarity, a single word in a tone that bespoke weariness rather than warning.

“What? She’s standing around like she’s expecting to get paid—ugh, never mind,” said Rainbow Dash. She sat down on her haunches with her fruit, shooting the doe a dismissive look. “If you’re waiting for us to say—”

“Thank you,” said Fluttershy, giving the doe a muted smile.

Velysra blinked. “I just do what I must, but I suppose you are… welcome, of course?” She stared at Fluttershy for a split-second, shook her head and left at a brisk pace, her tail-feathers disappearing around the corner.

“What, are you best friends now?” Dash asked, scowling at her.

“No, but I don’t think there’s any reason to be mean to her,” said Fluttershy, frowning back at her.

Rainbow Dash bit down on the fruit. The spikes weren’t hard at all. Both the shell and the meat was tasty, and she was ravenous enough to eat banana peel anyway. The first one went down easy enough, so she grabbed one of the yellow fruits as well.

“Okay, I know that it doesn’t help exactly,” said Dash at length, rolling the yellow ball-like fruit up and down her foreleg. “But she was one of the peryton who tricked us!”

“Was she?” asked Rarity, leaning down to sip from one of the bowls. Watching the unicorn lean forward to drink like an earth pony or a pegasus would’ve been funny if it hadn’t been so weird. Unsettling, almost. “I must admit, things happened rather quickly, I don’t remember,” she finished, wiping her muzzle with as much nonchalance as she could muster.

“She was in my boat. Or, I was in her boat,” said Dash shrugging. “I don’t know if she’s the one who put us here, but she’s not letting us go! Whatever. It doesn’t matter.”

“I don’t suppose so,” said Rarity, shrugging. “Make no mistake, I’m not feeling particularly warmly towards her, either.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “It’s okay. I hope you’re not angry with me if I’m not mad at her right now, that’s all.”

“Of course I’m not angry with you,” said Dash, her voice rising a tad. “Come on. I just don’t have to like anyone who acts like this. Not her, and not that grumpy stag either. They haven’t really given us any reason—wait,” She blinked. “Hang on a minute. When they tossed us in here, they said something.”

Rarity poked at a fruit as if she expected it to hover up to her mouth. She cast Dash a sidelong glance, while Fluttershy wiped some purple juice from her muzzle and tilted her head.

“What is it?” Fluttershy asked.

“Nothing any of them has said has provided any answers or excuse that I’ve heard,” Rarity added.

“No, that’s not it. They called my wings ‘false wings’, yeah? They said they were ‘part of the capture’, did you hear that too?” said Dash. She squinted, trying her best to look like she was thinking hard while she tried to pin down this fleeting, elusive idea. She was pretty sure looking thoughtful was half the job, but her thoughts were all over the place.

“You don’t think they just meant you were not a threat with your wings tied up? That wings that are tied are ‘false’?” asked Rarity, but she shook her head at herself. “No, that’s nonsense. They clearly meant the colour.”

“You think they were the ones who sold me the ointment,” said Fluttershy, her voice hollow.

Hearing Fluttershy say it, Rainbow Dash’s breath quickened and her mouth went dry. “That’s it,” said Dash. “They got us kicked out. They tricked you. They tricked us. Whoever these jerks are, that was their fault!”

“Why—” Rarity said, but Dash cut her off, realisation flooding her.

“The strange peryton I kept seeing all over Vauhorn, the two stags who asked about us. Fluttershy, you remember those, right?” she asked.

“I do,” said Fluttershy. Her face was ashen, now.

“Yeah, well, I saw them all over the place!” Dash cried. “They were following us!”

“But—” Rarity tried again.

“No, no, hang on! There’s more!” Dash said, slamming a hoof on the ground. “Do you remember when I saw a peryton in the woods? I saw someone before we got to the Grove, and Phoreni didn’t believe me. She said it wasn’t one of them, that they never travel alone, and I thought I remembered it wrong, too, but I bet that was these guys! They’ve been following us all the way since then!”

“You think they’ve been stalking us?” Rarity asked, scowling. “Why? Whatever for?”

“That’s what we still don’t know. This doesn’t explain anything,” said Fluttershy. At some point she’d started shaking her head slowly from side to side, tiny movements like a pendulum always on its final swing. “I don’t understand at all.”

“If we hadn’t taken Phoreni’s advice and gone off the roads, we would’ve probably run into them way, way sooner,” said Dash throwing her forehooves up in the air. “This is crazy! We should’ve kept off the roads all the way to Cotronna! She said there was a chance we were being followed, how could we be this stupid?!”

“I don’t think blame will help at all,” said Fluttershy, regaining some of her energy. Dash knew that she tried to get Rainbow Dash to look at her, that the other pegasus tried to make a point, but Dash barely heard her.

“Phoreni was right all along,” Dash said, snorting in disbelief. “She was right.”

“Do you know, now that I think about it,” said Rarity. “I should have picked up on how peryton in the middle of nowhere, peryton we’ve never met before probably wouldn’t know that I can use magic. It is more obvious the longer I think about it.” She scoffed. ”What loathsome and underhooved tactics.” Rarity stuck her tongue out like she’d swallowed something foul.

“Yeah,” said Dash. “Stupid trap. That’s cheating. I could’ve flown circles around them all day if they hadn’t sprung that ambush on us.” She strained against the chains on principle.

“Even if they have planned this,” said Fluttershy letting her wings hang loose, as though it were Dash’s wings on her back, reacting to Rainbow Dash’s efforts. “Even if they’ve been following us for weeks, goodness, months—” she splayed her ears. “I don’t know that helps us. It feels awful, but we’re just back where we started. We don’t know anything.” She planted her flank on the ground and sunk down before she continued.

“And you were the one who said the peryton are all so different,” Fluttershy added, one of her lips tugged up in a smile for Rainbow Dash, a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “We all know that now. There was no way for us to tell that they weren’t really gathering some strange stones or something, not unless we wanted to be suspicious about every peryton we met.”

Rarity chewed her cheek and nodded. “You have a point there, dear. Don’t misunderstand me, I have no regrets. I don’t think being paranoid for the full duration of our journey was ever an option, I just feel a little foolish in hindsight. That’s usually the case whenever something goes wrong, is it not?”

“Yeah, well—” Dash started, but she didn’t have a follow-up. Just like Fluttershy had said, all she had were more questions, and she didn’t feel any less angry. Especially when she didn’t have anyone around to be angry at.

“Whoever these peryton are,” said Rarity, touching her mane, “what we do know is that we have to believe this is a misunderstanding. I don’t suppose they’re some sort of group who took a very big offence to our little misstep in Ephydoera?”

“Why would they be mad about it? They were the ones who set that whole trap up,” Dash pointed out, rolling her eyes. “That’s like putting a bucket of water over somepony’s door and then yelling at them for spilling water when they walk in.”

“And if they’ve been following us since before we got to the Grove, that doesn’t make sense,” Fluttershy added.

Rainbow Dash nodded her agreement with that, smiling just a touch at Fluttershy’s vote of confidence. No question on whether or not she’d been sure she saw someone in the woods.

“Very well,” said Rarity, nodding simply. “Then clearly they have the wrong people.”

“I don’t know. There aren’t any other ponies in Ephydoera right now that we know of, and I don’t understand what kind of misunderstanding it could be,” Fluttershy replied, shaking her head.

“A really long, complicated, dumb stalk-y misunderstanding?” Dash said. “It’s creeping me out. I don’t get why they don’t just explain.” She walked up to the bars and slammed a forehoof against the iron. “Hey! Can we get some answers?”

“I don’t think that’s going to help,” said Fluttershy, her voice nearly lost when Dash banged on the bars again. “They’ve already said they don’t want to talk.”

“We have to try something, dear,” said Rarity, moving over to stand by Dash’s side. They didn’t have to wait long before the gruff stag’s head showed in the doorway, staring at them.

“Hey, we have—”

“Velysra!” the peryton called, disappearing again before Dash could finish her sentence. Rainbow Dash growled.

“Wonderful. Not only are we detained against our will, we’re being subjected to bureaucracy,” Rarity muttered. Dash tapped her hoof impatiently until she heard another set of steps preceding the increasingly familiar-looking doe who stepped just inside the room.

“You understand, when I said not to call upon me frivolously, I meant it,” said Velysra. Dash knew ‘subtle displeasure’ on peryton faces well enough by now to recognise it.

“Yeah yeah, the colt who cried timberwolf, I get it,” said Dash.

“The what?” the doe asked, frowning now. “If you have needs, voice them plain.”

“The colt—right, you probably have some Aspect who did the same thing,” said Dash, groaning. “You know what I mean, don’t cry for help if you don’t need—”

“No, we do not have such an Aspect,” said the doe, glaring with sudden venom.

“Oh my gosh, I don’t care,” Dash snapped. “We want to know why you’re keeping us here!”

The doe shook her head. “No, what you want is to waste my goodwill. I am not to talk to you more than I must.” She glanced at the fruits and water near the bars of the cell. “I will return with more water later.”

“You can’t just leave us—” Dash shouted, her voice cut off and trailing into nothing when the doe did exactly that. Again. Rainbow Dash bit back a snarl and a yell—and the urge to slam her hooves against the bars until her legs or the iron rods gave in. She felt Rarity take a step to stand side to side with her, leaning against her, and a moment later, Fluttershy moved up to her other side, nuzzling that one particular spot by the base of her right ear.

Stone walls, a few rays of light, their stuff out of reach, and down a horn and a pair of wings, that was their situation now.

“I’m all out of ideas,” said Rainbow Dash. “What do we do now?” Her voice sounded weak to her own ears. She knew they were all thinking it. She knew neither Fluttershy nor Rarity had anything to offer, but she had to ask.

Fluttershy rested her head atop Dash’s. “Maybe you’d like another fruit?” she asked. “And you should try to drink a little more.” She felt her girlfriend’s warm breath against her scalp, the tiny vibrations when she spoke with her head atop Dash’s.

“We’ll try getting some answers again later,” Rarity added. “They can’t keep us in the dark forever, whoever is responsible for all of this. If it is not a misunderstanding, they must want something, and that means they need to communicate with us.”

Responsible. There was a word. Sure, casting blame was stupid, but if anyone was to blame, it was Rainbow Dash herself. She should’ve found a way to outfly all the peryton. She could’ve reacted faster and dealt with it all by herself. But she hadn’t. Rainbow Dash nodded weakly, pretending she agreed with Rarity, pretending that she thought food or water sounded good to her.

Rainbow Dash barely noticed Velysra return again. Though it was always her, the doe’s comings and goings over the past few minutes created a persistent echo of hooves and claws in the caves that made it hard to nap. Assuming they were in caves. It might just be the one cave. Maybe they were inside a hollow rock in a circus. Maybe they were on a huge boat carrying stupid rock prisons.

Probably not a circus, actually. She would’ve seen the canvas tent through the shafts.

For now, Dash went with Fluttershy’s theory of some tropical forest or other. One with caves and purple fruit. Caves, purple fruit, and a peryton doe on another return trip, all made in quick succession since the light outside began fading. She carried another awkwardly small bowl of water and put it front of the bars by the others. They had over a dozen, now, and the third or fourth time she’d left the room, Dash had given up trying to ask her questions. Still no answers. Not even to “why don’t you just bring a tray?”

This time, she stuck around. Dash opened her eyes fully and stared right back at the doe, waiting for something to happen. She noticed Rarity and Fluttershy both perking up. Ears swivelled and glances were cast while the unicorn kept fussing over Fluttershy’s tail, all despite the latter’s insistence that she was fine.

“I hope this will keep you well though the night,” said the doe, gesturing to the water. “If you will push the empty ones through, I will take them away.”

“They’re right there,” said Dash. She rolled onto her side and waved a hoof in the general direction of a scattered few wooden bowls. The blankets made the hard floor a little more bearable.

“Yes, I see them just fine,” said Velysra, not budging, still stood halfway between the doorway and the bars. “If you will push them through, I do not have to come any closer.”

Rainbow Dash caught Rarity looking at her. They both knew that sullen anger would yield nothing. In two seconds, Fluttershy would get up and do it, so instead, Dash beat her to the punch. With practiced and precise little kicks, she shoved them over to the other side. She sloshed a little bit of water knocking into one of the full bowls. She takes aim, she shoots, she scores! And the crowd—the crowd is probably a million leagues away, so who gives a hoot!

“There,” said Dash, raising a brow. What now?

Velysra nodded, her magic latching onto the rim of the bowls, pulling them along the ground towards her one by one, carefully stacking them atop one another. “I will bring you cold water as often as I can.” The peryton doe looked up at the ceiling, towards the shafts that served precious little purpose right now. Most of the light in the room came from the hallway, and that wasn’t much. Dash herself had barely noticed how dark it’d gotten.

“Would you like a torch?” she asked.

Fluttershy looked at Rainbow Dash, who looked back at both of them.

“There is enough air, good ventilation here,” Velysra added. “The smoke will vent.”

“I wasn’t worried about that,” said Dash, scratching at her snout. “I dunno. I sleep with the lights off anyway, and I know Fluttershy does, too.”

“I like a little light, but yes,” said Fluttershy, nodding ever so slightly.

“And I have no preference, though I am perpetually surprised at the things the two of you know about each other, given you weren’t an item before we left,” said Rarity, giving Dash a dubious look.

Rainbow Dash shrugged. It wasn’t her fault that Fluttershy decided to sleep at night, and that Dash sometimes had questions or thoughts or wanted a drink and happened to be closer to Fluttershy’s cottage than her own home. What was she supposed to do? Not fly into her bedroom and wake her up? Didn’t happen that often anyway.

“Does this mean you do not wish for me to set up a torch?” asked the doe. “The plainer you speak, the easier I may help.”

“Help,” Dash repeated under her breath, but she doubted anyone heard her. She had run out of venom for the day anyway. “Can you at least tell us why we’re here?” she asked. The chains clinked softly as she shifted where she half sat, half lay on the blanket. She tried her best to make it sound like she thought it was a reasonable question and not a demand.

The doe rolled her jaw, but did not walk away, so that was something. Instead she just looked at them for a while, her eyes on Rainbow Dash, now on Rarity, and next on Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash wondered what she was looking for, because there couldn’t be much to see. Dash lay on their folded blankets lazing about, neither thirsty nor hungry. Rarity, without her grooming magic, just… touched Fluttershy’s singed tail as though she could smooth the burnt bits away. Fluttershy occasionally glanced up through the aerating shafts, otherwise silent.

All in all, if they were the Equestrian exhibit at a zoo, Dash wouldn’t give them the time of day.

“I think our answer to the torch thing is ‘no thank you’, but it’s very nice of you to ask,” said Fluttershy when the silence stretched on. “And it’s kind of you to bring us cold water, too.” She smiled at Velysra. “It’s really hot here.”

“It is,” said Rainbow Dash, her voice full of suspicion. She felt her snout scrunch. “Both, I mean. Yeah, it’s hot, but you are being nice. Why bother?”

The doe shrugged. “Why would I not be nice? There is neither sense in, nor room in my prong for acting cruel, even towards such as you—now, will you push the omresh shells through, too? They will smell if left too long.”

Rainbow Dash looked at the little pile of the yellow, awful-tasting peels, as foul as the juicy fruit was tasty. They lay close enough to the bars, meticulously gathered by Rarity’s hooves.

“They’re right there,” said Dash. “Can’t you just magic them through the bars?”

“I would have to get closer,” said the doe.

“Yeah?” said Dash, shrugging, but predictably enough, two seconds without an explanation later, Fluttershy got up and pushed them through the bars, letting Velysra gather them in one of the empty bowls. Rainbow Dash frowned still.

“Why won’t you come closer? Are you afraid of us?” Dash asked.

Predictably, she got no answer, which was an answer, too. From the wrong side of the bars, knowing the doe was afraid of her wasn’t much of a victory anyway. Rainbow Dash rolled onto her back, toying with the idea of charging at the bars just to see if she could make Velysra jump. She couldn’t be bothered. She’d almost gotten comfortable, and besides, Fluttershy was right. It wouldn’t change much.

“We don’t want to hurt anyone,” said Fluttershy, lowering her head a touch. “And we never did—or at least, we still don’t understand if we have done anything wrong. You don’t have anything to be afraid of, I promise. We just want to go home.”

“We’re not the ones who are in the business of attacking strangers,” Rarity added with a small huff. “We don’t know why we are here, but clearly you think you know. What do you mean by ‘such as you’?”

“And seriously, why don’t you just bring all the bowls on a tray if you can’t carry them all at once?” Dash asked.

Rarity arched a brow, staring at her, and Fluttershy blinked.

“What? It doesn’t make any sense,” Dash said, shrugging. “I get tired from watching her make all these trips. Don’t you?”

“Because I am not to bring anything to your room that may be a risk,” said Velysra, shifting uneasily. “I do not know what you may do with a tray. These wooden bowls are necessary for water, and you must eat. These are risks we must take, but we will not court disaster.”

“See? My question got answered,” said Dash, grinning. She filed the fact that peryton thought they could destroy iron bars and stage an escape with a food tray under ‘awesome’. No need to correct her, there.

“Yes, wonderful,” said Rarity. “Well, it would be very nice if you would tell us when we can expect an explanation, at least. I hope you understand how frustrating this is for us.” She stood up and walked up to the nearest water-bowl, once again staring at it for a second before she remembered she didn’t have the use of her horn. The unicorn closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“And scary,” said Fluttershy, leaning over to rub a hoof along Rarity’s side. “I guess that makes all four of us here scared, and that doesn’t seem right to me.”

Rainbow Dash wanted to protest that, but she didn’t. She watched the peryton give Rarity a long look, her eyes wandering from Rarity’s horn, to Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and finally back to Rarity again before lowering her gaze.

“You understand this is not what I normally do. We do not have… guests, like you,” said Velysra, for once speaking instead of staring. “I am not trained to do this. None are. The task fell to me when—no. This you do not need to know, but if I make wrongs, it is because of this.”

“You are clearly not a constable of any sort,” said Rarity affably.

“What do you usually do?” asked Fluttershy. She moved up to the bars with the almost unnaturally slow gait she used around animals. She seemed to float up to the border of their prison, resting her head against one of the iron bars.

“I mend those who are hurt,” said Velysra. “I am in the prong of soothing, working to salve hurts and set bones. Cal—the Guide, she… needed some to collect you, and of those, two to take this task of shielding the others from you. I volunteered, as did Koltares.” She tilted her head sideways. “I should not say even this much, but telling of myself, that is for me to do, and so I say this as well: I also wanted to see for myself.

“Others fear you for what you represent or what you may do. Koltares will not look upon you unless he must, so keeping you fed is now my task alone. Personally, I fear you not for what you may do. I fear you for what you have already done.”

“That explains very little, I am afraid,” said Rarity, shaking her head.

“I did not mean to explain. I have said many times now, I am not to tell you anything. I meant to answer one question about myself, and anything else that spilled from me is to give it a frame, to suggest I am not capricious or malicious, that there are reasons,” said the doe with a small shrug.

“So you are a doctor,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her. “A healer.”

The doe blinked at the return to the other topic. “Yes? Yes. That is correct. I heal.”

“Heh. Well, congratulations anyway,” said Dash, grinning to herself. She hadn’t really expected to get answers, but she caught one thing buried in the words that she could certainly appreciate. “The doctor’s the only ones who dares to feed the scary, bloodthirsty ponies, huh? Bet that gets you a lot of hoof-bumps and stuff. Good on you.”

“Hoof-bumps,” the doe repeated, the words awkward from her mouth.

“I’ll show you,” said Dash, laughing. She got up and stuck a foreleg through the bars. “C’mere.”

Velysra took a step back, her head turned sideways. “No. I will not fall to deception so easily.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and put her leg back down. “Right. That’s what I’m doing. Tricking you into a hoof bump.”

“What Rainbow here means is that if you’re all so very afraid of us, it is brave of you to volunteer,” said Rarity.

“Then you misunderstand. It has not served me well. Now I am feared as well,” said the doe, shaking her head simply, her face blank.

“Even if you don’t believe that we don’t mean to hurt you, maybe you’ll understand if you get to know us,” Fluttershy said, her serene smile showing a little crack now. “Um, hopefully quickly, because we’d really like to leave.”

“I doubt this. I should not be speaking to you,” said the doe, though she made no motion to leave.

“If you’re feeling generous with answers, there are a few others I feel we are entitled to, if you don’t mind me saying,” said Rarity, softly clearing her throat. She went cross-eyed as she pointedly looked up at her own horn.

Velysra took a deep breath. “Perhaps… I will be allowed to explain what can do no harm. The Guide can only expect so much of me, only blame me so much. You worry about your magic—”

“Is there reason to worry?” Rarity interjected, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks.

“No. It will return within days,” she said. “This is not the work of our magics. We were told the stones we used were temporary. The charge of the stones should deplete your… unicorn magic, is it? I do not think the Guide would permit their use if it brought you true harm.” She frowned slightly, chewing her cheek. “I must believe this. Regardless, we will need to have you touch the stones again in a few days for all our safety.”

“Yeah, that’s gonna happen,” Rainbow Dash muttered.

“That is more than I should have said, all together. You ask for greater answers. Our Guide will visit you soon. She has confided this in me.” The peryton doe shook her head. “I do not know that you will have the answers you seek, but she will come visit soon, or perhaps tomorrow. She is busy much of the time, but this is… important to her. She tasked us to find you for a reason.”

“That’s good,” said Fluttershy, nodding. “I’m sure she’s very nice, and we can all work out what the problem is, or clear up the misunderstanding.”

“And then we can be on our way again soon,” Rarity agreed. “You have the wrong people, I’m convinced.”

The doe tilted her head. “I do not think we do.”

“You got something wrong, at least,” said Dash. “Seriously, what do you think we’ve done, anyway? Did we step on the magical grass?”

“There is no think, and no ‘I’ in my thoughts on what you claim to represent,” said the doe. She shook her head briskly. “This is not a conversation we will have, but I… am conflicted. You are not what I expected. I must speak to the Guide and make sense of you for myself. If nothing else is true, it is my duty as soothe-prong to learn what I am allowed to tell you, since this not-knowing seems to distress you in earnest.”

“Yeah. And you don’t want to distress us,” Dash deadpanned.

“Rainbow Dash, she’s being very kind to us,” Fluttershy said, pinning her with a look.

“I do not wish to distress you,” the doe repeated with a nod. The wooden bowls stacked in front of her hovered off the ground, secure in her magical grip. “Sleep well.”

“Good night,” said Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash sighed and watched their only source of answers disappear out the door. At least they had a promise of someone else to talk to tomorrow.

“Torches,” said Rarity when they were alone again.

“What?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“They use torches. Not firefly lamps like civilized people, nor the quaint little glow-globes they had in the other cities. Not even the plant fluids they used in Ephydoera, but torches.”

“It makes it feel a little more dungeon-y,” said Fluttershy, shuffling her wings. “I don’t like it, if I have to be honest. This place really didn’t need to be any scarier.”

“Yeah, well, apparently she, or they are even more scared than we are,” said Dash, snorting. “I don’t get that.”

“She didn’t show it, but sometimes it’s really easy to hide—” Fluttershy started to say.

“No, I believe her,” said Dash, waving a hoof in the air. “If she says she’s scared, sure, whatever, some of the peryton are great at being all stone-faced and stuff, I just don’t get why. It can’t just be because my wings have a weird colour.”

“From what Fluttershy told me, Deimesa showed a healthy respect for you pegasi and your weather magic and such,” Rarity offered.

“Uh, yeah, but we haven’t really talked about the weather stuff a lot.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “At least, we didn’t before we got to Vauhorn. I don’t think anyone else got scared—no, actually, even Deimesa wasn’t really scared, she just thought it could be dangerous. You don’t ponynap someone just because of that!” Dash squinted at Rarity’s horn. ”They really don’t want you to have your magic, though.”

“My magic, yes,” said Rarity, letting out a heavy breath, her eyes half lidded. “Such as it is. If they’ve been spying on us, they should know that it hasn’t been much help to us at all. I can’t say it makes a lot of difference whether I can use my horn or not. I may as well not have it at all.”

Rainbow Dash frowned. Rarity was putting herself down again. She looked to Fluttershy, wondering if maybe she’d say something to make Rarity feel better. Fluttershy looked right back at her, as if she expected the same—or rather, the opposite, for Dash to tell Rarity how stupid that was, but Rarity already went on. A second had passed, enough to let her draw breath to let out another little sigh.

“I suppose we can add that to the pile of things that don’t matter. None of the other peryton strike me as the sort who’d trap us just because we can do things they cannot,” said Rarity. “None of them have been scared of us like this. Can you imagine Princess Celestia ordering peryton jailed in Equestria because—ah, I don’t know quite what, because they have this freakish ability to handle the heat?”

“‘They don’t get cold as easily as unicorns? Throw them in the dungeon’!” said Rainbow Dash. “Yeah, like that’s gonna happen.” She let out a bark of laughter.

Rarity nodded. “My point precisely, and if Fluttershy is right in that we’re no longer in Perytonia—”

“I’m not sure,” Fluttershy interjected.

—then there’s no real point in trying to make sense of this until we learn more,” Rarity went on. “None of the peryton we’ve met so far have done anything but put their best hoof forward: Nothing we’ve learned about peryton helps here, that much is evident.”

“They even talk differently,” said Fluttershy. Now she, too, looked all frown-y and thinking-y. Maybe Rainbow did, too. She couldn’t tell without a mirror.

“I dunno if that matters. The Ephydoerans talked all strange, too,” Dash said. “They were all ‘don’t say yes or no’ and stuff, and none of the others cared about that.”

“Huh. No, I think Fluttershy is right,” Rarity said. “It’s strange, isn’t it? We’ve had some trouble understanding all the other peryton because they emphasised different Aspects, or they’ve had different rules and such, but from what little we’ve seen here, nothing here stands out at all.”

“What’s different is that nothing is different.” Dash squinted. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

Fluttershy rubbed at a foreleg with the other. “Actually, it does. Velysra got angry when you mentioned an Aspect. At first I thought maybe you just misunderstood the Aspect, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard a peryton talk so much without mentioning any Aspects at all. I think that’s a little strange.”

“Oh. Yeah,” said Dash. She sat down next to Fluttershy with a heavy thump. “Okay, I guess that is weird. So we don’t know where we are, and we don’t know who they are except that they’re probably not from any of the five cities.” She exhaled and groaned. “What does that mean, anyway? This is pointless. None of this helps!”

“Understanding our situation is the first step to—” Rarity frowned. “Well, to whatever’s next. I think Twilight said as much, once.”

“Just think of the rules of flight,” said Fluttershy. “All maneuvers begin with proper wing positioning.” She smiled. It was a faint little thing, but a smile nevertheless, and that helped—until Rainbow Dash realised her wings were chained. Fluttershy must’ve realised, too. Her eyes slipped to Dash’s back for a second.

“Yeah, well, it’s a start,” said Dash, but her own smile wouldn’t stick. “I really wanna talk to this Guide-person, whoever she is. She better have a good reason to keep us here.”

Rarity joined the two pegasi, but didn’t say a word, and in the silence that followed, any anger Dash may have felt became slippery, hard to hold on to. The air was stuffy and the room felt more cramped by the minute. She heard the rustle of feathers and felt Fluttershy’s wing drape over her and Rarity both, glad of it.

She nosed into Fluttershy’s coat and closed her eyes, vowing to find a way out of this mess she’d made, all by herself.

Chapter 30

At first I thought it was just Bluebell, but this morning, Beaky, Dusty and Glimmerflap all told me they’d like to perform at the Summer Sun Celebration, too. I don’t know what to do! So many of my little bird friends, all excited to sing in front of the Princess when she visits Ponyville, but they can’t agree on a song without me directing them.

I just don’t know myself. Rainbow Dash always tries to talk me into going to these Summer Sun things. Well, I always go, of course, but she wants me to help out this time, to bring the birds and be a part of the celebration, and this is year one thousand, after all, with Princess Celestia herself coming to visit.

Really, I think Rainbow Dash just wants some company while she does her own part keeping the sky clear, but it’s not a job for two pegasi. She wants us both to volunteer for something.

Maybe this is the year I finally do try to help out a little. I don’t like the idea of so much attention, but if ponies are excited to hear Bluebell and the others sing—and if the birds themselves are excited to sing, too—that helps a little. If Rainbow Dash likes the idea, too, well… Everything is a lot easier together, isn’t it?

There will be ever so many ponies, though.

Good night, Diary,

-Fluttershy

“Bit for your thoughts?” asked Rarity. “If you are pining for the outdoors, let me tell you, having a blindfold around my eyes while they took me outside this morning may just have put me off my basic needs for a week. I don’t recommend it.”

Rainbow Dash tried to be inconspicuous about looking. Not that she had to hide looking at her girlfriend, generally, but still.

“Mm, no, that’s not it,” Fluttershy replied, stretching her neck out to get the tiniest bit closer to the shafts in the ceiling above. “I heard birdsong this morning, and I thought I saw something move, once.”

Dash squinted.

“Ah. Well, I’m glad you manage to keep yourself entertained,” said Rarity, casting a cursory glance up and out. “Whatever is happening up there must be more interesting than what happens down here.”

Now, Rainbow Dash was sure. The little furrow across Fluttershy’s left hindleg wasn’t just burnt fur. There was a tiny scar there as well, a welt of singed skin underneath. She sat down next to Fluttershy and leaned closer to make sure. Definitely a little scar, a jagged line across her hock.

“Eep!” said Fluttershy, jumping away all of a sudden, backing against the far wall.

Dash was up in a flash. “What? What’s wrong?” she asked, looking all around, bewildered.

“You were breathing on my leg,” Fluttershy said, curling her tail around the leg in question, her blank look of surprise melting away under a giggle soon after. She moved back, closer to Rainbow Dash. “You startled me.”

“Right, sorry,” Dash muttered.

Fluttershy had lied to her. She had to have felt the lightning strike, but of course she’d hide that. Dash messed up with the thundercloud, and she’d messed up again in letting Fluttershy down, in letting them all get captured. She rose to stand and shook her mane out. Fluttershy nuzzled her like nothing was wrong at all.

“Koltares! Ask some to help you, watch the door!” said a familiar voice. “If any ask, the Guide is not here—or we have no visitors! Either or both!” Velysra passed by the door at a brisk walk without so much as looking their way. A moment later, she came back the other way at a run, the gruff stag from yesterday following her at speed, looking alert.

“What’s this, then?” asked Rarity, perking up. “Maybe it’s time we get some answers?”

“Finally,” said Dash.

“They are here?”

A new voice, clear and vaguely effeminate carried words far, even at a regular speaking volume.

“Koltares, the door.” Velysra, again. “Do you want me to follow? They…” her voice trailed off. Too indistinct for Dash to hear.

“No. Stay with Koltares. You have already proven you can handle the weight of this burden.”

“Cal—”

“Stay away, please.” Now the new speaker said something too quiet to make out. An urgent murmur.

“Yes, Guide Ascendant,” said Velysra. One set of steps receded, another grew louder and louder. Rainbow Dash rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck from side to side, and both Rarity and Fluttershy stood at full alert with ears perked when the strange new doe appeared in the doorway.

“Yeah, it’s definitely showtime,” Dash muttered under her breath.

The Guide was a little short and stocky for a peryton, and unlike the other bare peryton they had seen, she entered the room heavily adorned. Around her neck hung several necklaces with rows of orange gems or stones, and more of the same material made up bracelets around each of her legs, glowing faintly as though they drank from the sunlight that spilled through the shafts. Though her body was an unruly mix of browns, whites and greys, her cream-coloured forelegs ended in black. Judging by the way she shed a little powder with every step, they were inexpertly dyed with something.

Twice as strange as what she wore was the look on her face, though. For the longest time, she said nothing. The curious peryton doe with her regal bearing stood just inside the doorway, staring at them with her jaw slack. Had her chest not moved with breath, Dash would’ve been tempted to think her a statue.

“I had hoped someone was wrong, but with each step I take, with every breath, I find more damning truth,” said the peryton, shaking her head slowly.

“With all due respect, miss… Guide, whichever title you prefer—” said Rarity.

“I have no title to you. You are not kin to us. This is obvious to me,” said the Guide. She sounded distracted, breezy, her eyes roaming the ponies’ bodies rather than looking them in their eyes. Now she stared at Rarity’s chest, now her eyes fell upon Fluttershy’s legs, her head shifting slightly side to side. Rainbow Dash stepped in front of Fluttershy, but the Guide’s eyes stuck to her legs instead. It was like trying to stop a ray of sunlight.

“Regardless,” Rarity tried anew, her smile stiff. “Let us dispense with the crypticisms, shall we? We have a right to know why we are here, and if there is any shred of decency in you, you will tell us.”

The peryton’s floaty, almost indifferent mannerisms disappeared in an instant. She blinked, and in a moment, she was transformed. Her head rose a tad, and her expression turned serious and sour.

“I understand your frustrations, but you are in no position to make demands,” she said.

“Then maybe you have questions?” Fluttershy suggested, moving around Rainbow Dash to stand at her side instead. “We don’t really have any secrets, and we’ll be happy to help in any way we can. Why don’t you ask us what you want to know, and then afterwards, maybe you can let us go?”

“Maybe?” Dash asked, frowning at her. She’d been good at keeping quiet and letting the others talk, but she had her limits. “Listen here,” she said, pointing a dire hoof at the jewelled doe. “You have no right to keep us here, and the only reason we’re in here is because you played dirty tricks on us, and we’re playing nice! Why. Are. We. Here?” She glowered, and just like Velysra and all the other peryton here, the strange doe drew back. It was a tiny movement of her head, an almost imperceptible retreat, but Dash noticed. Before she got any reply, though, she heard rapid steps down the hall. Velysra careened around the corner a second later.

“Cald—I, ah, the emissary demands—no, he ‘requests’ to speak to you right now, he is by the door,” said Velysra.

The Guide sneered. “Demands all around! Then you will tell him that I will be there shortly, but neither you nor Koltares will let him in here at any point, for any reason.”

If Rainbow Dash had thought this Guide-peryton was angry with them before, she realised now she’d been mistaken. Now this strange new peryton was angry, her lips peeled and her wings half-spread, a gesture of threat she couldn’t remember seeing in other peryton.

Velysra ducked her head, shrinking down. “Yes. I only wished to let you know—”

“Yes! Yes, I… I know,” said the Guide, sighing and furling her wings. “I know. Forgive me. I understand and appreciate your thought. Go. Tell him I will come soon, and we will speak later,” she added, turning to the ponies when Velysra disappeared down the hall. This strange peryton who’d gone from sleepwalking to annoyed to maybe-frightened to angry now looked tired. From the look on Rarity and Fluttershy’s faces, Rainbow Dash guessed she wasn’t the only one confused by this mercurial doe.

“You are correct. I have questions. I will ask, now,” said the stocky doe, exhaling noisily. She didn’t sound like the prospect excited her any more than Dash looked forward to cloud counting.

“You will answer them truly. Honestly,” she added with a grimace. “When we are done, I will speak with Velysra, who in her eternal task of worrying has asked if she may tell you things you do not need to know. To soothe. To help. I will consider this request. That is what I offer you in trade for the truths I need from you.”

“We’d be happy to help,” said Fluttershy, nodding.

“Happy is stretching it,” Dash said, frowning. “How about you just start asking and we’ll see?”

The doe nodded slowly. “Then first, I wonder... do you know of the Nightmare of the Moon, of Luna? She has returned, I understand. Is all already lost, and Celestia deposed?”

“What?” asked Rainbow Dash, blinking.

“Nightmare Moon did return two years ago,” said Rarity, tilting her head. “She was defeated—”

“By guess who,” Dash interjected, grinning.

“—and Nightmare Moon and Luna aren’t really the same thing, I think. We—”

“Do not!” the doe snapped. She struck the stone with a hoof, loudly interrupting Rarity. The Guide glared at the ground between them, her teeth clenched. “Do not give me your ideas and you-thinks! Do not make… assumptions. I need your answers, and nothing else. You believe you know for sure that Celestia yet lives? The sun that shines is true? You purport to know her?”

“What the hay does ‘purport’ mean?” Dash asked.

Rarity, who’d worn a faint scowl ever since she was interrupted, nodded very slowly. “Yes, we know her quite well. Why?”

“You ‘know’ Celestia?” the doe asked after a deep breath, a little more composed. “You know the Sun, the bringer of Life and Light, the radiant warmth and the spark at the core of all?”

Fluttershy licked her lips, nodding at the erratic doe. “Yes, we do.”

“Of course we do. She sent us,” Dash added, expecting the peryton on the other side of the bars to lash out again, but all she did was give Rainbow Dash a nasty look. Rainbow Dash went on, undeterred. “We know her, and we know Luna, why?”

“Do not mock me,” the doe said, halfway between a hiss and a growl. She turned around on the spot, arching her neck to look straight up, taking a deep breath before she turned back to them, as though she’d drawn strength from the little gesture.

“Are you okay?” asked Fluttershy, her voice full of concern.

“Why does this upset you so?” Rarity said. “Letters were sent well in advance detailing who we were and why we were visiting.” She tilted her head. “Then again, I get the impression you may not have received it if you are not from one of the five cities. Where are you from? Where are we, really?”

“Rarity, maybe… um, maybe don’t interrogate the interrogator?” Fluttershy suggested.

“Is this an interrogation?” Dash asked, cocking a brow. “This is way easier than any tests I’ve ever taken. We know all this stuff. What else’ve you got? Wanna know how many hooves we have?”

“And maybe we can go easy on the making fun, too?” Fluttershy added, wincing. Dash shrugged. Their ‘interrogator’ hadn’t said much lately. She just stood there with her eyes closed, absorbing their words. When she again spoke, she was almost calm again, though her voice sounded brittle.

“You are from the place called Equestria,” she said.

“Yup,” Dash said.

“How can you claim to speak with the voice of the Goddess? She speaks only through the sun—and how… how is it that you are sent by the Nightmare, as well? How can this all be true at once if the sun has not gone out?”

“Speak with the voice of?” Dash repeated. “Are you asking us if we’re… no, I got nothing.”

“We’re emissaries. We can’t really make deals on behalf of the Princesses, but again, they are the ones who sent us here,” said Rarity.

“Asked us, really. They asked very nicely,” Fluttershy said, smiling. “We had dinner and talked about it.”

“Yeah, and if you think Celestia’s ever getting a ‘no’ when Twilight’s around, you’re crazy,” Rainbow Dash added with a giggle.

“Oh come now, we could all decline separately if we wished,” said Rarity, rolling her eyes.

“Hey, I’m not saying I wouldn’t have helped out if Twilight hadn’t said yes before I got a chance,” Dash said with a shrug. “I’m all for helping out, but—”

“Celestia speaks through the sun,” said the Guide, her breath coming quicker. “She speaks through the sun alone. How can you claim her authority? How can you come speaking with twinned voice—where is your lie? Is it all of it?”

“We haven’t told you any lies,” said Fluttershy, her voice soft. She took a small step forward, a tiny movement to bridge the gap between them. “I’m sorry, is there a problem?”

“She split us,” the Guide hissed. “The Nightmare split us, and that is why the others turned away! How could they tell me—no, it is not they. They must have spoken the truth. They are right, and so am I. It must be you, you or they—either you speak only lies, or the moon has poisoned the sun, the Goddess’ mind poisoned—”

“Uh, you’re still hung up on the Nightmare Moon thing?” asked Dash. She scratched her snout. “They’re sisters, you know, and Luna’s all better now.”

“Better is relative, but yes,” said Rarity with an affable smile. “Twilight told me—in confidence, you must understand—that Princess Luna still struggles a little to adjust. She works closely with Princess Celestia to overcome it, and I think she’s doing a marvellous job.”

“She’s gotten a lot better after last Nightmare Night, at least,” Fluttershy added with a quick nod.

The Guide shook her head, all the jewellery about her body shifting and clinking softly in the short silence. “There are words and actions missing. Or added where they should not be. Why, why and what?” She let out a wracking sigh and stared at Rainbow Dash. “This will be so much easier if you can tell me this: Will you tell me that the Nightmare of the Moon did this? Will you tell me that ten centuries and two years ago now, the Nightmare drove a wedge between us and the Sun?”

Rainbow Dash scrunched up her snout as she thought. “Ten centuries? A thousand years ago? Uh, Twi told me the Nightmare Moon story, but I don’t remember her doing anything like that? Probably not? A wedge?”

“I don’t remember any mention of Nightmare Moon’s motivations, really, but I sincerely doubt…” said Rarity, her words trailing off as the Guide locked eyes with her instead, her voice rising a tad.

“Will you tell me that our flight was not needless? Will you tell me as is true, that the Nightmare forced our people apart and out of the gorges? That the peryton people of the five cities forsook Celestia, spurning her and the Morrowsworn?” She took a step towards the bars, her eyes wide and unblinking. “Tell me of the betrayal of the cities who made the Aspects!”

“I don’t know anything like that,” said Rarity, raising a brow. “Honestly, the first time I ever heard Celestia mention peryton was at dinner earlier this summer, and what do you mean ‘forsook’?”

“Tell me,” the doe went on, her voice nearing a feverish pitch. She stepped right up to the bars, upending one of the water-bowls with a hoof in her haste. “Tell me that you are false! Tell me that you speak nothing but lies, and that the letter we have read upon the Ravenwall is a lie in every way! Tell me that nothing is true, and that these are all Luna’s machinations!” She stared at Fluttershy, and her antlers clashed with the iron bars as she thrust towards them. “Tell me that she sent you to confound me, sensing that I am on the right path! Tell me!”

Fluttershy backpedalled until her flank hit the wall, hiding behind her mane. Rainbow Dash was up against the bars in a flash, pressing against them as though she could part them with a push, a hoof shoving against the heavier peryton to no avail. The doe pushed back, equally pointless with the bars separating them.

“Get away from us!” Dash snarled. “We’ve told you everything you asked about, now let us out of here! It’s not our problem if you got some crazy ideas in your head. Nothing you’re saying makes sense!”

“Or at the very least,” said Rarity, stepping forward as well. “We can’t tell you what we don’t know. Most of what you tell us is, at best, news to us. If you wish, I’m sure we could help you pen a letter to the Princesses to clear things up, but we lost our dragonsfire. We could take a letter with us if you let us go.” She cleared her throat. “Are… are you quite alright?”

The Guide drew a shuddering breath and backed away, closing her eyes. “No. I… I will leave you. I must think. You will stay here until I understand.”

“Stay? I got a better idea: Let us out!” Dash snapped. “Let us out, and we’ll bring as many letters as you want! I’ll ask Twilight what shampoo Celestia uses if that’s what you want, or you can ask Luna about whatever it is you think she did, but just—come on!” she yelled, but the doe left as though she had never spoken at all. She retreated out the room at a walk, but once she was out of sight, Dash heard her run.

Far down the hall, the faintest of echoes of conversation could be heard, but none of it registered as words to Rainbow Dash. She was gone, and everywhere she’d stepped were small piles of black dust or dye.

“I know we’ve said we’re all a little scared,” said Fluttershy, still as far back in the cell as she could get. “But… now I’m starting to really get worried.”

“She seems to have some very interesting ideas of… of I don’t even know what,” said Rarity, frowning. She walked up to Fluttershy and ran a hoof along her side, sighing. “They don’t have the wrong people, then. Just the wrong ideas. What does Nightmare Moon have to do with Perytonia of all places?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I dunno. I wish we could ask Twilight. Maybe she’d have a clue, but if this Guide doesn’t want to hear what we have to say, why did she bother asking?” she said, blowing a stray strand of mane out of her face. She wished she could ask Luna herself, but her dreams only held one other pony.

It could be any time of day. Rainbow Dash couldn’t tell. With how bored she was—bored of speculating, of thinking, of guessing, and most of all, of worrying—the Guide-doe-leader-person could’ve left a minute ago or it could be the next day, a night passing in the space of a long blink.

Probably closer to a few minutes, if she had to guess. She sat close to Fluttershy while the other pegasus watched the air shafts. Dash’s neck hurt just from looking at Fluttershy staring almost straight up all the time. Another trill of birdsong, and again Fluttershy smiled, letting out a sharp whistle in return. She cocked her head and perked an ear.

Nothing. It got quiet enough that Dash could hear the leaves rustle far above. Rarity’s tiny, soft sigh from the other side of the cell. Faint steps.

“Hoofsteps,” said Dash, standing up.

“Mm, I hear it too,” said Rarity. “Unless this ‘guide’ wants to come back for another round of confusion, I have a fairly good guess as to who it is.” Fluttershy abandoned her post by the shafts and shook her wings out, the three ponies crowding together without a word. Rainbow Dash was entirely unsurprised by Velysra rounding the corner, but she carried neither water nor fruit for them. Dash’s casual remark about how terrible the luke-warm water was died in her throat when she noticed the peryton doe’s eyes were rimmed with red.

“Um, hello,” said Fluttershy, splaying her ears. “Is something wrong?”

Velysra sat down heavily next to the door, her tail-feathers squished against the wall. She leaned back until her head hit the stone, and closed her eyes. Rainbow Dash licked her lips and tried to shift her wings. She looked back and forth between Fluttershy and Rarity, but they looked every bit as bewildered as she.

“Whatever it is you shared with Cal, it has destroyed her,” said Velysra, her voice hitching. She swallowed. “I do not understand. I helped with this task because I thought having you three here would bring clarity to her mind. Instead you bring ruin.”

“Cal? Is that…” Rarity asked, her question disappearing into a whisper.

Velysra rose to stand, taking the few steps needed to bring her back to the doorway, all with exacting slowness. Rainbow Dash wondered if she would leave, but instead the doe stuck her head out into the hallway and looked both ways. She returned and slumped by the wall again, this time looking at them through half-lidded eyes.

“Caldesseia. Her name is Caldesseia of Summer’s Tempest, and she is our Guide. She is my Guide, and she is my friend,” said Velysra. “I want to ask what you told her to ruin her so, but she has told me not to.” She shook her head. “She has told me to tell you what I wish. What I deem safe. This is at my own discretion, for she trusts me, but she asked me not to listen to your words.”

“We didn’t do anything to her,” said Dash. She felt her hackles rise, felt the brush of anger at the accusation, but she didn’t like to think she may’ve hurt anyone, either.

“What—what can we do? I don’t understand what we did,” said Fluttershy. “I’m sorry. We’re sorry.”

“We just told—ah. I suppose we shouldn’t tell you if you do not wish to hear, even if I don’t see the harm. I am at a loss,” said Rarity, sighing. “I don’t understand at all.”

“How would you?” asked Velysra. Her muzzle frumpled in an attempt at a sneer, but she failed to hold it, sighing. “You know nothing. Or, I am beginning to suspect, you know everything. A different everything.” She waved a hoof in the air. “I will be honest about this: I do not care for rules this moment, and I will break Caldesseia’s trust without remorse. I want to help her. You must tell me what you talked of, and you must help me understand.”

“If you’re sure,” said Rarity, frowning. “Do you want us to lie to her about this, if you are about to break her trust? Do you want us not to tell her we’ve talked, if the opportunity arises?”

A snort of laughter. Velysra shook her head. “I do not care. I will tell her myself. When she heard of your coming, she got… worse. That is what I meant when I said I fear what you have already done to her, and now she is sicker still. What did she ask of you? Did she ask about the gods?”

“Gods?” Fluttershy repeated, blinking. “I don’t really know why she used that word, but she asked about Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, yes.”

“Princess?” asked Velysra, the word ungainly coming from her.

“Yeah?” said Dash, shrugging. “That’s what they are. Princesses.”

Velysra’s eyes were empty of recognition, but she nodded. “And what did you tell her about ‘Princess’ Celestia and Luna?” Velysra asked, her voice fraught with frailty and hunger all at once.

“We didn’t tell her much of anything that isn’t obvious from the letter we sent, which you’ve apparently read. It’s no secret,” said Rarity. “We told her that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, the rulers of Equestria, sent us here. That we’re emissaries, and that we hope to establish relations with Perytonia. I suppose we also explained that we don’t have the power to make deals on their behalf.”

“And apparently us having dinner with them was a really big deal?” Dash asked. “She kept talking about Celestia and Luna fighting, but that was over a thousand years ago. They’re sisters and friends, they’re super close.”

“Friends.” The single word dropped by the doe was as flat as a word could be, given no tone whatsoever.

“Nightmare Moon was defeated two years ago, at the Summer Sun celebration,” said Fluttershy, speaking slowly and watching the doe as though she expected her to bolt at any moment. “Princess Luna is all better now. We even offered to ask Princess Luna about it, or send Princess—”

“I think,” said Velysra, sighing. “You will forgive me for interrupting. I think the issue is not only the details, but in that you say you are in a position to ask. How do you ask them?”

“If they invite us to Canterlot, over dinner or tea?” suggested Fluttershy.

“Or just tell Twilight and Spike to send a letter all quick-like, that’s the fastest way,” said Dash, shrugging. “If we’re in Canterlot, we… ask. Using our voices? Jeez, they’re not that snooty.”

“Snooty?” asked Rarity, one brow raised. “Really?”

“Blame Pinkie. She’s right. It’s a catchy word,” said Dash. Velysra shook her head.

“Them,” said Velysra. Another simple word lent disproportional weight. “Both of them.”

“Yeah? Fluttershy just told you. They’re friends,” said Dash.

“So the war in heaven ended in a stalemate?” Velysra asked. “They were matched? Neither of them won?”

“War?” asked Fluttershy, her tail drooping.

“I’m afraid we don’t know what you mean,” said Rarity, looking at her friends. “Girls?”

Rainbow Dash returned a blank look.

“She asked something like that, too. We don’t know what to tell you,” said Fluttershy. “They’re not fighting, if that’s what you mean. Has there been a war?”

Velysra bent down and scratched at her forehead with the nook of a leg. “I will ask you again. You are from Equestria, as claimed by this letter?”

“Yes!” said Dash.

“And you claim that both these ‘Princesses’, that both Celestia and Luna, dwell there,” asked Velysra.

“Again, yes,” said Rarity.

Velysra sighed. “If before I thought you may have been true, now this is proof you bring lies. If you are from where they dwell, how can you have missed the war in heaven? How can you not have seen the war of yesteryear when Luna and Celestia fought for control of the sky? The sun and moon were in upheaval! Will you say this was a trick played upon the peryton people?”

“They what?” Dash asked, gaping.

“Last spring?” asked Rarity.

“That was Discord,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head. “Discord, um… let’s call it ‘got loose’, and we had to stop him.”

“How’s that got anything to do with the Princesses? Celestia and Luna didn’t do anything,” said Dash, snorting.

“I don’t remember much of the… let’s call it the bad part of that day,” Rarity admitted.

“I don’t, either, really,” said Fluttershy, blushing faintly. “But I heard about it from all my animal friends. It made a mess like you wouldn’t believe. Their sleep patterns and schedules all depend on the sun and the moon, and Discord made a mess of things.”

“Oh, yeah. Twilight mentioned, actually,” said Dash scratching her head. “Or, uh, Twilight told Pinkie, who told me, I guess.”

“What is ‘Discord’,” asked Velysra, frowning deeply. “How does this explain the war of the sun and the moon? And how is it that the sun still rises when the moon-shadow mark is gone? How can you claim that there is peace?”

“Discord’s just a big bully, and he’s gone. Turned back into stone, anyway. He’s some weird, uh—” Dash paused.

“Draconequus,” Rarity supplied. “Just think dragon.”

“Or raccoon,” said Fluttershy. “I like to think of ‘raccoon’ instead.”

“Right, right, that. And he’s the one who did it, and how… how is there peace? Because why would there not be peace?” Dash asked.

Velysra tapped the ground with a hoof. “But you claim Luna sits on the heavenly throne—”

“Again, friends!” Dash groaned. “They have a throne each! What do you think—”

“I don’t know what to think!” Velysra snapped. She stepped closer, though she still kept a respectful distance from the bars. “I do not know. Do you wonder why we fear you?”

“Actually? Yes!” Dash retorted. “Yes we do!”

“Do you think we are a nation of warriors?” the doe asked, powering on as though Dash had never spoken at all. “Do you think that just because we have you here behind bars—in a prison we have made in haste and never before needed—that just because we were able to capture you, that this is who we are? That this is what we do?”

“How have you given us any chance to think you are anything but the brutes you have shown yourselves to be?” asked Rarity with an arch look before Velysra had a chance to continue.

“You know I am a soothe-prong. Of those who came with me on our expedition to seize you were five others who have never been so far from home. None of us are among the few who keep eyes upon the cities, none of us do these things!” Velysra paused for breath and sighed. “One is a forager. One fits tools. One in the wood-prong, and another one dances for entertainment. Koltares, who you know? Koltares makes toys for our young. Toys.”

“So what?” asked Dash. She was surprised by the venom in her own voice, and she caught Fluttershy wincing in the corner of her eye. “You think that gives you the right to just grab us and take us here? To keep us locked up? You think that’s okay just because—just because what? You haven’t told us why!”

Velysra shook her head slowly and swallowed. “Because you speak these lies. Because you come here and claim to be sent by Celestia, the sun to whom all our dances are given, but also by Luna, the darkness who fights her. That must be it.”

Rainbow Dash blinked. For all the fervor in her voice a moment ago, now Velysra sounded unsure.

“Must be it?” Fluttershy repeated, as though she’d had the same thought.

The doe looked away for a second, looking particularly sour until she schooled her features, then nodded. “Yes. It must be, and I will tell you why. When the moon-shadow left and the Nightmare returned to fight Celestia—”

“Uh, actually, we fought her,” said Rainbow Dash, holding up a hoof, stopping Velysra’s story before she’d even began. The doe blinked.

“You?”

“How about you say what you were going to say,” said Rarity, smiling a little too wide and giving Dash a little shove. “It is really not important right now, not compared to you so very kindly explaining something. Anything.”

“Ow,” said Rainbow Dash, glaring at her. “I’m just saying it ‘cause it’s true.”

“You must mean… a metaphor? No, we will leave this for now as you suggest.” She frowned. “We have lived here for hundreds of years. A thousand years, not in secret, but unseen by our other kin. This is our home. When the moon-shadow disappeared, our Guide, Caldesseia, she spoke to us and said she knew the course of our people. She revived the oldest of our stories, saying she knew that they were not lost tales, but forgotten truths. The Nightmare that now returned was the same Nightmare that split our people, that turned us away from the gorges. The Guide made new allies, and soon after, the war in heaven fell upon us.

“The war stoked the fire in her heart, and in turn, she stoked the fire in the Morrowsworn. Sun and moon warred in the sky, and even if things appeared normal again, Celestia surely needed our aid. We would unite the peryton people to provide it. Then, you came.”

Rainbow Dash crossed a foreleg over the other and leaned against the bars. “Right. We sent a letter. How the hay does that change anything? Ignoring that everything you said is wrong.”

“Rainbow—”

“Yes,” Dash said, cutting Rarity off, rolling her eyes. “Shut up, Rainbow Dash, you’re saying stuff that’s obvious.”

Velysra sighed. “Here is the problem. Or, these are the problems. You came here carrying a different story. Your letter announced it plainly. The two goddesses’ names together. Caldesseia grew… erratic, but perhaps I say this only as a soothe-prong, as a close friend to her, but also a healer. Perhaps others do not see this, and perhaps I should not tell you, but you can do little harm from here, so why not?”

The peryton doe let out a short caw of laughter, a single, sour note. “She has given our people what she calls hope, and your words are water to the fire. You say that the Goddesses have titles, and can be talked to. You say you speak to them. You say you dine with them. If this is a lie, it is cruel. If it is the truth… that thought is too big to hold, and so our people would not want this truth.”

Rarity squinted at the doe, giving her a piercing look. “You don’t sound like you agree. You say your people, not us.”

“You are keen. Yes, I do not agree,” Velysra replied. “We did not need this purpose of aiding a Goddess. We did not need this hope of a new thing to do. We were already a happy people. She did not point to wounds that bled. She re-opened wounds that were healed. As a healer, I know what to do with scar tissue. I know what not to do with it. You do not poke it with a stick or pull at it. A scar is a wound healed, not a wound.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t know about that herself. She scratched an itch on her snout against the bars to keep from looking to Fluttershy’s hindleg at the mention of scars. “So are we the stick, or…?” she asked. “I’m still not sure how any of this is our fault.”

Velysra snorted. “If you were truthful, then how could this be your fault? There is no fault in existing, but understand that until years ago, we thought this was all allegory. The sun and the moon, they do not have agency. To see this all come to life in the sky these past years, and now to have you here, claiming an explanation in your words, and representing a dichotomy in the authority you claim—it is confusing, and the shock is immense. I can think nothing but that Caldesseia holds you here until she decides whether you are true or not.”

Fluttershy chewed her bottom lip. “Do you think she’ll believe us? Do you believe us?”

Velysra took a step closer, stacking empty bowls atop one another. “I do not know. I wish to say that I do not think so. Even if I have not felt this fire that Caldesseia wishes to ignite in us, in me, you speak so frankly of these things—” she paused to sigh. “I am sorry. You have answers for everything. It is too convenient, almost, but I recognise that there is no fairness in this for you, whether you are true or false.”

“Come now, dear,” said Rarity, frowning. “You don’t think we’re lying to you, do you?”

“I think you believe what you say on some level,” Velysra replied, levitating the stack of bowls. “I will return with fresh water.”

Velysra didn’t return that evening at all. The only sounds to keep them company were those of birds and insects from above. Rainbow Dash had long since concluded that whatever building they were in, no one else lived nearby, and hours after their doctor-jailer-whateverer had left, it was easy to convince herself no one would come back here ever again.

Rainbow Dash grabbed another sip of body-temperature water, sticking out her tongue in disgust, both at the taste and at her own dramatics. She’d start chewing through the bars tomorrow or something. For now, they had plenty of water. No more fruit, though.

“I still think it’s a vast overreaction to hold us here simply because they don’t believe that Luna is no longer Nightmare Moon,” said Rarity.

“It’s not really that simple. They just believe some very different things, but… I don’t know,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head. “It sounds to me like the problem is with their history, not with the Princesses.”

“Or both?” asked Rarity.

“A problem with history?” Dash asked, snorting. “Any history is a problem. The problem is that it’s boring.”

Fluttershy returned a lopsided smile before she went on. “Velysra said she thought the problem was that they didn’t think of the Princesses in the same way we do, but the Guide didn’t seem nearly as upset about that as she did about… well, the things she wanted us to say to her. She sounded desperate. If she was talking about the same migration out of the gorges that Phoreni mentioned, she made it sound very different.” She scuffed the ground. “Phoreni didn’t make it sound like it was an unhappy event. She just said they moved, but the Guide made it seem like a very bad thing, and that it was all Princess Luna’s fault.”

“Phoreni did say it was hundreds upon hundreds of years ago,” said Rarity. “Huh. Maybe it is the same event. Even the spell—or the ghosts, if you must—made it seem fairly undramatic, though, didn’t it?”

Fluttershy nodded. “We only saw a few of them, and, um, I really didn’t look too closely, but they seemed excited to me, not unhappy.”

“I don’t know about that,” said Dash. “I just don’t get why their problem is our problem, though.” She snorted, and pushed the empty bowl away.

“Come now,” said Rarity. “You don’t mean that, surely. If we can help—”

“Then we help,” Dash replied, cutting her off. “Of course! I’d love to help them, but I don’t know what they need, and they’re not letting us help.”

“Maybe all we have to do is keep answering their questions,” said Fluttershy, smiling. “I think Velysra is coming around.”

“Yeah, she’s not, actually,” Dash countered, pointedly looking up at the air-holes. It was getting dark out already, and still they were alone.

“She meant it in a figurative sense, dear,” said Rarity.

“I got that. I didn’t,” said Dash. “What’s with that word they keep tossing around, anyway?” she asked on a whim. “They keep calling the Princesses gods or goddesses. Why?”

“I wondered about that myself,” said Rarity, frowning. “That word can mean anything. If you tell a mare she looks like a goddess, that’s a compliment.”

“I prefer ‘lookin’ good, girl’, myself,” Rainbow Dash admitted. She grinned at Fluttershy, but the other pegasus didn’t reply, clearly deep in thought.

“Phydra used that word, too, I think,” said Fluttershy a moment later. “Do you remember when we talked to her at the cottage outside Stagrum? She said that long ago, the gods ‘walked the land’? I don’t remember exactly. Do you think she meant the Princesses?”

“She also said they went away. Princess Luna is the only one who ‘went away’, but Princess Celestia didn’t,” Rainbow Dash retorted.

“Mm, well, but if they visited Perytonia at some point, leaving for another place, even for home, is ‘going away’,” said Rarity.

“Okay, fair enough,” Dash grunted.

“Phydra said that the Aspects rose in their place,” said Fluttershy. “So if the Princesses were special to the peryton, I suppose something changed when they left. Or when Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon, even if we still don’t know exactly how that happened.”

“Jealousy, I believe,” said Rarity with a shrug.

“Heh, if jealousy could make a pony into a monster, Ponyville would be way different,” said Rainbow Dash, but even as she spoke, she remembered the dream where Luna had told her of the memories she had hoarded jealously. Maybe there was a grain of truth to it after all.

“That’s not the only thing that happened, around then,” said Fluttershy. As she spoke, she walked over to their blankets and sat. Rarity followed, and so did Rainbow Dash, grabbing a seat in the corner, pushing absent-mindedly against her chains. “I think the First Stories happened around this time, too,” Fluttershy added.

“The First Stories? Neisos treated one of those with a lot of pomp as we were leaving Vauhorn,” Rarity said.

“Mm, Phydra made them sound like they were very different from other stories, and they sprung up when the gods left, too,” Fluttershy said. “That makes the Aspects a thousand years old.”

“Do you think the two are related?” Rarity asked.

“Whatever they are, these peryton here sure don’t like talking about the Aspects at all,” said Dash. She frowned at the thought. “Sure, I think all this talk about the Aspects is weird, but who gets angry just because they don’t like it? That’s stupid.” She stuck out her tongue. “This is a mess, Aspects and ‘goddesses’ and moving and creating. Did everything happen at once? The first—wait.” Rainbow Dash sucked in breath through clenched teeth. “Uh, hold on.”

“What is it?” asked Fluttershy.

“Rainbow, dear, use your words, please,” said Rarity, arching a brow. “First what?”

“The ‘gods’ leaving and the Aspects are totally related. It did happen all at once. Do you remember who their first and oldest Aspects are? ‘Cause I do. I think Phoreni told Fluttershy and me about it while we waited around or something, I don’t remember exactly—”

“Helesseia,” said Fluttershy. “Helesseia and Selyria.” The way her eyes widened spoke volumes. Dash wasn’t crazy. Or, if she was, they both were.

“Oh,” said Rarity, blinking. “The—”

“The Aspect of fire-whatever who they talk about as the sunlight,” Dash said. “And the Aspect they keep talking about as shadows and resting, and statues to sleep under. So, night.”

“Yes, I… I remember,” said Rarity, shaking her head in disbelief. “Selyria in particular seems to be quite ubiquitous in Perytonia, and they speak of Helesseia often enough, too. You think…”

“That’s Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,” Fluttershy said, simply. “They are the first two Aspects.”

“Do you think perhaps the others are—no,” Rarity interrupted herself with a shake of her head. “They said themselves they ‘discover’ new aspects in conversation.”

“I don’t think the Princesses have forty-seven brothers and sisters they haven’t told anypony about,” said Dash, staring at Rarity deadpan. “But yeah. This Cal person said something about the Aspects when she was shouting at us, didn’t she?”

“She said that the cities betrayed them when they made the Aspects,” said Fluttershy, shuffling her wings uneasily. “If they were angry that the other peryton no longer remember Celestia, but instead tell stories about Helesseia, I… I don’t understand it or know exactly why, but it makes some sort of sense.”

“They will have been the ones to deface the statues of Selyria, too,” said Rarity, nodding her head in agreement. “Because to them, she’s Luna—”

“She is Luna,” said Dash. “Well, the night stuff fits. I don’t know about the rest—”

“She is Luna to them,” Rarity said, raising her voice a little, scowling at the interruption. “And they are convinced she is still the same as Nightmare Moon, so they’re angry at Selyria, too.”

“Yeah,” said Dash.

“Okay,” said Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash scratched at her snout. “So… taking bets that Princess Celestia knows about this? I’m betting against.”

“I doubt either of the Princesses know. Why would they?” asked Rarity.

“And why would they care?” Dash asked.

“If the peryton are hurting over this,” said Fluttershy, frowning ever so slightly. “Why wouldn’t they?”

“No, jeez, not like that,” said Dash, rolling her eyes. “I mean, why would Celestia want a bunch of peryton to call her by one name, or another name, and who gets hurt if they call her Helesseia instead of Celestia? The sun’s the sun, and she raises it every morning even if someone spits in her tea, right?”

“I’m more worried about Luna,” said Fluttershy, hugging her own tail tight. “It’s awful if so many people think she’s still… well, evil.”

Rainbow Dash sighed and nodded. “Yeah, you’re right, sure, but… it doesn’t really matter, either. If they’ve been thinking she’s evil for a thousand years, it doesn’t hurt her!”

“It’d hurt me to know that.” Fluttershy puffed out her cheeks. “Actually, it hurts me right now to think that they believe she’s something she’s not.”

“Yeah, but—” Dash groaned, exasperated not because she disagreed, but because she agreed. “Yeah, okay, you’re right. My point is, why do they think the Princesses want this or that? They don’t get to decide!”

Fluttershy nodded slowly at that, but said nothing.

“Clearly they don’t. They think Celestia speaks ‘through the sun’,” said Rarity. “If they believe the Princesses are not real, or barely-real, of course the idea of talking to them seems ridiculous.” She shook her head and looked up through the nearby air-shafts. It got darker still, and Rainbow Dash had barely noticed. Her eyes adjusting to the dim light bit by bit. Tonight, even the hallway was dark.

“Yeah,” said Dash. “You’d think they would be happy and jump at the chance to send her a letter or whatever, then. If you want to know what somepony wants, you ask them.”

Fluttershy sighed and nodded her agreement.

“Speaking of which,” said Rarity, raising a brow. “There is one pony here who could ask Princess Luna, at least. It’s getting awfully late, and I for one am ready for sleep. The next time you get a chance, do you think you could ask her—well... a history lesson might not exactly help, but you could at least let her know we are a little inconvenienced at the moment.”

“What, you mean the dreaming stuff?” Dash asked. She grunted and looked away. “Yeah, about that. I don’t know. I haven’t seen her in a while. I don’t know why.”

“That’s… also inconvenient,” said Rarity, sighing.

“You have, um—” said Fluttershy, stopping herself.

“I have what?” asked Dash.

“I’ll… tell you later,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head and sighing.

Dash meant to protest, but already she could tell Fluttershy wouldn’t budge. Ears bent, but no apologetic smile, no nothing. Rainbow Dash shrugged. Or, she tried to shrug, at the very least. Instead she just felt pressure against the chains around her wings and her barrel. Fluttershy swished her tail from left to right.

“But… one thing that can’t really wait until later,” said Fluttershy, chewing her bottom lip. “I hope Velysra comes back.”

Rainbow Dash tilted her head.

“What is it, dear?” asked Rarity.

“I have to go,” said Fluttershy.

“Oh,” said Rarity. She frowned. “You mean go. That may be—”

“Hey!” Dash shouted, as loud as she could. “Bathroom call!”

Fluttershy ducked and Rarity winced, one hoof to an ear.

“Hey! Anyone out there?” Rainbow Dash called.

“Darling,” said Rarity, holding up a hoof for silence.

“What?” asked Rainbow Dash, cocking a brow. She heard something creak far-off in the distance, an echo bounding its way down the hall. Dash smirked. “You were saying?”

“I don’t doubt the efficacy of your tactics, but I am sure you could have accomplished that with half the volume,” Rarity said, shaking her head.

“Thank you,” said Fluttershy as the hoofsteps grew louder. The hallway brightened slightly. Fluttershy reached out to brush a wing against Dash’s neck. “I guess she’s still down the hall even if she doesn’t want to talk to us right now. I feel a little bad for thinking she left—”

“What?” asked a gruff voice. Dash blinked. She recognised the stag by his voice alone. Koltares stood backlit by a torch he placed somewhere outside the door, staring at them. “Tell me what you need, but do not talk to me. No words except your needs. Food or water?”

Rainbow Dash looked at Fluttershy, who lay her ears flat and shrank back.

“Nature’s call, dear,” said Rarity.

“Which one of you?” he asked, not moving a muscle.

“Does it matter? We’re all mares. It would not be seemly,” said Rarity with a sniff.

“Wait here,” came the reply. He disappeared down the hall, entirely unhurried, and Fluttershy let out a breath she must’ve been holding for a while.

“That’s weird,” said Dash, staring at the empty doorway.

“Velysra did say that they were both, um, well… guarding us, or whatever you’d want to call it,” said Fluttershy.

Dash shrugged. “Yeah, but we haven’t even seen him again since—well, I guess he was around last time one of us had to go, all the guard detail and the blindfold and stuff, but outside of that?” Already she heard multiple steps on return, and she knew what to expect. Rarity shook her head.

“If you’re speculating about where Velysra is, I don’t know either,” said the unicorn. She stepped away from the cell door and put on her best bored look, and Rainbow Dash joined her. A full half-dozen peryton flooded the room, and Koltares stepped up to the door, key, blindfold and ropes for Fluttershy’s wings at the ready. Rainbow Dash waited for him to tell her to step further away from the door before she obliged.

“Again, no talk. When we are outside, one of the does will take you,” the grumpy stag said again when he had the blindfold around Fluttershy’s eyes, and the ropes tied around her middle—the grumpy toy maker, Dash thought, shaking her head at the craziness of it all. The cell shut again, and the peryton all filed out of the room. Dash just stared right back at them in response to the inevitable backwards glances they cast.

“Wouldn’t want to accidentally hear something true,” Dash muttered when they’d left. “I wonder what they’d do if I just shouted Celestia likes raspberry cake!” She snorted at her own joke, interrupted by a sudden flash of light. Rainbow Dash yelped and backed away from the source—away from Rarity.

“Jeez, watch it,” Dash snapped, rubbing at her eyes to clear the white spots.

“Oh dear, I’m awfully sorry, Rainbow,” said Rarity with a gasp. “I didn’t mean to do that! Or rather, I did, but I didn’t at all expect it to work!” She reached up to touch her horn gently, wincing and sucking in breath with a hiss. “I think my magic is coming back, however slowly, but I am not keen to repeat that.”

“Just… give me some warning next time,” said Dash, blinking quickly. Her annoyance quickly gave way to concern, though, watching Rarity stare cross-eyed at her own horn. “Hey, you okay there?”

“I’m fine, darling. Just a little sore,” said Rarity. “That was supposed to be a simple light spell.”

“If your magic’s coming back, that’s something, I guess,” said Dash. She walked up to the bars. Their saddlebags lay neatly arranged by the far wall. “Can you get our stuff?”

Rarity closed her eyes for a moment, then shook her head. “No. After that… whatever that burst was, everything is dead again. Nothing happens when I try to call upon my unicorn magic. Nothing except… dizziness. This is all very unpleasant.” She walked over to their makeshift bed and lay down slowly, letting out a little groan.

“Gonna catch some sleep?” Dash asked.

“I will try to, at least,” said Rarity, nodding and shifting about on top of their blankets. She covered her mouth with a hoof, yawning. “If the two of you intend to stay awake, I’d appreciate a little peace and quiet.”

“Sure,” said Dash, shrugging and flashing her a smile. “Sleep tight. If Velysra doesn’t come back tomorrow, you’d better get ready to cover your ears, because I’m gonna make sure they hear it.”

Rarity smiled in return and closed her eyes.

By the time Rainbow Dash heard Fluttershy and the little guard posse return, she’d started to get worried. Not just about Fluttershy, but about her own wings. She exhaled as much as she could and pushed awkwardly at the chains around her body, trying to get them down towards her hindlegs, but they wouldn’t budge. She couldn’t work them over her humerus, and it was simply too tight to push it further down. No matter what she did, her wings were jammed to her sides.

Sure, some pegasi went days, or even weeks without flying—Dash shuddered at the horror of it—but it wasn’t supposed to hurt. She couldn’t tell if it was because of a need to stretch her wings, or just plain wanting to really stretch her wings, of a desire to fly. She just barely managed to get back up on all fours and pretend at nothing when the six peryton returned, Fluttershy and Koltares at the front.

Rainbow Dash brought a hoof up to her mouth to hush them, and proving that the world was full of surprises, Koltares simply nodded and gestured for Rainbow Dash to step away from the bars—and for the other peryton to be quiet. In relative silence, he unlocked the door, unwrapped the blindfold around Fluttershy’s eyes, and let the other pegasus inside the cell.

The stag glanced down at the array of empty and half-empty bowls. “You will keep until morning. Anyone else?” he asked. He sounded gruff even when he whispered.

“Nope,” said Dash. “Where is—”

“No questions,” said Koltares, scowling. He gestured towards the door, and the others filed out. They left the torch in the hallway, the room a little brighter than before. Rainbow Dash shrugged and leaned a hoof on Fluttershy’s side, helping her tear the ropes off. She shoved the tattered ropes through the bars. She could do this as many time as they liked.

“Everything okay?” asked Dash.

Fluttershy nodded and smiled at her. “Yes. Is Rarity asleep?”

The two stared at Rarity, waiting for the unicorn to disagree. “I guess so,” said Rainbow Dash at length. She gestured to the blankets with a nod of her head. “Wanna go to bed?”

Fluttershy’s smile only tugged at one side of her mouth. “I don’t think there’s a lot else to do,” she said, lying down next to Rarity.

“Maybe when Rarity gets her magic back completely, she can sneak our bags over here,” Rainbow Dash whispered with a grin. “She got a little bit of juice while you were away. Do you have a key in your bags? Lockpicks? Really strong hedge trimmers?” She lay down next to Fluttershy, hiding a wince when the chains dug into her belly as she lay down, shifting to make it a little more comfortable.

“No, sorry,” Fluttershy replied, her giggle short-lived. She locked eyes with Rainbow Dash, chewing on her bottom lip. Rainbow Dash waited.

“What I was going to say earlier,” Fluttershy said, frowning slightly now. “You said you usually remember your dreams, but you haven’t… really had normal dreams lately, have you?”

“After talking to you guys about your dreams, and with Luna and everything, I don’t even know what’s normal,” said Dash with a helpless shrug. “But yeah, I guess it’s weird lately? You tell me, heh. Why do you ask?”

Fluttershy nodded, lowering her voice a touch further. “Well… I’ve, um… I don’t sleep all that well when I’m travelling, I guess, and it’s gotten a little better, but lately I keep waking up at night because you’re making noises in your sleep.”

“Like what?” asked Dash, tilting her head. “Battlecries? I do some pretty awesome stuff in my sleep sometimes, heh. Sorry if I wake you up.”

Fluttershy shook her head slowly. “If you always did that, then… I would’ve noticed. We’ve had sleepovers, and you don’t usually make noises like this.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Noises like what? Talking?”

Fluttershy looked at her own forehooves. “No. Sad noises.”

“Sad… uh,” Dash tried to laugh, but it came out a nervous exhale. “Uh, okay. Yeah, I don’t know about that.”

They lay like that in silence for a little longer. Rainbow Dash meant to say something, she was sure, but she didn’t know what that would be. She didn’t really want to tell Fluttershy that she was wrong. She couldn’t call her a liar to her face. Fluttershy didn’t seem to have anything to add, and after a while, the other pegasus smiled at her briefly, the topic come and gone. Rainbow Dash was sleepy anyway. She smiled back and shuffled a little closer, as much as she could without stabbing Fluttershy with the stupid chain around her body.

At some point, that’d become their little ritual in the evening. Whether Dash went to sleep and felt the need to wrap a wing tight around Fluttershy, or Dash woke up in the middle of the night completely covered in Fluttershy, Dash didn’t mind. In fact, she found she was unwilling to give it up. They gripped each other tighter and tighter every evening—and every day, they drifted further apart.

Not in here, though. Locked up in this stupid cell, even Rainbow Dash couldn’t muck anything up. There was no way for her to make things worse. No room to fly, or to try to make anyone else fly, either, and maybe that made her and Fluttershy okay for the moment. She rested a foreleg atop one of Fluttershy’s own and closed her eyes.

Chapter 31

I really think I’d like to bring the birds to the Summer Sun Celebration. I thought about it a little more, and it’s just not right to tell them that I won’t help.

Okay, that’s a little lie. I really would like to try for myself, too. I think Rainbow Dash has picked up on that. She doesn’t just want company. She’s being very supportive. In her own way.

I’m very glad I have her anyway. I know we’re very different ponies, but that doesn’t mean we’re any less close. We’re apart, but together. I think about that a lot, really. Maybe more than I should? Oh goodness, I never thought I might be thinking about it too much.

Oh, Fluttershy. You should have been asleep long ago. Go to bed, please.

Good night, Diary,

-Fluttershy

“Rainbow Dash.”

That was her. That was the name she had. The name she’d been given. Rainbow Dash groaned and clenched her eyes shut tighter, wanting to go back to—back to what? She wanted to sleep, but she absolutely didn’t want to dream. She’d felt for a moment as though she remembered exactly what had happened in her dream. Gone, now. Gone the second she tried to think about it.

“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy hissed again.

“I’m awake,” Dash said, sighing. No, she decided. She didn’t want to go back to sleep right now after all. “What?” she asked, but even as she asked, she realised it wasn’t just Fluttershy who was talking.

“—been withholding information from me,” a voice drifted in from above. Now Dash was really awake. When she opened her eyes, she saw Rarity stood under the air shafts, staring straight up against the moonlight that filtered in. Fluttershy held a hoof to her muzzle and made a sign to be quiet. Dash followed her the scant few steps up to Rarity’s side.

“We both knew that, I think, but there is even more than I first thought,” the same person added. Rainbow Dash thought she recognised the voice.

“Is that…” Dash whispered.

“These ponies. They have said many strange things, and some of them do not… make sense,” said Caldesseia. That was definitely the voice of the Guide. “They have spoken of the Goddesses, and their words do not match yours—and they fill gaps.”

“Who is she speaking to?” Dash asked.

“I don’t know,” said Fluttershy. “All she said so far—”

Whatever Fluttershy had been about to say got cut off by sounds that did not register as speech to Dash’s ears. The discordant set of noises were sharp and unpleasant. She flicked her ears as the bursts of sound grated against her, spaced with brief silences as though they were words.

“Why trust them?” a voice said. “You must focus on what is im-portant. Your kin still be-lieve in the As-pects. You must con-vince them this is folly. You know the true name of the gods.” This third voice came a sharp croak, the words halting and broken. Rainbow Dash leaned left and right peering up through the air holes, but all she saw was a darkened sky and plants in shadow. Where were these people?

“Is that what is important?” asked Caldesseia. Dash could practically hear the sneer in her voice.

Another burst of sharp noises, shorter this time.

“You wish to unite Pery-tonia. We all wish you to do this,” said the harsh and ungainly third voice. “We all wish you do cast down these false As-pects.” Was that the same one who made the strange noises? Rainbow Dash strained to hear.

“Yes!” Caldesseia snapped. “To aid Celestia, and now I wonder if this is truly your intent. They said—”

The strange sounds interrupted her, first like crackling thunder, and then like stones thrown against a wall. Was it a language at all?

“What the hay is that,” Dash whispered. Rarity shook her head mutely.

“Do not lis-ten to them. You are clear-ly in pain from their lies,” said the third, or maybe second speaker. For all Dash knew, the conversation consisted of Caldesseia, a very hoarse peryton and a supply closet tumbling down a stairwell.

“I think it’s an interpreter,” said Fluttershy, frowning ever so slightly. “You know, like when I tell you what the animals are saying.”

“You wish me to think you care? You, who plunder our past with wild abandon?” Caldesseia asked. “I am giving you a chance to explain.”

“Who is she talking to?” Dash asked in a hissed whisper. Rarity hushed her, but if there had been a reply, it must’ve been very short. For a long few seconds, silence held, and Caldesseia continued.

“We are not without methods of our own. If you don’t know by now that I visited Burning Stone Fortress, I will be shocked—oh, do not bother pretending at surprise. You know what it is. I know you followed my steps this summer. I know you have taken something!”

Nothing. Rainbow Dash tilted her head and stretched her neck out as much as she could. Did the others say anything? Had they left?

“Fine. Damn yourself with silence. There will be consequences for this,” said the Guide. “You say to focus, but we make no progress. Weakening Selyria’s hold on the cities is not done by harming her stele, and our efforts to spread stories of our own in Vauhorn yielded nothing. How are we to do this?”

The first reply came like hooves against a chalkboard. Coals burning, and wood splitting, then the follow-up croak. “You have al-ready struck the big-gest blow by cap-turing these cre-atures. They can no lon-ger spread word to the pery-ton of gods who are weak like their As-pects. We must see them.”

“Not once in a thousand years,” said Caldesseia with a laugh. “If there is even the smallest chance they have communed with the goddesses—” she paused. “You know the nature of these gods. You know so much more than you tell.”

Boulders down the mountain. A wave crashing against the shore, grating against Dash’s ears.

“Yes. This is ob-vious,” said the croaky one. “If you will not bor-row our tools, casting down the As-pects will be hard. You must re-consider. You—”

“Forget the Aspects! If you keep me in the dark, tell me why I should let you stay,” Caldesseia interrupted the speaker. “My faith that you wish to help us is wavering. Convince me.”

A spray of molten rock, and the wind uprooting a tree. The chaotic noises sounded less and less like sound, and became images, bit by bit.

“We have gi-ven you gifts.”

“Yes,” said Caldesseia. “The stones were helpful, as was your advice on how to snare the ponies, but that was not for us. You wanted the ponies gone, you did not want to help us, you used us, and now we are at risk. By raiding the trade roads, we chance bringing Ephydoera down on our heads. Our claws in Vauhorn were nearly discovered!”

Rocks split in two. “Did you ever think we were cha-rity?”

Something snarled. If that was Caldesseia, Rainbow Dash had never before heard a peryton make such a feral noise. A second later, the earth shook, the mountains trembled and the wind howled—or none of these things happened, but it was all the longest burst of sounds yet. It hurt Dash’s ears not because of how loud they were, but for their sheer wrongness. Fluttershy and Rarity looked uneasy as well.

“If you need cha-rity,” said the staggered, awkward croak of a voice. “Give it to your-self. Do not lis-ten to them. Your peo-ple were once uni-ted. The fu-ture you wish for is a pos-sible out-come. We have many items that can help you ach-ieve this. Let us talk terms.”

“Terms!” Caldesseia yelled, loud enough that Dash swore she could hear her through the hallway door, too. “Again with your terms. How hopeful you must be to think—” she sputtered. “You know I visited the fortress, but you still hope that I learned nothing there? How weak and stupid do you think we are? When you came to me, you did not tell me any lost truths a thousand years past. You told me what I wished to hear! You told me that I was right, that we were betrayed, that Luna split our people and that we were driven away!”

When Caldesseia went on, she lowered her voice, but it was no less intense. “That is what I had thought,” she said. “That is what I wished to hear, and so you told me, but it is not the entire truth at all. I have heard the echoes of the past. You lie, and you lie, and now you wish to talk terms.”

Rainbow Dash frowned. Just when she’d been convinced that there would be no reply—just when she wondered if Caldesseia had walked away and that the conversation was over—the sounds washed over her and she thought she would fall. The earth split asunder and a vast tornado sucked trees out of the ground. Mountains toppled, and now they liquefied and took on strange new shapes, all to the tune of the roar of a burning forest. Rainbow Dash felt sick, struggling to hear the words that came next.

“If you are set on lear-ning the na-ture of the gods through these crea-tures, you learn lies. And how will your peo-ple think of you if they learn you have mis-led them? You pro-mise to-getherness, but with-out us, you do not have the means. Have you told them what you lear-ned at the fort-ress? Of your cle-ver spell? Do they not re-ly on you for truth?” The croaking voice let out a hoarse laugh, a harsh but mercifully normal sound. “Do the on-ly thing you can if you will not speak terms. Wea-ken or cast down the As-pects with your own fee-ble means. You have told your peo-ple He-lesseia and Se-lyria need to be tram-pled into dust. You set this in mo-tion. This is good. Agree-ing with us is good. Agree-ing with us is bet-ter than dis-agreeing.”

Rainbow Dash’s breath still came ragged. She had a headache, and felt like someone had run over her with a cart. At her side, Rarity sat, and Fluttershy’s wings sagged. How could sounds do this to her?

“Is this a threat?” asked Caldesseia. If the noises affected her in any way like it did the ponies, her voice betrayed nothing of it. “Pathetic. Do you wish for me to show you what a good threat sounds like, frail little creature?”

A tree fell over with a crack, punctuating the conversation with absurd petulance.

“We will de-part now.”

“Yes. You will,” said Caldesseia. “I will get you if I need you.” Rainbow Dash didn’t hear hoofsteps or anything of the sort, but after the ponies had stood and sat in silence for a good half minute, Dash swore she heard a loud, tired sigh or an exhale, then nothing more. Or maybe that was Dash herself.

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes for a second. She felt Fluttershy lean against her, but she wished the she hadn’t done that. The motion didn’t help. Dash was tired, icky and queasy, the entire world wobbling and her head throbbing.

“What,” said Dash. She didn’t even bother completing the question. Rarity shambled over to their bed and lay down.

“I don’t know,” said Fluttershy, her voice thin. “But… no. I don’t know. Rarity?”

Rarity simply shook her head, eyes shut tight. She looked like she was trying to hold back a sneeze or something.

“Yeah. Talk tomorrow,” Dash agreed, making for the bed as well, curling her tail around Fluttershy’s forelegs to give her the slightest of tugs.

Proving that waking of her own accord was a thing of the past, and that ‘five more minutes’ was outside the realm of even dreaming, Dash awoke again to peryton filing into the room, and they weren’t being quiet about it at all. Sure, it was just Velysra and Koltares, but they made enough sound for two dozen peryton. Dash’s head felt clear outside of sleep, but the memory of the craziness last night lingered, even if the effects did not.

“Hey, you’re back,” Dash murmured. She reached out to nudge Rarity in the side to wake her. Fluttershy stirred as well, wincing as she retrieved her wing from around Dash’s back.

“Oh. Good morning?” said Fluttershy. She smiled at Velysra—or perhaps at both of them. Velysra’s return smile was obviously strained. At least she wasn’t all grumpy-frowny like Koltares. Pinkie would have her work cut out for her with him.

“Breakfast?” asked Rarity, stifling a yawn. “Mh, I suppose not.”

“No,” said Koltares. Unlike Velysra, he had a bag around his neck. His antlers glowed and he opened it up, levitating out two vaguely familiar stones, one by one, putting them in an empty water bowl which he then held out. Dash hadn’t gotten a good look at them when they were captured, but the two small stones were roughly cut, with symbols on each side, none of which meant anything to her. They didn’t look like peryton script.

“Ah yes. Hello again, my old friends,” said Rarity with a look of clear distaste. “I can’t say I’m very eager to do this.”

“Please,” said Velysra. “It will make everything a lot easier. Just surround the two stones with your magic if you can, and we won’t have to worry about this.” She offered Rarity an apologetic smile, indicating the two stones with a thrust of her antlers. Koltares stepped up and hovered the bowl by the bars.

“And if she can’t?” asked Dash, raising a brow.

“Then they’ll have to come back, but come now, dear,” said Rarity. She turned up her snout. “There’s no point to duplicity. I am fairly certain I can, but I really, really would rather not. Surely we can come to a better arrangement.”

“Hold,” said Koltares, floating the bowl with the stones closer to Velysra, who sheathed it in her own milky white magic. The gruff stag took a step closer to the bars and lit his antlers up again, a faint glow surrounding one of Rarity’s legs, tugging at her. “Come. You really have no say—”

“Do not touch me,” snapped Rarity. Her horn pulsed briefly, and the glow around her leg—as well as the light surrounding Koltares’ antlers—scattered like a puff of snow. Koltares took a quick step back, then another, backing up towards the door with a clear look of shock on his face.

“Don’t,” said Velysra. “No others. Let me.”

The stag halted in his tracks, took a deep breath, exhaled, and nodded, shooting Rarity a foul look. Rarity did not so much as look at him. Velysra stepped a little closer to the bars, proffering the bowl with the stones.

“As much as I do not like saying this, he is right,” said the doe. “Consider, we do this for our own safety. If you do not help us with this, we will have to find another way, and already we know these stones are safe. Clearly, your magic—” she paused to give Rarity’s horn a long look. “Your magic is returning, so this does not hurt you. Please. I will bring you food and water afterwards—”

“Wow, classy,” said Dash, snorting. “You’re gonna starve us out?”

“It is not extortion,” said Velysra with a sigh. “If that is how this sounded, I apologise.”

“Extortion would work,” offered Koltares from the doorway. “I am not going near these fell creatures again.”

“Creatures?” Rarity asked with a gasp. “Excuse me?”

Velysra rolled her eyes. “Excuse him. I will attend your needs regardless of how many challenges you place in my way. If you wish, I can bring you food and water first, as a gesture of goodwill.”

Rarity glowered, but finally she let out a long, drawn-out sigh, walking up to the bars. “So, the… effect happens when I touch both of these stones with my magic, correct?” she asked.

The doe nodded. “That is what happened last time, and how it… ‘should’ happen, I suppose.”

Rainbow Dash scrunched up her snout, staring at the innocent-looking stones. They looked like dice with too many sides. Rarity’s horn glowed softly, but winked out again. She winced.

“You do realise it was not a very pleasant feeling?” the unicorn asked.

Velysra nodded again, slower this time. “I don’t imagine it was pleasant, no. I have not felt it myself, but I believe you.”

Rarity licked her lips. Rainbow Dash walked up to the bars herself, leaning her head against them. “This is dumb,” she muttered.

“I hope you are ashamed of yourselves,” said Fluttershy, the reproach in her voice far eclipsing any of the anger Rainbow Dash had been nursing. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d seen Fluttershy look this—angry? Hurt? Disappointed? The usually demure pegasus had a way of packing so many of those things into one look. Rainbow Dash always thought it was just she who saw it all. Maybe she wasn’t: Velysra looked away as if she’d been struck.

“Will it help if I say I am?” Velysra asked, quietly. Koltares said nothing, his eyes closed. The only movement was his chest moving with quiet breaths. Rainbow Dash swallowed, the tension in the room palpable until Rarity spoke.

“Fluttershy, darling,” said Rarity with a shake of her head. She reached out to touch the pegasus with a hoof, twice as gently as her tone was soft. “I appreciate the support, but it’s not painful, just… deeply unpleasant.”

“Yeah. That’s why it’s okay to ask someone to swallow a slug,” said Dash, making her voice as chipper as she could. “Because it’s not painful, it’s just stupid and unpleasant, so that makes it fine!”

Rarity laughed at that, though neither of the peryton would meet their eyes, and Fluttershy simply shook her head, turning away as well.

“Alright,” said Rarity. “I never thought I would say this, but that’s enough of the dramatics, I think. Let’s get this over with so we can have breakfast. Or lunch. Whichever it is. Catch me if I fall.”

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to protest, just realising that the last time Rarity had done this, she’d been knocked out of action. She got as far as an incredulous “If you—” before the stones in the bowl were surrounded by a soft blue glow and the room flashed bright white. Fluttershy eep’ed loudly, and Dash hissed in pain as she reflexively tried to spread her wings to shield herself, the chains digging into her wings.

“Warning!” Dash groaned. “Warning first, then magic! I told you.”

“Oh dear,” said Fluttershy, rubbing her eyes. “Um, that was… very bright. Rarity, are you okay?”

“There, all done,” said Rarity with endless nonchalance, stretching her neck from side to side, ignoring her friends in favour of effecting a bored look at the squinting peryton. “And would you look at that, I’m still conscious this time. Nothing is ever quite as wonderful the second time around, I suppose. Are you satisfied?”

“It has nothing to do with satisfaction,” Koltares grunted.

“Thank you,” said Velysra, dipping her head. She emptied the bowl of stones into Koltares’ ohron, the stag disappearing out the door. Velysra herself quickly stacked up the other empty bowls. “I will return in a moment.”

“Seeya,” said Dash, blinking rapidly still. She couldn’t get rid of the bright white spot in the corner of her eye.

This time, Velysra did return as she had said she would, bearing a tray with water bowls, as well as peeled and unpeeled fruits. Some of them were new, including something that looked like a larger kind of banana. She’d scarcely put the tray down by the bars before Dash slipped a hoof through and grabbed one, biting it open to reveal the white mush inside. Banana, or banana-like. Good enough.

“I will not ask you not to hold this against me,” said Velysra. She sat down in her usual spot halfway between the door and the bars, sinking down on her haunches.

Good, Rainbow Dash wanted to say. Because I do. But she didn’t know if she meant it, and a quick glance told her that Fluttershy wasn’t angry anymore, either. Her tail hung low and her wings sagged.

“I don’t think saying that you’re just ‘doing what you are told’ helps your case, if that’s the defence you are trying to mount here,” said Rarity, abandoning her efforts to sip water from a bowl on the floor. “Acting on orders is a poor excuse.”

The doe shook her head. “We need some safety—but that is not a defence. That is… no, it is nothing. I have nothing. This is not explanation. It is an apology. I am sorry.” She reached up to cover her face with the nook of a leg and sighed.

Rarity pursed her lips and nodded slowly. She looked to Fluttershy, who smiled ever so slightly at this, and to Dash, who didn’t know what her face showed. She knew she felt annoyed, but annoyed was better than peeved. The peryton doe seemed sincere enough.

“That is quite alright,” said Rarity, at last. “If nothing else, I understand, dear. Your apology is accepted.”

“Accepted,” Velysra repeated, as though the word held no meaning to her.

Rarity leaned down for a long draught of water, wiping her muzzle afterwards as she always did. “Yes?” she asked more than said. “I forgive you, that’s what I mean.”

Velysra let out a nervous laugh. “Forgive. You… are not joking. It is this easy? To forgive all these things—”

“Now,” Rarity interrupted. “I did not say everything, but I won’t begrudge you this latest little indignity. I still expect you’ll come to your senses and let us out sometime soon, but why would I not forgive you?”

The doe looked straight up at the roof and took a shaky breath. Rainbow Dash thought she heard a sniffle. She feigned interest in her almost-a-banana, munching down instead. She did not feel like watching anyone cry right now.

“Then, will you extend your forgiveness to Koltares as well?” Velysra asked, her voice cracking. “He is only angry because he is afraid.”

“So you keep saying,” said Rarity with a frown. “This is all about fear, but we still haven’t done anything worth fearing, I don’t think.”

Velysra shook with a soundless snort of laughter. “That depends on how much of what you say one believes, and he has heard enough to fear, and not enough to understand. You threaten our lives. This is our roost. We have our way of life, our homes are here. By now, despite the Guide’s efforts, most know what you represent. That you threaten Celestia.”

“We would never!” said Fluttershy with a gasp.

“That’s… the exact opposite of what’s true. We’re here because of her, haven’t you been listening?” said Dash, rolling her eyes. “If she’s threatened it’s because when I get back home, I’m gonna tell her what I think about sending us to this crazy place!”

“Darling, you will not be rude to either of the Princesses,” said Rarity, scowling at her.

“Yeah, well, I’m telling Twilight at least. She can put it in one of her stuffy letters,” Dash grumped.

Velysra shook her head, smiling. “I… think you misunderstand. What you threaten is that which we built our homes on. Our history. What I spoke of yesterday. That is how most here see it. That you carry night-granted power. That you are as the Aspects.”

“Afhs fhe’ afhphefks? How?” Dash asked around a mouthful of fruit, ignoring Rarity’s horrified look. If manners didn’t get a break in prison, they’d never get a rest.

“In that you present a different version of the same goddesses. Weaker. False. I do not think you asked, or that I spoke of the Aspects—”

“We figured it out,” said Dash, swallowing. “You don’t like them because the cities made the Aspects instead of… telling stories about Celestia and Luna, I guess? We kinda heard something about that from an old doe way back. That they made the Aspects, anyway—not that you’re all bent out of shape about it.”

Velysra snorted and shook her head. “It is how we know things to be. You clearly know things differently, as do the cities of our kin—and before you ask, no, I do not feel as strongly about this as most. The others, our Guide included, evidently believe this strongly enough that you are kept here.” She tapped the ground with the hoof. “That, and perhaps another thing. The knowledge of what we have done.” She gave Dash a grim smile and gestured towards her with a hoof before continuing.

“I understand you have visited Ephydoera. You bear their paint, and you will know they are not ones to easily forget a misstep.”

“Yeah, thanks for that,” Dash muttered, glancing back at her chained, green wings. She grimaced. They’d started to ache for real, now. She wished Velysra hadn’t brought it up and reminded her.

“You’re afraid of facing the dues, as it were,” suggested Rarity.

“That may be one of the reasons, yes,” said the doe. “Fear of reprisal.”

The unicorn frowned. “I trust it has not escaped you that you spend an awful lot of time speculating out loud about why you think we are not let free. I understand you likely do not have a say in this, but it is not the first time you recognise the injustice.”

Velysra rolled her jaw, silent for a moment before she nodded. “At first, I was angry enough at what you had done to Caldesseia that I… did not think as much as I should have.” Her smile was decidedly sour. “Now, I will keep to my task of guarding you because I have begun it, and because others will not do so willingly. I will not say this in public, but even if I do not believe you, I do not think you should not be imprisoned, either. I do not know Caldesseia’s mind in this, neither as the Guide, nor as my friend, Cal.”

“Uh. We kinda do know, though,” said Dash, her snout scrunched. She had more than one idea after what they overheard last night. “We—”

“All we have,” said Rarity, staring very intensely at her, “is speculation as well, of course.”

“No we—”

“Speculation,” Rarity repeated, holding her with a stare. “Rainbow Dash does so love to speculate and wonder.”

“Bunches of speculation,” Dash said, rolling her eyes and taking the cue. She pointed to the cluster of banana-likes she’d grabbed. “See that? Those bunches? That’s our speculation. We have bunches of it. All bunched up.”

Velysra blinked, and Fluttershy coughed. When nopony spoke up again, the doe simply shook her head as though she brushed the conversation away. Rarity, happy to do the same, smiled at her.

“While we’re all talking—I would love to hear your take on all this… debacle around the Aspects,” said Rarity. She stifled a small yawn and sat by the bars. “We have nothing but time. Surely it’s a little much to wish these Aspects gone simply because they are different from your… shall we call them beliefs?”

“A ‘take’ on this?” Velysra asked. “The memories are thus: in the Gorges, we did not have the Aspects. The peryton people lived by the guidance of Celestia and Luna’s words from their visits. When Luna betrayed Celestia and the Nightmare came, driving our people apart, some of our people created the Aspects, and among those, they hid Celestia within Helesseia and made her their own. They enshrined Luna within Selyria, and did not throw away her tainted wisdom when her true nature was shown.”

The doe snorted loudly. “You understand, all of this was thought to be metaphor or allegory until recently. Now we understand that the Nightmare’s influence on our people, through Selyria, was what split us all apart. The distance from Celestia is what keeps us from this truth. Keeps us from being united and happy once more.”

Velysra gave the ponies a humorless smile. Dash saw the change in her demeanour instantly, her body relaxing with an unvoiced sigh, a full-bodied slump before she went on.

“That is what the Guide has said, at least. That is the growing fervor in the hearts of the Morrowsworn. Three years ago, our departure from the gorges so long ago was an afterthought, knowledge without need for action. Scar tissue, as I have earlier said, but you ask me about the Aspects. You ask me.”

The doe slowly paced back and forth as she spoke, her brow knit. “Me? I am unconcerned with Helesseia, even if I find it sad, perhaps even insulting to Celestia whose light we praise, but more than this, I do not know that I think that Luna has anything to teach us.” She frowned. “I do not know that I can abide the existence of Selyria, whether the Nightmare is allegory or not, whether a goddess exists who fought the sun or not, whether she is still the darkness I suspect, or whether she has turned her wings against the wind for the second time. Luna, Nightmare or Selyria, how can I trust such caprice?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged to herself. “What’s the problem with that? Everyone makes mistakes.”

The first part of a laugh caught in the doe’s throat, her smile frozen, then fading as she stopped her pacing. “You say this not in jest. If I make myself believe your story of origin, if I believe your letter for even one second, you are the ones who should fear her the most. If you hail from where she makes her roost, how is it that your lands were not ravaged by her passing? How is it that you speak of her so simply?” Her scowl deepened. “How can I believe you are truthful now? You speak with Luna’s voice, and you say she is the Nightmare as we have told you, but you walk carrying her word alongside Celestia’s.”

“Was,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head briskly. “She was the Nightmare—or, Nightmare Moon. She isn’t any more.”

“But you say she has been!” Velysra said. “Did her passing not scorch your Equestria? Did she not cast your lands into darkness as well? Were you not closer to Celestia than any others when the Nightmare betrayed her?”

Rainbow Dash blew her mane out of her face. “Sure, maybe, and we don’t know?” Dash said. “Who cares! I guess it got dark and everyone was scared a long time ago or whatever. Twilight read a book about it, but who gives a hoot about the details, who cares what exactly she did a thousand years ago? Who the hay is angry with someone after a thousand years! That’s a really, really, really long time. I don’t even think they had Wonderbolts back then!”

“I suppose one should be careful about not repeating history,” said Rarity, frowning slightly. “But—”

“Sure!” Dash said. “But again, a thousand years? If she was still all evil and stuff, yeah, I wouldn’t exactly want to write a book about her top ten hot mane styling tips, or make a storybook character of her, but she’s not evil!” Rainbow Dash tried to shift her wings on her back, and hissed when all she got for her trouble was a stab of pain. “I’m not gonna go rub that stuff in her face and try to tell her how bad she was when she’s doing good now, anyway.”

“Just one little mistake doesn’t—or, well, shouldn’t ruin everything else you’ve ever done,” said Fluttershy, nodding her agreement. “As long as she’s changed, why wouldn’t we forgive her? If we didn’t forgive her, why, she might never get better, and besides, I don’t even know that I feel like Nightmare Moon was really her at all.” She pouted and ducked her head a little. “So many ponies are still afraid of her. Sometimes, even I am. It’s not easy, but more ponies come around every day.”

“Princess Celestia certainly appreciates Luna’s return,” Rarity added, a little more quietly. “I’ve never heard of a princess crying before then, and she’s not had cause since.”

Velysra stared at them in silence for a good while, her face blank and emotionless, but Rainbow Dash didn’t have anything to add. She could believe them, or she could not, but Dash had been there. She’d seen Nightmare Moon, and she’d seen Princess Luna. She leaned back against the bars, the metal pleasantly cool against her body.

“One prong of my being believes you, I think,” said the doe, finally. “You are perhaps… I do not know if this is naivety, or if this is something else, but this is how we were able to capture you, is it not? You do not hesitate. You do not stop to think back, or consider a thing with suspicion. That is why you are here behind bars.”

“Yes,” said Rarity, her voice prim and precise. “I suppose it is, but if I run across another stranger in need of my assistance once I get out of this gruesome prison, I will help them without a second thought about it.“ Rainbow Dash just shook her head and reached out to touch a hoof to Rarity’s side. She knew the unicorn meant it, and Dash honestly didn’t know what the alternative was. They’d talked about that yesterday, or the day before, hadn’t they? Treating every peryton they met like they were their enemy? That’d be twice as dumb.

Velysra laughed, a low, almost clucking sound that petered out into nothingness. “I believe you will blunder into a second trap if someone sets it, that I do. And I believe that when you forgave me for the indignities of this morning with your magic, you were sincere.” She shook her head. “To believe in goddesses changing like people, that is more difficult. Can you convince yourself that the sky is water, and that the water is sky, simply because I tell you?”

“Maybe you’ll get to meet her one day,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her. “Maybe you’ll realise that even if she’s a princess—or… a goddess, I guess, if you like that word better, she’s still a person. She’s still people.”

“Another thing that is difficult to think, but I believe you believe this,” said Velysra, exhaling loudly. “I also hope you will find the capacity to believe that I feel bad for preying on this good nature of yours. I also do not think I deserve this forgiveness you offer me.”

“‘Thanks’ would have worked fine too, you know,” Dash said. “Or you could thank us by letting us out.”

“If it were my decision, things might be different,” said Velysra. “I have lingered longer than I should. I must attend my office as soothe-prong soon. Life goes on. I have to attend the hurts of my people.”

“Speaking of hurt,” said Dash, licking her lips. The little pause got a raised brow from Rarity and a worried look from Fluttershy. “You’re like… our doctor, too?”

The doe nodded slowly. “I must be considered thus. Another reason I am here. Are you hurt?”

Dash sighed. “The chains are really tight, and my wings are getting… achey. In a bad way. Can you get them off of me so I can stretch them out, at least?”

The doe looked pained before Rainbow Dash completed her sentence, and the pegasus’s heart sank.

“I have very clear directions not to remove the chains for any reasons,” she said. “That does not mean I agree with it, but I believe the Guide has seen or heard that you are a threat. Or perhaps Koltares bent her ear, not because he is vengeful, but because he has more fear than many.”

“Great,” said Dash, forcing a smile. “Yeah, okay, no problem. Cool.” Thanks, Koltares.

“That’s not okay at all,” said Fluttershy. She walked up to Rainbow Dash and leaned in close to her wings, nudging the chains with her snout ever so slightly. “I don’t know if they are tight enough to cause real damage to pegasus wings, but this is really not fair.”

Rarity frowned at Rainbow Dash. “What was it you said just this morning? Swallowing slugs? Darling, this is really awful.”

Velysra closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out through her nose.

“I’ll be fine,” Dash grunted. Fine, and after another day or two, probably crazy from not getting to spread my wings.

“No, you won’t,” said Fluttershy, her voice hard and absolute. She turned to the doe on the other side of the bars. “This really is not okay. I realise it’s not really your fault, and it is unfair of us to be angry with you, but she’s in pain.”

“No I’m not,” Dash said, her words and her partial lie completely ignored.

“There are many things I may, and will tell the Guide, and try to help with, but on this, I do not even have the key—”

“That,” said Fluttershy, glowering, “is not really our problem. I’m sorry, Velysra, but if you really want to help us, and if your job is to take care of us, there must be something you can do. It’s just not good enough.”

Rarity gave Fluttershy a worried look, and Rainbow Dash didn’t bother protesting or saying anything. Sometimes, ponies needed to not get in Fluttershy’s way. This was one such time.

“I do not think—” the doe said.

“At least find something to make it a little more comfortable,” said Fluttershy, no less resolved, but a little softer, now. “Maybe you can find something to put between the chains and her wings? Please?”

Velysra gave Dash’s wings a quick look, and after a brief moment’s hesitation, nodded and disappeared around the corner.

“I suppose we could have used the blanket,” said Rarity, scowling at the chains around Dash’s body. “But without my magic, I don’t know how we would’ve worked it between your body and the chains. And it’d be itchy. And it would leave us one blanket down.”

“Why didn’t you say something?” asked Fluttershy, frowning at Dash.

“I did! Just now!” Dash replied. “It’s not that bad,” but she could tell Fluttershy didn’t buy it in the least. Rainbow Dash splayed her ears and looked at the wall, waiting and avoiding Fluttershy’s gaze until she heard steps on the return. Velysra entered the room, unfurling a long piece of cloth that hovered at her side. It looked like a scarf of some kind.

“I think perhaps this will help,” said the doe. “Since I do not have the key, I will try to work it under the chain if you will help.” She strode forward until she reached her usual spot halfway between the door and the bars. There, she halted, rocking on her forelegs as though she’d hit a wall.

“You know, I can’t reach, and Rarity doesn’t have her magic, so we kinda do need your help,” said Dash. “I’m guessing you’re not gonna come in here, though.” She turned her side to the doe and looked over at her.

“I will have to move closer to reach through the bars with my magic,” said the doe, as though that was not obvious.

“Is… that a problem?” asked Fluttershy. “I can try to do it with my hooves and my mouth.”

“No, there is no problem,” said Velysra, shaking her head slowly. She took one step closer, then another, slowly as though she expected something to happen. “Even if I do not trust your words—or rather, what you speak of as truth—I believe I have come to trust you.”

“What’re we gonna do anyway?” asked Dash with a laugh. “Grab you? Bite you?”

“I think at this point the trust is mutual by necessity,” said Rarity with a wan smile. “You have told us quite a few of your concerns with regards to your Guide, and any secrets you tell us are safe.”

“Secrets?” the doe asked, stepping up to the bars. She levitated the scarf-like thing through the bars and slipped one of the ends through the gap under Dash’s wings, wiggling and tugging gently at it. “Secrets,” she repeated. “You assume that I have not told Caldesseia most of what I have told you. I am not shy with my concerns when we speak, but you are right regardless. We have shared much, and freely. Too much.”

The cloth didn’t help much. After a short while, Velysra had it packed in between the chain and Dash’s wings and body, but it didn’t really relieve any of the pressure, the need to spread her wings. It did make sure the chains didn’t feel like they dug into her, though.

“Thanks,” Dash muttered. With all this talk of forgiveness and fear, Dash knew that it was stupid to be angry with Velysra for much longer. It didn’t make them friends until Velysra let them out, but you took wins where you could get them, right?

“If that is all, I must be going, but you will tell me if you have other worries, and if you are in pain, will you not?” asked Velysra.

“We will,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her.

“Mm, one more question, if you don’t mind,” said Rarity before the doe disappeared out the doorway.

“Yes?”

“If I understand you right, you wish to remove these Aspects and, I presume, ‘unite Perytonia’,” said Rarity with a simple smile. “How are the two related? Or, to be perhaps indelibly blunt: what is it that you plan on doing, or how will this ‘help’ Celestia?”

Velysra sighed. “That is a good question. I wish I could tell you that we have some plan that is secret, a Morrowsworn plan of which I cannot tell you.”

“But?” Dash asked, tilting her head.

“You know I am one who doubts much,” said Velysra, shrugging. “I do not know how much I believed Celestia needed our help even before you showed up, but many do, and those listen to Caldesseia. She tells them she has a plan.”

“I’m certain she does say that,” said Rarity, nodding.

“If she has a plan, and I must believe she does, then I do not understand how you factor into it if she does not wish to see you. Her visit to your room was very brief. I will ask her again to explain this to me, and if she cannot—if she still believes you must be kept imprisoned?” She paused and flexed one of her talons. “Then I will ask that at the very least, she explain to you what she cannot explain to me. I worry much about her.”

“It would be wonderful to get to see her again. Well, informative, if not pleasant,” suggested Rarity. “Thank you.”

The three ponies all waited in complete silence, three sets of ears perked and waiting while the sound of Velysra’s steps faded away down the hall. The very second all went silent, Rainbow Dash rounded on Rarity.

“What the hay were you hushing me for?” she asked. “We know Caldesseia doesn’t have a plan! What’s the point in asking—”

“Exactly, dear,” said Rarity, smiling back at her. “We overheard many things we likely should not have, and it would behoove us not to tell anyone before we decide how to go about it. And besides, we now know that Velysra—one of her closest friends—does not know what we overheard.”

“Oh,” said Dash.

“It feels awful to keep quiet like this, especially when Velysra is finally starting to trust us,” said Fluttershy, scuffing the ground.

“I don’t enjoy duplicity and such, either,” said Rarity with a huff. “But even Applejack would agree that it’s foolish to simply tell everyone everything you hear, all the time. Granted, this is hardly a white lie, you’re right in that.”

“I didn’t mean that I think you’re doing something bad,” Fluttershy replied with a muted sigh. “I just don’t like it.”

“I didn’t take offence, dear,” said Rarity. “I just want to be clear on this—we should probably think before we speak, that is all.”

“Maybe we should talk about what we heard last night,” Fluttershy suggested. “We haven’t really had a chance. We just went right to bed, and we woke up to this awful mess of magic stones and everything.”

“Yeah, okay,” said Dash. She trotted over to the corner of the cell, grabbed one of their blankets, and put it in the center, then pushed some of the fruit bowls and water bowls next to it. She planted herself in the middle of the blanket. “Caldesseia doesn’t have a clue what she’s going to do. She doesn’t have a plan at all.” Dash said.

“And she sounds like she does believe us,” said Fluttershy, taking a seat next to Rainbow Dash. “She believes we were sent by the Princesses. Even more than Velysra, she sounded like she wanted to hear what we have to say. She told us she didn’t believe our story, but it sounded to me like she keeps us here because she does believe it,” she said, grabbing a slice of fruit.

“I agree. She knows we’re telling the truth, or at least she has cause to believe it,” said Rarity, frowning as she, too, sat. “As to the ‘plan’ thing, it sounded like she had a plan, but rejected it because of what she learned and because she doesn’t want to accept these awful-voiced strangers’ help.”

“Yeah, about that,” said Dash, grimacing. She didn’t even like thinking about the memory of those chaotic sounds. “I don’t know if that was a ‘voice’. It sounded like a heap of noise to me.”

“I’ve never heard anything like it,” said Fluttershy, her ears flat.

“And I would love never to hear anything like it again,” Rarity chimed. “What awful noises—but Caldesseia didn’t seem to mind. Did you notice?”

Dash shrugged. “We couldn’t really see her face.”

“I would struggle to speak, much less keep a straight face under that onslaught, I don’t know about the two of you,” said Rarity, her snout crinkled. “But yes. My point is, it sounds almost like… blackmail. Whoever these creatures are, they clearly know she has no plan without their help, and they hold her hostage over it. These others also know she’s lied to her own people.”

“I don’t know if she was held hostage or whatever,” said Dash. “She was all ‘get out of my face’ and stuff.”

“That could have been her trying to sound strong,” suggested Fluttershy.

“Eh, maybe,” said Dash. “Again, couldn’t see her face or her wings or anything! But yeah, Caldesseia wasn’t super keen on the whole ‘stamping out the Aspects’ thing.”

“She did sound less... intensely interested in that than Velysra suggested,” Rarity said with a nod. “In fact, much of what they discussed ran contrary to Velysra’s expectations. She seemed mostly concerned with this business with the fortress. Getting rid of the Aspects was on these other creatures’ agenda, not hers. Well, I say ‘creatures’. We don’t know the translator wasn’t a very hoarse peryton, I suppose.”

Fluttershy pushed an empty water bowl away. “Velysra did say that the Guide had travelled a lot. If she went to the fortress we visited—if she made the spell that created those magical echo-peryton, that actually makes a lot of sense. I remember thinking that the echo was interrupted a lot, and Caldesseia acted like that with us, too. Just a little bit.”

“A little,” Dash repeated, her voice flat.

“Or a lot, maybe,” Fluttershy admitted, sighing. “She was angry because she learned that the migration didn’t happen the way she thought it had.”

“Mm, she was rather desperate to have us confirm this story she’s told her people, even though she knows it is wrong,” Rarity agreed. “It’s conjecture, certainly, but it fits.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head slowly. How Rarity and Fluttershy got all that, she didn’t know, but it did add up. “Fine,” she said. “Then why is she so angry with us?”

Rarity nodded, swallowing a draught of water. “Her anger did seem misplaced.”

“I don’t think she really ever was angry with us,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head. “She’s angry that she got something wrong, and she knows she’s told her people something that’s wrong, too. I don’t think she really wants to hurt us. She even sounded a little… protective? She didn’t want to let these other people see us, and I think I’m glad to hear that.” She shuddered.

“I guess there’s that,” said Dash, snorting. “I’m not gonna thank her for keeping us here anyway. Maybe we should just tell everyone she doesn’t care half as much about this whole Celestia and Helesseia business as they think? That’s what she’s told the people she’s supposed to lead, right? That she thinks this Celestia versus Helesseia business matters—and that’s a lie, too.”

“To what end, dear?” asked Rarity. “The best you could do is try to tell the guards who accompany us when they let one of us outside for air, and I don’t know that it will help. They’re hardly inclined to listen to us. Besides, I think she cares about Celestia, at the very least, if not about this whole Aspect debacle.”

“She cares about who, or what they think Celestia is,” Dash retorted. “Velysra said they dance under the sun or whatever. What’s up with that? Don’t get me wrong, it’s great if they’re having fun, but they act like they know Celestia, and they don’t! They’re not the ones who have had tea with her!”

“Well, they know the sun, at least,” said Fluttershy, smiling at that. “I don’t know if it matters what they think as long as they’re not…” her voice trailed off and she frowned ever so slightly.

“Not hurting anyone?” Rainbow Dash finished, deadpan and with one brow arched. She pointed to one of the bars for extra effect.

“...Yes,” Fluttershy finished, lamely. “I just feel sorry for them. For Caldesseia and the people, too. She made promises she can’t really keep, and that hurts everyone.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, looking away. As bad as Caldesseia was, Dash herself knew what it was like not to hold up your end of the bargain.

Rarity finished up the fruit in one of the small bowls and stretched. “Hopefully, Velysra can convince Caldesseia to come talk to us again sooner rather than later. If she believes us, we can tell her—”

“What shampoo Celestia uses?” Dash hazarded, interrupting Rarity.

“That’s the second time you’ve suggested the same thing, and I don’t believe you do know that,” said Rarity, furrowing her brow.

“I know what shampoo Twilight uses, and if anypony knows what shampoo Celestia uses, it’s Twilight,” said Dash, grinning. “And I bet you five bits that Twilight would use the same shampoo once she found out.”

Fluttershy giggled, and Rarity stared, unblinking for a moment.

“I admit, that is impressive reasoning,” Rarity admitted with a shrug. “How do you know which shampoo Twi—no, nevermind, that is completely irrelevant. If Caldesseia does believe that Celestia and Luna did send us, and that they do in fact live in Canterlot, we can send a letter on her behalf if she has any questions that need answering. I don’t understand what else she would want us for.”

“Without the airship to take us back home, I don’t know how we’d even send a letter,” said Fluttershy.

“Yes, well, they’d have to deliver it themselves, I suppose,” said Rarity, shaking her head at that. “Directions to Las Pegasus, then. Goodness, sailing there would take quite a while.”

“Yeah, well, we got time. It’s not like we’re gonna make it to Cotronna in time to meet Neisos’ brother now anyway,” Dash said. She meant to laugh at that, to let out a dismissive chuckle, but even as she spoke, she realised it wasn’t funny to her at all. They had no plan on how to get out of here, and even if they did, they had no plan that would get them home—at least not while her dreams eluded her.

“I win again!” said Dash, grinning as she placed the third upturned bowl in a row. “Go again?”

“Sure,” said Fluttershy.

“I’ll go first,” said Dash. She grabbed the top empty bowl from their stack and placed it upside-down on the middle of the floor, motioning for Fluttershy to place her upright bowl. “Your turn.”

Rarity yawned over by her comfy little blanketed corner. “If you don’t actually have a playing field or a grid of some kind, I don’t understand how you can play the game properly.”

“Exactly, that’s why it’s awesome,” said Rainbow Dash with a snicker. After a moment’s deliberation, she placed down her second bowl.

“It’s better than doing nothing,” said Fluttershy, smiling as she blocked Dash’s easy three-in-a-row.

“By all means,” said Rarity, waving a hoof. “I’m mostly just impressed that Rainbow Dash managed to lose once if she always goes first.”

“Eh, you have to let someone else win once in a while to get them to keep playing with you,” said Rainbow Dash. “You wanna play next round? Dibs on going first.”

“Darling, what’s the—ah, why not. It beats staring at the frayed ends of my mane,” she said, giggling. “I’ll go next.”

“Oh. Um, that’s… outside the board if it’s a three-by-three,” said Fluttershy. “I don’t know if you can place a bowl there.”

“Sure I can, that’s three in a row, another win for me,” Dash announced, scooping up her bowls again.

“I guess?” Fluttershy said, blinking. She turned to Rarity. “Maybe you could ask to let them have your mane styling items?”

“If you agreed that my mane needs a touch-up, I’m sure you could have said so with more tact, dear,” said Rarity, arching a brow.

Rainbow Dash perked her ears. She heard something down the hall, for sure.

“Oh, I’m sorry—” said Fluttershy.

“I’m joking, dear,” said Rarity with a laugh. “I’m well aware my mane requires constant care, and I’ve done it on and off, but I have no illusions that they’ll just give us my scissors.”

“We got company,” said Dash. Lazily she rose to stand on all four, pushing the empty bowls towards the bars. If Velysra came to get them fresh water, she wouldn’t turn it down. Where the doe got icy cold water in this heat, she had no idea. If not for the draft from the air holes and the open hallway, they’d melt in their cell, and the idea that there was anywhere cold within a hundred leagues was laughable.

“Maybe you can ask about the scissors,” said Fluttershy, eyeing their bags. “I’d love to check that our things are alright.”

Rainbow Dash tilted her head as the steps grew louder. “What is it you’re so worried—”

“Oh,” said Rarity.

“Velysra has made a very insistent case that I see you,” said Caldesseia. The stocky doe strode into the room with confidence this time. She barely looked at them at first, and her body was unadorned this time save for a single necklace of the fiery stones she’d wore the last time, though her legs still looked as though they had been… dipped in soot? Dash had no idea.

“Yeah? Well—” Dash began, her mouth hanging open for a second. “That’s… good, I guess,” she finished, lamely.

“In all honesty,” said Rarity, sidling up to the bars. “We expected perhaps you would want to see us. After all, we are the guests here. At your insistence.”

“This is true,” said Caldesseia with a nod. “You are here because I arranged for you to be here. If I have not attended you, it is because I’ve had other matters to attend to lately.”

“If?” Dash asked. “You were here yesterday, but you left in a huff.” She shrugged.

“I am aware of my own comings and goings, thank you,” said the doe with a half-hearted glare. She seemed a different creature from yesterday entirely, and more composed by far. “I have taken some time to consider how best to deal with this situation, and I think I have a solution.”

“Is the ‘situation’ you ponynapping us for no reason at all?” asked Dash. “‘Cause I’d call that a situation.”

“Let’s not antagonise our host more than we must,” said Rarity, elbowing Dash in the side.

“Just saying,” Dash grunted.

“What’s the solution you’ve come up with?” asked Fluttershy, her ears perking a little.

“I can let you go,” said Caldesseia. The doe walked close to the bars, looking down at Rainbow Dash as she spoke, though Dash didn’t get the feeling that she really spoke to her. “I have no need to keep you here, but I require your help.”

Rainbow Dash bit down on her tongue hard, trying not to comment on the Guide’s method of getting help.

“After the return of the Nightmare, and after realising that the gods still act upon our world, I travelled Perytonia,” said Caldesseia. “I saw what even the pathfinders who watch the cities do not. I saw the vastness of Perytonia. I saw their fertile lands, and I wanted something better for my people.”

“Tried asking?” said Dash. “‘Cause why wouldn’t they share?”

“Perhaps they would,” said Caldesseia, shrugging. “But how can there be unity when we are divided by the gods? The return of the Nightmare was a grim reminder of this. They still carve statues to the one who split us apart, and they still insult Celestia by forgetting her true name, by telling stories of her that are untrue.”

Rainbow Dash glanced at Fluttershy, who returned a helpless shrug.

“The war in heaven reminded me,” said the doe, her gaze distant as though she saw straight through Rainbow Dash. “It reminded our people of what we lost. We had a better life united in the gorges under Celestia’s light, before Luna betrayed her and tore our people apart. Before the cities turned their face away from Celestia. Before they erected statues to Selyria, to Luna. We can, and we will unite, but first, we need to understand one another. That is where you will help.”

“How, exactly?” asked Rarity, her voice carefully neutral. Dash shifted her weight from her left legs to her right, rolling her jaw as she listened.

“Surely, you are not so deluded as to think you talk to, or are sent by the gods themselves,” said Caldesseia with a faint smile that neither reached her eyes nor showed teeth. “You must see that everything would be better if we would only see eye to eye. You were on your way to Cotronna, I understand? To make treaties, as you spoke of in this letter? Is this, at least, true?”

“For sake of argument, ignoring that we have spoken no ‘lies’, yes,” said Rarity, her snout creased.

“Then make this treaty on behalf of whomever truly sent you, not under the false authority under Celestia, and make it on the condition that Cotronna decrees that the Perytonian people discard the false aspects of Helesseia and Selyria. This may not mean much to your ears, but—”

“What?” Dash snapped.

Rarity huffed. “We have explained this time and again, though I suppose you may have have missed it: we do not have the authority to negotiate. We aren’t here to negotiate. We are here to invite them to a conference, a summit.”

Caldesseia frowned, tapping a hoof on the stone floor. “Then you will make these be negotiations regardless. You represent another people. There must be some authority upon which you can call to do this, to help. We Morrowsworn are one place, a small people, but if anything of what you say is true, you must—”

“We must what?” Dash asked. “I don’t even know what you’re asking! Do you seriously think we can convince the Perytonians to stop using their Aspects? Even two of them? If you think that for even a second, then you’re crazy!” she said, raising her voice. “I thought you said you keep an eye on the cities, but if you think they’d agree to anything like this, you don’t understand anything. We’re just visiting, and even I know that’s not how it works!”

The doe’s frown deepened, but Dash didn’t even give her a chance to reply. Her blood was up, and she couldn’t stop.

“Their Aspects are everywhere, it’s part of who they are, and you think we can change that?” She let out a harsh bark of laughter. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard! They annoy the hay out of me sometimes, and I still think it’s weird, but you know what? Even if we could change that, why would we?” she hissed through gritted teeth. “So what if they want to talk weird? And if they want to call Celestia ‘Helesseia’ instead, that’s fine by me, and no stupid stinking ponynapping person is gonna change that!”

Dash’s chest heaved with breath. She wanted her wings back, and she wanted to spread them. She wanted the bars to be gone so she could fly up in the doe’s face. Instead, her sides just itched. She kicked at the ground. “How the hay would making them stop talking about two names, and use two other names matter anyway,” she spat. “What’s the difference? How does that ‘unify’ you, huh?”

The silence held for a moment in the aftermath of her rant, but Caldesseia didn’t look angry so much as she just looked bothered.

“If we’re talking about unifying Perytonia,” Rarity muttered to herself, “they’d need some help just ‘unifying’ themselves without the Morrowsworn, and that begins with a better road plan if you ask me.”

“Then you have made your choice,” said Caldesseia with a shrug. “I do not see why I would let you go.”

“Because it’s the right thing to do?” asked Fluttershy, tilting her head. “And because you don’t really have a reason not to?”

It was a simple enough sentiment. Rainbow Dash could see in Caldesseia’s eyes that she knew it too, but she turned around and made for the door.

“But you won’t,” said Rarity, to no effect.

“No, because I need you to do this for me, and you will not,” said the doe, not stopping.

“Yeah, that’s a load of hay,” said Dash, snorting loudly. “You don’t need us to do squat. You know we’re not lying. You know, or part of you knows that everything we’re saying is true. You know that you’re wrong, and that you weren’t chased off from that fortress by Luna doing whatever. You left.” Dash sneered. “You know the truth, you just don’t want to admit it to yourself. Or to anyone else.”

“You’re keeping us here so people can blame us instead,” said Fluttershy, frowning. “You don’t want us to leave because that way, your people can think we’re bad.”

“You’re buying yourself time,” Rarity added, inspecting one of her forehooves, looking thoroughly bored. “Because you don’t have a plan at all. Your cart is stuck in the mud, so to say—if you’ll permit a very useful, if country colloquialism. How droll.”

That gave the Guide pause. She halted halfway out the door and hung her head low, taking a deep breath. “I will not ask you how you learned this. I know I have not been betrayed by my closest.”

Fluttershy shook her head and lay her ears flat. “No, I’m sorry. If you’re asking if Velysra told us any of this, she really hasn’t.”

“I believe you. As you say, I know you do not lie.” Caldesseia snorted hot air. “Well. Now, you realise, I truly cannot let you go.”

“Oh please,” said Rarity, rolling her eyes. “You made us an impossible offer because you did not want us to accept it. You had no intentions of letting us go when you realised that we were right, and—I believe Fluttershy is correct about this as well—that you have in us a perfect set of three scapegoats. Let your people think about how we’re associated with this scary evil Nightmare Moon Luna who no longer exists and attack the Aspects rather than realise you are floundering.”

Caldesseia sucked in breath through clenched teeth. “My people need a Guide. They need a direction. To tell them that they have been served a lie is the one thing they do not need. It is suffering.”

“Sure, yeah, it’s about them, not about saving your own fluffy butt,” Dash said, sticking her tongue out.

The doe flashed a scowl and shook her head. “It does not matter what you believe. I do this for the Morrowsworn. You will stay here until I have solved this. I will not return.”

“Or you do what you should do and let us out!” Dash yelled as the Guide disappeared around the corner. “This isn’t our problem!”

“It’s pointless, dear,” said Rarity, shaking her head.

“Get back here!” Dash yelled, as loud as she could make it, her own ears ringing with the force of her own voice. She raised a foreleg to hit the bars, but it was just as pointless. Just as meaningless as trying to work her wings free from the stupid chains. Nothing worked and she met unyielding iron wherever she turned. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on Fluttershy’s touch against her side. Thankfully, that touch was just as solid.

Chapter 32

Rainbow Dash said she’s going to knock on my door first thing in the morning, and that we’re going to town hall together. Registration for the Summer Sun festivities closes the day after tomorrow. When she says ‘first thing in the morning’, I don’t think she means that, but if she wants to go register tomorrow instead of waiting until the last moment, that means she’s pretty excited.

I’m glad to do it, I think. I just hope I can get past the doorstop. That’s always the hardest part. If I make it to Mayor Mare’s desk, I think I’ll be okay, but just thinking about it now—oh goodness, I don’t know if I can do it after all. Rainbow Dash just left, mayb-

I tried to catch her, but she’s already gone. Okay, Fluttershy. Just… try to think about everyone who needs you. Not just Bluebell and the other birds, but Rainbow Dash probably needs you, too.

I know we’ll be friends forever, but I like to think that she needs me a little bit, too. Someone who can be there for her.

Good night, Diary,

-Fluttershy

The evening settled slowly. With no torch outside the room this time, what little silver spilled down the stone shafts above had at some point become the strongest light in the room. Under moonlight, the difference between Dash’s green-dyed wings and her coat seemed less, but it didn’t change a thing. They were useless to her. Every single muscle of her wings throbbed from her efforts, straining against the bonds even though she knew she’d never break the chains just by pushing against them.

“I don’t know for sure,” said Fluttershy, pushing one of the few remaining bowls of water over to Rarity, who leaned down for a sip.

“You think she’s sincere?” Rarity asked.

“I think she really does mean well for her people,” said Fluttershy, nodding a touch. “Or, she thinks she’s helping. I don’t think everything she said was a lie. That wouldn’t make sense. You can’t say so many things and have nothing be true. Even lies have to come from somewhere true.”

“I suppose,” said Rarity, staring out into the empty room. Both Rarity and Fluttershy spoke in quiet tones despite knowing they were all alone. Despite knowing that whether they whispered or yelled, they were alone, and Rainbow Dash was the most quiet of them all. She pushed against the chains again, her teeth clenched to keep from making sound. Her wings felt hot, singular in the first cool evening since they’d arrived wherever the hay they were.

“I find the idea that she needs to help her people curious by itself,” said Rarity a moment later. She pushed the bowl back to Fluttershy, who nudged it towards Rainbow Dash. The three lay side by side atop their blankets, as they had ever since they were left alone.

“How do you mean?” Fluttershy asked, tilting her head.

“Velysra didn’t seem to think they ‘suffered’ at all,” said Rarity, frowning.

“That’s true,” said Fluttershy. “That’s a little strange, but sometimes people disagree on what’s okay. And… I guess other times, someone gets some strange ideas about what’s wrong and right into their head.”

“Only you could be so gentle in suggesting she is crazy, dear,” countered Rarity.

Fluttershy bit her lip. “Or that she made a bad decision or two.”

Vaguely, Rainbow Dash was aware that Fluttershy looked at her, perhaps for comment, but even trying to listen demanded more attention than she wanted to spare. In front of them, bars cut in half the meager space of the room, and all around them, the stone crowded them.

“Would you like some water, Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow Dash didn’t usually have an issue with small spaces. Not usually. Sure, put a bag or a bucket over her head for laughs. It wasn’t a problem when Pinkie Pie locked her in the Cakes’ supply closet by ‘accident’ over a heated lunch-related debate, either, because she always knew it would end with Pinkie letting her out.

“There’s still some fruit left,” Rarity added, pushing another bowl over. “Whatever these are, the last ones got brown and spongy when we left them, so you may as well eat them.”

She knew how it ended. In the midst of the muffin-drama, she knew Pinkie would let her out and she’d be free. Now, she couldn’t stop straining against the chains. This time, who could tell? When would they get out? Somehow, she doubted it was a matter of days. Weeks? Months? Years? If they were waiting for this stupid peryton to do whatever she wanted to do, maybe never?

She didn’t know, and usually, that didn’t bother Dash in the least. Not knowing was fine. Not knowing could even be good, sometimes. But not knowing if they’d ever get out? Not knowing if the way her wings hurt was because she kept pushing with them, if it was all in her head or something going seriously wrong? That particular brand of not knowing, she could do without.

“Rainbow Dash?”

Maybe never. Maybe she’d never get to use her wings again. Dash grimaced at the stupid thought. Stupid not just because—well, because it was stupid, but also stupid because it wouldn’t go away. She forced herself to breathe normally.

“Rainbow Dash?”

“What?” Dash snapped, instantly regretting it.

“Is there anything we can do?” asked Fluttershy. No apology needed for Dash’s tone. No ‘are you okay’, because she knew Dash wasn’t. Dash just shook her head. It was that, or a snarky reply, and she didn’t feel like talking at all. She didn’t even know if there was a Rainbow Dash at that moment. She was reduced to a pair of wings jammed against a body, attached to a stupid head that’d gotten them into a mess she couldn’t fix. And now her wings were stuck.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Fluttershy sat up straight, turning to Rarity instead of the unresponsive Dash. “Rarity?” she asked, perfectly innocent, as though it were a complete aside. “I thought I might sing a song. Do you want to sing along? Maybe you can join for the chorus.”

“Of course, dear. I would be delighted,” said Rarity, though Dash barely heard her. Rainbow Dash swallowed and tried to think. She tried to stop pushing against her bonds, but she found that she couldn’t. How would she set everything right if she didn’t have her wings? She had nothing.

Fluttershy shuffled a little closer to Rainbow Dash, warm against her side. She pulled Rarity with her, raising her voice in song even as she moved.

In the cradle of winds
Counting hundred or more
Gamboled pegasi with no end
There sat Star-Seeker Blaze
Who for all love and grace
Found in zephyr and gust no friend

Whatever Rainbow Dash had been thinking about scattered. She looked over at Fluttershy, blinking. She hadn’t known Fluttershy knew the song. She opened her mouth meaning to tell her to stop, that she didn’t have to, that it was lame and a hundred other things besides, but in the end she didn’t. She just stared at her girlfriend as she went on.

Fluttershy didn’t look at her, her eyes closed and her voice soft, warm and soothing all at once as she launched into the refrain.

Feel the wind under wing
Feel the cool breeze’s sting
And know that you’re never alone
When your feathers taste air
When the sunlight is fair
Your every worry is gone

Dash let out a quiet breath and closed her own eyes as well. She tried to let her wings lie still for a second and listen to the words. She knew them all by heart, even though she’d never sung them herself. Fluttershy went on, bolder and a little louder now.

In her love for the air
With her limitless dare
She chased the storm to where it lay
There she fell from the sky
And with nary a cry
Her wings were soon taken away

Feel the wind under wing, Fluttershy sang, and Rarity joined in the chorus this time, her clear and unfaltering voice adding a counterpoint to Fluttershy’s softer tones. Rainbow Dash leaned against Fluttershy as she continued, singing on while she leaned back against Dash, not missing a beat.

On the ground ever more
Wishing she could still soar
From the ground she watched them fly
Then her mournful two eyes
And their sadness turned lies
The pegasi brought her the sky

Feel the wind under wing, sang Rarity and Fluttershy, the chorus again. The tingling, aching pain in Dash’s wings didn’t disappear all at once, but leaving them alone for just a minute, they didn’t hurt any more. They just felt tired and achey. She could pretend, at least for a moment, that she’d just been out flying all day. That she’d chased the storm home.

And so Star-Seeker Blaze
Would spend all of her days
Aloft on the wings of her friends
If her wings would return
This young pony had learned
The horizon goes on without end

Feel the wind under wing, they sang, and Dash’d mouthed the words to the refrain the last time around. She knew that when she opened her eyes, the walls would still be there. So would the bars, the air holes, the empty stone doorway and their saddlebags eternally out of reach. Rainbow Dash’s every worry was definitely not gone, but in the silence that followed, she felt a little more calm, at least.

“That’s quite a beautiful song,” Rarity said in a whisper. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard it before.”

“It’s called the Cradle of Wind,” Fluttershy replied. Dash felt something against the top of her head. Fluttershy’s muzzle. “It’s very old.”

“Thanks,” Dash croaked. She folded her ears, suddenly annoyed at herself for losing her grip for even a second. “You didn’t have to do that,” she added with a grunt. Any other day, she might’ve said that she didn’t need it. Maybe even get up and walk around a little just to show she was fine on her own, but right now, she felt better laying right there.

“Sure,” said Fluttershy. Dash could hear her smile. “No matter what happens, we’re all in this together. Isn’t that right?”

“Even ignoring that we don’t have a choice, what with the whole ‘prison’ thing, of course we are,” said Rarity. Dash felt something bump against her. When she opened her eyes, she found Rarity reaching past Fluttershy’s forelegs to touch one of Dash’s hooves, giving her a lopsided smile.

“And as long as we’re all here, it can’t be that bad,” Fluttershy added. “I just wish there was more I could do to help.”

“Mm, I myself can’t shake the thought that if we’d played our cards differently, perhaps we might have convinced these people to let us go,” said Rarity, shaking her head. “Or perhaps avoided this altogether. Maybe I was wrong to hold us back, and we should have tried escaping before they put us in this crude cell—but then, we couldn’t have known.”

“We really couldn’t,” said Fluttershy, breathing out through her nose.

“Still, I wish I, too, could do more,” Rarity added, lowering her voice a little.

Rainbow Dash said nothing to that, content with the touch, and to listen and soak in the knowledge that they were together. She didn’t know what Rarity or Fluttershy could have said or done to avoid their predicament. She was pretty confident that she herself could have kicked peryton butt if she’d reacted faster when the peryton sprung their trap, though.

Except, they had a point. The song had a point, and its words still lingered. They were in it together. As much as she didn’t like to admit it, whether it was entirely or partially her fault they were in this mess, Rainbow Dash couldn’t get them out of it alone. Sure, she messed up, and yeah, she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that Fluttershy shouldn’t even be here. Hadn’t Fluttershy said that she considered not coming along to Perytonia at all? Dash had convinced her to come along, but a pity party wouldn’t fix a thing.

“Oh. Good evening,” said Rarity. “Is Velysra not free?” Dash hadn’t heard that someone had entered, and apparently, neither had any of the others. Koltares stood in the doorway, a few bowls of water on a tray in the grip of his magic.

“Not that we mind,” Fluttershy added, smiling at him. “It’s very kind of you. Thank you,” she said as the stag put the bowls by the bars.

“We’ve been too lax,” said Koltares. “Give me the empty bowls.”

“I see we’ve still not discovered the words ‘please’ and ‘thank you’,” said Rarity. She and Fluttershy got up and pushed the scattered wooden bowls through the bars. Rainbow Dash remained by the blankets, watching and thinking.

They were together. That meant working together. So far, all they’d done was talk, and that’d gotten them nowhere, unless you counted getting into more trouble. These peryton, with one possible exception, were all dumb and grumpy. She stared at Koltares as he stacked the bowls, one by one, from what he must’ve thought a safe distance. He watched the ponies warily all the time, and Dash stared back even though her mind was elsewhere.

They needed to start doing something. Someone needed to speak up. Someone needed to give them a shove, and that someone probably had to be Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy herself had said that Dash was good at ‘encouraging’. Dash kept coming back to that simply because she’d never thought of it that way despite how many times the mantle of flight leader passed to her. She led and she yelled at ponies a lot, but to think she was good at it—that she was good for something that didn’t involve her wings? Nope. Weird. Her faith in any such ability had taken a hit lately, anyway.

What were the odds that Neisos would start flying just because Rainbow Dash said he should? She’d probably ruined everything for the doe at the pier in Vauhorn, and everything kept going wrong with Fluttershy. The only reason she and Fluttershy were okay now was because she couldn’t very well force Fluttershy into something stupid from a cell.

Someone had to do something, though. Rainbow Dash had to give them—not a push, but maybe a nudge? There were a million ways it could all go wrong, and she knew it all too well now. Even forgetting all the times things had gone wrong between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash in Perytonia, she didn’t lack for memories. Now that she considered applying even the tiniest little nudge, those memories flooded back to her.

She remembered trying to get Fluttershy to come along for the dragon migration. She remembered trying to get Fluttershy to join in the hurricane effort. She remembered all too well all the pushing, shoving, and dragging that went into getting Fluttershy to sign up for the Summer Sun Celebration two years ago. Applejack had yelled at her that day, and now it was all Dash could think that Applejack was right.

That particular day had been a disaster. One of many disasters of the non-fun kind she couldn’t believe she’d ever forgotten about. How were Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash still friends?

Rainbow Dash watched Fluttershy and Rarity nudge the last of their empty food and water bowls through the bars. One of her best friends, and her girlfriend, both whom had just a moment ago complained that they wished there was something they could do to help get them out of this prison.

“I’ll be back tomorrow,” Koltares grunted. “We’re going to take some steps to make sure everything is safe.”

“Meaning what, exactly?” asked Rarity, arching a brow.

“No questions, no words. You need to talk less,” replied Koltares, disappearing out the door before any of the ponies could mount a reply.

Rainbow Dash got up and stretched her legs and neck out until it hurt just a little. How could she not tell them? How could she not point out that they hadn’t even begun to try to get out of here? She couldn’t afford to let Rarity bring herself down, as she had a habit of doing these days. She couldn’t afford to let Fluttershy sink into the comfort of thinking she was useless, either.

“Um, Rainbow Dash?”

They could do so much more, all of them. Maybe they could try without Rainbow Dash being her absolute best—or was that worst? Maybe Dash could do something without making a huge mess out of it. Without another disaster.

“She’s been doing this an awful lot lately,” said Rarity. “It’s not normal for her. I worry.”

She couldn’t go overboard, and there’d be a time for making things right again, for letting Fluttershy be and to leave alone the things she should leave alone. No matter what happened, she absolutely couldn’t let it get as bad as that one day in front of the town hall, or any of the hundreds of times like it, but she needed to do something. They both—they all—could do so much better than sitting around drinking water and pacing a stupid little cell.

“Hey, Fluttershy,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Yes?” said Fluttershy. Ever since Dash got up, both Fluttershy and Rarity had been watching her. Maybe they sensed that she was up to something? Well, they were right.

“Can I borrow one of your wings?” Dash asked.

Fluttershy blinked.

“My wings are tied up,” said Dash, gesturing to her own back with a tilt of her head. “Just give me a wing for a bit.”

“Okay,” said Fluttershy. She simply smiled, nodded, and moved up to Rainbow Dash, spreading a wing. Her right wing waited, spread out in full but resting easily at a natural arc rather than simply hanging or painfully stiff. Dash was glad she’d put her right side to her. She didn’t want to have to look at the scar on her leg.

Rainbow Dash hadn’t thought her appreciation for the feathers on Fluttershy’s wings could get any deeper, but deprived of her own, she needed that wing. She stepped a little closer and nuzzled in between feathers whose details were intimately familiar to her. She was glad Fluttershy had her wings free, and it helped more than it should. If they tried to put chains around her body, too, Dash would chew through iron.

“Would you like some time alone?” Rarity asked, smiling faintly. “I can just… go stare at a wall, or ask them to take me outside, pretend I have to—”

“No,” said Rainbow Dash, reaching out to rub a hoof against Fluttershy’s side, vaguely aware that Fluttershy traded her a smile for the gesture. “We’re gonna get out of here.”

Though it got ever later in the night, what little moonlight lingered reflected in two pairs of curious eyes, brighter than ever.

“Leaving this prison has always been the goal, dear,” said Rarity, frowning ever so slightly. “Darling, I worry about you if you think either of us are planning on staying here.”

Rainbow Dash grinned. “You don’t get it. We’re gonna escape.”

Fluttershy did not protest. Her head nodded so slightly that it seemed an unconscious gesture rather than agreement.

“How?” asked Rarity. One word, infinite doubt.

“I dunno,” said Dash, shrugging. “But we’re gonna do it. Listen, guys. We’ve been playing nice. I know we talked about this before, and yeah, I used to think we could just talk our way out of this too, but it’s not working. At all.”

“Nice is good,” said Fluttershy, scuffing the ground. “But Caldesseia was pretty clear in saying she didn’t want to let us go.”

“Yeah, exactly!” said Dash. “And it’s not about being not nice. It’s about getting out of a sticky situation, and we’ve been in tons of those.”

“That still doesn’t answer how—” Rarity began.

“I know I don’t know how,” said Dash, throwing her head back. “But come on, we’re better than this! We defeated Nightmare Moon, Discord and a bunch of other creeps. Now we’re gonna sit back and stay in this stupid jail until they get bored and let us out, or maybe forever? We’re acting like we’ve given up, except we never did. We haven’t tried.”

This time, Fluttershy nodded her head quickly, her wings shifting on her back. “I think Rainbow Dash is right,” she said, looking over at Rarity. “I think it’d be nice if we could get out of here without being horrible to the peryton, because I still believe they’re not bad people—”

“Sure, if we can,” Dash added.

“—but I don’t feel… um, no I know it’s not right for them to keep us here,” Fluttershy finished. “I agree. We need to leave.”

Rarity pursed her lips and glanced towards the open doorway on the other side of the bars. For a moment, Rainbow Dash wondered if she was about to disagree, or speak in favour of simply staying in jail and hoping for the best, but at length, the unicorn nodded before she spoke.

“You’re right. I have no intention of missing the contract of fall season clothes Hoity Toity spoke about before we left, and we have work to do here in Perytonia, too. Besides, I am not one for prison, and this place is as dreary as it is uncomfortable. Where do we start?”

“Wow,” said Dash, grinning. “You make it sound like you’ve sprung from jail before.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “You’ve known me since—”

“Nope!” said Dash, holding up a hoof for silence. “Just let me dream, okay? I wanna pretend you’ve escaped from Ponyville Jail to make dresses. Or something less lame.”

Fluttershy cleared her throat. “Um, Rainbow Dash? We don’t have a jail in P—”

“Not listening!” said Dash, shaking her head briskly. “Anyway! Escaping. From this place.”

“Yes. Quite,” said Rarity. “You have a plan?”

“I could kick the door really hard.”

“Wonderful. I see you’ve given this much thought,” said Rarity, deadpan.

“That would probably make a lot of noise,” said Fluttershy, grimacing.

“Hey, I’m serious,” said Dash. “Not saying that’s all, I’m just saying that it’s a door with a lock, and we’ll kick it down if we work it. Probably. But yeah, of course they’re not gonna let us do that. We’re gonna need a plan. What else have we got? Talk to me!”

“Or, maybe whisper,” said Fluttershy, lowering her voice. “You know, to keep our plans a little more secret in case anyone is listening.”

“Right, good point,” Dash allowed. She glanced towards the door, but there was no sound, no movement. All was dark and quiet. “Seriously though, what do we know? Besides that they’re afraid of us.”

“I don’t know that there is too much we can do with that,” said Rarity. “At least not until we are out, but it’s worth keeping in mind. I am fairly sure they keep the keys on a hook just around the corner. I’ve heard them hang something there.”

“Not the keys to Dash’s chains, though. Velysra said she didn’t have those,” said Fluttershy.

“Are we gonna trust her on that?” asked Rainbow Dash, flicking her ears.

“I think so,” said Fluttershy. “If she could get the keys but didn’t want to, I think she would rather say it. I don’t understand why she’d lie about something like that. She’s a doctor, and she really seems to care. ”

“Fine,” said Dash, nodding quickly. “What else? We know they’re terrible fliers.”

“By your measure, at least,” Rarity countered with a smile.

“No, really bad! I mean, if we get out of here, you hop on my back, and we’re outta here,” said Dash. “They can’t make sharp turns or anything.”

“We don’t even know where we are though. There are trees, so maybe we can fly low, like canopy birds trying to avoid predators,” said Fluttershy, nibbling her lower lip.

Rarity shook her head. “We’re getting ahead of ourselves. We know that Rainbow Dash is a better flier than they are,” she said. “Let’s remember that.”

“Not just me,” said Dash, pulling back and frowning deeply. “Fluttershy is ten times better in the air than they are!”

“I don’t know about that,” said Fluttershy, her cheeks tinted a faint red.

“Well, I do,” said Dash with a snort.

“I’ve also noticed quite a few things about their magic,” Rarity continued. “They don’t seem to be able to use magic very far away from their antlers. Their range seems limited—and while I don’t wish to be rude, it’s not quite as strong as your average unicorn, either.”

Rainbow Dash grinned. For all of Rarity’s complaints about how she was not Twilight, the way she went on certainly reminded Dash a little of her. Maybe there was a rule saying at least one unicorn in any room has to analyse everything.

“If you recall, they handled these awful stones that ruin my unicorn magic just fine, but I also don’t remember any peryton using… let us call it precision magic, either,” the unicorn said. “I think their magic is less personal than unicorn magic, perhaps? While we’ve only had two peryton bring us food, Velysra and Koltares seem to have the exact same range, and no peryton we’ve ever met has done anything another peryton cannot do. I’ve never seen them levitate multiple objects at the same time very well either.”

Or maybe Rainbow Dash didn’t give Rarity nearly enough credit. This was another reason why Rarity was awesome. She noticed stuff.

“That’s very impressive,” said Fluttershy, smiling at Rarity. “That means we probably won’t have to worry about anyone suddenly casting a spell that surprises us.”

“And all I’m hearing is that your magic is better than theirs,” Dash added, grinning.

“Hardly,” said Rarity with a snort. “I expect Twilight likely has a spell that turns iron bars into—oh, I haven’t a clue, paper or oranges or something. Even if I had my magic back, I doubt I could do much.”

Rainbow Dash groaned. She did not have the time or inclination to soothe a whining unicorn. “Okay, you have got to stop saying that kinda stuff,” she said. “Rarity, you can do some seriously awesome stuff with your magic! How the hay did you stop that stupid stag’s spell when he tried to grab you, huh? I’ve never seen Twilight do anything like that!”

Rarity licked her lips. “That… was curious. I don’t know how to explain it. I recalled what Khyrast told me about how peryton antlers have more… points. They are like an elegant lattice of magical nodes, compared to the set in a unicorn’s horn. It’s the difference between a weave and a steel wire, I suppose, and I know how to work a pair of scissors, if not wire cutters.”

“I think it was very impressive,” said Fluttershy, reaching out to touch a hoof to Rarity’s side. “Rainbow Dash is right—and even if she wasn’t, even if there weren’t things you could do that Twilight couldn’t, it’s not fair to compare yourself to someone else, especially when you have your own special talents.”

Rarity held her silence for a few breaths, looking between Rainbow Dash—who still glared at the obstinate and self-deprecating unicorn—and Fluttershy who smiled at her. At last, she let out a breath and nodded.

“Yes, well, I suppose you are right. Both of you.” She smiled and leaned forward to nuzzle Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash each in turn. “Thank you. It’s easy to forget oneself when things are … difficult, but I absolutely do have talent that is very much my own. It doesn’t matter much so long as I don’t have access to my magic, of course, but I am sure there are other things I can do.”

“But if you did have your magic,” said Rainbow Dash, tilting her head. “There are all kinds of things you could do, right?” She’d taken for granted how useful it was to have someone around who could do magical stuff.

“I could do something,” said Rarity, her smile slowly transforming into something between a smirk and a grin, confidence radiating from her in a way that felt more Rarity than anything else the unicorn had done in a long while. She nodded her head towards the far wall, past the bars. “I could easily grab our saddlebags with all our effects, placed outside what they think is magical range.”

“Do you think you could… grab the keys?” asked Fluttershy. She smiled and gestured towards the doorway. “If you’re right, and they’re just around the corner, that is.”

“I don’t know,” said Rarity, frowning. “Fetching something out of sight? I don’t know if it can be done—or how hard it is—but I could give it a try. I wish I could try it this very moment, but again, this is very much academic. They won’t let my magic return.” She huffed. “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone, isn’t that how the saying goes?”

Rainbow Dash scratched at her own snout. She felt a grin coming as she thought. “Oh, they’ll try to keep you from getting your magic back, but we can fix that.”

“I don’t see how I’ll have a choice,” said Rarity, tilting her head. “That brute of a stag has all but declared that he’s not above denying us food or water if we don’t listen, and even if Velysra disagrees, they’ll look for alternatives. We’re in no position to fight—”

“Fight? We’re gonna cheat,” said Dash with a low snicker.

Fluttershy blinked. “How, um… does one cheat at something like this?”

“Easy!” said Dash. “When they bring those stupid stones around, all they want you to do is touch them, right? And you didn’t faint or anything the second time around?”

“Yes?” said Rarity.

“And they don’t actually have a way of telling if you have magic or not,” said Dash.

“Not as far as we know,” said Rarity, nodding along. “But once it’s been a day or two, they’ll understand we’re lying if I say I don’t have my magic, and it’s easy to tell when I use the stones.”

“I think they’re smart enough to know,” said Fluttershy, sighing. “I’m sorry, I don’t think that’s going to work.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “You don’t get it. Next time they bring the stones, you just, I dunno, maybe touch one of them or make it look like you’re gonna do the thing, and then you make a really bright flash! Like, the brightest you can make it! They won’t be able to tell the difference!”

“Oh,” said Rarity, one brow quirked. “That… may actually work. As long as there is an effect, I don’t see how they would tell the difference, especially when we’ve given them cause to believe we’re cooperating. Huh.”

“And besides,” said Fluttershy. “I don’t think they know how the stones work, anyway. If what we heard is right, they got them from the people the Guide talked to last night. You were knocked unconscious the first time, but they didn’t think it was strange that you were fine the second time.”

“Fine is perhaps overstating it,” said Rarity, her snout creased for a moment. “But yes. That may in fact work. Once I have my magic back, I might be able to get the key, but failing that, at the very least I can make our escape a little easier. It may not be a plan, but that is helpful, even if a little… under-hooved.”

“It’s something.” Dash grinned. “Besides, it’s not cheating if you win.”

“It’s… actually still cheating, I think, not that it matters—” Fluttershy said, tilting her head until it lay nearly perfectly horizontal.

“Okay, scratch that,” said Dash. “How about, it’s still cheating, but I don’t care as long as we win?”

Fluttershy giggled at that. “I think that’s better. Is there anything I can do? I have my wings free except when I go outside. Does that help?”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “I dunno. Can you smuggle a cloud in here, you think? Nah. Hey, what about your animal friends? Seen anything here?”

“I don’t see much at all,” said Fluttershy. “You know that. They blindfold us when we go out. I don’t even know where we go.”

“Yeah, sure, but you hear stuff, right?” Dash pressed.

Fluttershy nodded. “There are some very beautiful songs. Parakeets, songbirds and parrots.” She sighed. “I’d love to see them.”

“How about talk to them?” asked Dash. “Can’t you tell them to go get help? Ask them where exactly we are?”

“Darling, when we go to visit the ‘bathroom’ they have here, there are no less than six of the peryton,” said Rarity. “The most privacy we ever get is when there’s just one of the does with us, and we have to take their word for there not being an audience.” The unicorn shuddered.

“I wouldn’t want to get any of the birds into trouble,” Fluttershy added, scuffing the ground with a forehoof.

“You’re not gonna get a bird into trouble,” said Dash, rolling her eyes. “Come on. They probably don’t even know you can talk to animals!”

“Well, they’ll figure that out if I start asking a parrot where we are, and then tell it to fly and get help,” said Fluttershy with a cross look.

“I—okay, that’s a good point,” said Dash, sighing.

“It’s a question of language,” said Rarity, shaking her head briskly. “You can say much by saying little, you know. If they understand your words—”

“My meaning, really,” said Fluttershy.

“—well, still,” Rarity said. “If you told them that you’d love if one of them visited, or that you feel very lonely in this… cave? Wherever we are, perhaps one of them would find these air-holes?”

“Then we could have a long chat. Figure out where we are, get some help.” Dash grinned. “That’d be awesome!”

“Birds understand things differently, that’s all,” said Fluttershy, studiously avoiding their eyes. “They don’t know how to read maps, so I don’t know if they could tell us where we are, and they can’t really get help if no one else can understand them.”

Rainbow Dash slumped. “Fluttershy.”

“And I don’t know, what if I get caught? What if they start asking ‘why are you talking to the birds, they can’t understand you’, and I forget to lie? What if I don’t forget to lie? It’s very rude—”

“Fluttershy!” Dash said, cutting her off. She brought a hoof up to the other pegasus’ snout. “We already talked about this! Yeah, we’re gonna have to lie a bit and be a little sneaky, but you can totally do this! And yeah, I get it, we’re not exactly getting the Wonderbolts here, but even a parrot or whatever can probably do something.”

“That’s what we’re doing, after all,” said Rarity, smiling at them. “Gathering our ‘somethings’, the things we know and can do, and making a way out of here. A quilt of little scraps. I like that.”

“Yeah, sure,” said Dash, cocking a brow. “You can be in charge of making the poem or whatever, too.” She let her hoof slide down to rest against Fluttershy’s chest. “Come on. All we’re asking, all I’m asking, is that you give it a go. Just try. I know you can pull it off. If you have to go tomorrow morning, get a badger to follow you, convince a bird to visit—whatever. It doesn’t matter if the peryton think you’re a little crazy as long as they don’t catch on, and as long as whatever animal you find can help at all, that’s a win!”

Fluttershy gave Rainbow Dash a long look, and Dash, for her part, simply held her smile. Finally, Fluttershy puffed out her cheeks and nodded. “I can try, at least. I did say I wanted to help. I just don’t like getting animals involved. This isn’t their fault.”

Dash nodded. “Sure, but that’s what friends are for, right? We need all the help we can get. We’re in this together, even if it’s not their fault.” Or your fault. She flicked an ear to get rid of an itch. “We’ll repay favours and worry about that stuff later. Right now, we need to get out of here.”

Rarity covered a yawn with a hoof. “We have time, and nothing but, I think.” She gestured to their blankets. “How about we go over some things you might say that will seem… let us say inconspicuous? Just in case an opportunity arises soon. After that, we’ll have to see what else we have to work with.”

“Awesome,” said Rainbow Dash, trotting over to their bed for comfort only. All the talk, the ideas, and the vague notion of a plan had her more awake than she’d felt in weeks. Never mind that it was the middle of the night, she was ready to go, whatever “go” meant.

The way Rainbow Dash woke up felt decidedly familiar, if only for a second. A languid stretch in an errant shaft of sunlight hitting her body, a yawn to acknowledge that she’d gone to bed dead tired, and a grin knowing that there was no way she’d actually get up right now. She’d just roll out of the sun’s way and keep sleeping. Rinse and repeat another two or three times, and then she’d consider getting up.

There were many problems with this. One was that when she tried to roll over on her side, she bumped into Fluttershy. Gently, barely more than a nudge, but in the morning haze, it was unexpected until she remembered that this was normal. Had been normal for a while now, actually. This wasn’t a problem. In fact, that particular detail was a lot more than just “okay”, well into the territory of “amazing”.

Less okay was her inability to stretch her wings, the warmth turning oppressive, the floor that was not a cloud, the sunlight coming from a narrow shaft rather than an open window carrying a pleasant breeze—there were a host of problems, all brought on by the whole “in prison” thing.

“Great,” Dash murmured to herself. She tried to close her eyes again and go back to sleep, but yet again, she found that she was up. Whether it was because she was thinking of all the stuff they’d discussed last night, or because she wasn’t half as comfortable as she’d be in a proper bed, there was no more sleep for her. Also, judging by the sunlight, it was well past anything even she would call ‘morning’.

If I get back home and can’t snooze through the mornings any more, I’m gonna be really, really mad, she thought. Discoloured wings? Fine. She would dye her butt red and her hooves purple if she had to, but she refused to lose lazy mornings.

Getting back home. At least they were moving towards that. In more ways than one. Rainbow Dash slipped out from between the other two ponies and stood, yawning again. Fluttershy and Rarity slept on. It’d gotten really late last night before they slept. Sure, they didn’t have a clear plan just yet, but they’d get there. Dash had broached the idea of just muscling through the peryton when they came to let one of them out to go to the bathroom, but Fluttershy’d had a point: they never came alone when they opened the door.

Barreling through a half-dozen peryton clustered around a narrow doorway didn’t seem all that likely. Not that Rainbow Dash wasn’t eager to try, of course, but it’d be a last resort or something.

Rainbow Dash cocked her head to the side and perked an ear. Had she really woken up to the uncomfortable feeling of sunlight hot against her side, or was it because of the distant voices? Probably the sun and the stale air. She’d never been a light sleeper. Not until recently, anyway. She heard someone talking down the hall, but couldn’t make out the words. Dash moved up to the bars and strained to hear.

Too much echo. Too far away—until it wasn’t any more. Now she heard steps. More than one person. The entire peryton posse, probably, and a faint clink of metal. Rainbow Dash frowned, staring at the doorway until peryton entered, one by one, with Koltares in front. Behind him followed three peryton who together carried a length of chain, and the final two brought a few bowls of fruit and water.

“Good morning?” Dash asked, shifting her weight and leaning against the side wall as casually as she could. “Nice chains you’ve got. What’s the matter? Afraid I’ll bust these?” She grinned.

Koltares did not seem similarly amused. He stopped a little closer to the bars than usual. Maybe he was emboldened by their numbers. He always acted tougher when he wasn’t alone. The stag stared at Dash, his eyes roving from her and over to Rarity and Fluttershy, who stirred at all the noise. Rainbow Dash stepped in front of them. If they had any plans on trying to put chains around Fluttershy, too, there’d be a problem.

“Come closer to the bars,” Koltares said, first pointing to Rainbow Dash, then motioning for the three peryton with the chains to come forth.

“Why?” Dash demanded.

“What’s going on?” Fluttershy asked, rubbing at her eyes.

“I mentioned increased safety measures. These are those,” said Koltares, indicating the chains with a flick of his head. “Come closer to the bars so we can secure you to them.”

“Right. Two questions. First: is this a joke?” asked Rainbow Dash, looking at the chains they carried. They looked every bit as solid as the ones around her body, and Koltares fished two crude padlocks out from his bags by way of reply.

“You can’t be serious,” said Rarity, touching her mane. She stepped up closer to Rainbow Dash. “This is entirely unnecessary.”

“What is the second question?” asked Koltares, his face blank and empty.

“Or else?” said Dash.

Koltares tilted his head ever so slightly.

“You want me to step up to the bars so you can put more chains on me like you’re playing some creepy kind of dress-up. You want me to step closer, or else what?” asked Rainbow, tapping a hoof on the ground.

“Or else you will not drink or eat,” said Koltares with a shrug.

“You wouldn’t dare!” Rarity gasped.

“Where is Velysra?” asked Fluttershy, her brows knit with worry. “Could we maybe talk to her?”

“Velysra is busy,” said Koltares. “Step up to the bars, or—”

“Sure,” said Rainbow Dash, cutting him off and stepping up to the bars. Koltares did not hesitate in the least. The peryton with the chains stepped forward, but no closer than they had to, and before anypony could protest any further, Koltares secured one end of the long chain to one of the links around Dash’s body, and the other in a simple padlocked loop around one of the iron bars. Click, click, and Dash was on a leash.

“You done?” asked Dash, raising a brow. She faked a yawn.

“See this flippancy?” asked Koltares, frowning ever so slightly. “This one is dangerous, and her mannerisms prove it! Those wings spell trouble for all of us if we are not careful. We don’t know what dark strength their false patrons have given them.”

“Should we find another length of chain for the other winged one?” asked one of the does. “I think Alessus said he could spare some chain from the mill—”

“No.” Koltares sneered. “Snaring one snares them all, and besides, the other one is harmless and meek.”

Rainbow Dash heard the creak of her own teeth grinding together. She looked to Fluttershy, but predictably, the other pegasus didn’t look offended in the least.

“Give them the food and water,” Koltares said with a wave of a hoof. He took another step closer to the bars, staring straight at Rainbow Dash. “If you are truly sent by the Goddess, if you do not come here serving lies and madness, how come they have not freed you from this prison?” he asked.

“We were not to speak—” one of the stags said, but Koltares went on, ignoring him utterly.

“How come you are still here, behind these bars,” Koltares asked in a hiss. “How can you still lie with such confidence?”

Rarity cleared her throat. “If you think we’re innocent, and that the Princesses—oh, pardon, if the Goddesses didn’t send us, why are we in here? That’s a wonderful question,” she said with a smile. “You should probably ask your ‘Guide’ about that, if you think it’s wrong that we’re kept here just for a difference in... opinion?”

“Koltares, we are not to speak to them,” the same stag said, a little louder. “We will leave, now.”

“Um, actually,” said Fluttershy. She locked eyes with Rainbow Dash for a moment, her face carefully neutral. “I drank a lot of water last night. Do you think you could take me outside? I really have to go.”

“Fine,” said Koltares with a grunt. “The rest of you, stand away from the door.”

“Yeah, like I have a choice,” said Dash with a snort.

With ropes procured for Fluttershy’s wings, and a final, nervous little smile from Fluttershy before she disappeared around the corner, the morning chaos finally lost its momentum. Rainbow Dash tugged at the chain and moved around a little. She could reach their beds, but half of the cell was off limits now. She couldn’t get to the door. If taking her outside to do her business was a hassle before, this would be ten times worse. Part of Dash wanted to laugh at that. They made a lot of work for themselves.

“You’re certainly taking this all in stride,” said Rarity. The unicorn had watched as Dash tested the length and the strength of the chain, all while sitting on the softest part of their bed. “I personally find it perfectly horrid.”

“Yeah?” said Dash. She couldn’t not smile at that. “Sure. It’s not great, but we were already locked up here. I don’t even understand what the point of this is.”

“To make themselves feel more safe, I suppose,” said Rarity. “I mean no offence dear, but they seem disproportionately afraid of you because of all those wings.”

Dash nodded. “Guess so. They don’t like the Ephydoerans at all. Works for me. I don’t care. They don’t know anything about us, they’re just guessing.”

“As is evidenced by their clumsy handling of me and my magic,” said Rarity with a huff. “And saying such awful things about Fluttershy to her face, too.”

Rainbow Dash felt a stab of annoyance at that, but she chose to laugh at it instead. “Heh, yeah. They’re gonna regret that. I feel sorry for them if they don’t know how awesome Fluttershy is. That’s gonna be their problem.”

Koltares unwrapped the blindfold, locked the door after Fluttershy, and, as an afterthought, untied the ropes as well. Maybe he finally acknowledged it’d be a waste of rope to leave Fluttershy tied up. Dash was glad. Rope didn’t taste good at all.

“We will bring water this evening. Don’t waste what you have.” Koltares grunted and turned, the stag and the other peryton leaving the ponies alone. Again three sets of ears perked and listened, waiting for the sounds of the peryton to fade. Fluttershy’d stood unmoving just inside the cell door, her face carefully neutral ever since she’d returned.

“How’d it go?” Dash asked. She stood as close as the chain would let her. “C’mon, spill!”

Fluttershy broke into a wide smile and trotted up to Rainbow Dash, giving her a light squeeze. “I think I did it,” she said in an urgent, excited whisper. “I don’t think they understood anything! I heard a lorikeet nearby when it was just me and a doe, and I talked to him like some ponies talk to their plants, and I think it worked!” She turned around looking towards the air shafts so quickly her mane whipped Rainbow Dash in the face, making Dash giggle.

“Easy, girl,” said Dash. “What’d he say?”

“Oh, I said it was very lonely down in the cave, and I’d love a visit. I think the doe thought I was talking to her,” said Fluttershy. The lorikeet didn’t say much because I couldn’t really talk to him, but he said he didn’t like being alone either and I tried to smile at him, but, um, well, I had the blindfold. I think he understood. I hope he did,” she said, biting her lower lip. She turned to Rainbow Dash and Rarity. “Do you think it worked? Finding these little air-holes might be a little hard, but he sounded really clever. I’m sure he followed me until we went inside.”

“Relax,” Dash laughed. She nuzzled up under Fluttershy’s jaw. “You did great, Fluttershy. Awesome work.”

“If it worked, then that’s wonderful, and if it didn’t, we can simply try again,” said Rarity, smiling.

Fluttershy nodded at that, her cheeks still flushed with excitement. “I guess you’re right,” she said, letting out a deep breath. “I think I’d be happy if it was just this once, though.”

Dash looked up at a bird’s call from above, loud and sharp. Cheet. Cheet-cheet. At the end of the too-bright shaft, a dark blue head turned black backlit by the sun cocked left, then right, impossibly fast, its features lost in the glare.

“There you are!” said Fluttershy, beaming. “Hello! My name’s Fluttershy. Would you like to come down here and have a little chat?”

Cheet. Cheet.

“Oh. I guess you’re right,” said Fluttershy, frowning. She looked around the cell, then up at the shafts again. “Well, you can probably get down here safely, and if you just hop out of here, I’m sure they’ll let you out. They’re not bad people—the peryton who live here don’t give you any trouble, do they?”

Another series of cheeps and little noises. Rainbow Dash sat. Idly, she wondered if other ponies ever got used to this. Fluttershy often traded words with the animals that lived around her cottage—or anywhere else—but long conversations were always a little weird.

“Oh, that’s good,” said Fluttershy, nodding. “Well, um. If you want to sit up there, that’s fine too, but I’m a little scared they’ll hear us talking. We need to be a little quiet. I’d really appreciate—oh goodness!”

Fluttershy hurried forwards to stand under one of the holes in the ceiling, and a second later, a multi-coloured little ball of feathers landed on top of her head, cushioned by her mane. The blue, orange and green bird hopped upright and let out another little cheet.

“Are you okay?” asked Fluttershy, her voice full of concern.

Cheet.

“Mm, no, he says that all he knows is that there are tall rocks around everywhere, but he’s never flown very far beyond them. He’s a little afraid of heights,” said Fluttershy.

“Of course he is,” said Dash, her voice flat.

“But there’s a forest… which way?” asked Rarity.

“Where was the forest, again?” asked Fluttershy, smiling at the spot right above Dash’s eyes. “The one you heard had the different fruits, below.”

Cheet.

“Seriously though, he’s gonna tell me if he needs to go, right?” asked Dash. “Because my mane is not a toilet.”

“I’m not even going to tell him you asked,” said Fluttershy, huffing. “That’s very rude, Rainbow Dash. Sunny Tails would never do that! And besides, he really likes your mane. That’s a compliment.”

“Good taste there, at least. That’s something,” Dash muttered, tilting her head slightly. She felt the bird atop hop around in response.

“And, he says the forest is really all around, in, um. Well, he just pointed. With his beak.”

“Right. I can’t see that, you know,” said Dash.

Rarity waved towards the far wall. “There. Ish.”

“He pointed east, south-east, north-east and north,” Fluttershy provided. “I think that means we’re right. We’re really in the Bow. Or, in a rainforest somewhere in between the mountains. The forest around the base of the mountains is the Khosta, it has to be. On the map of Perytonia, it follows the mountains all the way.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, sighing. “It makes sense. I was awake for a bit when we were going up that freaky river, and we were going, uh, I don’t remember exactly, but it was south by south-westish.”

“That makes sense, too,” said Fluttershy, nodding sharply. “There isn’t a lot of land here that isn’t Perytonia or the Bow. If we’re not in Perytonia, we have to be in the Bow or beyond it. It’s a little hard to tell exactly how high above the waterline we are, too, because the air is so strange.” She shook her head. “Sunny doesn’t really know either. He doesn’t… really count distance in paces or hooves, so...” Fluttershy rubbed one foreleg against another.

“Well, what really matters is what we do with—or, rather,” Rarity interrupted herself, frowning. “My apologies, what we ask your friend here to do. What he can do to help.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” said Fluttershy licking her lips. “We’ve already asked so much. Um. I guess maybe—could you take a message to somewhere else? To the forest?”

More cheeps and peeps. Fluttershy nodded.

“He’s really afraid of travelling outside of the rainforest,” said Fluttershy. “He only really flew up high once.”

“But?” asked Dash, raising a brow. She heard the smile in her voice before the other pegasus’ lips curved upwards.

“But he has a brother who he is sure would love to help,” Fluttershy said.

“Awesome, we’re in business,” said Dash, grinning. “Do you think he could tell someone where we are?”

“Willingness to take a message is wonderful,” said Rarity, “but I don’t understand how we will get a message to any of the very few peryton we know, much less communicate it when others don’t have your gift for communicating with animals.” She shook her head. “You’ve also admitted that they don’t have a good grasp on where we are, in terms we use.”

Fluttershy nodded very slowly, smiling still as Rarity made each of her points, patiently waiting for the unicorn to finish. “I hope it’s not too rude to say, but… I think you’re underestimating birds, Rarity. Lorikeets have an amazing talent for making sounds. They can mimic anything they hear, and they’re really good at it.”

“Mimic,” Sunny croaked, followed by a cheep right into Dash’s ear that made her giggle.

“Uh. I’m thinking... awesome?” said Dash. She tilted her head up, and the lorikeet hopped forwards to match. A blue-capped head peered down at her from her forehead, tilted sideways.

“Awe. Awesome!” said the bird, making Dash laugh.

“We could tell Sunny Tails to take a message to his brother, and then he could fly to the Khosta,” said Fluttershy. “If he can ask around and find Scarlett, she should be able to take him to Phoreni. Red Wibblers have a great memory, so she should be able to recognise Phoreni since she knows where the Grove is. Sunny’ brother can give the message, and then show Phoreni where we are. Hopefully she remembers Scarlett and understands.”

Rarity stared. Rainbow Dash blinked.

“I—I mean, there are a lot of things that can go wrong. I don’t know if the birds in the Khosta understand lorikeets, and we know that the Ephydoerans don’t like it when birds fly into the Grove, so they might get chased away, maybe Phoreni doesn’t understand—”

“Fluttershy,” said Rainbow Dash. “That is amazing.”

“Darling, I retract my concerns, and my doubts about your wonderful friend here,” said Rarity, touching a hoof to her own chest.

“Amazing, darling,” said Sunny Tails, and Dash heard Rarity’s star-struck intake of breath.

Fluttershy giggled and shook her head, blushing. “It’s worth a try, at least.”

“Oh, no,” said Fluttershy. “It was wonderful, it sounded beautiful, but could you maybe do it one more time?”

“Ponies in trouble. Fol-low, follow!” said Sunny. He cocked his head left, then right, and let out a little peep.

“That’s very good,” said Fluttershy, nodding. “Now, you remember what to—”

Cheeps, peeps and an almost indignant trill at the end.

“Yes, I know I’m repeating myself, I’m very sorry. Thank you so much,” said Fluttershy. She reached out, and the bird hopped down from Dash’s mane, perching on Fluttershy’s hoof instead. Fluttershy gently nuzzled his chest-feathers, while Rainbow Dash tousled her own mane so it’d lie right again.

“Well, there we have it,” said Rarity, nodding appreciatively. “Now, as to how to get this poor bird out of here…” She stared up at the shafts in the ceiling.

“Yes, those are far too small to fly through safely,” said Fluttershy, frowning. “We’ll have to find another way.”

“We’re done? Ready to go?” Dash asked.

“I suppose so,” said Fluttershy, taking a deep breath. Sunny cheeped cheerily.

“Hey!” Dash yelled. Rarity winced, and Fluttershy ducked her head as Sunny took off and flew in a little circle around her head. “Hey! Guards!”

“Sometimes,” said Rarity, frowning at her, “I suspect you just don’t want anyone to have a sense of hearing.”

“Quick! Act natural!” said Dash.

“I am acting natural, your shouting hurt my ears,” Rarity snapped as steps echoed down the hall.

“Oh. Oh dear. Sunny, quick,” said Fluttershy. “Act like you don’t know me!”

Cheep.

“Well, I like to think we’re friends, too,” said Fluttershy, smiling at the bird who’d landed on the ground in front of her. “That’s why we’re pretend—”

“What?” Koltares asked, stepping inside the room.

“A bird got in here,” said Dash. She pointed to the little bird that cheeped merrily away at Fluttershy. ”It’s your dumb air shafts! Can you get it out of here? It’s making a bunch of noise, and we tried getting it out, but it doesn’t wanna leave.”

“Of all the idiotic issues,” said Koltares with a grunt. “I will get a net and try to catch—” he began to say, pausing when Sunny hopped through the bars and towards the door, flapping his little wings with each bounce. The peryton stared in silence as the lorikeet paused underneath him to look both ways down the hall, hopping along the floor to his left after a moment’s deliberation.

“Wow, that’s weird, huh?” said Dash. “I guess it changed its mind.”

“Oh, Birds can tell which way is out by the wind, just like pegasi,” said Fluttershy, smiling.

“Good for him,” Rarity agreed with a nod. “If it’s a him. I wouldn’t know, of course. As it’s just a bird we just met.”

The stag closed his eyes and shook his head. “Less talk. I will see it out,” he said, disappearing down the hall, following the bird.

“Alright. That’s that done. If we don’t figure another way out of here, the bird’s a good backup plan,” said Dash, chuckling to herself. She stretched out her legs. Half of the annoyance of this new chain was that it was hard to pace around the cell properly.

“Backup?” asked Rarity, arching a brow.

“Hey, I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t feel like sitting around doing nothing, and yeah, that’s some awesome bird-work—” she paused to grin at Fluttershy, holding out a hoof. Fluttershy giggled and gave her a little hoof-bump. “—but if Sunny Tails’ brother gets bored, or if something comes up, I don’t wanna sit around for weeks waiting for something that could go wrong. That’s dumb and boring.”

“We don’t even know if Phoreni wants to help,” Fluttershy added.

“I should think she would if she knew the full story,” Rarity retorted. “What happened in the Grove wasn’t our fault at all, and she was the one who suspected foul play. It’s a shame we couldn’t send a proper letter with this bird-friend of yours, explaining everything.” The unicorn paused for a moment, her snout crinkling ever so slightly as she turned to Rainbow Dash. “Then again, it might not have mattered. The Ephydoerans all seemed very bull-headed about the mishap with your wings.”

“Whatever, I’m over it if Fluttershy is,” said Rainbow Dash with a shrug. She spared Fluttershy a glance, and the other pegasus nodded.

“I try not to think about it too much,” said the other pegasus with a little smile.

“They seem terrified of the Ephydoerans at any rate,” said Rarity. “And if these people stole from them, Perytonia should probably know what’s going on here.”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Yeah. Anyway, if Velysra is gone, and Caldesseia thinks she’s done with us, we need something else to do. Even if Phoreni comes to help us, I don’t wanna sit around waiting. It’s gonna take them forever to get here.”

“Maybe,” said Fluttershy. She looked towards their saddlebags. “We don’t know exactly where we are, but I remember the map pretty well. Even if we don’t know how the Ephydoerans travel, it’s probably going to take them a while. Days or weeks even if they leave right away.”

Rarity huffed. “Weeks? In here? I think I will give that a miss, thank you.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I’m sorry. I hope that Sunny’ brother and Scarlett will help, but it’s far away.”

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. Like I said, great plan, but a great backup plan, I guess.” She rolled her shoulders and pawed at the ground. “What else have we got?”

Silence.

“Um. I… still have my wings,” said Fluttershy, after a moment. “Because they don’t seem to think it matters.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, grimacing. The idea that they didn’t think Fluttershy was a threat still annoyed her. “Okay—”

“They’re right, really,” said Fluttershy, splaying her ears. “Even your wings wouldn’t really make a difference in here, so I don’t think I have anything else I can do. Not that I can think of.”

“And I myself am without my magic for another day or two, until we can enact this little trick you suggested,” said Rarity. “We have to find a way to get you free from those chains as well. If you only had the chains around your body, well, that’s awful enough, but now, should we manage to open the door, we still have to get you loose. All my tools are over there—” She gestured to their saddlebags. “—so I don’t know how much more we can do right now.”

“Right, yeah,” Dash grunted. “Koltares probably has the keys on him. He’s the one who carries around all these stupid locks. Who does that? Does he have like… a creepy padlock collection?”

Fluttershy eyed the cell door with open skepticism, and then turned her eyes on Dash’s chains. “I don’t know how you’re going to break down the door if you can’t reach it, either, and even if you could, we’d need some kind of distraction so they don’t hear us. If they notice what we’re doing, they’ll try to stop us.”

“There’s that as well,” said Rarity. She walked up to the bars and began collecting the food and water that the peryton had left, pulling them through one by one. “Again we have nothing but time. Let us eat while we think, at least.”

“Sure,” said Dash. “Until they decide that they wanna chain everyone to everything.” She made no move towards either food or drink, watching while Fluttershy dragged the blankets a little closer, and Rarity arranged their bowls with clumsy hoof-work.

“I’m sure they won’t,” said Fluttershy, smiling. She gestured to a spot near where she sat. “You should probably drink something. Do you want to sit? Are the chains uncomfortable?” Her smile faded a bit as her eyes drifted to the iron securing Rainbow Dash to the bars, but Dash was only vaguely aware.

They probably wouldn’t bring along more chains, but what else would they do? What would the ponies themselves do? Without Caldesseia or Velysra, and with all the other guards stubbornly refusing conversation, nothing would happen unless the ponies made it happen. The wind stood still but for her wings.

Except she didn’t have her wings, of course, so that metaphor was going nowhere fast.

“Rainbow Dash? Please?” asked Fluttershy.

“Yeah, okay,” said Dash. She plopped her butt down next to Fluttershy and leaned down to grab a drink.

A distraction. They’d need a distraction, and a way to kick down the door. Distraction, door, and keys to her chains. Once they were out of the cell, Dash wouldn’t let anyone cage her ever again, and once they got out under the open air, she’d spread her wings and fly, never to land. Goodbye, stupid Morrowsworn. Eyes on the prize. They had a plan for Rarity, Fluttershy had already helped—and what could Rainbow Dash do? She had done, and could do nothing.

That wasn’t entirely true. She’d started it all. She’d convinced them—encouraged them, she thought, but it still didn’t feel right. She was Rainbow Dash. Whatever she had said in one of her friendship lesson letters to Princess Celestia, and even if she was fine with leaning on her friends for support, it felt dumb not to have anything to offer herself.

“Would you like some fruit, dear?” asked Rarity. “There’s a new fruit here, something purple—well, lavender, strictly speaking—and it’s really quite good.”

“Sure,” said Dash, accepting a slice, chewing without tasting it. For a moment she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, forcing herself to think, to dream of having her wings back so she could play a part in their plan, so she could help bust them out of here, but she knew that wasn’t happening.

“Dreams,” said Dash, blinking.

“Pardon?” said Rarity.

Rainbow Dash still thought it weird to think that just remembering her dreams was some sort of special power—or at least not normal. Dash could talk to Princess Luna in a way the others couldn’t. It was easier for her, anyway. Or, it had been. Dash frowned.

“Rainbow Dash?” asked Fluttershy, her head tilted. “What are you thinking about?”

“I’m—yeah,” said Dash, snorting. “I’m just thinking. They’re so afraid of us because they think we’re lying about Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and they think that the evil, scary, spooky Luna is on our side and somehow… gives us powers or whatever?”

Rarity glanced towards the doorway. “Don’t give them more ideas, dear.”

“That’s what they think, yes,” said Fluttershy with a nod. She nudged a water bowl a little closer to Rainbow Dash.

“Yeah, well, they’re right, aren’t they?” asked Dash. “Kinda. If Princess Luna knows we’re here, I’m sure she can help. She’s a princess. That’s gotta count for something.”

“Maybe?” said Fluttershy, indicating the water bowl with a nod of her head.

“I don’t see how that helps, I’m sorry,” said Rarity, shaking her head. “We want to let people know we’re here so they can come rescue us. That was always the case. Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, the Perytonian peryton, anyone, really.”

“Yeah, but I can talk to Luna in my dreams, remember?” said Dash.

Fluttershy pushed the water bowl closer still.

“And I still believe you when you say you’ve done so before, but if you could do it now, why haven’t you already?” asked Rarity, raising a brow. “It all seems awfully erratic.”

“It didn’t—” Rainbow Dash paused, sighing and leaning down to grab a mouthful of water when the water bowl nudged against her leg at Fluttershy’s insistence. “It didn’t use to be. Or, I mean, it kinda was, but kinda not. Something’s been extra weird with my dreams lately.” She schooled her face, hiding her frown.

She knew what she had been dreaming about, lately. She had no control over her dreams, the same vague scenes partially dissolving, partially sticking around every morning, but none of that explained why Luna didn’t come by. She seemed to have no issues sticking her snout into Dash’s dreams, usually.

Rarity gave Dash an expectant nod, as though she wanted her to go on. Rainbow Dash drew breath as though she, too, expected herself to go on, but that was all she had. She had the knowledge that she’d had some dreams where she’d talked to Luna, and the hope that maybe it could help.

She had nothing. Dash slumped. There had to be something—

“Okay,” said Fluttershy, smiling as though it were the simplest thing in the world. “Maybe we can find out what’s changed?”

Rainbow Dash tilted her head and bent an ear. “What’d you mean?”

Fluttershy shrugged. “If you used to dream about something, and now you don’t—if she used to see you in your dreams but stopped—then something’s different. I’m sure it’s nothing dangerous or scary, or, I hope not, but maybe there’s a reason?” She leaned forward, grabbing another one of the curious purple fruits.

“Nothing happens without a reason, is it?” asked Rarity. “Twilight would say something like that. When did you have these dreams of Princess Luna, at any rate?”’

“Uh, jeez, don’t ask any easy questions, right,” said Dash, scrunching up her snout. “The first time was the night after we left Orto, I guess, and then… once on the road to Ephydoera?” She scratched her head. “The night after we left the Grove, aaand… the night I found the fancy statue in the Splitwood.”

“Goodness, you spoke to Princess Luna four times?” asked Fluttershy, her eyes widening slightly. “I don’t think you ever mentioned all those. Was that why you asked me about dreams?”

“I guess?” said Dash. “I don’t remember. I didn’t think it was all that special.”

“Four exclusive little tete-a-tete’s with a princess?” asked Rarity with a little huff. “By all means, nothing special about that at all.”

“Yeah, okay, I get it now, it is kinda a big deal,” said Dash, shrugging. “I didn’t know how real it was at first, but now I know it is, and that’s why I think she can help.” She sighed. “Or I thought she could—”

“The statues,” said Rarity.

“I’m sorry?” said Fluttershy.

“The statues. Every single time you say you’ve spoken to Luna, we’ve camped under one of the statues,” said Rarity. She pulled one of the remaining fruit-bowls a little closer to herself, picking at the fruit while she spoke. “It’s common to all those nights, and lately, we haven’t seen any statues such as those.”

“We slept under a statue the night before we got ambushed,” said Dash, frowning. “That doesn’t add up. Why didn’t I see her then?”

“That was a statue that I now realise is clearly made in Celestia’s image,” said Rarity, smiling. “Sunlight and all. This does in fact add up if you suppose the statues of Selyria do this.”

“Because Selyria is Luna,” Fluttershy agreed, her ears halfway to a wilt. “If you had a dream of Luna after we left the Grove, does that mean the terrifying statue we found there is meant to be Luna, too? I guess they do have some strange ideas about the Princesses, but… okay.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Wow. If that’s really what’s doing this—wait, you think so? Hang on, the statues weren’t magical, right?” She looked to Rarity. “Did you check?”

Rarity wiped her muzzle with the nook of a leg, swallowing before she replied. “I am fairly sure I checked at least some of the times we bedded down under those statues, though I may have missed one or two that looked the same, the ones along the road and such. They weren’t magical in any way I recognise as such, but that doesn’t have to mean anything if they’re having an effect. Why?”

“Nothing,” said Rainbow Dash, shaking her head briskly. “Or, well, I guess Luna asked me about it. Something about being pulled in, I didn’t really pay attention.”

Fluttershy blinked, speaking very slowly. “Princess Luna’s being… pulled in?”

Dash blew her mane out of her face. “You’re making it sound way more serious than she did. She just said something was weird. That’s how we… met, sort of. Anyway!” Dash held up a hoof. “Doesn’t matter. If that happened because of the statues, then yeah, I got nothing. I don’t see any statues of Selyria here in no-Aspect-ville.” She snorted.

The unicorn shook her head. “Not entirely true, I don’t believe. You have the statue you found in the Splitwood, the one that you left in my room when we visited Vauhorn. It’s in your bags, is it not?”

“You really think that’ll work?” asked Dash. She didn’t know whether to laugh at the idea or not, but she heard the hope in her own voice.

“If it’s in your bags, then, um, well, it’s still in your bags,” said Fluttershy, chewing on her lip. She didn’t need to point to the saddlebags that lay arranged along the far wall. All heads turned to look at them anyway.

“And until I get my magic back, I suppose that is where they’ll stay,” said Rarity, frowning.

“Sure. Until we trick them and get your magic back, or figure something else out,” said Rainbow Dash, grinning at Rarity and Fluttershy. They’d be out of here in no time, and so far, she’d managed to avoid pushing Fluttershy too far. So far, she’d avoided causing any more disasters to add to the already long list.

Chapter 34

I’m glad I went to see Rainbow Dash today. Even if her house is a little high up, it’s always such a wonderful time. We just talked for a little bit, really. She had to go take care of some weather jobs on the other side of town, and I couldn’t join her because I had to feed Glitterbean. She’s come down with a cold.

I made Rainbow Dash a little present. I didn’t really say it was a thank you, but I wanted to do something for her because I’m so happy everything worked out so well last week. She doesn’t like talking about what she calls ‘mushy stuff’, so I don’t think she’d accept a gift if I told her why. I just said I felt like giving her something.

It’s just a tailband, and she’ll probably just throw it away, but that’s okay. I really wanted to do something. You see, I thought for sure last week would all end in a disaster, but of course it didn’t!

At first, I was so very worried Applejack would be mad at Rainbow Dash after they had that quarrel outside of town hall, or worse, that they wouldn’t ever be friends! I got ever so scared that maybe Applejack wouldn’t understand how Rainbow Dash and I… work, but after talking to Applejack, I knew it would be okay. I had to send her a few letters before I worked up the courage to go visit, but in the end I went over for dinner and now everything is fine.

I’m getting ahead of myself, though, because that was all later. I went back to town hall the next morning, actually, on the day after Rainbow Dash and Applejack had their fight, when I had calmed down a little. I did it just like Rainbow Dash wanted. Just like I wanted. It was very hard to walk up to the desk and volunteer all by myself, but I managed!

I’d really like to have Rainbow Dash with me if I ever have to do that again, but I signed up Bluebell, Beaky, Dusty and Glimmerflap—and myself!—to perform at the unveiling ceremony. They asked if we could sing a little tune to introduce Princess Celestia, and we’re going to try our best. Rainbow Dash thinks we can do it, and I think so too.

So everything worked out wonderfully. Or, well... I wrote about Nightmare Moon and everything else last weekend, so it was more “terrifying” and “horrible”, but now it’s wonderful. We’re all getting to know each other better after Rainbow Dash and I met Twilight Sparkle.

We even had a little… I wouldn’t call it a fight exactly, but when Twilight (can I write that? I should ask her if it’s okay to just call her Twilight instead of Twilight Sparkle) said she had tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala, everypony got a little too excited, myself included. Luckily that all worked out, too, and we’re great friends now.

I hope we’ll always be friends, just like Rainbow Dash and I will. Like we have to be. I don’t think I could ever say or do anything if it meant there was even the slightest chance that Rainbow Dash wouldn’t want to be my friend any more.

Good night, Diary, and sleep tight.

-Fluttershy

Rainbow Dash only vaguely remembered drifting to sleep the day before, sandwiched between their blankets and the tarp Rarity insisted on putting underneath to keep the blankets from getting dirty. For all that the jungle beyond the Bow was nothing like Perytonia, the nights were still cold enough to warrant a blanket, at least.

Dash hadn’t been all that bothered by the noise. Whistles echoed far in the distance and some insect, animal—or a plant, for all she knew—made ridiculously loud screeching sounds, but she could deal with that. She’d woken up the way she’d gone to sleep, lying next to her friends, comfortable and almost cozy, stretching and yawning while the scents of fertile soil and sweet plants assailed her nose. It hadn’t even been all that hot when Dash woke up, but now the sunlight made the river shine, as though somepony had held a leg in front to block it up until now, a long and tenuous sunrise suddenly let loose in full.

Again, Rainbow Dash didn’t mind. She felt good. Twice as good when Fluttershy finished her drink by the river and walked up to her, nuzzling her between the ears and smiling warmly. Dash smiled back and buried her snout in Fluttershy’s chest-fluff in return, staying seated.

“I think we have four days of food, perhaps five,” said Rarity, her glasses perched on her snout as she carefully took stock of their belongings. “We can carry water for a week, I think, but honestly, it’s heavy work if we’re to walk like… like this.” She waved a hoof in the general direction of the jungle—that being every direction. Though there was precious little grass and the ground was relatively bare with soil right here, the first step outside their bedroom-sized clearing demanded a duck under a branch, and the next required a hop over a high root.

“We can probably carry half that, three or four days’ worth of water without much trouble. I don’t think food is a problem, either,” said Fluttershy, sitting down at Dash’s side. Rainbow Dash idly ran a feather along her side, delighting in the way Fluttershy’s cheeks heated up visibly even as she went on. “We’ve seen some of the fruits the peryton ate, and we know that we can eat them safely, too. Let’s try to think a little before we put something in our mouths here this time, though.”

She gave Rainbow Dash a look at that, and Dash froze her little game of make-the-girlfriend-blush. “Hey, if you mean back in Splitwood, it worked out.”

“It worked out,” said Fluttershy, nodding, her eyes narrowing a touch. “But you couldn’t know that. You could’ve poisoned yourself.”

“Jeez, that was weeks ago,” said Dash. “Who remembers that sort of stuff?”

“Somepony who cares a lot about you, and doesn’t want to see you hurt,” Rarity added with a faint smile, rolling up one of their empty water-bags. “And I happen to agree.”

“I get it, fine, no eating stuff without asking Fluttershy,” Dash muttered, her ears wilting a touch. “You guys ready to move?”

Rarity yawned, then nodded. “I think I am, at least. Fluttershy, are you feeling better, dear? We all woke early, and it’s barely morning, so if you wish to rest a little longer, I feel like we owe you that.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I’m good, really. I’ve slept all through the night. What about you?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I could nap, but I’m alright.” She frowned at that. “Okay, and now that I think about it, that either means I’ve slept as much as I usually want to sleep, or I’m getting worse at sleeping.”

“Getting worse at sleeping,” Rarity repeated, voice perfectly flat.

“Hey, I’m basically Equestria’s best napper, if I’ve lost my touch, that is not okay at all!” Dash said.

Fluttershy giggled and got up. “I wouldn’t worry about that. We can probably get going if you want to, but we don’t really know where to go, do we?”

“Right, yeah,” said Dash, scratching her own snout. “Plans and stuff.” She watched Rarity grab her notes, the jewellery, the masks and all that remained of her dressmaking supplies that she had fretted so much over. All the unicorn did now was shuffle around and re-pack everything without any deeper interest.

“Well, we know we’re not going back to the stupid peryton,” said Dash after a moment. “So I guess that’s something. We know what we’re not doing. Second best thing.” She chuckled at her own joke and Rarity gave her one of her wan smiles, but Fluttershy didn’t seem to think it all that funny. She just stared at the grassless soil in front of her hooves.

“What?” Dash asked, tilting her head. “You’re not seriously thinking of going back there?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Of course not, I just… while we were escaping, I saw them fighting amongst themselves. Did you notice?”

“I did,” said Rarity, nodding while she lay out all their saddlebags, strapping on her own.

“Yeah,” said Dash, scowling despite herself. She could already tell where this was going. She didn’t want to care.

“I wonder… it just feels like that’s our fault,” said Fluttershy.

“No. No it’s not,” Dash replied with a huff as loud as she could make it. “We didn’t do anything. The only thing we did that’s wrong was getting caught in the first place. What, do you think we should have stayed? Do you think it was wrong to escape?”

“No!” said Fluttershy, incredulous. “I just… it’s not about what we should have done, or shouldn’t have done, and it’s—okay, maybe ‘fault’ isn’t the right word, but it’s still because of us, somehow.”

“Right,” said Dash, deflating a little. She furled her wings tight. “It’s still not our responsibility. If they’re so different they even fight themselves, that’s on them.”

“Perhaps,” said Rarity, staring at nothing at all, her gaze distant. “I don’t know about you, Rainbow Dash, but I feel bad about it even if it’s not our fault directly. I’m still concerned.”

Rainbow Dash felt her snout turn up in a sneer, but it didn’t last. She wanted to say she didn’t care, that they were stupid and that there was nothing they could do if a bunch of peryton decided the ponies were evil and that the three of them were responsible for everything bad that ever happened.

“Of course I care too,” Dash instead admitted, sighing. “I just don’t know what we can do.” She felt one of Fluttershy’s feathers touch her side.

“I don’t know either,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head softly, but now she smiled a touch. “They must be asking a lot of questions about what happened with the sun and the moon and everything, and maybe something good will come of it. We don’t know, but if we all feel the same way, that helps me a little, at least.” She looked across the river as she continued. “We probably shouldn’t go back there anyways. We’ll need to go around their village.”

“Mm, it would be best if we could avoid it altogether,” Rarity said, nodding. “It all comes down to finding a way out of here anyway.”

Rainbow Dash got up slowly, ducking her head under the straps of her saddlebags to toss them onto her back. “Yeah. We need to get back to Perytonia. We’re not gonna get any more help from Princess Luna in here.”

“No word from her this night, then?” Rarity asked.

“Nah, like I said, she told me she couldn’t reach me, and we don’t have the statue any more,” Dash said, tugging the straps tight, securing her saddlebags before she helped Fluttershy with hers and slung her ohron about her neck.

“I wonder why that is,” said Fluttershy, sucking in breath when Dash tugged the belly strap tight. Dash winced in sympathy and redid it a little looser.

“Yeah, I dunno. She said there was something weird about this place,” Dash said, shrugging. “Let’s just get out of here. We know we came from the north-east on the other side of the mountains, and we ran west, so we just need to get over the mountains to the east. Or north-east. Whatever. Something with north or east in it. And we can’t go back straight east, because that’s where the village is, right over by the mountains.”

Fluttershy nodded her agreement. “We flew nearly straight west.”

Dash frowned at her own saddlebags, loosening the straps again. “Ugh, I shouldn’t have geared up. We need to go have a look, I guess. Fluttershy, you’re with me, okay? Rarity, can you wait here for a minute?”

Rarity nodded. “Of course. I’ll re-fill the water in your saddlebags. I think some of our bags are still full of stale water from Vauhorn. We may as well grab fresh water from here, instead.”

Fluttershy’s saddlebags hit the ground, nods were exchanged, and Dash spread her wings, punching through the dark and verdant canopy seconds later, Fluttershy hot on her hocks. Of course Fluttershy should come along. Two sets of eyes were better than one any day of the week.

The sun blinded her almost immediately. Sharp and reddish sunlight cut through the sky like it aimed for her eyes in particular, and Dash had to shield herself for a long moment before she could even squint without pain. Judging by the sudden intake of breath, Fluttershy met the same problem. The two pegasi hovered side by side in silence for a while, and Dash realised why the daylight had seemed to go through two stages this morning.

The mountains, seeming taller than ever, took the place of the horizon. It was easy to imagine she’d been shrunk to the size of an ant and placed in a coffee mug. Though it must be well past sunrise anywhere else, the sun had barely managed to crest the tall peaks of the mountains, the blazing orb lathering them with waves of heat.

“If we can’t go east,” said Fluttershy, looking to the jagged peaks from where they had come, “I guess the closest way to the mountains is to the north-east. North by north-east if we want to be safe. I think there’s a pass there, or something like it.” Rainbow Dash couldn’t tell how far it was. Staring at the mountains, they covered so much of her vision she thought for a second she could reach out and touch them, but she could see the foot of the mountains far in the distance, too.

Below them, the jungle, ever dark and sprawling, spread out forever, lumpy and chaotic with hills and green little peaks of its own. Where the mountains proper and the jungle met, the trees and plants were reduced to a dark green smudge that crept up the mountainside until it faded to a long stretch of grey. Grey, grey, more grey, and finally—Dash had to tilt her head up again—white. The very sight of snow seemed absurd in this heat. Only behind her, far to the southwest, did she see anything different. The jungle didn’t touch the slopes of the mountains there, the rocky grey turning brown as it flattened out, though she couldn’t tell why at this distance.

“Yeah,” said Dash, wiping her face. Hovering in the onslaught of the heat was probably worse on her than it was on Fluttershy owing to her girlfriend’s slower wingbeats, but Fluttershy herself flagged, sinking a little lower. “Yeah, northeast is probably our best bet,” Dash repeated, looking over to the east. The mountains there were even closer, and notably smaller—probably still dwarfing Canterlot. “Unless we wanna go back east. And we don’t, like you said,” she concluded, letting herself drop as well. “Let’s get back to Rarity and get going.”

“It can’t be much more than a day, surely,” said Rarity, ducking under a low-hanging, moss-covered branch.

“I don’t know about that,” said Fluttershy, turning her head to smile at a green and brown-striped snake coiled around a branch as she passed by. “Oh, hello,” she added, smiling before she turned to the others again. “I don’t remember exactly how long we were in the air yesterday, and it was hard to get a good feel for the distances just now.”

“Eh, I was getting tired when we landed,” Dash said, though she didn’t like to admit it. “But my wings have been stuck for days, too, so I’m probably just out of practice. We’re moving really slow right now, anyway.”

Fluttershy nodded, lifting a low branch for Rarity. “It’s hard to tell. Maybe it’ll be easier going later. All we know is we’re going in the right direction.”

“That’s something, at least,” Rarity said, wiping her brow. The unicorn, like the two pegasi, practically dripped with every step, the heat and the humidity doing its work and the soil as soft as sand in places. Sometimes, Dash swore they took breaks within sight of their previous rest stop, but she knew that couldn’t be true.

“I don’t expect either of you are keen on repeating the flying stunt from yesterday regardless,” Rarity added as an afterthought. “I know I am not, certainly not just in the interest of speed. For all that I appreciate your flying prowess, Fluttershy, there were times I was sure you would run my head into a tree.”

“I think not doing that ever again would be great,” Fluttershy said, her ears flat to her head.

“It’s stupidly hot down here, and stupidly hot up there,” Dash grumped. “I guess maybe it was a little colder yesterday because the sun was, uh... weird. If we get to a cliff or something, I’ll take you up, but I don’t think flying around a lot is a good idea—ugh, I don’t like even saying that.”

“It must be frustrating to have your wings back, only to not be able to use them much,” said Rarity, frowning with sympathy.

“Nah, I can use them for what’s really important,” said Dash, shaking her head. She spread her left wing and touched a feather to Fluttershy’s side, making the other mare jump.

“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy said, glaring at her, cheeks bright crimson.

“What?” asked Dash, who’d long since folded her wing again. She couldn’t hide her grin, though. “You afraid somepony’s gonna see?”

That melted Fluttershy’s glare. At length, she shook her head and batted at Rainbow Dash with a wing, making Dash giggle in return.

“What?” asked Rarity, looking over at them, at Fluttershy’s still burning cheeks and Rainbow Dash’s probably-permanent smirk. “Ah. Right. Rampant horseplay, of course.” She rolled her eyes and smiled. “Well, speaking of wings, is that our plan for when we reach the mountains? Flying?”

“I guess so,” said Fluttershy, shrugging.

“Yeah. I mean, duh?” said Dash. “If we need to get over something, that’s what wings are for. Maybe we’ll have to wait until it gets dark and a bit colder, and then we just go up.” She slipped between two trees, grunting to push her saddlebags through, but on the other side, the jungle thinned out a little. Maybe they were catching a lucky break and could speed up.

“We’ll have to find the lowest pass,” Fluttershy said. “I don’t know if we can fly over the tallest points.”

“Pff, not with that attitude,” said Dash, grinning, but Fluttershy just let out a little giggle and shook her head. Dash knew she was right anyway. Especially with a passenger. Rainbow Dash would probably have to carry Rarity. No way were they using that freaky spell again if Dash had a say in it, but they’d work something out.

“There’s always the chance that these Morrowsworn are watching the passes,” said Rarity.

“Yeah, well, they’re welcome to try to stop us,” Rainbow Dash said, laughing. She leapt off a fallen log and sailed down, turning to trot backwards for a few steps, smiling at her friends while they caught up, and both Fluttershy and Rarity smiled back at her. “Besides, there’s gotta be a hundred passes here, at least.” She sped up a little, ducking under some huge leaves and stepping over another fallen log soon after.

No, not just fallen, burnt. Many of the trees here seemed to grow sideways, alive, green and covered in life, but this thing was dark and sooty. She turned to look ahead again, but before she could even open her mouth to ask if the others had noticed, she had her answer. Pushing past the fronds and the ferns a few steps further, the jungle ended.

A broad path of scorched earth cut straight through the dense plant life, like a river of ash and burnt soil, broken husks of trees dead and dark. On the other side of the destruction, the jungle continued after the brief interruption, but looking down to the left and the right, the trail went on for as far as Dash could see. She couldn’t remember seeing it the last time she hit the air to scout, but then, she hadn’t flown very high up. Still she had to wonder how the jungle could swallow something like this.

“Goodness, what could have done such a thing?” Fluttershy asked, perched at the very edge of the jungle. Here and there, single plants poked up from the ashes, but by and large all was burnt. One step further, and she’d tread on the blackened furrow splitting the jungle apart.

“It goes without saying that I don’t know,” said Rarity, frowning slightly. “But I don’t imagine it was very recent. It’s not very… on fire, is it?”

Dash hopped onto the path. The soil and the ash was soft, staining her hooves. Though the heat of the sun without the protection of the jungle canopy made her a little uncertain at first, she eventually decided that she was not on fire. It was just a straight line of ruin no hotter than anything else.

“You know that cart they run down market street if we make too much ice?” Dash asked. “Two Spades and Curly Swizzle spreading gravel around so ponies don’t slip and fall?”

“...Yes?” asked Rarity.

“It’s like someone ran a cart down here, except instead of spreading tiny rocks, it’s spreading fire,” said Dash, chuckling.

Rarity scoffed. “How would they pull such a cart through the jungle?”

“Fire in the front and the back? One push-cart and one regular cart?” Dash asked, scratching her snout. It left a soot-stain.

“Then they’d be on fire themselves,” said Rarity, raising a foreleg as though to step onto the burnt path, hesitant.

“Wow. That is so not the point, and you are killing my joke,” said Dash, rolling her eyes.

“I do try,” said Rarity with a smirk. “Now, what do I have to say to get you to fly me across? The soot will ruin my coat.”

Dash laughed and took to the air, the blast of wind scattering ashes everywhere around her. “It’s okay, I’ll take you,” she said, while Rarity backed off a step.

“Um, before you do that,” said Fluttershy. She hadn’t said anything for a while, staring to the right, to where the mountains loomed over the path. “We need to make sure we’re still going in the right direction. We’ve almost gotten turned around.”

Dash looked over her back, at where they’d come from. “Wait… ugh, you’re right. We’re gonna have to check our course every ten seconds, aren’t we? This place is impossible. Let’s go up and have a look.”

It took less than a half-minute before the two pegasi were out of their saddlebags and in the air, and they didn’t have to go high up to get a good look around. They were no closer than they’d been this morning.

“I don’t get it,” said Dash, shaking her head when they landed. “Fluttershy, give me north.”

Fluttershy pointed north. “That way.”

“Yeah, I’ve got the same,” said Dash, frowning. “Okay. So there’s nothing crazy going on, we’ve just gotten turned around a bit, that’s all. Think the map can help us?”

“The map doesn’t have the Bow on it at all, it’s just a grey area,” Fluttershy said, shrugging helplessly.

“Does this mean you don’t know where… where we are? Or where we are going?” Rarity asked when they landed. “I thought you pegasi could always tell north?”

“We can,” said Fluttershy. “We’ll just have to check our direction a little more often. Even if it is a little hot for flying.”

Dash nodded. “Yeah. Could be worse. I want you up with me every time though.”

Fluttershy smiled wide at that, nodding. “Of course.”

Rarity nodded as well. “That sounds good and all, but honestly, the real question is whether we cross this river of soot or not, and if we do, which one of you can best carry me without getting it on my coat.”

“What’s the verdict?” said Rarity, ready with their water.

“Yeah, we’re moving in the right direction, but it’s slow. I think we’re a little closer,” said Rainbow Dash, landing alongside Fluttershy. She wiped her brow with the nook of a leg and took a deep breath.

“I don’t know, maybe,” Fluttershy said, shaking her wings out and accepting a drink from Rarity. “We need to go that way now—just turn a little more to the left, but it’s getting later in the afternoon. When the sun passes behind the mountains, that’ll make the going a little easier.”

“That’s a relief,” said Rarity. She let out a chuckle all of a sudden, shaking her head. “Do you know, there was a time I’d be dismayed at that, at travelling a little faster or longer.”

Dash shrugged and grinned, settling her saddlebags on her back. “You’re in good shape. Both of you.” She ground the top of her head against the side of Fluttershy’s neck, exulting in the touch. Fluttershy didn’t shy away. Rather, she stepped a little closer, bracing against her and smiling. Dash snuck a wing against Rarity and pulled her in as well, and the unicorn chuckled and gave her an affectionate nuzzle.

“I suppose I can simply have more chocolate when I get back to Equestria if I need to make up for all this exercise,” said Rarity, working her way free of Dash’s grip. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash both laughed.

“I think we all deserve a little chocolate when we get back,” said Fluttershy.

“I bet Pinkie Pie’s already back home making welcome-home cakes and stuff,” Dash added, grinning. “C’mon. Let’s kick it up a notch and get home, already.”

Kicking anything up a notch while trying to press through a jungle was more of an attitude thing than it helped their speed. The jungle would not be denied, throwing out-of-control roots and looping branches in their way while soft soil hugged their hooves. Flying up to check their progress every so often got easier, at least, and Dash was glad she had Fluttershy with her for company—and to discuss whether they were actually getting any closer, even if they never could really conclusively say that, yes, they were.

Hours later, the sun touched the mountains, and the heat disappeared along with half of the light. The found the second burnt path soon after, the ash-strip itself much like the first, but with one notable exception.

“I don’t think we’re alone, do you see that?” asked Dash. She could tell they were coming up on another one of these dividing lines—now that she knew what to look for, there were scorch marks all around—but something glowed ahead. She brought the group to a stop, blackened ground visible here and there through the final layer of undergrowth between them and the path. Even through the plantlife, past ferns and other foliage, Dash caught glimpses of sharp light dancing about.

“What is that?” Fluttershy whispered.

Rarity stepped a little closer, ducking her head under a leaf and disappearing through. She waved the others closer with a leg, and Dash followed suit.

The path itself looked much like the last, but in the middle of the line paved with ash and charred trees, three painfully bright specks of light danced about. Even so much as looking at them hurt Dash as though she stared straight at the naked sun, but she thought she could make out shapes through the light: two-legged, squat and beaked things swallowed by the glow that radiated from them. One of them rolled in the ash, another watched, and the third one nipped at a branch hanging over the ashen path. At its touch, the branch charred and smoldered, but the fire only lasted until the little creature let go.

“Are those… chickens?” Dash asked, blinking.

“Phoenixes, surely,” said Rarity, shaking her head. “We’ve seen phoenixes before—but they weren’t quite so bright.”

“No,” said Fluttershy, leaning a little closer, pushing aside another branch. “They… they’re not phoenixes. Phoenixes don’t actually burn all the time. They’re not made of fire. I don’t know what these are.” She shielded her eyes with a foreleg. “It’s hard to tell with all the light, the glare is really sharp. I almost wish I had sunglasses.”

“Glare,” Dash repeated, scratching her head. “D’you think these are ‘glare beasts’ the Ephydoerans talked about?”

“Maybe they are?” Fluttershy said. “Goodness, I didn’t think of that, but maybe?”

“I think the Morrowsworn may have mentioned them as well,” Rarity added. “I don’t see anyone around we could ask, mind you. They’re supposed to come from the Bow, and we’re reasonably sure that’s where we are.”

“Do you think they’re friendly?” Fluttershy asked, nibbling on her lower lip. “I’d love to go say hello.”

“The Ephydoerans didn’t seem very… thrilled about them,” Rarity said, frowning. “Now, I don’t know if that means much, what with their prejudice towards the heron and all.”

“Uh, yeah, okay, but you guys saw the heron in the Morrowsworn village, right?” Dash asked. “Because I’m starting to think the Perytonians were right about them.”

“I did,” said Rarity. “Do you think it was one of the heron making those awful noises that night while we were imprisoned? The interpreter certainly was a heron, I’m convinced.” The unicorn looked over at Fluttershy, and Dash did the same, but the other pegasus offered no comment, still staring at the creatures frolicking about in the ashes.

“Fluttershy? What’cha got?” Dash asked.

“I’m gonna go say hi,” said Fluttershy, simple as that. “They look really nice.”

Rarity looked at Dash, who looked back at her and shrugged.

“I think I’ll spare my poor, poor coat the indignity of rolling through the ashes, if you don’t mind,” said Rarity. “I’ll look out for… anything else in the meanwhile.”

“Alright. Mind if I come with you?” Dash asked.

“Of course not,” said Fluttershy, smiling and nodding. She pushed through the undergrowth, curling her tail lightly around one of Dash’s forelegs to give her a feather-light tug before the tail slipped away, and Dash followed as Fluttershy hopped down onto the ashen path towards three chicken-sized little suns playing in the blackened dust.

The glare beasts—Dash decided to think of them thus, whether they were or weren’t actual ‘glare beasts’—didn’t seem to see them at first. Two of them play-fought, hopping around and pecking at each other. Their radiances intermingled for a split-second, every time with a hiss and a flare of brighter light still. The third one busied itself torching small plants by the path-side, chirping with glee every time a nascent fern caught fire for a moment.

“Hello,” said Fluttershy, waving.

That got their attention. The two who fought split up, hopping away from each other to peer over at the ponies on approach, and the third one rushed over to join them.

“Please, please don’t try to pet them,” Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath. “You know, ‘cause they’re on fire. Or they are fire.”

“I know,” Fluttershy said with a giggle. “I just want to say hi—and hello there, little cuties. My name is Fluttershy. What is yours?” she asked, tilting her head.

One of the things hopped a little closer, halting a few strides away from the ponies, but whether out of fear or respect of the flammability of ponies, Dash couldn’t tell. She could feel the heat radiating off the thing in waves even from here. It let out a wark. The other two started fighting and playing again.

“What’d he say?” Dash asked, taking half a step back. She still felt like she stood too close to a roaring fireplace.

“Oh, hi, probably,” said Fluttershy.

“Probably?” Dash asked, cocking a brow.

Fluttershy nodded. “I don’t understand him exactly. It’s a little hard to tell since they’re not animals, exactly—hi, little guy. Do you understand me? I don’t think you do, but maybe we can be friends anyway?”

Wark.

Rainbow Dash shook her head and chuckled. “Okay, see, he said that last time. That’s another probably-hi.”

Fluttershy laughed and sat down with a little puff and whirl of soot. Dash could practically feel Rarity’s wince. The unicorn herself sat on jungle-bank a small distance away, watching while she sipped water.

“I wonder where they come from,” Fluttershy said. She leaned a little closer, reaching out with a hoof, and Dash winced. She knew for a fact that Fluttershy wasn’t fireproof. The little glare beast didn’t move any closer though. Rather, it circled halfway around Fluttershy, peering at the ponies with curious eyes. Or so Dash assumed. If there were eyes in there, she couldn’t see them. Just a general head-shape.

“They’re just babies, right? Little chicks?” Dash asked.

“Goodness, I don’t even know about that,” said Fluttershy, a brief look of worry crossing her face. “I’d be very worried if they are. Maybe they’ve been abandoned by their parents?”

“I’m more worried by the idea of an angry parent returning, myself,” Rarity opined from the safety of the jungle.

“We’re not hurting them at all, I’m sure it will be okay,” said Fluttershy, giggling when one of the two fighting glare beasts toppled the other one over on its side, their glows merging. Dash looked away, but she still had spots in her vision, and the ground shook ever so slightly. Why’d the ground shake, anyway? It’d stopped before she could even decide if she’d felt anything. Probably nothing, then.

“Do you think they can stop being on fire?” Rarity called. “I don’t imagine they can walk through the jungle without ruining it.”

“Maybe they’re the ones who made this… this,” said Dash, gesturing to the mess she and Fluttershy sat in. Their bellies and legs were covered in black—and she was now sure she felt a vague rumble.

“I don’t know if they could do all this even if they tried,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head.

“Hey, guys?” said Dash.

“Them burning all this is a little bit like trying to sew a tent with a single beading needle, I imagine,” Rarity said in a voice suggesting agreement.

“Yeah, great,” said Dash. “Do you guys feel that?”

Even if Fluttershy and Rarity didn’t, the glare beasts clearly did. All at once, the three perked up, stock still for an instant. A split second later, they took off running down the middle of the ashen path, absurdly fast for the tiny leg-shapes contained within their glows. Fluttershy stood up, and so did Dash, the two glancing at each other.

Where before she’d felt it as a gentle rumble against her belly, now Rainbow Dash could feel it in her hooves, too. Without thinking, she put a wing to Fluttershy’s hindquarters, giving her a slight push, but she hadn’t needed to. Fluttershy already moved, the two pegasi trotting to meet Rarity, the unicorn running towards them through the ash until the three ponies stood together for support.

The sound grew steadily, but the shaking never amounted to more than a faint tremor.

“What in the name of all things good is going on?” asked Rarity, slowly turning around on the spot, and Dash didn’t know where to look, either. Whatever this was, she couldn’t tell where it was coming from.

“I don’t—” Fluttershy replied, but she was cut off by a fit of coughing as a blast of humid air washed against them, whirling up ash that fell to the ground a split-second later as drops of black. The dampness in the air was palpable. Dash spread her wings to shield her friends and held up a leg to protect herself, but it had already happened—Rarity said something about her poor, poor coat and Dash barely heard her. She spotted something large moving over the jungle, only to disappear again.

“Did you guys see that?” Dash asked. She pointed, all too late.

“See what?” Rarity asked. “Is it a bath? Because I could use… a…” her voice trailed off. Dash looked up. Since when were there clouds? When had it started raining? Sure, it was just a drizzle, and the clouds were light and fluffy, but they came out of nowhere.

“I didn’t see anything. What did you see?” Fluttershy asked, huddling a little closer.

The answer came from the jungle on the other side, a little further down the ashen path. A huge, blue-green reptilian head, larger than that of any dragon Dash had seen, slipped out from between the trees—and that was definitely the right word for it. Though it was close to the size of a dragon in and of itself, it didn’t burst forth or crash through the jungle. Silent but for the low rumble in the air, the long, thin head slipped out of the jungle, weaving and bobbing through the air with gentle motions like an eel through water.

The creature disappeared into the jungle on the opposite side, followed by a body that didn’t disappear. A long, legless and snake-like body followed with the same sinuous movements, great big scales of the same sea-coloured hues glittering in what indirect afternoon sunlight that punched through the light layer of rain-clouds. Streaks of lighter colour formed mesmerizing patterns, but the body didn’t stop. Still more of the creature followed where its head had gone, and now the ash turned to fertile soil and plants sprung up even while the ponies watched.

Neither Rarity not Fluttershy said anything, but at a tap on her shoulder from a wide-eyed and mute Fluttershy, Dash turned just in time to see the creature leave the jungle behind them and cut through the ashen path going the other way. This time, she was keenly aware that the serpent-creature looked at them with its great big eyes, dark orbs of black and purple trained on the ponies before it disappeared again. Now its body moved endlessly past them on both sides, like they were caught in one of Applejack’s lassos spinning about them.

::And who do we have here, then?::

The words echoed inside Dash’s head, as though they were thoughts and not a voice, but they weren’t her thoughts. Dash gave a start, bumping into Rarity’s flank, and Fluttershy yelped as well.

“D—did you hear that?” Fluttershy stammered.

“I heard it too,” said Rarity, nodding quickly.

Finally, the tail made its appearance where the serpent-like creature had first gone, a split tail waving in the air as it passed—immediately followed by the same head again, the hornless draconic visage circling around.

::It is not often anyone ventures this deep.::

The long, slim muzzle was closed, but despite no evidence of speech, Dash heard the thought-voice in her head again. Dash flicked her ears. The initial shock of hearing the words inside her mind had passed, and her fear had long since gone. The creature didn’t seem to be doing anything, circling them in the light rainfall. Its passing had made two little land-bridges of jungle across the ashen path, growing fastest right underneath its shadow.

“Who are you?” Dash yelled. She turned towards the jungle where the creature’s head had disappeared again.

::Not so loud, please. I hear you fine,:: came the reply, and now Dash knew that voices in her head could whisper. When the head again appeared, it preceded its tail, circling a little closer.

::I am Odasthan, and I am curious about what manner of new folk wander the Cauldron of Storms without contest, so unbothered by the Gadar-spawn.::

Fluttershy blinked. Dash met her eyes and shrugged.

“I am afraid those words mean nothing to us,” Rarity said. “Do you mean the burning poultry? Those ‘glare beasts’ or whatever they are?” She frowned and looked to the pegasi, lowering her voice a touch. “And I thought we were sure we were in the Bow.”

“I thought so too. I’ve never heard of this place,” said Fluttershy. The three ponies turned, all together, and a moment later, the creature passed through on the opposite side yet again, turning to face them for a second as it slid through the open ground. It ducked into the jungle closer to the ponies than ever before, and Dash had to rub at her eyes to make sure they weren’t playing tricks on her. The creature was huge, but it wound its way between the trees without disturbing so much as a leaf.

::Perhaps it is now called the Bow by some, but the Cauldron is the Cauldron to my mind. Its first name that I know. I am nothing if not a creature of habit.:: A soft laugh ran through Dash’s mind, the sound pleasant and genuine, even if the delivery was weird. ::But if you wish to talk, you must come with. I have much to do.::

“Come with?” Dash asked, squinting. Rarity fussed over her coat, rubbing at the rain-moistened soot, and Fluttershy shuffled her wings, ashes falling from her feathers.

No sooner had she spoken than the serpent came out of the jungle one more time, this time almost right in front of the ponies. It turned its head sideways and leaned down, the body still following, flowing, coiling and twisting behind the serpent as though it could not be stopped while the head and its flat muzzle waited just above the ashes that even now sprouted life.

::Come, if you wish,:: the creature repeated, sounding almost cheery to Dash. A quick glance at Fluttershy and Rarity gave her no answer, so she made the call. Dash shrugged and grinned. Why not. Everything’s else in this place has gone wrong or weird or whatever. She spread her wings and hopped on.

“Come on,” said Dash. “Let’s go!”

Fluttershy hesitated only for a moment before she nodded and helped Rarity get on as well. The moment the three ponies stood perched on the creature’s large, ridged muzzle, the serpent moved again, gentle movements carrying the ponies aloft and into the jungle. The wind tugged at their manes, but otherwise it was as easy as sitting on any chariot or boat. Odasthan held its head aloft now, just above the jungle, perhaps for the ponies’ benefit. The body trailed after, impossibly long and lost in the dark trees just below with no trace of its passing except the rainclouds that Dash now saw were right overhead wherever they went. Did the jungle seem a little greener in their wake?

::I see now, I think,:: said the voice. ::You are not new. You look much like them, and then, I understand why you are not burned.::

“If you really did mean the three little creatures we met before you arrived, they were no bother at all,” said Fluttershy, turning around to sit backwards, facing the creature’s large eyes. Dash didn’t. The two huge dark orbs were unsettlingly close, and almost as big as she was. She wasn’t one for close talkers.

::And that is the curious thing,:: Odasthan replied. Dash could feel it nod and smile while it did no such thing. They forded the jungle and all smelled of rain, but the head upon which they sat didn’t move at all.

“We look like whom, though?” asked Rarity, looking over the rim of their transport to where the trees rolled by below. “In preference, I don’t even think that is my first, second, or twentieth question, though. We’ve all asked a lot of things and none of us have really answered. Maybe we can begin anew? Perhaps introductions? My name is Rarity, and this is Rainbow Dash—” she pointed and smiled, “and Fluttershy. I’m sorry, it’s a little difficult to be so cavalier about meeting a dragon-serpent-person in the middle of nowhere, even if you are being awfully polite.”

“He’s not a dragon,” Fluttershy said, her wings tight to her body. “You’re not a dragon, are you?”

Rainbow Dash laughed and poked Fluttershy. “You can’t just decide to be afraid after you’ve met someone just because they’re a dragon. Or, if they are a dragon.”

Fluttershy’s silence and folded ears suggested staunch disagreement with this statement.

Dash shook her head, enjoying the light rain on her face and the slight chill in the air. A colourful bird sat in a tree that whisked by, completely unbothered. “D’you guys get any answer?” she asked after a moment in a low murmur. “I got nothing.”

“I haven’t heard anything. Did we say something wrong?” Fluttershy asked, licking her lips.

“I’m sorry,” said Rarity, smiling at Odasthan. “You went very quiet, there. Did we cause offense?”

::You ask many things, more than I have been asked in a very long time,:: the mind-voice replied. ::I simply wonder where to begin. Introductions? I have not introduced myself since The Curinion came here, I think. I have given you the name to which I was affixed. Odasthan. That is all, and no, I am not a dragon.:: Dash thought she could hear a faint chuckle at that. ::No dragons have roosted in the Cauldron for a very long time. As to you, the grey one—I am glad I have not forgotten my manners. It is nice to know this.::

::Finally, as to… whom?:: Odasthan said. ::I spoke of resemblance, and I mean Celestia and Luna, of course. You are their spitting image, and I never thought I would ever see any of their children. Are you not pony-kin?::

Rainbow Dash looked at her own body. Soot-streaked blue coat, discoloured green wings, no horn, and her mane and tail very much made of hairs instead of freaky see-through whatever-stuff. The lower third of her half was nearly entirely black right now, rivulets of dark rainwater dripping from it.

“I guess we are, but, uh, no offense, but I don’t see it,” said Dash with a snort of laughter. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna look nothing like us.”

“Relatively speaking, I suppose?” Rarity asked with a cocked brow.

::It is Princess Celestia now, is it?:: the voice asked. ::Good for her.::

“Oh, you know her?” Fluttershy asked, tilting her head. “I don’t think she’s mentioned you. Oh. Um, I’m sorry. Maybe that’s not a very polite thing to say—”

Odasthan laughed again. They hit another ashen path, and this time he turned to follow it, his long body trailing after them, and in their wake, the jungle regrew. Dash still couldn’t see the end of Odasthan’s tail, the natural colours of the jungle blending with his scales as far as she could see.

::She would not. They would not. I have met them both, together and separate, but when one does as much as those two, one will not remember details such as myself and Yelgadar, and I do not imagine you have asked, either. They would have to be very specific questions.::

Rainbow Dash clambered a little further forward, past the creature’s nostril-slits. They were definitely not going north-east towards their goal right now. He turned seemingly at random, now going north-west. Now north.

“Who is Yelgadar?” asked Fluttershy. “Didn’t you call those lovely little creatures ‘Gadar’-spawn? Is that the same thing?”

::The spawn are the motes of Yelgadar herself,:: Odasthan replied. ::I hear in your voice affection for them, and that is not wrong of you, but you must understand that they have no thoughts. They are pieces of her with no mind of their own. They scatter in her wake and will disappear like any fire without fuel.::

“Oh no,” said Fluttershy, gasping. “That’s awful!”

Rarity held a hoof to her muzzle. “They’re going to die without anything to burn? Her children will die without ‘fuel’?”

Dash spread her wings to taste the wind. Hard to get a read while they moved about like this, but she managed. Now they moved north again, and the mountains they’d picked as their target were a little closer, but soon enough, the closest mountains and the lowest pass they could see around here would be straight to their east, and they’d be moving away from it rather than meandering towards it.

::They are not children. They are like clippings of her claws. To mourn them is to mourn a raincloud that has run out of water. Which one may do, of course,:: Odasthan said, wry amusement in his voice. ::Life is precious, but they are not life. You should be thankful they do not seem to wish to bother you—as for Yelgadar, she is in the night what I am in the day. She is fire where I am water in this Cauldron of Storms. You asked what I am. To say I am not a dragon is no more of an answer than to say I am not a bird. I am Odasthan. She is Yelgadar. That is I, and that is she. Together we make this place the Cauldron of Storms. In that sense, we are the Cauldron.::

That got Dash’s attention.

“Wait. Can the fancy stuff for a second. You make the storms?” Dash asked, whirling around. Odasthan hadn’t said exactly those words, but it made sense all at once. The way the rain came with the serpent, the change in air pressure and the humidity—it was as though a flock of invisible pegasi flew alongside the serpent.

::We make all the storms in this land, and once every turn of the year, my water meets her fire, and thus is made the greatest storm,:: said Odasthan, and Dash thought she heard a note of pride in his voice.

“Ha!” said Dash, grinning so wide her face hurt. “I knew it! Of course weather doesn’t make itself. That’d be crazy. You guys, you and this Yelgadar, whoever she is, you’re the ones doing it!”

Rarity didn’t look similarly overjoyed. “You do realise those storms are creating difficulties for the peryton living on the other side of the mountains?”

“They need those storms, too, though,” said Fluttershy, clopping her forehooves together.

::We do not do it for them, or to harm them,:: said Odasthan. ::We do it because we must, and I think you understand this. Yelgadar burns, and I soothe. I chill and she warms. Forever, we undo each other’s work, but it is not pointless, not futile.::

“So the hot and the cold temperature changes create the storms,” Fluttershy said.

::That is part of it.::

“Heh, finally something on this stupid continent makes sense,” said Dash. “But hey, can you stop over there?” she asked, pointing to their right. “Your cauldron is nice and all, but we’re kinda trying to get out of here, and you’re going the wrong way. If you can drop us off at the mountains, that’d be great.”

“Oh, I hadn’t noticed,” said Fluttershy, turning to look. “I think we were right, there’s a mountain pass there. That’s a good place to try to cross.”

Odasthan laughed. ::If I did not already think you remind me of Celestia and Luna, now I know for sure you are of their kind. All this hurrying, this doing. I will help you a little closer if only to thank you for giving me someone to speak to. It has been too long.::

The great serpent-ship turned effortlessly, putting them on a course for the mountains. They weren’t moving that fast, but without getting misdirected, without the jungle getting in the way and having to fight the heat, they made good speed. Ahead of them, the mountains hid the sun, betraying daylight only with a soft glow, and it’d been a long while since the last time they saw any of the burnt lines.

“Well, it’s a delight to talk with you, too,” said Rarity, smiling at that. “Is there anything else you would like to talk about? Care for the latest gossip from Canterlot? It’s well out of date, mind you.”

::We could speak for a thousand seasons and still there would be things to say,:: spoke the voice in Dash’s mind. ::Unless you have questions, I will offer you advice, for I feel fondly towards you; mind the weather, as it can be harsh to smaller creatures; mind the wind if you fly; and keep to the eastern and northern half of the cauldron. That is what I told my last visitor, but perhaps the last need not apply. I do not think Yelgadar can burn you any more than the sun.::

“What the hay does that mean?” Dash asked, tilting her head.

::It means that she would burn others, but you are Celestia and Luna’s children,:: said Odasthan, tilting his muzzle up ever so slightly. Dash held back a yelp of surprise—the movement was slight, barely moving the ponies at all, but it was the only time the serpent’s head had moved since they got on. He looked up at the mountains, his eyes trained on the wall that loomed ahead. Now it seemed to Dash that it looked twice as tall for every second as they drew closer. The jungle crept up its side, but gave up less than a quarter of the way even towards the pass Fluttershy and Dash had marked.

::You mean to fly out of the Cauldron on your wings?:: asked Odasthan, his voice tinged with open curiosity.

“That’s the plan!” said Dash, flexing her wings. She walked over to Rarity and Fluttershy and draped them in her feathers. “We’ll find a way.”

“We’re going to try, at least,” said Fluttershy, smiling and nodding.

“I don’t suppose you could take us?” Rarity asked, arching a brow. “You seem to fly very well yourself, if you don’t mind me saying.”

::Taking you this far has already created an imbalance I must fix,:: came the reply. ::I cannot leave, but I wish you well all the same. I will leave you here.::

“Oh. You don’t have to leave right away, do you?” Fluttershy asked. “I’m sure there are lots of other things we’d like to ask.”

::My work cannot wait. I will speak for as long as you will travel, but I cannot stop and cannot cease,:: Odasthan replied. The great serpent lowered its head, its great body coiling about it again as it halted in a clearing, the jungle a little more sparse here. The trees themselves seemed to bend out of its way as Odasthan leaned down. Dash hopped off and helped Rarity down as well. Odasthan’s head plunged into the jungle again, and the ponies stood facing his long body and tail as it moved past them, the fading light playing off his scales.

::If you do not meet with success, or if your knowledge fails you, you will find me by chasing the rain,:: Odasthan’s voice said. ::I wish you luck in all your hurried tasks, little ponies.::

“We’ll be fine, but thanks for the chat!” said Dash. She couldn’t keep from raising her voice a little. It felt weird to talk to a long snake-like tail.

“It’s been lovely,” said Rarity.

“Take care,” said Fluttershy. She walked up closer to Odasthan, reaching out with a hoof to gently touch his scales in passing. A few moments later, the tail finally came by, and he was gone. Another minute, and the faint rumble passed. The rain stopped, already drying up in the cloying heat that returned.

“It’s good to know that one can find a perfect gentleman even here,” said Rarity, ducking under a low-hanging branch and shuddering when she saw the larvae nibbling away at the great leaves. “He was a lovely little touch of civilised nature, if not of civilisation,” she added.

“Do you think it was a he?” Fluttershy asked, smiling at the same sight. “They were ever so nice anyway. I wish we could have talked more, really.”

“Sure,” said Dash, deciding to duck under the branch as well rather than fly over. It was still oppressively hot. “The whole brain-talking was super creepy, though.”

“‘Creepy’ is a strong word,” said Rarity, letting the pegasi catch up again. Most of the time, they could walk abreast rather than single-file. The jungle was still a mess, but the mess of bare soil and spidery roots of this part of the jungle was a lot easier to manage than wading through the ferns of the forest of Khosta. The comparison was pointless anyway. This place smelled sweet and rich, the bird-song was sharper and louder, and insects and life was everywhere.

“But?” Dash asked when no further explanation came.

“There is no ‘but’,” Rarity retorted.

“So, kinda creepy, just not very creepy, is what you’re saying,” Dash said, chuckling. Rarity didn’t reply to that, proving Dash had been right.

“And the serpent knew Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,” Fluttershy said, wiping her brow, pausing at the foot of another little hill. Every so often the jungle said up, and up they went. “I think that’s a little exciting. Twilight would probably love to ask about that.”

“Mm, I imagine she would,” Rarity agreed, slowing down. “Quite frankly, I would have, given a little more time.” She opened the ohron about her neck, levitating out the half-empty bag of water there. She held it up for Fluttershy, and nopony even commented on her initiative. Dash waited for her turn. She felt a frown coming on, though.

“Hey, so, you don’t think we should’ve just gone with him to wherever, right?” Dash asked while Fluttershy drank. Now she felt bad all of a sudden, unsure. Or she wondered if she should. Sometimes the line between the two was indistinct. “I just figured we should hop off while we were close to where we wanted to go, but if you guys wanna go back and talk to him, I guess we could.”

Fluttershy wiped her muzzle and shook her head, glancing at Rarity. “I don’t think so, and I didn’t mind.”

Rarity held up the water-bag for Rainbow Dash, shaking her head as well. “Me neither. If I thought we should better stay, I would’ve said so, dear. Who knows how long it would’ve taken us to make it here if we had to slog through the jungle.”

“Alright. Cool,” said Dash, feeling better already. She grabbed a long drink of water before she let Rarity have it back. She licked a few drops of water from her muzzle before she continued, leaning against Fluttershy just because. “I dunno, I don’t really care either way, myself. We gotta get out of here so we can get in touch with Princess L—oh, come on!”

“What is it?” asked Fluttershy, her eyes wide with worry. Rarity arched a brow while drinking her fill.

“We should’ve asked the serpent if he knows why the Princesses can’t see this place. If he knows the Princesses, and if he knows this place so well, he’s gotta know, I just forgot!” said Dash, groaning.

Fluttershy giggled. “Well, they said that we could talk forever, so there are probably a lot of other things we forgot to ask, too. Maybe we’ll meet again, and if we don’t, I’m sure we’ll be okay. You can always ask Princess Luna when we get out of here instead, but we don’t have to worry about that right now.” She spread a wing and lightly touched Dash on the flank.

Rainbow Dash was two steps on, Rarity falling in step while packing away their water, before the she stopped. “Wait, hang on,” said Dash.

Fluttershy tilted her head. “Mm?”

“Did you just go all ‘let’s move’ and poke me?” Dash asked.

Fluttershy blinked, staring. “I… I guess? I’m sorry? Is that wrong?”

Rainbow Dash laughed and trotted along. “No, that’s my move, and that’s awesome.” Fluttershy giggled, while Rarity smiled to herself and shook her head.

“I think I’ve given up on hurrying anyway,” Dash went on while Rarity lit her horn. It wasn’t getting dark exactly, but the reddish light cast over the cauldron from behind the mountains ahead of them was faint, and not all of it found its way between the trees. “Whatever Neisos’ brother’s name was, he’s probably not in Cotronna any more, so no boat back to Orto for us.”

“While that’s true enough, we don’t know that that’s what we want to do,” said Rarity. “If you’re confident you can contact Princess Luna once we leave this place, we might not need to go to Orto.”

“We don’t even know where we will be once we cross the mountains,” Fluttershy added, looking up at the bits of grey that could occasionally be glimpsed through the canopy. “I’m a little disorientated, and the map is useless here.”

“Yeah. That doesn’t help either,” Dash admitted with a chuckle. “We don’t know where we are, and I don’t even know when we are.”

“That part’s a little easier,” said Rarity. “It’s late summer, or early fall, depending on how you look at it. Hoity Toity’s fall line of clothes will be well past the design phase, now that I think about it. They may even be in stores.” She smiled almost fondly at that rather than sigh or groan like Dash had expected. That made Dash herself smile—until she realised she had no idea what Rarity meant.

“Hang on, wait, so, when is that, exactly?” Dash asked, cocking her head.

“The first rains of fall should be scheduled in a week maybe,” said Fluttershy, pushing her mane out of her face.

“Oh. Oh jeez,” said Dash. “That’s all on Flitter now I guess.” She laughed. “Fine, whatever, not my problem.” She stared ahead, imagining Flitter trying to bring all the other pegasi to heel and whip them into actually helping out with all the clouds.

Eh. They’d be fine, and Dash herself had a good time right here. A throaty noise interrupted her reverie, and Dash turned to find a colourful slimy blot perched on Fluttershy’s head that hadn’t been there half a minute ago.

“Fluttershy? You’ve got a little something on your head.”

“Croaky’s just heading over to a pond right over here,” said Fluttershy, pointing ahead, smiling bright at the vividly coloured frog sat on her head. “He got chased away and is afraid to go back alone. You don’t mind a little detour, do you?”

“Right,” said Dash, chuckling. “Sure, let’s go find your frog a home.”

“By all means,” said Rarity with a wry smile.

Past the pond where they deposited Fluttershy’s brief companion, and over a stream so small it was hard to even fill their water-bags properly, the jungle thinned out noticeably during the last hours of false sunlight. When Rarity’s horn-light cast long and deep shadows, the darkening sky was plainly visible amidst the network of vines and wide leaves of the canopy, while the ground remained bare. They made great speed, and even trotted for the last half hour or so, uphill or no.

Even Dash herself noticed that it was tough going, though. The slight incline got steeper and steeper, to the point where Rainbow Dash wondered what the difference between walking and climbing really was. The terrain tricked them into doing the latter, and it showed no signs of stopping. Maybe the wall that loomed ahead—the mountains and the V-shaped pass that was their goal—perhaps the rock-face would keep going, the world tilting slowly until they found themselves walking right up the sheer wall or upside-down.

The evening hours were hot. So very, very hot, and as humid as it had never been before. Fluttershy’s long mane was soaked, and Rarity’s curls were long since gone, her hairs a mess matted against her face. This was definitely the hardest walk they’d had so far, but despite it, they managed to keep going. With breaks as frequent and as long as they had to be, they moved on, easy banter on their lips rather than concerns. When they decided to stop, it wasn’t the result of a debate so much as them all coming to the same decision, together, tired but uncomplaining, weary but smiling. Rarity set up a shelter using their tarp as a roof and the smaller blanket as bedding on ground drier than the soil of yesterday’s rest stop by the river.

Presently, Rarity sat at the edge of the blanket fussing over her coat—”did you hear? The serpent called me ‘grey’. This ash is awful. It was such a normal and very Rarity concern, complaining over what little ash survived Odasthan’s drizzle, the moisture and the sweat, so much better than the unicorn staring at some arcane plans for a dress-and-ceremony Dash didn’t know would ever happen. It felt good to see, and Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but smile, though she kept her laughter to herself.

On the other side of the blanket, Fluttershy leaned against Rainbow Dash, conversing with a pudgy mammal that looked like an overgrown hamster. In front of her lay the increasingly battered and damp book about animals, open on a page that showed the creature’s likeness.

“Mm, no, we’re going the other way, I’m ever so sorry,” said Fluttershy, smiling at the creature. “I’d love to meet your family. Maybe some other day. You’ll make sure to tell them we all said ‘hello’ though, won’t you?”

The creature responded with a stuttering squeak that switched pitch over and over, tiny forelegs waving about.

“What the hay is that sound?” Dash asked, giggling. The squat creature leaned past Fluttershy, and Dash could have sworn the thing glared at her.

“He was just saying goodbye,” said Fluttershy, tilting her head. “The capybara make lots of different sounds, and I think it’s lovely.”

Another little squeak. The thing turned and waddled off. Rainbow Dash held a hoof to her muzzle to curb her laughter. “Wow, it even walks funny.”

“Rainbow Dash, that’s not a nice thing to say about anyone,” Fluttershy chided.

“Hey, I’m sorry,” Dash, waving a hoof. “I bet she—”

“He.”

“—thinks we look weird, whatever,” Dash finished, grinning. She turned to face her girlfriend in full, and breaking the contact between their sides made a sound not unlike lifting a wet towel off a floor. She ran a hoof through Fluttershy’s mane, and it came away dripping. Dash grimaced and shook it. “Jeez, Fluttershy, it’s like you just came out of a bath.”

“It’s certainly taking its time getting cold tonight,” Rarity said, dribbling a little water on a foreleg, scrubbing away at her coat with her magic and a rag. She frowned at Fluttershy, full of sympathy. “It must be worse on you than any of us with that mane, Fluttershy, you poor dear.”

“It’s okay,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head, wiping at her forehead with the nook of a leg. “We’re all hot. The sun should go down behind the mountains soon, and it’ll get a little colder still once the valley has time to cool off.”

“Guess there’s a reason this place is called the Cauldron, huh,” said Dash, spreading her wings to fan herself. Every time she folded her wings, her sides felt warm. Fluttershy didn’t seem entirely satisfied with her own conclusion, though, the other pegasus mare’s face set in a pensive frown. Dash tilted her head and leaned forward to nuzzle her inquisitively instead of ask.

Fluttershy shook her head and smiled. “Sorry, I was just thinking—” she turned to Rarity. “Rarity? Would you cut my mane?”

Rarity arched a brow. “Truly? I know I offered to help maintain your style while we travelled, and I’ve been a little neglectful, I’m sorry,” she said, “but if your mane is a little shaggy, we should probably wait with trimming it until it’s dry.”

“No, I mean, cut it short,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head.

“Oh,” said Rarity, the other eyebrow joining the first. Her expression spoke volumes on what she thought about that idea. Ponyville’s number one most fashion-conscious pony stared at Fluttershy between the clinging threads of her own mane.

“What?” asked Dash, incredulous.

“You’re quite serious?” asked Rarity.

“But...” Dash said. That was all she had. But.

Fluttershy nodded. “I wasn’t really honest when I said I am fine. It’s really heavy and hot. It’ll grow back anyway, and even if we get back to Perytonia soon, it’s been uncomfortable ever since we left Equestria. I guess I hoped it would get better, and I’m a little more used to the heat, but my mane is still in the way a lot, and, well... heavy. I think I already said that. Sorry.”

Rainbow Dash tried to imagine it, but she just couldn’t. Fluttershy’s mane had always been long. In fact, she wondered if she ever cut it beyond a simple trim. She tried to picture her girlfriend with Twilight’s bangs, and she didn’t even manage to laugh. Perhaps panic a bit, but not laugh.

“Okay, okay,” said Dash. “I know we were joking about the whole stuff with us being girlfriends meaning your mane is half mine, too, but can we like… think about that for a second? Like, pretend that’s not a joke?”

Fluttershy nibbled her lower lip. “Is it going to bother you?”

Dash opened her mouth, but she didn’t have a plan. The words just tumbled out, as they often did. At the other side of their blanket, Rarity rooted around her saddlebags. “No! Yes? No, probably not, but I mean—it’s not my decision, I guess, not really—”

Fluttershy frowned at that. “No, it’s not, and I’d be a little worried if you thought it was, but you know I care what you think, too.”

“Yeah, I know, I get it.” Rainbow Dash felt her cheeks heat up a touch, her ears threatening to wilt until she took a deep breath.

What was the big deal, really, though? Why not? Ignoring the part where it wasn’t her call, and that the heat annoyed Fluttershy, why not? New was cool. Usually. Besides, it was awesome that Fluttershy could just up and decide to do something like this. She let out the breath again.

“Okay, if you want my opinion? Go for it,” said Dash, finally finding her easy smile. “Changed my mind. It sounds awesome.”

Fluttershy smiled back, leaning over to touch her forehead to Dash’s snout. “That’s nice to hear.”

“Well, I’m glad you two have cleared that up,” said Rarity. The unicorn stood at their side with a pair of scissors in her magical grip. “I must admit I feel a little pressure right now. Please tell me that your relationship does not hinge upon my performance with a pair of abused and neglected scissors.”

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash both laughed, and Dash moved aside to give Rarity some space.

“I’m sure you’ll do fine,” said Fluttershy. “I’m not looking for a new style or anything, I just want it to be short.”

“Oh, we’ll manage something stylish, make no mistake, and of course I’ll do a marvellous job,” Rarity declared, giving Fluttershy a gentle nudge and flashing her a smile. “Just remember I am not an actual hairdresser—now, off the blanket, please. Let’s not get hair all over our bed.”

With every snip of Rarity’s scissors, swathes of pink mane fell away. It was a weird way to end a day, a strange punctuation to a day where Dash—and by all accounts, Rarity and Fluttershy, too—had been buoyed by a pervasive good mood even as they sweated, thirsted and laboured through the jungle. Dash turned away from the manecut-in-progress. For all the cutting Rarity did, Dash still couldn’t see much changing yet. She looked to the mountains instead while she waited, excited despite herself.

“We probably need to start flying soon,” said Dash, tapping a hoof on the ground as she thought. She couldn’t see much right now, but the last time she flew up to scout, she’d seen the end of the treeline ahead, far above, after endless hill-studded slopes. The trees and the jungle just stopped, a band of mosses and who-knew-whats carrying on a little longer until there was only rock. She tilted her head back. While she couldn’t see the lower slopes, she could see bits of the two peaks up ahead, up, up and up. All the life down here seemed to exist on different level from the snow so far beyond.

“Mm, flying. I’ve been meaning to ask about that,” said Rarity, the snip-snip of her scissors pausing only for a second before she went on again. “How do we go about this?”

“For starters, it will get colder the higher up we get, so that’ll help,” said Fluttershy. “Since the nights are longer here, or the dark is, at least, maybe we should just go to bed soon. We could get up before sunrise.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, shuffling her wings. “If we do that, we can get up high before the heat hits, and then we win.”

“That’s good to know, but I meant whether or not you wish to start flying right away, or if we should carry on walking further up there,” said Rarity. Dash imagined she waved or pointed ahead, but she didn’t look. Now that she’d looked away, Rainbow Dash wanted to be surprised by what she did to Fluttershy’s mane. She’d wait until Rarity had finished.

“I think it’s almost as hard to climb now as it will be to fly,” Fluttershy said. “I think we could fly tomorrow, even if we just land higher up on the slope.”

“Yeah, but come on, no way is it going to take us all day to fly past the trees,” said Dash. At least, she hoped not. Sure, she said she liked to fly all day, and that was her way of life, but she didn’t know if she could pull it off literally.

“I doubt I can even hold on for a full day,” Rarity admitted. Snip. Snip.

“I don’t know how long it will take, really,” Fluttershy said. “We’ll just have to try, won’t we?”

Was there a note of excitement in her voice? Dash’s cheeks hurt from all the smiling. Maybe Fluttershy sounded like she looked forward to it, and maybe she didn’t, but there sure as hay wasn’t any doubt or reluctance to be heard, neither in Fluttershy nor Rarity, and that made it hard to feel any doubt herself. Dash stretched her wings out again. “That’s what we came for,” Dash said. “We’ll be fine. We’ll be great.”

“And, speaking of great, where are my toiletries? One moment, let me find my travel mirror,” said Rarity. “I think that is about the best I can do. No more mane hanging about your neck either. I don’t suppose you’ll want me to do anything with your tail?”

“No thank you, that’s fine,” said Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash turned around to find Rarity rooting around her saddlebags again, and Fluttershy sat on her haunches, smiling at her expectantly.

Maybe it was that smile more than the mane. Fluttershy sat surrounded by mounds of pink hair, left only with just enough mane to curve like her old style, now barely reaching halfway down the side of her face. On the back of her neck, her mane was even shorter, not even touching her back. Rainbow Dash couldn’t contain the smile and the laugh that welled up inside her as she trotted over.

“That looks awesome,” Dash declared. “You look awesome!”

Fluttershy blushed faintly, smiling despite her ears’ tilt. “You really think so? It’s not too—oh, oh goodness, that’s very short,” she said, looking into the mirror Rarity held up for her, turning her head left, then right.

“Too short?” Rarity asked, biting down on her lower lip with obvious trepidation.

“No, no,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head briskly. “It’s perfect!”

Rainbow Dash had to touch it. She reached out to poke at the hair, shorter, less soft and more rigid now as she ran her hoof along. Fluttershy looked up at Dash, her face an open question, but Dash just grabbed her in a hug and laughed, and Fluttershy giggled too.

“You sure you’re not moonlighting as a hairdresser?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Rarity let out a sigh of relief, a satisfied smile on her face as she shook her head. “No, and I have no desire to, either, but I am truly happy I could help,” she said, leaning over to steal a quick nuzzle from Fluttershy, who still blushed deep crimson. When Rainbow Dash let her go, she had pink hairs stuck to her body all over.

“You may want to dry off to get the loose hairs out before you bed,” Rarity called over her back, ferrying her saddlebags back to the rest of their stuff while grabbing her journal.

“Now you tell me,” Dash muttered.

Fluttershy laughed and reached out to brush at Rainbow Dash’s chest, but it was futile. The wet and the hairs made for a terrible combination. “I’m sorry,” she said, looking not very sorry at all.

“Eh, worth it.” Dash smirked.

When they lay down to bed soon after, the heat had well and truly let up, and the moisture chilled even Rainbow Dash. The three lay closer together under their blankets than ever before, hugging for warmth. It was more than a little uncomfortable with a lot of wiggling, but not a single protest was uttered. Rainbow Dash reached across Rarity’s body, resting a foreleg over her to touch a hoof to Fluttershy’s side. She was exhausted in the best way possible.

Chapter 35

I’ve written my… observations on our captivity as a separate entry just now, because I suspect I am going to give that to the Princesses at some point. If they don’t have any need for it, perhaps Twilight will find it edifying. Possibly mortifying.

Well, that’s one reason I made that entry separate, at any rate. The other reason is that it feels oddly distant now, and I don’t wish to taint this evening’s memoirs with such thoughts. Today has been a challenge. Multiple challenges, in fact, but it hardly feels so daunting now. Certainly part of it is what Rainbow Dash delights in telling me over and over, bless her persistent self; I truly am in good shape, but the true stress of this journey has never been physical. That I can keep up with my friends physically makes little difference by itself.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash have finally found their stride together, I think. Or is that “again”? I fear I’ve neglected our friendships as of late. I’ve been obsessed with things that seemed so very important in the moment, but now those concerns are much more distant. I can hardly be expected to think of Cotronna and worry about this sigil delivery business while we are lost and in peril.

Just as I think that perhaps I need to speak up and ask dear Fluttershy if she needs somepony to talk to, just as I think I need to shout some sense into Rainbow Dash, here we are. Everything is in order, and everypony is happy, and the concerns of last week seem very… well, I used the word before, but I shan’t be shy about repeating it: distant. We’ll tackle any and all issues as they come up, and I’m more than capable of doing my part. With two of my best friends for support, there is nothing I can’t do.

Even if ignoring the state of my mane takes every ounce of my willpower.

Good grief, my poor, poor mane.

-R

“I think you can come a little closer now if you want, but it’s probably best if you just, um, sit and… watch for a little while first,” said Fluttershy, her voice soft and low. She ran a hoof along the creature’s side, and the huge spotted cat let out a deep, rumbling purr, stretching out its forelegs with sharp claws on display.

“Yeah, no, that’s cool,” said Dash, her own tail flicking about. “Super cool. I’m totally sitting here just because I want to, not because I’m afraid of coming any closer.”

Fluttershy giggled, smiling at Rainbow Dash. “You sure you don’t feel like laughing at her like you laughed at the capybara yesterday?”

“Don’t see that happening, nope,” Dash said, stifling a giggle at Fluttershy’s words, trying not to wake Rarity.

Dash sat on the ground not far away from their bed, having tucked Rarity in as best as she could. It was still dark and cold, twice as cold because of the humidity, but Dash could tell it would be morning soon. She wasn’t all that tired any more, and had woken up to a growl. To Fluttershy cuddling and chatting with what she said was a jaguar.

Twice as awesome as that singular fact, the first thing Fluttershy had done after hushing her was beckon Dash closer, wanting Rainbow Dash to be a part of the moment. It had been so long since the last time Fluttershy had wanted to share her excitement over animals, Dash would be happy to join no matter what kind of creature she’d found. Of course, Fluttershy hadn’t hidden away the capybara and the frogs yesterday, either, but this was one of those rare, special moments. Fluttershy invited Rainbow Dash in to be a part of something not everypony would ever get to see, and Dash cared mostly because it was Fluttershy who did it.

In short, things were the way they should be, and that was awesome.

“For the record, and talking about laughing, that thing you found yesterday was funny, come on,” Dash said, chuckling at the memory.

Fluttershy frowned in the pre-morning light. “He was a perfectly normal capybara—”

The jaguar turned halfway around, yowling and looking at Fluttershy with bright yellow eyes.

“Oh. Oh, no, I didn’t mean we’ve seen a capybara,” said Fluttershy shaking her head briskly. “I have a book. It’s a little hard to explain, but I don’t know any capybara here, I’m very sorry.”

Dash blinked. The jaguar let out a low rumble, got up, stretched, and licked at Fluttershy’s chest-coat, all before slinking away into the darkness. The jaguar was gone in seconds even in the sparse jungle of the foot of the mountain, its spots and markings camouflaging it.

“She has to go. Jaguars are nocturnal, and she’s a little busy anyway. I guess she really just wanted to say hello,” Fluttershy explained, tilting her head. Her short mane flipped from one side of her face to the other. Dash could watch that infinity times and still love it.

“Why did you lie to her, though?” Dash asked, walking over to her. She nuzzled into Fluttershy’s wings on a whim, earning a smile.

“Jaguars and capybara, they, um, don’t get along,” said Fluttershy, her ears splayed.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Like that little pudgy thing could take on a jaguar, heh. Fighting wouldn’t be fai—oh,” said Dash, finally catching on. She winced. “Right. And that’s the point. Not just… fighting. Jeez. That’s not cool.”

Fluttershy shrugged by way of reply. “It’s not very nice to think about,” she said, leaning over to rub her snout against Dash’s neck affectionately. She came away with one of her own pink hairs from yesterday glued to her snout sideways.

“Nice mustache,” Dash muttered, reaching up to brush it away. Fluttershy snorted with laughter, quiet at first, and then Dash had to join in, the two of them breaking into fits of giggles, the stupid little hair dispelling the gloom before it could even begin to settle.

“I see you’re up already,” said Rarity with a yawn, the unicorn shivering as she shrugged her way out of the blankets.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you,” said Dash, one wing waving.

“Well, you did, but it’s no matter,” Rarity said touching her messy mane and sighing with a faint smile on her lips as she looked about. When she lit up her horn, Dash had to shield her eyes, already accustomed to the darkness. “I imagine we should start our journey as soon as possible.”

Fluttershy nodded her agreement. “It’s probably going to get warm before long. If we’re all feeling rested, I guess we must’ve slept enough, but I have no idea what time it is. This place is really confusing.”

“You’ll have to give me a moment to decide on whether or not I do feel rested,” Rarity commented, yawning as she got up and started to fold their blankets. ”I think I can fit at least one of the blankets in our bags now that we’re carrying less water. I’ll take the larger blanket on my back and tie it up.”

“Good thinking,” said Rainbow Dash, nodding at her. She cast one final glance at the mountains to their east. One last look before they actually stopped staring and started flying. “Let’s grab something to eat, and do this.”

Not long after, some bread and dry water crammed down her throat, Dash had her wings out and knelt down for Rarity to mount up. It took a while to find a comfortable position that let Rarity hold on without her saddlebags getting in the way of Dash’s full range of motion, and after some deliberation, Dash’s own saddlebags were passed over to Fluttershy, who insisted she could handle it, and that was it. Rarity wrapped a thick winter scarf tight around her own neck to ward off the night-time cold that faded even now, and they were off.

Short, powerful wingbeats carried Dash up and through a gap in the canopy. Fluttershy matched her ascent, and soon the two pegasi soared east side by side, the jungle below a darker green than Dash’s wings, but still close enough that she at times lost sight of her own feathers at the edge of vision. The effect was unsettling at first. In the darkness, and with the jungle behind them, it looked like she was flying wingless—but she definitely felt her wings. Before long, what began as simply flying had become a real workout, her wings making two beats for every one of Fluttershy’s.

“You okay?” Dash asked Fluttershy after a while, glancing over at her. Fluttershy nodded and smiled briefly, her head down, focused on the task.

Better to ask Fluttershy than have to consider the question herself. She could already tell this wouldn’t work. She had a distraction in simply watching Fluttershy fly, enjoying the way Fluttershy powered through despite labouring under her own double load, but she knew from long experience that trying to forget how tired she was would only help for so long.

They flew right above the top of the jungle and its constant noise of insects and animals unseen. Here a hoot, there a yowl or a hiss, but every now and then, Dash noticed the jungle got closer. She wasn’t dropping down. The jungle rose up. Of course it did. They were climbing, and so she was forced to fly up, to always climb herself, and with a passenger—even if it was just Rarity—that was no easy feat.

The jungle passed by at a good pace still. Every second Dash kept going, the treeline ahead and above came closer and closer. She had a target to focus on. Dash wiped her brow and flicked away budding sweat, redoubling her efforts with a growl.

“Are you getting tired?” Fluttershy asked a little later still, giving her a look full of concern.

“If you need to land, dear, better you do that than risk us crashing,” said Rarity. Dash felt her grip loosen a little for a second. “I think we’ll both need a bath after this, ew. No offense, of course.”

“I’m fine,” Dash grunted, speeding up a little more. When the going got tough? Get tougher. She grit her teeth and cast another glance at Fluttershy and found the short-haired pegasus as resolved as she, flying on.

But no, she wasn’t fine at all. They had underestimated the length of the slope. She held on and pushed ahead for as long as she could, flying on and on in silence, but they’d barely crossed the treeline and left the last of the jungle behind when Rainbow Dash signalled to land. The mountains still loomed tall and refused to let them near, and far behind them, past the mountains at the other side of the Cauldron, the sky that had once been dark now glowed red, proving that time had in fact passed. The heat grew steadily, and amidst the constant climb, the heat and the extra weight, Dash knew she couldn’t go on another minute. There was a time to go, and there was a time to realise she’d lose her wings again if she didn’t stop.

The two pegasi landed on a rocky slope bearing sparse mosses, loose stone, and little else. Dash touched down a little harder than she intended, sucking in breath at the impact. When Rarity slid off her, Dash hung her head, trying to catch her breath. She spread her wings as far as they would go, then packed them away, repeating the motion slowly, over and over to make sure they wouldn’t cramp up.

“Darling, are you sure you are okay?” asked Rarity. She levitated one of their water bags out of Fluttershy’s saddlebags when the other pegasus trotted over to touch her snout to Dash’s head. A moment later, Fluttershy stepped back, and Rarity proffered the water. Dash drank deep, wiped her muzzle, and took another drink.

“I’m fine, seriously,” said Dash again, letting out a deep breath. “We’ll just have to take breaks, or figure something else out. I can’t keep this up forever.” She stretched out her legs for good measure, eyes on the pass ahead. It didn’t look like they’d made any progress at all, and now the sun caught up. At any moment, the sun would crest the mountains far in the distance behind them. Light touched the blindingly bright white peaks above them even now. She had fought for every wingbeat for what felt like forever, and the false morning hours were nearly spent.

“Oh,” said Dash when she looked down. Proof of how far they’d come lay not ahead, but behind them. The stretch of bare rock leading down to the jungle was a lot longer than she’d thought, and beyond, the drop to the bottom of the cauldron seemed dramatic and immense all of a sudden.

Fluttershy tilted her head. “Hm?”

“Dunno, just felt like we weren’t moving, but I guess we haven’t been standing still after all,” said Dash, shrugging. “Or, flying still.”

“I should think not. We’ve been flying for hours,” said Rarity, nodding quickly. “You’ve done a wonderful job.” She took a draught of water herself as they watched the sun slowly creep down the western mountains.

“Felt like longer,” Dash grunted. “But yeah. We’ve spent so much time on the ground, I don’t even remember how fast flying is,” she admitted with a laugh. Fluttershy giggled as well, shaking her head.

“I don’t think it’s that strange,” said Fluttershy, her mirth petering out. “It’s hard to tell distance here, though. It feels like the mountains ahead of us just keep getting bigger without getting closer.”

“You’ve been thinking the same thing, huh?” Dash asked. Her neck ached from looking up at the peaks ahead. Even the pass they were headed for was stupidly far up. She felt like a filly staring at the cookie jar on the top shelf—before she could fly, that was.

“Mm, and I just realised we’ll have problems landing and taking off when we get high up,” Fluttershy added. “If it’s all snowed down, steep and maybe even windy, we don’t know that we’ll find a safe place to land. We might not be able to stop to let you rest. We’ll have to think of something else.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, frowning. “Ugh, you’re right.”

“You two tell me if there is anything I can do to help,” said Rarity. She got up, put their water away, and took a shaky few steps towards an outcropping a small ways away. “You’re more than up to the task, I’m certain—” she continued.

“Hay yeah we are!” said Dash.

“—but for now, I take it we’re done with today’s flying since it’s already heating up,” the unicorn continued. “I think we’ll have some shade over there.”

“I think you’re right,” said Fluttershy, following in her wake. “We probably want to wait until sundown. Maybe we should sleep a little during the day so we have all night to fly or climb.”

“Naps?” Dash asked, hovering up to punch the air. “Finally!”

Rarity chuckled. “You know, for all that you complain about the lack of naps, I thought you would’ve had your fill of naps during our time in that awful cell.”

“Eh, naps don’t count when it doesn’t feel lazy. We didn’t have anything to not-do when we were in there.” Rainbow Dash shrugged and accepted her saddlebags back from Fluttershy, carrying them by herself the short distance over to the little campsite-place Rarity had picked out. A miniature mountain on the slope, the tiny wall-like cliff promised some shelter from the sun that crept across the cauldron, illuminating all in its path. When Rarity had their tarp up overhead and blankets were laid down for comfort, it was already as hot as any summer’s day in Ponyville, though a fair bit windier.

“How about you?” asked Fluttershy, turning to Rarity.

“How about me what?” Rarity replied, rooting around in her saddlebags until finally she found her comb, beginning the slow and meticulous process of returning her mane to something resembling normal. Maybe it’d work, Dash thought. It was a little less humid up here.

“You’re okay holding on?” Fluttershy asked. “You don’t get tired or uncomfortable?”

Rarity chuckled, dragging her comb through her mane once, then flicking wet off it. “It’s not comfortable, no,” she said with a bemused grin in Dash’s general direction. “You’re hardly plush, darling, with all that bone and, well...” she said.

“You can say it,” Dash said, grinning wide. She flexed a wing and held out a foreleg, striking her best pose. “You mean I’m all muscle and awesome.”

Rarity stared deadpan at her. “Yes, yes, your physique is impressive—”

“Gonna frame that sentence and put it on my wall,” Dash said in a sing-song voice, prancing over Fluttershy, bumping into her side. “You hear that? Your girlfriend has impressive physique. How about that?”

Fluttershy broke into a loud fit of laughter, and Rainbow Dash nuzzled into the short, stiff mane at the back of her mane, laughing along. When Dash pulled back, Rarity shook her head and chuckled as well.

“At any rate,” said Rarity, “to answer Fluttershy, if you’ll let me finish, I’m doing well enough holding on, even if that is all I’m doing. This particular labour is on the two of you, not me. Like I said, you’ll tell me if I can help in any way.”

Rainbow Dash wrapped a wing around Fluttershy’s side, lightly rubbing at her barrel with her primaries, silent for a second. She waited, half expecting Rarity to go on, to say something self-deprecating, to complain that she couldn’t do more, or that she felt useless—but Rarity neither said anything, nor looked like she wanted to do so. The unicorn pulled a little bit of blanket around her body and attended her mane, smiling faintly as she did, clearly done with the subject.

Dash smiled at the sight, too. Even if Rarity had gone on to put herself down, she knew that right now, both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stood ready to remind their friend of how important she was. Dash just knew that if she spoke up, Fluttershy was with her. Rainbow Dash let go of her girlfriend and walked over to the blanket, taking a seat and leaning back against the stone. Fluttershy, for her part, unpacked her book and started leafing through the pages, humming to herself.

Rainbow Dash managed a nap, at least. A short one, but a nap nevertheless, proving that she still had the ability to fall asleep anywhere, at any time. She woke up to much the same scene as before, Rarity now working away at her tail with her scissors, trimming and cutting while Fluttershy read her book. The sun hung overhead, kept back by the tarp more than the rock at this point, but despite all the heat, Dash didn’t quite melt into a dripping puddle like yesterday.

Nothing much to do except to look around, and looking at things that didn’t move wasn’t Dash’s favourite. They were too far away from the jungle to make out detail, though she knew the great leaves would be swaying in the wind that blew over the cauldron. From here she saw only the topside of a canopy as unmoving as the mountains. A few clouds hung low over the treetops, but even the sun’s slow journey seemed interesting by comparison. And so, Dash found herself watching Rarity and Fluttershy, instead.

Rarity seemed content with her work, her scissors’ movements quick and precise. On Dash’s other side, Fluttershy shifted a little every time she turned a page, but was otherwise still as she studied the pictures and words intently, devouring the book with voracity worthy of Twilight on any day of the week.

Privately, Dash wished Fluttershy would move again. Really move. The thought filled her with excitement. As hard as today’s flight had been, she couldn’t forget the sheer joy of flying alongside Fluttershy, and the anticipation of doing so again. She wondered if she herself would’ve kept flying half as long if she couldn’t watch Fluttershy’s wings in motion. Fluttershy’s body was as toned as it had never been before, wing muscles more defined, her legs less soft. While it was hardly Rainbow Dash’s business, and she didn’t mind either way, right now she wanted Fluttershy to fly, fly, and never stop. Who knew how far Fluttershy could fly and what she could do?

Dash blinked, her thoughts hitching on that one point. They were trying to figure out how to fly over the mountains, but nopony had come up with any ideas yet. While Rarity and Fluttershy rested, Dash stared at the solution.

“So, the problem is that I can’t carry Rarity forever,” said Dash, shuffling her wings.

“I think we’ve established that, yes,” said Rarity, looking up.

“And that we probably can’t land up there. Not safely,” Dash continued, frowning at the lameness of that word.

Fluttershy marked the page in her book and closed it. She shuffled back a little, out of the sunlight that threatened to spill in from their front now. “Even if we find somewhere that looks flat, we can’t tell if it’s safe. If we can just get past the pass, you might be able to glide all the way down,” she said. “But not if you’re already tired.”

“Can’t glide forever when you’re cramping,” Dash agreed, nodding quickly. “Not down from this place, if it’s as high up as we think it is.”

“Plus, we don’t even know what’s on the other side,” Rarity added, putting her scissors down. “I trust Fluttershy’s judgment on where we are in general, and this is clearly east—I can see the sun moving to set there as it should—but there could be nothing beyond.”

“It could be more mountains,” said Fluttershy. “Or the sea. We might have to climb even further, or even go back. We really don’t know.”

“Yep!” said Dash. “So we need to be in control. We need to get up there fresh and ready to face whatever, all without landing. I’m thinking… can you carry Rarity? You’re in great shape.”

Fluttershy chewed on her bottom lip, only the barest concession to the compliment in the form of a feather-light blush while she thought. In the end, she nodded. “I could, of course, but I’m not as strong as you are. I couldn’t carry her nearly as far as you, I’m sorry. Maybe I could take all three of our saddlebags instead, but I don’t know how long I can even do that.”

“You’re not getting it. I’m not asking you to carry her all the time, just for a little bit,” said Dash, grinning as she thought. “Come on, I don’t know about you, but if we just hang in the air for a bit, that’s almost as good as a nap for me. I just need you to take over while I rest up.”

“I feel like I’m missing something here,” said Rarity, her head nearly perfectly sideways in an imitation of Pinkie Pie. “How does this solve our problem? If we land to switch—”

“We don’t,” Dash said, grinning. “We do it mid-air.”

Rarity scoffed. “You propose I leap from one of you onto the other?” she asked. “Rainbow, dear, I think you’ve lost your mind.”

“Nope,” said Dash, grinning wider still. “Because I think I know how we’re gonna do it. There’s gonna be no leaping. No jumping. You’re just gonna walk over. Scoot, really. We’ll be right next to each other. It’ll be easy.” Fluttershy’s ears wilted, a sure sign that she caught on to Dash’s intention. Rainbow Dash grabbed her with a wing and gave her a tug. “We’ll match our wing-beats. It’s called synch-flapping, but I’ve got an idea on know how to take it one step further.”

“Just regular synch-flapping is very dangerous,” said Fluttershy, her face set in a permanent grimace like she’d just stubbed her wing. “I… um, maybe we can come up with another idea? A better idea?”

Rainbow Dash got up, shrugging, stretching her neck out and shuffling her wings again to try to relieve some of the budding energy. “Sure! Whatcha got?” she asked.

Fluttershy licked her lips, mute. Rarity packed away her tools.

“When you say dangerous, what exactly do you mean?” Rarity asked. “How does this work? I refuse to believe it’ll be as easy as that. I’m supposedly going to stroll from one of you to the other? And why is Fluttershy worried? What could go wrong?”

“Eh, I mean, worst case, we crash, but that’s the worst case with anything flying,” said Dash, rolling her eyes. “Synch flapping is like—uh, Fluttershy, wing me,” she said, waiting for Fluttershy to spread her left wing. She stepped away from her rather reluctant demonstration aide, spreading her own right wing to match, far enough away that they didn’t touch. “Okay, now, just sort of… pretend at flapping, slowly.”

Rarity sat back, one brow arched, watching. Dash flapped her own right wing, gesturing. “See, we’re two pegasi flying. If we step close—” Dash said, taking a sideways step towards Fluttershy, the other pegasus wincing when their wings collided, Dash’s faster wing-beats batting her feathers against Fluttershy’s in the least dramatic collision in history. Feathers swatted feathers, and Fluttershy folded her ears and smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head. “Um, so, that’s a lot worse when it happens in the air. We’d fall. That’s why pegasi practice keeping minimum distance two wingspans apart.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, nodding. She stepped aside again. “Synch-flapping is like… c’mon, go again,” she said, waiting for Fluttershy to start moving her wing again. She moved her own wing to match this time, struggling a little to keep it moving as slowly as Fluttershy did. Fluttershy’s wing went down, hers went down. Hers went up, and then Fluttershy’s wing went up. She stepped closer to Fluttershy, their wings sharing the space without trouble—except for Fluttershy’s larger wings tickling her side on the updraft, making her giggle.

“Like that!” said Dash, grinning. “Sharing space! The Wonderbolts used to practice it, but they stopped because it’s not cool unless you know how hard it is. It doesn’t make for a good show for most ponies, so they haven’t done anything needing synch-flapping in years.”

“And it’s dangerous,” said Fluttershy.

“Yeah, yeah, okay, and Canterlot decided something about safety regulations I guess,” Dash admitted with a grunt. “But come on, if they really wanted to do it, they would find a loophole or something, like they do with the Cumulus Crash.”

Rarity nodded with an appreciative smile. “Alright, well, as wonderful as this particular piece of esoteric information is, I don’t exactly see how that helps, dear.”

Dash shrugged. “Nah, you’re right. It’s just something I think is cool because it’s hard. I’ve been trying to get Fluttershy to do it with me for ages.”

Fluttershy tucked her wing away. “Sorry. It’s just… well, we could get hurt.”

“Yep!” said Dash. “But yeah. That doesn’t help. I’ll tell you what helps. Wing out again!”

“Um, okay?” said Fluttershy, spreading her wing.

“Cool. Okay, now, flap—both wings this time, come on,” said Dash, waiting for Fluttershy to repeat the slow, mock-flying motions, stepping in close, in synch, until they were no further apart than the length of Fluttershy’s wing. “Great. Now, everytime we flap down, I’m gonna count down from three, okay? On go, you fold your right, uh, no wait, you fold your left wing, okay?”

“Okay?” said Fluttershy, blinking. Rarity watched with interest, and Fluttershy just stared at Rainbow Dash, her wings forgotten until Dash started counting.

“Three,” said Dash.

“Oh. Oh, okay, right,” said Fluttershy.

“Two, one.”

Still flapping, still in synch.

“Go,” Dash shouted. When Fluttershy folded her left wing, she folded her own right wing, kicking off sideways to launch herself into Fluttershy, colliding side to side. Fluttershy yelped in surprise and fell over, the two pegasi falling over in a feathery heap. Rainbow Dash laughed even before they hit the ground, and Rarity walked over to lend a hoof, helping a very confused Fluttershy up.

“Very impressive, I can see how that’s going to help us cross the mountains,” Rarity remarked.

Rainbow Dash chuckled and brushed some rock-dust off Fluttershy’s side as she stood. “So, what we’re actually doing, is we keep flapping the outer wings and push against each other, flying with one wing each. We’ll have to fly hard and match the lift, but we’ll be side to side, shoulder to shoulder!”

“Oh,” said Fluttershy, her eyes going wide. “That… that sounds even more dangerous. That’s… I’ve never even heard anything like it.”

“And I don’t expect that moving from one of you to the other, even then, is going to be easy,” said Rarity, narrowing her eyes.

“That’s why we’ll need lots of practice, and we’ve got all—uh, half day!” said Dash, grinning wide.

“Really, really dangerous,” said Fluttershy, her ears pinned to her head still. “Rainbow Dash, I don’t know if this is such a good idea.”

“It’s a great idea, we just have to get really good at it,” said Dash, still laughing. “C’mon!”

“If I make a mistake—”

“Then I’ll catch Rarity and we just abort and fly back down.”

Fluttershy frowned. “If you fall—”

“Then you’ll catch me, and we’ll be fine.”

“If both—”

“Then you or I will get control, grab the other two somehow and we’ll be fine,” said Dash, fixing Fluttershy with a firm look. “You can do this. We can do this. We’ll just need to practice a bit.” Because she believed in Fluttershy, and she believed in herself. She knew they could pull it off, and she knew that part of Fluttershy wanted to try. Fluttershy swallowed, pawed at the ground and barely seemed to breathe, but she hadn’t said no. She wavered, but she didn’t flee.

“We’re gonna crash a lot trying to practice this,” said Fluttershy, sighing, and finally smiling faintly.

“Yep. We are,” said Dash, grinning again.

“Honestly, I don’t understand where you get all these ideas of yours,” Rarity commented, shaking her head.

“Are you kidding me? I spend half my day thinking of stunts and stuff to do,” said Dash, laughing. “Come on, let’s get those blankets over here so we have somewhere soft to crash.”

She spent half her days dreaming up crazy stunts, and every time she thought of one that needed two ponies, ever since she’d met Fluttershy and made her first and best pegasus friend, she spent the other half wishing she could convince Fluttershy to join her for just one of them. Rainbow Dash flexed her wings.

Rainbow Dash hit the ground side-first again, hard. At least she hit the blankets this time. It was a lot more comfortable to crash when Rarity stacked the blankets double and stood below, ready to shift them underneath them as they fell.

Well, as comfortable as crashing could ever get. Just flying in the ridiculous heat of the cauldron was punishing enough, so the minute-long break whenever she went down was almost welcome. Dash groaned and rolled over on her other side. Almost.

“Oh goodness, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked. She sounded genuinely worried each time. She was genuinely worried each time. Dash held up a hoof and laughed.

“I’m okay,” she replied, but Fluttershy landed at her side all the same.

Synching up their flaps was hard. Rainbow Dash couldn’t just slow down to match Fluttershy, nor could Fluttershy simply speed up; they wouldn’t stay level for long. They both had to switch speeds, then match and touch all in one smooth motion. So far, Dash’s slightly smaller bulk meant that when things went wrong, she was the one who took the hit.

They both tried their best every time. This wasn’t all on Dash. They both had to ace this. Rainbow Dash got up and shuffled her wings, grinning despite herself. The pain from the crash was nothing. Fluttershy was ready to go again, and so was she.

“Keep at it!” said Rainbow Dash. “Keep steady, push back!”

“I am keeping steady!” Fluttershy snapped as they sunk towards the ground. “If we don’t push back equally hard, we’ll fall!”

“Well, we’re sinking. Push back like, I don’t know, thirty percent harder!”

“I can’t flap in percentages!” Fluttershy shouted. The pegasi cast long shadows across the foot of the mountain, shadows that slowly rose up to meet them. Still they sunk.

“Then flap twice as hard or something!” Dash suggested, laughing at Fluttershy’s expression—and then they both fell, failing to match each other’s pushes. Rarity rushed to shift the blankets even though they were barely above the ground.

“Okay, now,” said Dash. She had herself angled towards Fluttershy as much as she could. Two wings did the work of four. She felt Rarity loosen her grip. “Too slow, c’mon, hurry up!” Dash said.

“I’m trying my best, dear,” said Rarity, and Dash could hear her nervously eyeing the ground below—two pony-lengths down with all of the peril of falling off a dinner table. The unicorn’s forelegs let go of her neck, and Dash grunted when Rarity stepped onto her back, struggling to keep balance. “Okay. Good, now get your forelegs around Fluttershy’s neck, yeah, like that.”

“I got her,” said Fluttershy. “I think.” She dipped a little lower with the extra weight, but the two pegasi worked together to compensate. Dash felt Rarity’s hindlegs scrabble for purchase against her flank.

“Ow,” said Dash as a hoof scraped along her side.

“I’m awfully sorry, but this isn’t very easy at all,” said Rarity.

“It’s fine, just… when you’re moving over, make sure you don’t—don’t touch the wing, don’t—”

“You know, you don’t have to bandage a bruise, but that’s just my opinion,” said Rainbow Dash, nibbling on dry bread between sips of water.

“Yes, dear. That is, in fact, just your opinion,” was all Rarity said in reply while Fluttershy did her work, wrapping the cloth around Rarity’s foreleg to the best of her ability. Fluttershy had made a poultice with a few of the medicinal herbs they’d stuffed her ohron with all the way back in Vauhorn.

“There,” said Fluttershy, smiling at Rarity. She nuzzled the unicorn affectionately, then sat down between the two to grab something to eat herself. They’d moved their little camp to the other side of the shade-giving rock now that the sun descended behind the mountains they tried to climb, resting up after their fourth successful swap in a row.

“I think we’ve pretty much got it,” Dash declared, feeling a swell of satisfaction at that. Show me Wonderbolts who figured this out in a day. I dare you. She’d work with Fluttershy instead, any day of the week.

“Quite honestly, I’d rather take my risk with the mountain than ‘practice’ any more,” Rarity huffed.

“You’re going to be okay, aren’t you?” Fluttershy asked, tilting her head. “It wasn’t that bad.”

Rarity rolled her eyes and waved a leg. “By all means, you may think me dramatic and perhaps I am, but I’ll leave as much of the flying as possible to you two, if you don’t mind. I’ve gained a new appreciation for your skill in the air, though, I will say that. Both of you.” She smiled at that and shook her head, going back to her food.

Dash butted her head against Fluttershy’s. While she was glad Rarity was okay, and happy that they’d aced this trick, she was even happier for Rarity’s words. You two. By the end of their practice session, Fluttershy was as invested into figuring the trick out as Dash had been, and now her girlfriend seemed to glow with the same sort of satisfaction that Dash did, scuffed, bruised, and smiling as she ate. Rainbow Dash ground her snout against the back of Fluttershy’s mane, where it was at its shortest. Fluttershy giggled and pushed back a little.

“We really should grab a little nap before we fly,” said Fluttershy. “Even if this works out, we’ll be flying a lot, and we need to be well rested.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Dash said.

Fluttershy looked at her, mouth half open for a second. Clearly she meant to say more, but she turned to Rarity when she spoke.

“It’d be nice if you could do the Ephydoeran body magic spell on me before we fly, too,” said Fluttershy.

“What?” Dash snapped, wide awake now. “No way! That spell hurt you!”

Rarity pursed her lips, putting the rest of the food away.

“It didn’t hurt me, it made me tired afterwards,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head. “Other than that, I just had a headache. I can handle a headache, but I don’t know that I can fly with two sets of saddlebags all the way, especially if I’m going to take Rarity for even a little bit. I could barely hold her up while we were practicing.”

“No. Just… just no,” said Dash, shaking her head resolutely. “There’s no way—”

Fluttershy frowned at her. “Rainbow Dash, it’s not really just your decision, and we don’t really have a choice, either.”

There was steel in Fluttershy’s voice, and she was right. Dash deflated a little and did the minimum requisite muzzle-movement to sketch a nod. “Yeah, okay, but—”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I don’t think there are any buts, I’m sorry.” She turned to Rarity again. “Do you think you can do it?”

Rarity nodded. “I think so. I still feel bad for last time, but I’m fairly sure I should be able to control it a little better and not go quite as… overboard as then—if you’re sure.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I’m sure.”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t do much but shrug and nod as well. Fluttershy had made up her mind, and she was probably right. The more she thought about it, the less frustrating it was, and the more awesome it became. Fluttershy had brushed aside Rainbow Dash’s protests like they were nothing.

Fluttershy looked back to Rainbow Dash with a tremulous and uncertain expression on her face, with hesitance that was more Fluttershy than anything else, all the resolve suddenly spent. Dash nuzzled in under her jaw, and Fluttershy’s smile grew ten sizes, the other pegasus leaning in to touch their foreheads together.

Minutes later, the three ponies lay atop their blankets. The sun spent its last offering of daylight heading for the eastern peaks while they tried to catch some rest.

Rainbow Dash didn’t really wake up, because she had never fallen asleep. She stirred when Rarity did, leaving behind some half-formed day-dreams of seeing Princess Luna and asking her a bunch of questions. Perhaps of having Princess Luna declare her the most awesome dreamer ever, and Princess Celestia giving Fluttershy a prize for coolest body tackle of jerkface toy maker ever? Whatever she’d ‘dreamt’ exactly, it faded quickly, and she knew they weren’t dreams so much as flights of fancy and sleepy, silly thoughts. She stood and let out a great yawn.

“Mm, morning,” Fluttershy muttered, rubbing at her eyes. She reached out to run a hoof through her mane, but missed, clearly forgetting that she had a lot less of it. Dash chuckled. At least somepony had managed to fall asleep. Dash trotted a few steps up the slope and turned. The sun had set behind the mountains just now, a orange-red backlight heralding a precipitous temperature drop to come—but there was another light, too. Far ahead and to the left, somewhere south-west, Dash spotted another glimmer, a fainter second sun nestled in the jungle, flickering. She squinted. No. Not in the jungle. In the grey-brown space between the jungle and the foot of the southwestern mountains, in the opposite direction of where they had travelled.

“Something amiss, dear?” Rarity asked, glancing up at her, unpacking some of their food.

“I dunno. There’s a light over there,” she said, pointing, but even as she watched, the yellowish blot of brightness spread and faded. Rarity walked up to her and followed Dash’s hoof, and Fluttershy yawned again as she stood, but they were too late to catch it.

“Seems to have gone, now,” said Rarity, shaking her head.

“Yeah,” said Dash, shrugging. “Breakfast?”

“Breakfast,” Fluttershy muttered in return.

The three ponies ate in relative silence, munching on bread that Rainbow Dash was rapidly getting tired of. Sure, the Vauhornites knew how to make bread that didn’t spoil for a long time, but she longed for the fresh, fruit-filled phela-bread instead. Or perhaps just fruit. Somewhere down below, there had to be fruit. They were even running low on water, now, but it was hard to be too worried about drinking water when she could always see some cloudstuff over the cauldron, and with so much snow above. When Rarity packed away the blanket and put on a heavy scarf, Dash spotted another half-full bag of water in her saddlebags, too. For some reason, Rarity left her own saddlebags open.

“Now, let’s see about this magic, shall we?” Rarity asked. “I’ll do it on each of you, then?”

Rainbow Dash felt her snout crinkle of its own accord. “I didn’t say anything about that.”

Rarity shrugged. “If we agree that it’s safe enough to use it for one of you, and if we trust that this works out well, I don’t see why not. Especially if the plan is to have you carry me most of the time.” She glanced eastwards, to where the climb got steeper and steeper until it hit a wall and a V-shaped pass that Dash still couldn’t really believe existed. If it turned out somepony had painted the mountains on the horizon and that they were unreachable, she’d believe it.

“Okay,” said Dash. “I guess that makes sense.”

“It didn’t hurt at all,” said Fluttershy smiling at her.

“Pf, that’s not what I’m worried about,” said Dash, rolling her eyes. “I just—I didn’t think about it, that’s all. Come on. Let’s get to it!”

Rarity smiled and nodded, stepping up to Fluttershy, who shuffled her wings nervously. The unicorn’s horn dimmed from her usual light, reduced to a blue flickering flame Dash recognised from the last time Rarity had pulled off the body-magic spell Khyrast had taught her. Rarity closed her eyes.

“Hmf, this is strange,” Rarity muttered.

“What?” Dash asked.

“Nothing much,” Rarity replied, shaking her head slightly, though still she looked vaguely displeased. “It’s… just a little harder to find this magic right now, that’s all.”

“You have to find it?” Dash asked, cocking her head. “What, you lost the magic like a pair of shoes?”

“Not exactly,” said Rarity with a soft snort. “I just thought this would be easier now that I know how to do it.”

“Your horn looks a lot like the last time you managed to cast the spell,” Fluttershy offered, smiling at her. Rarity clenched her eyes shut tighter, and the glow intensified by the barest amount.

“I’m on the right track, as it were,” Rarity retorted, grimacing. “But somehow, this was a lot easier when I didn’t have all my magic. I doubt I can make it half as strong as last time even if I want to.”

Fluttershy held up one of her hooves, staring at it with obvious trepidation as it started to glow, just like the wings on her back. “I don’t know that we need even half of what you did last time. It was really, really scary. Less than half is okay.”

“Don’t think you need to magic our hooves anyway,” Dash said, reaching out to touch Fluttershy’s blue-tinted hooves. She felt nothing out of the ordinary. “We just need our wings.”

Rarity turned to Rainbow Dash without looking, and now Dash felt a warmth spreading throughout her body. A strange heat suffusing her entire being.

“I’m not ‘doing’ your hooves or your wings,” Rarity said, speaking through teeth clenched with effort. “I don’t know why they glow, but it’s completely irrelevant, I think.”

“Didn’t the peryton have to keep using the magic, anyway?” Dash asked. She lifted a hoof off the ground to inspect it, to see if she could tell if anything was out of place, and her hoof, her leg, her entire body felt light. Moving took even less effort than usual. Finally Rarity’s horn-glow faded, immediately replaced with her usual light, the unicorn opening her eyes once more to smile.

“I believe their antlers kept glowing, and I couldn’t tell you why,” said Rarity.

“It lasted for hours when you did it on me,” Fluttershy said, flexing her wings and stretching her legs out. Dash could tell she felt the same as she. Light.

“Maybe you’re just better at magic than they are,” Dash suggested, grinning. “I feel really great. Thanks!”

Rarity helped Fluttershy into her saddlebags, levitating her ohron about her neck and securing its strap. “I am glad, but I doubt it,” she said. “Doing this spell is terribly hard for me, and to be honest, I feel exhausted, like I’ve spent hours doing magic exercises. The peryton seemed to perform it with no effort at all.” She slumped a little even as she spoke, though whether it was out of genuine tiredness or for dramatic effect, Dash couldn’t tell.

“Why didn’t you cast the spell on yourself, too?” Dash asked, slipping into her own saddlebags. Rarity walked up to hers, but made no move to put them on.

“I tried just now,” she said, retrieving her scissors. “That’s one of the things I found odd. I can’t, for whatever reason.”

“Oh,” said Dash, frowning. “Maybe it doesn’t work if you don’t have wings?”

Rarity snipped her scissors in the air a few time, staring at them. “Hm? No, I doubt that is the case, either. Again, the spell has nothing to do with wings or hooves or what-have-you. It’s about me or not me, as far as I can tell. I’ll have to discuss it with Twilight when we get back. No doubt she will have some insight.”

“I bet she would love to hear about it,” said Fluttershy, smiling.

“Yeah. And, speaking of getting back? Let’s get going with that,” said Dash.

Rarity nodded. “Let us,” she said, looking over her own back, bundling her tail tight.

“Yeah? So, get on!” said Dash, chuckling. She bent down low.

Snip. Rarity’s tail fell away, the purple coils she’d spent hours coddling cut so short they didn’t even reach her hock. They’d mentioned Twilight, and now Rarity’s tail looked like the shortest, tiniest version of Twilight’s tail Dash had ever seen. Fluttershy gasped. Rainbow Dash didn’t know what to do except stare.

“Rarity!” said Fluttershy. “Your tail—”

“Is extra weight we can’t afford if we’re going to cross these mountains,” Rarity said. “I should have done this sooner, and as you said about your own mane, it’ll grow back. This is hardly the first time I’ve cut my tail in times of dire need.” She levitated out some cloth—Rainbow Dash vaguely recognised the dress she’d worn in… was it Stagrum?

“The cotton dresses weigh more than the silk, so I’ll leave them behind as well, I think, but the rest either doesn’t weigh much, or is sorely needed,” Rarity concluded. “Do either of you have anything you wish to leave behind?”

Fluttershy glanced at her back. “I… think the only thing I could leave behind is the book, but I don’t know. Twilight said it was rare.”

“I’ve just got water and some food,” said Dash. “Maybe some of our gems? Oh, and that jar of candy we got from Neisos and the gang, but, uh—”

“I wouldn’t give up those sweets for anything in the world right now,” said Rarity, shaking her head and smiling. “Don’t worry about it, either of you. This isn’t a call for everypony to sacrifice something, I just thought I’d ask.”

Dash still stared at Rarity’s tail. What was left of it, anyway. Honestly, though it looked weird and she doubted she’d get used to it, Rarity’s thinking was sound. They’d need every advantage they could get, and if the weight saved was minimal, long tails were terrible for drag, and it would weigh more when wet. As much as Rainbow Dash loved her own tail, she’d always wondered if she should cut it shorter.

“Would you cut mine, too, please?”

Except, that wasn’t her voice. That was Fluttershy. Dash didn’t even have the capacity to be surprised any more—in the best way possible. She gave Fluttershy’s tail a long, fond look, from base to the singed tip.

“Yeah, and mine,” Dash said. Like she was gonna be left behind. She looked at Fluttershy, and Fluttershy looked back at her, the two of them equally surprised, perhaps, but what could they say? Protest? Try to convince the other to back down? She caught Fluttershy glancing at Dash’s rainbow-coloured tail, nibbling her lip, and then smiling at her. Dash smiled back.

They ate up the ground. They flew and they soared, ever going up and up, first in the fading light, then under moonlight. At first, only the valley had lain in shadow, but now the sky had lost its colour too, and Rarity had to maintain a strong light to let the ponies see the rocky ground below. Whenever Dash could make out something more interesting than flat stone ahead, she marked it and counted the seconds until they passed it. Big boulder. Thirty-one. Thirty-two. Done. Another rock joined the growing pile of things that were behind—and increasingly, below.

She’d kept her mane, partly because they didn’t want to get bogged down doing proper mane-styling and such, losing their window to fly to time spent on appearances. Mostly, though, she didn’t want to give up her mane because Fluttershy had been the one to cut it last time, and she enjoyed that fact. Dash looked over at Fluttershy, the magic sheathing her wings leaving faint glimmers in her wake just like Dash’s own, a trails replacing the way their tails usually followed them. Now Fluttershy’s tail was short enough to bob and bounce with every wingbeat. Just like Dash’s.

Rarity had even cut her own mane shorter while she waited for Dash and Fluttershy to get used to their own shorter tails. Rainbow Dash’s mane was the longest of them all now, and Dash couldn’t get past that fact. When she looked at Fluttershy, or glanced over her own back at Rarity or her own tail, she barely recognised them at all, these three strange, short-haired ponies who madly climbed the mountain. In place of flowing hair, a snippet of Rarity’s winter scarf billowed in the wind.

Dash pushed on. They were all in good spirits. The heat had gone, the moonlight shone down upon them, and whatever weight they saved by cutting manes and tails was probably nothing compared to the help Rarity’s spell gave them—but it energised Dash all the same. When she looked back, the treeline lay far in the distance, the jungle shrinking until the entire cauldron felt like a smaller thing than the mountain they climbed.

And climb they did. Like Pinkie Pie’s late night baking, the ingredients changed on the fly. From one part up to three parts forward, they’d gone to two parts up to three parts forward. Or one to… math. They were flying a lot more up now, was the point. The valley of the pass up ahead wasn’t nearly as steep as if they had chased the peaks themselves, but they still needed to get up past the snow. Still she had to crane her neck to see their target.

“I feel a little bad for leaving those dresses behind,” Fluttershy called. As of late, the wind had picked up. They had to raise their voices a little to be heard.

“Honestly, they weren’t my best work,” Rarity responded, shifting her grip on Dash a little. “If you truly liked the designs, I think I have the plans somewhere. I can make a new one.”

“No, I mean throwing away things in the valley—the Cauldron. We’re probably the first ponies to come here, maybe ever, and we littered,” Fluttershy replied.

“Hmf. Well, when I say they weren’t my best work,” said Rarity, her voice a little more prim, “I don’t mean that I think they can ever be called garbage, no matter where they are put.”

“Wait, wait,” said Dash between breaths, laughing. “So if you put those in a garbage bin, that’s a storage closet now, instead?”

Rarity chuckled. “Not quite my point. Regardless, we left behind so much hair, that might be called littering, too.”

“Oh, no,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head. “Birds can use hair for nests. There will be some wonderful birds’ nests down there, soon.”

“I can’t tell if that’s lame or awesome,” Dash admitted. “But I guess if some bird’s gonna use my tail-hairs to build a house—yeah, okay, I’ve decided. That’s awesome.”

Fluttershy laughed and nodded, the two pegasi splitting up for a moment to fly around a spear of rock that thrust out from the mountainside, rejoining again to climb on. The wind shifted, blowing head-on.

“Do you want me to take over?” Fluttershy asked.

“Nah, I’m good,” said Dash, though despite the cold of the evening, she was aware she’d worked up a good sweat. The glow of Rarity’s magic still surrounded her, but fighting the growing wind took its toll. Was the glow around her hooves a little more faint? “Actually,” she added. “Yeah, d’you wanna switch? I think you need to redo the spell, too, Rarity.”

“This is about as high up as we can land safely, at any rate,” said Rarity, peering over Dash’s side. “We may as well take a break, whether you’re switching or not. I’ve been wanting to ask about a chance to put on some more clothes.”

“You should’ve said something sooner,” Dash replied. She looked ahead, squinting. Maybe Rarity was right about landing, too. They were getting ever closer to the snow, and it was getting really steep. Landing in blindingly white snow knowing that the mountains were nearly a sheer drop would be a no-go. “But alright, I hear you. Maybe we should take a break, too. Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy nodded quickly, and after looking about, pointed to their north, along the dark slope. Rarity’s light didn’t do much good that far away, but Dash saw the little crag she pointed to. “We can stop there.”

“Alright, let’s do it,” Dash replied. She angled herself towards the dark stony claw sticking out of the rock, finally getting to glide, her first taste of descending rather than climbing for the first time in hours. She touched down all too soon, not just tired, but weirded out by all the buildup from all the climbing and still being able to put her hooves on the ground. She rustled her wings, delighting in the way the magical glow shimmered.

Without a word, Rarity grabbed both sets of saddlebags from Fluttershy’s back and led them to the opposite side of the crag, balancing precariously on the steep incline. Here, Rarity found ground that could almost be called flat by the generous, and the ever harsher wind broke against the cliff behind them.

“Food,” said Rarity, placing one of the few remaining wraps of bread on the blanket, next to Fluttershy. Her magic surrounded Rainbow Dash’s saddlebags, and the last water-bag hovered out. “And water. And while you eat and drink, I need to find find some way to stay warm.” Rarity shivered.

“You could put on one of the dresses you made,” Fluttershy suggested, nibbling on some of the bread.

“Mm, the only dresses that had any warmth were the cotton dresses, and those were the ones I left behind for their weight,” said Rarity, looking particularly sour. “I’m embarrassed I didn’t think of that.”

“It gets colder the higher we get,” Dash said, grabbing a sip of water. “And it’s night. It’s gonna get a lot worse.” She frowned. “You’re gonna be okay, right?”

Rarity nodding, rifling through her saddlebags. “I’m trying to decide on exactly that, dear. I suppose part of me thought I could use a blanket in a pinch, but now I realise they’ll get in your way. The blankets could get tangled with your wings when we switch places mid-air.”

“If we can… not do that, that’d be great,” said Fluttershy, nodding. “But we can’t have you freeze, either. You need to tell us if we should just fly back down.” She leaned down to bite onto the blanket on which they sat, draping one end about Rarity’s body. Rarity smiled at her, nuzzling Fluttershy affectionately.

“Can’t you just wear more scarves?” Dash asked, tapping the ground as she thought. “We have a bunch of them.”

“Or maybe you could wrap the blanket really tight with one of the scarves?” Fluttershy suggested.

Rarity blinked. “I don’t think… hm, I have a better idea, actually,” she said, grabbing her scissors once more. Rainbow Dash frowned.

“You’re not going to cut your mane and wear it or something stupid like that, right?” Dash asked.

Rarity chuckled, levitating out the smaller, yellow blanket they’d gotten from the Stagrumite traders near Vauhorn. She shook her head. “No, dear, I am going to make a horrid dress out of one of our blankets. One that won’t get in the way. I have needles and thread, and that’s all I need for this—you don’t mind, I hope? That’s one less blanket for us.”

Fluttershy shook her head quickly. “We don’t have much choice, and you’re the one who’s coldest at night.”

“Yeah, and I don’t think anypony would be happy if we get back to Equestria with a Rarity-cicle. Ici—oh, whatever. You know what I mean.”

Rarity smiled and nodded, grabbing a quick drink of water before wiping her mouth and getting to work. “This will take a minute, but not much more.”

“Sure,” said Dash, stretching her wings out. With Rarity’s magic fading, a soft ache set in, but she didn’t feel all that tired anymore, she just needed a quick rest. She didn’t think she’d pass out like Fluttershy had done a few nights back, anyway. The last of the light clinging to her wings and hooves disappeared even as she watched, and Fluttershy’s glow had almost disappeared completely—and, just as she sat back and took a deep breath, she realised there was another glow in sight.

The light had drained from the Cauldron long ago. Rainbow Dash had flown with Rarity’s shining horn behind her, the strong light blotting out and making the stars indistinct. Now the unicorn sat off to the side, cutting and stitching away under a fainter light made for work, and the stars came back into view. Rarity’s was not the only brightness in the great jungle valley, however.

Far below and across the jungle, a jungle the size of which Rainbow Dash still didn’t understand, a yellow light shone many times brighter than the last time Dash had seen—if it was indeed the same light.

“You see that now?” Dash asked when she felt Fluttershy sit down at her side. They traded wings to warm each other without a word.

“I see it,” said Fluttershy, squinting. “What is it?”

“No idea. I saw it yesterday, too,” said Dash. “Whatever it is, that’s not the same place it was back then. I think it’s moved. You don’t think it’s a forest fire or something?” Dash asked, shuffling a little closer to her girlfriend.

“I don’t think so, no,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head. “The jungle is too wet to really burn. If not, the little glare beasts would’ve done a lot more damage, and the burnt strips we saw should have started a bigger fire. Maybe it’s the Yelgadar creature that Odasthan talked about?”

“Maybe,” said Rainbow Dash. “If it’s just a really big fire chicken, but… yeah I dunno.”

“It reminds me of the lights we saw from the hill outside the Grove,” said Fluttershy, rubbing her wing slowly up and down Dash’s back. Rainbow Dash leaned into it.

“Heh. Yeah. It’s not the same colour, though. I think that light was blue.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Light can change colour for a lot of reasons—but I don’t really know either,” she said, giggling softly. “I’m just thinking out loud. It’s very pretty, though.”

“Yeah,” said Dash. Nothing more to add to that. It was pretty, and it was the only thing that stood out in the valley except for an errant few clouds barely visible in the darkness. “Rarity, you done with the dress yet? It’s gonna be cold up here no matter what time of day it is, so we wanna get a move on.”

“For a lack of sequins or any other tools to make this look remotely presentable, yes, I suppose I am,” Rarity declared. Dash looked over to find the unicorn dressed up in a thick vest-and-dress, two layers of yellow cotton covering as much of her body as possible. Presently, she scribbled in her journal without even looking up whilst simultaneously affixing a simple button to the vest with needle and thread. Dash guffawed at the dress that looked like a second layer of coat-fur more than anything.

“Wow,” said Dash. “Just… wow.”

“Um, it looks very functional,” said Fluttershy.

“We will never speak of this,” said Rarity, putting her quill away and giving them a grim look. “Let me grab a quick bite to eat, see if I can’t do this spell again, and then we’re ready to go, but when we make it out of here, you will swear that we found this ‘dress’ under a rock.”

“Sure. Under a rock,” said Dash, chuckling and spreading her wings. She could almost taste the snow up ahead. They were nearly there. Or, nearly nearly there, and she felt great.

Tired. She felt tired, so very tired. There were a lot of ways to be tired, weary, tuckered and whatever else, and right now, she checked all the boxes. Rainbow Dash blinked and held a foreleg in front, warding against the wind. An errant few snowflakes whirled by. She put her head down, her ears forced back by the howling gale more than her frustration and exhaustion.

“Rainbow Dash! Are you alright?”

Fluttershy’s voice drifted past as if it came from far away, but she was nearly close enough to touch. Rarity’s hooves were tight around Dash’s chest.

“I’m fine!” Dash replied. “Rarity? You holding on there, girl?”

“I’m cold and achey,” Rarity yelled, a little too loud with her muzzle just by Dash’s ears. “But I can still feel my hooves! You two must be freezing!”

“As if!” Dash shouted, laughing. “We’re pegasi. We’re made for this stuff!” She grinned at Fluttershy until Fluttershy smiled back, and the two ponies’ wings carried them on, forward, upwards.

All a load of hooey, of course. An exaggeration at best, but she’d yank out each and every one of her primaries before she admitted it.

Dash had started getting worried long ago, before the mountain walls begun closing in. She grit her teeth and flapped her wings twice as hard when a gust slammed against her. The wind hit Fluttershy even worse because of her larger wings, and she floundered before she righted herself again. They were pegasi, sure, and Dash had flown in worse weather than this—but not for this long. She could force her way through a tornado if she had to, but to fly against a gale for hours on end was something else.

She thought they’d gained the pass when they entered the mountains proper, but she’d been wrong. The walls rose up around them, and the mountain pass remained ever ahead, as though more snow and rock sprang out of nowhere in between them and their target to deny their passage.

Another blast of air threatened to send Rainbow Dash right into Fluttershy. She packed her wings up for a split second and Rarity let out a short-lived scream as Dash ducked underneath Fluttershy and came up on the other side instead. She couldn’t even tell if they were moving forwards any more.

“How about you?” Dash shouted.

“What?” Fluttershy replied.

“Forgot to ask how you are doing!” Dash added, trying to muster a laugh. “You having fun yet?”

Fluttershy didn’t get a chance to immediately reply. The next wind carried with it a puff of powdery snow, and Fluttershy grimaced, turning her head sideways and pulling up her legs as though she was afraid of hitting the ground, but from what Dash could see, they were far above the ground. Or maybe they were right above it, actually. She couldn’t tell. White on white, everything below was snow. Her wings ached worse now.

“We need to switch!” Rainbow Dash said.

No answer.

“Fluttershy!” Dash tried again. “Switch!”

Fluttershy slowed down. At least that proved they had been moving before. Unless they were moving backwards, now. Whatever the case, Fluttershy didn’t manage to stop completely. Rainbow Dash tried to hover nearby, but they were buffeted by the winds all the time, shifted around at the mercy of the currents.

“What?” asked Fluttershy.

“She needs you to take over!” Rarity yelled. “Do your synchronised flapping thing!”

Fluttershy covered the side of her face with a hoof, her short mane frost-tipped and standing out straight in the wind. She squinted while Dash flew up to her side as best as she could. “We can’t. Not in this wind!” said Fluttershy.

“We have to!” Dash said. Now that she’d admitted she didn’t have much more to give, her wings protested with every beat. Hovering was a little easier, but it was only a question of time. She brought herself up alongside Fluttershy, now hovering three wingspans apart, now five—now two. Fluttershy turned and backed off, shaking her head quickly.

“It’s not going to work! Even if we touch, we can’t hold together for even a second!”

“We have to switch, or we have to land!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “I’m gonna drop soon!”

“We can’t land here, there’s no land,” Rarity said, her voice nearly completely lost to the wind.

“Then we have to try!” Dash said. Rarity’s forelegs gripped Dash tight, icy cold hooves touching her chest as Dash was forced back again, trying to keep steady.

“No!” said Fluttershy. “We can’t ‘just try’. We’ll put all three of us in danger!”

Dash felt her heart split and sink, pieces of heart-stuff seeking the bottoms of her hooves. She looked behind her. They’d come so far. She saw a deep valley covered in white, a funnel leading to what looked like an almost gentle slope of rock, and far beyond, green-brown whatever. The cauldron they’d worked so hard to leave was little but a blurry mush at this distance.

“We have—”

“We have to go back,” Fluttershy shouted, her glare intense. “If you say you’re tired, that means you’re tired, and this is too dangerous! We can’t just take the risk or try harder! Not this time!”

“Let’s go back while we still can,” said Rarity, barely louder than her usual speaking voice, her head resting on top of Dash’s. “Rainbow, she’s right.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t need Rarity to tell her that. She had known that the moment Fluttershy first protested the maneuver. She knew when she heard the hardness in Fluttershy’s voice. Of course Fluttershy was right, and they couldn’t afford to argue anyway. Now more than ever, they needed to stick together and agree on a course of action. She swallowed and took an ice cold breath, then nodded.

“Okay, let’s abort!” Dash shouted. She held out a foreleg and made a circling motion. “Fluttershy! Stay on my side. Not behind, not in front, we need to keep in view of each other!”

Sailing down from the mountains took longer than Dash expected. Only the snowy valleyscape zoomed by quickly, and they spent more time trying to control their speed and manage the push from the backdraft than anything else. At least that gave Dash’s wings a little relief. At the edge of the snow, barely pausing for long enough to touch down, Dash took their saddlebags while Fluttershy took on Rarity, and the sun rose ahead of them while they continued their descent. Sunlight crept down the mountain slope, chasing them, catching up to them.

Idly, Dash wondered if anyone had ever given names to the two mountains they tried and failed to pass through. Sure, the peryton called the mountain range the Bow, and the strange serpent had called the entire place the Cauldron, but the names didn’t fit. They were simple names, too short and too small to hold everything they had seen in the space of a few days. The giant mountains deserved names of their own.

“Do you think the peryton ever tried to fly across these mountains?” Dash asked. “D’you think anyone ever has?” The wind tugged at her mane, but now that they flew a little faster, she noticed the lack of a familiar tug on her tail from the drag. Weird.

“I don’t know,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her. “Why?” She flew close. Closer than was safe, honestly, but after what they’d just attempted, and with all the practice flying in synch, even Fluttershy didn’t seem to mind. There might as well be no wind at all now compared to the mountain pass, and they were just gliding anyway.

“Dunno, just thinking,” said Dash, looking down below. Nothing but rock. They were a little further north than their earlier ascent. Rarity had briefly mentioned considering looking for the dresses they left behind, but it wasn’t so much a needle-in-a-haystack situation so much as a needle on a hay farm.

Fluttershy took the initiative to circle and shed a little more height, and Dash joined her maneuver. Unless they wanted to follow the mountain’s slope and speed down at supersonic speeds—a vote Dash lost—they had to circle in place or dive to surrender their height every now and then, especially if they wanted to keep the option of landing for breaks, drinks, or switching who carried what. This time, Fluttershy seemed content to keep Rarity on her back, even with the magic around their wings finally fading.

“Surely you had something in mind,” said Rarity when Fluttershy pulled up alongside Dash again. “No thoughts on our little failed climb?” She stared at Dash, searching.

“Nah,” said Dash, shrugging. “Or, I guess I’m still thinking about it. Gimmie a minute. Anyway, where’re we going?”

“Good question,” Rarity replied, casting her eyes ahead. They were taking longer to get back to the treeline than Dash would’ve liked, but they still undid their earlier work a lot faster than they’d climbed it.

“We have food for a few days, don’t we?” said Fluttershy with a glance over her back. “We could try going further north to look for another place to cross before we head down to the jungle to get food and water, but I don’t think trying that same pass again is going to work. It’s too narrow, it’s like a funnel for the wind.”

“If you say we can’t pass there, I believe you,” said Rarity. “That whole ordeal was more than a little frightening. As for food, I think we have two more days of bread, yes. If we find water, we could be fine for a little longer.”

“Alright,” said Dash, turning in the air, pulling a lazy barrel roll. “So, why are we going down?”

“We need water anyway, and we couldn’t have slept up where it’s cold all the time. Rarity would get frostbite or worse.”

“Right,” said Dash, nodding quickly. “Think we’re far enough down? Didn’t we see another pass further up north the last time we checked before we started climbing, anyway?”

“There were at least two good places to cross,” said Fluttershy, smiling and nodding as well, perking up. “Rarity, can you still do the body magic spell?”

“It’s not getting weaker, it’s simply not ever quite as strong as it was while we were imprisoned—so, that’s a yes,” Rarity confirmed. “I could do that every day for as long as we need as long as I’m not expected to walk a lot the same day. It is exhausting.”

“And your wings are okay?” Fluttershy asked, turning to Rainbow Dash.

“I’m fine,” said Dash. She grinned. For once, calling it quits at the right moment worked out. She tilted her head right, prompting Fluttershy to turn. “We’re all good to go, so let’s stop going down and start going north! Keep an eye out for water and we’ll give this another try. Second time’s the charm!”

Until the sun finally shone down on them, they travelled by air, and when the sheer heat made flying impossible, magic or no magic, their hooves carried them on a little further before somepony—Dash couldn’t even remember who—brought up the fact that they had travelled all night. A nap was suggested, and everything was a blur of softly aching hooves and wings before Dash fell asleep. And then she woke. They moved on again, refreshed and ready. Even Rarity seemed eager to finally stretch her legs properly.

The rocky mountain slope wasn’t easy going at all, and the burning sunlight didn’t help, but now Rainbow Dash knew that they could not be stopped. What an odd sight they must make, Dash thought. She imagined Ponyville hiding around the next bend, the three ponies suddenly coming home to see all their friends. Manes and tails cut short, bruised and battered from their flight practice but sleek of body, laden with supplies and weird knick-knacks in saddlebags and ohron alike. Dash’s green wings, Fluttershy’s scar—and the little bit of soot on Rarity’s butt, stark grey against her otherwise brighter coat that she hadn’t noticed. Dash refused to tell her about it, and had Fluttershy sworn to secrecy, too. It was just too funny.

Around the next bend, they found only more rock, of course, but it didn’t seem so bad in the grand scheme of things. They moved as one, climbing, jumping, trotting more often than not. A sparkling brook let them refill their water supply, just enough to keep them going, but not too much to hurt their flying. Of course, some things never changed: No amount of insistence would convince Rarity that snakes were lovely, really, once you get to know them, and no, they don’t bite! Why would they bite ponies? Won’t you come say hi? Rarity? Please stop, they don’t have ears, but they can still feel the vibrations of your screaming, oh dear, Rainbow Dash, a little help, please?

Thus the day passed, and then they were in the air again. Flying. The glow far south and west of them appeared again that night a deeper orange, and in a new place still. They flew through most of the night.

“Whether that is this ‘Yelgadar’ or not, do you think whatever that light is can see us, too?” Rarity asked.

“Hm? What?” Dash asked. She sailed through the air at cruising speed. At some point, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had found a middle ground, agreeing on what made for an okay speed to fly at. That speed had gotten pretty close to Dash’s own usual speed when she wasn’t in a hurry.

“That glow in the distance,” said Rarity, reaching over Fluttershy’s side to point behind her left wing. “Do you think it’s someone, or something, who looks at us like we look at them?”

“Huh. You think they can see us?” Dash asked.

“We are the only light on this side of the mountains, as far as I can tell,” said Rarity, shrugging.

“I don’t know,” said Dash, smiling. “It’d be cool if they could. I don’t know if they’d see our wings and stuff, but your light’s pretty strong.”

“If the moonlight was a little less, maybe?” Fluttershy offered, and now her head, too, turned to watch the flickering light in the distance. Tonight more than ever did it look like a flame of sorts.

Still they moved. The sun rose, and with it came the daytime heat. Dash and Fluttershy touched down together, Rarity slid off Dash’s back, and they stretched, making sure everyone felt fine. After a quick snack and a drink, they carried on by hoof again without really discussing it. Though travelling here was never effortless, the decision to travel had become exactly that as they followed the grey strip that was the mountain slope, a broad strip wedged between the tall peaks and the jungle below, so vast that it might have been a nation unto itself.

They had spent half the day on the ground, high enough up the mountain now that the cold was a little more bearable to make up for the lack of cover from the sun, and now the second pass they’d marked came up on their right, a flatter low point in the mountains than the previous wedge. If the more generous cover of snow was anything to go by, it was higher up, too.

“I believe we’re close enough. Perhaps we should set up camp and rest until nightfall?” Rarity’s head was turned almost perfectly to the right, watching the mountain pass as well.

“Sounds good to me. Rocks up ahead?” Dash asked, pointing directly forward.

“I think that’ll be a nice place to sleep, yes,” Fluttershy agreed, jumping a crack in the ground. Rainbow Dash yawned at the promise of a nap, already anticipating a well deserved rest, but in truth, she’d also never felt better in her life. Rarity had the whole process of setting up their little camp down to perfection now. Before Dash and Fluttershy were out of their saddlebags, Rarity had the blanket shaken and laid down, the tarp propped up for shade with string and whatever was around. Rainbow Dash planted her butt on the relative softness of their trusty blanket and yawned again, stretching her wings out.

Their shelter faced the mountains ahead, even taller than last time. Maybe at some point earlier, she’d feel the need to give a pep talk, or just even regular old talk about what lay ahead, but she didn’t. Sure, it’d be scary, awesome, and a bunch of other things besides, but she could tell from the way Rarity glanced at the peaks while she wrote in her journal—and from the way Fluttershy didn’t bother looking at them—that they were all committed and ready for the task at hoof.

“It’ll be less windy,” said Fluttershy without even looking up. She smiled at Rainbow Dash, instead.

“Probably, yeah,” said Dash, nodding. “You were right about the last one. It was like a tunnel with a fan at the end. This is just gonna be regular windy. We can handle windy.”

“I’ll take Rarity until we get close, then we try switching once the wind picks up even just a little bit?” Fluttershy suggested.

“Sounds great,” said Rainbow Dash, grinning. She leaned against Fluttershy, and Fluttershy leaned back for a moment. They couldn’t fail.

They were falling. Rainbow Dash had never before been this high up, of this she was convinced. The jungle was a blotch of moonlit dark green so tiny she couldn’t imagine how one could ever get lost in it, and whenever she tried to think about that, she felt dizzy. The mountains ahead, and even more so the peaks to their sides, they all kept going up, cruelly stretching out of reach.

And they fell. Not all at once. Not always. Never falling to the ground. They fell whenever they thought they made progress. They’d never even switched who carried Rarity, the unicorn still clinging to Fluttershy’s back. The wind had never become an issue, but now they simply couldn’t get lift. Rainbow Dash failed to do the one thing at which she was better at than anypony. They failed to go up. The air felt thin, weak, and refused to give her any traction, like trying to swim in an empty pool when she could see the water.

Well, strictly speaking, she couldn’t see the air, but she could feel it. She knew there was air between her and the snow-covered pass above, between her and the immense drop below. She knew and felt it, but there just wasn’t enough of it.

Fluttershy yelped and dropped again, her glowing wings a blur in the night as she did her best to stabilise, evening out below Dash. Rainbow Dash flapped a little slower to join up with her. She didn’t dive. She’d made that mistake once already, and nearly paid dearly for it.

“We have to go up,” said Dash, pointlessly. Going forward right now meant flying into the mountain itself. They had to climb right here, but they couldn’t.

“It’s not working!” said Fluttershy, her wings straining to find purchase. She climbed a little, and then fell again, this time falling close enough to the mountain that she dislodged a little snow. Rainbow Dash felt her wings tiring already just from the sheer force she needed to use to keep aloft.

“Rarity! Can you give us more magic? Make our wings stronger?” Dash asked. She blinked and squinted. Everything was white. Too white, too bright. Her own voice sounded odd to her ears, distorted, hoarse. Thin and tinny.

“I can barely hold on,” said Rarity amidst deep breaths. “As it is. I can’t even think—” The cloth-wrapped unicorn took another gulp of air, “—about magic.”

“Rarity? Your grip is slipping, hold on!” said Fluttershy.

Rarity jerked to as if she’d been asleep and startled awake. Dash could hear her breath now. Her own ears twitched.

“We just need to get over this shelf!” said Dash, pointing ahead. “Trying harder works. That’s how we got over the last one. Come on!”

“You said that before the last shelf, too. We don’t know that this is the last one!” Fluttershy replied. “I don’t know if I can.”

“I know you can! Your wings are bigger, you get more lift if you work hard enough, come on! If you just get over the ridge, I can take Rarity for the glide!” said Dash. A light gust of wind pushed at her, pushed her down, enough to upset her balance. She grunted and righted herself, drawing level with Fluttershy.

“I’m already flapping as hard as I can,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head, ears bent.

“No you’re not! You can do better! Come on!” said Dash. “Just stop thinking about it and give it absolutely everything.” She’d pushed Fluttershy a lot lately. She’d pushed her hard, but she couldn’t afford not to. She had no choice.

“I am!” Fluttershy snapped.

“Try one more time!” Dash said. “On my mark! Two—”

“I can’t do it!” Fluttershy said, her lower lip trembling. “I’m tired!”

“We have to get across! Dash shouted. “I believe in you! One!”

“I can’t!”

“Go! Let’s go, Fluttershy!”

And Fluttershy rose. She closed her eyes, her wings flapping faster, stronger. Of course she hadn’t given it her all. Fluttershy didn’t even believe her own lie, and watching the other pegasus draw more strength out of nowhere made Dash’s heart grow—and gave her own wings strength too. Dash put all she could into her own wings and followed even though she knew that a moment ago, the ridge ahead would be insurmountable to her. The two pegasi rose up, flying through the thinning air, needing three or four wing-strokes to get the effect of one. They flew up a ridge, there was a ledge in sight, and the pegasi gained on it. Two more seconds. One. And just like that, they were over.

Face to face with yet another ridge, just like the one they had climbed, and this time, Rainbow Dash could see another peak far in the distance behind the next ridge over, a dark starless outline against the night sky showing in no uncertain terms that they had a long way to go yet. Below, the white snow-cover was absolute. Nowhere to land in sight. Dash heard Fluttershy let out a shuddering breath, then a sniffle.

“I really,” said Rarity, breathing heavily, “am not… I’m not feeling very well.”

“We’re going back down!” Dash yelled. “Down, now! Come on, Fluttershy, follow me, we got this!”

At first, they’d descended too slowly. They soared from the middle of the mountains into the thin air far above even the freakishly high cloud layer that ringed the western mountaintops on the opposite side of the Cauldron. Dash couldn’t decide which was scarier or more strange: that they were so high up that the ground below hid behind a milky film, not just indistinct but unreal, or the fact that even this far up, the mountains that surrounded them were taller still, and she still didn’t feel free of their grasp. She felt crowded by the peaks and staggered by the emptiness below at the same time.

Too slow, though. Rarity had nearly lost her grip on Fluttershy, and only Dash’s quick reflexes saved the day. They were losing the unicorn to the altitude, and had to speed things up. The problem was that the thin mountain air was all too happy to let them go, and falling was too easy. Once they shed a little height, they were spat onto the snowless slopes too fast. Dash could break her own speed if she wanted to, sure, but Fluttershy carried more extra weight than she did.

“You with me?” Dash yelled over the rush of air, lazy night air that would otherwise be still now roared in her ears. “Try to angle your wings up a tiny bit!”

“I’m trying! It’s not working! If I go any harder they’ll break,” Fluttershy replied, her voice a panicked squeak. Dash caught something whisking away—or left behind, stationary where the ponies hurtled by. A feather torn off Fluttershy’s wings. She was definitely trying to stop.

“Hang on!” Dash shouted.

“I am hanging on!” Rarity screamed.

“I meant—well, both of you! Just wait a second!” Dash shot back. She moved herself a little closer to Fluttershy, but her wings were shifting about, constantly adjusting. If she touched one of Fluttershy’s wings now and upset her descent, that was it. A one-stop way to a very cruel crash. Thank-you and goodbye. Instead, she slowed just the tiniest bit, coming up behind Fluttershy. Thanks to their recent tail-cuts, she had to get closer than usual, but finally, she managed to bite on to Fluttershy’s tail. Once she had a good grip, she began putting her wings against the wind, gently at first.

It didn’t help much except to liberate her of a few feathers herself. Rainbow Dash hissed in pain as she felt a sting on her left wing, then her right. Worse, they were almost past the rocky slopes and showed no signs of stopping. While the slope gradually flattened out, a light cover of rain clouds obscured the treeline below. They were headed straight for the clouds, soon about to plunge into grey cloud-matter with no way of telling what lay below.

“I don’t suppose pegasi can see in the dark?” Rarity asked, her voice quavering. “Or perhaps through clouds? I never once thought to ask, but please tell me you can see through clouds!”

“We don’t have sonar! We’re not bats!” Fluttershy retorted.

“Good!” Rarity yelled. “I never wanted to see my own demise anyway!”

“Just hold on!” said Rainbow Dash, still trying her best to slow them down. Fluttershy’s forelegs punched through the clouds with a loud puff and the moisture of the rain slapped against Dash’s belly. Everything turned a flickering grey.

“Tree!” Rarity shrieked while Dash still tried to blink the wet away with Fluttershy’s tail in her face.

Chapter 36

I have a good feeling about today’s climb. We’re attempting to cross the mountains of the Bow, or the Cauldron, or whatever else one wishes to call them. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy both seem to be in a good mood, and it’s hard not to be infected.

I told Fluttershy that if this mountain pass doesn’t have the horrid winds that plagued our previous attempt, I don’t see what could possibly go wrong.

-R

“What I wish to know,” said Rarity, frowning as she levitated something out of her saddlebags. A bent piece of metal glinted in the magical light of her horn. “Is how a crash can leave a jar of candy—a glass jar—intact, not hurt any of us, yet somehow destroy my finest steel scissors.”

“I don’t know about not hurt,” said Fluttershy, her ears splayed as she smeared some more of the green gunk on Rainbow Dash’s snout. It smelled alright, as far as herbs went. The bandage Fluttershy put around her snout afterwards probably looked pretty cool, too, so Dash didn’t mind. She touched a hoof to Fluttershy’s chest as thanks. Fluttershy returned a sympathetic smile, cradling Dash’s head with a wing and touching their foreheads together, and Dash let her hold her like that for a bit, suppressing a smile.

There was a time when mushy stuff was okay, and right now would do. The three ponies sat at the base of a large tree in the pre-dawn seeking cover from the light rain, and for the second time so far in this journey, they took stock of their losses.

“Darling, Rainbow Dash herself is about as bothered by crash-related injuries as Applejack is by mud on her hooves,” said Rarity, levitating up the other side of her saddlebags, shaking her head at a large hole. “There’s a difference between hurt and injured, I feel.”

Fluttershy didn’t say anything to that, still holding Rainbow Dash, eyes closed and breathing slowly.

“Are you still blaming yourself?” Rarity asked, one brow cocked. “Also, give me your ohron, please.”

Fluttershy complied. The neck-bag changed hooves, and Rarity unpacked under the cover of the tarp while Fluttershy sat back down, sighing.

“You’re being ridiculous,” Rarity said. “It would be one thing if you blamed yourself for our crash—”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened ever so slightly.

“Don’t. Don’t even start, please,” said Dash, groaning and headbutting Fluttershy lightly. She winced when the motion sent a jolt of pain through her muzzle. “Ow.”

“—but to blame yourself for Rainbow Dash’s injury is patently ludicrous!” Rarity finished. “When she’s following you, and you crash into something, of course she’ll crash into you! What did you expect? And besides, if she hadn’t crashed into your behind, she might have crashed into the tree head-first, and that could have gone even worse!”

“I don’t know,” said Dash, smirking. She touched Fluttershy’s flank with a hoof, resting it there for a second. “That might not have been as hard as Fluttershy’s flank, if I have to be honest.”

Fluttershy huffed and blushed a deep crimson.

“I’m sorry about your scissors, anyway,” Fluttershy murmured. “What else did we lose?”

“One of our water bags is punctured and useless. I can’t sew that shut so it won’t drip, but I can fix all the holes in our saddlebags. Yours in particular, Fluttershy, are ruined because of those antlers you insist on dragging around. Much of our paper is soggy and in tatters.” Rarity paused, holding up a mass of paper ruined by having touched the wet ground. “Thankfully, the map and Fluttershy’s book survived, after a fashion, as did my journal. The silks will need washing, my glasses are ruined, and… no, I believe that’s about it. Everything else is there, unless either of you noticed anything missing.”

“Eh, big whoop. Most of that paper is Twilight’s reports, and you—uh, I mean, we’ve already read those. What else were you going to do with your scissors anyway?” Dash asked. “You’ve already cut all the hair here. Like, all the hair on the continent, probably.” She snickered at her own joke.

“If we had to lose one thing between Rainbow Dash or your scissors, I don’t think it’s a very hard choice to make anyway,” Fluttershy added, her short tail brushing against Dash’s flank as she smiled.

“I don’t know if it’s that easy a choice,” Rarity said, scratching at her own snout. “I’d need a minute. You haven’t seen how bad my backup scissors are.”

“Rarity!” Fluttershy exclaimed, even while Rainbow Dash laughed.

“Oh come now, it’s a joke,” said Rarity, her eyes seeking the back of her head while she waved a foreleg. “I’m over it, dear. I will survive without a pair of scissors, and we’ve spent entirely too much time talking about it. I’m glad Rainbow Dash isn’t bent like my poor, poor imported Marelìn-grade steel scissors.”

“Okay, good,” said Fluttershy, letting out her breath in a drawn-out sigh. One of her wings snaked around Dash’s neck again, holding her even closer and tighter this time, resting her head atop of Dash’s. Again Dash didn’t protest. If she felt guilty for the dumbest, funniest reason ever, Fluttershy could cuddle all she wanted.

It felt good, too. Dash wrapped a wing around Fluttershy’s back in turn and rubbed a hoof up and down Fluttershy’s chest, relishing in the feel of her coat against Dash’s hooves. Never mind the fact that her hooves were dirty with soil. They were all a mess after the crash-landing.

They deserved a break, anyway. Those were the worst feelings Dash could dredge up if she really tried; that she was tired and wanted a break, and they were simmering down for a nap anyway, so she was covered on that front. She still felt good, and idly she wondered if that was a return to normal, if she was supposed to feel this good. She didn’t remember exactly how she felt on a normal Ponyville summer’s day. Certainly she didn’t sit around thinking about how she was feeling. She chuckled at herself, making Fluttershy give her an odd look.

“Is everything okay?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah,” said Dash. “My snout itches when I talk, actually, heh,” she admitted, shaking her head. “I don’t know—hey, Rarity. Remember when you asked me what I was thinking about the first time we didn’t get past the mountain?”

Rarity threaded a thick needle with some thread, not looking up. “I don’t know, there wasn’t much time for speaking or thinking, honestly. I don’t recall what I may have said. I became very light-headed up high.”

“Not today. First climb, a few days back. I don’t remember what you said exactly,” said Dash, shaking her head.

“Oh. Yes, I worried you were disappointed,” said Rarity, pausing with her needle half poking through Fluttershy’s saddlebags. She looked over at Dash and tilted her head. “How come? I expect you aren’t too pleased we’ve failed twice now.”

Dash shrugged. “Dunno. Did we?”

“Well, um, we’re still trapped here,” Fluttershy said. She pulled away from Dash a little, giving her a worried look, then reached out to touch her forehead gently. “Are you sure you are feeling okay?”

Rainbow Dash laughed and pushed Fluttershy’s hoof away. “What I’m saying is, I don’t think we really failed. Yeah, sure, we didn’t get through the mountains, but so what? I bet we’re the first ponies, maybe the first anythings to fly that high, and I don’t see anypony else flying over the mountains. Who cares if we didn’t do it? And hey, we can come back anytime we want. Mountains don’t go anywhere.”

Rarity chuckled at that, returning to her needlework. “I expect you’ll want to come back without all this baggage, and perhaps without a passenger, next time.”

“What, and fly without your magic?” Dash asked. “Pft. No chance.”

“Or I could cast my spell on you before you fly.”

“Who cares, this is teamwork!” said Dash, rolling her eyes. “I’m not saying I’m gonna try to get ponynapped a second time so I get another shot at this next year or whatever, but if I did, we’d all go together. We did something awesome, even if we didn’t—” she paused, frowning at herself. She wasn’t gonna say the word. Not ever. It wasn’t that they hadn’t won, but…

“No, we did win,” said Dash. “We won, because we did something amazing.”

Rarity stared at her unmoving needle for a second. “I… hm. Well. I am glad to hear you say that, darling, I really am.” She smiled, a small, faint thing, genuine as nothing else. “And I think perhaps I agree. I’m mostly just glad we are all safe and sound, though.”

Dash nodded noncommittally. They were more than just safe. They were awesome, that was what she meant, but maybe Rarity had a point, too. “‘Course we’re safe. But, uh, sorry I almost got us in trouble today. Again.” She reached up to scratch at her snout, but thought the better of it what with the bandages and all.

Rarity just shook her head and smiled.

“You just wanted to make sure we tried our hardest,” Fluttershy said. “And we did. We really tried, and we’ll all keep trying.” She sounded happy about that fact, just like Rainbow Dash.

“Hay yeah we will. And speaking of trying, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone try as hard as you today. You were up that ridge before me,” said Dash, grinning at her. Fluttershy rubbed the side of her cheek against Dash’s, suffusing her with warmth. No buts or ifs or complaints, no reply at all, and Dash didn’t really have a follow-up. She just enjoyed the surge of affection for and from her girlfriend.

“If you two want some time alone,” said Rarity, “while I repair our saddlebags and stop our tarp from leaking onto our bed, you could go fetch water and fruits from the place mentioned by… well, whatever the creatures that tried to steal our things when we crash-landed were.”

“They’re lemurs,” said Fluttershy with a giggle, “and they didn’t try to steal, they just wanted to have a look. They’ve never seen ponies before, and it was very nice of them to tell us where there are fruit trees.”

Rainbow Dash let go of Fluttershy, smiling and stretching before stifling a yawn. “Whatever, those things were cute,” she admitted, glancing up at the sky. If there was any light beyond the clouds far above, she couldn’t see it. The rain showed no signs of letting up. “But hey, let’s go get some fruits. I’d love to eat something other than soggy bread.”

And then straight to bed, Dash thought, pushing her rain-slickened mane out of her face. She could sleep for a week.

Rainbow Dash didn’t get to sleep much at all. She felt as though she’d just lain down, barely closed her eyes after a quick snack of fruits and bread when she felt a hoof poking her in the side. She’d been having so much fun flying and… well, just flying, really. Neither Princess Luna nor changelings invaded her pleasantly simple dreams that night, but Fluttershy’s insistent hoof did what neither monsters nor princesses-or-goddesses-what-was-the-difference-and-who-cared could do, waking her up.

“What is it?” Dash grumped. She reached up with the nook of foreleg to rub at her face, instantly regretting it when she touched her bruised snout. “Augh! Ow! Ow ow ow that stings,” she said, hissing in pain, but she couldn’t hear her own sharp intake of breath. The roar she’d thought was a holdover from her dream didn’t let up. The rush of air from her dream-flight continued, except it wasn’t air. It was the sound of rain.

“I’m sorry!” said Fluttershy, whimpering in pain as though it was her own snout that had been bruised. “I’m really sorry, but you have to get up, please!”

Dash popped her eyes open. Why was she wet? Their blanket was soaked and warm, and so was she. She staggered up on all fours, still disoriented, but very much awake.

“What the hay is going on?” she asked. The blanket was wet all the way through, as was was pretty much everything around them. The great leaves of the jungle bowed under the weight of a torrential downpour. Their tarp still hung overhead, secure between the nearest two branches, but the entire jungle floor flooded.

“I woke up to something wet on my legs,” said Rarity, pointing to where the rain poured down the side of the tree, around the tarp, and to tendrils of water that became miniature rivers on the ground around the tree, joining, pooling. “This all happened while Fluttershy tried to wake you, and it’s getting worse, quickly!”

While she spoke, the unicorn busily repacked all their bags, the various little items they’d put around their camp stowed away with ruthless efficiency. Every single saddlebag and ohron levitated in her grip at once, shut tightly one by one.

“Right, right,” said Dash, taking a deep breath. “Okay. I guess that’s bad. Uh, so, what do non-pegasi do when this happens?” She looked straight up. The cloud cover was high and absolute, and only the heat told her that it must be day, a hot and cloying rainstorm rather than a cold and refreshing shower.

“I already flew up to check,” said Fluttershy, guessing her thoughts. “It’s morning, and the clouds cover the entire northeastern part of the cauldron. We can’t clear this.”

“Fine, yeah. Because there’s water everywhere, making a hole doesn’t help anything except stop us from getting rained on right here, I get it,” said Dash. She stepped aside as Rarity drug the blanket away from under her. Their trusty blanket was soaked and dirty with dark-soiled mud all the way through, and Rarity strained with the effort of moving it. She tried to wring it with a loud groan, water pouring from it before she even twisted the bundle of cloth.

“Maybe we can head up the slope?” Dash asked.

“There could be a mud- or rock-slide, and that’d be even more dangerous,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head briskly. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“And we can’t just hide out on top this time either,” said Dash, sighing. “What’s the plan?”

Fluttershy bit her lower lip, glancing between Rarity and Rainbow Dash.

“That’s why I’m glad you’re awake. I don’t know. We don’t know.”

“Uh… how long was I asleep?”

“Oh. Um. A minute longer than I was, but that’s plenty of time to panic, really,” Fluttershy admitted, folding her ears.

Rainbow clutched the side of her head. This was bad. More than bad, really. Out-of-control weather could be dangerous, even if this wasn’t a storm of the same magnitude as the one they’d seen earlier this summer. In fact, there was a curious lack of wind, but she didn’t have time to contemplate minor weirdness. If they couldn’t control the rain, couldn’t hide out on top, and they didn’t have somewhere to seek shelter—Rainbow Dash’s three go-to solutions—then they had nothing.

“Alright, I guess we’re moving,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Where?” asked Fluttershy.

“Do you have a plan in mind?” Rarity asked. She stepped up to Rainbow Dash and strapped the pegasus’s saddlebags on, and then helped Fluttershy into hers, all in short order.

“Nope, but we’re moving,” said Dash, shrugging. “You can give me the blanket, if you want. Just put it on top or whatever.”

“Just ‘moving’?” Rarity repeated.

“We don’t have a choice, do we? That’s why you’re packing up,” said Dash, grunting under the weight of the sodden burden placed on her back a second later. She grinned. “I don’t want to be a wet blanket—”

“Puns? Now? For heaven’s sake, Rainbow Dash,” said Rarity, rolling her eyes, but she caught a giggle out of Fluttershy.

“—but yeah, sorry, I don’t have any magical plan either. Huh, actually, speaking of magic, d’you have anything that can help?”

“I can’t keep the water on the ground away. I could keep the rain out with a magical umbrella, but it’d be for myself only, and it’s complicated,” said Rarity. “It’s that, or we get magical light, not both of them, and it’s dark enough with the trees and the clouds that I think we’ll want the light. Now, I’m going to take the tarp down, just so you’re aware.”

“Cool, just checking,” said Dash. “Let’s—”

She was violently cut off when Rarity pulled the tarp away, great big rain-drops suddenly hammering against her head. She winced in pain and tilted her head forward to keep her poor, poor snout hidden.

“Let’s get walking!” said Dash, louder, to be heard over the rain.

Walking three-legged was beyond awkward, but none of them had figured out a solution for Dash’s muzzle-problem. For the first time in her life, Rainbow Dash wanted a hat, but as Rarity had bemoaned at regular intervals during their journey, her supplies were not for hat-making, and so, Dash had to shield her bruised and bandaged snout with a foreleg as she walked.

It wasn’t as though they could possibly move any slower, anyway. Her feathers told her they moved northish, gaining ground one step at a time and keeping away from the worst of the flood, dodging and soaring across riverlets that probably hadn’t been there an hour ago.

“Please don’t take this as critique, you two,” said Rarity in that particular voice that heralded her doing exactly what she said she wasn’t going to do. “But how in the world did we—did you not see this coming?” she asked, checking over her shoulder as she’d done with every step since they left their camp, fussing over the saddlebags and worrying about water getting in. “If we were headed for a flood, a little warning would’ve been wonderful. An hour ago, I was sound asleep, and now I feel like I’m swimming more than walking!”

“We didn’t see it coming because it wasn’t coming,” Dash said with a snort of hot air that sent a lance of pain through her snout.

“The wind was going west when we went to bed, and these clouds can’t have come from over the moun—ick, over the mountain,” Fluttershy added, sputtering as she drank more rainwater against her will. They may as well have been underwater. “The serpent said that they made these storms together with the other one, with Yelgadar, so it’s got to come from the Cauldron itself.”

“Yeah, but the rain-clouds from yesterday shouldn’t hold this much water!” Dash protested. “But hey, this place is crazy, what else is new?”

“I’ll take your word for it it,” said Rarity, shaking her head. “This is still absurd.”

“No kidding,” Rainbow Dash retorted, stepping around a tiny little waterfall pouring from a large tree. “And hey, we’re not the only ones caught by surprise.”

A small flock of lemurs ran through the jungle not far away, parallel to their course, muddy and wet. Not a moment later, two jaguars ran full-pace past the ponies, kicking up mud and making Rarity yelp in surprise.

“Manners!” the unicorn shouted, to no reply.

“At least we’re going in the right direction?” Dash chuckled. “All the animals we’ve seen are going in the same direction we are.”

“Well, that’s probably just because it’s up, it’s not very strange… at all,” said Fluttershy, her words trailing off as she watched a huge snake make its way past them. The thing was nearly as wide across as any of the ponies, and many, many times their length. Dash wasn’t really afraid of snakes, but the massive grey-brown coils made her a little uneasy. Fluttershy? Not so much.

“Hi,” said Fluttershy, smiling at it. She trotted a little closer, her every step splashing dark mud. “Excuse me, where are you going? I was just wondering if maybe you know someplace safe nearby—we’re looking for shelter, you see.”

If the snake made a reply, Rainbow Dash couldn’t hear it. The thing made large S-shapes in the soft and soaked ground coming up on their side, and then it passed them, circling around the trees ahead.

“Anywhere at all? Please? Anything with a roof?” Fluttershy said, finally sighing as the snake disappeared ahead of them, painfully slow to fade out of view of the even slower ponies.

“I’m supposing you didn’t get an answer,” said Rarity, pausing for a second to stare at her legs, each and every one brown with wet dirt all the way up to her body.

“No,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head sadly. “All the animals are really very busy trying to get to higher ground, so it’s a little hard to get a word in.”

Rainbow Dash shoved her own mane out of her face and nodded, peering north through the jungle. “That’s fine. We’re on our own this time. Could be worse,” she said, squinting. “Let’s just keep going. Even if all we find is someplace a little higher up, that’s fine. At least it’s just rain this time.”

Rain was never just rain, of course. The issue wasn’t the water from above, but the water below. The ground swelled, saturated, and every step became more treacherous than the last. Dash got the distinct feeling that they were the last ponies in the race to safety. No more animals rushed past them. After a brief, short climb up an earthen bank that fell apart under their hooves, the other side showed a rush of water. Though they had no issues flying across, the scene repeated itself. Steady ground became more and more precious.

“So, about the flying up thing!” Dash said.

“We can’t fly forever!” Fluttershy replied.

“Maybe we can just… sit up top?” Dash said. “Rarity can lie on top of us or something, I don’t know!”

“As half-baked as that plan is,” said Rarity, “I don’t know that we have much choice!”

“It’s not a plan,” said Fluttershy. “That only works with stable clouds, and even if these clouds aren’t moving, they’re rainclouds, they’re unstable! We’d sink through!”

“Well, I don’t know what else we can do, dea—ah!” Rarity shrieked as one of her legs sank deep into the earth, sending the side of a bank tumbling into a small rainwater river. Fluttershy grabbed her with a wing and Rainbow Dash stuck out a leg, the two of them hauling the unicorn back to the relative safety of the little ridge they followed.

“Up the mountain then!” Rarity said, stopping in her tracks to clutch her chest. “This is going to be the end of us!”

“The clouds followed the slope all the way up last time I checked,” said Rainbow Dash. She kept a wing about Rarity to make sure she didn’t fall again. “It’s not—”

“We need to do something!” Rarity shouted.

“I think I’ve got something!” said Fluttershy, pointing ahead. Dark shadows thicker than any tree lined the crown of a hill.

“What is this?” Dash asked.

“I don’t know,” said Fluttershy.

“It’s not where the animals went, that’s for sure,” said Rarity. The stone circle covered the entire flat area of the hill that rose up over the rest of the jungle. “It’s dry, at least,” Rarity added, shrugging noncommittally.

“Yeah. But it shouldn’t be,” said Rainbow Dash, frowning.

Large slabs of grey stone lay fitted in concentric circles around a central statue both like and unlike the stele they’d seen so many of before. The idea of a single slab of stone given shape wasn’t new, but Dash had never seen a complex spiral shape like it. It looked to Dash like an exaggerated and stylized unicorn’s horn—or a tall ice cream swirl. The twelve other stones studding the outer circle were a lot simpler, square stones with no features.

Even stranger than all this, not a single drop of rain fell on the hill. Far above, a wide hole pierced the sky, the grey cloud-mass missing above the hill and letting indirect daylight in.

“You said yourselves that the clouds didn’t move,” said Rarity, a touch of magic wringing wet from her mane, short as though it was. “And even I can tell there’s no wind, so if someone punched a hole in the clouds, it would stay, wouldn’t it?”

“Sure, but who did that? We’re the only ones with cloud magic here,” said Rainbow Dash.

“The clouds moved tonight, and there’s always a little wind higher up,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head. “Even now, they’re moving a little, and this place should at the very least be a little wet from earlier.” She poked at the soil underhoof, which made an almost audible puff at her touch. The slopes of the hill leading up to the stone circle were completely dry.

Now that Dash looked to the eastern side, she could swear that something about the way the little flood-rivers flowed around the hill looked wrong, like the water itself turned a little too quickly, the rivers forming to avoid the hill rather than as a result of hitting the almost perfectly circular rise in the terrain.

“I’m sure it’s safe,” said Rarity after a moment, a little more quietly. She sounded like she wanted to convince herself. “We can’t really afford to pass up a safe haven.”

“Mm. It’s just a circle of stones,” said Fluttershy. “Nothing scary about that, really.”

Neither of them moved. All three stood at the very edge of the circle. Fluttershy scuffed the ground. “But… we could probably just wait here,” she added. “Outside the circle. That’d be okay, too.”

Rainbow Dash cast a sidelong glance at the two. She took a deep, covert breath, trying to will herself to stop thinking about this …was it superstitious nonsense? Where did the line between superstition and hunches go, anyway?

Dash didn’t know why she hesitated, but she felt it too, the pervading sense of wrongness about the hill—she simply saw nothing to explain it. Some missing clouds and a bit of dry land that wouldn’t be swept away by the flood? This was exactly what they needed, and because of that, Rainbow Dash simply decided to ignore the rest. She put one leg forward and strode onto the stone tiles, the first touch of her hoof against unyielding stone echoing strangely—

And that was it. Dash exhaled silently and stepped fully onto the circle. The second and third hoof-falls sounded completely normal to her ears. Her fears were playing tricks on her. The nearby rainfall was still loud, after all. Dash turned to Fluttershy and Rarity and rolled her eyes.

“C’mon, slowpokes, what’re you worrying about? It’s like Fluttershy said. It’s just stone.” She forced a smile and took a few more steps, but though she was still a fair distance away from the spiral in the center, every second she moved closer made her feel uneasy, like Pinkie Pie had given her a jack-in-the-box and she was spinning the handle. Rarity and Fluttershy still looked unconvinced. Rainbow Dash still felt unconvinced, a part of her still tugging her in the opposite direction.

“If you say so, dear,” said Rarity, taking a ginger step forward. Fluttershy cast a nervous glance over her shoulder and hurried to follow when she saw she was about to be left behind, but Rainbow Dash didn’t much feel like going any further.

“You know, here’s good,” said Dash, clearing her throat. “I just wanted to get off the slope so we didn’t roll down into the water while we slept, that’s all.”

“Of course,” said Rarity, nodding quickly. “No sense in walking any further than we have to.” She wasted no time in shedding her saddlebags on the spot, and Fluttershy did the same with her own hastily repaired bags, her eyes on the center sculpture all the while.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but look, either. Now she wondered if it was right to think of it as a stele. That word had been foreign to her not long ago, but the stone shape a couple dozen paces away bothered her. Peryton stele didn’t. Not anymore. She turned her back on the thing to force herself to think of something else, of anything else. She shook her body from side to side, and each droplet of water shed caused a splash and made a tiny pool of murk, and when the wet blanket fell of her back with a loud, wet slap, dust whirled about.

“That won’t dry in a hurry,” said Rarity with a sigh. “Let’s see about… finding something else to lay on, I think. Even the tarp will be softer than the stone itself. I hope you brought back enough fruit yesterday night to tide us over.”

“Yeah, we got a bunch. Fluttershy’s ohron is full of peaches and stuff,” said Rainbow Dash, yawning loudly. Now that the immediate danger was gone, her body wasted no time in reminding her that she hadn’t slept properly in a long while. She hadn’t caught real shut-eye since before they started their last climb up the mountain. “Let’s just go back to bed, yeah? I’m beat.”

“Peaches,” Rarity repeated, cocking a brow. “We didn’t have peaches yesterday. You just brought back the same kinds of fruits we’d eaten while we guested with the Morrowsworn.”

Fluttershy nodded and smiled tiredly, running a hoof through her mane. “It was going to be a surprise for tomorrow—or, today, I guess. We hid them from you yesterday.”

“Well, that’s a lovely thought,” said Rarity, smiling back at her. She shooed Rainbow Dash away, folded the tarp under her, and put it down for bedding in between all their stuff. “I suppose that makes the state of affairs a little bit better.”

Rainbow Dash wasted no time laying back down. The waterproof tarp and the stone wasn’t exactly the height of comfort, and it made noise when she moved.

“Yeah, we have food and water and stuff, but this is probably the worst napping spot we’ve had so far,” Dash said, chuckling. She shifted about, but there was no way to really get comfortable. Adding to that their chaotic sleeping schedule, the weird hole in the sky, the heat, and the strange statue, everything pointed to sleep being a real challenge. And Rainbow Dash loved a good challenge. She spread her wings and tugged at both Fluttershy’s and Rarity’s legs. Both of them still stood around staring at stuff. “Can we think about stuff tomorrow? Or later?”

“I think that sounds like a good idea,” said Fluttershy, blinking heavily. Finally she lay down next to Rainbow Dash, folding her legs under her.

“Mm, we are due some sleep, I believe,” Rarity agreed covering her muzzle to hide a yawn of her own while she lay down as well. “At the very least it is warm enough that we won’t need the blanket right now.” She glanced over at the heap of soggy wool, a glimmer of magic spreading it out across the stone to help it dry faster.

“The… um, blanket-dress thing, that’s still dry, isn’t it?” Fluttershy asked.

“I think so,” Rarity replied.

“That’s good. That’s nice,” said Fluttershy, nibbling on her lower lip with another glance cast over their backs towards the center statue. “I don’t like that thing at all.”

Rarity pursed her lips, staring at the stone thing as she might a particularly distasteful hat. “I don’t think I do, either.”

Rainbow Dash shifted her wings a little, draping them over each of her friends’ backs to rest there. Dash didn’t like the weird hill or anything on it herself either. She just decided that as long as she had Fluttershy and Rarity with her, as long as she exchanged patterns of breath with her girlfriend, she could sure as hay make a good effort of not caring about it.

Rainbow Dash blinked and rubbed at her bleary eyes, careful to avoid touching her bandaged snout. Even before she looked, she could tell that she’d woken last, as was often the case. She lay on the tarp alone with her wings folded, pools of cold runoff water around her legs and her mane still damp. Damp and cold. It was the middle of the night, and straight above, the huge hole in the clouds showed stars, though she couldn’t see the moon from here. All around them, the rain still poured down. Perhaps it didn’t rain quite as much as before. Rainbow Dash rose up and stretched.

“Good evening, dear,” said Rarity. The unicorn sat right off the edge of the tarp, working on repairing her own saddlebags while wearing her very unflattering cotton blanket-dress for warmth. Dash chuckled at the sight.

“Yeah, hey, morning,” said Dash, yawning. “Jeez, how long was I out?”

“Not much longer than the rest of us,” said Rarity, smiling at her. She gestured to the jungle around them with a needle. “As you can see, it’s still raining, so if you’re still tired, you could just go back to bed.”

“Nah. Not tired anymore,” said Dash, shrugging. All their stuff lay spread out around the little area they’d marked as their camp, closer to the edge. She felt her eyes pulled towards the center of the stone circle, but refused to look at the statue. “What’s Fluttershy up to?” she instead asked, gesturing to the pegasus in question. She sat by the very edge of the stone circle, leaning down towards the ground just outside of it, her muzzle nearly touching the dirt.

“She’s… investigating, I suppose?” Rarity said, pausing her work for a second. “I told her that if she was bored, we could talk or play a game or something, but she said she was really curious about this place. Now that you’re awake, though, perhaps the two of you could see what the weather’s like?”

“We can see the weather fine from here, it’s raining,” said Dash, snorting. She clutched her snout, wincing in pain. “Ugh, I have got to stop that. That hurts.”

“I mean for the rest of this place, if it’s letting up, dear,” said Rarity, deadpan.

“I figured,” said Dash, shaking her head, walking towards Fluttershy. “I’ll see what we can do. Hey, Fluttershy!”

“Oh, good morning,” said Fluttershy, looking up. She smiled brightly. “I guess I should really say good evening, or good night.”

“What’re you doing?” Dash asked, frowning at her. “Digging for worms?”

Fluttershy shook her head slowly. “No, but… good guess? I was hoping to find something. To find anything except dust. I checked down by the foot of the hill, and everything seems fine there.”

“Okay? And here?” Dash asked. She stopped right beside Fluttershy, who’d dug a little hole in the ground right outside the stone circle. A pit of dust. Dash poked at the ground herself. The jungle floor didn’t have the dense carpet of grass that the Khosta and the Splitwood did, so Rainbow Dash hadn’t really noticed before now how different the hill was. It wasn’t just bare, it was completely free of grass and moss, but also moisture and any other growth. The only irregularities were stones, twigs and dead leaves.

“Nothing?” Dash said, hazarding a guess.

“Nothing,” said Fluttershy with a shrug, standing up straight and shaking her head to get some dust out of her short mane.

“Which means?”

“I don’t know. That this place is… scary?” Fluttershy suggested, bending one ear.

“Uh-huh, tell me something I don’t know,” Dash replied with a dry chuckle. “Hey, wanna head up and check on things? Rarity wanted to know if the rain’s gonna stop soon, I guess.”

Fluttershy smiled at that and nodded, flexing her wings. “I’ve just been waiting for you to wake up, really.”

“Then let’s go,” said Dash, grinning back. She launched herself into the air with a small whirl of dust and dry dirt, and Fluttershy pulled alongside her even as she ascended, so Dash added a little flair to it, twisting to fly upside-down underneath her, then above her, circling her while they flew, and Fluttershy giggled, watching her go. Within minutes they hit the high cloud-layer, first drawing level with, then pushing through the hole in the sky. Fluttershy broke their ascent and hovered, and Dash pulled a quick loop to rest alongside her.

The rainstorm still covered the north-eastern part of the cauldron, but the clouds moved. Dash felt the east-going wind the second they got above ground level, and the grey mass of rain-clouds shifted towards the dark and distant mountains—but the hole below them persisted. Given a better view from above, Dash watched the clouds flow slowly around the hill, the grey stone circle as dull and dark as any of the moonlit rain-clouds.

“Just like the rivers and the flood-water below,” Dash muttered, shaking her head.

“I’m sorry?” Fluttershy asked.

“The clouds. They’re just… ignoring the hill. It’s like they don’t want to even touch it. What the hay is going on?”

Fluttershy looked thoughtful for a second, and then her eyes widened a touch, her mouth hanging open.

“What?” Dash asked. “What’d I say?”

“No, I—it’s nothing,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head. “I just… I thought those words sounded familiar. Um, do you remember what the heron we met at the fortress ruins said?”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “No! Who remembers stuff like that? I remember creepy, not the words.”

“It said something like… the storm didn’t want to touch it.”

“Okay?” said Dash, frowning. “What does that—oh. Uh. Huh. That’s probably not the same thing, it’s like… like a coincidence. What the hay does this have to do with the birds?”

Fluttershy shook her head again. “You’re probably right, maybe it’s a coincidence. I just remembered.” She smiled faintly.

“Yeah,” said Dash, who had no idea what that’d mean even if it wasn’t. She looked to the west, to where the clouds thinned out. “I guess the rain’s not gonna last much longer anyway. That’s cool.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I’m glad. That means the animals can come back, and that everything’s back to normal soon. I hope they found someplace safe to stay while it rains.”

“If this place is all stormy and rainy often, they probably know what they’re doing,” said Dash, shrugging. “Let’s head back down.”

Fluttershy ducked and dove at a leisurely pace, pulling large circles at the edge of the cloud-hole, and Dash joined her. She could pull some crazy dives some other time. For now, she just glided alongside Fluttershy.

“They know to avoid this place, at least,” Fluttershy said after a while, her eyes on the stones below. “I don’t know what it is, but this place doesn’t feel natural.”

“They probably just want someplace with a… roof? I dunno,” Dash said, shrugging.

“It’s dry and it’s high up. If animals live around here, and it’s a safe place, you’d really think some animals would come here when the water level rose, even if it’s just a lonely jaguar who scares off any other animals.”

“Maybe we scared a jaguar off,” Dash said.

“I don’t think so,” said Fluttershy, clopping her hooves together. “We were really late and slow. There was no one here when we got here. This place—”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “It’s stone. Stone can’t be evil or scary!”

Fluttershy didn’t say anything more, sailing down in silence. Rainbow Dash let out a helpless burst of laughter. “Fluttershy, a few days ago, you and I climbed what’s probably one of the tallest mountains in the world, and now we’re gonna be scared of an ice cream cone made of rock?”

“I’m not afraid,” said Fluttershy, frowning at her. “I’m just… worried.”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Yeah, and I get it, this place stinks, I feel it too, but we can’t do anything about that. Come on!”

Without waiting for a reply, Rainbow Dash angled her descent towards the center of the stone circle, and, just like she’d guessed, or hoped at any rate, nothing happened. She landed next to the spiral sculpture, hooves touching down without any explosions or crazy monsters bursting out from nowhere. She felt a little queasy, but that was probably just because she hadn’t eaten in a long time. Fluttershy landed at her side a moment later, folding her wings, and at the edge of the stone circle, Rarity packed away her tools and walked towards them with one brow raised in question.

“See? Nothing to it,” said Rainbow Dash. On a whim, she reached out to touch the statue, leaning against it. Fluttershy, for her part, leaned in a little closer without doing so.

“They’re letters, or signs,” she said.

“The what?” Dash asked. She let go of the statue. She’d thought the stonework was just detailed, smooth lines following the curves of the spiral to give it texture or something, but Fluttershy was right. Inside every carved line were tiny little symbols, unbroken reams of what might be words. “That’s not Peryton, is it?” Dash asked. Trying to focus on the dots and lines hurt her eyes, and she had a vague feeling that it wasn’t just from trying to read tiny letters in the dark of night.

“I don’t think so. I can’t read Peryton, but it doesn’t look like their letters,” Fluttershy said. She leaned down closer to the base of the statue. “And these are images.”

Rainbow Dash put her head next to Fluttershy’s. A thin band circled the base of the statue, one single unbroken piece of metal. Etched into it were colourless, simple line designs of tall, two-legged birds in various poses.

“Heron,” Dash said, gaping. “You were right. Seriously? Heron, here? Who are they?”

“I don’t know,” Fluttershy breathed. “It just repeats itself. I don’t think there’s anything else. Just the heron doing some sort of dance, and all the strange letters on the statue.” She slowly circled around the statue as she followed the metal band.

“Did you find anything? And why are you inspecting this ghastly thing?” Rarity asked, finally catching up to the pegasi. She glared at the spiral statue.

“I dunno, I just wanted to show the ice cream cone who’s boss,” said Dash, shrugging. “Hey, so we got good news—”

Dash was cut off by thunder. At least, she first thought it was thunder, and that’d make a lot of sense. A rainstorm developing into a thunderstorm? Sure, why not. Thunder wouldn’t make the ground shake, though. She looked to Fluttershy, who was notoriously un-fond of thunder, and found the other pegasus frozen with her hoof on the metal band around the statue, while around the ponies, one of the middle bands of stone tiles halfway between them and their stuff sunk away.

One by one, with a loud rumble, large and flat stone tiles showed that they weren’t tiles at all. Tall stone columns lowered down into the ground with painstaking slowness. A few of them didn’t move at all, one stopped after moving only just a little bit, and the next one sank a little lower. One step at a time, a staircase formed by sinking into the stone.

“What did you do, dear?!” Rarity yelled over the continuous scraping and grinding of stone against stone.

“I didn’t—I don’t know! I just touched the circle and it moved, it’s like a dial, but I didn’t know!” Fluttershy replied, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks. “I didn’t mean to!”

No sooner had Fluttershy spoken than there was a crack, and then a loud crash that shook the ground so hard it shook up dust all around. Rainbow Dash wobbled, and with a last, echoing thrum, the cacophony ceased. The pitter-patter of distant rain returned.

“Okay. This place isn’t getting any less weird,” Dash finally said. She tapped a hoof on the ground, then pointed towards the first step in the staircase that hadn’t been there a minute ago. “Wanna go check it out?”

Fluttershy trotted over to join Rainbow Dash and Rarity, her ears pinned back. “Um, normally, I’d say yes—”

Rainbow Dash raised a brow.

Fluttershy sighed. “Normally, I’d say no, but this time, I really want to say no,” she said.

“I suppose you’ll need me for light,” Rarity said, frowning slightly. “It’s better than not knowing what we’re sitting on top of.”

“Yeah. I need you, and I’ll need to know Fluttershy’s not up here by herself, because hey, this place is freaky enough as it is,” said Rainbow Dash. “Only reason I was fine with flying up to scope out the weather is because we could see you all the time.”

A little white lie, of course. Who needed who was never simple.

Fluttershy sighed. “Okay. I guess we can go have a look.”

But white little lies that worked didn’t count. Dash grinned and trotted towards the staircase. “Cool, let’s go. Whatever’s down there can’t be half as strange as the stuff up here.”

“You’re doing that on purpose,” said Fluttershy, grimacing.

“Okay. Yep, I take it back,” said Rainbow Dash.

Twenty seconds had passed, at most. They were six steps down. The three ponies hugged the left side, which was an unbroken and smooth stone wall. To their right, the stone floor of the circle above ground became both the ceiling and the open space of a great chamber into which they descended. Rarity’s horn-light barely touched the far wall.

“This room must be the size of the entire hill,” Rarity muttered.

“I think this room is the hill,” Fluttershy replied. “Or this hill is the room—whatever.”

“Careful. Missing step,” said Dash. She hopped across a gap that looked like a missing tooth and stepped up to the edge of the staircase on the next plateau, peering down. Rock-dust still whirled in the air around the fallen pillar broken on the tiled floor below.

“And you say you think the heron did this? Made this place?” Rarity asked.

“Oh, I thought you saw,” said Fluttershy. “There were images of them near the statue, or least I thought they were heron, but I could have been wrong. We don’t know that they’ve made this, though—can you make it a little brighter, please?” Their voices echoed loudly as they spoke. Please. Please. Please.

Rarity’s horn brightened a touch as they neared the end of their descent, the room gaining detail. By the very bottom of the staircase, an opening led into the central pillar. Dash thought it was an opening at first glance, at least, but when she stepped close she realised it was something dark and transparent, not open space. A wedge of stone poked out from the center of something solid, and when Rarity rounded the corner and joined Dash at the bottom of the stairs, the light from her horn played across a cracked mass of multicoloured glass, shifting and dancing every time the unicorn so much as breathed.

“Whatever that is, I like it,” said Dash, leaning a little closer. She tried to see how far the glass went, but the cracks made it impossible to tell. For all she knew, the entire central pillar was made of glass except for a layer of stone on the outside—or maybe she had just found a thick window of sorts. Whatever the case, this didn’t look like the sort of damage caused by the passage of time. Someone had gone out of their way to crack and destroy it.

“What happened here?” Fluttershy asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Dash turned away from the strange glass. Fluttershy faced the other way, looking towards the outer circle of the chamber. At the edge of Rarity’s light lay bookcases, tables and other sundry furniture that would’ve been right at home in Twilight’s library, all of it so shattered and splintered Dash thought it was wood at first, but she quickly realised it was dark stone. The monotony of the stone-colour was broken up by pieces that didn’t fit and by splotches of dull and faint colour, like someone had run rampant with a very big but ineffectual paintbrush.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash followed Rarity, who set off at a slow walk around the central column, but there was no way out of the chamber that they could see, and after a quarter-turn, they encountered the fallen pillar. Rarity turned around and started walking the other way, a little further towards the edge, closer to the chaos of broken furniture.

“I don’t know what to say except to repeat Fluttershy’s question, honestly,” Rarity said, shaking her head. “It’s like a library, a lounge, and a laboratory, and someone took serious offense to the furniture and everything else.”

“It’s not just… I don’t think all of this is furniture,” said Fluttershy, her eyes still on the far wall. She tilted her head ever so slightly, and her mane flopped over on the other side, changing the way the shadows fell on the wall. “Those look like the stones on top of the hill outside.”

She pointed to a tall, simple and almost offensively rectangular slab of stone against the wall, next to a fallen book-case. Unlike all the other stone in the room, this one stood untouched except for some splotches of colour, and Dash saw more like it along the wall. She could see four—no, five more, just from where she was standing.

“Okay… so, there was what, twelve of them up there? Wanna bet there’s twelve of them down here?” Dash asked.

“Why?” Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I dunno, if we’re right below them and there’s twelve down here, twelve up there, that adds up to… two times twelve? You’re the one who said they looked like the ones up there!”

“Oh, no, I understood that,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her. “I meant, why do you think that is? But I didn’t think you’d know.”

“Right. So a rhetorical thing,” said Dash. “That’s what they’re called, right?”

Fluttershy giggled. “Was that a rhetorical question?”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Wow, okay, you gotta remember that one for when we get back home, Twilight’s gonna love that joke. Hey, Rari… uh, Rarity?”

Rarity had stopped a small ways behind the two pegasi, staring at the slab of stone they just passed, the unicorn’s face set in a deep frown. “I remember this one, I think,” said Rarity.

“The what?” said Dash.

“The symbol.” Rarity moved a little closer to the slab, and now Dash saw it too. Etched into the stone was a simple spiral with a line bisecting it. It was shallow enough that she’d missed it the first time around, but now that she was aware, Rainbow Dash saw a different symbol carved into the surface of the next stone.

“Where have you seen it before?” Fluttershy asked, her tone soft, hesitant.

“The stones the Morrowsworn used to… de-charge my magic,” said Rarity, with a scowl of distaste. “I remember this one because the flash of light gave me afterimages of it for hours afterwards—except it was the other way around.”

“Like, upside-down?” Dash asked. She stepped up to the stone and reached out to touch it. Just stone.

“No. Inverted,” said Rarity, shaking her head.

“Isn’t that the same thing? You can’t always tell.” Dash shrugged and left it alone, hopping over a broken piece of shelf to rejoin the other two.

“Not quite the same, no, but before you ask, I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean, either,” said Rarity. “There were no symbols like this on the stones outside, at least.”

“I’m glad, really,” Fluttershy replied. “I don’t like looking at those.”

“You’ve noticed too? I thought it was just me,” Rarity muttered. “Not just related to unicorn magic, then.”

Rainbow Dash hopped over an upturned stone table and trotted ahead of the others a little.

“No. But, um, it could just be a me thing,” Fluttershy said, stifling a laugh. “I’m scared of a lot of things.”

“Darling, really,” Rarity said, laughing as well. “If anyone questions your bravery after this trip, they’re clearly not worth listening to.”

Rainbow Dash trotted a little further, following the curve of the central pillar. Pretty soon, they’d come upon the other side of the stair-column thing that fell over, and that’d be it. Nothing more to see here. Broken furniture and a giant mess.

“I just wish something here explained… anything,” Fluttershy said at length, clearly done with the other topic.

“I have to agree,” said Rarity, her voice almost lost around the turn of the curve, echoing strangely. “We have insinuations, suggestions, but no idea what to make of them.”

Rainbow Dash stopped, reached up to touch her still-tender snout, and frowned, staring at the far wall.

“Uh, yeah, we have more than that, actually,” Dash called over her shoulder. “Come on, guys!”

Etched into the stone of the outer wall—or maybe painted, actually, Dash couldn’t tell—were simple images. Crude lines that were neither letters nor arcane symbols, but images that Rainbow Dash had no trouble recognising, even if she couldn’t make sense of their meaning right away.

“Is that… graffiti?” Rarity asked with a vague note of disgust plain in her voice even as she approached. “I suppose it goes well with the rest of the décor.”

“It doesn’t look like that to me. It looks like… a story?” Fluttershy suggested while the three ponies moved close to the wall, together.

Carved, not painted, Dash now decided. Someone had taken a tool to the wall and cut shallow lines into the otherwise smooth stonework, the first picture a simplistic foal’s drawing of mountains to the left, mountains to the right, and flat stretch of land with some bowls on it. Outside stood crude four-legged stick-figures Dash would’ve thought pegasus ponies if not for the V-shapes atop their heads. Antlers, probably.

“Wait, are those supposed to be houses?” Dash asked, squinting.

“The peryton do make many of their houses dome-shaped,” said Rarity. “Why not?”

“Sure, but if those are the mountains—” Rainbow Dash said, pointing to the sides of the scene. “Why are there peryton here?”

Rarity paused with her mouth open.

“They said they came from the Morillyn gorges,” said Rainbow Dash. As much as she liked detective stories and mystery novels, this just made her head spin.

“They probably came from somewhere before they came from the gorges,” said Fluttershy, shuffling her wings on her back. “Maybe that’s here?”

“Well, the next picture certainly doesn’t clear it up,” Rarity opined. A large, simple arrow pointed to the next image on the other side of a fallen book-case.

“Heron,” said Rainbow Dash. “They’ve gotta be.”

The same scene repeated, drawn again, hastily and even shoddier than the last time, but with the addition of tall, two-legged shapes with crooked necks, reminiscent of the heron images on the metal mechanism that admitted them to this place.

“No argument there,” Rarity muttered. Already Fluttershy moved on to the next image, following another arrow to heron and peryton stood facing each other. Above the two peoples were a bunch simple squares, some of them bearing symbols.

“They look like the ones on the stones around here,” said Fluttershy. “But not exactly like them.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged, flapping her wings once to sail onto the next. “Details, whatever,” she called over her back. On the next picture over, the peryton surrounded the same stones, now bearing yet other symbols—Dash thought maybe one or two looked like the ones from the previous picture, but whoever had drawn these clearly wasn’t too concerned with specifics.

“Okay, so, they got some symbols or stones and whatever,” Dash declared, trotting onwards, driven by the arrows. “Then what.”

“Do wait for us, dear,” said Rarity from behind her, glancing at the previous image in passing.

Dash stopped in front of the next one, staring. “Yeah. Uh. Yeah okay. I’m gonna need a second opinion on this one.”

“What is i—oh. Um. I don’t like that. At all,” said Fluttershy when she arrived. She shifted a step closer to Rainbow Dash, swallowing audibly.

The stones were re-drawn yet again, hastier, even sloppier this time, as were the peryton, but Dash hardly noticed. Her attention was on the creature above the scene. A huge and long snake-like monster with two sets of wings. The foal or the cider-loving artist who had created this particular masterpiece gave a lot of detail to its mouth, a huge gaping maw pointing straight up to the sun and the moon.

“Perfectly ghastly. Are we sure this isn’t a foal’s tale?” Rarity remarked.

“I don’t… I don’t know why you would carve that into the stone wall of a scary underground whatever-this-is,” Fluttershy said, her tail-tuft drooping as much as it could.

“Why’s there no sun?” Dash asked, glancing behind them, to the other pictures.

“Darling. It’s night.”

“No, on the other pictures!” said Dash. “There’s no sun or moon in any of the other pictures, but there’s a sun and a moon on this one. Why?”

“Ah. Well, they probably don’t draw anything that isn’t important. These images are hardly very detailed,” said Rarity. “That means the sun and the moon are important in this scene.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Alright, I guess that makes sense.” She hopped off the ground and broke into an easy hover, flying over to the next while Rarity and Fluttershy picked their way around the broken furniture. There weren’t many pictures left at all.

“What the hay?” Dash mouthed. “So… I guess they kicked the monster’s butt? I think that’s the monster.”

Rarity frowned. “I imagine drawing a monster lying down on the ground with whatever simple tools this ‘artist’ used was a challenge.”

The winged snake-thing lay in a heap, and over it, two creatures flew in the air between the sun and the moon and the fallen monster.

“I don’t think those are peryton,” said Fluttershy. She pointed to the two flying stick-figures. “They don’t have antlers. Just one.”

“A horn,” said Rainbow Dash, completing her thought.

“Surely you don’t think—”

“Who else could it be?” Dash asked, her heart racing. She pointed to the shapes bearing simple wings and a single, long horn. “Those are the Princesses! That’s Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!”

“But—” Was about as much as Fluttershy managed before Rainbow Dash zipped over to the next picture. Presumably-Celestia and Probably-Luna still hovered above the broken mess of the monster, except the monster had been cracked in half, and below the Princesses were two new shapes. A long snake and a bird emerged from the defeated monster.

“I’m having a hard time keeping track,” said Rarity with a huff. “Princesses, a monster, and now two more beasts?”

“Beasts, monsters,” Dash repeated, frowning. “I don’t know what’s what, but we’ve met a snake here.”

“You think that’s Odasthan?” Fluttershy asked, pointing to the snake-thing.

“Why not?” said Dash, shrugging. “And I guess the bird’s that other thing. Yelgadar or whatever, the one who’s ruining all the stuff Odasthan has to fix.”

“What do the Princesses have to do with any of that?” Rarity asked, staring at the image.

“Beats me!” said Dash, already following the arrow to the last image, right next to a huge piece of the fallen pillar dividing the chamber. The Princesses hovered over the peryton and the heron this time, and a jagged line was drawn around each of the heron figures. Underneath them all were hatched letters, and below those again, the mountains now contained trees rather than houses.

“Those definitely look like peryton letters,” Fluttershy remarked.

“For all the good that does us,” Rarity muttered. She stared at the chunk of rock pinned up against the wall, masonry cracked and ruined. “Do you suppose there were more, and that the pillar fell on top of it?”

Rainbow Dash trotted closer to the fallen pillar. “I can’t see any arrows or anything.”

“It would be quite the thing if we’re missing the last page of the book, so to say,” Rarity, covering her snout as she sneezed. “Ack, all this rock dust is horrible.”

“Bless you,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her. Rainbow Dash hopped up and flew over the fallen pillar to check the other side, but either the fallen rock covered the rest of the story perfectly, or, as she was more inclined to believe—

“Nah, that’s it!” Dash declared. She landed on top of the fallen pillar and glanced towards the central column. Fluttershy and Rarity still inspected the closest few pictures, graffiti, or whatever it was. A story, definitely. History? A warning? “So… d’you wanna get out of here now? I’m good to get out of here. More than good.”

Rainbow Dash paused only for a second by the strange glass-filled opening before the stair, wondering at the riot of colours whenever Rarity’s light touched it.

“That’s what some of the Perytonian First Stories are about, isn’t it?” Fluttershy asked. “What the pictures told, I mean.” Rainbow Dash looked up, but Fluttershy was talking to Rarity, the two of them ascending the staircase. Rainbow Dash hurried after them, catching some air to land in front and lead the group.

“They said some of those vaunted First Stories were about the Princesses warning the peryton to stay away from the heron, casting them out,” Rarity said, nodding. “And the graffiti suggested something of the same, yes. I don’t know how else to understand it. What I don’t understand is how these monsters play into it.”

“Eh, maybe they’re not important, who knows,” said Rainbow Dash. She paused by the missing step. “You wanna jump this or do you want me to fly you across?”

“Oh please. I can jump a puddle to save a dress during rain season in Ponyville. I can handle a missing step in a staircase,” said Rarity. She hopped across the gap, landing on the other side with a smile. “But thank you, darling. It is very sweet of you.”

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked.

“Hm?” said Rarity.

“Rainbow Dash,” said Fluttershy, pointing to Dash. She flew across the missing step to join the other two. “You said you don’t think the monsters are important?”

“No, I said they don’t have to be,” said Dash, shrugging. “Hey, I don’t believe in this stuff, but Twilight got all angry because she thinks that Daring Do and the Emerald Fan is about friendship and not about fighting the Terrible Worm just because there’s nothing cool about kicking butt in the last three chapters. Something about how all the fighting parts are a ‘metaphor’ for something.”

“Oh,” said Fluttershy. “I don’t know about that, then. We met the serpent in the pictures, if that’s Odasthan. I also don’t know if graffiti is really the best place to do metaphor.”

“Yeah! And the Emerald Fan is about kicking butt!”

“Um. Maybe, but probably not? Twilight really knows her literature,” Fluttershy said with an apologetic smile. “On the other hoof, I don’t think anyone really gets to tell another pony what a book is ‘really’ about.”

“Whatever,” Dash grumped.

“In either case,” said Rarity, lowering the light from her horn a touch as they finally stepped out into the open air again. “The very last picture down there certainly seemed to emphasise the heron, the peryton and the Princesses.”

“I guess, yeah,” said Rainbow Dash. She stepped off the staircase and took a deep breath. The statue in the center of the stone still bothered her. “If we really have to camp out somewhere creepy, I still think I prefer the old fortress. Even if there had been real ghosts in the gorge, I’d like the fortress better. Sure, there was a lot of stuff that didn’t make sense, but at least that was stuff that just… didn’t really matter.”

“Well, um, that’s what we thought,” said Fluttershy with a pained smile. “But that piece of peryton history got us imprisoned and lost in the cauldron, so…”

“Right. Okay. Point,” Dash admitted, flicking her ears. “I just don’t get this mess, and now it’s got the Princesses in it? Let me see if I get this straight—”

“Do you mind if I close the stairs again?” Fluttershy asked. “Sorry to interrupt.”

“Please, do,” Rarity said.

“So, the peryton lived here, and there wasn’t a jungle—”

“We don’t know that,” Rarity said.

“We do! No trees in the first picture!”

The unicorn nodded. “Which might’ve been because it wasn’t important. There will have been omissions. You can’t expect too much from graffiti.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay, they lived here, in what was or wasn’t a jungle,” Dash said, rolling her eyes. “The heron give them a bunch of rocks with swirly bits on them, and they… I don’t get it. This monster comes out of nowhere?”

“I thought maybe they called it. Or they made it,” Fluttershy said from over by the statue. She leaned down and touched the metal band circling the center, dragging it to the side. At once, the rumble of stone started up again, just like before.

“Get swirly stones, get monster. Somehow,” Dash agreed. “And then the Princesses save the day, which is weird.”

“How come?” Rarity called over the grating stone. More and more tiles rose back into place.

“Because when stuff gets weird, they call for help and get their friends to do it, right?” Dash shouted over the loud rumbling. “These days, that’s us, and I bet they had friends back then, too! The only time Princess Celestia ever took matters into her own hooves was when Twilight messed up that spell!” Dash paused. “Okay, more than once, but that’s usually the reason!”

“And the wedding!” Fluttershy said.

“That doesn’t count! That happened in Canterlot,” Rainbow Dash said. “Whatever! Point is, Princesses save the day, and then they tell the peryton to stay away from the heron, probably, because that’s something they tell stories about even today, which is weird because they don’t even remember living here!”

The last of the stone columns pushed up into place, neatly slotting into the stonework, making the floor of the stone circle even once more—except for one missing square where the fallen column would be.

“That part is admittedly a little odd,” Rarity said, lowering her voice to a normal speaking volume again. She started them off back towards their stuff. “But they said they were the first, the oldest stories. I suppose they’ve somehow carried those stories with them all the while, but they don’t contain everything.”

“That’s a little ironic,” Fluttershy said.

“What is?” Dash asked.

“The Princesses told the peryton that the heron are, well, bad news,” said Fluttershy, frowning.

“We’ve just established as much, yes, dear,” said Rarity, poking at their blanket where it lay spread out on the ground. It still made a squish under her hoof.

“And the Morrowsworn left the other peryton because they felt like the others didn’t take the Princesses seriously, or at least that they didn’t think of the Princesses in the same way they did,” Fluttershy continued, waiting for confirmation this time.

“Right,” said Rainbow Dash. “They blame Princess Luna for everything, but they also don’t think the Perytonians like Princess Celestia enough or whatever.”

Fluttershy nodded again, slowly. “And they’re cooperating with the heron. Who the Princesses—Princess Celestia, at least—warned them against.”

Rainbow Dash guffawed with a burst of sudden laughter. “Oh wow. You’re right. They’re doing the exact thing Princess Celestia warned them not to do.”

Rarity snorted. “Surely they… no, they don’t at all realise.”

Fluttershy shook her head quickly. “They don’t, because they think the Aspects are wrong, which means they also don’t like the stories that the other peryton tell.”

“And the whole warning against the heron is something they tell through those stories! Oh my gosh,” said Dash, slapping her own forehead. “This is the biggest bunch of lameness I have ever heard. We’ve got to tell them!”

Rarity raised a brow at that, staring at Rainbow Dash, frozen in the process of retrieving a bag of water. “Really, dear? Really? You think they’re going to be amenable, that they’ll listen to us?”

“They didn’t want to hear anything we had to say before,” Fluttershy said with a sigh. “We offered them to send letters to the Princesses and everything. If we suddenly run in there telling them… well, ponies don’t like being told they’re wrong by somepony they don’t like, and I think the same is true for peryton. Caldesseia got really angry, remember?.”

“Great,” Rainbow Dash said, deflating. “Well, that stinks.”

“You had good news, though?” Rarity asked.

“I did?” Dash asked.

“You said something to that effect when the two of you landed,” said Rarity, nodding. “You never said what it was.” She held out the water, and Fluttershy grabbed a quick drink.

“Oh. Yeah, rain’s passing,” said Rainbow Dash, smiling at that. “We’ll probably be good to go first thing in the morning.”

Rarity smiled back. “That is good news. It would be great news if we knew where we are going. Did you see any other good places to cross the mountains while you were up there?”

“I’m sorry, no. The clouds made it hard to see much, really,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head. She trotted over to where her saddlebags and ohron lay, nosing the latter open. “Peach?”

“I would love a peach, thank you,” said Rarity, smiling at her. Fluttershy bit very gently onto one of the fruits and tossed it her way, the unicorn seizing it in her magic and brushing it against the impromptu dress she wore before she took a bite. Dash shook her head when Fluttershy gave her a questioning look.

“I’m good, thanks,” she said, looking past her girlfriend to the jungle surrounding them. How did anyone get out of this place? There had to be some way to leave the cauldron that didn’t involve the tunnel the Morrowsworn peryton used.

In fact, she knew there had to be a way.

“Wait up. The Ephydoerans complained about the glare beasts, but the other cities didn’t, right?” Dash asked, frowning. “Okay, we don’t know about Cotronna, but…”

“That’s right, dear,” said Rarity, nodding and wiping her muzzle with a damp handkerchief.

“We didn’t really ask, but the other cities didn’t mention glare beasts at least,” Fluttershy supplied.

“Yeah, and we know the glare beasts come from here,” Dash said. “They told us they come from the Bow.”

“Actually, we could be wrong about that. This might not be the Bow, and the creatures we saw might not be glare beasts,” Fluttershy said, but after a moment, she shook her head. “But no, you’re right, probably.”

“Yeah. So, how do the glare beasts get over the mountains? Or through them? Do you think the Morrowsworn give them boats?” Dash asked, grinning at the thought. “No, they have to get through somehow, so there is a way out. Over. Through. Under. Whatever. I don’t know if I believe those flaming little chickens fly over the mountains, really.”

“I’d say… that sounds perfectly sound, yes,” said Rarity.

“I don’t think finding the pass or tunnel they’re using is going to be any easier than finding a way ourselves, though,” Fluttershy said, puffing out her cheeks. “I don’t know it helps, but it’s nice to know.”

Rainbow Dash grunted. “Right. Okay, that’s true,” she said, walking over to sit by her two friends. Rarity stared at her half-eaten peach, turning it around in the grip of her magic with a pensive look.

“We are racking up an awful lot of questions,” Rarity said. “Again. Or still.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Dash said with a chuckle. “When we get out of here, I wanna have a long chat with Princess Luna. There are a lot of things I wanna know.” Her laughter ended abruptly, and her ears lay flat when she realised that was exactly the kind of thing Twilight would say. She was becoming Twilight Sparkle.

“Uh, or not,” Dash hastily added. “I don’t really care. I just mean that she needs to tell us what the hay she and Princess Celestia were up to or something. If they want. Whatever.”

Rarity shook her head. “I was thinking of the serpent. Odasthan seemed perfectly willing to answer questions, even if he likely won’t know about anything outside of the Cauldron.”

“Most of our questions are about this place, really,” said Fluttershy, nodding softly. “They were ever so nice, but I don’t know how we’re going to find them again.”

“Quite sneaky for such a big person,” Rarity agreed. “He did say that we could find him again if we ‘followed the rain’ or some such, but in hindsight, that sounds like a riddle. It doesn’t get much rainier than this, and we have seen neither scale nor snout of him.”

“Neither scale nor snout?” Dash repeated, squinting.

“I’m rather pleased with that one,” Rarity retorted with a sniff and a smile.

“Whatever you say,” Rainbow Dash said with a laugh, wrapping a wing around Rarity and Fluttershy both. “We’ll figure it out tomorrow. Do you guys want to grab a short nap and start early? Sleep on it? Our sleep’s gotten weird.”

“I think that sounds like a good idea,” said Fluttershy, nodding swiftly. “Leaving this hill as soon as the rain stops sounds wonderful.”

Chapter 37

Cal,

You do not answer when I knock on your chambers, but I know you are in there. It is your right as a friend to avoid me if you need time to think, but none have seen you for days. That is your right as our Guide, too. To think, and to meditate before you stake out a course for us to follow. If you need to think, then think. The escape of the Equestrians and all the recent dissent no doubt has your mind busy, and you know where to find me if you wish to speak. I stand by all I said and did during the strife. I long ago swore never to give you false counsel, and those words remain. Now, I think I shall swear never to hold my silence again, either.

That is not why I write this, though. I have yelled this at your door, but still you do not answer, so I put it in letters.

A winter-born came to me earlier today. Alustros of Winter’s Dawn. He claimed he had failed to gain your ear, and knew to ask me in his stead, but he did not explain his purpose—except to ask me to tell you that a Borthessa of Spring’s Song has failed to ‘check in’ twice.

Either Alustros is incompetent, thinking me so stupid that I do not understand, or you have told him I can be trusted. I think perhaps both are mistakes from your perspective now.

An hour’s inquiry has taught me that Borthessa told her friends she was asked to make a long journey the day your previous ‘visitor’ to the Grove returned. Alustros is your spymaster, and you have lost eyes on the Ephydoerans. Lost one of our number. Furthermore, the heron are gone. They left some time yesterday or the day before without a word.

Will you hear my thoughts on the Equestrians now? Are you ready to see reason, or will you cling to the support of those who speak your name the loudest? Koltares asks for your instructions, ready to chase after the Equestrians into the deeps of the jungle. He sits at your absent talon like an overgrown ghor-parrot. It is wrong of him to debase himself so, and wrong of you not to stop him. I think you know this.

Our home and all its kin, all is restless. Your people need you now more than ever.

I need you.

-Vel

Rainbow Dash stretched, yawned, and grabbed another bite of peach while she scratched her side with a wing. Speed was good. Stressing about stuff? Not so much. Instead of either, the three ponies did something in between, settling for the efficient yet unhurried routine that marked most their mornings. Food, water and packing up while they made small talk.

Dash felt something settle around her neck, and then at her back, Rarity fixing the strap of Dash’s saddlebags while Fluttershy secured the ohron.

Okay, perhaps this morning was a touch more hurried than most. In the interest of leaving the creepy statue and its underground chamber behind, Dash didn’t protest in the least. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t finish her breakfast, though. She even opened her eyes.

“I can’t believe we overslept,” Rarity muttered, shaking the considerably less wet blanket out. “Rainbow Dash? Would you carry the blanket again? It’s a lot lighter now.”

“Oh, I can take it,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her. In the glimmer of Rarity’s magic, the blanket folded itself and landed neatly atop Fluttershy’s back. Rainbow Dash let out one final, great yawn and tossed the peach core over her back. As an afterthought, she kicked out with a hindleg right before it hit the ground, sending the seed flying towards the gap in the stone tilework. It disappeared into the darkness left by the missing tile without a sound.

“Score,” said Dash, grinning to herself before she turned to Rarity. “And ‘overslept’? Really? We flew up a mountain. Twice. We all deserve two sleeps in a row, at least.”

Rarity frowned.

“What?” Dash asked. “You don’t—”

“I don’t think you can say ‘sleeps’,” said Rarity, shaking her head. “The rest is quite right, and I agree.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Okay, fine. Long naps? Nights of sleep? Who cares. If what you’re saying is that we can’t get away from this creepy place fast enough, I’m with you, really. Let’s go!”

Rarity had actually already started going, to be fair, but she’d come no further than the edge of the stone circle, four hooves scarcely on the dry and bare soil of the slope before she stopped. Ahead and below, the sunlight had already dried the treetops, and the sky was almost completely clear with not a raindrop in sight.

“I fully support going, but we never really decided on where, did we?” Rarity asked. She opened a saddlebag and peeked inside while she waited for a reply, muttering under her breath. Sigil box, check. Glass jar, check.

“Wherever we’re going, it’s gonna be slow,” said Rainbow Dash. While they’d no longer have to ford or fly across rivers with every step, she could tell the ground was sodden down below. Puddles everywhere, too.

“I thought we agreed that the glare beasts had to cross over the mountains,” said Fluttershy, stepping around Rarity. She pointed ahead and to the side—south, Dash noted.

“Yeah?” Dash asked.

Fluttershy yelped as she started sliding down the hill, her wings out for balance. She brought herself to a halt at the bottom of the hill, breaking her slide against a tree.

“I’m sorry, I thought we talked about it,” Fluttershy called from below. “If they’re having problems with the glare beasts in Ephydoera, and not in Vauhorn or Orto, or not any problems we’ve heard of, that means they probably cross over the mountains somewhere near Ephydoera.”

“With you so far,” said Dash. She leapt into the air and landed on the slope, sliding down the hill sideways, drifting and kicking up as much dust as she could. Her little journey came to a soggy end at the bottom when her hooves sank slightly into the soft soil. She stuck out her tongue and lifted a hoof out of the black soil, dripping with water.

Fluttershy shrugged. “We’ve been going north a lot since we left the Grove. First north from Ephydoera on the other side of the mountains, then north here in the Cauldron. We’re probably far north of Ephydoera, so I guess we could head south. Maybe there are some passes there we haven’t seen.”

Rarity took step after cautious step down the slope, brow knit in concentration and her teeth biting down on her own tongue. Rainbow Dash could already see her start to slide and casually took a few steps sidewards.

“You wanna go south. We came from the south,” said Dash, frowning slightly.

“Ah, no, no, nonono—help me!”

Predictably, Rarity started sliding just as they had. The hill was a lot more amenable coming rather than going. Rarity, despite her dramatics, slid down the hill backwards at a slow walking pace at best. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and extended a wing, cushioning her flank and stopping her descent.

“Oh. Thank you, dear,” said Rarity, breathing out a sigh of relief.

“Uh-huh. You know, you’re not getting away from stepping on the wet muddy ground,” Dash said, grinning.

Rarity turned around, stared at the mushy soil, sighed again and walked on with a wet squish. She stared at her hooves, every step bringing a new flavour of distaste to her expression.

“We’ve been messy for like… half our trip so far,” Dash added.

“Mm, it’s not very muddy, it’s just… icky. Besides, I managed to dry off and restore my coat to a semblance of its usual lustre yesterday, that’s why I’m not exactly looking forward to this.” Rarity shook her head. “Anyway, I have to agree, it feels a little strange to be walking back in the direction from which we came. Not that I can tell we are in fact backtracking.”

Fluttershy nodded ever so slightly. “I just thought that’s what we agreed to do yesterday. It’s just a suggestion anyway. We could probably keep going north if you really want to.”

“Eh, pass. You’re right. All the mountains further north are even taller, and I don’t know what else we’re gonna do. South’s a pretty good idea,” said Rainbow Dash with a shrug and a grin. “There’s gotta be a good place to cross there. There were some way smaller mountains east of where we slept the first night.”

“As long as we can avoid the Morrowsworn, which was why we headed north in the first place,” Rarity added, extracting her hoof from a particularly soft and wet patch of dirt with a loud schlorp. “And assuming we can even get there in the first place. At this rate, that’ll be a while.”

“Heh, yeah, no kidding,” said Rainbow Dash. “Let’s try flying a bit later tonight.”

“Yes. First, we’ll need to get south, and then we’ll… well, start looking, I suppose,” said Rarity. “I do hope you simply missed a particularly low pass. If the little beasts have a different way of crossing, like the Morrowsworn’s strange tunnel, I don’t see how we are going to find it. This would no doubt be difficult even if we knew exactly how these glare beasts get across the mountains.”

“That’s another thing Odasthan could probably tell us about,” Fluttershy agreed, sighing. She stepped over a low branch, her wings flaring up to keep their blanket from falling into the soaked soil.

Dash nodded. “Uh-huh. And as much as I don’t like to say it, he was super fast, too. Way faster than us, and he doesn’t have to go around trees and hills and stuff. We can’t even see where we’re going half the time. Speaking of which, I’m just gonna head up and check where we are.”

Fluttershy giggled. “I can still see the hill right behind us, there,” she said, pointing with a wing. Dash glanced over her back, and sure enough, they hadn’t even lost sight of the dry slopes of Creepy Hill.

“Right, okay,” Dash said, her cheeks itching. “Maybe it’s a little early. I’ll check in a bit.”

It was going to be a long day. She could tell.

“It’ll dry alright, I’m sure,” said Rarity, letting go of the blanket, folding it and putting it on top of Fluttershy’s back once again. “We’re lucky. With this humidity, it’s a miracle that any of these fabrics survive. The mark of quality, I suppose.”

“That’s good. I don’t know what we would do without that blanket, really,” said Fluttershy, letting out a sigh of relief. “We really do need to thank Ligilia for it again sometime.”

“And tell her of all the places the blanket’s been,” Dash added with a raspy chuckle. She reached out to touch it. It was a little damp and dusty both at once, but that was the worst of it. She ducked under a particularly adventurous root curving up into the air, her saddlebags nearly snagging on it. They made slow progress, but progress nevertheless. One moist, ridiculously warm step at a time. Rarity turned them slightly off their course and sat down on a flat stone that looked dry enough, wordlessly calling for a break. Rainbow Dash followed, and Fluttershy retrieved a half-full bag of water while she sat down.

“What about your own fabrics?” Fluttershy asked before biting down on the stopper. She opened it with a loud pop and gave it to Rainbow Dash, who gulped it down gratefully.

“I only have a few small rolls of silk left,” Rarity mused, glancing at her own saddlebags without opening them. “They survived the crash and the rain more or less intact, but I don’t quite know what I want to do with them. I honestly feel like I could make a dress. I think I’d like to. It’s hardly the place or the time for it, though.”

Dash gave the water back to Fluttershy, trading it for a peach. “Why not?” she asked. “You could probably whip up something before bed or whatever if you just wanna make something for fun.”

Rarity smiled. “Because I don’t feel like making something specific. I’d rather let my creativity run loose, and that’s something I do best when I’m comfortable.” She paused for a draught of water from the bag Fluttershy offered, smiling her gratitude, but she didn’t go on right away, glancing skywards instead. The sun pierced the jungle canopy, a blinding shaft of light touching the ground nearby.

“Right now, a glass of cold apple cider in my studio would be perfect,” the unicorn added. “Perhaps Applejack for company. She’s wonderful to work with, whether she feels like keeping quiet or talking about her day. I think I could make a wonderful dress with her body shape right now. Never mind the silks. I would work with… satins. Mm, yes.”

Rainbow Dash caught Fluttershy looking at her, and she smiled back at her girlfriend, stifling a chuckle she didn’t know the source of. Nothing about what Rarity said sounded ridiculous, really. She sounded dreamy, almost, talking about dressmaking the same way Rainbow Dash felt about lazing in her cloud-home right now.

The thought hit her like someone had tapped her on the chest with a hoof not ungently, the realisation that for the first time since she stepped onto the train to Las Pegasus, she felt really homesick. She’d love nothing more than to be back home in Ponyville, sharing a completely normal day with her friends, and with Fluttershy. To see what was different. A week or two ago, things hadn’t been the best, and she’d been glad of the distractions provided by this crazy place. Now, she felt good, and she could go for a slice of Ponyville. Or Cloudsdale. Or Canterlot. Wherever her friends were. Wherever Fluttershy was.

“I’d probably make her a matching hat as well,” Rarity added in a murmur. “Not to bother poor Applejack with more ‘frou frou fashion nonsense’ than I must, of course. It’d mostly be to make up for the atrocious lack of hats in this particular excursion. I rather suspect I know what Applejack would like in a hat by now, at any rate, and I could use any spare material to spruce up Twilight’s old dress.”

“I think that sounds wonderful,” Fluttershy said in a low voice. “I’m sure you’ll have all the time in the world to invite Applejack over when we get back home, you know.”

“Oh, I’m certain.” Rarity blinked, as though she woke from a dream, her eyes widening a touch. “Oh. Oh, but you mustn’t think I’m ungrateful for your modelling services here in Perytonia, either!”

“We didn’t,” said Dash, arching a brow. She glanced over at Fluttershy, who shook her head quickly.

“Never!”

“Good!” said Rarity, sighing. “Good. It’s simply, well... that’s six dresses made specifically for pegasus ponies—or rather, for particular pegasus and peryton concerns—all in a row, and this is hardly a place for dressmaking.” She frowned mightily at the jungle all around them as though she only now realised they were, in fact, in the wilds. Rainbow Dash grinned.

“Sure about that? You did make one dress here in the jungle. That yellow one? From the blanket?”

“I’m not quite sure what you mean,” said Rarity with an arch look and a sniff. “If you mean the dress we found under a rock, that one is clearly not my design.”

Fluttershy laughed first. A tiny snort and a giggle that set them all off, including Rarity, laughter echoing among the trees for a while until it trailed off into the relative silence of the jungle—meaning the sharp chatter of birdsong and a hundred other noises. “How about the two of you?” Rarity finally asked. “There are a lot of things we can’t exactly do while we spend all day travelling. What would you rather be doing?”

“We’re travelling, flying, eating weird fruit, and exploring creepy ruins,” Dash corrected her. “We’re doing lots of stuff here.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” said Fluttershy, deflating a little, sinking down until she nearly became a part of the rock—but though her ears wavered, she smiled all the same. “I worry about the animals back home, but I think I’m happy right here, really,” she said. “I wouldn’t mind not running for our lives or trying to escape for a change, though. I’m sure I could think of something else I’d like to do.” Her eyes slipped to her own saddlebags for a second before she shook her head.

Rainbow Dash stretched her neck left and right, looking away quickly, before anypony asked her what she wanted to do. She could do without admitting she just wanted to hang out with her friends, or that she wished her snout was healed so she could rub it along the ridge of Fluttershy’s short mane. Mushy stuff later. Right now, her wings itched.

“I’m gonna head up top to make sure we’ve actually gone south and that we’re not getting off course,” said Rainbow Dash. “You guys wanna wait here or come with?”

Fluttershy shook her head and smiled. “If you’re just checking our direction, I’ll wait. I’m a little tired, sorry.”

“That’s cool, back in a sec,” said Dash, waving a hoof and taking off. She didn’t blame Fluttershy one bit. She felt the heat wash over her the second she punched through the canopy, and her wings sagged mid-beat when she held a stable hover not far above the treetops. The sun was at the exact peak of its journey, and it didn’t get much hotter than this. She’d have to be quick.

North? There. Freaky hill? Probably one of the lumps way over there. Mountains? Yep. Looks familiar. They had stayed on course south, slower than ever. The last of the rain-clouds had long since dispersed, and the Cauldron was bare sky all around except an errant few clouds not too far off in the distance. She was about to head back down when she noticed one of the clouds fading from view, and another one slowly forming.

With the heat sapping her strength, she didn’t really have the energy to facehoof properly. She just angled her wings and cut a sharp descent back down to her friends. Of course.

“People know your regular mane-style really well,” Fluttershy was saying, her voice carrying amidst the trees. “But I’m sure they’ll still recognise you.” She giggled.

“Of course, dear, but at this point, some of my very brand in Ponyville is attached to my appearance,” said Rarity, touching her own mane. “If we come traipsing back into Ponyville like this, well, look at us. We look like adventurers. I’ll never be taken seriously again! Of course, this assumes we ever get back.”

“Oh, don’t say that!” Fluttershy scolded her.

“I know what he meant!” Rainbow Dash shouted. She landed with a wet squelch.

Rarity yanked the peach she nibbled on out of the way, and Fluttershy grimaced as she caught the worst of the splash from Rainbow Dash’s landing.

“Welcome back?” Fluttershy said, wiping her chest with a foreleg.

“We’re so stupid!” said Dash, pointing southwest with a wing. “He’s that way.”

“Who? The serpent? Did you see him?” Rarity asked, slipping off the rock to stand. “Darling, one bit at a time. How—”

“He said to chase the rain! Every time we’ve hit the air, there’s always been a few clouds about. Nothing much, just a few, right? Back me up here, Fluttershy!” said Dash, grinning. “I get it.”

“Um, I guess, yes,” said Fluttershy, frowning back at her. “I don’t know if they were rain, really, but it’s rare for the sky to be completely cloudless. There are usually a few clouds around here.”

“Not usually. Always. There’s only ever one set, and they’re moving!” said Rainbow Dash. “And yeah, they’re barely rain clouds at all. Remember when Odasthan gave us a ride? The feather-light showers following him all around? That’s him.”

“Oh,” said Fluttershy, blinking.

“I… haven’t seen this,” said Rarity, her brows high enough that it seemed they would fly off on their own. “But hearing it, this makes sense.”

“Of course it does! Come on—he’s heading north! If we head west from here, thattaway, we can probably catch him!” said Rainbow Dash. “All in favor of seeing if we can get a ride? Come on, let’s go!”

They didn’t waste more than a minute re-packing and setting off, but once they were moving again, the need for haste Dash felt couldn’t really speed them up much. Between the heat and the soft ground, they were back to a crawl. Rainbow Dash made a point of walking a little faster than usual, always a half-dozen steps ahead of the others to try to hurry them up a little.

“You’re very… enthusiastic about wanting to see Odasthan again,” said Fluttershy, who clearly noticed. She passed by the root Dash perched upon.

“Sure,” said Dash, shrugging. She hopped down and trotted ahead again.

“I’m glad, myself,” said Rarity, smiling. “Even if all the assumptions we’ve made are correct, we’ve amassed quite a few questions, such as what the Princesses really did here, if they really came to this awful Cauldron-place.”

“Or what really happened in that chamber,” said Fluttershy with a barely-suppressed shudder.

“And if ‘Yelgadar’ is the big bird in the picture, or if she’s the monster,” said Rainbow Dash.

“I think that is rather clear, really,” said Rarity, cocking a brow. “The big monster was clearly defeated, so the bird-creature must be this Yelgadar person. Creature. Whichever.”

“Well, that’s really just another assumption we’ve made,” Fluttershy chimed.

“Yeah, and if Yelgadar is burning stuff up all around the jungle and they’re always fighting, that makes her sound more like a monster than a creature,” Dash said, nodding.

“I don’t know that I feel I even understand those words anymore,” said Rarity with a sigh, her magic lifting some ferns out of the way while she passed. “Creature. Monster. I am going to call Odasthan a ‘he’, and I’d rather not call anyone a ‘monster’ unless I have to. Let’s just give the word ‘creature’ a rest as well.”

“Semantics,” said Fluttershy, nodding and smiling.

“What?” said Dash, squinting.

Fluttershy shrugged. “Talking about the meaning of words.”

“Yeah. That’s what I’m asking,” said Dash, kicking off into a short-lived hover, flying backwards. “What does it mean?”

“‘Semantics,’” said Rarity. “The word means… well, it concerns itself with the meaning of words.”

“There’s a word that means the meaning of words,” Dash repeated, touching down. “Wow. That’s… the dumbest word I know now, thanks.”

Fluttershy giggled. “You’re welcome.”

Rarity perked her ears and slowed down to a halt, stopping the pegasi as well. Now Dash heard and felt it too. The gentle rumble that presaged the great serpent’s coming.

“I thought he was really far away,” Dash muttered as a single, nearly weightless little drop of rain touched her snout, somehow finding its way through the trees. She hadn’t really thought they would manage to intercept Odasthan, judging by his course, figuring she’d have to take to the air and chase him down later in the evening or something, but a great shadow wound its way between the trees in their general direction before they had even started their ‘chase’.

“Now I know,” said Rarity, lowering her voice a touch while she unfolded their tarp and put it over Dash’s back, shielding their still moist blanket. “I think my first question, the most burning query in my mind, is ‘can you turn off that rain?’, because I’ve had quite enough of it for a while.”

::I can no more cease the waters than you can will your great hearts not to beat, but I am glad to have two visits in such short a time.::

Dash grinned. “Hi again. You heading south soon? Can we catch a ride?”

“Also, um, we have some questions. If you don’t mind,” Fluttershy added.

::Your flight across the mountains did not go well, then,:: the strange voice echoed in Dash’s mind. ::Or have you found a promising path and come to say goodbye?:: Try as though she might, Rainbow Dash struggled to give it character except ‘not Rainbow Dash’. Neither harsh or soft, the voice was just there.

“I wish,” Dash said, shaking her head. “Nah. We tried. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but those mountains are really tall. There’s barely any air up there. It’s crazy.”

“We didn’t really ‘notice’, either, actually,” said Fluttershy giving Dash a flat look. “That’s why we crashed.”

“Point.”

“We think we have some plans at any rate,” Rarity added, smiling beatifically. “You’re sure taking us a little further south is not an inconvenience for you?”

::I follow patterns and purpose. Right now, they allow for south. I do not have ‘inconvenience’. I have right and wrong directions, and if this day did not allow for south, I would not have gone south. Do not worry about me and my labour.::

And south they went, straighter than the serpent had ever moved during their first little journey on his back. The three ponies sat on his muzzle, as comfortable as they could be on the hard scales, with the drizzle refreshing in Dash’s face, and the wind whipping her mane behind her.

“What happened here?”

Fluttershy’s words. No preamble, no lead-up, no explanation. The pegasus licked her lips, staring into the great serpent’s orbs. Dash couldn’t tell if Odasthan looked back at her or not, but his reply was immediate.

::Much has happened here, and most of it I have seen. All of this I remember. I also remember that barely a tilt of the wheel of seasons ago, you asked me another question, and I explained to you that I cannot tell you all.::

He paused. Fluttershy looked to Rainbow Dash, and Dash didn’t know what to say or do except shrug.

::In fewer words, you must be more specific,:: Odasthan said, a trace of mirth invading Dash’s thoughts alongside the words.

“We found a… room,” Fluttershy said. “Under a hill. Right north of where you found us, there’s a hill with a statue—”

“Shaped like an ice cream cone,” Dash supplied.

“I don’t think they make ice cream for dragons,” Rarity said, scoffing. “How would he know what an ice cream cone looks like?”

“He’s not a dragon!” Fluttershy said. She paused, blushed ever so faintly and drew breath. “There’s a hill with a spiral statue, a little bit like Rarity’s horn, and we went inside it. We found a… picture story, and I don’t know if we understood it right. Do you know anything about it?”

::Little,:: said Odasthan, lapsing into silence. Dash remembered that the serpent was given to silence while thinking, so she counted to ten before she asked.

“Little what? You know the hill or you don’t, right?”

::The hill is older than I am.::

Glances exchanged again. Rainbow Dash tried to wrap her head around that. Odasthan knew or had known the Princesses, and from what Dash now understood, the Princesses had been here before, but it had to have been a long, long time ago, and if this hill was older than that? No, she decided. She couldn’t, in fact, wrap her head around that.

“But you’re super ol—”

“I understand it’s perhaps a little insensitive to ask,” said Rarity, raising her voice to drown out Rainbow Dash. “But you said you were quite a venerable personage yourself.”

::Compared to some, I am, but compared to myself, I am my own age, and I have spent more time in my own company than I have in yours.::

Dash squinted. “That’s not an answer at all.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “It’s okay. You don’t have to answer, really,” she said, clearly trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice. “The place was really confusing, so we just thought we’d ask. Sorry.”

::It is not for a lack of desire to answer that I am quiet,:: the serpent replied. ::I am trying to remember anything you may want to know, but… I have many memories.:: Those last few words carried a heavy weight as they were planted into Rainbow Dash’s mind, leading into another short pause. Dash sat still, watching the jungle whisk by below, while the mountains all around them barely seemed to move at all.

::Perhaps you should tell me what you found inside this hill.::

Telling the story as they had read it shouldn’t have taken very long at all, but with all the minor disagreements on what the pictures meant, the ponies had to settle for describing the images as they had seen them, from the valley—without a jungle, as Dash insisted—to the heron, the peryton and the two princesses in the very last image.

“We don’t know that they were the Princesses, though,” Fluttershy cautiously added at the end. “I mean, they probably weren’t, really—”

“I told you, Luna’s basically told me she’s been to Perytonia before, and we know Celestia warned the peryton against the heron,” said Dash, throwing her hooves up in the air.

“Perhaps,” said Rarity. “We’re fairly sure they’ve met with the peryton before, even though that is a lot of conjecture, guesswork and the words of people we really did not get along with. We of course have this gentle… gentle-serpent? We have our kind chauffeur's insistence she met them, of course—” she said with a gesture to the silent serpent who glided through the jungle with barely a sound. “But we don’t know that they came here, exactly.”

“Ugh, you’re doing the Twilight thing,” said Dash, sticking out her tongue. “All ‘well, technically’ and stuff.”

“Well, we don’t know, that’s why we’ve asked, um,” said Fluttershy, pointedly looking past Rainbow Dash and Rarity to the other end of the serpent’s head. “I’m sorry. Are we being loud?”

::I was thinking. And I enjoy listening to you speak.::

Fluttershy smiled brightly. “That’s nice. I’m glad.”

“You should come to one of Pinkie’s parties, or Applejack’s next Barn Slam,” Dash said with a chuckle. “It doesn’t get livelier than that, but I guess you don’t get a week off anytime soon, huh. That’s the story, anyways. Do you know it? Because you’re in it. You and the bird you’re always fighting or whatever.”

::Your words worry me. You misunderstand. We do not fight. We co-exist. We are opposites, we undo the work of the other, but in our differences, we create what neither of us could bring into existence separate.::

“Fine, okay, whatever,” said Dash, waving a hoof. “But the story—”

::Is accurate. That is how Yelgadar and I came into being. Celestia and Luna brought down the Fell, and from its core they made us.::

“Made,” Dash said. The word bounced off her head and escaped back through her mouth, failing to find purchase. It didn’t fit anywhere.

“I don’t understand,” Fluttershy said, her voice faint.

“You don’t mean—” said Rarity, interrupting herself, never finishing her sentence.

“They’re your moms?” Dash blurted.

Odasthan’s ethereal laughter echoed in Rainbow Dash’s thoughts long enough for her to blush and regret saying it. ::No,:: he said. ::Not in a way as you know it. From the Fell, we were made. Something better, something with a purpose instead of what came before. Creation and the cyclical instead of destruction and the consumptive. They were different times. I do not know I can put it into terms that you will find easier to understand now. From what I have seen of the world, even during the time of the Curinion, the terms of this world changed.::

“You mentioned that before. The Curinion. Who or what is that?” Dash asked, grasping for something, for anything to frame all these words and thoughts. Everything Odasthan said felt weird, disconnected, like it had nothing to do with them—or the Princesses she knew.

::A friend. I prefer not to speak of it. It is not relevant. Not related.::

And that certainly didn’t help.

“But this means you know of the heron,” Rarity pressed.

“If this was how you were born,” Fluttershy added. “Then what happened afterwards with the heron and the peryton leaving this place...” she said, looking pointedly to the side, to the dense jungle and the mountains surrounding them. “Did you, um, well… experience that? Do you know anything about it?”

::I know not to engage with the heron more than I must. It has been a very, very long time since any of them came near, so I think they must know we are done with each other. And why would they come here? What would they want with me?::

“What do they want with anyone?” Rainbow Dash asked, frowning. “No one's ever explained that to us.”

::I wonder if even they know their own agenda. Neither Yelgadar nor I can help you. Celestia and Luna told us what they knew when they taught us. They told us to be wary.::

“The same thing they told the peryton,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head. “It’s just like the First Stories that the peryton tell. It really doesn’t make it more clear.”

::Then you misunderstand. It is as clear as a droplet of rain, there simply is no more to tell.::

“Uh. No? There’s way more to tell. Like the creepy underground room? The weird glass and the symbols?” Dash said. “How do you explain that?”

Odasthan shrugged. Shrugs didn’t usually make sound, but then, Rainbow Dash didn’t usually speak with people who put words into her head either, so now she heard a shrug.

::I meant the heron themselves. Your guesses were correct and the pictures are clear, simple even though I did not see this for myself. The heron brought the peryton the tools to bring forth the Fell and goaded them into its creation. From the Fell sprung Yelgadar and I. Had Celestia and Luna not come, the Fell would have devoured the mountains and all within them. That is the craft of the heron, and what Celestia then called the final straw for her to banish them.::

“Oh,” said Rainbow Dash, who still didn’t think that was very clear or simple, but she certainly caught the gravity of the serpent’s words. She felt a lump in her throat even while she wondered if she really believed this. Maybe the problem was that the words were too simple for what he had said. Fluttershy’s face was ashen, and Rarity frowned deeply.

“When you say ‘devour the mountains’, that is a metaphor for what, exactly?” Rarity asked.

::It is not a metaphor.::

“I see,” said the unicorn. She let out a deep breath and retrieved their last bag of water, taking a long drink before she levitated it over to Rainbow Dash. “Next time we pass a river or something, would you fill it? Thank you.”

“Yeah. Sure,” said Dash.

The sun continued its journey, and for a while, the three ponies sat in silence atop Odasthan’s muzzle, carried along effortlessly. With some pleasure, Dash noted that they were moving really fast now. She recognised the first pass they had tried fall behind them far to the east. Once, Odasthan let them off to collect some food and water, mentioning a very bountiful grove. He circled the area once before he returned to pick them up again.

Maybe he was glad for their company even in the relative silence that followed. Dash had no way of telling, and she was glad herself—he was big enough that if he tried to smile, they’d probably fall off their perch. The serpent hadn’t asked them where they were going. ‘South’ was good enough for all four of them for the moment, it seemed. Four, plus the small flock of colourful birds that trailed them ever since their little foraging break. Fluttershy had said hi, and that was enough for the birds to want to follow for a little while, darting about in the air behind them. Dash thought she caught the great serpent’s eyes moving once, turning to look at their play.

The quiet had held long enough, though. Dash imagined the others were busy thinking about all these musty words and thoughts about the distant past. Dash resolved she would ask Luna about it when she got a chance, but that was all she could really do, wasn’t it? She still had more questions, and for all she knew, the way out of the Cauldron could be behind them. They needed to ask about that soon—and there was one other question she was surprised none of her friends had asked.

“What about the peryton?” Dash asked. They would be further to their east, and a little south. She thought she recognised the mountains over there, where the Bow was at its lowest. Somewhere over the hills and past the trees was the city where they had spent days in captivity.

::Hm?::

“There were peryton here before, right? If the peryton made this Fell thing and then kicked the heron out or something, why did they leave this place and head over to Perytonia? Was this Perytonia before?” She frowned, mentally bracing for some more ‘simple’ words that turned everything she knew on its head.

::They left. Though it has always been thus in my time, I also know this place was not always the Cauldron of Storms. Once Yelgadar and I started our work, the weather here made things grow quickly. I understand that made this place a poor home for others.::

Or not. Maybe some things were simple. At least there was a win for Dash here. “Told you there wasn’t a jungle here before,” said Dash, grinning at Rarity. Rarity rolled her eyes, and Fluttershy giggled.

“I guess the graffiti artist put a lot of effort into their work after all,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head. “What about the peryton who live here now? Do you know them?”

“Oh yeah. The Morrowsworn. Do they bother you? Do you bother them?” Dash asked, tilting her head sideways. “I mean, if you know everything that happens here, you know you have a bunch of jerks living right over there, don’t you?” she waved a hoof in their general direction.

::They rarely venture deep into the jungle. Sometimes I notice that they have visited Yelgadar’s paths to collect ashes, but they have not tried to speak.::

“That’s a shame. If you were friends, maybe you could just… convince them to let us through,” said Fluttershy, sighing.

“Yeah. Those mountains are way, way smaller,” said Dash, scratching gently at her itching, aching snout as she considered them. The peaks to the far east were about the height of the first pass, which was to say still ridiculously tall, but the lowest passes looked a lot more manageable. Hard to say for sure from here, but they didn’t look like they held a candle to the northern passes.

“I don’t suppose you feel charitable enough to fly us over there and let us over the mountains?” Rarity asked with a hopeful smile. “I imagine they’d think twice about bothering us if we fly over their city with you.”

::I would rather not force myself into their lives. They are new to this place, and they manage to live in peace with the Cauldron.:: The great serpent banked ever so slightly side to side, swaying and moving a touch more snake-like for a while as he cut through the jungle, the ponies barely shifting at all on top of his muzzle. ::It is impressive. I do not wish to ruin a good thing. They are a good thing.::

“Good?” Dash said, snorting. “Yeah, I don’t know about that.”

“The Ephydoerans in Perytonia below fight the things that come from the Bow,” said Fluttershy, fidgeting. “And the Morrowsworn live up here with no—well, we don’t know that they live here without problems, but they seem to be doing okay.”

“They’re not self-styled ‘warriors’ like the Ephydoerans, at least,” Rarity remarked, shaking her head. “I don’t know if I feel that absolves them, but I can see how they’re different.”

::You’ve mentioned other peryton before,:: the voice in Dash’s head said, sounding a little more lively and alert now. Less of a storyteller, more engaged. ::More of the Curinion’s people still live over the eastern side of the Cauldron?::

“Yeah. They’re way different from the guys up here, heh,” said Dash.

“They’ve bred apart for a thousand years, dear. The more I think about it, I’m surprised that there are any similarities at all,” Rarity said, her eyes on the same eastern mountains as Dash’s own.

“They still keep in touch. Or, keep eyes on the others, at least,” Fluttershy said, shifting her wings on her back. “I bet they could be friends if they tried, really. They’re only trying to do what they think is right.”

“We discussed that, dear,” said Rarity, lowering her voice a touch. “There’s not much we can do about what they believe.”

“Whatever. Right now, I wish they’d just look away for long enough for us to get out of this place,” Dash said with a grunt. “Maybe we should just try sneaking past them to see if we can find that stupid tunnel they used to get us up here.”

::A tunnel? If there is a way out, and you seek to get out, why haven’t you used it?::

“We’re not on speaking terms with them, really,” Rarity explained with a sniff.

::Ah.::

“Yeah,” said Dash, frowning. “It’s dumb. Whatever, we don’t know if they patrol the area. I don’t know if they can even catch us if we just fly as fast as we can past them, over them. Maybe we should just try.”

“We underestimated the mountains before. Even if the mountains there aren’t nearly as tall, the slopes are really long. We’d have to stop to rest,” said Fluttershy. “I don’t… I don’t know if I like taking the chance. They had those strange heron stones that ruined Rarity’s magic. Maybe they have something else, too.”

“I have to agree,” said Rarity, shaking her head. “If there are any other options, I’d rather explore that, first.”

Dash stuck out her tongue and exhaled loudly, even though she agreed. They didn’t really have any other plans or options, they just had a vague idea.

“Yeah, so, the whole fire-chicken thing,” said Dash. “And the thing we really meant to ask about, since we’re talking about getting out of here.”

“You’ve seen a chicken, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy retorted. “You know they weren’t chickens.”

“Our other plan was to follow these glare beasts, or ‘gadar-spawn’ if you like,” said Rarity, turning to the serpent. “Now, I understand you said you don’t leave the Cauldron, but these little burning creatures certainly do. They’re causing all kinds of mischief down in Perytonia, to hear the Ephydoerans tell the tale.”

::I did not know that, but even if I am surprised, I think it is like weather escaping the Cauldron—hm. No.:: Odasthan paused briefly. ::The weather bringing life to the continent is the purpose of the Cauldron. The spawn leaving the Cauldron, that is… perhaps an accident. Horn trimmings falling between the cracks. I do not think there is a solution to that.::

“Yeah, we’re not trying to fix that,” said Dash, shrugging. “We were just thinking of finding out where they go. Unless those chickens fly over the mountains even we couldn’t get through, they’ve gotta have some sort of secret passage or whatever.”

::Perhaps.::

Fluttershy rubbed at a foreleg with the other. “You haven’t seen any secret passages, have you? I don’t remember if we actually just asked you if you know of any way out of here, we just told you how we’re trying to get out of here.”

::I would have told you when first you mentioned seeking to leave. No. I am sorry. If you wonder about the spawn, you would have to ask Yelgadar herself.::

“I was afraid you would say that,” Fluttershy said, sighing and curling her tail about her body as much as she was able—barely touching her own flank with her short little snippet of hair. Dash chuckled and reached out to rub her side with a hoof to repair her frown a little bit. Sure, Fluttershy sounded about as enthusiastic about the prospect as she did whenever storm season draft rolled around, but she didn’t shy away, and that counted for something. Dash reached out with a wing to wrap around her adventurous girlfriend, too.

“Then I suppose we’re going to go see the big bird who is probably on fire,” Rarity said with a shake of her head. “I don’t suppose we could trouble you for directions?”

::I hear despair in your voices. Again you must understand that our differences do not make her the enemy. Long ago when Tadar the Elder wandered into the Cauldron, he confided that he found her more agreeable than he did me. It is not so simple. Yelgadar and I were set into motion long ago, and ever have we been this way.::

“But she’s on fire?” Dash asked.

::Well, yes. She is very much on fire.::

Evening had already come, so they travelled part-way into the night. Not wanting to get their poor blanket any more wet than it already was, Rarity put on her simple travelling dress for warmth, and the three ponies ate and drank on the move. Fluttershy apologised for the spills despite Odasthan’s assurances that he neither felt anything nor minded the crumbs and fruit juice soon washed away by the rain.

Rainbow Dash noticed a change in the jungle below them. The trees were always verdant, green and lively where the serpent swam through and between their branches and leaves, but a little further out, away from the swath of green left in their passing, things looked different. Patches of burnt and hollowed-out trees. Groves of ash, and once, a dried-out riverbed with both banks scorched and blackened.

When the serpent slowed, the moon shone through the wispy clouds that ever formed above his body. Rainbow Dash hadn’t known he could go any slower. He only ever seemed to move at one speed. Now, with the ponies still on his head, he moved in slow, large circles, creating a vibrant patch of green in a mostly desolate part of the burnt jungle.

::This is as close as I will go to the other side of the Cauldron. Any more and I will interrupt the planned cycles with a storm not warranted. Yelgadar will be confused about this incursion already, and I have made much work for her.::

“How do we find her?” Fluttershy asked, her tone suggesting she very much hoped that the answer would be “you don’t”.

::You wait for a night when she is ascendant and follow her flame.::

“And without the riddles?” Dash asked, raising a brow. “Because the whole ‘follow the rain’ stuff was stupid.”

::I am sorry you think so,:: Odasthan replied. ::You follow her flame. I do not know how much simpler I can make this. Perhaps I do not understand things as you do.::

“Ah. No, I see,” said Rarity with a pained grimace. “Because she’s the huge fire we could see from all the way across the Cauldron. You mean it literally.”

::As I meant for you to follow the rain literally, and you did. You understand. You also doubt yourself much, you three.:: Rainbow Dash heard an echoing laugh in her mind. ::Another sense in which you remind me of Celestia and Luna.::

Dash laughed right back. “Doubt? The Princesses?”

“I don’t know that the Princesses struggle with that,” said Fluttershy, clopping her hooves together. Rarity’s face was blank, one brow raised a smidge, but she said nothing.

::Perhaps times have changed,:: the serpent said, still pulling the great circles. ::I noticed the moon changed recently, however. I can tell they are as busy as ever.::

“Uh, yeah, that was kinda our fault, actually,” said Dash, scratching her head. “Whoops.”

“If you don’t mind, um, there’s something you said that I’ve been wondering about, actually. Before we leave,” said Fluttershy, her wings tight to her body.

::Yes?::

“You said you thought the Princesses would think you were… ‘details’. Why would you say that?” Fluttershy asked.

::Because they do much. Or did much. Some change the world more than most, while others change little. They are the former as are you. Yelgadar and I are the latter. Do not think that I am unhappy about this—but when you return to wherever they stay now, will you tell them that Yelgadar and I said ‘hello’? I think of them much. If either or both of them would visit within the next few thousand seasons, it would be a pleasant surprise.::

“Of course,” said Rarity with an emphatic nod.

“We’d be happy to,” Fluttershy added, smiling.

“Sure!” said Rainbow Dash.

::Then I think I will let you go. You have been a wonder. I look forward to the next time people such as you visit,:: he said, the head lowering to the ground, and just like all the other times Odasthan had stopped, his body and tail coiled behind him, refusing to stop. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity all hopped off the great serpent’s snout, landing on the dried-out ground together.

::I hope you find Yelgadar amenable, and I know your disagreements with the Curinion’s people here in the Cauldron will end in peace for all. With kindness in your hearts, it will.::

“I’m sure it will,” said Fluttershy, waving at Odasthan. The great head nodded once, slowly, a rare physical gesture from the serpent whose body seemed so disconnected from the voice they spoke to so much. Without another word, he disappeared back into the jungle, hidden by the leaves that only sprung where he moved, pointing back north.

“At least, I hope it will,” Fluttershy added when the serpent had gone and the rumbling subsided. She spoke to the divide between the dry dirt and the green jungle left by Odasthan’s passing. They were words the ponies had used so many times during their imprisonment by the Morrowsworn: “It’s all just a big misunderstanding with these Morrowsworn. They don’t really understand the Princesses.”

“Do we?”

Rainbow Dash perked an ear at Rarity’s answer, which was also a question. The unicorn’s brow was set in a worried frown.

“What do you mean? We know the Princesses,” said Rainbow Dash.

“What we know seems very far away from… from this,” said Rarity, waving a hoof to the odd, split landscape around them. She probably meant all of this. Everything they’d learned.

“So what?” Dash said, shrugging. “I didn’t know Fluttershy before first year of flight school. I know Fluttershy.” She tugged the pegasus in question close with a wing, Fluttershy letting herself be led closer and smiling in return. “I met you just after we moved to Ponyville, and I didn’t really get to know you before Twilight moved into the library. I know you, don’t I?” She grabbed Rarity as well until they all stood side by side.

The unicorn sighed, but smiled all the while as well. “Yes. You’re right, of course, and I appreciate the sentiment, darling, I do, but even if these Morrowsworn don’t tell the same stories and don’t remember the same details as the other peryton—and even if they don’t know the Princesses very well—I think I understand where this fear and awe came from, at least. Surely, you can see that. We’re surrounded by things they’ve supposedly done.”

Fluttershy leaned past Rainbow Dash looking to Rarity with her head at a tilt. “That’s true, but… I don’t know that I think just learning about someone’s past, or seeing their past in a different light means you should suddenly think a good person is a bad person. Maybe if they did something really bad? Maybe not? But I don’t think this is like that.”

Rainbow Dash flicked her ears in annoyance. “Yeah! Come on, Rarity. Are you saying we should blame Princess Luna for all the Nightmare Moon stuff, too? We’re way past that!”

“I said no such thing!” said Rarity, indignant. “I said that I understand where their fear comes from. It’s of course ridiculous to hold this against anyone, and I don’t even know there is much to hold against the Princesses here, I only meant that this misunderstanding comes from somewhere other than thin air. They’re afraid for a reason, even if the reasons are silly.”

“Right,” Dash grunted. It wasn’t like Rainbow Dash didn’t get it. Sure. Ponies who did scary things were scary. That was how things worked. On the other hoof, she couldn’t quite forget Princess Luna’s pained expression when Dash told her that the Morrowsworn peryton were afraid of Selyria. Afraid of Luna. “Okay. Sorry,” she muttered. “It just really cheeses me off when… ugh, all of this is stupid. The Morrowsworn stuff I mean. The stuff that happened here in the Cauldron isn’t stupid, that stuff’s just weird.”

“I’m sorry, too,” Fluttershy added, her ears drooping. “I didn’t mean to sound angry.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “And you didn’t, darling dearest, I just…” she touched her mane with a hoof and sighed helplessly. “I don’t know what we are talking about any more, if I have to be honest. Even if we know almost all the facts, as Twilight would say, I still have no clue what to think of this.”

“I know I wanna ask the Princesses about it,” said Dash, pushing her saddlebags a little further back on her body. “Does that count? And we don’t know all the facts. We don’t know where to find this Yelgadar person. Thing.”

“We have a pretty good guess,” said Fluttershy, pointing past Rainbow Dash. Even before Rainbow Dash had turned all the way around, she could see the glow at the edge of her vision.

In many ways, it felt like they were chasing the sun. The three ponies trekked across dry ground, which was nice, towards a bright corona with a glimmering core that hurt Dash’s eyes—which was less nice. Having spent the entire day riding Odasthan, the idea of sleep simply never became a topic, and the ponies ate on the move for fear that the light would disappear. Dash remembered well that on some of the nights they’d seen the bright glow in the distance, it’d simply winked out.

Leaving behind the circle of verdant grasses and plant life Odasthan had created, living trees became as scarce as the burnt paths had been in the northern part of the Cauldron. Dash couldn’t believe how fast Odasthan must have moved to get them this far south so quickly, but now she realised that they moved at a good speed, too. Looking directly at the light was pointless in trying to judge any progress. Instead, she noticed that the shadows cast by the dry and desiccated jungle sharpened.

A tree cast a blurry shadow where before it hadn’t. Perhaps an hour later, the shadow was clear, and now she could tell the glow ahead had… not grown, but rather, sharpened, just like the shadows. Rarity took off her dress even though it was the middle of deepest night. It had gotten warm, but the ponies were hardly strangers to walking in the heat. Dry ground and no obstructions made for swift travel. They were at an easy trot when the glow started to widen, no longer occupying just one single point ahead. They were drawing near.

“What do we say?” Fluttershy asked.

“‘Hello’?” Rainbow Dash suggested.

“I mean, what do we ask?”

“‘Hello, where do your flaming chickens that are kinda like horn shavings according to this big serpent you’re play-fighting with all the time go to get away from these mountains?’” Dash said, glancing over her back. She grinned, getting a flat look in return.

“That’s assuming we can even communicate with… whatever is up ahead,” said Rarity. The unicorn squinted, clearly trying to look dead ahead and failing.

“Odasthan seemed to think we could, at least,” said Fluttershy, sounding a little doubtful herself.

“Odasthan thought everything he said was ‘simple’,” Dash countered, rolling her eyes. “Even the peryton in Vauhorn understood that some of the stuff they said wasn’t obvious. Well, some of them did.”

The entire jungle was bright enough to be on fire now. If Princess Luna had forgotten to raise the moon this night, Rainbow Dash doubted she would have noticed. A bright yellow-orange light blazed like a tiny sliver of the sun placed on the ground, painting one side of every burnt-out tree and the ponies’ faces with same-coloured light that burned uncomfortably hot. No, ten steps ago, Dash’d felt uncomfortably hot. Now she felt like she had her face too close to the fireplace, and with every step her body told her to stop, that she was doing something exceptionally stupid. She shielded her eyes, waking at an awkward three legged walk for a few more steps, then turning to her friends. Rarity’s eyes were closed, and she leaned against a tree. Fluttershy held a wing in front of her face.

“Okay, this isn’t working, what the hay is this?” Dash shouted, even though there was no competing sound. In fact, it had gone more quiet than ever. Even in the mostly-dead jungle, there’d always been some sound in the background. Either birds or the distant warks of glare beasts they never saw. Now, dead silence reigned, but the light felt loud.

“I don’t think we can go any further,” Fluttershy replied, just as loud. “We have to go back!”

“Why is it still getting hotter?” Rarity yelled.

Rainbow Dash saw why. Or rather, she felt why. Unable to look directly ahead, she still caught movement in the corner of her eye, in the shifting of the few shadows that still survived. Something large moved, but unlike Odasthan’s approach, there was no rumble, no shake of the earth. The thing ahead was large, but not heavy. Immense, and if it moved, it was with ginger steps.

Rainbow Dash saw the shape of a wing extend out of sight, the shadows dancing madly, suddenly expanding, now disappearing. The heat bloomed, and Dash felt like she was on fire for a second before the blaze died down, evening out at the cozy sensation of only being slightly on fire.

::Pony-kin.::

“That’s us!” Dash said. She stepped fully behind the nearest tree, but it barely helped at all. Still her heart beat madly, her eyes hurt, and her entire body ached under the stress.

“Yelgadar, I presume?” Rarity asked, her voice strained. “I don’t suppose we could ask you to be a little less… bright?”

“And burning,” Fluttershy added. She lowered her wing just a touch, looking at her own feathers as though she expected them to catch fire. “If it’s very rude to ask you to stop, I’m sorry, but this is very, very hot!”

::I can no more quell these flames than you can will your clever minds to dullness, but we will speak. Hold!::

“Hold wha—” was as far as Dash got before another wave of heat washed over her, nearly blasting her off her hooves. Her own startled yell was drowned out by Fluttershy’s and Rarity’s yelps of fear and surprise, and a moment later, a strong draft pulled Dash in the opposite direction, smacking her into her hiding-tree side first, knocking the air out of her lungs. One of the small twisted branches on the ground next to her caught fire.

And then the heat relented. So did the light. Rainbow Dash shook her head violently from side to side to try to put her brain back in its place. Yelgadar had taken off. Where she had stood a moment before, Dash now saw a vast open glade of nothing but ash. Yelgadar herself sailed in generous circles far above the ponies, never once flapping her wings. Rainbow Dash heard Rarity draw a shuddering breath, while Fluttershy let out a deep sigh of relief, wiping her forehead.

::You come with purpose. I see it on your skin. You come bearing desire.::

Talking to someone who didn’t talk would never be normal. Rainbow Dash had gotten used to chatting with Odasthan while he carried them, but connecting the voice in her head with the shape in the sky didn’t come easy.

“We were hoping we could ask you about the glar—err, the Gadar-spawn!” Rarity yelled, her head turned to the sky.

::Not so loud. I hear you fine.::

Rainbow Dash chuckled privately. Odasthan had said something of the same. Perhaps he had even used those exact same words.

“My apologies,” Rarity said, clearing her throat. “But yes, we were hoping you could tell us something about your… children.”

::This is a strange passion, but ask! It is not often anyone ventures this deep.::

Dash blinked. She looked over at Rarity and Fluttershy to see if they, too, had noticed, but Rarity seemed intent on their conversation, and Fluttershy’s eyes were on Yelgadar high above as well. It was probably nothing. Rainbow Dash shook her head and squinted. Outlined against the sky, Dash thought she could see the bird’s shape, wings, talons and all. Definitely a bird of some sort, though bright and shifting, as though molded from flame.

“Well, yes,” said Rarity. “It wasn’t really something we planned for, if I have to be honest. We’re trying to get out of this place. I don’t know if you’re aware that these children of yours are leaving the Cauldron—”

::I was not.::

“—and we certainly don’t mind either way, of course,” Rarity hurried to add. “But we were wondering if you know where or how they leave. Perhaps we could leave the same way, that’s all.”

::It is no matter where the motes blow, but if I did not know they left the Cauldron of Storms, how would I know where or how?”

Rarity’s mouth hung open for a second and shut with an audible clack before she sighed through her nose. “That is all very… logical,” she added. “Thank you regardless.”

Rainbow Dash finally decided that the mind-speech did come with a voice. Listening to Yelgadar now, she realised Odasthan had in fact had his own, distinct voice, noticeable only in contrast to the way the bird now spoke. Yelgadar’s words pierced her thoughts rather than wash over them like Odasthan’s. She waited for Yelgadar to speak again, but the great bird circled them in silence, wordless for a minute while the ponies exchanged looks.

“What now?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I don’t know,” said Rarity, shaking her head.

“I… guess we’re going back to the eastern mountains,” Fluttershy said.

::You are not asking the right questions.::

Rainbow Dash gave a start. She had thought the ponies had been dismissed, but the sudden voice inside her head said otherwise. She glanced skywards—even if it made no difference—waiting for an explanation.

::We could speak for a thousand seasons and still there would be things to say.::

“I… hang on,” said Rainbow Dash. She definitely remembered those words. Now she was sure: half of the things Yelgadar said were words she had heard from the serpent.

::You must ask where they would go. How they would go. Not where they go, or how they have gone. Motes could not climb the mountains. They would go through.::

“I’m not sure I understand the difference,” Fluttershy said, scuffing the ground.

“The difference is that it’s hypothetical,” said Rarity, frowning. “I don’t understand why that matters, but very well. Where would they go? We asked Odasthan, and he said he didn’t know of any way out of here.”

::The southern lance. He would not know it. He does not visit the corners of my side of the Cauldron, as I do not visit his. This is the cycle. At the southern edge lies the tunnel where, long ago, the Curinion’s people passed through to elsewhere.::

“A tunnel,” said Dash, grinning. “Alright, now we’re getting somewhere! Or ‘elsewhere’. We’ll take whatever. Where is it? Can you show us?”

::The lance fell long ago, and leads down into the deeps.:: The great bird dove a little lower, circling closer to the ponies. Once more the heat grew uncomfortable, and the entire jungle lit up, bright as day under the great flaming wings. ::It is a dark place, and you cannot pass.::

“We… we can try, maybe? What does a ‘dark’ place mean, really?” Fluttershy asked, nibbling her lower lip.

::Not dark as in dark and light. Beasts wander up from the earth.::

“Metaphorical dark,” said Fluttershy with a sigh. “That’s my least favourite dark.”

“Do you even have a favourite dark?” Rainbow Dash asked, but she neither expected, nor received a reply.

“That’s simply wonderful,” Rarity muttered. “I suppose that’s where all the other monsters come from. That means there really is only one valid way out of here, and that’s the tunnel the Morrowsworn brought us in through.”

“And the mountain passes,” Dash said.

“And all the low mountain passes are on the other side of the Morrowsworn town,” Fluttershy supplied with a rare, sardonic smile.

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “At least we know where we’re going, I guess. We’ll just try to punch through, run around or fly over their town. What’s the worst that—”

“Rainbow Dash, please,” said Fluttershy, clenching her eyes shut. “Please stop saying those kinds of things.”

Rainbow Dash tapped the ground. “Huh. Yeah, no, you’re right. We kinda already know the worst that’ll happen because they’ve already caught us once.”

“We won’t make the same mistakes again,” said Rarity with a sniff. “We’re on to their dirty tricks now. Is there anything else we should… ask while we are here?” she asked with a skywards glance. Yelgadar still pulled great circles around where the ponies stood, a blazing sun in quick orbit around the three travelers.

::Morning comes. I cannot be here then. My patterns take me elsewhere.::

“I don’t… think so?” Fluttershy replied to Rarity.

“Not unless you have any other ideas on how to get out of this place. Do you?” Rainbow Dash asked, shielding her eyes with a wing as she looked up at Yelgadar. “Or, if you want, ‘how would you get out of here’?”

::Over the mountains. I would fly.::

“Yeah, thanks,” said Dash, sighing. “Okay, that’s it. Hey, thanks and all. I guess riding on your back isn’t really gonna happen without getting extra crispy, so we’ll just… walk?”

“Thank you for your time, even if the answers weren’t what we hoped,” said Rarity, smiling.

“You’ve been ever so kind, thank you,” Fluttershy added, nodding. She pointed away and added, a little more quietly. “North-east is that way.”

::If that is all you wish, then you must tithe.::

Rainbow Dash paused before she’d even turned around completely, not a single step taken. She blinked.

“Tithe?” Rarity asked, repeating the word. “What does that mean, exactly?”

::I have been of use to you. You must be of use to me.:: the voice said, sharp, loud in Dash’s mind. ::You have taken knowledge from me, and must give in return.::

“Um,” said Fluttershy, licking her lips.

“I… don’t—what. You don’t take knowledge by hearing someone say something,” said Rainbow Dash, frowning. “If that was true, Twilight wouldn’t have anything left inside her head.”

The bird flew a little lower still, her orbit yet closer. Dash kept a wing over her head now, trying to keep her breathing steady. Yelgadar did not say anything more.

“Perhaps we can share some ‘knowledge’ of our own?” Rarity asked. “I understand both you and Odasthan were created, whatever that means, by the Princesses, and we know them. We could tell you about them, or… or anything else you’d like, really. It’s not an unreasonable request at all, we simply don’t know what you want.”

::We do not have time for words. I must move. You must make a sacrifice.::

“I’m sure we could give you a gift,” Fluttershy said, her voice trembling a little as the great bird dropped lower, tightening its circles. “If—if you just let us know, um... we have food, and some dresses, and gems. Maybe you would like the gems?”

::Sacrifice, not gifts,:: the response came, loud and echoing in Dash’s mind. ::The Curinion understood this. His sacrifice for our meetings was his antlers. What will you leave behind?::

“Well, we don’t have antlers, I’m terribly sorry!” said Rarity, her eyes on the ground just like Dash’s, fighting the strain.

::You have horns.:: A brief pause. Rainbow Dash felt something touch the inside of her head. ::You have wings.::

“I only have the one horn, and I am quite fond of it!” Rarity said. “And I don’t quite know that pegasi fly as well with just one wing, so that’s not really an option!”

::I do not give options.::

“Okay, I’m not liking where this is going!” Rainbow Dash said, her voice loud to her own ears. It was impossible not to yell under the heat bearing down on them now, the temperature once again taking on a quality of sound on its own.

::If this is the greed of pony-kin today, I will show you compassion in turn. I will better you.:: said Yelgadar. The heat let up, slowly at first, but faster and faster with every passing second. Cool night air rushed in to fill the gap, a chill wind that Rainbow Dash thought she would never feel again, cold under her wings and against her coat. Rainbow Dash gulped in air, her head still spinning from the onslaught of the oppressive heat.

::I will grant you a second gift.::

Rainbow Dash still struggled to breathe normally when she looked up and finally saw Yelgadar’s full shape. She was larger than any dragon, her vast wings and rich plumage made from flaming feathers that trailed off into impossibly long ribbons of fire chasing her to describe the creature’s direction. She had ascended sharply, and now she turned. Yelgadar hung backlit by the moon for a single instant, then turned towards the ponies. Head-on, a humongous sharp beak opened with a cry that hit Dash’s thoughts rather than her ears.

::I will gift you fire.::

“Run.”

It didn’t matter who had said it. Maybe they’d all said it at the exact same time.

“No, fly. Fly—fly! Rarity! Get on!” Dash shouted, possibly arguing against herself. “Rarity! Magic! We’re going, let’s go!”

For a second, Rarity herself had wings. She galloped towards Rainbow Dash and jumped, wrapping herself around Dash’s neck while her horn lit up with the strange light Dash had come to associate with the peryton body magic.

“What—” was all Fluttershy said, the rest of the sentence stuck in her throat as she stared up at the growing light on approach. There was no sound outside of that one word. Yelgadar made no sound, the night was silent, and Rarity’s magic was noiseless.

“Going!” Dash repeated. She didn’t bother adjusting her saddlebags or tell Rarity to mind her wings. She spread her wings with all her might, pushing anything out of the way, slapped Fluttershy on the flank with her feathers while yelling something encouraging, and then galloped east and kicked off. She held back for only a half-second, but when she saw Fluttershy moving in the corner of her eye, she gave her wings their all. Still the burnt-out junglescape grew brighter.

“Please be reasonable!” Rarity shouted. “We can come back tomorrow and tell you stories or whatever you’d like!”

And brighter.

“Not the time for talking!” Rainbow Dash snapped.

Brighter and hotter.

“Fluttershy! Up above the trees! We’re toast if she gets close anyway, and dodging stuff slows us down!” She didn’t wait for confirmation, didn’t ask if Fluttershy had heard her. Rainbow Dash put herself above the dead trees and flew on. Fluttershy followed, glimmering wings beating madly.

And the light got brighter still. Rainbow Dash risked a glance over her shoulder, if only to check if her tail had caught fire yet. Right away, she wished she hadn’t looked.

The huge flaming creature was catching up. Even as she watched, Yelgadar opened her beak, and a light brighter still flashed. Rainbow Dash veered left on sheer instinct, the shift so violent her ohron snapped loose and flew off, and a split-second later a stream of fire or light—was there even a difference, a distinction any more?—pierced the air where Dash had been. The beam slammed into the ground ahead of them, scoring the ground and spraying dirt everywhere. Hot mud slapped against Dash’s face as she and Fluttershy punched through the explosion.

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth, both no sound came out. She’d looked forward for a moment, but when she again looked behind her, she realised she had missed another flash. The second lance of pure heat bore down on her, and there was no time to move. Like when she’d miscalculated a particularly daring stunt, Rainbow Dash had exactly enough time to consider that she’d messed up big time, except this time, she had a feeling it’d lead to more than a week off the air. The beam slammed home—in the ground below her. Dash caught a pulse of Rarity’s horn right before the impact, and the otherwise straight line of molten stuff bent away from Rarity and Rainbow Dash, instead disintegrating another portion of the jungle behind them.

“Nice work!” Dash shouted.

“Let’s not rely on me doing that a second time!” Rarity yelled back into Dash’s ear. Another beam pierced the night air, this one aimed at Fluttershy. The other pegasus banked left and narrowly avoided it. Rainbow Dash winced. They couldn’t keep this up forever, and Yelgadar still gained on them. Her great wings spread out behind them until the burning mass of feathers blotted out the horizon, and the heat kept getting worse. However hard Dash worked her wings, it never seemed to be fast enough, and no way could Rainbow Dash keep this up with the heat sapping her strength.

“This isn’t gonna work!” Dash said. “Fluttershy! Switch!”

“What?!” Fluttershy replied.

“Switch!” Dash repeated. She flew a little closer to Fluttershy, ducking under another blast from Yelgadar, shielding her face with a leg as they dove through yet another dirt-spray. “The thing we practiced! Take Rarity and keep going, I’ll get her off our back!”

“We practiced doing it while holding still!” Fluttershy retorted, an edge of panic in her voice. “If we crash—”

“If we don’t crash we’re still toast!” Dash snapped. She locked eyes with Fluttershy. “We don’t get a second chance, and we have to. We don’t have time for ‘if’s. We’re doing it!”

“There has to be another way!” Fluttershy replied. When Rainbow Dash angled herself a little closer, Fluttershy edged away, and a moment later, the two of them both had to dodge another blast.

“There isn’t!” Dash said. “And we don’t have time to argue! Come on, Fluttershy!”

“We can’t!” Fluttershy said. “I can’t!”

“Then you get this thing off our backs!” Dash said, speaking between gritted teeth. The heat had passed ‘unbearable’ a while ago, and now she felt like she sat on a campfire. She barely had time to get out of the way of the next beam. The great bird was right behind them, a dark and shiny beak set in a burning head stretched out towards the ponies. Soon, Yelgadar could just open her mouth and gobble them up or whatever else she wanted.

Fluttershy’s eyes flitted between Rainbow Dash and Yelgadar. Dash caught the glint of tears in her eyes, her mouth yawing wordlessly. “I… I can’t. I don’t know how,” she said, sobbing.

“And I do!” Dash lied. “So you’ve got to take Rarity! Trust me! Let’s go!”

“We’ll make ourselves a target!” Rarity said.

“Yeah! And you’ll do your magic and keep her from shooting us down!” Dash said. They didn’t have the luxury of a plan. They didn’t even have the parts to make a plan with—Dash didn’t know if Rarity could do that, to say nothing of moving over from Rainbow Dash to Fluttershy’s back all the while. She didn’t even know if she could do her own part.

“Okay, watch the wings!” Rainbow Dash shouted, banking to the right. And Fluttershy held her course this time. Her eyes wide and wet, Fluttershy flew steady. Rainbow Dash calmed her breath and shut the world out, reducing all of existence to two pairs of wings and the way they shifted the air. Fluttershy’s larger wings forced to flap faster than the lankier pegasus was used to, Rainbow Dash’s own wings having to do more with fewer flaps, making the most with each movement. Her joints screamed with the strain of the unnatural beats, her muscles ached from the stress and the heat.

Their wingtips touched, once, but she didn’t stop. Closer and closer. Mud hit her on the side of her face, but she barely noticed. Light blossomed at the edge of her vision, evidence of Rarity doing her job, but Dash didn’t care. The next time her wings came down, touching would mean crashing.

Which was why they didn’t. Their wingbeats matched, and the two pegasus’s eyes met for a brief instant, Fluttershy’s face stuck between abject panic and determination. Or maybe it was just panic and the heat dried her tears before they could form. Whatever the case, understanding passed between them. They didn’t need to speak. Three more beats and they were close enough. Two, one, and then they touched. Simple as that. Two of them flew as one, side to side, with one wing each. Time dilated, and Rainbow Dash swore she could feel Fluttershy’s heartbeat, not just her own—and then she blinked. When she again opened her eyes, Fluttershy looked behind them, and the spell was broken.

“Now!” Rainbow Dash said. “Go! Rarity! Move move move!” The rest of the world rushed back into existence. Into significance. Rainbow Dash could see Yelgadar’s great wings flanking them on the upbeat now. She flapped her one free wing as steady as she could, keeping an even beat while she felt Rarity scramble over to Fluttershy’s back, hooves scrabbling for purchase, forelegs leaving her neck. A sharp pulse of light, this time without an explosion. A solid line of light pointed from right behind Rainbow Dash to the nearest mountain, deflected at the last second and leaving a distant cloud of smoke.

“I’ve got her!” Fluttershy said.

“Alright! Kicking off in threetwoonego!” Dash said, doing just that. She gave Fluttershy’s side a light push to drive them apart, both pegasi wobbling and dipping for a second, falling towards the ground—now vibrant jungle rather than dead trees—before they found their rhythm again.

“Fluttershy, you keep going!” said Rainbow Dash, pulling up alongside Fluttershy again for a second. “Rarity, give me light so I can find you again later! I’ll get this stupid bird off us.” She twisted around mid-air and jammed her wings together in front of her, sending a blast of wind towards Yelgadar to all the effect of blowing at a roaring bonfire. Rainbow Dash’s entire body glowed.

If she didn’t have time to make plans, she didn’t have time to be scared, though. She just needed to do something. Anything. And if a little bit of wind didn’t help, she needed to try more of it.

“New plan!” Dash shouted, louder than the roar of wind in her ears, louder than the screams of her brain telling her to get out of there. “Fluttershy! I need you to fly faster, keep ahead of her for a bit and I’ve got this!”

If Fluttershy or Rarity made a reply, Rainbow Dash didn’t hear it—unless the panicked scream was Fluttershy’s. Probably. Dash pointed her snout skywards and pulled up. The heat of Yelgadar passing below her reached a crescendo—and then it was over. Just like Rainbow Dash hoped, the bird chased after her friends, and didn’t stop to gobble on Dash. Already things were going better than expected.

Dash started climbing right away. No time for leisurely circles or ‘punishing’ forty-five degree climbs: Rainbow Dash flew straight up, cutting through the pre-dawn air with reckless abandon. Sure, her wings protested, but then, they’d been protesting for a while now. She’d gotten ample practice in ignoring them. She needed air, and a lot of it.

Far, far below, Yelgadar’s beak was like an arrow pointing towards the tiny speck that was her friends, both parties shrinking by the second as Dash gained height, and in the beast’s wake was nothing but destruction. Her flowing feathers were like a blanket that left burnt trees and ashes in their wake. No burning. Just burnt, as though the jungle was fully consumed in the instant of Yelgadar’s passing. A distant boom reverberated across the Cauldron, followed by a rumble. The impact of the beam Rarity had deflected towards the mountain finally reached Dash’s ears.

Rainbow Dash kept climbing, stealing quick little glances down below every few seconds to keep tabs. Either Fluttershy had pulled ahead, or the bird was never as close as Dash thought it was. Close to the roiling waves of heat Yelgadar put out, it had felt as though she was everywhere, but Fluttershy flew ahead of her now.

Dash finally halted her ascent, hovering for a second, squinting at the scene. No. Fluttershy had definitely pulled ahead. She flew like a pegasus possessed, Fluttershy and Rarity a single spark of blue, bright even next to the eye-watering flames of Yelgadar—but whatever distance she’d gained she now lost. Yelgadar gained on Fluttershy again, faster and faster. Rainbow Dash shook her mane out and nodded at her wings, still glowing with Rarity’s magic.

“Alright,” she murmured. “Don’t fail me now. We’ve got work to do.”

Rainbow Dash dove. She pointed her body straight towards the beast chasing her friends. At the dumb bird who wanted to eat Rarity’s horn and burn Fluttershy’s wings. If Yelgadar didn’t want to leave them alone, Dash would have to make her.

Glittering feathers struck out against the air, adding to her speed, propelling her far faster than a simple fall. Rainbow Dash’s mane stood out straight behind her, and she tucked her legs in tight, jamming them against her body. Flap those wings. Harder. Harder. Full strokes. Yeah it hurts. Keep going. The air pushed against her. The air told her to slow down, and she returned a rude gesture. Dash held a foreleg out against the push-back. Enough, said the air. Not a chance, said Rainbow Dash. More.

Her ears popped and she lost sound. Her vision blurred. Adjusting her course became harder and harder with each passing second, and she was running out of seconds. Suddenly, Yelgadar gaining on her friends was the lesser problem: The ground rose up to meet her, far, far too quickly. Still she sped up, still she knew she could go faster. Still she had more to give. More. More—

She punched through. The wind and the air let her go. She couldn’t hear anything, she couldn’t see much through the tears that streaked off her eyes, and now she could barely feel anything at all. Nothing pushed back against her, the air sliding off her body. Colours played at the edge of her vision, and she outraced them too.

The flaming creature grew ten sizes with every moment. She would hit it before her next breath—except she didn’t aim for Yelgadar herself. She had to get between the beast and Fluttershy, hope there were no trees right in her path—and then, speeding along as fast as any creature could ever possibly go, she simply needed to pull a sharp turn.

The good news was that if she could make one turn at this speed, the next thousand turns would be a lot easier. The bad news—she didn’t get a chance to consider those. Rainbow Dash shot past the fire-beast too fast to even feel the heat, and then she turned.

Right away, her wings flared up in pain, and she thought she’d lost them both, that her wings were simply gone—but panic was a thought, a feeling. Those belonged in the brain, and Dash was pretty sure her brain kept going straight ahead. She screamed, yelled, and cursed as she banked as hard as she could. Rainbow Dash chased her own tail around and around in a circle, and then she passed it. Her voice shook. Her body shook. Her bruised muzzle throbbed with pain. She turned so fast, she didn’t feel sick, she felt un-sick, a brief moment of clarity she couldn’t explain or do anything about—and then somepony flipped a switch.

Air resistance came back with a vengeance. Dash smacked against a solid nothing, her jaw suddenly hurt, and one of her wings folded of its own accord, hopefully still pointing the right way. She didn’t know. Before she fully realised she’d lost control, she was flying a wingless flight, catapulted away and over the treetops in a rainbow-trailed arc.

Rainbow Dash got one last, upside-down look at her work. A full-sized tornado trapped one of Yelgadar’s wings, the howling winds wresting the great beast down to the ground with a thunderous crash and a piercing cry. Entire trees were sucked into the tornado, and the top of the funnel spouted flames drawn from the bird’s massive wings. The airborne firestorm illuminated the entire Cauldron in a false, early dawn.

We’re totally the good guys. And awesome,Dash thought, unconscious before she hit the ground.

Chapter 38

Cal,

If you do nothing else in your chambers and if you believe nothing else, believe that your people still need you to read Celestia’s will. To read signs.

Do you still read signs? When last I saw you, seven sunrises ago, you were still anointed with the ashes of the glare, so I must believe you do, but now you have kept to your room for so long, I would not be surprised if you leave it as Caldesseia of Fall’s Gambit instead of Summer’s Tempest, your fire changed.

I ask about signs because none of your windows face west. You should hear Winterwatch’s words on what they saw before dawn today. The great glare moved as it has never moved before, Cal. I do not know how to understand the rest, the fire. You know my belief has never been strong, and these days it is beyond shaken. It is lost. Still I think these are omens.

You must come out. You must speak to the people you are meant to Guide. There is still fighting, but with the heron gone, the anger has left as well. Now, people are taken with a great sadness. They are lost.

Won’t you come out? If you will not see me, if you feel betrayed by me, at least see the others.

Finally, Winterwatch also reported a shadow moving among the lowest passes, one they said belongs to no beast they know. One that moves like kin, but none forage the slopes.

None know what this means. You must at least suspect something. What is brewing, Cal?

-V

Sunlight hit Rainbow Dash right in the face, turning the world red past her eyelids. Bright light and uncomfortable heat woke her up, but the dull, throbbing pain all over her body robbed her of any illusion that she lay in bed. She lay on her back, in fact, and something poked her in the side.

Her head was still attached to her body, though. Good start, Dash thought, having a very vague feeling that this was something non-obvious she should be thankful for. She opened her mouth to take a deeper breath, and a lance of pure, white-hot ow shot along her jawline. She hissed in pain and tried to bring a hoof up to touch her snout, but she couldn’t. Her legs didn’t respond. She tried her wings, too, but nothing moved.

Her heart beating a little faster, Rainbow Dash opened her eyes. She had to know what the damage was, and waiting wouldn’t do her any favours.

As far as she could tell, Dash lay upside-down in a tangle of particularly thick, bright-green ferns. The root from a nearby tree jabbed her in the side, and her hindlegs and her wings disappeared into the mess of greenery. She turned her head around as best as she was able, every second, every heartbeat hammering on the side of her skull. She was right above the ground in the middle of a patch of jungle like any other. Being upside-down didn’t help her headache much, either. Rainbow Dash rocked her body back and forth, grunting in pain whenever the root scraped against her side.

“Come on,” Dash muttered. “Come on. Let me go you stupid plaAAugh!”

Rainbow Dash crashed to the ground. Another round of pain. Though the fall was barely half her height, she was now fully aware of the existence of every single part of her body. Because it all hurt. She staggered up on all fours, grinning despite it all. If her wings and legs hurt, that meant they were still attached.

She looked back over her body, forcing her wings to respond, to spread and shake loose the last branches and leaves. Two out of two wings. All I need, she thought, taking a deep, stinging breath. Her head and her muzzle hurt worst of all, and if she focused on that, if she concentrated all of her annoyance on the hammering headache and the burning pain in her muzzle, her wings didn’t even hurt that bad. She shook her head to make that exact point, chuckling to herself as she was rewarded her with a flare of pain, but her laughter was cut short.

Dash had shaken her head from side to side, but something felt wrong. Extra wrong. She should have felt her mane against her back. She should’ve seen it. Grunting with effort, Rainbow Dash turned her head as much as she was able, reaching up to touch.

The back part of her mane was definitely shorter than it had been, and the ends of her hairs were hard. Burnt. Right. Because of the firestorm and stuff. I guess I was in there, she mused. She didn’t feel much at the time, and she could still see her bangs when she looked up, so the important bits were all there. Whatever, then. Dash shook her wings out again and looked up. Her saddlebags hung from a branch by the next tree over, and she had wasted enough time when she already knew her body worked.

Flying took effort, but she managed. Rainbow Dash flew over to retrieve her saddlebags, noting that they were a little singed but otherwise fine. They had spilled their contents onto the ground below, and some animals had made a snack of the food she carried. Nothing to do about that. Dash strapped the saddlebags on and stuffed it with the two silken dresses, the half-full bag of water, and the map—all the stuff she had left in her bags.

Almost all the stuff. Dash stared at the foreign object that remained on the ground. At first she had thought it must be a rock, but when she poked it, it was far, far too light to be any kind of rock she knew. It had to have come from her pack, but what was it? Rainbow Dash leaned close and sniffed it. No smell. She glanced left and right, then gave the thing a furtive lick.

“Okay. I’m still standing. So… not poison,” Dash said out loud. “But—oh. Oh. Oh ew.” Dash kicked the calcified sandwich away and shuddered, sticking out her tongue.

Of course, if that particular piece of nastiness had fallen out—

Dash’s breath caught. She yanked the dresses and evertyhing else out of the saddlebags and stared into one, then the other. Nothing. No sign of the other stuff she’d dumped in her saddlebags before she left. No sign of one particular item. She looked left, right, up and down, eyes darting about the nearby trees frantically until she finally spotted a blue loop hanging from a tiny branch right next to where the saddlebags had hung.

Rainbow Dash flew back up, gingerly bit down on the tailband, and tucked it away at the bottom of her saddlebags before she repacked them and took to the air once more, heading up high.

She didn’t want to lose that tailband, but she couldn’t stand to think about it either. She didn’t have to consider the tailband, she realised with some relish. They were still in danger. Dash couldn’t stop to think about what she “should” or “shouldn’t” do. She had to push them all to their limits if they were to get out of this with their feathers intact, and yesterday was proof of that.

She pierced the canopy and paused right above the treetops. She thought they’d fought Yelgadar yesterday, at least. How long had she been out? The sun was high in the sky above, full daylight streaming down on her, and for once, there was a pleasant breeze that made flying a little easier even if her battered body protested the notion. She had no way of telling which day it was.

A quick glance about told Rainbow Dash that she wasn’t where she expected to be. She was far, far further to the east than she should be, close enough to the Morrowsworn’s side of the Cauldron that the mountains loomed oppressive. She thought she could see a bare patch of earth to the far south-west, but if that wasn’t the impact site way over there, no evidence of yesterday remained. Maybe it wasn’t ‘tomorrow’ now. Maybe it was next week, or next year, the jungle swallowing all that had happened.

Rainbow Dash turned in a slow circle, trying to find anything familiar, but nothing stood out to her. Just jungle. Endless jungle and mountains that would take days or weeks to get to—except to the east. The near east was familiar with its lower passes, but if they were near the Morrowsworn village and their goal, where were Rarity and Fluttershy? There was no ‘they’. Right now, there was only Rainbow Dash. A single she.

An icy lump formed in Dash’s throat, her ears drooping. Had they gone on without her? No! Of course not. They wouldn’t—would they? Rainbow Dash’s eyes stung as she tried to force her heart to shut up, to stop hammering quite so loud. She didn’t need to panic right now. She really needed not to panic now. She needed to think, but she couldn’t, a blanket of white nothingness descending over her. Even if Rarity and Fluttershy hadn’t left, even if today was today, how would they find each other in this vast place? Her mouth felt dry, her vision clouded—and then she spotted the light.

Barely visible in the incandescent sunlight covering the jungle, a blue-white light pierced the dense jungle not too far to the south. Rainbow Dash rubbed at her eyes, blinked and stared breathlessly, waiting until the light pulsed again before she decided it was real.

Of course. A light, just like Dash had told Rarity to make. Because Rainbow Dash was the smartest, most awesome pony ever. Dash took a shuddering breath and wiped her snout with the nook of a leg, biting back a grunt of pain as she touched it. She pumped her wings as hard as she could, flying straight for the guiding light.

The last pulse of light had been close, but Rainbow Dash couldn’t tell exactly where. The jungle was unusually dense here. She was pretty sure they were closer to the Morrowsworn town than they’d ever been since the first night after they fled, but she couldn’t say for sure. Whatever, Dash thought. She could think about that later. Right now, she needed another light. She needed to be right about this. She needed the light to be Rarity and Fluttershy. A few minutes ago, she’d adopted the standard pegasus search pattern, flying in slowly expanding circles.

“I don’t know how much longer I can do this,” Rarity’s voice drifted from the jungle below. Dash arrested her flight at once.

“Try again, please?” said Fluttershy’s softer tones. “I can fly you up above the trees in a little bit, I think.”

Rainbow Dash turned around and shot off towards the sound.

“Absolutely not! You need rest, or your wings will be seriously hurt, even I can tell as much,” Rarity said. “Darling, I’m doing my best, but this much light is exhausting. If we wait for night, it’ll be a lot easier to see even from down here.”

“We can’t wait!” said Fluttershy, a little louder, her voice firm. “Rarity, she’ll be scared. I’m scar—”

Rainbow Dash crashed through the canopy in a puff of leaves. She miscalculated slightly, a leg hitching on a branch. The world spun around and around until finally she hit the ground, flopping onto the dirt back-first, her teeth rattling with the impact.

“Rainbow Dash!” said two familiar voices in unison.

Rarity and Fluttershy sat over by a large tree, but they were up on all fours in a second, running towards her, and Rainbow Dash barely managed to stand before Fluttershy collided with her, knocking her back over again, wrapping her forelegs around her neck. A moment later, Rarity hugged around her as well.

“We were so worried!” Fluttershy said, breathless. “I was worried we’d never see you again!

“Darling, don’t you dare do something so utterly idiotic ever again!” Rarity snapped, squeezing her tight.

Rainbow Dash didn’t bother protesting or defending herself. She didn’t tell Fluttershy that her wings hurt. And her neck. And everywhere else the other mares touched against as they held her tight in a crushing hug. She just closed her eyes and breathed slowly for a long minute. Better than to open her mouth and say something stupid. Something stupid and true. Like admit how scared she had been herself.

“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked, her voice tinged with fear. “You’re not hurt, are you?” She let go, pulled back, and shuffled her wings nervously while she looked down at the floored pegasus.

“She looks alright,” said Rarity, letting go as well. “Can you speak, dear?”

The unicorn looked harrowed, her eyes rimmed with red, and Rainbow Dash could tell Fluttershy was tired as well. Casually, she noted a few more missing feathers in Fluttershy’s wings, and her tail was singed just like Dash’s mane. Clearly, Rainbow Dash wasn’t the only one who’d had a tough time—but they were all still here. Dash sighed and reached out, pulling Fluttershy and Rarity back down on top of her.

“I’m alright,” Dash murmured. “And I have the best friends ever.” A helpless laugh bubbled up and escaped her mouth. “Rarity, did you see my girlfriend fly? I have the best girlfriend ever.”

“Yes dear, I saw,” Rarity retorted, giggling into her ear. “I was on her back.”

“I’ve never seen you fly like that before,” Dash said, grinding her bruised snout against Fluttershy’s coat. “I keep saying that. And it’s true every time. You rock.”

Fluttershy laughed and cried all at once, a snort, a giggle and a sob rolled into one, and Dash felt something wet against the top of her head. Snot in her mane probably. If that wasn’t love, Dash didn’t know what was. Rainbow Dash laughed as loud as she ever had, wrapping her wings around her friends, relishing in the shared warmth, the touch, the memory of all they had done together so far, and the knowledge that whatever else they had to do to get back home, there was no stopping them.

The fact that the heat was gentler today than it had been any other day in the Cauldron was just a bonus. Never one to turn down a gift, Rainbow Dash didn’t mind, but she honestly didn’t need the mild breeze that carried through the jungle, rustling leaves.

Fluttershy and Rarity had the camp set up as the ponies usually made it, this time right next to a stream that provided fresh water. The tarp was tied to branches above, providing generous shade, and their blanket was folded double for comfortable seating. Rainbow Dash nuzzled in between Fluttershy’s feathers, doing the best she could to put her wings in order while a free hoof touched her leg just because she could. Because she wanted to. Today, touching was good. The feeling of Fluttershy’s coat-hairs underhoof was nearly as good as the satisfaction of righting and cleaning her feathers.

“In all seriousness,” Rarity said. “We could do with less… fleeing from mortal peril, I feel.” Dash felt a tug on her mane as Rarity’s backup shears cut away more of the burnt tips.

“Bhf wfh—” Dash began, letting go of one of Fluttershy’s primaries. “But we’re getting so good at it!”

“Yes, well, even if we’re building up expertise in that particular field, it is never going to be my personal favourite pastime, so I feel like we should try to avoid it,” Rarity said clicking her tongue. “If only for the sake of what remains of your mane. I’m having to style the back of your neck very short.”

“I like it,” Fluttershy said, leaning forwards to get a better look to Dash’s other side. She smiled.

“Yeah? I guess it looks good,” said Dash, grinning.

“Darling, I haven’t even brought out a mirror yet,” Rarity said.

“Don’t need to,” Dash said, laughing. “Whatever, but hey, thanks.”

“You hardly need to thank me. I’m doing us all a service. Burnt mane smells awful.”

“Huh. I guess. I haven’t smelled anything in a while. I think my snout is taking a break,” Dash admitted. Fluttershy frowned with concern.

“You really shouldn’t have overexerted yourself like that, Rainbow Dash. That didn’t almost go wrong, it did go wrong,” Fluttershy said. “And it’s a miracle that you’re not more badly hurt—ouch!”

“Feather was bent. Had to go,” Dash muttered. “And come on, we all had to get a little bit stupid to get out of that pickle. How are your wings, huh?”

Fluttershy folded her ears but said nothing.

“Just admit that my tornado was cool and I’ll admit it was stupid,” Dash offered, grinning as she ran her teeth along a feather, spitting out a leaf. “Stupid and cool go hoof in hoof together half the time.”

“It was a fountain of flame, dear,” Rarity said. “That is not ‘cool’, that is absurd, ridiculous, and a host of other things besides, none of which are good!”

Fluttershy chewed on her bottom lip, clearly fighting back a smile.

“I… liked that it didn’t set everything on fire, because it funneled all of the flame into the air, so I don’t think that it hurt any animals or anything,” Fluttershy said, her wing shifting a bit, forcing Dash to move a hoof to keep her from closing it. “That was nice. And it was very impressive. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a single pony ever starting a full-force tornado before.”

“Mm-hm,” said Dash, surfacing from her feathery work. “So, ‘nice’ and ‘impressive’. Add those together, and you get ‘cool’. Thanks!” She laughed. “And yeah. It was totally crazy and I’m never ever doing that again because I probably shouldn’t still have wings.”

“Thank goodness,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head.

“That is all I wanted to hear,” said Rarity, tousling Dash’s mane with her magic before she got up and moved to the other side of the blanket. “All done. Let me see if I can’t do the same to your tail, Fluttershy.”

“Hey, while we’re talking about crazy, and if we’re done being amazed at how fast Fluttershy flew—which we’re not,” said Dash, grinning wide at the blush on Fluttershy’s cheeks. “What about you, little miss parrying beams of lava or whatever the hay that was?”

“Oh please,” said Rarity, wiping her shears off on a tuft of grass while she sat down behind Fluttershy. “It’s—”

“Nuh-uh,” Dash interrupted her.

“No?” Rarity asked, frowning.

“When you go ‘oh please’, you’re about to tell us why something awesome you did isn’t awesome, and you’re wrong,” said Dash, poking Fluttershy to signal she was done with the one wing, moving over to her girlfriend’s other side. “You were amazing!”

“She’s right, you know,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head slightly. “You’re usually good at accepting praise, but you’ve been very careful about it while we’ve been away from Equestria. You can’t really say that this was something every unicorn could do. Um, if that is what you were about to say.”

The stymied unicorn said nothing at first, bringing her shears to bear shortening Fluttershy’s tail further by cutting away burnt bits while she chewed on her cheek.

“Well,” she said. “I suppose… I am starting to see some, hm… some common elements in magic, if you wish. I’ve seen a few other species’ magic, and perhaps a unicorn with an appreciation for details and a keen awareness of patterns sees some things that others may not.” Rarity shrugged, turning her eyes upon Rainbow Dash, then Fluttershy, giving each of them a long look. “Just like how one sees complexities within ponies that may not be immediately obvious. Similarities and differences and their… interplay—and how wonderful it can be.”

“And that’s how you turned away the scary fire chicken's magic,” Dash said, staring deadpan at her.

“Hm? Oh! Yes. In the same way you create a tornado by ‘going really fast’,” said Rarity with a smirk. “Whatever that fire was, it was also magic, and I couldn’t snuff it out like I did with the peryton antlers. Yeldagar’s magic was much, much too strong, but I could turn it away. I can’t put it into words better than that.” She tilted her head a touch. “I doubt I could tell even Twilight exactly, because I don’t believe I know any terminology for… for the way the magic is shaped when it doesn’t involve a horn.”

“I think it sounds very impressive anyway,” said Fluttershy, smiling over her back at the unicorn.

“I suppose it is,” Rarity replied, her eyes on Fluttershy’s tail as she worked, a faint but easy smile on her muzzle. Rainbow Dash buried herself in Fluttershy’s innermost, softest feathers, half to check up on them, half just for the way they tickled her face. Fluttershy giggled and shook her wing slightly.

“The bigger question is, of course, what would have happened if I hadn’t,” Rarity went on.

Dash looked up at her between soft yellow feathers. “Uh, fire bad? I know you’ve had roasted marshmallows. You know how fire works, right?”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Yes, dear, but don’t you remember what Odasthan said? He said he doubted Yelgadar’s fire could burn us.”

“Sure. That’s why you’re not fixing Fluttershy’s tail, which wasn’t burnt at all,” said Dash. “That’s sarcasm, by the way,” she quickly added.

“Of course I observed the same things you do, for goodness’ sake, Rainbow,” said Rarity with a sigh. “I just… wonder. He didn’t strike me as a liar at all. Everything Odasthan said that we could verify has been true.”

“‘Everything we can verify’ hasn’t been a lot yet,” said Fluttershy, her brow knit in a faint frown. “But… he was very nice to us, so I don’t think he would lie, either. I’m glad we didn’t get hit by the fire anyway because I don’t think I’d like to take a chance with something like that. I’m okay not knowing, honestly.”

“Yeah, seriously,” Dash said, spitting out a piece of a leaf and gently wiping her muzzle. “I’m all for games and trying your luck and stuff, but I wouldn’t want to gamble with something like that.”

Rarity nodded. “Nor I, obviously, but it makes you wonder doesn’t it?”

“No,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head briskly. She smiled. “It really doesn’t, but that’s okay.”

Rainbow Dash nosed two feathers apart and pulled back to give her work a look. All of Fluttershy’s feathers were in alignment, even though she’d lost more than a few, and they were all as clean as they could be. Dash patted her wing and gave it a push. “Alright, all good. Your turn,” said Dash. She turned her side to Fluttershy, spreading her left wing just as Fluttershy turned to face her, giving the other pegasus mare a faceful of feathers. Fluttershy pushed Dash’s wing down a touch, giving her a blank look.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Your turn! Let’s switch. I did your feathers, now you do mine,” said Dash, cocking a brow. “What, is that a problem?”

Fluttershy smiled wide and shook her head. “Of course not,” she replied, shuffling a little further away to buy herself some space, and Rainbow Dash held her wing steady at a good height for the taller mare.

Fluttershy might not be great at preening, but so what? The worst thing that could happen was that she’d do a poor job, and Dash would have to fix it herself. Until then, Dash could relish the feeling of her girlfriend nuzzling into her wing, seeking feathers to coddle. Rainbow Dash’s eyes closed of their own accord when she felt Fluttershy’s hot breath against the base of her wing, giddy with anticipation.

“So, what do we do now?” Rarity asked.

“What?” Dash asked. A tug at one of her feathers. A touch against one of her wing-bones. Fluttershy’s snout was pleasantly cool.

“Plans, dear,” Rarity said. “According to Fluttershy’s estimations, we are close to the Morrowsworn town.”

“Mm. We’re almost there, I guess,” Dash murmured. “That’s cool.”

“Excepting that our plan isn’t very detailed at all, and we’re at the point where we need to make some choices,” the unicorn said, insistent. Fluttershy’s ministrations ceased, a hoof holding Dash’s wing up now.

“Who needs a plan?” Dash asked, batting Fluttershy’s neck with her wing, wanting her to get back to preening. “We just beat this big flaming bird, no problem! We’ll just punch through the town, or fly over it too fast for them to follow, or try to go around it or something, I don’t know!”

“Getting away from Yelgadar wasn’t exactly no problem. I don’t know how well I can fly right now, I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy, shifting her wings on her back. “And Rarity, you said the magic makes you tired.”

“No, I say that doing it tires me, but I recover quick enough,” said Rarity, shaking her head. “Don’t worry about me. I’m more concerned about poor Rainbow Dash, who—”

“I’m fine,” Dash snorted.

“—who looks like she’s rolled down several mountains and been stomped on by a herd of angry hydras,” Rarity concluded. “Darling, if you’re feeling good, I’m glad, but how is your flying?”

Rainbow Dash flicked her ears. “I’m awesome. Pretty much the best, thanks for asking,” she said, staring back at Rarity deadpan. “Yeah, yeah, okay, you’re right, fine. I probably can’t do much either. I can still fly, but no way am I crossing any mountains. You’re right. We’re no closer to leaving the Cauldron than we were when we got here. Heh, bet I can still beat any of those dumb peryton in a race though.”

“We’ve explored some other options,” said Rarity. “Options that didn’t really work out, certainly, but we couldn’t know that ahead of time. Now we know that we have to go east. That’s a form of progress.”

“And we’ve given the Morrowsworn a little time to maybe… calm down?” Fluttershy added. “I don’t know if I feel like trying to talk to them without having a way to escape, but…”

“I guess that’s something,” said Rainbow Dash, feeling a little better about their situation. “Huh. Yeah, that’s actually really good. No way will they think we’re still around now! We’ll catch them by surprise!” She poked Fluttershy with her wing again, but Fluttershy simply rested a foreleg against it, clearly still more interested in thinking than preening.

“But neither of us can fly very well right now,” said Fluttershy. “That means we’ll either have to wait until we feel better—”

“Waiting,” said Rainbow Dash, letting her disgusted tone say exactly how she felt about that word, and that idea.

“—and then try to sneak through to the slopes of the mountains, either by making a big circle around, or by flying over the town at night, maybe,” Fluttershy continued. “We don’t know what they’ll do. If they chase us, we have to hope we can keep going until they give up. The only other option I can think of is that we sneak in and see if we can find the tunnel they took us in through.” She rubbed a hoof along the edge of Dash’s wing absentmindedly.

“Yeah, no, waiting is the worst. I vote ‘no’ on waiting,” said Dash. “I veto it. That’s like a double vote.”

“So it is subterfuge, then,” Rarity declared, exhaling loudly. “Sneaking and skulking in the shadows. Perfect. We’ve already acted as brutes, and now we are to become trespassing burglars. Ah well, I think I prefer it to trying to simply fly over or run through their township yelling at the top of our lungs. As I recall, the tunnel wasn’t very far away from the town.”

“Nah. It was a short walk. It’s probably in the hills. Remember the rock with their prison?” Dash asked.

“Their prison, and also their storage shed, evidently,” Rarity said with an arch look.

“Aren’t prisons really kinda just storage sheds?” Dash asked, scratching her head. “For people?”

Rarity frowned. “Why are you looking at me when you ask? I told you I’ve no prior experience with imprisonment!”

Fluttershy cleared her throat. “The one time I flew up to look for you earlier this morning, I thought I saw more crags and hills, so I guess the terrain around their town is a little—”

“I’m looking at you because we were talking, jeez,” said Dash, rolling her eyes.

“—a little different,” Fluttershy continued. “I think I have an idea, actually. Um. Girls?”

Rarity huffed. “Well, at any rate, I don’t think that comparison has much merit. Maybe the Morrowsworn treated us terribly, but I’ll have you know that Hoofington Correctional, for instance, is a very well-run facility, and ponies are treated with respect and care there. You only really have to visit to show you’re following the program, you know. They’re not locked in like we were.”

“Rarity? Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy asked.

“Uh-huh,” said Dash, raising a brow. “And you know this because…”

“Because I have a friend who once made a mistake! Good heavens, Rainbow Dash, will you stop with this interrogation?” Rarity asked, raising her voice a tad.

“Girls?” Fluttershy asked, sighing. “Are you listening? We were talking about the plan?”

“It’s not an interrogation!” Dash said. “You’re the one being defensive! I believe you if you say you have a ‘friend’—”

“I can hear those air quotes, Rainbow Dash!” Rarity said, pointing a dire hoof at Dash, who couldn’t hold back the laughter anymore.

“I’m not doing air quotes! My hooves are on the ground!” Dash said, chortling.

“I said I canhear them, not see—”

“Girls!” Fluttershy shouted. Dash winced and Rarity shut up mid-sentence.

“My apologies, dear,” Rarity said.

“I was listening,” Dash said, flicking an ear. “You said you had a plan?”

“Yes,” said Fluttershy, nodding quickly. “The problem is that we don’t really know the area. I don’t even think we could find the town again—or maybe we’d just walk right into it, and then we’d be in trouble. Maybe we could ask for help from a friend? Earlier this morning, Rarity and I met someone who lives nearby, and I’m sure he’d be happy to help.”

Dash tilted her head. She’d given up on getting Fluttershy to take an interest in her wing again. “And when you say someone, you mean...”

“Oh,” said Rarity. “The cat. He seemed pleasant, his very sudden appearance aside.”

Fluttershy smiled wide. “He was pleasant, wasn’t he? And so cuddly!” She turned to Rainbow Dash. “Loper is a green-spotted puma, and this is his territory. He’s very nice to let us share it with him, so be sure to say thank you.”

“O-kay?” Dash said. “Uh. Cool? What’s he gonna do?”

“Deep-jungle pumas are expert stalkers,” said Fluttershy. “They’re very good at sneaking and walking unseen. I think he really scared poor Rarity when he came by.”

“He didn’t come by so much as he just appeared in that tree,” Rarity said with a scowl. “Still, I can see how he might be very useful. A guide, of sorts—if we can find him again, that is.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll come see us again when we start moving,” said Fluttershy. “Maybe it would be best if we wait until it gets dark. We could see if we can find Loper, and then sneak east to see what we can find? We probably don’t want to stay close to the city, though, so maybe we should try to get back out before it gets light out again—I don’t know. I’m, um, just thinking, I guess.”

“Just thinking?” Dash asked, frowning for a split second. “I like it. This sounds good, seriously. This is great stuff, Fluttershy!”

Rarity nodded. “I agree. I think this sounds like a solid plan. A good start, at least. Of course, this all hinges upon finding this puma again, but if you’re convinced you can do that, then I believe we know exactly what to do.”

Fluttershy blushed a tad and ducked her head in thanks, finally turning her attention to preening Rainbow Dash again. “I’m sure.”

“Then all we have to do is wait and nap,” said Dash, very much okay with that bit of the plan. “Huh. In and out again without being seen. Rarity, you could learn a thing or two from Fluttershy if you’re going to do illegal stuff without being caught and put in jai—ow!” Dash winced, and Fluttershy spat out a feather.

“Sorry. It was bent. It had to come out,” said Fluttershy, smiling sheepishly, trading a quick glance and a smile with Rarity, who mouthed a wordless thanks to Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash grumped and folded her ears, annoyed for all of half a second before she felt Fluttershy’s hoof against her side and her muzzle going to work righting, cleaning and stroking her feathers again.

“I was joking,” Dash muttered. “Besides, I got more community service hours for foals’ ‘misdemeanours’ growing up in Cloudsdale than anypony in the town’s history.”

“Misdemeanours?” Rarity repeated.

“Yeah, it’s not called ‘property damage’ until you’re an adult,” Dash said, grinning. “I even dragged Fluttershy into some of—ow! Fluttershy!”

“You have a lot of crooked feathers,” said Fluttershy. “Sorry.”

Rainbow Dash fell asleep at some point, and she wished she hadn’t. The sensation of Fluttershy ruffling, nuzzling and nibbling her feathers, combined with the for-once-pleasant heat of the day made her eyelids heavy. She woke once to Fluttershy moving over to her other wing, and the next time she opened her eyes, she felt rested, and it was a little darker out. Afternoon.

At first she thought both Rarity and Fluttershy were asleep at her side, but the other pegasus mare’s eyes fluttered opened and found Dash’s own.

“Oh, you’re awake,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her.

“Yeah. I could nap a bit more if that’s alright,” Dash said, yawning.

“Mm, we should probably wait until it’s dark,” said Fluttershy, covering her muzzle as she shared the infectious yawn. She scratched at one foreleg with the other and sighed. “I really hope this works out.”

“Of course it’ll work,” said Dash, leaning over to rub the side of her head against her. She really wished her muzzle would get better so she could use it properly.

“I think so. I hope so,” Fluttershy repeated, resting her head atop Dash’s. “It almost feels like we’re home already, just a little bit. I feel like I could sleep forever.” She giggled. “Maybe I could join you for a nap at your place. Would that be okay?”

Rainbow Dash stifled a laugh, trying to not wake Rarity. “Yeah, but only if we can go to your cottage first. Some really sugary ice-tea and a pre-nap nap on your couch. Deal?”

“Deal,” said Fluttershy, still laughing as well. They sat like that for a moment, and before long, Rainbow Dash heard Fluttershy’s breathing get a little louder, steadier. She was asleep again. Rainbow Dash spread a wing and turned her head a little, meaning to check up on Fluttershy’s work. She was too comfortable right now propping up her sleeping girlfriend’s head, but at the very least she could check what she’d need to do later to get her feathers in order.

Nothing, apparently. When the hay had Fluttershy gotten so good at preening? Had she always known how to align feathers, turn their bases and get to the hard-to-reach places? Probably. Equally probably, Dash had been silly not to realise. She shrugged. The need to get back to sleep was more pressing right now. More comfortable. Dash draped one of her wings around Fluttershy’s neck, rested the other one atop Rarity, and closed her eyes again.

“If and when we get out of this mess,” Rarity remarked while meticulously folding their blanket, pausing for a second to grab a quick drink of water. “I expect it will take weeks to get used to a regular sleeping schedule again.”

“You know what’ll help? Not having super-short days because of these dumb mountains,” Dash said, biting down on the strap securing her saddlebags and pulling it tight. It felt weird not to have an ohron any more, but as far as she could remember, she just had an empty water-bag in the neck-bag she lost during the chase. Rarity put the blanket on top of her back, lighting her horn to scan their campsite for anything they might’ve missed.

“Without a doubt,” said Rarity.

Rainbow Dash grimaced at the light coming off Rarity’s horn. “Uh, Rarity? You might want to not do the light thing tonight. We’re kinda trying to be stealthy?”

Rarity frowned. “If I don’t see where I’m going, I could hurt myself, or worse, step in something unpleasant.”

“Yeah, and if the Morrowsworn see where we’re going, the jig’s up before we’ve, uh… started… jigging? C’mon, Rarity!” said Dash. The unicorn sighed and nodded, her horn winking out.

“There,” she said, blinking rapidly. “Well. This is going to be unpleasant. At least it hides the fact that I’m wearing this horrendous dress-thing. Fluttershy, dear? Which way to your little cat-friend?”

“Oh, he’s already here,” said Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash turned around, and sure enough, a few strides away, a large, stocky cat lay draped along a thick branch low above the ground, with Fluttershy sat right beneath, all geared up and ready to go. The puma didn’t look very green-spotted to Dash’s eyes. His coat was a deep, dark orange with spots that were darker still. The big cat’s tail swung back and forth, batting against Fluttershy’s head.

“Rainbow Dash, meet Loper. Loper, this is Rainbow Dash. She’s my girlfriend,” said Fluttershy, her smile wide and her eyes seeming to sparkle in the scant moonlight.

“Hey,” said Rainbow Dash, grinning. A stray few butterflies milled about her stomach. The sooner they got back to Ponyville so Fluttershy could tell that to everypony, the better. “Nice to meet you.”

“Do you want to show us where to go, please?” Fluttershy asked.

The puma made a low rumble, an oversized purr from an oversized cat, and jumped down to the ground making no sound at all. He turned over his shoulder and let out a low yowl, ducked under some plants, and headed east into the jungle. Fluttershy trotted after him, and exchanging quick glances, Rainbow Dash and Rarity followed in turn.

The jungle was more dense here than it’d been anywhere else except maybe right in Odasthan’s wake, but the puma kept a high pace, and Fluttershy didn’t seem inclined to tell him to slow down. At times, Fluttershy trotted. Sometimes she cantered. In the rare spaces where the trees were far apart and they had to cross a clearing, the puma dashed across, and Fluttershy launched into a brief full gallop.

At first, Rainbow Dash didn’t really understand how this was supposed to be sneaky. Simply keeping tabs on Fluttershy and the puma took much of her attention, but the ponies were definitely not stealthy. At times they crashed through undergrowth in their attempts to keep up, and even at the best of times, their passage was marked by a constant rustle—and then they stopped. Their puma-guide lay down close to the ground, and Fluttershy did the same. Dash had no idea what was going on, but she followed suit, folding her legs under her body, as low and close to the ground as she could get.

Rarity had lain next to her for a good minute when she turned to Rainbow Dash, opening her mouth as though to speak. Rarity caught on the inhale when they heard a faint noise that stood out amidst bird-calls and insect sounds. Up ahead, past Fluttershy and Loper, a faint shadow passed between the trees. Dash thought she saw a tail. Another puma, jaguar, or whatever else? A minute later, the puma and Fluttershy moved on, and Rainbow Dash followed.

“What on earth was that about?” Rarity asked in an exaggerated whisper when they cantered through the bushes again. “Local animal politics?”

“No idea,” Dash replied when Fluttershy said nothing. “Probably? I don’t know or care, but hey, one thing’s for sure. I’m gonna trust that puma when it comes to being sneaky.”

They ran when he ran, they stopped when he stopped. Rainbow Dash had no idea for how long they kept this up, but her legs, still sore from the crash, ached by the time they slowed down. For a while, their pace cut down to a walk at best. Now Fluttershy stopped up ahead. Dash couldn’t see the puma any more, but with how dense the jungle was right here, she wouldn’t be surprised if she stepped on him. She remembered the jungle being particularly thick around the Morrowsworn town.

“What’s up?” Dash whispered.

“He’s going to go scout ahead a little,” Fluttershy replied. “He says we’re getting closer to what he calls the ‘tall herd’s territory’.”

“That would be the peryton, no doubt,” Rarity suggested, and Fluttershy nodded.

“He said they have antlers, and that they build strange dens. It has to be the Morrowsworn.”

Dash tapped the ground in the relative silence. All this guessing and supposing was annoying enough, but they’d moved in darkness under the dense canopy for multiple forevers without seeing anything.

“Bit for your thoughts?” Fluttershy said, tilting her head.

“I’m thinking of checking up top,” said Rainbow Dash, pointing up.

“I don’t know that’s such a good idea if we’re trying to be sneaky and all,” Rarity whispered, giving Dash a dubious look.

“I’m just gonna fly up to the treetops, poke my head up. No way anyone’s gonna see that,” Dash retorted. “It’s a huge jungle!”

Fluttershy bit her lip, then nodded. “I’m sure that’s fine if you’re careful?”

Rainbow Dash didn’t need to be asked twice. Or get permission twice—which was kind of what it was. Right now, Fluttershy was acting flight leader. With a grin and a flush of heat at the thought, Dash took off, aiming for the treetops. She had to rein in her urge to punch through and soar off into the cool night air, and instead landed on a high branch, her wings working half-time to keep her steady on something that could never support her weight. She poked her head up, a little higher until she could get a clear look.

At nothing. Jungle as far as her eyes could see. The lowest passes were still a little further to the east, at the far edge of a mountainous cul-de-sac. Somewhere in the jungle before them lay the Morrowsworn town with nothing to betray it except the rocky spires and hills Dash associated with their first ‘visit’—but that terrain covered leagues upon leagues of the jungle to their east. Dash let herself drop back down to the ground just as the puma, Loper, stalked in from the far side of her friends.

“I got nothing,” said Dash, shaking her head. The puma stopped right in front of Fluttershy, yowling quietly and rumbling.

“Okay, the tall—um, I mean, the peryton town is very close now, he says,” said Fluttershy.

“Did you ask him if he knows where the cave is?” Dash asked.

“He rarely comes this close to the city, but I’ll ask. We should probably just go around, but, um… Trying to explain this in ways he understands is a little hard,” said Fluttershy, her ears wilting. She turned back to the puma. “We’re looking for a cave. It’s… probably south of the city, I think—”

The puma rumbled and leaned closer to Fluttershy, giving her cheek a lick. Fluttershy giggled and shook her head.

“—oh, no thank you. Really, it’s getting late, or early, so if we can’t find the cave, a safe way past the city would be nice, too. Maybe you can just take us east a little longer, and then we’ll go back?”

Loper turned around and slinked off into the brush.

“Okay,” Fluttershy whispered. “I think we’re going to go look for a way around? He says that we’re terrible stalkers, and that going too close to the slopes will get us seen, so we should stick to the jungle. Just try to be quiet.”

Stalking wasn’t Dash’s favourite. For every second they spent taking slow and careful steps, creeping around the trees, ferns, great-leafed bushes—and increasingly, rocky crags—for each such moment, they spent ten sitting completely still, and never once did they see anything. Still, Dash had to assume Fluttershy knew what she was doing. Or, she trusted that Fluttershy trusted the puma who remained out of sight half the time.

At some point, Rainbow Dash decided she wasn’t afraid anymore. Not that she had ever been afraid, of course, but playing these shadow games with their hearts in their throats was silly. What was more, there was no real reason to believe that there were any Morrowsworn in this jungle. Maybe they were far, far away from the town, and the puma just felt they were close. Maybe they had overestimated the peryton.

“Do you think they even have patrols?” Rainbow Dash asked in a low whisper. Again the puma had disappeared, leaving the ponies alone behind a rocky outcropping, and this time in particular he had been gone for quite a while.

“I don’t know,” Fluttershy replied, her face in shadow.

“‘Patrols’ are the sort of thing you expect at the palace grounds, not around a town,” Rarity whispered back.

“Exactly,” said Rainbow Dash. “We should have done this way sooner. They said they’re not ‘warriors’.”

“They were fierce enough when we tried to escape, mind you,” Rarity retorted. “Practically their entire town—”

“Shh,” said Fluttershy, pointing ahead. Dash saw lights dancing in the jungle. Four, maybe five. Distant chatter. When she squinted, she thought she could see more further away.

For a long while, the ponies sat completely still and quiet. The lights stayed distant, moving around, but never closer to them as far as Rainbow Dash could tell. She didn’t even move her wings, despite the way they itched—and now she was thinking about how they itched, making it way worse.

Finally the lights disappeared. Dash rustled her wings and let out a sigh. While she wasn’t exactly happy knowing that there were in fact peryton about, it sure beat out thinking that they’d spent hours sneaking around for nothing at all. She heard a sharp intake of breath from Rarity as a shadow snuck past her, Loper walking past her to sit by Fluttershy’s side.

“I’ll have you know my first response when something furry brushes against me unexpectedly is usually to scream,” Rarity whispered in an icy tone, but she received no reply. Fluttershy leaned closer to the puma and nodded, then peered skywards—and Dash could tell why. There was a faint tinge of red to the night sky. Dawn was imminent, at least past the mountains.

“Okay, we really need to start getting back. We should have turned back sooner. We can’t hide as well as you,” Fluttershy said, pausing when the puma purred. “What? Oh. Um, girls? There’s… apparently a cave right up ahead.”

“A cave?” Rarity asked, frowning. “Well, that doesn’t tell us much. While they mostly built houses from wood, at least as far as I recall, we knew they had at least two caves.”

“No way,” Dash replied in an urgent whisper. “There can’t be that many caves, and this can’t be the place they locked us up. That one’s in the middle of the city. This has to be the cave with the boats.”

“We know next to nothing of how this city looks,” Rarity countered, turning her snout up a tad.

“We really have no way of knowing,” said Fluttershy, hesitating. “We had bags over our heads when we were taken out, so we won’t even know if we see it.”

“Indeed,” Rarity said. “And from the looks of it, we’re running out of time. Perhaps we can come back tomorrow and try again? Surely your feline friend here can show us some good hiding spots that aren’t quite so far away. That way we’ll have more time tomorrow.”

“Right.” Rainbow Dash nodded slowly. “That’s a nice idea and all, but we don’t know what kind of creepy heron magic these guys have, either. Maybe they have a pony detector now! We’re taking risks any way you shake it. They could be closing in on us this second.” Dash hissed out the last word through clenched teeth for dramatic effect. She didn’t really put much stock in that herself, but it sure got the point across.

Rarity nodded, pursing her lips. “I see your point, dear, but I disagree. I think it’s best to turn back. I suspect you vote for us pushing on, hm?”

“I’m not voting,” Dash whispered. “Sure, I wanna go on, but it’s not my call. This was Fluttershy’s idea. She should decide.” It seemed pretty obvious to her. Sure, they had all worked together, but Fluttershy had taken the lead on this particular venture, a fact that still excited her.

Rarity shrugged and turned to Fluttershy. “Well, there we have it. I’d still say we turn back, and if this was a matter of votes, it is one vote against one, so either way it comes down to you, dear.”

“Me?” Fluttershy asked, eyes wide. She froze with one hoof on Loper’s head, stroking him like she would any cat. Fluttershy’s eyes flitted between Rainbow Dash and Rarity, before finally falling upon the puma.

“And in case you are about to ask,” Rarity added with a deadpan stare. “No. The cat doesn’t get a vote.”

“Oh,” said Fluttershy with a sigh, her ears wilting. “I don’t think he really cares either way.”

Rainbow Dash said nothing more, simply waiting. She swished her short tail back and forth—quietly and stealthy-like, of course—while Fluttershy stared past the bushes and ferns, her eyes dancing across a gap in the trees and the rocks that littered the dark jungle floor, towards where a moment ago there’d been dancing lights. She patted the puma on the side.

“Let’s go see what the cave is, at least,” whispered Fluttershy. “Sneaking through the jungle has worked so far. I’m sure we can go on a little longer and decide what to do when we find out what this cave is.”

Dash grinned. Her wings tingled pleasantly until she stretched them out—earning her a low-effort glare from Rarity, who caught a faceful of feathers.

“Do watch your wings,” Rarity shot. “And fine. Let’s be quick about it.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with it?” Fluttershy asked before she’d even taken a single step. Rarity shook her head and smiled.

“Of course dear, lead the way.”

Fluttershy nodded quickly and took off after Loper with Rarity and Rainbow Dash in close pursuit.

Rainbow Dash had expected a short walk, a look over the next hill or past what the rocky spire just ahead hid. Not so much. Either pumas had a different concept of time, or dawn fell upon them quicker than she had expected. Probably the latter, really. They hadn’t gone very far, it just felt far in all the haste.

Strictly speaking, dawn had barely broken, but this close to the eastern mountains, sunlight would find them fast. No longer did they have to watch their footing or mind the branches and roots in the absence of Rarity’s magical light.

More than once, Rainbow Dash wanted to mention that maybe they should head back—or better, hurry up—but their feline vanguard had his own method of going about things, and speed was not on his agenda. They waited to let a cluster of lights pass in the distance, and the next time they paused, the peryton passed closer than ever, now without needing antler-lights to find their way. Two stags crossed their path no more than twenty strides ahead of the group while they hid under a thick cluster of fronds.

“—season for barrel-root, soon,” said one.

“Any day, really, but without the Guide to tell the fall season prediction, it feels arbitrary,” said the other.

“Maybe, but when have we ever really listened to those predictions? They’re for tellers and planners. We pick as much as we need to.”

“Ha! If one thing stays the same whatever the others get up to, it is this. Koltares can say—”

“Please, let’s not even talk about that,” the first one groaned. “We’re no longer speaking to Therostos’ family because of that. He listens to the fool.”

“You would have us take Velysra’s words for truth?”

“In Celestia’s name, I would forage! Only food will keep this place together while they quarrel, so let’s keep our mind on task, dearest.”

The pair passed out of sight and out of hearing, the ponies exchanging quick glances before they were forced to run to keep up with Loper, their saddlebags and gear rustling and clinking with the sudden speed.

“I told myself I wouldn’t complain,” Rarity whispered urgently. “But I’m getting worried. It’s already morning!”

“He says it’s right over here,” Fluttershy replied, sounding a little worried herself. Rainbow Dash said nothing, keeping her head down. They ran straight across more than one thin little dirt path, and she thought she could see shadows to her right, indistinct shapes suggesting buildings, perhaps. A minute later, Dash was certain she could see the outline of a palisade wall, the jungle getting thinner and thinner—and then she lost sight of it again. Now they climbed, darting between two rocky spires similar to the one that had held their prison. Loper turned around suddenly and let out a rumbling purr, rubbing his head against Fluttershy’s leg to beg a scratch between his ears.

“Okay. Um, this… is it, I guess,” said Fluttershy. Just ahead of them, another dirt path snaked its way left and right, the left side winding through rocky terrain, out of sight not ten strides up and around a bend. The right side pointed down into the jungle, and Dash could only just see it widen, the dirt path studded with logs. “He says the tunnel is right up here,” Fluttershy added, pointing left. “But he doesn’t want to stay. If we want help getting back, we have to go now.”

“If we head back right now, what’s the point?” Dash asked. “We’ve got to check out what it’s like!”

“And make our way back without help?” Rarity did not look like she enjoyed that idea.

“The city is right over there,” said Dash, waving a leg. “We just go around, it can’t be that hard.”

Fluttershy sighed. “I don’t want to be the one who decides again. I don’t know what we should do, really, but we probably shouldn’t stay here.”

Rainbow Dash nodded her agreement. They had all the cover of sitting by the roadside in the middle of Ponyville hoping no one looked their way. If anyone came down the path, they would be in plain view.

“Okay, fine—”

“Let’s go have a look, then,” Rarity interrupted her.

“Wait, really?” Dash asked.

“We’ve done well so far, as Fluttershy has said, and if we go slowly on the way back, the Morrowsworn are hardly looking for us any more, and there are plenty of places to hide.” The unicorn shrugged. “Let us follow this trail and see whether it is the same cave, or if it’s another set of rooms stuffed full with vegetables, fruit jams, and random passers-by they’ve captured.”

Rainbow Dash grinned and nodded. “Alright. Sure, let’s go. Thanks for the help, Loper!”

“You’ve been ever so helpful. Tell your family we said hi,” said Fluttershy, patting him on the head.

“Yes, certainly. Thank you ever so much,” said Rarity, waving an awkward goodbye to the puma. The giant cat slinked away through the crags and the trees, disappearing in an instant, and Rainbow Dash wasted no time herself, leaping out onto the path and setting off through the rocky terrain.

Dash would have liked to say that the soft soil path felt familiar, or that she recognised the plants by its side, but she really didn’t. Crags rose up to either side for a brief moment, and Rainbow Dash had to marvel at how perfect the trail was for an ambush. Privately she imagined a million scenarios in which peryton jumped down from the low, overhanging cliffs by the dozens. Her heart beat a little faster, and she caught Rarity and Fluttershy both giving the ledges furtive glances, but no one came.

Mere minutes later, they came up on a sheer rock-face set in a particularly large cliff—a grain of sand to the true mountains, but plenty massive up close. The trail passed a tall, narrow portal of hewn stone. One branch of the trail continued, disappearing around a nearby bend and following what little plant-bearing soil there was, but to Dash’s mind, there was no point to looking further.

“This is it. This has to be it,” said Dash.

“I’m starting to feel like a broken record, dear, but we don’t know that,” said Rarity, frowning at the portal. “I will grant you that it looks… likely, though.”

“If the city is just down there,” said Fluttershy, “then I think it’s about the right distance, too, but it’s hard to tell. It felt like we walked forever with those horrible bags over our heads.” She pointed behind them, and Dash was surprised to realise that from up here, they could see the city.

Maybe it was the angle. It could also be how close they were, the shape and height of the trees that covered their city—perhaps all of those things, but Rainbow Dash clearly saw the signs of a town and its inhabitants to their south. Small shapes moved between buildings, and now that she knew what she was looking for, she recognised the palisade wall, too. She could swear she recognised the one stone spire that thrust up above the treetops, atop a small hill in what had to be the center of the town.

The entire Morrowsworn township lay behind them, a large and sprawling mess full of life like any other town. Though she was too far away to tell for sure, Dash imagined she could hear people trading, chatting, laughing and doing whatever else people did way, way too early in the morning.

“Should we go in?”

Fluttershy’s voice brought Dash back to the present. “Huh? Oh. Yeah, let’s check it out,” said Rainbow Dash. She’d stuck her head inside, noting the descending spiral staircase—that one she did remember—before Rarity arrested her movement, seizing her tail-tuft with her magic.

“We don’t know there’s no one there,” Rarity hissed.

“Yeah? Well, we don’t know that there’s gonna be no one there tomorrow night either,” Dash protested, scowling. “They just use it to keep their boats, right? It’s gonna be a tiny risk no matter when we head down there. Why wait?”

Fluttershy stared at the ground, pensive for a second. “If we wait, I could see if I can find some little animal who likes dark places and ask if they mind going down there, maybe?”

Rainbow Dash stopped tugging at her own flank, relenting, and Rarity let her go. Dash sighed and considered that for a second. Every instinct in her body said that they should just go, that there was no reason to wait, but Rarity and Fluttershy had a point. They usually did. She didn’t like the idea of getting stuck down there—whatever “down there” was.

“Right, but—” said Dash, stopping herself, her ears perked up. Did she just hear voices?

Rarity tilted her head. “But what?”

“—would say that, you’re summer-born,” said a harsh voice, launching into laughter, loud and close, right around the bend. Fluttershy’s eyes widened, and all three ponies looked about frantically, clearly thinking the same thing. They needed somewhere to hide, but there was nothing here unless they could all fit behind a fern the size of a houseplant.

“Pfaugh, let me guess: You were born a winter night,” said another voice. Now Dash heard hoofsteps. Many of them.

“What do we do?” Fluttershy asked, her breath almost as loud as the voices themselves, clearly heading for panic-ville in a hurry.

“Let’s get out of here,” said Dash. They were hemmed in by rock on most sides. “Rarity! Magic us up and we’ll fly—”

“Darling, Fluttershy was devastated after the last flight, I’m not going to help you two hurt yourselves,” said Rarity, shaking her head, and honestly, she was right. “We could hide inside?” Rarity asked, pointing to the darkened doorway.

“We could get trapped. Maybe we should just run?” said Fluttershy, pointing down the path, but Dash already knew it wouldn’t work. The path heading to the town was mostly straight from here, and besides, it was—

“Ugh. Too late,” said Dash, grimacing. The peryton rounded the corner, and Dash widened her stance a bit and spread her wings. No matter what came of this, she knew that they weren’t gonna catch the ponies a second time.

The peryton numbered ten or eleven. Nearly a dozen full-grown Morrowsworn spilled onto the path not far away from the ponies, each of them bearing large saddlebag-like baskets Rainbow Dash hadn’t seen any other peryton use, and the lead peryton’s abrupt stop caused the peryton in the rear to crash into the others, spilling mushrooms and fruits onto the ground.

“I don’t see how my—ack! Galrastos, what is the meaning of this?” said a doe.

“Oh,” said a stag closer to the front.

“Uh,” said the doe in front.

“Oh dear,” said Fluttershy, shrinking back at the sight of the large group of imposing peryton… foragers? Rarity sighed and walked up to Dash’s side, her head held high.

“Hello, my dears. It seems we’ve been caught out, but let’s try not to make this unpleasant, shall we?” Rarity suggested.

“I think this is already unpleasant,” the dark grey lead doe said, glancing back at her peers for a moment, most of whom looked shocked more than anything else. “We have to get back with this harvest, but… you are the Equestrians,” she hazarded. “The ones who were taken, and then escaped.”

“Good guess,” said Dash. None of the peryton made any move towards the ponies, and Fluttershy moved up to her other side, so she packed her wings away for the moment. She caught a few of them staring at her green feathers. “So, you gonna try to capture us again, huh?” she added. “Because I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“That is what Koltares has been advocating,” said a mostly white stag from the middle of the pack. “If you would come—”

“We’re not going anywhere,” Dash growled. “If you think that’s happening, you better get ready to have your butt kicked, because if you don’t remember what happened last time—”

“I don’t listen to Koltares,” said the grey doe, frowning at the stag who had spoken. “And neither should you. Better to wait for the Guide—”

“The Guide has been silent for a week!” another snapped, turning around so fast his baskets spilled.

“Then listen to Velysra—” said yet another one.

“Who hasn’t seen her any more than we?”

“Her voice is the only one with any reason—”

“Reason? Reason left this place—”

“Enough!” the grey doe shouted, stomping a dainty hoof in the soft soil. It made no sound whatsoever, but her voice stilled the quarrelling peryton.

“You, um… seem to have a lot to talk about,” Fluttershy said, her head tilted to one side. “I don’t suppose you and your friends maybe just want to turn around and forget you ever saw us, and continue your discussion?”

“Preferably one that has you agreeing with Velysra over Koltares, if those are the options,” Rarity said with a huff. “I don’t know the exact specifics of your debate, but—”

“See? Even they know Koltares’ words are poison!” said one of the more vocal stags.

“That is exactly why we should listen! If they say this, then—”

“In the name of Celestia, be quiet!” the lead doe yelled.

“Yep, still weird that you’re saying her name like that,” Dash muttered, shaking her head.

“I will thank you not to incite more idiotic political debate,” said the doe, sighing wearily. “And no, I do not think you will convince these headless roa-ha to all hold their silence about our meeting, nor will you convince me, but I do not know what to do, either.”

Rainbow Dash tapped a hoof on the ground as she thought. A lot of large bulky peryton, all uncomfortably close? Not great. Talking? Usually not great, but right now, infinitely preferable to fighting. She looked to Rarity and Fluttershy, who both looked equally clueless.

“I dunno,” Dash admitted, shrugging. “This is the weirdest stand-off I’ve ever had. Hey, d’you know where this tunnel leads?”

“That is—” one doe began to say.

“Sst,” another hushed her.

“No,” said the grey doe. “I don’t think we should tell you. What are you doing here? I thought you fled many days ago.”

Rarity raised a brow. “To borrow your own words, I don’t think we should tell you.”

“I see,” said the doe. One of the peryton coughed. Another adjusted the baskets on his back.

“Yep,” said Rainbow Dash, scratching her back. Awkward.

“We should bring them with us,” said the white stag who had spoken up earlier. “It is the simplest way.”

Rainbow Dash flexed her wings. The stupid stag who said it hid behind the other peryton, so Dash settled for glaring at the lead doe. “I’d like to see you try. I’m not gonna hold back this time.”

“Ignore him,” said the doe, her words slow and precise now, careful, almost. “If you… favour the Guide’s aide, Velysra, then… perhaps one of us could go find her and bring her here. If you do not wish to come with us, and this I understand, then you could talk to her, and maybe then we could all agree on what must be done?”

“Maybe?” Fluttershy asked, puffing out her cheeks.

“No, what must be done, is that you leave us alone,” said Rarity, glaring at the doe through the narrow slits of her eyelids. “If you’re at all familiar with what your people did, you know you kidnapped us and imprisoned us for no reason at all. You should be glad we’re being so gracious about it.”

Some of the peryton exchanged looks at that, some of them clearly surprised, others muttering among themselves. The grey doe herself looked unsure, now.

“I am in forage. I know much, but there must be things I do not know,” she said, shaking her head. “But even if you were right, and even if I myself had wronged you by my own claws, you’re in our territory. I cannot pretend—”

“Look!” shouted one of the does, cutting her off. One of her hooves pointed down the path, past the town to the south.

Sunlight had already touched the mountaintops of the eastern Cauldron, and now the light rolled across the slopes on the other side of the Morrowsworn town, stretching for the jungle itself. Over the rocky slopes that led towards the lowest mountain pass, something moved. At first, Dash thought it was a bird of some kind, marvelling at how good her eyesight must be to pick out an eagle or whatever at this distance, but then she saw another. And then another.

On the ascent and against the sky, they were nearly invisible, but the green of the great winged shapes contrasted against the grey rock on the descent. Even in the sunlight, the fliers glowed bright with magic. One, two, three full formations soared through the sky. Rainbow Dash thought she could see more glimmering shapes above the mountain pass far in the distance, and one flight seemed to materialise from the jungle itself, like ghosts out of the treetops.

“Those are Ephydoerans,” Rainbow Dash said, her heart skipping a beat. “They got the message! After all this time, they actually came!”

“What? No!” the doe said, her voice nearly lost among the shouts and yells of the other peryton. “We have to warn the others! Come! Quickly!” The grey doe’s baskets hit the ground, and she took off down the path running at full tilt, followed by two others, but the white stag and many others rounded on the ponies instead.

“This has to be their doing! See her wings?” the white stag yelled, pointing to Rainbow Dash. “Seize them!”

This time, his calls met with a general murmur of agreement. More baskets were dropped to the ground, mushrooms, fruits and vegetables spilling underhoof while the large group of peryton stepped forward, quickly blocking the other side of the path as well.

Before Dash had time to think or plan, there was nowhere left to run. There was too little space to even fight, if she had to be honest: Large peryton with sharp antlers lowered hemmed them in towards the cliff and the tunnel entrance. They didn’t even have a chance to scoop Rarity up and fly away.

“Get in! Down!” Dash shouted. Fluttershy nodded and slipped inside the tunnel, Rarity lit her horn and glared at a peryton who tried at some magic or other, quickly snuffing his antlers out, and then she followed Fluttershy. The second Rainbow Dash turned around, the peryton broke into a run. Dash paused just inside the entrance just for long enough to kick out behind her, but it didn’t deter them for long. She ran as fast as she could, quickly catching up to Rarity.

“I really hope this staircase doesn’t lead to a room full of peach jam!” Fluttershy shouted, her voice distorted. The ponies’ hooves hammered against stone steps in a constant drum mixing with the shouts of pursuit.

“It better not!” Dash replied, her wings wobbling at her side as she tried to keep her balance. Running down a spiral staircase was a new experience. “I’m sick of running, but I’m sick of fighting and yelling and arguing with peryton, too!”

She got no reply to that. Dash put her head down and ran, casting a glance behind her every few steps. Rarity’s horn lit their way, but there wasn’t much to see. Around and around they went, chased by the shadows of peryton half a turn of the stairs behind them. Dash was starting to feel really dizzy when the staircase spat them out at a flat and familiar-looking stone landing right alongside an underground river. After the long ride up the river, Dash thought she’d never be happy to hear the sound of rushing water again, and she’d been wrong.

“Score!” said Dash, quickly glancing about. Four boats rested at the other side of the platform, out of the water, their hulls studded with the tiny glowing stones. “Uh, now what?” she barely had the time to ask. The peryton rounded the stairs, just now coming into view.

“Get the boats, you two!” Rarity snapped. “Leave them to me!”

Dash would’ve protested, but time was a luxury they clearly didn’t have. There wasn’t nearly enough space to fight off a large group of angry peryton down here anyway. She followed Fluttershy over to the upended boats, halting by the one closest to the water.

“Not another step,” Rarity snarled over by the stairs. The first peryton came to a screeching stop, only his head poking out from the open doorway. “You don’t know what my magic is capable of, do you? Well, I’ll show you.” Her horn lit up, and behind the unicorn, a white orb sprung to life, a perfect rendition of the moon. Rarity grinned, backlit by pale moonlight.

“Rainbow Dash, the boat,” Fluttershy said.

“Right! Right! Okay, let’s get it in the water,” said Dash. She stepped in between two of the slim craft, bracing against one and pushing against the other with a grunt—neatly sending the boat right into the water and rushing downstream all by itself. Fluttershy blinked.

“I, uh. I guess they’re lighter than they look,” Dash said, scratching her head.

“Let’s just put it next to the water, and get in before we launch it,” Fluttershy suggested, pulling at the next boat.

“Ponies, then add water, yeah, got it!” Dash agreed, helping her move the boat to the low steps next to the river. Over by the doorway, Rarity took a step forward and thrust with her horn, lights dancing about her, but the peryton were getting bolder. One of them stepped forward, antlers lowered in challenge.

“Rarity! Get in!” Dash shouted, hopping into the boat.

“Oh thank goodness, finally,” Rarity said. She turned around, kicked out against the chest of the lead peryton to send him tumbling against the doe behind him, and galloped for the boat. Fluttershy sat down just as Rarity leaped aboard, and Rainbow Dash reached over the rim to give it a push. The peryton spilled onto the landing, pointing and shouting just as the river gripped the boat and whisked them away. Dash barely managed to stay upright as they were pulled down into the dark tunnels below.

Chapter 39

By Raven, for the High Warden’s eyes only

It is twenty days into second summer. If the ravens manage crossing the pass, you will receive this at the same time as Agaus’ official report. You asked me to give you my thoughts separate, but Agaus tells me he has not been given the same task. Do I understand why you ask this of me? I suspect you wish for me to lead this greatflight when his antlers dull, but this will not be soon.

I am confused, but you will have my thoughts and observations as you ask.

First, we have come too late for our initial purpose. The ponies are no longer here, but we have learned that they were well when last they were seen. That was early today.

This gives me much joy, though word of their treatment here troubles me. As I took ownership of the Equestrians’ visit to us and call them friends, observing the chain of events that led to today? I confess to anger. Putting aside that which is personal, the ponies were and are the guests of the five cities. Surely there must be consequences for their mistreatment.

We have also found the missing tribute, but to retrieve what belongs to us is now made pointless. Perhaps I should have confirmed this at the start of this missive: The words from the captured spy were all true, and the bird has shown us their exact location. This is no band of thieves. We have seized an entire city of people who are undeniably kin, but strange to us.

They call themselves “The Morrowsworn”, and because they are kin, to take from them is to take from ourselves, just as to bring harm to them has brought harm to us. Your suggestion to bring a full ditalon claws of wings was wise counsel, but many wardens did not enjoy opposing our own kin. I am one of those.

If they are the ones who bring the beasts of the Bow down upon us, we do not know how. They claim innocence. There are many things we do not yet know.

Agaus and I must still discuss what to do next. I have given him counsel, saying that this is a problem Ephydoera can no longer solve alone, and he will tell you he now thinks the same. One of their leaders’ advisors has been helpful in clearing things up, and what we learn from her presents new challenges. My counsel to Agaus was this: Is it not our duty to now bring this before not only Cotronna, but all kin together?

What happens next is complicated, and I do not know all the forces that will work upon it, but as flight-leader I recognise that I cannot be silent, either.

No raven will find us here, so we must decide where to go without your word to guide us. Agaus and I try to still Helesseia’s fire in our heart that we may reach a decision with clear minds.

Ever at your wing,

-Warden Phoreni

On the bright side, Dash’s need for speed was sated for the first time today. They’d spent entirely too much of the earlier night and morning skulking, sneaking, crawling and a bunch of other words that may not mean “slow”, but certainly implied it.

On the wet and dark and noisy side: everything else about this very moment.

The light from Rarity’s horn flickered as the unicorn was jostled around, and the three ponies bumped against each other, the river carrying the dainty boat downstream at a reckless pace. Water sprayed in their faces, and every few seconds, a shadow whisked by overhead, rocks hanging down from the low ceiling close enough to make Dash stiffen, but thankfully never close enough to touch.

“I’m kicking myself for saying this!” Dash shouted over the rushing water. “But does this thing have a slow setting?”

“This is a piece of wood!” Rarity replied, laying down flat against the hull of the boat. “Not a back massager!”

“Oh no, oh no,” Fluttershy repeated under her breath, clearly not in the mood to contribute much. The boat lurched to the side suddenly, the three ponies all sucking in breath at the same time before the boat slapped against them a split-second later. Dash groaned at the impact.

“What about the rocks underneath it? You saw the stuff under the boat, right? They’ve got to be magic rocks! We came up this river!”

“We don’t know how they work!” Fluttershy said. “They could make things worse!”

Another spray of water hit Rainbow Dash—and only her—in the face, leaving her mane dripping. “Augh! Worse than this? I’ll take my chances! Rarity?!”

“I don’t know what you expect me to do,” Rarity snapped, but she turned around and clutched the rim of the boat with her forelegs nevertheless, peering over the side. Fluttershy leaned against the other side for balance, which was good, because Rainbow Dash really hadn’t thought about that until the boat started teetering, halfway to capsizing. Dash sat back down instead of trying to look at what Rarity was doing. The unicorn’s horn-light glowed a little brighter—

And that was it. Just like that, the boat stopped messing about. They were still going downriver really fast, but all the lurching, near-tipping, the splashing and the crashing, everything smoothed out into a gentle rocking from side to side as though the tempestuous river’s attacks on their boat came in slow motion. Rarity sat back, staring at the side of the boat in confusion. Rainbow Dash wiped her sopping mane.

“That was quick,” said Dash. “Nice!”

“Goodness, that was terrifying. Thank you, Rarity,” said Fluttershy, exhaling loudly.

“I must admit I expected that to be harder,” said Rarity, her snout frumpled. “I barely touched them. Well, I magically touched them, but still. I… suppose those stones do in fact have settings.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “How’s that a bad thing?”

Rarity shook her head. “It isn’t, I’m just surprised.”

“Alright. That’s cool, awesome work anyway,” said Dash, still grinning wide. “And speaking of freaky magic, great job holding back the peryton, too.”

That made Rarity smile. “Well, thank you. Skill at presentation transfers well into bluffing, it seems.”

“Pft, bluffing nothing,” said Dash. “You could’ve taken them.” She moved a little further back on the boat, giving Rarity and Fluttershy some more space. She was wet all the way through, but all the water they had taken in pooled in the front where Fluttershy sat.

“Wherever we’re going, we’re getting there fast, at least,” Dash added. “This river’s gotta take us somewhere we can get off.”

“If the peryton used this river, it has to,” said Fluttershy, though she sounded less than convinced herself. “We don’t have much of a choice anyway. We can’t go back.”

“Yeah. No joke,” Dash grumped, shuffling her wings. As much as she didn’t like to admit it, taking a day off the air was probably smart regardless. “I don’t know if I could fly all the way back with a heavy load right now. And there’s nowhere safe to touch down.”

Rarity glanced over her shoulders, moving back a bit as well, and when Fluttershy followed suit, she started scooping water out of the boat, one magical little helping at the time. “I think she meant the mob of angry peryton waiting behind us,” the unicorn said.

“Both, really,” Fluttershy said with a lopsided smile. “Do you need me to move? Or do you want to switch places?”

“This is fine, dear,” Rarity replied, shaking her head. Scoop by meticulous scoop, the unicorn drained the boat of water, and Dash decided it was probably safe to take off her saddlebags, the others doing the same soon after. There wasn’t much else of note in the boat. A small paddle and a short coil of rope both lay near one end, neither of which Dash could find a purpose for.

Rainbow Dash wrung her mane over the rim of the boat, locking eyes and trading smiles with Fluttershy who sat facing her way. She looked almost calm for the first time in a while, and now Dash felt her own breath slow down, relaxing a bit, too.

“We made it,” Dash said, and this time, Fluttershy didn’t chastise her for calling it too early. Her smile faded, though.

“Hopefully. And I guess help did come, after all, too, even if it was a little late.”

“Yeah. About that,” said Dash, but she didn’t have any follow-up. She didn’t know what to say. Or think.

The image, the memory of what had happened mere minutes ago stuck in her mind, frozen like a painting on a wall. Peryton descending from the mountain slopes gleaming with Ephydoeran magic, all painted, like the world’s biggest Wonderbolts formation—except they were definitely not there to put on a show.

“It’s a good thing, right?” Dash said. “If we could fly back up, we’d do it, and everything would be alright up there, wouldn’t it? I mean, it would! It’s good that the Ephydoerans came flying into the Morrowsworn town.” It felt like a guess more than an opinion. Fluttershy said nothing.

“The Morrowsworn stole from the other peryton,” said Rarity after a moment, rummaging around in her bags until she found some rag or handkerchief of some sort, wiping first her horn, then her shout. “They were spying and causing all sorts of mischief, especially for us. To say nothing of how horribly they treated us while we were imprisoned.”

There was no anger in her voice. Her words were presented as facts, and yes, all she said was absolutely true. An hour ago, Rainbow Dash would still be fired up and angry at the Morrowsworn for all those things. Right now, having seen the wardens of Ephydoera descend upon the city, not knowing what was going to happen to them, Rainbow Dash didn’t know what to feel. Numb. Confused?

“Life’s probably not gonna be the same for them anymore, anyway,” Dash said. “The other peryton know about them now.” Another fact. One thing Dash knew for certain.

“Which could be a good thing, now that you mention it,” Fluttershy said. “They sounded like they had a lot of problems lately. If Velysra is right, they were happy before Caldesseia started convincing them of all those awful things that weren’t true. Or… things that were misunderstood, at least—and just before we left, it sounded like things had gotten even stranger. I didn’t understand all of it, but I guess Velysra and Koltares aren’t friends anymore.” She paused, sighed, and repeated herself. “It could be a good thing.”

“Yeah,” said Dash. She reached over the rim of the boat to let a hoof skim along the top of the water, pulling it back when she realised it would probably go very wrong very quickly. “We’re seriously gonna feel bad about this?” she asked, letting out a bark of laughter when she realised that was exactly what part of her wanted to do. “That’s stupid. They hurt us! Especially Caldesseia and Koltares! We just did… I don’t—”

“I don’t think we know what we did, really,” Rarity finished for her, shaking her head slowly. “We can’t tell what the consequences are, but we can hardly be blamed for doing our best to escape when we were held in prison unjustly like that. If someone does something wrong, if they hurt you, you’re not doing them a kindness by letting them continue.”

“Maybe not. But… I think I still feel bad,” said Fluttershy, folding her ears. “I’m still upset with them, but I can be upset and be sorry for them. That’s what I think. You’re right anyway. We don’t know what’ll happen with them. I think that’s what worries me the most.”

“If we hadn’t been forced into this boat and chased off, we could have just asked the Ephydoerans what’s up, but that’s not happening now,” said Dash. “If we’d been quicker, you could’ve hopped on, and we could just have flown to meet the Ephydoerans.” She sighed. It had been a spur of the moment decision to run down the stairs, and it didn’t matter now anyway. She would need some time to cool off before she could really tell how she felt.

“I don’t know if the Ephydoerans want to see us, though,” said Fluttershy with a shake of her head. “Maybe Phoreni was with them. She could still be angry with—”

“Fork,” said Rarity.

“Fork,” Fluttershy repeated, blinking. “Angry with fork? What does that mean?”

Rarity pointed ahead, her voice rising a touch. “I mean there’s a fork coming up, darling, and I don’t remember that from our trip up the river. Left or right?”

“Right!” said Dash.

“Left!” said Fluttershy at the exact same time.

Rarity glanced between the two pegasi quickly. Just downriver, at the edge of Rarity’s light, the cave broke upon a sharp line, turning left and right in two perfect halves.

“You decide, then,” said Dash, shrugging.

“They’re completely alike,” said Rarity, frowning. “How am I—”

“We don’t have time,” Dash groaned. “Just pick one!”

“They’re symmetrical! I don’t—” Rarity began to say, her eyes widening a touch. They were getting very, very close to the dividing rock, and right now, they were going neither left nor right. Their boat headed straight down the middle, aiming for the rock wall between the two rivers.

“Then go left—” Dash tried.

“Go right—” said Fluttershy at the same time, clapping a hoof to her mouth. “No, okay, just—”

“Left! Rarity! Left! Now!” Dash shouted, frantically pointing a leg to the left, trying to work the paddle free with the other, but the paddle wouldn’t come loose. The wall rushed to meet them, and any moment now, there would be going left and right—in pieces.

Rarity’s horn lit bright in a flash, surrounding the bow of the boat. With a groan of effort from both the unicorn and the boat, with water splashing over the side, Rarity wrenched the boat off course, narrowly slipping onto the stream on the left side. The rock wall passed by with a whuff, close enough that Dash could have spread her wings and touched it.

The three ponies sat very, very still while their boat stabilised. Whatever magic was in the stones lining the hull, it put them in the middle of the smaller, equally rapid river.

“Why left?” Dash asked, looking to Fluttershy. Rarity hung her head, evidently taking a moment to herself.

“I… what?” asked Fluttershy. “Why right?”

“Right’s usually a good pick,” said Dash, shrugging and grinning. “Right’s good. It’s great. Why left?”

Fluttershy giggled and shook her head, rustling her wings. “I like left.”

Rainbow Dash was made to remember why she slept most of her way upriver: boredom. A minute became an hour, which became many hours. Probably. There was no way of telling time in the unending tunnel of wet, slimy rock. The river didn’t split again, but it didn’t offer much beyond water and stone, either. After a long day of sneaking and walking, some fighting and running, the sheer onslaught of boring sameness was a cruel, cruel test, and her eyelids drooped. Judging by the way the small talk ended, Rarity and Fluttershy were tired too.

“We could take turns napping, just saying,” Dash offered up, letting out an unabashed yawn that made her jaw pop with the strain.

“Mm, the thought crossed my mind,” Rarity murmured. “But sitting watch would be rather pointless without any light, wouldn’t it? There’s no torch at the front of this boat, so it would have to be me. If the two of you want to get some rest, however, feel free.” She smiled. “No sense in all of us having to stare at this dreadful river.”

Fluttershy rubbed her face with the nook of a leg and sought Dash’s eyes, the two smiling briefly at each other and shaking their heads at the same time.

“Nah,” said Dash. “We’re not leaving you hanging. Hey, Rarity. I spy with my little eye something beginning with R.”

“If it’s ‘rock’, I am turning this boat around,” said Rarity with a tired giggle.

“Is it ‘Rarity’?” Fluttershy asked.

“Shoot. You win. Your turn,” said Dash, grinning.

“Okay,” said Fluttershy. “I spy—”

“It isn’t ‘water’, by any chance?” asked Rarity.

Fluttershy smiled. “Your turn.”

“Twilight?” Rarity scoffed, giggling all the while. “No, you know would look strange with a short mane and tail? Pinkie Pie!”

“Oh my, I don’t think I can even picture that,” Fluttershy said, laughing as well.

Rainbow Dash snorted and sat back, still fighting to keep her eyes open. “Heh, yeah. But come on, try to tell me with a straight face that you could imagine Rarity with her mane cut short before we left Equestria. I dare you. Or me with a short tail.”

Fluttershy shook her head slowly from side to side, blinking heavily and giggling still. It’d been like this for… for however long they’d been chatting and trying to keep each other awake. The giddiness of the over-tired.

“Well, you look good with a short tail,” Fluttershy finally said without so much of a hint of a blush.

Rainbow Dash smirked. She would have to fix that. “Yeah?” she said, leaning to the side to look past Rarity who sat between them. “Yeah, I guess I do, but you look better than good right now. You look great. You’re pretty much the prettiest pony I’ve ever seen—”

“Keep your hooves to yourselves,” Rarity said. “You two clearly need a chaperone.” She clicked her tongue and shook her head, but both Rarity and Fluttershy were laughing all the while—and Fluttershy’s cheeks finally reddened a touch. Mission accomplished. Rainbow Dash wished the river was less frothy so she could splash Rarity with water or something, but she settled for blowing raspberry.

Rainbow Dash blinked and rubbed her eyes again. Now that she looked over the rim of the boat, she had to wonder if maybe the river wasn’t a bit more calm. The water was no longer marked by foam and waves, and she could barely see the cave walls. Now she was sure. The underground river had widened and stilled a lot since the last time she thought about it.

“Hey, guys, is it just me, or, uh,” said Dash, trying to decide on the words. In the end, she just yawned and pointed. “The river.”

“Oh. I guess it’s… bigger?” said Fluttershy, helpfully.

“And slower,” Dash said, scowling, though in all honesty, she’d be glad if the river stopped flowing entirely so they could actually sleep. She shielded her eyes and Fluttershy eeped as the horn from Rarity’s light flared, a sudden and jerky brightness unlike the way she usually brightened the glow by degrees.

“My apologies,” Rarity muttered, squinting while Fluttershy turned around to sit facing forwards like the other two. “I think we’re coming up on something.”

The river-tunnel that had been so oppressively small widened further, and the boat slowed down bit by bit, and just ahead, Rarity’s light was swallowed up by a great dark opening. Fluttershy turned her head sideways and perked an ear.

“I can’t hear any rushing water, so I don’t think there are any waterfalls or anything,” Fluttershy whispered.

“Why would there be a waterfall?” Dash asked, tilting her head.

Fluttershy shrugged. “I didn’t think there would be, but it’s good to know there probably isn’t one, because that’d be really scary.”

Rarity blinked. Rainbow Dash guffawed.

“Okay, I can’t argue with that,” said Dash, wondering if she should grab the paddle and help move them along, but she decided against it. She imagined she’d drop the paddle inside of a minute when she was seized by another one of these stupid yawns. Sleep didn’t call to her so much as it hammered on the door with all available hooves. She just sat there and waited while the gentle flow of water pushed them towards the opening. Was that light up ahead? Something other than Rarity’s horn gave off illumination of some kind, she was sure.

The ceiling of the tunnel gave way, disappearing up far beyond what Rarity’s light could touch, and the side walls opened up as the river pushed them onto an underground lake.

Rainbow Dash vaguely remembered last summer when she had gone swimming with Applejack. The two of them had found a tiny grotto just under the surface of Shadewood Waters, and this one was just like it—except bigger. The cavern the boat sailed into was a thousand times the size of what had seemed an awesome find at the time, and faintly glowing moss or fungus clung to the sharp rocks hanging from the ceiling. Other pointy rocks poked up from the water like the teeth of some great beast, and in the combined light of the flora and Rarity’s horn, Dash saw tiny fish swimming in the waters below.

“Let’s play another game,” Rarity said. “It’s called ‘eerie or wonderful’.”

“Maybe both?” Fluttershy said, her voice faint.

“I vote for awesome,” said Dash, craning her neck, looking all about above them. The glowing plants weren’t nearly as cool as the luminescent mosses of the Khosta, but with in the utter-dark of the cave, they were far clearer. Ahead of them, the waters of the underground lake were completely still. Each plant-covered rock cast a perfect reflection in the waters below.

“Do you think this is where we came in?” Fluttershy said, still quiet, as though she feared her voice alone could disturb the tranquility of the place. “Maybe we were all asleep, but… I don’t know.”

“Told you we should have gone to the right,” Dash replied, giggling when she caught Fluttershy’s efforts to hold back her own laughter. Rarity chuckled and shook her head as well, sighing.

“You two are incurable.”

“And tired,” said Fluttershy, slumping a little bit. “At least all rivers have to head to the ocean at some point, so, um, I guess it’s okay even if this isn’t the right way.”

“All rivers?” Dash asked, cocking her head.

“Where else would they go?” Rarity asked, frowning. “We just don’t know how long this river is, but it has to take us to the ocean. You said this is going northeast?”

“Northeastish,” Dash corrected her.

“Of course, it could go underground,” Fluttershy said, fidgeting, clopping her hooves together. “Or into a tunnel too small for us.”

“That… is also true,” Rarity said, sighing. “I don’t imagine that will go well for us.”

“Eh. You’ll figure out how to turn this boat around and we’ll go up and take the other river, whatever,” said Dash, shrugging. What was the point in worrying? Like a river could stop them at this point. “Or if you can’t, just tie the stupid boat to—” she paused to yawn. “To my tail. Tie the boat to me and hop on. We’ll fly all the way back.”

Rarity gave Dash a lopsided smile, while Fluttershy simply nodded with a long blink, as though it was all that simple. Because it was.

“You’re probably right, dear,” said Rarity, chuckling low under her breath. “I don’t know why I bother worrying any more.”

“Of course I’m right,” said Dash with a lazy grin. “But heads up, if I’m gonna fly anywhere, I want a nap first.”

“I am abominably tired myself,” Rarity agreed. “Or rather, I was tired half a day ago. Right now, if there was a thing to be worried about, it’s that I’ll fall asleep any time now.”

Rainbow Dash pointed past Rarity to Fluttershy, who had closed her eyes. “Looks like somepony got a head start on sleeping, heh.”

“Fluttershy, dear?” said Rarity, holding up a hoof as though to poke the pegasus in the chest, but she evidently thought better of it, shaking her head. “Oh, never mind. The poor dear must be exhausted. How about we tie our boat to one of these stalagmites and catch some sleep as well? There’s no telling how long this river is.”

“Best idea I’ve heard all day, night, or whatever it is,” said Rainbow Dash. She leaned down to unfasten the coil of rope from the side of the boat, waiting for Rarity to seize it in her magical grip before she took the paddle in her mouth and started paddling across the still waters aiming for a rock by one of the cave walls.

Rainbow Dash was used to opening her eyes and feeling like she hadn’t had enough sleep. She called that “waking up”, and it happened most mornings or afternoons: a vague sense of unfairness that came with feeling like she’d only just gone to bed. Now, she opened her eyes and felt like she’d just gone to sleep, but she was no longer tired. Nor was she awake.

Earlier this summer, all of this might have confused her. Right now, standing in a complete void, lacking not only light, but also darkness—her own body somehow clearly visible to her eyes—she took it all in stride. Or a lack of strides. She decided to stay very still, hooves resting upon hard blackness indistinct from everything else.

Were they free? Something about leaving mountains? She couldn’t tell why that mattered, but she had a vague sense that it did. Memories were hazy.

“Princess Luna?” Rainbow Dash threw the words into the void, and they disappeared unnaturally fast, eaten up in the opposite of an echo. Okay. That’s a little bit freaky.

“Luna?” she tried again, but no Princess appeared. Instead, Fluttershy suddenly stood before her. Rainbow Dash blinked once, and in the space of that blink, Rarity appeared next to her as well. Fluttershy’s mane and tail were both cut short, and Dash didn’t know exactly why. Rarity looked as she always did, her hairs curled to perfection. Both of them looked around, confused.

“Huh. Okay, that’s weird,” said Dash, scratching her head. “I… okay, so, I get that this is a dream, but why am I dreaming of you like this?”

“This is a dream?” Fluttershy asked, her voice distorted, all noise cut short.

“I don’t… imagine it could be anything else,” said Rarity. “I’d rather this is a dream than us being trapped in somewhere this dreary. We’ve been trapped somewhere else recently, haven’t we? I can’t seem to recall.”

Rainbow Dash tilted her head. They weren’t behaving very much like a dream at all. “Hang on,” she said, frowning. “Something’s weird.”

“They’re not your dream, Rainbow Dash.”

“Finally!” said Rainbow Dash. Princess Luna stepped out of a fold in the void, her eyes closed and her horn glowing, leaving a tangible trail of silver where she walked. Rarity gasped in surprise and quickly bowed, and Fluttershy squeaked, following suit right after. Dash sketched an approximation of a bow, more busy with questions than what Rarity would call decorum.

“They’re here?” Dash asked.

“We’re where?” Fluttershy said, slowly getting up. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

All around them, the void shifted. First it became darkness, though Rainbow Dash honestly couldn’t explain why she thought of the darkness as distinct from the void. She didn’t exactly have time to contemplate that. A second later, a blotch of green spread out from the ground between them. Fluttershy’s eyes grew ten sizes as she stepped back, trying to avoid it, but she was too slow. Another second, and great shadows sprung up in a circle around them with the rustle of leaves. The four ponies all stood in a small grove Rainbow Dash vaguely remembered Luna had used before. Fireflies danced in the air.

“Do you show all the ponies this place?” Dash asked, chuckling.

“Is this jealousy I see in your heart, Rainbow Dash?” Luna retorted with a faint smile and a chuckle. “I have told you, I can do much, and this moment, I do not have the luxuries of time and creativity.”

Still her horn glowed. From the light that poured from it, tendrils snaked their way across the air towards the three.

“What in the name of—” was about as much as Rarity managed to say before the magic touched each of their foreheads. Dash’s head felt unpleasantly cold for a moment as she suddenly remembered where they were and what they were doing outside the dream, all the way until she fell asleep leaning against Rarity.

“I—I don’t… Okay, okay, we’re dreaming—” said Fluttershy, her breath quickening.

“This is very, very strange,” Rarity muttered, touching her horn lightly.

“What’s up?” Dash asked as casually as she could.

Princess Luna arched a brow a tiny bit. “I would ask you the same. I have brought you here, however sorry I am for the intrusion, because the last time I heard from you, you were in dire peril. When I felt your presence in my realm, I knew I must attend. Tell me, are you safe?”

The three ponies exchanged glances.

“I… don’t know if we are safe exactly. We’re in an underground lake, and we don’t know where, but I think we’re okay?” Fluttershy hazarded when none of the other spoke up. She held out a foreleg, and one of the little fireflies landed on her hoof’s edge.

“We’re out of the jail, at the very least,” Rarity said, smiling.

“We’re fine,” said Dash. “Hey, thanks. The ‘distraction’ worked.”

Luna sighed softly, her stance shifting a little. Dash realised she’d been tense before. Now she rested equally on all four hooves, her wings shifting on her back.

“Good. That is good. I will tell sister she does not have to fret, though I may omit the exact methods I used to learn this.” The Princess shook her head. “I should do this now, in fact. We are very busy, and I do not have much more time to talk this moment. I suspect we have a great deal to discuss when you return to Equestria.”

“Ah, yes,” said Rarity, one leg raised just above the ground, clearly hesitating.

“We have a bunch of things we need to ask you, really,” said Dash, frowning. “A huge bunch, like, uh—” she paused, trying her best to think. “There’s too much, I don’t even know where to begin! Jeez, just, hang on—”

“Odasthan would love if you came to visit,” said Fluttershy, smiling faintly. She dipped her head to the Princess. “If you don’t mind, that is. They just told us they’d like if we told you. You and Princess Celestia. And, um, they said they spoke for both themselves and Yelgadar, but we didn’t ask her. I don’t know if you remember—”

“Yelgadar is a complete butt,” Dash interjected.

“—if you remember them,” Fluttershy finished, her ears at half tilt.

Princess Luna nodded slowly and smiled back. “I do, of course. We have been neglectful. Travel has not been at the forefront of my sister’s mind during my exile, and I have been back only for a few short years.” Her eyes dropped to the ground. “But I will discuss this with her. Thank you for the reminder.”

“So it’s true?” Dash asked.

Luna arched a brow. “What is?”

Dash waved a foreleg. “The thing where you kicked some great beast’s butt in the Cauldron! Or the Bow, or whatever—the mountains we just visited?”

The Princess nodded slowly. “Details are lost to time, but… in short? Yes.”

Rainbow Dash watched her friends’ faces, but their expressions were blank, just like she imagined her own was. Silence reigned for a long moment.

“When I say that sister and I are busy, I do not say it in jest,” said the Princess, her horn glowing softly again. “And two of you will remember little of this when you wake, so idle talk is not a great way to spend our time. I must leave and tell her. Your business in Perytonia is not yet concluded?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head, as did the others.

“Then, if you do not have the bottle of dragonfire any more, we will speak about getting you home when you are ready,” said Luna.

“How, exactly?” Rarity asked.

Princess Luna smiled. “I imagine I will need to speak to Rainbow Dash again. Good luck to you all. To befriend Perytonia is important to us, and I believe that of all the ponies we could have asked for help, none can do a better job of this than you. I must go.”

The Princess’ horn glowed brighter, and she stepped forward into a fold in the air, disappearing without a sound.

“Or you could do the spell you know that lets us remember stuff when we wake up and talk to us some more,” Dash muttered, staring at the spot where Princess Luna had disappeared, but whatever. If she said she was busy, she probably was busy. Princess busy had to mean something else than regular busy.

While Luna disappeared, Fluttershy and Rarity stayed put. As did the fireflies, the trees surrounding them, and pretty much everything else. Rainbow Dash scratched her head and frowned.

“So, um. I guess this is how your dreams with Princess Luna have been? It seems… nice. She’s nice,” Fluttershy offered, smiling at Dash.

“Not quite as formal as I imagined,” Rarity said, chuckling. “Oh, ah... she can’t hear us now, can she?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Nah. To both. She’s pretty good at not sticking her snout in ponies’ business. I think we talked about it sometime. Something about how it’s her job or whatever, and no,” she added, looking to Fluttershy, “none of the dreams have been the same, really, so this isn’t like any dream. Or, okay, I’ve seen this place before, but this dream is extra freaky, actually, because… you guys are still here. Huh.”

Rarity tilted her head. “Should we not be, dear?”

“Idunno. I’m not used to having other ponies in my dream. Like, ponies who are actually ponies. And a lot of the freaky stuff usually goes away when Princess Luna goes away. It’s really you, huh?” Dash asked. She reached out to touch Rarity’s chest. It felt like Rarity. Now that she remembered everything, though, she realised something was wrong. “Your mane’s long, though.”

Rarity looked straight up at the parts of her mane that she could see, then back at her tail. “Hm, I suppose you’re right. It’s how it’s meant to be, though, so I suppose this is how I see myself in my dreams?”

“Okay?” said Dash, pointing to Fluttershy, who ran a hoof along her own short mane. Fluttershy shrugged and smiled.

“I don’t know, I’m sorry. You’re the one who’s used to having dreams like this. Your wings are blue and your mane is long, you know.”

“Oh. Heh, okay,” said Dash. “But that’s what I’m telling you, I don’t have dreams like this, because everything’s always crazy when Luna comes around.” She laughed. “Whatever. I just have fun when I dream, but you’re saying that you guys don’t know when you’re dreaming?”

“No, darling. This is a decidedly new experience,” said Rarity, slowly turning on the spot and taking in the tiny little grove.

“I don’t mind,” said Fluttershy. She sat down and held out her other foreleg, another firefly taking a spot on the free hoof.

“Yeah. But usually—I don’t know how this is supposed to go, but, uh, I don’t think we’re supposed to be in the same dream, right? Because that’s not normal to me,” said Rainbow Dash. She scratched her snout. “I dunno. I don’t really care, it’s just… weird.”

“I do admit, I feel a little stranded,” Rarity said, hesitation clear in her voice. “When do we wake up?”

“No idea,” Dash said, walking a little closer to her friends, taking a seat next to Fluttershy. The grass was pleasant enough to sit on, as real as anything else right now. Rarity sat down as well, watching Fluttershy play with the fireflies.

“I suppose that means Odasthan told the truth about what happened, even if we don’t have ‘details’,” said Rarity at length.

“Mhm. But we already agreed we believe him,” said Fluttershy. “Princess Luna and Princess Celestia were probably different a long time ago, but ponies change. We know that. Princess Luna used to be Nightmare Moon, after all.”

Rainbow Dash said nothing. Another firefly joined the others on the rim of Fluttershy’s hooves. She smiled.

“You’re right,” Rarity said with a slight nod. “And it doesn’t look like what they did was bad, either, it’s just all a big mess, isn’t it? All this thinking about people and the past. It makes one’s head hurt.”

“I like looking at the ponies in front of me instead of thinking too much about what’s happened before.” Fluttershy shook her hooves gently. The fireflies took to the air. “Maybe that’s why I don’t mind the Aspects so much. It’s a little more about remembering and understanding other people who use the Aspects instead of thinking about things that happened in the past. At least it feels that way.”

Rarity cocked her head and stared at Fluttershy, while Rainbow Dash rubbed her hooves along the grass slowly. She was getting tired again. How did one get tired in a dream? Could she fall asleep in a dream?

“I’m sorry. Did I say something wrong?” Fluttershy asked, her ears suddenly flat against her head as she looked to Rarity.

“Hardly,” said Rarity, frowning. “You’re saying things. Profound things, I suspect, but I’m not sure I am awake enough to appreciate it fully.”

Fluttershy giggled, her laughter interrupted by a yawn. “I’m not, really. I’m just thinking out loud, I promise.”

“You getting tired, too?” Dash asked. “I could go for a nap. Or is that a nap in a nap? A double nap? Whatever.”

“How would that even work?” Rarity said.

“No idea. Let’s find out!” said Rainbow Dash, wrapping one wing about each of her friends and letting herself fall onto her back, pulling Rarity and Fluttershy with her to a squeak and a yelp of protest.

Lying on her back wasn’t very comfortable, but either it was impossible to be truly uncomfortable in the dream, or the grass was very, very soft. Though her friends lay on top of her wings, Dash didn’t feel any discomfort. She meant to wiggle her way free and lay down properly, but she hadn’t noticed before now how rich the starry sky above the grove was.

Stars, nebulae, gas clouds and all other kinds of stuff behind a veil of shifting colours, behind which glimmered shooting stars. Neither Rarity nor Fluttershy moved to get up once they were all on the ground, staring up at the vivid chaos of the dreaming night sky. They lay side by side in silence for a long moment, Dash’s eyes closing of their own accord.

“Sleep tight,” Rarity murmured. She took a deep breath before releasing it ever so slowly. “Here’s hoping we’re safe, and that the rest of this journey is normal.”

“I hope so,” said Fluttershy, and Dash could hear her smile. Soft feathers touched against Dash’s side. “Good night.”

“Night,” said Dash. Maybe they were finally safe. She just didn’t know if she hoped they were safe just yet.

“—loose,” Rarity said.

“We’re lucky we woke up, at least,” Fluttershy’s voice said. “Who tied it?”

“I did. I was sure I’d done a good job,” said Rarity. “I made the most splendid little bowtie you’ve ever seen, but in hindsight, it may not have been a very secure knot. Rainbow Dash! Finally, I’ve been trying to wake you for a while now.”

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash to whatever was asked of her. She licked her lips. Her mouth tasted dry. She’d no sooner completed the thought than Fluttershy offered her some water, and a bruised and overripe peach was thrust towards her a second later. Apparently the two ponies had managed to switch places in the narrow boat.

“Breakfast,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her. Dash didn’t protest. She didn’t remember that peaches had stones, either. A bolt of pain shot through her jaw, triggering another numb throb from her still-healing snout. Fluttershy winced in sympathy while Dash very, very carefully finished her peach.

“What’s up?” Dash asked, yawning.

“We’re moving again,” said Fluttershy, and if she hadn’t said it, Dash might have been tempted to think that it was the stalactites—or were they stalagmites?—that were sailing sedately past them. The boat barely left any wake at all, and they were nearly through to the other end of the cave. Dash thought she could see a large opening, another tunnel.

“‘Kay,” said Dash, smiling. When Fluttershy turned around, she reached up to run a hoof along the back of her neck. Fluttershy turned halfway back again, smiling at her before she went back to whatever she was doing. Something with her saddlebags. “Why’s that a bad thing?” Dash asked.

“I don’t think it is,” said Fluttershy. “We have to let the current take us downstream, I’m just glad we woke up first.”

“It seems there’s only one way out of here,” said Rarity from the front of the boat. She had the paddle in the grip of her magic, pushing them gently away from the spiky stones that approached them at a quarter of what Dash would call a slow walk. Rarity pointed ahead to the cave mouth Dash had already seen.

“That means we can’t pick the wrong way again,” said Dash, chuckling. “D’you guys remember anything from last night?”

“Yes?” said Fluttershy, tilting her head.

“Why wouldn’t I?” asked Rarity.

“Yeah? The dream and everything?”

Fluttershy’s smile morphed into a look of confusion, and Rarity shot a strange look over her shoulder.

“I don’t think… wait,” said Fluttershy. “I think I dreamt something nice? I don’t remember exactly, but I woke up feeling really good. Safe and nice. But I’ve had a lot of nice dreams lately.”

“Why?” asked Rarity. “Have you had another one of your dream-seances with—no, wait. I do recall something about Princess Luna. Is that right?” She frowned, pushing them off another one of the rocks. They moved a little faster now.

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Hay yeah I talked to Luna. So did you guys.”

“We did?” Fluttershy asked, blinking.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand at all,” Rarity said, turning around to face Rainbow Dash. “How is this different? When I wake up, those rare few times I remember my dreams it’s because—”

“Rarity, rock,” said Dash.

Rarity turned back briefly to steer them clear again. “Yes, yes. Now, I remember them because I see something that reminds me, so clearly I dreamt of Luna, now that you mention it.”

“Rock again.”

“Yes, I see it,” said Rarity.

“Um, we’re moving a lot faster,” said Fluttershy.

“Anyway,” said Dash, “you guys didn’t dream of Luna. You dreamt with Luna. And me.”

“A lot faster,” said Fluttershy.

“Oh. Cool. Here we go again,” said Rainbow Dash, making sure she sat down properly.

The last of the rocks piercing from the bottom of the lake floor disappeared behind them, and they floated past the mouth of the tunnel onto a river once more, except this one went from wide to narrow very quickly, and it got narrower still.

“I don’t like this,” said Fluttershy. “I don’t like this at all.”

“Are the magic stone-thingers on?” asked Rainbow Dash. The boat found the center of the river, but it rocked precariously all the same.

And narrower.

“I’m quite sure,” said Rarity, nodding quickly. “If they weren’t we’d already be upturned.”

“Right,” said Rainbow Dash. “Cool.” She ducked her head. “Hey, is the ceiling getting lower? Is that just me?”

“No!” shouted Fluttershy, barely audible over the growing roar of the river, the waters churning.

And narrower still. Soon, Dash could reach out and touch the walls to either side if she wanted.

“Do we stay or do we go?” Dash yelled. “If we’re getting outta here—”

“I don’t know!” Rarity said.

“I need to know right now,” said Dash, flexing her wings quickly. Where was the rope? They’d had rope. Had they lost the rope? “If we’re abandoning ship, tell me now!”

“I see light!” said Fluttershy.

“So, we stay? Rarity! Fluttershy! Do we—”

Flump.

Rainbow Dash ducked. She lay down low against the boat, making herself as small as she possibly could, and ahead of her, both Rarity and Fluttershy did the same, all three of them flat against the craft as the stream of water ceased to be a river, and instead became a torrential spray carrying them towards what looked less like an opening than a pinhole, and Dash really did mean to yell in surprise—Fluttershy handled the “scream in terror” bit—but it was already too late. Flump was the noise of their sudden exit.

Dash barely had the time to register that they were airborne before they weren’t any longer. Her breath was knocked out of her as they made a hard landing, Dash somehow ending up under Fluttershy, the other pegasus’s panic cut short. Between the short tufts of pink tail in Rainbow Dash’s face, something sharp stabbed at her eyes. The sun.

“Ow, ow, ow,” Dash said when she’d finally managed to suck in breath in a huge gasp. “Ow. Ow!”

“Are you hurt, dear? Is anything broken?” Rarity asked, her voice fraught with worry.

“No, but my muzzle is still sore, and Fluttershy’s got her butt on it,” Dash said, her voice muffled. “Again!”

“Sorry! I’m sorry!” Fluttershy said, scrabbling and overdoing her efforts to get off Dash. She fell onto her back on the other side of the boat in a heap. Dash accepted a hoof from Rarity, getting herself a little more upright and laughing at the whole thing.

“Don’t worry about it,” Dash said. She shook her mane out, then her wings, reaching over to help Fluttershy up as well.

“Thank you. Oh. I… I guess we made it,” said Fluttershy.

“Huh? Oh. Yeah,” said Dash. She let go of Fluttershy except to let a hoof rest against her withers. “That’s enough water for me for a bit.” She looked up and around, past her friends for the first time since the fall.

Their boat floated down a widening river, and even as they spoke, they were carried along the final stretch of the stream and into the ocean. The boat slowed down and came to a stop where the freshwater met the salty ocean, spinning in place and moving with the gentle waves.

Far overhead, the sun shone down upon them, telling the time: Late afternoon fell upon the northern coast of Perytonia. The long sand-and-rock beaches stretching out in either direction reminded Dash of the terrain near Vauhorn, but they were clearly not where they had been kidnapped.

Behind them, Rainbow Dash saw where they had come from. The only rocky hills in view were the ones crowding the river back south until it met with a wall. Most of the water flowed from a gap in the rock near the water level, but a hole higher up sprayed a thin stream of water over a short wooden bridge, like somepony with a large needle had poked a dam. Clearly someone had thought it would be a neat touch to build a bridge under the jet of water. On top of the very same bridge stood a peryton wagon-team halted mid-step, staring at the ponies.

Finally, in the distance to the west lay a city. A huge clump of bright stone buildings covered the entirety of a peninsula thrusting out over the ocean, bordered by low cliffs. She could just barely see great ships in the water on the northern face, catching a glimpse of a pier, and whatever lay inland of the city hid from view.

“Right. You mean we made it,” said Dash, getting a belated smile and a nod from Fluttershy.

Rarity fished one of their ohron out of the water, the bag bobbing in the river by the boat. From what Dash could tell, all their other stuff had stayed in the boat. “We’re nearly there already,” the unicorn remarked, her eyes on what had to be Cotronna while she absentmindedly brushed water off the bag. “We could make it to the city within the day.”

“Yeah,” Dash said. She grinned at Fluttershy. “Fine. You were right. Going left worked out okay.”

The hull of their boat scraped against sand and pebbles, grounded on the beach next to the mouth of the river, and Rainbow Dash stood up, wobbling a little as she did.

“Careful,” said Fluttershy, offering a hoof half in support, half to steady herself as she, too, rose.

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Wow, I didn’t realise that I haven’t been standing since… yesterday? We got on this stupid boat yesterday, right? It’s not next week or anything? How can time be this hard?”

“I sure hope it’s just tomorrow. Or today—oh, you know what I mean,” said Fluttershy, looking up at the blazing sun as though it would clear things up. “We could have slept for a whole day, I guess.”

Rarity gave Dash a light nudge, prodding her with a touch of magic. “Go on, you two. Out!”

“Oh. Sorry,” said Fluttershy, hopping over the edge of the boat, landing in the hoof-deep water with a splash. Rainbow Dash stretched her wings out and flew over to land at the shore while Rarity carefully stepped over the rim onto the shallowest part as though she was worried about getting wet. Like they hadn’t been sprayed with water all day long. At least their saddlebags were somewhat waterproof.

“You fly well!” said a voice behind them.

Rainbow Dash turned around and saw two peryton jump down the low bank to the beach, approaching. While half of the wagon-team still stood tethered to the great wagon on the bridge, watching them, a doe and a stag walked towards the ponies with bangles and bracelets gleaming and antler-chains chiming. The doe grinned wide, while the stag looked a little more hesitant.

“Are you hurt? Do you require assistance?” asked the tri-coloured stag when they finally drew near to the ponies.

“And what manner of great cosmic joke is it Kholarys visits upon poor traders, to send boats flying over their heads?” the plain brown doe asked with a caw of laughter. “Tell us first that you are safe and unhurt, but I must admit I am amazed regardless. I have not seen such a sight in all my years!”

“We’re fine, though we appreciate your concern,” said Rarity, but Rainbow Dash wasn’t quite sure it was concern the starry-eyed doe showed. “We’ve… well, it’s quite a long story, honestly.”

“Just read the—uh, no, wait, listen to the stories about it sometime. I guess that’s how you get your news,” Dash said, chuckling to herself. “Whatever. When you hear about some Aspect getting captured by some jerkface people in the mountains, that’s us.”

The doe’s smile faded a touch. She blinked. One of the stag’s ears flicked, and he tilted his head sideways.

“These are strange words, strange promises of strange stories,” said the stag, leaning a little closer. “And you are strange people of strange shapes. I have not seen such as you before. I would trade your names for ours in the sight of Phostos, though in truth, I would like to barter for more.”

Rainbow Dash sighed and smiled all at once, shooting Fluttershy a look. There was something comforting about the familiar manners of the Stagrumites. Rarity beat both of them to the answer.

“We’re ponies. From Equestria. I’m Rarity, and this is Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. While we would be happy to chat for a little while, I would be very thankful if you would answer one question for us first of all.”

“Of course,” said the doe, nodding quickly.

“Is that Cotronna over there?” asked Rarity, pointing along the coast to the gleaming city upon the peninsula. “And I will give you fair warning: If it is not, and we’ve somehow ended up even further away from our destination, I will cry. I will cry, and I will be loud about it. There may be sobbing.”

“It is Cotronna. What else would it be?” asked the doe, frowning slightly. She turned to her companion. “I worry now that perhaps they may be hurt after all, perhaps concussed. Go tell Bolastus we are turning for Cotronna again. I am not leaving these confused little creatures on the road alone.”

“It was very nice of them to offer to escort us, at least,” said Fluttershy, hovering mid-air for a second to wave again at the wagon that receded in the distance, the two groups going their separate ways.

“Certainly,” said Rarity with a noncommittal nod as she trotted on. “Though I still feel vaguely insulted that it took that much effort to convince them we were okay.”

“From their perspective, we came flying out of a hole in a cliff,” said Fluttershy, giggling. “I’m surprised we were able to convince them we were real.”

Rainbow Dash snorted with laughter, though she didn’t say anything. She spread her wings and let the faint breeze cool her off as the ponies jogged along. It wasn’t even that late, but there was a nip to the air. Well, strictly speaking it wasn’t cold in any way, it was just a lot less warm than she expected.

“Oh. Speaking of things that aren’t real,” said Fluttershy, tilting her head a little. “Or of things that are real. I don’t know. Rainbow Dash, you said we talked to Princess Luna. That Rarity and I talked to her tonight. Now that I think about it, I… well, I think I remember something like that, maybe.”

Rarity nodded. “You did say that. We were very much in the middle of a conversation when we were so rudely interrupted by mortal peril again.”

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash, perking up. “I don’t remember exactly what you said and what happened, and if you dreamt anything else, I have no idea about that, but I guess I could tell you what happened before we went to sleep if you want.”

“Before we went to bed?” Rarity asked, frowning. “I’m well aware of what I did before I went to bed.”

“No, sleep, in the dream,” said Dash, laughing. “Okay, it got a bit confusing, but listen up.”

While they chatted, the sun sought the horizon behind them, and the terrain flattened out even further. The only blemish on the plains was the tiny strip of rocky hills receding behind the ponies as they followed the road west. They walked a thin line between two seas, the infinite blue that brought in a pleasant breeze from the north, and the green and golden plains no less flat, no less huge.

Before long, they passed two tall wooden poles tipped with blue paint, and as though they were the gates to a different place entirely, they now ran among farms rather than wild grasses. Instead of growing weird vegetables Dash didn’t know, half-grown fields of hay, wheat and other crops lined the inland side. Even the stuff Dash couldn’t name, she knew she’d seen before in Equestria and failed to name only for a lack of interest. Familiar bowl-shaped farm houses dotted fields larger than any of the other peryton farms they had seen.

“Anyway, that’s when we went to sleep,” Rainbow Dash concluded, her eyes still on the side of the road. Rather than two or maybe three houses at most, the peryton farm-homes clustered in groups of six or eight, peryton milling about their yards with tools and small carts as they worked. Few even seemed to notice the ponies’ passing.

“We fell asleep. In the dream,” said Rarity, “watching the sky, while we were really underground.”

“Yeah, I thought it was weird, too, but it was a dream,” said Rainbow Dash. She shrugged and kicked off, flying backwards in front of her friends, taking advantage of the cooling air to rest her hooves a bit. “Of course it doesn’t make perfect sense. Seriously, you don’t remember this at all?”

“I don’t know if I remember it exactly,” said Fluttershy, smiling. “But I feel like it did happen. And liked hearing about it, anyway. I’m glad we—or, um, well, I’m glad I told Princess Luna that Odasthan wanted to talk to her, just like we promised. Good job, me?” She giggled.

“Hay yeah, nice job!” said Dash, laughing. They passed another farm on the left. She’d long since stopped counting. Behind her friends, far to the east, the sun finally touched the horizon. The coast curved slightly to the north, so the sun met with the ocean rather than the land, a drop of yellow ever so slowly melting into the vast blue outside of the coastline.

“We made it before it got dark,” said Fluttershy, gesturing ahead, past Rainbow Dash. “That’s nice, too. It wasn’t half as far as I thought.”

“Uh, yeah,” said Dash, grinning. “It would’ve taken forever if we walked, but we’ve been running all the way.”

“Oh. I guess that’s true,” said Fluttershy, glancing down at her hooves, her short mane bobbing with every step. At some point, probably an hour or more ago, they’d gone from a steady trot to a canter, and Rainbow Dash didn’t want to comment for fear of breaking the spell.

Still they ran. Or flew, in Dash’s case. Rainbow Dash flipped around to face front, taking in the city. Cotronna was all bright stone with domes and parapets topping buildings everywhere in sight. The city spilled onto the coast from its little peninsula, many roads leading out from a low and purely decorative boundary wall that separated city from the expansive farms.

“What was that quote from Wayward Star? ‘A new day, a new challenge, a new village’?” Rarity asked behind Rainbow Dash.

“Oh. I don’t think I’ve read anything of theirs, I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy. “But… I saw you talking to the traders we met earlier this afternoon. You asked something about Cotronna while Rainbow Dash and I checked our saddlebags, didn’t you?”

“I did,” came Rarity’s reply.

“What did they say? If you don’t mind me asking, that is,” said Fluttershy, while Rainbow Dash looked seawards again. She couldn’t see the docks any more, but a few large ships made their way along the coast towards the city’s northern face, on the opposite side.

“Surely you remember how asking any of the peryton about their cities works. Rather, how it does not work,” Rarity replied with a huff. “No ‘great food’, no ‘their nightlife is something to behold’. Not even a ‘they’re nice, just don’t mention the conflict in 912!’. Nothing they said was of any more use than Deimesa’s words back in Vauhorn. ‘They are kin’, they said. ‘Compared to other kin? I suppose they enjoy ceremony and procedure’.”

“I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy, sounding a lot more chipper than Rarity. “I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”

Rainbow Dash landed in step with Rarity and Fluttershy, packing her wings away. A simple fence separated the two last farms before the boundary wall. She could see shapes moving between the buildings even from here. A small group stood by the border wall, chatting around a heavy cart, while another two-peryton cart made its way out from the city.

“We’ll find a way to communicate with them even if they speak backwards, I’m certain. I’m not worried about that, dear,” Rarity replied, sighing heavily. “There is much to do, that is all. We can finally get back on task with delivering this sigil, now that we are done with this whole business of Morrowsworn. Now that we are safe again.”

There was no more denying that. They were back among peryton who actually wanted them to be here. They were safe. Rainbow Dash flicked her ears in frustration.

“And just because I didn’t offer my thoughts earlier, Rainbow, before I forget,” Rarity added. “Even if I can’t say I remember the dream either, it does sound very pleasant.” She smiled a touch at that, though Dash noticed that Rarity had pulled the group down to a slow walk as they neared the city—or perhaps that was Dash’s doing? Fluttershy walked a few steps ahead, looking back at them a little confused. She waited for Rarity and Rainbow Dash them to catch up.

“Not many ponies can say they have shared a dream,” Fluttershy said, nodding her agreement and smiling.

“Yeah, that’s true,” said Rainbow Dash. She turned her head left, from the city that drank up the fading sunlight to the towering mountains now to their southwest.

The feeling had been building ever since they got onto the road to Cotronna. Ever since she spotted farms and traders—the signs of a peaceful Perytonian town that, if the other cities were anything to go by, could offer no greater threat than a mild headache brought on by confusion.

Rainbow Dash fixed her eyes on one of the peaks, wondering if that could be the spot they had tried to cross. She knew what her personal dream was, at least, and now it came to an end. If they were no longer in any danger, finally out of the chaos of the mountains, they no longer needed to push themselves to their limits simply to get by. Rainbow Dash no longer needed to be the best, and the worst she could possibly be.

If they were safe, Rainbow Dash no longer had any excuses.

Chapter 40

Note for the little wall,

At the last moment before closing hour, when only I remained at the Hall, a stag arrived to conclude an inquiry. This will have to wait until after shedding-day, but for reference, it pertains to damages to the granary walls used for the north-quadrant crops. We will wish to deal with this immediately after shedding-fall. A mason must be appointed to repair it as soon as possible.

In passing, he mentioned three strange folk entering the outer city, and this has me wondering. His description mentions two antlerless and one wingless creature, all small of stature. This talk of lacking antlers and wings has made me wonder if perhaps they are the Equestrians discussed earlier last season.

If this is the case, I do not know this demands an inquest, but I will put forth a suggestion that we send a raven to Orto once we reconvene.

This is not easily understood by my mind alone, so to delegate the appropriate resources to this conundrum, we must understand: Why are they here?

-Small-Consul Madarast Quosh

Cotronna. Cotronna happened all around the three ponies, the setting sun lighting for a moment longer the faces of peryton and buildings alike. Though the streets were nearly empty at the edges of the city, soon the ponies found streams of Cotronnans walking one way here, another way there, lines of the large antlered people forcing the ponies to hold to the left if they wanted to go forward. At some point, somepony had made that decision. Left, and forward.

They headed into the city because this was, after all, their destination. This was where they had wanted to go all along, and for the first few hundred steps, there wasn’t much room to ask exactly where they were going, simply because there was too much to take in. After the desolation of the mountains and the jungle, the rivers and creepy disused chambers, the noise of city life was overwhelming.

Beyond the simple fact of the noise, Rainbow Dash couldn’t really tell what was going on. Everything that happened, happened in the periphery of her vision, at the edges of her attention. She only noted that the building faces were tall and the streets were narrow, both less elaborate than Vauhorn’s gaily painted and decorated houses. Peryton walked in orderly lines keeping close to the sides of the road, and Dash’s own eyes were fixed on Fluttershy’s legs.

She’d let herself fall behind the other two. Every time she tried to look away, to find something else to stare at, she found that it only held her attention for a second or two. An open-faced building where a few peryton sat around a large bar talking loudly? Two seconds worth of distraction. A peryton leaning out of a second-floor window to look up at the sky? Barely half a second. Always, Dash’s eyes returned to the thin, jagged line along one of Fluttershy’s hocks. To the scar she’d gotten when they played around with the thundercloud, weeks ago.

“So. Um. Maybe we could ask one of the peryton if they have a ‘resting-house’ somewhere?” Fluttershy asked, the one voice capable of scattering Rainbow Dash’s concentration. The other pegasus walked as close to Rarity as she could, looking at the unicorn though the question was clearly meant for the both of them.

Rainbow Dash left it for Rarity to answer, more preoccupied with finding a way to avoid looking at that stupid scar. Fluttershy’s tail was too short to hide it. Looking around a little more clear-minded now, Dash noticed how rigidly all the peryton kept to the side of the road when there was plenty of free space.

She’d barely completed the thought when a peryton behind her nearly stepped on her hooves, proving her point. It wasn’t crowded. They made it crowded by walking so close together. Dash shot a frown over her back and moved up to walk side by side with Fluttershy outside of the line instead.

“That would be a good idea, wouldn’t it?” said Rarity at length. “Some place to stay. Yes, that would be a good place to start, absolutely.”

“What were you thinking about?” asked Fluttershy with an inquisitive smile. “I thought maybe you were being quiet because you were thinking about getting something to eat. I know that’s what I was doing. I’ve seen a few nice-looking restaurants, but most of them have been on the other side of the road, and I don’t know if we can cross here.”

“Why not? We’ll just ask them to let us pass,” said Dash. “Or we can fly over.” The whole situation was silly anyway. Like a queue perpetually in motion, the peryton on the other side blocked the buildings there, and it wasn’t because there was a lot of them. Stagrum was ten times worse, and if they actually used the entire street rather than walking two abreast at most, the evening traffic would be downright lazy rather than a fast-moving queue.

Dash moved a little further into the middle of the road, making use of all the wasted space to stretch her wings, suddenly aware that they were getting a fair amount of attention. Mostly covert, odd looks. She couldn’t be bothered to even comment at the moment.

“I don’t think we need to resort to flying just to find food or lodging, really,” said Rarity, leaning to the side to try to see past the peryton. “Acrobatics are a little impolite when they aren’t called for.”

“It’s called ‘aerobatics’,” said Dash, grinning. She didn’t often get to correct ponies, but if there was one fancy word she liked the sound of that wasn’t from the silly word-a-day calendar Twilight had gotten her, that was the one.

“Yes, well, whatever you wish to call it,” said Rarity with a chuckle. “I think I see a fountain up ahead. Let’s stop there and ask for directions, shall we?”

“I think that sounds like a good idea,” said Fluttershy, bobbing her head in easy agreement.

“Sure,” said Rainbow Dash. She looked over her back when she heard the faint rumble of a wagon coming down the smooth cobbles of the street, catching an open stare from the doe walking behind them. “What?” Dash asked, chuckling weakly. “I got spinach between my teeth?”

The doe shook her head slightly from side to side and cleared her throat, saying nothing to Dash. She didn’t look particularly angry or happy, neither curious nor delighted—instead, she simply looked confused. Dash shrugged and turned back to her girlfriend. “Hey, Fluttershy, move over a bit,” Dash added, patting her side with a wing. “Wagon.”

“Oh. Um, there’s not much room,” said Fluttershy. The wagon came up the street at high speed, the two peryton pulling it clearly in a hurry. They ran at a full gallop, and it was a wonder that they didn’t hit anyone. There was barely enough room for the thing between the two lines of peryton on each side.

“Rarity?” Fluttershy asked. Rainbow Dash frowned and tried to nudge Fluttershy in towards the unicorn in question to no effect whatsoever.

“I am already positively intimate with these walls,” said Rarity. “Oh ew. I think someone—oh. Never mind. That’s just water.” Still the wagon came closer. It wasn’t slowing down at all.

“Okay, uh, can you—whoa, hey, easy!” said Dash. Rather than stop and give Rainbow Dash a chance to get out of the way, the two lead peryton ran on at full tilt. Rainbow Dash leapt into the air at the last second, hovering while the wagon rushed underneath her. At her shout, some of the peryton walking nearby slowed down, but they pointed to Rainbow Dash rather than the wagon.

“What gives?!” Dash shouted, and one of the two peryton pulling the wagon turned to look briefly at her as he ran on, looking very much like the doe behind Dash had a moment ago. Confused. At least they had that in common, though Dash made room for plenty of annoyance as well.

Spotting the fountain Rarity had mentioned just ahead, Rainbow Dash sailed down to land at a tiny plaza set in the side of the road rather than try to follow the cobblestone on the ground. The tiled little rest stop wasn’t much bigger than the lot of a normal house. In fact, it looked like a building had been removed to make room for a fountain of sparkling clear waters flanked by three-story buildings.

A few benches lined the walls, two of which were occupied by small groups of amicably chatting peryton. Some of them looked up briefly when Dash touched down and grabbed a quick sip of water, trying to cool off in more ways than one. She splashed her face with cold water and shook out her mane.

“Are you alright?” Fluttershy asked. She came flying in from above, seizing Dash in a tight hug almost before she’d even landed.

“Oh come on, I’m fine,” said Dash, rolling her eyes, though she took the opportunity to rub her cheek against Fluttershy’s neck just because.

“I’ve never seen such… such savagery,” Rarity declared when she stepped out of the traffic as well. “We should report those peryton to whatever passes for a constabulary here, really. You could’ve gotten hurt!”

“Yeah yeah, whatever,” said Dash, letting go of Fluttershy. Making a big deal of something this small after all the business in the mountains was dumb, but she couldn’t deny the way her heart raced, either. “I don’t get it, everyone was staring at me like I’m the one who was crazy.” She looked over to three does who sat on a nearby bench below an open window. “Don’t you have rules against running people over here?”

The three peryton stared at her for a long few seconds. Two of them wore ornate filigree necklaces, and the third shook her head slightly, probably more as a I don’t understand what you mean than a why yes, we run ponies over with our wagons all day, if Dash had to guess. Another smiled awkwardly before all of them went back to their own conversation, this time with the occasional covert glance at the ponies.

“That all said, you were walking in the middle of the street,” said Rarity, pulling Dash’s attention back to her own friends. “Not that I believe it’s a very good defence, but you have to admit that much.”

“She was,” said Fluttershy, still staying close to Dash. “But when somepony’s in your way, you ask them to move out of the way, you don’t try to run them over!”

“Oh absolutely!” said Rarity, nodding gravely. “I still believe we should report this, and I don’t mean to play—”

“Seriously you guys, can we drop it?” Dash asked, sighing. “I’m bored thinking about it already. Rarity, do you think you can get us some pointers on where to sleep tonight?” She gestured to the nearby peryton, not much feeling like giving communication a second try. “I don’t think the peryton understand me. It’s like we’re not talking the same language,” she said, though she could clearly hear the does talk about something metal-related. They sat right next to the ponies, one of them looking up when Dash pointed at them.

“Of course, dear,” said Rarity, dipping her head in a nod. She took the requisite two steps to bring herself face to face with the does sat on the bench, cleared her throat, and smiled. “Hello there. My name is Rarity. Rarity the unicorn. A pleasure to meet you.”

Again the peryton looked up in blank silence before looking back and forth between each other. To Dash’s eyes, it looked as though they all expected or hoped the others would say something.

“Could we trouble you for some directions? We’ve just arrived, so we’re new to Cotronna, as you can probably tell,” Rarity continued. “You… can understand me, can’t you?”

One of the does stood up with a nervous look at her friends, forcing Rarity back a step. The larger peryton lowered her head, and stood back up straight, shaking out her wings just a little bit.

“That’s awfully formal, but very well, let’s try again,” said Rarity. She bowed low and smiled expectantly still. “There. As I said, I am Rarity, and these are my friends, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash—and you’re still looking lost.” Rarity frowned. “Is something the matter? Have we said something wrong? Should we leave?”

“No!” said the one doe, a burst of noise so sudden it startled even Rainbow Dash. “You should do no such thing if you need help of me, I—I simply do not know how to greet you.”

“How to greet us,” Rainbow Dash repeated, blinking. “You just did.” No sooner had she spoken than the doe bowed to her too, and Dash didn’t know what to make of that, so she ignored it.

“I try. I tried, but much grief was suffered when Vossos failed to make the right signs, for they meant much,” said the doe, inclining her head. “I do not wish to do harm by you.”

“Vossos?” Fluttershy asked—to which the doe bowed again. None of the doe’s friends spoke, instead watching with open interest.

“That would be an Aspect, obviously,” said Rarity, flicking an ear. “How about we dispense with the formalities? We just wanted to ask for directions to a resting-house and perhaps a restaurant or something.”

“One cannot simply choose to dispense with formalities,” said the doe with a scowl. “But we are talking, if on unsteady wings, and I believe the parameters of this dialogue are known to me. I… do not know what a resting-house might be, however. Perhaps you know other words?”

“If we were traders from Stagrum or some other city, where could we find somewhere to sleep?” Fluttershy asked.

The doe’s eyes lit up in recognition, and she nodded vigorously. “This makes more sense, yes—but you are not from Stagrum. You look like none I have ever seen.”

“We’re from Equestria. Across the west—well, the eastern ocean, from your perspective,” said Rarity.

“Diplomats. Emissaries. A bunch of other boring words,” Dash added with a snort. “Really. We just want someplace to sleep.”

“Oh. Oh,” said the doe, the pupils of her tiny dark eyes shrinking to pinpricks. “Then every word must be measured more than ever, and our conversation has started so poorly!”

Rarity let out a deep-seated sigh. “We’re doing fine, dear, I assure you. What’s going poorly is our attempt to find a place to sleep tonight.”

“Okay, one more block to this ‘housing’ person,” said Rainbow Dash as they crossed another street. This time, the road split in two, making a Y-shape with another tiny plaza at the tip where three roads met.

“That’s what she said,” Rarity agreed. “And I’ll be glad when we have some place to sit down. It’s getting late.”

Sure enough, the sun had well and truly set now. A few peryton disrupted the slowly thinning traffic to charge magical streetlights, and Fluttershy squeaked in fright as another wagon rolled by, even though she walked on the far side. Dash’s mane whipped in the draft of its passing.

“I think this is the scariest city yet,” Fluttershy muttered. “Everything’s moving so fast.”

“It’s all rather… rushed,” said Rarity. “And I’m still staggered by the sheer formality in all their speech. When Phoreni and Deimesa both mentioned that they enjoyed their ceremonies, I didn’t expect to struggle to so much as speak with them. We spent more time quibbling over how we talked than we actually talked to the poor doe.”

Rainbow Dash scratched her snout with a wing as she walked. “Yeah, I dunno. At least they’re not angry with us? Like… none of them. I’m over the whole thing with the wagon nearly hitting me, but one of the wagon-pullers looked at me like I was the crazy one. They were, uh, I don’t know—”

“Put off?” Rarity suggested. “I get the feeling that they’re all constantly surprised by us, which is odd given that we’re hardly sneaking up on them.”

“It does make a little bit of sense, actually,” said Fluttershy, her ears at a constant half-tilt as they walked. “Remember when we talked about how we first felt when Zecora came into Ponyville?”

“Yes, I do recall our talk about that particularly embarrassing debacle,” Rarity retorted. “And my lifespan shortens every time it is brought up.”

“Well, in most other cities, they haven’t been like that. The peryton have all acted like we belong, almost, but maybe the difference is that in Cotronna, they don’t.” Fluttershy packed her wings tighter against her body. “It’s like we’re intruding. Not a lot. It’s not very bad and I’m sure they’re nice and all, but it feels a teensy tiny bit like they think we aren’t meant to be here.”

Rainbow Dash snorted, looking over at the scattered few peryton walking the other way on the opposite side of the street. She met the eyes of more than a few, trying to weigh the truth of that statement.

“Nah. That’s not it,” said Rainbow Dash, shaking her head.

Fluttershy raised a brow at her. “I’m sorry?”

“It’s just not it,” Dash added, shrugging. “They don’t look afraid. They don’t look like they want us to go away, so yeah, I dunno, you’re probably wrong.”

“Maybe,” Fluttershy conceded, though her frown stayed put.

“Corner of the block, this should be it,” said Rarity, stepping off the sparse line of peryton and onto the stone steps in front of a two-story building flanked by burgeoning potted plants large enough that all the passing peryton were forced to duck. This particular part of the city looked a little less oppressive than the narrow and crowded three-story building blocks further south. Dash could see a familiar-looking peryton plaza of proper size down the road. Numerous peryton antlers gleamed with light, picking their way through rows of market stalls.

“I don’t think we would have stood a chance at finding it if it wasn’t on the corner here,” said Fluttershy, looking down the row of same-faced buildings with unintelligible signs bearing peryton letters. “What do you think these are?”

“Probably shops?” Dash hazarded. “A lot of really boring shops that are terrible at selling their stuff?”

“This one we’ve been directed to,” said Rarity, pointing to the door belonging to the landing upon which they all clustered, “is hopefully some sort of hotel, and that’s all I’m worried about now. So, unless you mind, let us.” She lit her horn, scowled, and after a second of what Dash could only understand as magical fiddling-about, she slid the door open.

The three friends stepped into a small lobby barely big enough to fit a tall desk, a small cabinet, and a peryton doe in the middle of putting away a scroll case on a shelf near the ceiling. At the sound of the door sliding shut—before she even looked at the three friends—she turned, dipped a hoof in a bowl of water on the desk, and began the same kind of simple bow offered by the doe at the fountain earlier. She froze mid-way with her eyes wide open.

“No,” said Rainbow Dash, pointing a dire hoof at her. “We’re not going through this twice in ten minutes. Hi! I’m Rainbow Dash. That’s Rarity and Fluttershy—” she pointed, then quickly returned a bow just like hers. “—and now we’ve done all the weird stuff, and we can talk.”

The silence was palpable.

“Sorry,” Fluttershy whispered, her smile strained.

“What my very enthusiastic, bullheaded, but also well-meaning friend here is trying to say,” said Rarity, “is that we are obviously strangers new to your city, we don’t understand your customs, and we would very much like to rent a room with beds to sleep in. Also, if we are in breach of some kinds of local rules, do let us know rather than let us offend you again and again, though I suspect Rainbow Dash has got that covered already. The offending, I mean.”

The doe had stayed impressively still all the while, barely moving a muscle. She was small for a peryton, her body a near perfect monocolour brown, and her ears studded with two rows of brass jewellery of some kind. She finished her arrested bow with clearly practiced grace, her expression softening a touch.

“I see strange people who think in stories of Khylari at the expense of Vossos,” she said, sounding almost amused. She dipped her hoof in the bowl again and shook the water off. “I will… try to oblige if you will not hold it against me.”

“Khylari?” Rarity asked. “That is… the Aspect of honesty and ‘forthright speech’ and such?”

“Yeah. Sign us up for that,” Dash chimed. “I don’t think anyone’s mentioned Vossos before, but I’m okay with talking normal instead of having a staring contest. If Khylari’s down with that, Khylari is my favourite thing.”

“Why would we hold it against you if you were okay with talking to us?” Fluttershy asked, tilting her head. “Is this ‘Vossos’ about not talking?”

“If you align with Vossos, you might object because to observe things being done as they should is important for its own sake,” said the doe, one brow raised as though this was obvious. “Vossos’ stories tell us the value of procedure and protocol.”

“Wow, that sounds like fun,” Dash muttered.

The doe smiled. “In business, and especially when one is faced with the unfamiliar, it helps to have familiar rituals to begin with—or to fall back upon. In observing protocol, all things find their best use.” She gestured to the one window of the room and the darkness beyond. “My work day is over, but if you require my help, then my best use is to stay a moment longer for you. I will also tell you that my name is Ihassa Qual.”

“Then we are very pleased to meet you, Ihassa Qual,” said Rarity. “Is it impolite to simply call you ‘Ihassa’? Perhaps Miss Qual?”

The peryton doe shook her head. “Not at all. Names are not people. You may call me a loaf of phela, and as long as I know you speak of me, why not?”

“I think I will use one or both of your names, if you don’t mind, but thank you for taking the time to explain. I must admit, things were getting a little confusing.” Rarity smiled and dipped her head in thanks.

“Yeah, that’s cool of you. We really just—” said Dash, her words trailing off by themselves when she noticed Ihassa frowning deeply at Rarity.

“What?” Rarity asked. “Is something wrong?”

“You lowered your head,” said Ihassa, pointing at her.

“Did I?” asked Rarity, blinking. She reached up to touch her own chest with a hoof. “Me?”

“You just nodded very deeply, I think,” Fluttershy supplied. “Maybe like a little bow?”

“Well, then I suppose I may have, but I hardly think about all those things in detail,” Rarity said. “Why do you ask?”

Ihassa shook her head. “Now I am the one who is confused. I assumed you did so for a purpose, that there was significance to that act. It was more than a simple nod, your head was a little lower—ah, no matter. I understand I must have been mistaken.”

“I don’t understand why it matters,” Rarity said, sighing. “Or rather, it doesn’t, at least not to me.”

The doe let out a short caw of laughter. “No and yes! You do these strange things but you do not know why. You are like the traders who rent my houses, so confusing, doing things and then saying that they do not matter, but it is fine. I will try to listen only to your words. What do you need of me? I say I will stay for your benefit, but my time is not infinite.”

“Someplace to sleep would be nice,” Fluttershy said before Rarity or Rainbow Dash could reply. She leaned to the side, pointedly looking to the stairway behind Ihassa. “Do you have a spare room? And do you know if we can buy food at the… market? I think we saw a market outside, on the next block.”

“Rooms,” Ihassa repeated, shaking her head slightly. “No, I do not have rooms in this building that are for others. Upstairs are my archives. What I have are keys for houses, and houses contain rooms. If you can do as Phostos and match the worth of a key, you will have one.”

In one swift motion, Rarity yanked open her saddlebags, grabbed two gemstones and a few bronze slivers that had miraculously survived the trip so far, and deposited the payload on the desk.

“Beds, please,” said Rarity. “And if Phostos finds this to be an ‘uneven’ trade in your favour, I frankly don’t care. If you want more gems, or gems of a different colour, tell me now.”

Ihassa stared at the pile of shiny stuff, blinked, and leaned behind the desk to levitate out a large metal key before she made for the door.

“Come. I will show you the house.”

Ihassa led the way down the street under the faint illumination of street-lights not half as bright as Dash would have liked. In the short time they had spent in the doe’s office, the streets had filled up a little again, with more peryton out and about than before. At least Rainbow Dash thought so. Now they used the entire street, and it was a lot easier going, more akin to the smattering of ponies meandering their way to Sugarcube corner for lunch than a market rush.

“It’s after dark,” Ihassa said when asked. “People with more sensible work than I are on their way to leisure, and there is no need to keep the street clear. No wagons after sundown proper—come, this way.”

“I’m still trying to understand,” said Fluttershy after a moment. “You’re not afraid of us, you’re just afraid of offending us by saying hello in the wrong way? Or you don’t think you know how to talk to us?”

“I do not feel fear when I look upon you, no,” Ihassa said, pointing down the street. “It is just down here. See the darkest of the three red houses? This one.”

“So you’re confused because we’re different?” Dash suggested. “Everyone we’ve talked to so far has frozen up really bad.”

“Is your judgment a judgment of all of Cotronna simply because I had to think before I spoke to you?” Ihassa asked, glancing over her back, frowning. “If one has never met people of your kind, whatever you call yourselves—”

“Ponies,” Rarity interjected.

“—then of course one cannot rest comfortably on the rituals of protocol, and if one doesn’t have the safety of modes of greeting and their return, it is uncomfortable in the same way one feels apprehension when one is halfway through making soup and finds one has no barley. Is this not true for all?”

“No?” Dash said. “I don’t think I’ve had barley soup.”

“If I don’t know what to say, I usually just run. Or hide. So… maybe,” Fluttershy admitted, her ears flat.

“You might not exactly be the best example, dear. No offense,” Rarity said. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, while Fluttershy herself nodded, conceding the point.

“If I lower my head to someone who wishes my audience—a moment. This is the house,” said Ihassa, looking both ways before she crossed the street. Dash took wing and flew over the traffic instead, landing by the doorway of a narrow two-story building nearly indistinguishable from the others. The wall held one annoying sliding door and two tall windows for each floor.

“If I lower my head to greet someone who approaches me, believing they wish to ask something of me,” Ihassa began anew when she stepped up to the door with Rarity and Fluttershy in tow, “they return the bow of patronage, and the terms of our talk are set. There is no ambiguity. Expectations are established. If there is a presumptive mistake—” she stuck her tongue out as she inserted the key in a small lock set high on the door, “—then they will tell me with the angle of their head and antlers, with wing and talon, and I can adjust. We will find the most purposeful basis for communication.” She levitated the key up to her snout and squinted, yawning soundlessly. “And I have the wrong key. Esorys’ spit, my mind has already quit the day! Wait here, and I will be back in a moment.”

Without even waiting for a reply, Ihassa turned and took off down the street, heading for the corner office which was still in view. Rainbow Dash held back her laugh until the rambling doe was out of earshot.

“Procedure, protocol and fancy bows,” said Dash. “Wow. Imagine if instead of a festival to Myrtella, there had been a Vossos party when we got to Orto. That would have been wild. Or is that ‘mild’?” Fluttershy giggled and shook her head.

“It’s not very surprising,” said Rarity, looking a touch more sober than the pegasi. “It fits with what Phoreni said when we left the grove, and Deimesa said something of the same. They both suggested Cotronnans enjoy their rituals and their ceremonies, and I guess saying ‘hello’ is a sort of ceremony too. I feel silly for not realising.” She shook her head and sighed. “They do seem to put a lot of stock in doing things just so though. If they’re worried about offending us, maybe that means it’s easy to offend them, too.”

“Oh. I don’t like that thought at all,” Fluttershy said, sitting down by the door. “I think they seem like interesting people. I think it’s a lot nicer to think about that.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t say anything to that, because she didn’t have anything to add. They always knew that these peryton would have their own particular brand of weird. What bothered her more than the peculiarities of Cotronnans was the fact that this was their only challenge right now. They weren’t flying their hearts out to escape from a huge flaming bird of doom. They weren’t pushing themselves to their limit, discovering new strength within themselves as they flew higher than the air itself. No, they were discussing how to avoid offending peryton.

“Are you okay? You’re being a little quiet.”

Rainbow Dash barely noticed that the words were for her, and a moment later, she felt Fluttershy’s muzzle press up under her jaw. She didn’t do much except nuzzle back absentmindedly. Again that word returned to her: They were safe, and things could return to what passed for normal for ponies in Perytonia. It wasn’t that Dash didn’t want to be the best girlfriend she could possibly be, but it meant she no longer had an excuse to push them to their limits. No longer would she get to see—

Dash felt something wet against her snout. A light flick of something brushing against her muzzle and nose.

“You licked me,” said Rainbow Dash, the words escaping her before her brain fully realised what had happened. She stared at Fluttershy, incredulous. “You licked me!”

“And might I add, you’re a lovely shade of crimson, darling,” Rarity commented. Sure enough, Rainbow Dash felt her cheeks flush.

“I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy, not sounding very sorry at all. She wore a lopsided smile. “You were staring at the door and not answering.”

Fluttershy, her terminally shy girlfriend, had licked at her muzzle in public just to get a reaction from Dash. Rainbow Dash’s cheeks still tingled. She shook her head and seized Fluttershy with a wing, pulling her into a hug.

“I’m fine,” Dash said, still chuckling. Whatever came next, cuddling and messing around with Fluttershy wouldn’t get old. She gave her girlfriend another squeeze just as a brown doe picked her way through the streets, a key dangling in the magical grip of their prospective landlady.

“This should be the key, here,” said Ihassa. “I did not mean to make you wait, but I think Teimos has taken it upon himself to make a new sorting system for our keys again, and I do not appreciate it.” The key slid into the lock and turned with a simple click. Dash waited for the peryton to handle the annoying sliding door, then stepped inside, but her friends didn’t follow.

“If we have further questions, will you be at the office?” Rarity asked, turning to the peryton doe. “I assume that is also your home?”

Ihassa cawed with laughter. Rainbow Dash looked to her friends, confused, wondering if anypony wanted to explain the joke to her, but Rarity and Fluttershy looked equally blank while Ihassa’s mirth slowly died out, ending in an awkward silence.

“I’m sorry, is that a silly thing to ask?” Rarity asked, frowning just a touch.

Ihassa cleared her throat noisily. “I… did not think you meant to ask—that is, yes. You do not sleep where you work.”

“Clearly the Boutique does not exist, then,” Rarity said under her breath.

“I am due to be at my home long ago now, and it is shedding-day tomorrow, so I will not be there then, either,” said Ihassa. “You must know this, but perhaps you do not have shedding-days?”

“Never even heard of it,” said Dash, shrugging. “Is that like… weekend? A day off work?”

Ihassa gave a shallow nod. “‘Off’ work? Yes. Those words fit, and you understand it, but I really must leave now. If you have complaints or concerns about your housing, Teimos or I will be at the office the day after shedding-fall.” She bowed her head and spread one wing half-way, looking expectantly to the ponies before she caught herself and shook her head.

“Is that… another greeting or farewell-ritual we should know about?” Fluttershy asked, her head at a tilt. “Is it polite to bow back? Or maybe spread our wings, too?”

Ihassa smiled at her. “Not unless you wish to suggest that my leaving is overdue. I cannot tell you how you should react, because I cannot tell myself how you feel. It is my mistake for forgetting you do not know. Habit.” She nodded to herself. “Often, to say or do the wrong thing is worse than saying or doing nothing at all. But! As I have said many times now, I am in a hurry. First, I will bestow upon you the key to this house—” she said, hovering the key in front of the ponies. Rarity caught it with her magic and nodded her thanks.

“—given, and taken,” Ihassa noted, stepping down the stairs. “And then, I will say goodbye.”

“Alright. Seeya,” said Dash, leaning against the doorway. Rarity and Fluttershy both waved their goodbyes and slipped past Rainbow Dash, while Dash herself stood by the door a moment longer.

Opposite of their house was a larger plaza, a marketplace burgeoning with life even late in the evening. When she looked to where peryton met, she could see a bunch of these little exchanges of bows and gestures with wings, antlers, and in one case, magic. It looked a lot less weird when both parties were in on it, like really complicated yet casual and practiced hoof-bumps.

Rainbow Dash bit onto the edge of the sliding door. She tugged at it and tried to work a hoof flat against it so she could shut the door properly, sparing a few choice muttered words to whoever invented the stupid things.

“What about you, Rarity?” asked Fluttershy somewhere deeper inside the house. “Are you okay? I hope you don’t mind me saying, but you’ve been a little quiet ever since we reached the city, too,” she added.

“I’m just tired, dear,” Rarity replied. “Just tired.”

To Rainbow Dash, Rarity neither looked nor sounded very tired at all. The unicorn soon figured out how to make the magical globes hanging from the ceiling glow, and within minutes, the ponies had taken stock of the house Rarity described as “functional”. The oddest thing was a heavy set of grey-grown curtains separating the living room from the kitchen.

Rainbow Dash took Rarity’s words for it anyway. She herself hadn’t bothered checking what lay on the other side, and for all she knew, the curtains hid a circus. Dash half sat, half lay next to Fluttershy on a bench by one of the living room’s two tables, and over by the other, smaller table, Rarity unpacked her own saddlebags with exacting care, levitating out the creepy white masks she’d found in Vauhorn, a small and dirty bolt of silk, colourful scarves and a bunch of other stuff Rainbow Dash barely remembered Rarity had.

“It’s nice to finally be able to sit down and breathe for a little bit,” said Fluttershy, exhaling slowly and noisily. “Everything’s moved so fast lately, but now I’m looking forward to a long night’s sleep. How about you girls?”

Rainbow Dash, agreeing with only some of that, gave a simple nod, reaching up to touch her snout one more time. It didn’t hurt any more, and now it was her mind that was numb instead.

“We could get something nice to eat, first,” Fluttershy continued. “We know they take gems here, and I think I saw someone frying some food at the market just across the street. It smelled like the phela they made in Vauhorn. We probably shouldn’t wait too long though.”

“Yeah. I can go get us something to eat in a sec if you don’t want to,” Dash said. “If they have that fruit-filled bread here too, that’s great.” She frowned as she watched Rarity arrange, rearrange, and re-rearrange the stuff on the table. Now she levitated over Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy’s saddlebags as well, extracting the large and unwieldy antlers from Fluttershy’s pack. Fluttershy herself raised a brow in curiosity, though she didn’t offer comment.

“If tomorrow is a rest day here, I don’t know if their palace is open,” said Fluttershy, covering a yawn with a hoof. “The royal palace in Canterlot is closed on weekends, so if Ihassa’s office is closed, their palace probably will be, too. We could take the day off.”

Rainbow Dash nodded absentmindedly, and Fluttershy smiled. “If we’re lucky,” Fluttershy added, “we’ll at least find someone to ask for directions and ask about their leader. We should tell them about what happened in the mountains, too, or ask about it—um… actually, never mind. They won’t really know about it, will they? They might not even care. Maybe we’ll have to write a letter to Ephydoera instead. We could ask their leader here what they think we should do, at least. What was it they called their prince or princess again? A head consul?”

“I really thought we could ask Ihassa about it, but she was in such a rush. She was friendly, but I don’t know if she wanted to be a friend, if that makes sense.” Fluttershy paused, looking to her friends in the ensuing silence. “Does that make sense?”

“We’ll have to find our way to the palace somehow if we are to present this sigil to them, certainly,” Rarity said before Dash could even consider the question. She sounded distant, distracted, like she was taking part in a different conversation entirely.

“Mm, but not tomorrow. At least, that’s what I think,” said Fluttershy. “You don’t think we should hurry over there and give them the invitation right now, do you?”

“Oh absolutely not,” said Rarity, shaking her head. She levitated out what little paper had survived the journey through the mountains. “No. I’ll need some time—a day is perfect. A day should be all I’ll need to finish this… I hesitate to call this a dress, but it’ll certainly have to be something to wear.” She stared at all the items arrayed in front of her and sighed. “For better or for worse, I now remember what I was planning. I do hope this goes over well. It has to be a success, it simply must.”

Fluttershy tilted her head in question, while Rainbow Dash quietly wondered what Rarity was doing with the antlers Fluttershy insisted on lugging about.

“Right now,” Rarity murmured, “I wonder if I didn’t prefer being in jail to wrangling with this particular creation.”

Fluttershy gasped. “Rarity, why would you say that?”

Rarity simply shook her head and clicked her tongue as though she hadn’t even heard Fluttershy.

“Rarity? Are you listening? If something is wrong with the dress—” Fluttershy began to say.

“It’s not a matter of wrong,” said Rarity, finally looking up. “These outfits I’m putting together are precisely what they have to be. I finally understand the terms of perytonian ‘fashion’.” She waved a hoof at the jewellery, the masks and her tools. “I have figured out what I need to do to get their attention. I’ve decided how to create something that will make my creations truly take center stage—it’s just… very different from what I usually make. If I seem a little preoccupied, that’s the reason,” she finished lightly.

“Okay,” said Fluttershy, nodding very slowly, the usually demure pegasus’s tone bordering on severe. “But we’ve already talked about this. Your dresses are lovely, but we’re not really here to show them dresses or outfits. We’re here to invite Perytonia to come visit Equestria.”

“By giving them a some weird gold thingy,” Dash added, “which I always thought was weird, but if the Princesses sent a letter with us, it’d be mush by now, so I guess that part of the plan still works out, heh.”

Rarity’s eyes were unfocused, her attention drifting even as she nodded. “Yes, yes, I’m not blind to why we are here, but we also know now that these Cotronnans appreciate ceremony.”

“Maybe, but we don’t really understand it,” said Fluttershy, frowning. “They have some very complicated gestures and greetings we haven’t learned, but I’m sure there is more to it than that.”

Rarity waved a hoof. “Inconsequentia, darling dearest. The important part is that they put effort into their rituals and such. What better way to greet them than by presenting this sigil with a ceremony of our own, hm? We can send a message. Think of it as the proverbial olive branch.” The unicorn’s voice quickened. “All this while, we’ve visited so many of these fragmented cities so far apart, we’ve met peryton who are more different than even pegasi and unicorns, yet they all keep to their own business to a degree that beggars belief!”

Fluttershy licked her lips and glanced over at Rainbow Dash. Dash shrugged and nodded. “That’s what I’ve been saying since we got here,” said Dash. “Probably. Something like that.”

Rarity nodded enthusiastically in return. “What if we can show them—through the power of fashion—how much they could benefit from the very same kind of harmony that we enjoy in Equestria, hm?” She levitated up one of the Vauhornite masks, some of the jewellery from Stagrum, and the scarves from Orto. “I’m still ironing out the details, of course, but I am certain that while we invite their leader to Canterlot, we could also show them how much better things could be if they all came together! A message of harmony. Of… of togetherness.”

Rainbow Dash grinned. “I don’t know if a dress can say all that, but I like the sound of it. Why not?”

“It doesn’t sound all that bad,” Fluttershy agreed with a cautious nod. “As long as they understand that’s all we’re trying to say.”

“Mhm, yes, absolutely. All those things—but more importantly, if they realise the quality of my work in the process,” Rarity said, inspecting one of her own hooves with feigned disinterest. “Why, then that’s a boon I’ll graciously accept. Goodness knows I could use a victory like that. This entire journey has been a fashion disaster from the very beginning, I’m sure you recall.”

Fluttershy didn’t look entirely convinced. She stepped off the bench and walked over to Rarity’s table. “Okay,” she said, stepping up to stand side by side with Rarity. “I guess that would be nice, but why did you sound so worried a minute ago if you think you know what you want to do?”

It took Rarity a moment to mount a reply. At Fluttershy’s simple question, the doubt returned to Rarity’s expression. The unicorn frowned critically at all the random stuff she had amassed. She looked vaguely confused herself, though she forced a smile.

“It’s nothing, really, I just need to think differently for this particular creation, and it’s proving to be a challenge, but if I were to take the simplest possible approach—” Rarity paused for a second. “Fluttershy, do you think I could use your antlers?”

“The antlers?” Fluttershy asked, blinking rapidly. “For a dress?”

“Again, it’s not really just a dress,” said Rarity, shaking her head no. “An outfit.”

“Oh. I… guess? Sure?” Fluttershy said. Rainbow Dash cocked a brow, waiting for an explanation that never came.

“Good. One day really isn’t much time at all, and I’d need at least one more item. Perhaps some local fabrics too? Maybe they would appreciate that gesture?” Rarity asked nopony in particular, tapping a hoof on the stone floor. She took a sudden, quick breath. “Well, I do need more fabric at any rate. Yes. This will have to do—there’s even a market outside. Will you two girls manage without me for a moment?”

“Uh,” was all Dash got out before Rarity had tossed some gems into an ohron, halfway to the door.

“Okay?” Fluttershy said, staring after her. The door opened and closed, and they were sans a unicorn. Fluttershy trotted halfway towards the door herself as though she meant to follow, but she evidently thought the better of it, furling her wings tight on her back. Rainbow Dash slipped off the bench herself and scratched her belly with a wing, walking over to the heavy cloth that sectioned off the living room, poking her head through to the simple stoveless kitchen. The curtains split the ground floor in two like they were separate stages. Better than sliding doors, at least, Dash thought.

“I’m glad she’s… better?” Rainbow Dash heard Fluttershy’s voice say, muffled by the thick grey-brown curtains. The other pegasus pushed apart the curtains to stand with Dash between the two rooms. “Except I didn’t know she was doing worse, first,” Fluttershy continued.

Rainbow Dash shrugged, giving the kitchen a quick once-over. No food. It was too much to expect that a borrowed or rented house would come with a complimentary fruit bowl, apparently. The entire place was completely bare except for a small bowl of water on a shelf by the door.

“I dunno, it’s Rarity making dresses. Or not-dresses,” said Dash laughing. She pushed through the curtains and made for the staircase leading up to the second floor instead. “Let’s go check out the bedroom.”

“There’s another water bowl here,” said Fluttershy. She had paused by the top of the stairs, pointing to a wooden bowl on a tiny end table. Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, poked one of the three beds. It was hard, and they hadn’t been made. One of the closets probably had linens or something, then.

“Yeah?” said Dash, looking up and trying to remember what Fluttershy had said. The other pegasus dipped her hoof in the water and flicked it about, tilting her head.

“Like that,” said Fluttershy. “Ihassa did that a lot, did you notice?”

“I guess,” said Dash, frowning. “What’s it supposed to mean?”

“We didn’t really ask, but she did say that they really liked their procedures, so it has to mean something to them,” Fluttershy said, shrugging. “Oh. The beds aren’t made.”

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash. She stared at one of the cupboards for all of two seconds before she decided she didn’t feel like doing anything about it for the moment. “Not much of a hotel, huh.”

“Well, it’s a house,” said Fluttershy, smiling. “It’s probably meant for someone who wants to stay for a little longer. Maybe the traders stop here for a while. Didn’t Khaird say he used to travel to Cotronna sometimes?”

“Yeah like… once every ten years or whatever,” said Dash, laughing. “Hang on, I’m gonna go get something.”

Fluttershy nodded, and Rainbow Dash spread her wings, sailing down the stairs to the first floor, trotting through to the living room tables. Rarity had upended half their stuff there, but where was—ah. There. Dash picked their large, well-worn blanket off the ground and tossed it onto her back. She couldn’t be bothered to make the beds, but she really wanted something softer to lay on. She hurried back up the stairs and tossed the unfolded blanket onto the closest bed, not bothering to spread it out. She simply leaped on top of the soft bundle.

On the far side of the room, Fluttershy had the shutters of one window open. She stood on one of the beds, resting her forelegs on the high windowsill, looking out. From where she lay, Dash couldn’t see whatever it was Fluttershy saw. She just saw her girlfriend leaning out, hindlegs stretched out.

“I can’t see Rarity, but she has to be somewhere down there in the market plaza across the road,” said Fluttershy without turning around.

“Probably, yeah,” said Rainbow Dash. She flipped onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, trying to determine what the hatch was for rather than look at her girlfriend. The way she stood, there wasn’t a way to not look at the stupid scar.

“Maybe. But she said she wanted fabrics. She probably wants some very specific things, and they can’t have everything in one place, can they? She could be anywhere now. We just got to this city. She could get lost,” Fluttershy said, her voice fraught with concern.

“She’ll be fine,” said Rainbow Dash, wiggling her way deeper into the blanket. She couldn’t get comfortable. Maybe there was a point to the whole ‘folding the blanket double and laying down properly’ thing Rarity did.

“Probably,” Fluttershy agreed, “but she could be alone and scared, too. Maybe we should go make sure she’s okay.”

Rainbow Dash rolled back upright and tried to smooth out the blanket with her hooves. “Stop worrying,” she said with a chuckle. “Rarity is fine, and I’m gonna stay here, thanks. Vauhorn worked out because Neisos was cool, but without anyone around who can explain stuff, I can only take so much crazy peryton in one day.”

“That’s okay,” said Fluttershy, pausing only for a second before she added. “Maybe I should go look for her. I could check the market across the street at least.”

Dash laughed. “Come on, Fluttershy. No offense, but if anypony here’s gonna get scared by themselves, it’s you.”

Fluttershy looked over her shoulder, still leaning against the windowsill. She smiled and nodded slightly. “You’re probably right. Everything here is moving so fast, and these peryton are really hard to talk to.”

Rainbow Dash bit onto the blanket and dragged one side to meet the other. There, she declared, laying down again. Much better.

“I think I could do it, though,” said Fluttershy, nibbling her bottom lip. “It’s not that terrifying, is it? Just… walk across the street and look around—oh, but it’s ever so dark. They all use magical lights, and there are no real streetlights in the market. And what if one of them asks me a question and I don’t know what to say? What if not saying anything is the worst possible thing?”

All jokes aside, of course Fluttershy could do it. The idea of wading through a marketplace full of weird peryton looking for Rarity was trivial for Rainbow Dash, but Fluttershy would need a push to actually do it. Old, non-best-girlfriend-ever Rainbow Dash would have given her a rude shove without a second thought—as would Rainbow Dash of a few days ago. While they were trying to escape the mountains, Dash rarely ever had a choice about pushing them all to do all they could, and that was the only thing that kept her from feeling bad about last week.

Right now, Fluttershy’s scar stared Rainbow Dash down, as did the weight of all those memories she had suppressed in the name of escape and survival. Fluttershy’s tear-streaked face during this year’s hurricane effort. All the misery she’d heaped upon Fluttershy so far during this journey. Right now, Rainbow Dash lay on a comfortable bed in a borrowed house, and the price of failing to kick Fluttershy into action was that Rarity might take a few minutes longer to get back home.

“Sure,” said Rainbow Dash. “But you know she’ll be back soon. Don’t worry about it, jeez.”

Fluttershy pushed off the windowsill and sat down on the other bed. “I am worried, that’s the problem,” she said, frowning slightly. “I know she’s probably fine. Rarity can take care of herself. She’s a very capable pony, but I would feel a lot better if I knew for sure. She ran out the door ever so quickly.”

Rainbow Dash sighed and sat back up again. “Would it make you feel better if I just fly over there real quick and see if I can find her?” she asked.

Fluttershy shook her head. “You said you didn’t want to go.”

Dash shrugged. “I don’t, but I can do it. It’s not a big deal. It’ll take me two minutes, tops. We’ve talked about it for more than two minutes. You could make the beds in the meantime. Win-win!”

Fluttershy licked her lips and drew breath, letting it out again slowly.

“That’s very nice of you. I mean, it’s nice of you to offer, but I don’t really want you to do it, no.”

Dash scratched her head. “Okay. So… you want someone to do it, but it’s not me, but—uh, do you want to do it?” Dash asked. She pointed to Fluttershy, past her, towards where the market lay. “If you really want to go look for Rarity, why don’t you?”

Fluttershy folded her ears. “I… I’m not sure I want to, no. Or, I guess maybe I wish I could do it, but it would be ever so scary.”

And there it was. She didn’t really want to do it.

“That’s cool,” said Rainbow Dash, nodding. “If you don’t wanna do it, I’m not gonna tell you to do it.”

Fluttershy shuffled her wings awkwardly, staring at the ground between the two beds for a long moment. “I’m probably just overthinking it, aren’t I?” She smiled a touch and shook her head. “It’s just a short walk away. In the darkness. With lots of really strange peryton, and just one pony for them to stare at instead of three. And maybe I’ll knock on the wrong door on the way back and stand in front of some very nice peryton who wonder why I’m bothering them—oh, no, I don’t think I could do it.”

Rainbow Dash sighed. She already missed the mountains. She wanted to tell Fluttershy that of course she could do it. The price of failure might be less, the stakes lower, but Dash wanted the same thing as ever. To make Fluttershy do the thing. Because she knew she could do it.

Dash herself also knew her words wouldn’t be a simple “yes.” She wouldn’t say “I think you could do it.” It would come out as Dash saying whatever she had to say to make Fluttershy go look for Rarity, and before she knew it she’d be pushing Fluttershy out the door by force, making Fluttershy sad or terrified or everything in between. Now they tried to fly across the mountains, and Fluttershy cried that she couldn’t give any more lift.

Dash didn’t say anything, and neither did Fluttershy, the other pegasus looking at her across the room, almost expectant.

“Hey, so, uh,” said Dash. She cleared her throat, beginning anew. “Listen. I know I’ve pushed you around a lot, alright? I know.”

Maybe Fluttershy would appreciate some honesty. Rainbow Dash sure wished things were simple right now herself. She knew she had been confused a lot whenever Fluttershy tried to explain things back in Vauhorn. In fact, to all accounts, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were terrible at talking together, which was why Dash did as little of it as she possibly could. She just didn’t like the idea that Fluttershy sat in fear of Dash suddenly grabbing her by the tail and forcing her to do something stupid again.

Now, Fluttershy’s face was blank.

“I don’t want to do that anymore,” Dash added, flicking one ear, trying to get the white lie out convincingly. Want was such a tricky word, but it sounded so much better if she was decisive about it. “I mean everything like… making you fly the cart, or whatever. Stupid stuff. I’m done with that, okay?”

Fluttershy stared at her own hooves for two, three, four seconds, her chest moving slowly with breath, but her face showed nothing. Her ears were stiff and her wings tight, but otherwise her features were perfectly schooled.

“Okay? Is… that what you really want?” Fluttershy asked.

No, thought Rainbow Dash. I wanna continue showing you how awesome you can be. I wanna go back to before I realised how much I’ve hurt you and how stupid I’ve been, but that’s selfish.

“Yeah, duh. Of course it is!” lied Rainbow Dash, when all she wanted to do was tell Fluttershy to head out there, to realise that these peryton weren’t half as scary as Fluttershy was amazing. No big whoop.

She wanted Fluttershy to come back triumphant, and then they could run around town all night and be confused about weird bowing and gestures and dipping hooves in silly little water-bowls or whatever.

“That’s old Rainbow Dash stuff,” said Rainbow Dash when Fluttershy didn’t reply. “I can be a way cooler girlfriend than that. The only reason I gave you a hard time in the mountains was because I had to,” she added, trying not to feel guilty about how much she had enjoyed it. Did it count as being a jerk if she had fun doing something mean when she didn’t have a choice? Probably.

She expected Fluttershy to look happy with that. After all, Rainbow Dash only said what she’d been trying to live by for the past few weeks. She smiled at Fluttershy, and she expected Fluttershy to smile back, to appreciate it, but since this was all pretty obvious, there probably wasn’t much to say. No, Fluttershy hardly needed to thank Rainbow Dash for saying she wasn’t going to be a stupid meanie to her girlfriend. Dash rolled onto her side and stretched out her one free wing, satisfied she had done the right thing, while Fluttershy slipped off the bed, making for the stairs.

“I’m going to go see if I can buy us some food,” said Fluttershy, simply. “I’m hungry.”

Dash blinked. “Huh? Outside? Okay, I thought—”

“And… Rainbow Dash? I think maybe it’s okay, if you don’t mi—well, no. I think we should probably just be friends, really,” said the other pegasus.

“Wait, what?” Dash asked, sitting up so fast she nearly fell over forwards.

“I think we made better friends than we did girlfriends, that’s all,” said Fluttershy, her voice quavering a little bit. She didn’t look at Rainbow Dash, already halfway down the stairs. “I’m sorry. Anyway, um... that’s how I feel,” she said. “I’ll be back in a little bit. Bye.”

Chapter 41

Miarsis

West of mountains, east of seas

I do not know what year this letter will find its way to your talons, my oldest and dearest of friends, but find you it will. That is the promise given by the Sought. Any letter, to anyone, but never any when.

I write because you missed our meeting in Vauhorn this season. Before you left, you spoke of passes that may snow in for years at a time, and of seas that boil. You spoke of a passage south, and now you are nowhere to be found. I think this means we will not meet for some time.

If you are stranded in far-off lands and cannot find your way back soon, well, that is why I write this letter! Should it be decades before you tread upon Perytonian grass again, I thought perhaps you might appreciate word from home, for I roam within the borders this year. Always there are places unseen even in one’s own garden with Orsshur’s newfound sight.

Now, I say home, but I know you! You are the least sentimental of any Broken Feather. You do not care for tales of home and hearth, and I suspect that when I tell you that I wish to share news of this cycle’s Alluvium in Vauhorn, there is a chance you will laugh and throw this letter away. Read on, and note the lack of known Aspects mentioned in this tale.

The Pony and the Osprey

A pony lay before the wind. Her burden was to face it, and ever it blew to force her back. She had known nothing but the wind, and ever she wished she could stand against it, but she had not the strength. “My legs are weak,” she would say.

The wind did not listen, but down from the sky then came the osprey, and the osprey spake. “It is the wind that is weak,” it said, spreading its wings to show feathers untouched by the gale. The pony found the courage to stand, and though the wind had not gone, she found her legs steady.

“The wind is weak,” the osprey said again, and this time the osprey took to the sky and flew about. The pony found the courage to walk, and though the wind had not gone, she found her gait steady.

“The wind is weak,” the osprey said once more, and this time, the osprey flew faster than ever. The pony found the courage to run, and though the wind had not gone, she found her legs strong.

The pony then desired that she should fly. She spread her wings and looked to the osprey and waited for its call, but no sound came. She soared into the air and scoured the sky for the osprey, but it was nowhere to be found. In so doing, she discovered what she in truth must always have known: that she was stronger than the wind. But without the osprey’s song, the strength gave her no joy.

And so the pony lay down on the ground again, against the wind, waiting for the osprey’s call.

Now, Miarsos, I suspect I have your attention. That is the very melancholy story of the pony and the osprey, one told by the foreign lips of one of the former species. I was honored to listen to the first telling. You will have many questions, and I will predict the first few:

First, you may not think you know what a ‘pony’ is, but in truth you do. You have heard of a place called Equestria, across the vast sea to the east, and they hail from there. Have you ever heard of kin braving the sea? I think I must try, one day. They are an interesting people, if my three new acquaintances are anything to go by, passionate more than inquisitive, friendly more than both.

Second: By overwhelming majority of popularity, this was the story first written down for circulation and sent to the other cities following this Alluvium. The council made some changes: The teller talked of the bird as a ‘she’ as well, which they did not see the purpose of (and before I forget I must add: once while she told the story, an osprey came to land at her side! This no doubt aided in its popularity), and the form was a little too strange. It began with “once upon a time”, which the council decided to strike.

Third, while this story is adjacent to Deiasos’ twinned aspect, strong voices within the council argued that the unique elements—of asymmetrical symbiosis, of reliability with reliance by choice—these unique items are exactly why this story deserves to be heard. If this was to fit within the canon of known Aspects, it would be Deiasos’ purpose changed, or spoken in chorus with Raella, whose name is rare as none other. As there is not a single supporting Aspect mentioned at all, we may yet see the fiftieth Aspect discovered through this, sprung from its first telling.

No doubt you have seen stranger things in your travels, old friend. Perhaps I overestimate your love for what you have called “the mundanities of people”. If so, I share this story out of self-indulgence. Having met the people behind the… let us call it the situation of this particular story, one which is still in its telling, I dearly hope this particular osprey finds its way back to the pony who desires her company.

-Vulenos

Rainbow Dash did her best not to think.

She didn’t actually manage, of course. She vaguely remembered talking to Twilight about it sometime, weeks—no, it would have to be months ago now, of course. A picnic, lunch, something like that. Rainbow Dash had mentioned how good it felt to just take a load off and not think for a moment. Twilight, true to herself, had gone on a rant about how fascinating it was that, actually, ponies couldn’t really stop thinking. You just shifted your way to thinking about something else, or shifted to a different way of thinking. Subconscious or whatever, and would you like to participate in a little experiment with me? It won’t take a minute, but you’ve noticed how, if someone says “don’t think about a pink monkey—”

Later that very same day, Rainbow Dash found Applejack walking back from her chores at the farm. Repeating the same sentiment to Applejack—how nice it was not to think for a moment—Applejack hadn’t even responded. She’d returned a lazy, tired smile and nodded. Rainbow Dash walked her back to the farm before heading home. She didn’t remember what she had thought about while they shared that little walk, only that it felt like a little triumph over Twilight. She meant to tell her, to rub it in her friend’s face, but she had forgotten.

Probably for the best. Rainbow Dash had probably thought about something. Maybe she misremembered it, and she actually spent that entire walk planning how she meant to tell Twilight how wrong she was, and then it was actually Twilight who was right in the end. Funny how often that happened.

Rainbow Dash wished she herself had been right in the first place. That she could stop thinking, because right now, her thinking went nowhere. Her mind spun in circles, around and around. She sat by the living room table, close to the door. She made it as far as the stupid sliding door before she decided not to run after Fluttershy. What would she say? That they shouldn’t break up? Would she try to tell Fluttershy that she was wrong? Try to bully her into taking it back? That was un-okay on so many levels, she was angry with herself for thinking it.

That’s what had happened, anyway. They had broken up, and Rainbow Dash couldn’t figure out why she felt so awful. They were still friends, right? That’s what Fluttershy had said. They could still hug and stuff, couldn’t they? When had she come to enjoy all the touchy stuff so much? Why did the thought of losing any of that hit her so hard?

Rainbow Dash leaned forward until her forehead hit the table with a solid thunk. It didn’t hurt much, testament to the fact that her head was probably harder than any stone.

She thought she had traded one thing for another, trading out pushing Fluttershy around for cuddles. Except it wasn’t nearly that simple. There was a lot more than just touch, and besides, who the hay even pushed their friends around? It wasn’t like she could un-realise how much of a butt she had been. She shouldn’t feel bad about being a better pony, either, but everything about Fluttershy was confusing every time she tried to think, and everything went wrong every time they talked.

Whether it was Fluttershy trying to explain things to Rainbow Dash or Rainbow Dash thinking she was saying what was obvious, nothing had ever gotten better by trying to talk.

She had lost.

Dash’s ears perked up at the sound of something scraping against the door, then pushing. She shuffled her wings to make sure her feathers lay right and walked over to help Fluttershy slide the door open, coming face to face with a droopy-eared pegasus who struggled to balance a cloth-wrapped parcel on her back while managing the awkward door.

“Thank you,” said Fluttershy, flashing a weak smile. Her eyes were a touch red.

“Yeah, no problem,” said Rainbow Dash.

“My hooves are a little dusty from the street,” Fluttershy said, casting a glance over her shoulder. Her legs shook a tiny bit, a detail Rainbow Dash didn’t miss. Clearly braving the crowds had been a challenge for her, but here she stood. “I couldn’t get a good grip on the door,” Fluttershy added. “I got us some food. Could you get some water?”

Rainbow Dash nodded, and did. She blew the dust off some bowls, filled them with the hoof-pump in the kitchen, and plonked them down on the table, hesitating for a second before she sat. Fluttershy had already unwrapped the bundle. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stared at each other across the table, past a what looked like sugar-coated fry bread. Or salted. One or the other. Rainbow Dash wondered who would speak first. She didn’t want to say anything herself. She was done with words. With talking and with listening and trying. Not because she was angry, but because she was clearly too stupid to do it right.

“I didn’t see Rarity,” said Fluttershy.

They weren’t gonna talk about the whole not-being-girlfriends thing then. Friends. Rainbow Dash didn’t often settle for second best, but right now, she’d take it. She reached for the bread, awkwardly smushing the filled stuff while she tried to separate a piece for herself. It wasn’t exactly pegasus friendly food when it wasn’t separated into bite-sized portions.

“Did you look?” Dash asked.

Fluttershy nodded. “Yes. A little. I guess she must have gone to another market. I saw another one down the road.”

“She’s probably there.” Rainbow Dash licked her hoof. Salt. Salt and bread filled with fruit. Almost exactly like the Vauhorn bread. Maybe they traded recipes or something.

Fluttershy nodded again, chewing on her own piece of bread. They ate in silence for a while, neither of them going for a second round. Dash was ravenous, but she didn't much feel like eating.

“Do you…” Fluttershy began to say, her voice thin. “I’m sorry. Do you want to talk about it? I understand if you don’t, but—”

“No,” said Dash, instantly regretting the edge in her voice. She winced, swallowed and put a foreleg on the table, resting her head on top. “No,” she repeated, a little more quietly, trying and failing to keep her voice from cracking. “I don’t want to talk. About anything.”

“Are you mad at me?” Fluttershy asked, biting her lower lip. She shrunk down onto herself. “I don’t want you to be mad at me.”

Rainbow Dash snorted. How could she be mad at Fluttershy? She wasn’t the one who messed up everything, even though Rainbow Dash wasn’t sure exactly what she herself had done wrong. She thought she had finally managed to do things right.

“I don’t want to talk,” Dash managed, swallowing. “And I’m not mad at you, okay? Just… can we not talk? Not talking sounds great right now.”

Fluttershy’s lips trembled ominously, but she nodded and stood up. “Okay,” she said, walking over to the other table. Rainbow Dash stared at the food, weighing her still-rumbling belly against the simple fact that she couldn’t stand the idea of chewing on anything right now. It took energy she simply didn’t have. Meanwhile, Fluttershy toyed with one of the pairs of wooden antlers, running a hoof along the straps.

“I think I’m going to go upstairs and sleep a little,” Fluttershy said after a moment. “If you want to talk later, that’s fine.”

“Cool, but I don’t think so,” Rainbow Dash muttered. “I’ll let Rarity know.”

Fluttershy nodded one final time, a jerky and mechanical motion, and then she disappeared upstairs. Rainbow Dash waited until she no longer heard hoofsteps, and planted her forehead back on the table, forcing her stinging eyes shut.

Rainbow Dash didn’t know she’d fallen asleep. In fact, even when Rarity slid the door open and stepped inside, Rainbow Dash still doubted she had really slept, but she had either achieved perfect non-thinking, or she had dozed, lingering in the realm between sleep and wakefulness.

The unicorn started closing the door before she was fully through, almost catching her own tail. While Dash rubbed the sleep from her eyes, Rarity strode over to the smaller table, a portion of the fry bread and Fluttershy’s half-full bowl of water levitating over to join her. Before Rainbow Dash collected her thoughts, Rarity already had her saddlebags undone and on the table.

“Hey,” said Rainbow Dash. “You’re late,” she guessed. She couldn’t tell, really. With the shutters closed, it could be past deepest night, or it could be an hour after sundown.

“I am absolutely late if I wish to finish the baseline form and leave flexible room for the last piece,” Rarity said as though it was agreement.

“What,” said Rainbow Dash, stretching and yawning.

“The only fabrics that see common use in Cotronna is the fabric they use for these dividing curtains for privacy and separation,” Rarity said, not so much as looking at Dash. She levitated out a bolt of cloth that stuck out of her saddlebags, far too large to fit. “If I am to learn how to use this fabric for fashion, then that’s a challenge unto itself—”

“Right,” said Dash. “Fluttershy and I broke up.”

“—but I also need to leave some allowances for something we need to pick up tomorrow, and I don’t need to tell you that that’s no easy feat no matter the fabric. At least the grey is neutral. It may actually work to my advantage,” Rarity concluded. She finally turned around, though her magic continued its work unrolling the bolt of thick, grey fabric. “Pardon?”

“We broke up,” said Rainbow Dash. She tried to shrug, to shrug it off, but even though it shouldn’t hurt half as bad as it did, even though Fluttershy wasn’t going anywhere, it was a kick to the chest just to say the words. “Fluttershy just wants to be friends, so now we’re friends.”

“That’s awful, darling!” said Rarity. She stared at Rainbow for a moment, jaw working soundlessly. She licked her lips, her eyes pulled back to the worktable, then back again to Rainbow Dash.

“I’ll—” Rarity began to say, pausing. Another glance at her dress-in-making. “I’ll listen if you wish to talk, dear. Oh, no, not just if you wish. I would like to hear about this, of course, and I don’t understand how this could happen—”

“Don’t even worry about it,” Dash said, shaking her head. “Forget it. I don’t wanna talk anyway.” She didn’t give Rarity a chance to reply, heading up the stairs, and Rarity neither said anything, nor did she follow.

The upstairs room was even darker than before. The shutters were closed, leaving Dash with what little light spilled up the stairs from the lower floor. Fluttershy lay on the bed by the window, the blanket pulled over her back. She glanced towards Rainbow Dash, then closed her eyes again, clearly not yet asleep. Rainbow Dash didn’t break her stride. She trotted over to the bed, hopped atop, and lay down next to her, leaving space for Rarity in the middle. She heard the faint rustle of feathers, and a second later, the tip of Fluttershy’s wing touched against her side. No tight wrap, no hug, but a touch. There was that, at least.

Rainbow Dash shut her eyes, wishing tomorrow would come faster. Wishing the day, the week, and the entire stupid trip would be over soon, and hoping that she wouldn’t dream.

“There. I think it’s locked now,” said Rarity, frowning at the door. She put the key in the key-hole again, twisted it to no effect, and a glow surrounded the door without anything else happening. “Yes. That should be it. Good. Let’s go, then,” she said, stepping off the stairs and onto the cobblestone road.

Rarity walked down the road, and Rainbow Dash followed. She didn’t consciously decide to walk on the opposite side of Rarity from Fluttershy, it just happened. At least people were moving freely about the streets this morning. No tight lines filing along the narrow facades of the buildings. Whatever ‘shedding-day’ was, it didn’t involve wagons early in the morning.

“Now, I don’t remember how I suggested we go about this during breakfast,” said Rarity, leading the three ponies away. “From what I learned yesterday, this shop we’re looking for is on the far side of the ‘inner circle’, which I was led to believe means that it is on the opposite side of their royal palace grounds. They call it the Cotronnan Great Council Hall, but I understand it’s not just for the city council. This ‘Head Consul’ figure who rules here is there, too. They should be open today in some capacity, so I thought perhaps we could see about booking an appointment for a ceremony for the sigil on our way to the shop.”

“Sure,” said Rainbow Dash.

“You sound like you talked to them a lot yesterday. Did you ask about this ‘shedding-day’?” Fluttershy asked. She smiled at Rarity, studiously avoiding meeting Dash’s eyes on the other side. At least, Dash assumed as much. She was trying to keep from looking at Fluttershy, too. They hadn’t said much at breakfast either.

“I couldn’t avoid picking up on some things. From what I understand, it’s very much just a weekend, except it’s one day rather than two.” Rarity levitated out a small pouch from her saddlebags, and Dash heard the clinking of gems as she peered inside with a critical eye to its contents. “I didn’t ask beyond that, because I don’t see how it relates to this business of the sigil ceremony.”

“Oh. Okay,” said Fluttershy, nodding quickly. “I just talked to a baker. Or… a chef, maybe, and we didn’t say much. I wanted to ask about the water bowls, but I didn’t. Oh, and about the bowing and everything. We only got a very short explanation from Ihassa. You didn’t ask about that, did you?”

Rarity shook her head, placing the pouch back in her saddlebags. “No, dear. Again, it’s hardly relevant to what we should be focusing on right now.” Rarity paused the group at the next intersection, the three ponies halting at a four-way crossing. Rarity pointed right and set off again, following the majority of the people walking about. “This way, I believe. We should see this ‘inner circle’ of the city on our left soon.”

They walked in relative silence for a minute, accompanied only by the susurrus of lazy chatter and the steady clops and clacks of hooves and claws against cobbles. Fluttershy cleared her throat.

“I understand you’re really… enthusiastic about this ceremony thing, but don’t you think we should at least try to learn a little about the city?” she asked. “It seems like a very interesting place. I’m interested, at least.”

Dash glanced to the roadside. Two peryton finished a conversation by one of Cotronna’s tiny one-fountain plazas. One of the stags turned to leave and tilted his head sideways. The other returned the gesture, rustling his wings slightly as he did, and they both laughed uproariously while they walked separate ways. Twenty steps on, a doe fastened a necklace about a stag’s neck by the streetside, her eyes sparkling with wet in the morning sunlight.

Clearly the peryton here had a language of their own that didn’t involve words, but Rarity’s eyes were dead ahead, set on the road.

“I’m very interested, yes,” said Rarity. “I’m interested in seeing how these very unique peryton react to my creations. Or rather, to my presentation—our presentation.”

Rainbow Dash was keenly aware that now, Fluttershy did look at her, perhaps waiting for her thoughts or asking for support, but she had nothing to say. Whatever the peryton here were about, they were a distraction at best.

“I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that’s this ‘circle’,” said Rarity, slowing down once more. Down the road to the left, at the end of another slightly too narrow street cutting between samey, narrow, and tall houses, a touch of green invaded the otherwise almost oppressive cityscape. Rarity started them down towards the trees without a backwards look.

“Even if it is, did you get directions to the palace, or the ‘hall’?” Fluttershy asked, hurrying to catch up.

Rarity shook her head. “No, but think of Mount Canterlot, dear. You can see the royal palace from just about anywhere—and look, that has to be it!”

“Oh. I guess so,” said Fluttershy.

The spire in the distance was distinct for the simple fact that there had been a grand total of zero spires in this crazy place so far. Not a single tower and barely any of the distinctive extra-pointy roofs so popular in Canterlot and on clock towers and boutiques everywhere.

Rainbow Dash had to admit she didn’t really know what those were for—if not to dissuade diving pegasi from doing awesome stunts—but the lack of spires was unnerving all the same. A few minutes later, the rare, sharpened architecture disappeared behind the trees as the ponies reached the end of the street, meeting a wall of lush green.

“A park?” Dash asked, cocking a brow.

“If it’s a park, it’s clearly not meant to be traversed,” Rarity replied. There was no path, nor even any room to walk. A thick hedge barred their way, but to each side, a road stretched out at a gentle curve. The inner side of the road followed the plantlife, while the outer face ran along open-faced storefronts, cafés, and other places where peryton flocked to. There were a lot more peryton here than in the outer parts of the city.

“Okay, um, what do we do now?” asked Fluttershy.

“That way,” said Rainbow Dash, pointing to the right.

“I don’t honestly see any difference,” said Rarity. “The palace was straight ahead, so it’s clearly in there. We’ll have to go around.”

“Yeah. So it doesn’t matter if we go left or right, so we go to the right,” said Dash, shrugging.

However fast they walked, driven by Rarity’s impetus, there was no energy to it, at least nothing Rainbow Dash could feel. Maybe it was just her, but she let herself be dragged along in the tailwind, following the road as it curved. More narrow buildings, scores of peryton talking, and if the Cotronnan crowds never made half as much noise as the hustle and bustle of Stagrum or even Vauhorn, the sheer animation of their gesturing made up for it.

In the corner of her eye, Dash noticed Fluttershy watching the peryton with rapt attention, while Rarity’s eyes were ever fixed on the road or scanning the treetops to their left, no doubt watching for signs of the spire. Eventually, they found a way, and Rarity wasted no time turning onto the broad road that pierced straight through the park.

Evidently the park was not for people. Still Dash could see no way in under the canopy. The hedges, the trees and other plants all presented a wall as absolute as the stone walls of the buildings behind them. Tall, dark trees Dash vaguely remembered from one of the Perytonian forests—one or the other—spread their branches low over the road, providing shade that Rainbow Dash didn’t until now realise they didn’t strictly need. The sun was well and truly up, but plenty of peryton walked about in broad daylight. Few of them came this way, though. After leaving the busy curving road, they were nearly completely alone.

When they finally stepped into to the innermost section of the city, Dash didn’t know which surprised her more: the vastness of the plaza contained within the park that circled it, or the emptiness. Her steps slowed of their own accord, and Fluttershy ground to a halt as well, the two pegasi both craning their necks to look up at the great shadow ahead.

Rainbow Dash didn’t know much about architecture. She had heard Rarity and Fluttershy talk about the peryton and their stonework, but not until now did she fully appreciate the fact that the peryton were, in fact, pretty okay at building stuff. The only other really big buildings she could recall were the Ortosian ravenry and the Vauhorn council-house, but the palace had to be five times their combined size, if not more. Arches, columns and spires created a huge curved shape that cradled a section of the plaza. The chatter of ravens echoed from the tallest spires, so clearly it doubled as a ravenry.

The massive structure stood on the opposite side of a plaza that contained a large circle of stele, rows of benches, fountains, and a host of other such things, all empty except for a small pack of peryton children playing about the stone monoliths in the center. A pack of peryton children and a very determined unicorn, rather. Rarity cut straight across the great square, aimed for a set of free-standing columns that led to a large pair of doors placed in the side of the palace.

“A little dour, but I can certainly appreciate the… variety of the design,” said Rarity when the pegasi caught up again. They passed by the rows of benches, all facing a small stage.

“It looks more like art than a building, I think,” Fluttershy said. The large stone columns acted as a funnel, guiding them towards the doors that almost disappeared in the size of the side wall. Innumerable windows studded the facing side, most of them wide open.

“Wouldn’t hurt them to actually paint it, would it?” Dash muttered. “It’s just all the same stone, and they did paint some of their houses.”

“Mm, I don’t disagree,” Rarity said with a chuckle, stopping in front of two large and thick wooden doors that looked like the swinging kind rather than the sliding doors they normally used. “Do you suppose we… knock? I expected some guards, or at least a greeter.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I dunno. Try opening it?”

A soft blue glow surrounded a bar close to where the two doors met. Rarity knit her brow with effort, but the door merely rattled ever so slightly.

“Maybe they’re closed?” Fluttershy asked. She rubbed one foreleg against the other, looking up again. From here, the palace seemed larger and taller than the sky itself. She swallowed noisily. “We could just leave. They’re probably closed.”

“No,” said Rarity, grunting with effort as the door rattled again. “The stag I spoke to was very clear, there should always be someone at this palace of theirs.”

“Lemme try,” said Dash. She walked up to the door and gave it a solid shove, but it was undeniably closed. She hammered the door with a hoof. “Hey! Anyone there?” She drew breath for another try.

“It is shedding-day,” said a voice behind them, interrupting her. A young stag about the ponies’ size walked towards them with six or seven even smaller peryton in tow, each of them trying their hardest to walk behind him to hide. He bowed forward until his head lay level with his body, his wings half spread. “The Hall of Scrolls’ archivers are not here today.”

“The hall of what?” asked Rainbow Dash, tilting her head. “Isn’t this the palace?”

“The ‘Great Council Hall’, rather,” Rarity said. “Clearly it has many names.”

The stag frowned in confusion, looking between all the ponies in turn.

“We’re sorry,” said Fluttershy, her ears splayed. “We’re not from here—”

“I think he can see that. Probably,” said Rainbow Dash.

“—so we don’t really know your customs,” Fluttershy continued. “I think… your bow means you think we’d like your help, and you’re right, but, um, we don’t really know how the bowing and everything works, or if there’s a bow for ‘yes please, we’d love some help’.”

The stag’s brows rose. He was quiet for a moment longer while all the little peryton children stole furtive glances around his side. “This… this stands to reason, yes,” he said, nodding. “I thought perhaps, if you do not know the Hall of Scrolls is closed, that you might appreciate if I share my knowledge with you for better use—but you know nothing.”

“Uh. Okay, easy there,” said Dash. “Do you know the endings to all the Daring Do books? Huh? Do you? Or what about the maximum force a pony wing can take under magical stress while high-flying?”

“Do you know that?” Fluttershy asked, tilting her head sideways.

“Nah, I don’t care about that stuff, I just pretty much ignore it,” Dash admitted. “But it sounds cool.”

“Let us assume that we do not know anything about you, at least,” said Rarity, clearing her throat to bring the further-confused stag’s attention back to her. “Is this not the Great Council Hall? I was led to believe it is here at the ‘inner circle’.”

The stag pointed to his right, to a smaller neighbouring building. “There,” he said, indicating a long, squat and unflattering one-story building with more doors than it had windows. “That is the Great Council Hall.”

“Oh. Well, that’s wonderful, thank you for your help,” said Rarity, setting off at a brisk walk right away. Fluttershy hesitated, her eyes flitting between the young stag and the little flock of peryton children, some of whom were brave enough to step out from behind him. The stag himself simply stared after Rarity, his head at a slight tilt. Rainbow Dash stretched her wings out, not sure whether she should stay or go.

“We really appreciate your help,” said Fluttershy, nodding her head in thanks. “Your city is very nice, we’re just a little confused trying to understand everything.”

“It’s usually like that, heh,” said Rainbow Dash.

The stag shrugged, smiling ever so slightly. One of the children pushed against one of his forelegs, lifting it off the ground, and he rested the leg against a tiny doe’s head. “To share what one knows is an act of delegation, and that weaves stories of Vossos, which is always good. I am happy to help. I would ask you in return, not for purpose, but for idle curiosity—and forgive that I cannot shed—what manner of people are you, and what are you doing here? I have never seen people such as you.”

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “We should print leaflets or something.”

“We’re ponies, from Equestria,” said Fluttershy, smiling bright, her eyes falling upon the bravest of the little children who stood almost close enough to touch, now. “We’re here to give your Head Consul an invitation to attend a summit in Canterlot.”

“You do not know that the Hall of Scrolls is closed on shedding-day, but you have word for the Head Consul’s ears alone?” the stag asked, blinking. “This is strange business.”

“Heh, you make it sound like it’s a secret or something,” said Rainbow Dash, watching Rarity in the distance. She was already well over halfway to the next building. “Rarity wants to make a big deal of this, but we’re just inviting Perytonia to come visit us to talk about peace and trading muffins for phela bread or bronze bits or whatever else the Princesses want. That sorta stuff.”

The stag inclined his head slightly, letting go of the curious little doe who took a few more steps, reaching out to lay a tiny hoof on Fluttershy’s foreleg. She squealed and turned when Fluttershy giggled, running back to hide again. It took Rainbow Dash a second to remember that no sound the peryton made sounded remotely like ponies laughing, so it had to sound pretty weird to them. She herself had gotten used to the peryton cawing and warbling long ago. They just registered as laughter to her now.

“Curious that you are here and not in Stagrum for this,” said the stag.

Dash shook her head. “Nah, we’ve already been to Stagrum. We met a guy in Orto who said we should visit, so we’ve been all over Perytonia, but we kinda need to talk to your leader for this sort of stuff. We just didn’t know where the Council Hall thing was. You don’t exactly have visitor centers and maps in your cities. We should probably catch up to Rarity, though.”

Fluttershy nodded and smiled. “Thank you again.”

“Yeah, thanks,” said Dash, spreading her wings. She waved and took to the air with Fluttershy following close by. Either this part of Perytonia was colder, or they were very lucky to have a cool day. Even though the sun hung in plain view, with all the clouds stuck on the other side of the horizon, flying was fine. It didn’t take them long to fly across the outer edge and catch up. They landed next to Rarity just as the unicorn approached the largest set of doors in the center of the building. This time, when her magic touched the simple wooden doors, they opened with ease, almost completely soundless.

Rainbow Dash gave the larger building to their right one final look. “What the hay is a ‘Hall of Scrolls’ anyway?” she asked nopony in particular.

“I imagine it must be a library of some sort,” said Rarity with all the interest of Applejack discussing farming oranges. “I can’t imagine why their library is larger than their palace. Or, their library-like building is larger than their palace-like building, rather. Nothing here is ever exactly the same,” she concluded, stepping into the relative darkness.

Nothing was exactly the same, no, but some things were a lot the same. It was all Dash could think that they had stepped out of Cotronna and into Ponyville Town Hall—except far larger. The room was filled with scroll racks, message boards, benches along the walls and desks cluttered with stationery. Behind one of many particularly large desks cutting the room in half sat the room’s single occupant, a large peryton with an odd sort of monocle-like apparatus perched on his muzzle.

The lone grey-white peryton almost completely disappeared in the large chamber not due to its size, but because it was so easy to imagine that there was supposed to be a lot of activity here, like an amusement park with one attendee. Or, more appropriately, a classroom with a single pupil. To the left and the right, large archways led to long halls lined with stele that looked like they belonged outside with the others, each and every one of them festooned with scrolls.

“Excuse me. Hello. I am Rarity, and these are my friends Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash,” said Rarity, trotting up to the desk without preamble. “I understand this is the Council Hall, and the seat of the Head Consul?”

Behind the large desk, the stag shuffled his wings, stretched his neck left and right, then let out a great yawn, performing the same bow that the ponies had gotten so often—the gesture of patronage or whatever—all before he peered over the rim of the writing desk. A squint turned into a look of open surprise, and he dipped a hoof in a water bowl placed at the corner of the desk.

“What in the name of Chorossa is this strangeness?” he croaked, clearing his throat.

“As I said,” Rarity began, smiling at him. “I—”

“Yes, yes,” said the stag, shaking his head. “Your names I heard, your voices are strange, and your appearances stranger still. You have no wings—and you have no antlers! You are no kin come to review.”

Rainbow Dash scratched her side with a wing. Fluttershy swung a foreleg in place like a pendulum, looking at the ground.

“We’re emissaries sent from Equestria,” Rarity explained with infinite patience. “I believe there has been a letter.”

“More than one, yes, I think I remember some of this, and I thought the matter had been concluded in our eyes, but I understand I must be mistaken,” he muttered, blinking bleary eyes and looking about, as though a glance around the room would tell him the answer.

“If you’ve heard we’re coming, that’s good enough, dear. We’re here now, finally, and we simply wanted to ask about an appointment with the Head Consul and their… court?” Rarity asked.

“The Head Consul?” the stag asked, frowning slightly. “It would not be appropriate without the council meeting in full. All can listen in on the proceedings. You do not need an ‘appointment’ for this.”

“Perhaps you misunderstand. We have a delivery of sorts,” said Rarity, her smile set to full charm. “The purpose of our entire journey—” she paused, took a deep breath and sighed even as she laughed. “Honestly, I feel like I must have explained this a hundred times by now, but we are here to invite Perytonia to a meeting in Canterlot, our capital. We have a sigil to deliver, and a few words to speak—’we cordially invite you to attend’ and such. It would be wonderful if you could give us, again, emissaries of Equestria, a moment of the Head Consul’s time.”

The peryton stag perked up a little at this, nodding along as Rarity spoke, now a touch flustered. “Yes. Well. I think that… yes. If you have words to speak and actions to present, then your meanings must be conveyed. Emissaries and weighty words. It is only appropriate that you do this, then. I am an under-consul myself and work only the shedding-shift, you must understand, but I did not mean to take this lightly.” He nodded once more, this time almost deeply enough to touch his muzzle to the desk. “I will leave a note for the small council in the morning and see to it that it is done.”

Rainbow Dash leaned past the desk. She could see a large chamber through an opening in the far wall. There wasn’t room for a lot else in the building from what she could see, and if that was the throne room or an audience hall, it was the strangest one she had seen. All she could see lot of wooden benches and tables.

“Wonderful! When should we be here?” Rarity asked, beaming.

The stag rummaged around for some paper, starting to jot down some notes in quick and practiced strokes as he spoke. “That is for the small council to decide, but I will tell them to collect you well before time. I am sure it will be tomorrow after the morning hours. You stay within the city?”

“I believe the address is ‘fourth outer-middle quarter southwest, third by sixth’,” said Rarity. “That is what our landlady told us, at least, but I quite honestly can’t make sense of it myself.”

“...southwest fieldside, third, sixth,” the stag muttered, writing on another note now. “Then I will make sure you have the council’s ear. All citizens have the right to it, but this sounds like official and important business beyond that.”

“Oh, I would say so,” said Rarity, nodding.

“Then, Emissaries of Equestria, I will forward word to the small council, and they will in turn decide, yes,” he said, dabbing one piece of paper with a dot and putting his quill away. “You will have our ears. Is that all the official business you have with the Hall?”

Rainbow Dash came up empty at Rarity’s questioning look. She didn’t even know they had “business with the hall” in the first place. She was more than happy to leave the sigil at the desk and tell this stag to give this Head Consul a message, but that would probably not go down well.

“I think that’s everything,” Fluttershy said, nodding, looking to Rarity. “Maybe we could ask about some other things, really quickly? Some… less official things, if you don’t mind?”

The stag nodded at that, dipping his hoof in the water bowl and shaking it off, bowing again, his head a little higher than last time. “Then my name is Kalastyn Quyl, and you have my ear if I can be of assistance.

“What did you want to ask, dear?” Rarity said. “We don’t know when their shops close, so I would really prefer to get going sooner rather than later. The reason I’d like to go to this one specific shop is that the people I spoke to said she was one of the few who kept her shop open on this ‘shedding-day’.”

“Oh. Um, I don’t know if we had any specific questions, really,” said Fluttershy, her tail drooping, wilting under the taller stag’s attention. “But I’d love to know what ‘shedding-day’ is, exactly, and maybe about the water bowls. Could you maybe explain that? I just thought that… um, I’m sorry?”

Rainbow Dash tilted her head. The stag’s expression had darkened the longer the ponies spoke, and when Fluttershy directed her question to him, the peryton looked severe and downright frowny.

“What?” asked Dash.

“You speak of unofficial matters, you ask personal advice in the same breath you used to reserve the council’s ear—”

“The Head Consul’s ear, you mean,” Rarity interjected.

“—and that is inappropriate, obviously.” He gestured to the bowl of water on his desk.

“No it’s not,” said Rainbow Dash, narrowing her eyes right back at him, stepping up to the desk. “It’s not obvious because we don’t know what you’re on about, and that’s exactly what Fluttershy’s trying to ask about!”

The stag’s open look of surprise mollified Dash somewhat.

“I… understand the logic of this, but—well, I will answer, explain, while you correct your mistake,” he said, shaking his head slightly. His antlers glowed, and the water bowl levitated down to where the ponies could reach.

“I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy, one ear bent. “We really don’t know about your customs.”

“Precisely Rainbow Dash’s point. How could we?” Rarity asked, arching a brow.

“When one matter is concluded, and a matter to be discussed in another capacity begins, you draw new breath.” He moved the bowl a little closer. “Especially when the separation is one of the professional and the personal.”

Fluttershy looked at Rainbow Dash, who shrugged. Rarity dipped a hoof in the water and shook the water away.

“And now, with a new breath,” said the stag while the pegasi did the same, “we speak not as under-council and visitors to the Hall, but as kin. Well, as kin and—” he squinted at his desk and the paper he’d scribbled on while they talked. “And ‘ponies’.”

“Cool. Now we know,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Sorry,” said Fluttershy.

“You can’t be sorry,” Dash grunted. “No one told us!”

“You wanted to ask about this shedding-day as well, dear?” Rarity asked before Dash could go on or Fluttershy could reply. The unicorn kept looking back at the door through which they had come in. “Let’s conclude our business and not bother this gentleperson any longer than we must.”

“This fits the description,” said Rarity, nodding to herself with satisfaction. “The second building on the right, on the third quarter after two of the little fountain-plazas. They call those ‘halts’. Useful for giving directions to strangers, I have to say.”

Rainbow Dash would never admit it, of course, but she was amazed at Rarity’s ability to navigate a completely foreign city based on directions she’d heard yesterday. However she did it, here they were not an hour after leaving the Great Council Hall. On the far side of the park, past the ring where most of the peryton hung out right now, they faced a tall and narrow building like any other. The sign bore peryton letters and nothing else.

“I think I’ll wait out here,” said Fluttershy, smiling at the unicorn. “The weather is nice, and there aren’t a lot of people here. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Not at all, dear,” said Rarity, shaking her head when her magic touched the door. She smiled with satisfaction when it opened. “I will be back in a minute.”

“Yeah, I’ll stick around out here, too,” said Dash, rustling her wings. A few peryton meandered about, and while there wasn’t much to look at, being outside beat being inside on general principle. She briefly considered going with Rarity anyway, but she couldn’t try to avoid Fluttershy all the time forever. They were still friends, she just felt a kick in the gut whenever she looked at her, and another kick when she remembered the stupid recurring dreams.

If other ponies really couldn’t remember their dreams, Dash envied them right now.

“I’m a little worried about tomorrow,” said Fluttershy. She sat down by the side of the walkway-less street.

Rainbow Dash walked over to Fluttershy, but remained standing. Just down the road, she could see the mountains of the Bow loom over the buildings where they’d come from. It looked like the snow-capped peaks hid just behind the block. She wished they did, that they were close enough for her to go back right now.

“Yeah?” said Rainbow Dash after a while. “We just give them the sigil and say ‘come visit’, and then we jump on an airship back home. That’s all.”

Fluttershy tilted her head. “Have you talked to Princess Luna again? About getting an airship?”

“Oh. Yeah, no, I haven’t. Not yet,” Dash admitted.

“Even after the Princesses know we’re ready to come home, it’ll still take a few days for an airship to get here,” said Fluttershy. “If that’s how we’ll get home.”

“Okay, whatever,” said Dash. “Those are details. We’re still pretty much done.” She stretched her wings out and stopped herself before she wrapped one of them around Fluttershy, a habit she’d gotten really comfortable with, really quickly. Probably shouldn’t do that anymore. Stupid.

“That’s not really what I meant, anyway. I was just thinking about what the under-consul told us,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head slightly.

“What, about the shedding and the water bowl and all their weird rituals?” Dash asked, frowning. “Why’s that got you worried? He basically just said what Rarity already told us. Shedding-day is their weekend.”

“Kind of,” said Fluttershy. She ran a hoof’s edge along the crack between two flat cobblestones. “But they make everything they talk about sound so important to them. He looked really angry when we didn’t follow their rules for talking, and he didn’t say it was their weekend, he said that they used it to rest, and to separate matters.”

“Yeah, to separate stuff, like our weekends go in between the rest of the weeks,” said Rainbow Dash, rolling her eyes. “That’s all.”

“It doesn’t feel like anything is that simple here, really, that’s why I’m worried, and everything feels like it’s… I don’t know, I’m sorry. Ihassa laughed at us when we asked if she slept where she works, they have all these different greetings, they wash between modes of talking, at least when they work, and during their weekends, nearly all of them go to this one district, the inner circle. It’s like everything means so much.”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “Okay, easy there, detective Fluttershy. I think you need to register for a private eye license.”

Fluttershy giggled at that and shook her head again, and Dash didn’t really have anything more to say. It felt good to hear Fluttershy laugh, but at the same time, she didn’t know what to think of the other pegasus’s mood, worries notwithstanding. Dash had imagined that Fluttershy would be the one who would be crushed now that they broke up, but instead, it was Rainbow Dash who felt hollow, while Fluttershy seemed fine.

At least, that was Dash’s first guess, but now Fluttershy’s laugh trailed off into a sigh so faint Dash might have imagined it. When the other pegasus lapsed into silence, she stared at the ground again. Maybe Dash was wrong. She often was, apparently.

“I guess I’m worried Rarity is taking this dress and the ‘ceremony’ too seriously,” Fluttershy added, her tone a little more quiet. “But… it looked like the under-consul took us asking for an audience seriously, too, so maybe not. Maybe she’s right, and things will work out.”

“Sure,” said Rainbow Dash.

“But you remember when we talked about how much Rarity was stressing about her dressmaking, right?” Fluttershy asked, looking at Dash out of the corner of her eye. “In Vauhorn.”

“Yeah, I remember,” said Dash. “And we agreed that it’s just Rarity being Rarity, kind of.”

A small nod from Fluttershy, barely enough to be called that. “Except now she’s more stressed than ever. She doesn’t seem to think about, or listen to anything else.”

“Heh, yep. You’re right,” said Dash. Idly she wondered if Fluttershy had tried to talk to Rarity about them breaking up. About Rainbow Dash. She wondered if Fluttershy had had any more luck. She wondered if she herself wanted to talk to Rarity about it—if Rarity would listen, which she wouldn’t.

“So, um. Maybe we could talk to her together,” said Fluttershy, now tapping a hoof on the stones. “Do you remember what Ihassa said? That sometimes, if you don’t know what you’re doing, doing nothing at all is a good idea. We don’t need to dress up and make a big show just to give them the invitation. If we talk to her together—”

“Nah,” said Rainbow Dash, looking away.

She knew that she and Rarity were a little alike. If Rarity needed to show off her dressmaking skills, if Rarity really needed a victory right now, what was the harm? This way, at least one of them would actually get a win, someone would get something out of this stupid journey. Rainbow Dash certainly felt like she herself had lost.

“Okay,” said Fluttershy. The door to the shop slid open, and Rarity stepped outside, her saddlebags full and something bulky straining against them. She lit her horn, closed the door, and deflated like a punctured balloon with a long and dramatic sigh.

“If I ever again complain about the quaint haggling that takes place at market day in Ponyville, do give me a kick to the flank, won’t you?” she asked, turning them down the street heading a vague southeast. Back to their house, probably.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy with a sympathetic look. “What happened? Did you end up paying more than you thought you would?”

“No, no, not at all,” said Rarity, glaring at the shop over her shoulder. “It’s not a question of economics, it’s communication. I had some serious difficulties reaching an understanding with the proprietress, and it had nothing to do with the silly water bowls or anything else.” The unicorn sighed. “I don’t understand. The Cotronnans are wonderfully helpful once we manage to get past the initial confusion and talk to them, but they don’t seem to understand our differences at all.”

“I don’t know if that’s fair,” said Fluttershy, shuffling her wings as she thought. “We’ve all had to work to understand each other everywhere we go, but… I guess the Ortosians were very nice about that, even if they were a little scary. Khaird in particular really tried to understand us right away.”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Okay, sure, most of the other cities have been just as weird, but how can they all be this bad at dealing with new people here in Cotronna? They’re the capital of this place!”

“Exactly,” said Rarity, adjusting her saddlebags a little before she pointed her snout ahead once more. “I think the lack of understanding from the under-consul was particularly egregious. They’re supposed to be the staff of the leader of Perytonia. Let’s hope the Princes—no, the Head Consul is half as people-savvy as either of our Princesses.”

Rainbow Dash grabbed another bite of phela, and then a large gulp of water. She hadn’t found any knives or anything like that in the kitchen, just a blunt wooden wedge that wouldn’t be much help. She had asked Rarity if she could cut the bread into more manageable pieces, and the unicorn, predictably enough, hardly seemed to hear her. Squashed and torn phela for dinner, then.

“Now, don’t move about too much,” said Rarity, holding the fabric to Fluttershy’s body. “This may be a loose fit, but this isn’t about measurements, it’s about making sure the adornments are correctly placed. It is of paramount importance that you stay still.”

“I am standing as still as I can, really,” said Fluttershy. She gave Dash a smile that wasn’t really a smile, a tug on her lips. Fluttershy had been forced to stand model for Rarity while the unicorn wrangled with the fabric, separating, cutting, and doing a host of other things Rainbow Dash barely bothered to pay attention to, the result of which was that Fluttershy stood wrapped in grayish cloth more like a cloak or a robe than a dress.

“The scarves are simple. With the neutral colour of the base dress, they simply go around the neck, alike so,” said Rarity, wrapping one of the green, red, blue and purple Ortosian scarves around Fluttershy’s neck. “Mm. No, a little less casual, more… there.” She said, tying a fancy loose knot in a flurry of magic. “Yes.”

“Okay?” said Fluttershy, tilting her head down to look at the multicoloured scarf around her neck. She squeaked a second later when Rarity thrust one of the blank masks onto her face, white resin covering the top half of her face and muzzle.

“There’s the mask from Vauhorn, and it fits wonderfully. Hm. Well, it fits well enough. Their head shapes aren’t entirely dissimilar from ours, but their muzzles are longer by far. It’s not uncomfortable, is it?”

“No, no, it’s just… very strange. I can’t see very well. The eye holes are tiny and placed too high up. I have to look up to see. I can really only see the ceiling.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head at the spectacle. Now Rarity levitated over one of the two pairs of wooden antlers from Ephydoera, strapping it to Fluttershy’s head.

“And there’s that. Now, if you prefer, I do have an alternative to represent Ephydoera. I was thinking of perhaps shaving the symbols of Glandros, Helesseia and Selyria into the flanks of your coats—”

“Antlers are fine, really!” Fluttershy hurried to say.

“Antlers are more than fine,” said Rainbow Dash, frowning. “You’re not shaving anything into my flanks, thanks.”

“Hmf. Well, I think that’s for the best,” said Rarity, nodding. “I would need to change the dress shape, and the extra visual chaos would take away from the designs I have planned. I could always make the symbols the part of the dress, hm. Yes. The Stagrumite antler-jewellery presents some challenges, though. I don’t suppose either of you have had your ears pierced?”

“Oh. I did, but I haven’t used them in a long time,” said Fluttershy, looking up as though she could inspect her own ears with a glance. “They’ve probably regrown.”

“Yeah, same,” said Dash, shrugging. “Everyone thought it was super cool during the last year of flight school, but eh.”

“I had some ideas for converting some of these to earrings, but we’ll settle for using them in the antlers, then. Like so,” said the unicorn, her magic lifting some of the jewellery up, slipping rings and chains onto the wooden faux antlers on Fluttershy’s head at random until they were as festive as any Stagrumite’s. “There.”

“There what?” asked Dash. Fluttershy looked like she was ready to head out for Nightmare Night, and she’d win it. Creepy mask, antlers and jewels, and a merry scarf that, in Rainbow Dash’s inexpert opinion, perfectly did whatever the opposite of “tying it together” was. From the look on Rarity’s face, the unicorn didn’t necessarily disagree.

“Well, it’ll show the peryton that together, they can be more than the sum of their parts, I suppose,” said Rarity, pursing her lips. “These are all symbols that the peryton know. At least, the Cotronnan leadership must know of the most common elements of the other cities’ cultures, so this really has to work.”

“I don’t know about this,” said Fluttershy, reaching up to touch her antlers gingerly.

“We’re missing the final part, of course,” said Rarity, levitating over her saddlebags and extracting two finely carved wooden boxes. Rainbow Dash couldn’t remember seeing any fancy woodcraft in Perytonia so far. What little furniture was in wood was of simple make, including the bench she sat on, but these boxes were carved with incredibly detailed motifs of peryton dancing and rearing up, painted with exacting care right down to multicoloured feather-tips on the stags.

Rarity opened the boxes both at once without much ceremony, revealing two spiderweb-like lengths of silver and gold, like a small knit tablecloth of shimmering filigree, delicate chains linked by ornate shapes too many to count. Peryton, animals, the sun and the moon, mundane objects like a fountain, items of food or a house mixed with the abstract. Rarity levitated one of the large whatever-they-weres over Fluttershy, rotated it, and after a little fiddling, hooked parts of the jewellery around Fluttershy’s ears. The rest she lay following the curve of her body, the filigree and the objects linked to them running down the back of her neck, between her wings, and over her flanks.

“Right. So, what’s that?” Dash asked.

“It’s beautiful,” said Fluttershy, her head turned around as best as she could to look over her own back, lifting the mask with a hoof.

“It’s some sort of jewellery or other,” said Rarity, shrugging. “I honestly meant to buy some of the necklaces I saw a few peryton wear at the market, but the store had these far more elaborate things, and my design was a little unbalanced. If we’re doing the antlers instead of the shaved symbols, we need something for the back, and this is perfect. I’ll affix it to the dress, and we have five items that the cities use, one for each, all in one costume.”

“I think I saw someone wear a necklace, yeah,” said Rainbow Dash. “I didn’t see anyone wear that stuff on their back, though.”

“Yeah, me neither,” said Fluttershy, chewing on her bottom lip. “Do you know what it’s for?”

“Darling, it’s jewellery,” said Rarity, giving her a flat look.

“The Stagrum jewellery isn’t just jewellery, though,” Fluttershy replied.

“Eh, whatever it is, it—” Dash paused, frowning. “It looks good,” she finished, lamely. It looked more than good, really. Rainbow Dash imagined that without all the other junk, it would look a lot more than good on Fluttershy, but that didn’t really matter now, did it? Fluttershy, her gal-pal, wore something that made her look good. Cool. Good on her. That was it.

Fluttershy smiled faintly, but said nothing.

“At any rate, it is clear that it doesn’t work with your mane, however short it is,” said Rarity. “It gets tangled in your hairs, and you can see I’ve had to let it loose about your neck because it’s meant for a larger peryton. I’m going to have to make modifications.” She moved over to the table, squinting at the other one still in its box. “The idea is to remove the part for the neck and just sew the parts for the back and flanks into the dress, but I can’t see any way to remove a single link. I don’t exactly have the tools to cut metal links, either.”

“Oh. I think it looks nice like this, really,” said Fluttershy with a hopeful smile. Rarity shook her head immediately.

“I’m not trying to make something ‘nice’, dear. I’m trying to make something perfect. I’ll see if there are any tool stalls on the market today. I might have to go to the inner circle again,” she sighed and grabbed her saddlebags.

“Now?” Dash asked, cocking a brow.

“Alone?” Fluttershy asked. “Are you sure you don’t want us to come with you?”

“I’ll be back in a moment,” said Rarity, shaking her head briskly. Door open, door shut, and Rarity was gone, leaving Rainbow Dash sat by the dinner table trying to find her appetite, and Fluttershy looking confused and overdressed.

“This is probably the weirdest thing Rarity’s made yet,” Dash said. “And this is Rarity. It’s not even funny weird. It’s just weird weird.”

“I think she thinks so, or knows it, too,” said Fluttershy, untying the scarf and the dress, folding them, and putting them on the table. She shed the weird white mask and reached a hoof under her own jaw, fiddling with the antler-straps, but it wasn’t meant for hooves. The straps were meant for magic—or perhaps teeth in a pinch—but Fluttershy obviously struggled to reach. She puffed out her cheeks and redoubled her efforts.

Rainbow Dash wondered if she should help. She should probably offer. Or Fluttershy should ask. Earlier this summer, Rainbow Dash wouldn’t think anything much of it. Now, snuffling around with her snout right under Fluttershy’s jaw would probably be weird. She caught Fluttershy tossing a quick, surreptitious glance her way—and then she managed to work the strap loose with the edge of her hoof.

With all the effects discarded, Fluttershy sat down by the table, opposite of Rainbow Dash. She stared at Dash, and Rainbow Dash knew the question she was going to ask. She wondered if Dash wanted to talk, and Rainbow Dash didn’t, so Dash looked at her water bowl instead, grabbing a drink even though she wasn’t thirsty. Fluttershy closed her mouth and sighed.

“I just hope tomorrow works out the way Rarity wants,” Fluttershy instead said.

Chapter 42

Note for the little wall

A matter for consideration by the small council.

Three ponies of Equestria visited the Hall this morning during shedding-day. They seek a formal audience with the council to deliver an invitation, though I do not understand the specifics. Names of places I did not know flew between my prongs, and their ways were strange.

The only way I can make sense of their visit was by accepting that they have protocols of their own that they wish to observe, and so, I recommend that the council convenes and observes what they wish us to understand, and that we treat this event with the utmost gravitas.

They have specifically requested the presence of the Head Consul. I would suggest that whoever is Head Consul presently is made aware. Also, I recommend that the ambassador-residents who are in Cotronna be invited to attend, as they stated that their message pertains to all cities despite this previous mention of the current Head Consul.

Whether this will make for a story of Chorossa’s confusion or I act the fool and must call upon the protection of Pelessa’s naivety, I do not know, but I sit at this desk to record messages, and so I do. I hope the first council member to arrive at the Hall tomorrow is wiser than I and finds the correct scrolls to consult. Has a raven from Orto been lost along the way? I am vaguely familiar with the decisions the council reached two seasons ago, and feel as though there is a gap through which words have been lost.

Under-Consul Kalastyn Quyl

“If you really want me to,” said Fluttershy. She clenched her eyes shut, her wings trembling as she edged forward towards the open air. Two more steps, and Fluttershy would fall.

“Don’t,” said Rainbow Dash. “Just don’t.”

No matter how many times the scene played out, she could never keep herself from trying to stop Fluttershy.

“I’ll do it,” Fluttershy whimpered. “Since you really think I have to.” The tall pegasus took another step, teetering at the very edge of the cloud. The crowd cheered. The cloud far, far below rumbled. One more step, and Fluttershy fell off the cloud. Her wings spread and closed one at a time, sending her tumbling down, spiralling towards the ground.

No matter how many times she had the same dream, Dash’s stomach lurched when Fluttershy fell. Last night she had just known she’d had this dream. This night, she watched it in full again.

“This is stupid,” Dash murmured. “I’ve stopped doing this. We even broke up. Why can’t I stop having this stupid dream?” She closed her eyes, but it did nothing. She could still see Fluttershy falling. Because she had told her to jump.

Rainbow Dash sat by the kitchen bench, spinning a wooden water bowl on the edge of a hoof. Two nights, and she was already sick of their rented house. There was nothing to do. Rarity had returned late last night and finished the dresses-that-weren’t-dresses or whatever, and the morning after crawled by.

Twice, while Rarity had been meticulously packing their stuff into her saddlebags or otherwise preoccupied, Fluttershy had tried to corner Rainbow Dash. Do you want to talk about it? She would ask.The last time, Dash hadn’t even said no. She had just ignored her, which was easy, and ignored the hurt look on her face, which was way, way harder.

Rainbow Dash didn’t want to talk. Rainbow Dash wanted to head outside and fly until her wings fell off, but she couldn’t even do that. They had given the consul their address, and they could receive word any moment now that it was showtime. Time to go back to the Grand Council Hall. The Great Council Hall. One of those. They waited to hear when they should go there so they could put on some weird costumes and amaze the peryton with fashion. That way, Rarity would be happy, at least, and Dash had to believe Fluttershy was happy, too, despite mounting evidence to the contrary. She was the one who had broken up with her. Once the ponies finished their mission to Perytonia, everypony else would have what they wanted.

Finally, a knock on the door.

Rarity perked up instantly. She had sat in silence for the past few minutes, staring at the jumble of items in her saddlebags, and now she was over at the door before Dash had so much as blinked. The door slid open to reveal a serious-looking brown doe. She inclined her head slightly at an angle while locking eyes with Rarity and levitated out a scroll from the ohron slung about her neck. Rarity seized it in her own magic and smiled, leaving a slightly frowny doe. Rarity probably hadn’t made the correct signs or whatever.

“Thank you, dear,” said Rarity, unrolling the scroll. “I don’t suppose we can trouble you to tell us what it says? I assume this is a summons from the Head Consul?”

The doe blinked. “No?” she said, clearly confused. “It is a summons to the Great Council Hall. It says, the Ponies of Equestria to give their announcement before the council at noon.”

“But—” Rarity stopped herself and took a fortifying breath. “The Head Consul will be there, will he not? We’re not being foisted onto some functionary, are we?”

Again the doe was a treatise on the many forms of confusion one could paint on the canvas of a single face. “I am only a messenger, but I can tell you yes, that the Head Consul is with the council. Why would he not be?” She shook her head and stared at the scroll Rarity held up. “The full council and all ambassadors in session, written, and now read.”

Rarity nodded and smiled. “Wonderful. I suppose we should begin moving right away then. Thank you. You say you are a messenger—is it common to tip messengers in Cotronna?”

“To tip a messenger,” the doe repeated. She looked past Rarity, as though she hoped to find someone else to talk to, but clearly she didn’t feel a lot better about her chances with Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy. “I do not understand—”

“Here,” said Rarity, levitating over a small ruby from the table, slipping it into the very puzzled doe’s ohron. The peryton staggered away shaking her head as if she’d just woken up from a dream. Rarity didn’t close the door, putting on her saddlebags instead. “Shall we?” she asked.

“Sure, let’s get this over with,” said Rainbow Dash, yawning, while Fluttershy simply nodded.

“I suppose that in Cotronna, the council takes the form of the court of the Head Consul,” said Rarity, locking the door behind them before they started down the street. Rainbow Dash vaguely remembered the path they had taken yesterday, but it was a lot busier now, owing only in part to the peryton walking double-file along the buildings again. A cart rushed by, pulled by peryton at a full gallop.

“Maybe,” said Fluttershy, nodding her assent. “But she also said ambassadors. Do you think they are like the friendship ambassador Ponyville sent to Hoofington?”

“Lilium?” Rarity chuckled. “She moved there to be with her boyfriend, as I recall, and Mayor Mare just decided to declare it a friendship exchange. I don’t see why someone like that would be at a royal function.”

“What else could ‘ambassador’ mean?” Fluttershy asked.

“Don’t we have a griffin ambassador in Canterlot?” Rainbow Dash said, idly staring at peryton who passed by going the other way, across the street. She vaguely remembered talking to some griffin the last time they all visited the castle.

“We do, but that’s a different kind of ambassador. The griffins kingdom is a different princ—well, a different… kingdom,” said Fluttershy. “They call their leader a ‘king’, but they have their own border and their own people. It’s a little strange to invite ambassadors from other places to a little meeting like this, isn’t it?”

Rarity sighed. “I couldn’t tell you why she said that then, darling. I honestly couldn’t. I don’t know why, and I’m certain that whoever they are, and whatever other nation they represent, they’re lovely people. Now, let’s try not to be late.”

Fluttershy nodded and splayed her ears, and Rainbow Dash decided not to point out that they couldn’t really move faster than the slow walk of the crowd anyway. They took a right, a left, paused for a cart to pass, then passed through the café-lined ring that circled the park. Here, peryton moved freely instead of double-file, but there were a lot less peryton about today. Most of them passed through one way or another, and Dash soon saw where they were coming from—or going to.

The inner circle, with its ring of large and impressive buildings, was full of noise and people. The rows of benches that had yesterday been empty were now completely full. Peryton walked around and between the giant stele-circle, and each and every one of the buildings were in use. Peryton were lined up outside the Hall of Scrolls and all the other places that were probably also called the “Hall” of something or other. The Great Council Hall in particular was busy, a dozen large doors all wide agape and people bustling to and fro.

“Oh dear,” Fluttershy muttered. She fell behind for a tiny moment as though a great wind pushed her back, but hurried to catch up lest she be left behind, her tail-tuft drooping. “That’s a lot of people. Do you think they are here to see us? That can’t be right.”

“If they were here to see us, why would they be leaving before we got there?” Dash said. She pointed ahead. “There’s just as many peryton leaving the tiny palace thingy as there are people heading towards it.”

“That’s true,” said Fluttershy, letting out a sigh of relief. She stepped aside as a particularly large group of peryton walked past going in the opposite direction. “I guess that’s… well. No, there’s still a lot of people there.”

“Yep,” said Dash. Far ahead and above, a peryton sailed down from a spire atop the Hall of Scrolls to land by one of the many doors to the Council Hall. Dash nodded appreciatively and gave a private little cheer for the first peryton she had ever seen flying in Cotronna. The only other creature in the sky was a lone raven heading for the same tall spire.

With every step towards their goal, Fluttershy seemed to shrink, sinking down until it wasn’t a pony who walked at the other side of Rainbow Dash, but one of the Ephydoeran wardens in their stalking gait. By the time they approached the main doors of the Great Council Hall, Fluttershy’s head was lower than her tail, her eyes darting about, and once inside, matters didn’t improve.

What had been a empty hall populated by ghosts yesterday was now full of life and activity—but not chaos. All of the desks were now in use, each with a monocled stag or doe attending a small line of peryton. Along the sides of the room, peryton chatted by the scroll racks and desks, and the great wings of the buildings with the scroll-laden stele were full of people reading the messages affixed to the rocks, coming and going through the many doors lining the airy hallways in relative order.

“And there you are,” said a thin voice right next to the door they had entered. A stag bowed low with his eyes on their hooves, lifting his wings slightly in a greeting Dash hadn’t seen before. “I am small-consul Madarast Quosh, and it is fortunate that my gambit has paid off.”

“Your… gambit?” Dash asked. “What the hay is that?”

“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Quosh,” said Rarity, smiling at him. “My name is Rarity. You know of us?”

“I do,” he said with a brief nod, rising up again. He walked towards the wall opposite of where they had entered, motioning for them to follow. “My gambit was that you would stand out in a crowd enough for me to notice you and lead you past the lines, that is all. It would not do to make you to wait, especially when it is the council’s error sending your message so late. We should have given you more warning.”

“It’s hardly a problem,” said Rarity, shaking her head. “We were waiting anyway, and I’m impressed you could arrange for a meeting with the Head Consul on such short notice. Is… is this it?” she asked, staring ahead.

Madarast had led the group between the desks that separated the two halves of the room, and the large, bench-filled chamber Dash remembered from yesterday was now chock full of peryton. There was no door to close, so they had a clear view of long rows of benches, a row of tables, and behind the tables, even more benches. Peryton sat at every level of a tiered chamber, with the lowest part being a narrow space in the middle. It looked more like a lecture hall than an audience chamber, but Dash couldn’t see all of it from where she stood. Whatever they were talking about, the sound was lost in the chatter of the outer hall.

“Yes. We are just now done with the previous discussion,” said the stag, nodding. “This way.”

“Actually, may we have a moment?” asked Rarity, smiling sweetly. “We need a little time to prepare.”

“Of course, time is the smallest of elements,” said Madarast, not even breaking his stride. “You may enter when you are ready. I will tell the council you have arrived.” He disappeared through the archway, and Dash just barely heard his voice trailing off. “The ponies of Equestria have arrived, they should be with us—”

“Alright then,” said Rarity, taking a deep breath. She looked around and sighed. “I must admit, I had expected an antechamber, if not a changing room, but I have worked under worse conditions.”

Dash saw her point. Though they were behind the row of desks occupied by clerks of some kind, they were still in plain view. The occasional peryton walked past them, wandering from one wing of scroll-bearing stele to the other with curious glances at the ponies or the council inside the room. One paused for a moment, then turned and entered the large chamber as though she did so on a whim, turning left along the wall and disappearing out of sight.

“I don’t think I can do it,” said Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash didn’t say anything at first. She had seen it coming a mile away. A huge audience and a lot of pressure, not a single peryton they knew well, a new situation and so many unknowns. Of course Fluttershy would think she couldn’t do it.

“There are so many peryton in there, and all their eyes are gonna be on us, and they’re waiting for us. That’s the worst part,” Fluttershy added, sighing.

Rarity levitated out all the parts of their costumes. Fluttershy looked to Rainbow Dash as though she expected her to say something. Dash shook her wings out and folded them again as Rarity helped her into her dress, the weird Cotronnan jewellery now affixed to the top like a pattern, and with a heap of symbols Dash vaguely remembered from the flank shavings in Ephydoera sewn into its side.

“Then don’t do it,” said Rainbow Dash, simply. “It’s probably fine with just one of us.”

“It most certainly isn’t fine,” said Rarity, frowning. “It would ruin the symmetry. I’d like for one of you to walk at each of my sides. They’re also expecting all three of us, and it presents a very poor image to betray expectations.”

Fluttershy sighed, fidgeting with her hooves. “Okay, I understand it’s important, but that doesn’t make it any less scary.”

“We’re all going in together, surely that helps,” Rarity said without looking at her, leaning in close and squinting to secure the straps on Rainbow Dash’s antlers. Dash moved her head from side to side. She had forgotten how weird it felt to nod or shake her head with the antlers on. Unsurprisingly, they were getting weird looks from passers-by now.

“I don’t know if it will help,” Fluttershy said, swallowing. “I could try. Maybe. Or, I could try to do my best—I am, of course I am!”

Part of Dash’s brain insisted that was her cue. She wanted to shout that of course you can. That’s a room full of peryton who don’t even know you. They don’t know what you can do, and you can walk in there and let them stare and whatever, because you’re Fluttershy, and you’re amazing, come on, grab my wing and let’s go.

Rarity fixed the jewellery in Dash’s antlers, making sure it lay right, and finally, she gave Dash the blank Vauhornite mask. She didn’t put it on right away, since the mask made it really hard to see—and speaking of seeing, Fluttershy stared straight at her, a pegasus the very picture of hesitance. Fluttershy stood stuck between doing and fleeing. Rainbow Dash looked past her, taking a very keen and extremely feigned interest in a peryton clerk who stared at them, neglecting his work. What are you looking at?

She still saw Fluttershy, even if she didn’t look straight at her. She caught the look of betrayal on her face, even if she didn’t understand it, Fluttershy slumping as she turned her side to Dash, her head hanging low. What had Fluttershy expected? That now that they were just friends, Rainbow Dash would go right back to acting like an idiot? Was that why she was sad? Did she feel like she was being thrust into this by Rainbow Dash? Was this just like the bonfire in Vauhorn where she felt pressured into performing just because Rainbow Dash was around?

Rainbow Dash didn’t even want to think about it anymore, but she couldn’t shake the way Fluttershy deflated, either.

“We really haven’t the time for debate, Fluttershy, I am very sorry,” said Rarity, sighing as she broke the silence. “If you can’t do this, you can’t do this, but you’re still standing here, so I’m going to help you into the dress and assume you’ll be okay. You can cower or run away if you wish, but we simply haven’t the time. The show must go on, after all.”

Fluttershy said nothing. Rainbow Dash put on the mask, wishing she had another mask for her ears. Maybe a third one for her brain. With the blank face-mask on, she could really only see forward and up. She heard the sound of straps, the rustle of fabric and the tinkle of jewellery, and finally, Rarity drawing breath, releasing it very slowly.

“There. I’ll leave the saddlebags here. They’re an eyesore after all the damage they’ve received, I’ll just bring the sigil,” Rarity said. “As long as I remember the things we were supposed to say, I think that’s all. Are you girls ready?”

“Sure,” said Dash, the only one of the pegasi to reply.

“Then let us make our grand entrance and dazzle these peryton,” Rarity announced, chipper in an instant. “Come along, now.”

Rainbow Dash followed. She had to point her snout almost down to the ground to be able to see even the tips of Rarity’s ears. She didn’t know how Fluttershy managed. Forward, right, and ahead. She passed under a stone arch, and into a chamber with a slightly lower ceiling. Someone had engraved a simple repeating pattern near where the walls met the ceiling. Tiny hoops that barely touched, like but also unlike a chain.

“A little bit more to the right, Rainbow,” Rarity whispered. Rainbow Dash took a step to the right and carried on.

“The pony delegates from Equestria! Fluttershy, Rainbow Dance and Rarity!” a barely-familiar voice said. It sounded a lot like the stag they had just spoken to—Madarast, was it?—but he wasn’t much of a herald. The names were thrown into the air casually, and the easy chatter in the room died down slowly, settling on a low murmur. Dash decided to ignore the part where they got her name wrong.

“Thank you, thank you so much,” said Rarity, raising her voice to fill the growing silence. She walked them further ahead, and Dash nearly tripped at the sudden step down. Another step down followed soon after. They had to be in the center of the room now. Through the eyeholes of the ill-fitting mask, she could just barely see the top row of peryton many steps above them. Someone nearby murmured something about protocols.

“I have the absolute pleasure of bringing word from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, the royal sisters of Canterlot Castle in Equestria,” said Rarity, and Dash could hear how much she enjoyed this moment, her excitement plain in her voice. “We have come to deliver an invitation to a summit, a peaceful meeting to discuss potential treaties between Equestria and the other peoples of the world.”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t see any throne on the top row. She turned her head left and right just the tiniest bit, running her eyes along the crowds of stags and does, and only two stood out among the rows of unadorned peryton. One wore elaborate antler-jewellery, another was painted forest green and sky blue. A warden and a Stagrumite? They stood in a small group of four behind the furthest benches. Were the other two from Vauhorn and Orto, then? What were they doing here?

The room had gone almost completely silent now. Dash could have heard a pin fall in between the occasional whispers. Instead, she heard Fluttershy’s rapid breath behind her mask.

“Now—” Rarity hesitated. “May I ask, is the Head Consul not here?”

“I am here,” said a voice to Dash’s left. She turned her head. A tall and lanky grey-white doe like any other rose on the top row.

“Oh. I had expected—well, then,” said Rarity. “It is an honour to meet you, your highness.” She passed in front of Rainbow Dash, her ear-tips and short-cut mane disappearing for a second—to bow, perhaps.

“Well. This is a little… awkward,” Rarity continued, her voice receding to Dash’s left. “This room wasn’t very well designed with logistics in mind, if you don’t mind me saying. Excuse me. Coming through—there, yes, thank you. And, here! From the hooves of the royal sisters, please accept this sigil. I understand that the location and the time of the meeting I mentioned are both magically inscribed upon the sigil, and it should be understandable to all. If you can’t read—”

“Are we to stay silent until Helesseia’s light fades upon this hall?” one voice asked, far behind Rainbow Dash. “I raise an objection at this.”

“I beg your pardon?” Rarity asked, indignant.

“No, Alaisyn, you are correct. This is ill advised,” said the Head Consul. Her antlers glowed briefly, but Dash couldn’t see what happened below her. “Here.”

“You’re giving it back? I… don’t understand why? Perhaps I wasn’t clear: Attendance isn’t mandatory, and the sigil is a gift. If you don’t wish to attend, we’ll tell—”

“And what of their adornments?” said a new voice. “What is this?”

“You recognise—” began another.

“I do! That is why I ask!”

“What, these?” asked Rarity, her smile evident in her tone. “Why, I am glad you asked! I’ve put together a… I suppose dress isn’t the right word, believe me, I’ve been thinking about that a lot, and that word means nothing to you now, does it? Consider it a showcase, a display! I’ve gathered elements from each of your cities to show you how beautiful they can be when they come together in harmony.”

“How are we to understand this—” began yet another unfamiliar voice, and many other like it, angry voices growing in number and volume. The few peryton Dash could see pointed and talked over each other, none louder than the group of peryton from the other cities. Three of them pointed at the ponies and shouted, while the warden remained grim and silent. Rainbow Dash couldn’t see Rarity anymore, but she knew Fluttershy was close. She felt a flank touch against hers.

“Silence! Silence!” the Head Consul roared. “You will shed these thoughts and we will approach this matter anew! Silence! Khystos, you—above all, in the name of every story ever told of Aspects found and forgotten—will be quiet!”

“I will not be quiet while you are singled out thus!” snapped the bejewelled Stagrumite on the top row. “This is—”

“An outrage! Yes, ambassador, and Cotronna, as hosts, will respond to this outrage,” the Head Consul shot back. When she continued, it was in a normal speaking voice, but all other noise in the room had ended. “And if you are not satisfied with the results, you will petition, and I will step away, rest assured.”

“Your highness,” said Rarity. “I do not understand—”

“I am not a highness,” came the reply like the crack of a whip. “I am the same height as all my kin. Mine is the position of Head Consul for this week, and this means that my vote breaks a tie, that my voice is the gavel to bring order to the council hall, nothing less, but nothing more! It is for you to listen.”

Rarity scoffed. “If you do not enjoy the dresses, or if I’ve caused offense, then I can explain—”

“No,” the consul hissed, cutting Rarity off. “You will not explain, you will listen. When you present Cotronna with this sigil-invitation, your expectation that we should accept it says that you believe Cotronna’s star shines brightest in its sky. You say that ours is a story that can be told in a single voice. This offends us.”

On the top row, the Stagrumite closed his eyes and nodded slowly. The painted warden was as impassive as ever, and for a moment, Dash could swear that their eyes met Dash’s through the tiny eye-holes in her mask.

“That is your chief offense before the sight of all cities. That is what you have done, and these… adornments you have put together in such a way were strange to me when you entered, strange and unseemly with the wounded khalraar upon your kin’s backs, blank masks mixed with meaning-laden symbols and whatever else all this is, but now that you tell me what this means—Esorys’ flames, it burns my eyes to see already, and then you suggest that the cities are ours? That our sister-cities are chained and belong to us?”

Rainbow Dash didn’t really have the time or the spare attention to process all the words, but she felt Fluttershy press closer to her, and this time Dash shook a wing free from the dress to lay it against Fluttershy. When the shouting picked up again this time, the Head Consul did nothing to stop it. Her voice was just one among many, but still distinct.

“You have three days to leave Cotronna,” the Head Consul declared, pointing a hoof at Rainbow Dash and her friends. “Letters will be sent to every city declaring that you are not welcome for eight seasons, until this passes into story, and story becomes lesson!”

Dash felt a lump of ice form in her belly. She pushed the mask off her head and came face to face with an ashen Rarity who stared at her in abject disbelief. Fluttershy still had her mask on.

“Odryssa! You will aid in drafting another letter to Orto! I see accord from the ambassadors, but we will discuss this matter further immediately, then recess for a meal,” Dash heard, but the words of the peryton rapidly merged and became one single buzz to her ears. Madarast—or some other peryton, Dash wasn’t really paying attention—walked up to their side and pointed to the huge archway out, as though it wasn’t obvious.

Three days. Three nights. Or was that three days and two nights? Whatever. Rainbow Dash didn’t really think that the specifics mattered too much. She didn’t want to be in this stupid city any longer than she absolutely had to, anyway, so on that, she and the Head Consul were agreed.

Tonight, she would tell Princess Luna that they were done and wanted to go home. She would wait here in Cotronna, or outside the city if it took more than three days. She would get on the airship, and she would wait for that airship to take her to wherever they were getting off it—Las Pegasus again, maybe—and then, then she would fly back to Ponyville. After all this walking and flying, Las Pegasus to Ponyville couldn’t be more than a short jaunt in comparison, and she could use the time to herself. Yes. She would fly back to Ponyville, and then go home.

And then?

And then Rainbow Dash didn’t know what. Lock herself in her bedroom and bawl her eyes out when nobody could see, probably.

She could forget about the stupid peryton, about Perytonia and everything about it. That part bothered her, sure. Mucking up a royal mission? Ruining a super-important special task given them by the Princesses themselves? She would never live that down, and the whole matter left a sour taste in her mouth, but she could live with that.

No, the thing that made Rainbow Dash want to curl up under her blanket and never come back out was the look on Fluttershy’s face when she had taken off the face mask. Rainbow Dash already struggled with the sad looks Fluttershy gave her ever since they broke up, a weight atop the knowledge of all the times she herself had made Fluttershy sad or worried by being Rainbow Dash, but after they left the Great Council Hall, Fluttershy had looked betrayed and defeated. Her oldest friend, her earlier girlfriend, had looked as though somepony had turned off all the lights in her world, and Rainbow Dash didn’t think it had anything to do with them being banished. It was the same expression she had before she put the mask on. Before they entered the hall and were told to leave.

While Rainbow Dash lay on her back in one of the beds, staring at the ceiling, Rarity still paced downstairs, sharing thoughts and ideas with herself, talking out loud. Why did they not give me a chance to explain? What did she mean Head Consul for the week? Where did it all go wrong?

Rainbow Dash didn’t know where it all went wrong, either, and she really wanted to know. With Perytonia, too, sure, but mostly she wanted to know where had it all gone wrong with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. How had they come to this? Fluttershy lay on the bed on the opposite side of the room. She lay on her side, facing away from Rainbow Dash.

Maybe the mystery right now was how things had ever not been wrong. To Rainbow Dash, it felt like she had spent the past few months discovering more and more problems between them, more irreconcilable differences, like she had been flying fine until she decided to look over her shoulder and realised she wasn’t a pegasus pony after all. Was the whole girlfriend thing a terrible idea altogether? It couldn’t be.

“If they didn’t want me to bring fashion,” Rarity wailed downstairs. “They wouldn’t have sent me!”

Whatever. Rainbow Dash had a plan. A plan to get to her own bedroom and sleep for a thousand years.

Her stomach rumbled.

Rainbow Dash had two plans. A plan to get out of this stuffy, gloomy house and find some food to make sure they all ate. Then she would get to her bedroom and sleep for a thousand years before she figured out what had gone wrong. Rainbow Dash slipped off the bed and made for the stairs.

“Gonna go get us some food,” she said. Fluttershy didn’t reply, but her head moved slightly with a nod. Now it was Fluttershy who wouldn’t even look at Rainbow Dash. Dash swallowed and trudged on, sailing down the stairs. Rarity half sat by, and half lay draped over the larger table. She looked up at Dash with a desperate, red-eyed smile.

“Darling! You’re up! Wonderful—I’ve been thinking, perhaps we could go back to the Great Council Hall, all together—”

“Not gonna happen, Rarity,” Dash said, snorting. She grabbed an ohron and filled it with a few gems, and, as an afterthought, their two remaining bronze slivers, just in case some baker decided to throw a fit over gemstones or something.

“We have to try something to clear up this misunderstanding!” Rarity said, wiping her eyes with a foreleg.

“We really, really don’t,” said Dash, slipping the ohron about her neck. “They’ve said we have to leave the city, Rarity. Wake up. I’m gonna go get us something to eat—if anyone even wants to talk to us any more.”

Rarity’s lower lip quivered ominously, but she just planted her face onto the table and moaned. “This is the worst possible thing! I don’t understand—”

“I don’t understand either,” Dash snapped. “I don’t understand why the Princesses didn’t come here themselves instead, I don’t understand what Princess Luna meant when she said they didn’t want to come here again, I don’t understand why we listened to Khaird, and I don’t understand why we couldn’t just have waited in Orto for a month or even an entire year if it meant we could take a boat straight here and save ourselves the trouble if they were just gonna throw us out anyway!”

Dash closed her eyes and tried to steady her breath, keenly aware she’d been shouting towards the end, but Rarity hardly seemed fazed at all. Dash reached up to tousle her own mane to make it lie right and sighed.

“Like I was saying, I’m getting some more bread or something. Pear and grape phela okay with you?” Dash asked.

“Pear and grape sounds good,” Rarity muttered, her tone nasal with her muzzle against the stone table.

Either word hadn’t spread yet, or the peryton at the market didn’t care. Rainbow Dash had a paper-wrapped bundle of sweet-smelling bread and the profuse thanks of a bread merchant who she had probably overpaid ten times over. Good enough. Dash spread her wings and took to the air, rising slowly to keep the bundle from falling off her back. She didn’t feel like going back right away. Stepping out the door and onto the market didn’t do anything to clear her head. With no reason not to do so, she flew.

Two seconds, and the curved roofs and cupolas of Cotronna levelled out all around her. Ten seconds, and the ocean to the north came into view, the docks still hidden behind the buildings. Thirty seconds, and she could see the inner circle at the very center of Cotronna, the grey-white filling to the green donut of the park that ringed it.

A very large donut, really. She wasn’t that high up, still easily able to spot the peryton below, but there was something to be said for being above your problems rather than among them. In the company of clouds. Rainbow Dash touched down on a large, drifting cumulus, a lagging tuft torn free from a cloud-bank that sailed along the coast going west.

“Mind if I tag along?” Dash asked, touching down. She adjusted the package on her back. “Didn’t think so.”

She had half a mind to fly up higher still, but she knew that if she pushed it any further, someone in the city below would receive a grape and pear-filled surprise at very unsafe velocity. You only dropped baked goods onto people’s heads from high altitudes once in your life. The stallion had recovered anyway. Eventually.

She looked east, squinting. The sun-baked coast with its beaches and plains stretched on forever. How high would she need to fly to be able to see Vauhorn? Would she ever, or was it so far she’d never see? She wished she could ask Fluttershy. They hadn’t walked the full road from Vauhorn to Cotronna, so Dash didn’t have a good feel for it, and Fluttershy was the better judge of that kind of stuff. She wondered what Neisos would say if he knew how they had messed up. She wondered how their landlady in Stagrum felt about them encouraging her daughter to travel. Was Phoreni still mad at them? What had happened in the mountains after they left? Had they done anything right?

Rainbow Dash spread her wings and sailed off the cloud. She would be happy never to see any of these plains, shores, forests and mountains ever again. Everything reminded her of—well, of everything else, of course. Enough thinking. She landed in the middle of the street and quickly joined one of the lines going... west, said her snout. West was probably not the way back home. She had flown for all of a minute, and she was already a little bit lost, but that was fine. She was in no rush.

Rainbow Dash must have followed the peryton for a long while. One hoof followed the next, chasing the peryton in front of her at a slow walk. When the road split, she took a right, and then a right again—until she rounded the block once and reconsidered her methods, tossing in the occasional left and straight-aheads, too. The sun continued its merry journey, and Rainbow Dash her own. As long as she just kept walking, all she had to think about was the buildings and the peryton who lived here.

Her annoyance slowly drained away, drop by bitter drop. She couldn’t be angry or even upset with an entire city all at once. She passed an area with some really tall buildings, some towering as many as five stories tall. Wagons ran thick in the streets, and two blocks further on, the buildings no longer bore signs to futilely try to explain their function to a pony who couldn’t read them.

No wagons here. Peryton milled about chatting, smiling, gesturing, bowing and laughing their particular cawing and trilling laughs. Rainbow Dash passed an open-faced building where stags and does gathered around an large oven of some kind, making food together. Whatever they were making, it smelled good enough to stop Dash in her tracks. She turned around a few steps further down the road, outside another building lacking a front wall, wondering if she should head back and ask if she could have a taste.

“—had planted a seed, and these were Helesseia’s words: ‘Her fall will not be for nothing, and where she fell, you will find a home if you are brave enough to seek it out. This is my promise’,” said a melodic voice. “With the seed planted, she again joined with the sun.”

“What did the council say then?” asked another, high pitched voice.

“The council said no things at all. This was before there was a council. Before there was a Cotronna, and before there was a Perytonia as you know it, little claw,” the other voice responded.

The building Dash had stopped in front of was no eatery or café like its neighbour. A single ageing doe sat on a mound of pillows in a room empty save for carpets, pillows, a small stove in a corner, and a staircase near the back. Around the speaker—who was clearly a storyteller of some kind—sat a crowd of young peryton. The smallest were smaller than pony foals who had barely found their legs, and the oldest ones were a little larger than Rainbow Dash.

Dash glanced left, then right. The streets were nearly empty. She shrugged and stepped right inside the open-faced building, sitting down at the back of the little gathering.

“The First Stories are important for the simple truth of the events as they happened,” the old doe said. “Events that we tell to remember. That is all. Truths to be remembered, agreement of the events. That is my task as claw-priest. To tell you. To teach you. Tomorrow, we will speak of the Ousting, another one of the First Stories. It is a short one, but I wish for you to listen well then, too.”

“So there is nothing to learn from them?” asked one of the younger stags of the group.

“That is a keen question, little claw,” the doe said, nodding slowly. It looked like the sway of her large antlers moved her head rather than the other way around. “We learn from them by remembering them, unlike every other story spoken. As you well know, every other story spoken is important not for the truth of the event, but for the lesson to be learned, and the multiplicity of those lessons. The malleability.” She grinned. “Perhaps to the youngest of you, this is not known. Some of you have claws too small to grasp this today, and some of you barely hear my words—and I see your eyelids droop, Galrynna! I understand when I have spoken too much. Go!”

Rainbow Dash stood when all the other peryton did, a little disappointed that she had just arrived at the end of… of whatever that was. If that was the very end of one of the peryton’s First Stories, she had to admit she expected more. The audience, the class, or whatever else they had been, all dipped their heads to the old doe and turned to leave in small groups, some of them gasping in surprise when they found a strange blue pegasus standing at the edge of the room. Some turned their heads to look, walking into others, and some stopped to stare openly, but eventually, all the peryton left. Dash turned to leave as well.

“And some have no claws at all,” said the doe, her soothing voice arresting Dash’s movement.

“What?” asked Dash, frowning over her shoulder. The doe hadn’t moved, still sat in the middle of the carpeted room. Though her voice was soft and her tone almost breezy, she stared directly at Rainbow Dash. There wasn’t much else to stare at.

“I explained to the flock that some truths may be too large for little talons to grasp onto, and now, unless my eyesight fails me, one stands before me who has no talons at all,” said the doe, smiling toothily.

Rainbow Dash scratched her head. “Uh. Okay. You used some kind of… metaphor? Is that a joke? I have no idea what you’re saying.”

The doe nodded slowly, languidly. “It is a metaphor and a joke. A very funny one, should you ask me, and you should. But perhaps it is truth, too. You are a stranger who wanders into a telling of the First Stories, stories that all kin of age know, but you do not look a child to me.” Her eyes bored into Dash. “Talons or no, clearly you struggle with understanding stories yourself.”

“What are you, some kind of mind reader or something?” asked Dash. She spread her wings and settled them anew on her back, squinting at the doe’s dark eyes.

The peryton doe smiled wider, looking like she laughed except no sound came out. “I can not read what goes on inside your head, but I can read a face, even one as strange as yours. If my meaning is not plain: you look distressed.”

Dash’s snout was well and truly frumpled. Maybe it was true, and she had walked around with her frustrations on display. Even if there was nothing freaky going on with this peryton, it was still annoying to be called out.

What really kept Dash from leaving was how simple it was to talk to this doe. No stupid introduction stuff like with all the other Cotronnans, no long story about the Aspects, no quarreling about not using yes and no or anything else—and not a water bowl in sight.

“You’re not like the other peryton,” said Dash. The words came out sounding almost like an accusation. “You don’t sound like them.”

Now, the old doe did laugh, shaking while she let off a low warbling sound. “Tell a claw-priest she is not like her kin? You are strange, or you would know that is perhaps the cruelest thing one can say. You wound me.”

Dash lay her ears flat. “Okay, whoa, I didn’t mean it like that, you just sound different from the peryton here in Cotronna. When I open my mouth there’s like… a fifty percent chance I end up arguing with them. Or the ones in Vauhorn. Or most of the other places. Where are you from?”

“Vauhorn,” said the doe, shifting her seating a little bit. “But I am a claw-priest, and so I must travel to bring the stories to all. I have visited all cities and met all kin. And you have mounted no answer to my metaphor, my joke. Or, as you seem to like your words plain: you offer no answer to my question of your distress. Maybe I misread you, and you have no troubles—you may leave if you wish. You are not kin and do not need to honour me and the stories I carry.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t have a reply right away. She tapped a hoof on the soft, carpeted floor. She wasn’t about to lay her problems at the hooves of a complete stranger, but there was no harm in sticking around either. She was just an old peryton doe in a random house in a different part of town.

“Of course,” the doe added, “it takes very little knowledge of the most-told stories to be curious about your appearance, so perhaps I wish you would stay and explain why you carry the wings of the Ever Soaring.”

“What, these?” Dash asked, glancing back at her own green-painted wings. She didn’t look upset about it, so Dash decided not to be, either. “Heh, yeah, well, we’ve travelled Perytonia a bit ourselves,” she said with a half-smile. “Name’s Rainbow Dash.”

“And I am Ealesta,” said the doe, inclining her head.

Dash took a few steps closer and took a seat on the pillows of the front row where some of the peryton children had sat earlier. “That was one of the First Stories? The one you told about Celestia, or Helesseia, whatever. You said something about Helesseia planting a seed and then going back to the sun?”

“You are still evasive,” said Ealesta. “You speak of me and my words, not yours.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged.

“Very well,” the doe said. “I do not know that the First Stories would be of use to you, and it is bad luck to paraphrase them—but since you are not kin, and I can not be responsible for your schooling, I do not see the harm in saying that yes, you are correct. That is one of the First Stories. They speak of the simple lessons, such as when Helesseia banished the heron, from which spring the stories that teach us to do the same. Such as when Selyria planted the first harvest, and kin learned to better grow the plains.”

Rainbow Dash’s brows rose of their own accord. “That’s it? We’ve heard about the First Stories, but you’re telling me they’re just basic history? I thought they were like super stories.”

Ealesta tilted her head and peered at Dash from an angle, not frowning, not exactly, but when she spoke, her words were careful and precise. “They are history, yes. They tell us one set of things. Other stories teach us other things. They are neither less nor more important than the stories that spring from Vauhorn’s Alluvium, or from every kin, every city, circle and community.”

“Right,” said Dash with a snort. “That’s what you meant with all the ‘multiplication’ stuff and the grasping with talons. You have lots and lots of stories, we’ve heard that. I get it.”

The doe shook her head slightly. “If by ‘get’ you mean ‘understand’, I do not think you do. The multiplicity I spoke of is not the multitude of the stories. It is the multitude of understandings. From one single story springs many lessons. One event can be understood in many ways.”

“Yep, you lost me,” said Dash, shaking her head. She didn’t know she had signed up for a lesson in… whatever this was. She should probably just go.

“We agree that the story of Vestrus meeting Ryshalos upon the rainy shore is a story of joy. It is called upon to evoke this joy. However,” said the doe, raising a hoof, “we do not necessarily agree upon the details of the joy. And that is just a gentle example. A parent calls upon Eakus to coax a child to eat her food, and the clever child may find in the same stories the opposite message, that Eakus shows it is graceless to eat one’s food. One event can make many stories. Many truths. And we uncover hidden meanings as we use them.”

“Yeah, okay, I understand that bit, at least,” Dash murmured. Her thoughts had already been drifting under the torrent of words. “Heh. I had a few ‘stories’ I thought I remembered right, but I was wrong. The more I think about those, the worse I feel about them.”

Rainbow Dash trying to coax Fluttershy into joining the Hurricane effort. The week leading up to the Summer Sun Celebration before Nightmare Moon returned, Applejack rightfully yelling at her for bullying Fluttershy. Pretty much every instance where she had recently realised she had been an ass to Fluttershy.

“Perhaps your memories work differently from ours,” said Ealesta, her eyes fixed on Dash’s own. “And personal memory is not the same as stories, but they are the same in this: neither should be contemplated alone. In doing so, you fight yourself.”

“I’ve done a lot of fighting in Perytonia, actually,” said Dash with a weak chuckle. “You should’ve seen the hydra.”

The doe frowned. “I do not think your humor is as good as mine. No, what I mean is that a single mind cannot take infinite lessons from a single event. That is why stories involve the Aspects. Because wisdom comes from dialogue, not from a lonely room empty of people. Echoes of your own words are not wisdom.”

“Cool,” said Dash, sighing. She clambered up on all four hooves and shook her wings out. “Thanks for the chat.”

“I do not think it was very much of a ‘chat’,” said the doe with a look of bemusement. “I do not think you listen.”

“Sure I did,” Dash replied with a great snort. “I just don’t think it helps. Sometimes you discover you did something you shouldn’t have, and you don’t need a committee of people, or Aspects to tell you that you’ve done something wrong.”

Dash heard a touch of rancour in her own voice, but the doe remained unfazed as ever. “Perhaps,” she said, nodding. “But if you are trying to discover ‘truth’ about your own wicked deeds by retelling your own story until you find your own wickedness, you can only go astray.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. This was starting to get uncomfortably close to a counselling session, and the doe’s eyes were intense. She turned to leave. “Yeah, well—I don’t know about that. Maybe the way ponies and peryton think is way different, but look who’s talking,” she said. “You said you’re from Vauhorn?”

“That is where I took my first steps,” Ealesta confirmed with a nod.

“Yeah? So don’t you think the whole craziness with the water and the bowing and everything they do here in Cotronna is strange?” Dash asked.

“It is,” said Ealesta. “I have had to learn their customs during my visit now, and still we struggle to understand each other sometimes.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. There it was. Finally she met a peryton in a city where they didn’t belong, finally she had proof that they didn’t even understand each other.

“Exactly!” said Dash. “Jeez, even you peryton are so different from each other, you’re so far apart you don’t even understand each other!” Just like Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Worlds apart.

“Yes, we are,” said Ealesta. “We are very different.” She smiled wide and nodded her head, her voice finding no issue at all.

Rainbow Dash found her way back to the house right before dark. A half-remembered address, a good look at the city from up high, and some high quality guesswork all combined with a lot of flying around until she found three houses in a row, all painted a dull red in the understated colours that graced some of the buildings in the southeastern part of town.

Dash touched down and put a hoof to the door, but it just slid along the wood. She frowned and lifted a leg to inspect a forehoof. Fluttershy had been right. Opening these doors with hooves covered in street dust was a pain. She would have to knock. Dash raised her foreleg again, but paused when she realised she picked up voices from inside.

“—know how sensitive she can be!” Fluttershy yelled, loud enough to be heard through the door. If there was a reply, Dash didn’t catch it, and the next thing she heard was a set of hoofsteps, louder and louder, then some more muffled words punctuated by “—not a doormat!”

The door slid open in one quick, smooth motion. Rainbow Dash barely caught a glimpse of Fluttershy as the yellow pegasus galloped past her down the stairs, spread her wings, and soared away. In the space of a long blink, she flew up into the sky, and then disappeared amongst the buildings the next block over. Rainbow Dash ran a hoof along her mane and sighed, stepping inside.

“Hey,” said Dash, waving at Rarity. The unicorn sat by the small table, quiet and unmoving, staring at the wall. Dash let the paper-wrapped bread slide off her back and onto the other table.

Rarity turned her head slowly, gave her a long look, and then went back to her staring. Now Dash felt a touch of worry. She expected Rarity to cry, whine, and generally raise a fuss for a while before she… before she did whatever Rarity did after she was done wallowing.

“I got us some food,” said Dash, hoping that would get a reaction. “And what the hay was that about? Where’s Fluttershy going?”

“Now that Fluttershy is quite finished accusing me of everything that has gone wrong since Equestria’s founding,” said Rarity in an awkward, indignant croak. She reached up to rub at her eyes. “I believe Fluttershy is going for a walk.”

“Fluttershy?” Dash asked, arching a brow. “Accusing you?”

Rarity sighed and rested her muzzle on the table. “I don’t blame the poor dear, and she’s likely right. I do not think I could have failed more spectacularly in just about every endeavour since we arrived here, Rainbow.”

“Yeah, well, join the club,” Dash grumbled, rolling her eyes. She nosed the paper package open, revealing the slightly squished and now very cold phela, deciding that despite what her aching stomach suggested, she wasn’t very hungry. She couldn’t eat, anyway.

“Specifically, and mostly,” Rarity continued, poking at one of the costumes spread out over the small table, “she accused me of instigating a change in you, and insisted that she was not weak or brittle, as though I had ever said anything else.”

Rainbow Dash moved over to sit opposite of Rarity, the slightly too tall table awkward between them. “Heh. All the stuff I’ve messed up isn’t your fault. And yeah, duh she’s not weak.”

“Of course she is not,” said Rarity with a faint smile. “But I do recognise that while I know that, I also sometimes forget it. I suspect most ponies tend to underestimate Fluttershy no matter how long they have known her. Most ponies except you.”

Also true, so Dash didn’t have a reply for that. Rainbow Dash shrugged and spread one of her wings, reaching around to inspect her discoloured primaries. She had almost forgotten that her wings weren’t supposed to be green until the claw-priest had pointed it out. Rarity, meanwhile, filled a bowl of water and took a small sip. The unicorn stole a glance at the untouched food, clearly no more interested in it than Rainbow Dash was.

“Fluttershy was really worried about the costumes you were making,” Dash said, shaking her head. “I thought they were really weird too. I had a bad feeling, but I told her we should just shut up and see. I shouldn’t have. I should have told you.”

“Darling, I felt nauseous looking at these atrocities,” said Rarity, letting out a full-bodied snort as she picked at the cloth of the dress. “Even if I still couldn’t tell you exactly why, I knew I had made something awful, but I doubt any words could have changed my mind. It doesn’t matter now, but at the moment… I suppose I was desperate for some success.”

Rainbow Dash smiled a humorless smile. “Right. That’s why I didn’t stop you. I had already messed up so bad with Fluttershy, or Fluttershy had messed up with me—I still can’t tell, I don’t know, I just… I just figured you could get a big win with the fashion stuff, but that didn’t work out.”

Rarity let out a short, bitter laugh. “We’re a little alike in that sense, aren’t we, dear? Ignoring everything while we focus on something, chasing these imagined victories to the exclusion of all else, battling these constant, senseless feelings of being insufficient.”

“Yeah. I gue—wait, no,” said Dash, frowning. “What do you mean ‘insufficient’? I don’t feel insufficient.”

Rarity didn’t say anything to that. She just shook her head from side to side, jaw brushing back and forth along the edge of the table while she watched Rainbow Dash.

“And besides, why do you feel—it’s the same thing as insecure, right? Insecure, insufficient, all that? Jeez, I get it if you’re feeling bad that nothing worked out, and today stinks, but are you seriously still thinking about all those other peryton who didn’t like your dresses?”

Finally Rarity lifted her head off the table, as though she was pushed upright by the force of a heaving sigh.

“First,” she said, “my dresses are never just dresses. They mean a lot to me, and I don’t appreciate the insinuation that they don’t, in fact, matter.”

“Right,” said Dash, flicking her ears.

“Second, and to your question, my dear Rainbow, I saw the two of you, you and Fluttershy happy together, at least at first, and it exacerbated all my failures. The dresses never being well received, struggling to keep pace with you on the road, every time my being a unicorn got in the way of our travels—I was a failure in every way, and I thought I could make up for it all by making a dress!

“Except, of course,” she added, her ears splayed as she sunk down towards the table again, “You broke up, and I wasn’t even there to support the two of you. And the dress, well, we saw how that was received. Everything is a disaster!” She planted her face back down on the stone table.

“In my darkest moments, I thought maybe I even wanted the two of you to break up, jealous,” said the unicorn, letting out a shuddering breath. Dash saw Rarity’s eyes seeking her own, peering up at her through the shorter mane that fell in front of her face. “I didn’t. You have to believe that, but I was jealous, and I’ve been an awful friend. This is the worst. I am the worst.”

Rainbow Dash swallowed and looked away. “You’re not the worst,” she murmured, though she couldn’t deny she felt a twinge of annoyance. Maybe she was even angry, but she had been angry at herself so much lately, it didn’t amount to more than a short-lived scowl.

“Fluttershy is right to be angry at me, at the very least,” Rarity muttered. “I treated both of you horribly towards the end, these past days.”

Dash thought back, then nodded. “Heh, yeah. You kinda did.” She laughed, because the alternative was to say more, to go on about how Rarity really had been a bit of a butt. The unicorn didn’t join in the laughter, but Dash thought she could see Rarity smile faintly, shaking her head to rub her snout against the table.

A particularly noisy group of peryton walked past, their laughter drifting in through the open door Rainbow Dash hadn’t closed coming in. An antlered head turned to look straight into the living room, and Rarity’s horn glowed, shutting the door without even looking up.

“Do you want to tell me what happened between you and Fluttershy?” Rarity asked. She gestured to the other table, wiping one of her smaller scissors off on the hem of some of the spare cloth. Before she had even sat down at the larger dinner table, she began cutting the phela into convenient pieces. “Why did the two of you break up? And why haven’t you… made up, I suppose? This isn’t just some temper tantrum of yours, or some notion Fluttershy has gotten into her mind, is it? It seems serious.”

“As serious as it gets, I guess,” Dash said. She grabbed a water bowl and plonked it down at the other table while Rarity magicked over her own.

“Is this it, then?” Rarity asked. “I thought you two were absolutely darling together.” She levitated over a piece of the filled bread and grabbed a bite.

“I don’t know,” Dash said. “Probably.” She spoke out loud as she wondered herself, thinking back as far as she could remember, bouncing the words against Rarity. “Jeez. This stupid trip’s lasted forever, but it feels like I barely had time to get together with Fluttershy before we broke up. I dunno. I guess I was annoyed that Fluttershy doubted me. And you, too. It felt like you didn’t think I was serious, so I guess I started thinking I was doing something wrong, I don’t know exactly. I don’t go around remembering this sort of stuff.”

Rarity nodded, offering a sympathetic smile before she took another bite. She levitated over another piece of bread, and, after a quick glance about as if to ensure that they were in fact alone, she grabbed yet another, filling both their water bowls with a carafe all the while. Dash poked at a piece of bread herself, pushing at it so the filling leaked out.

“I started thinking something was wrong, so I tried to do right, or something. I was just… ugh,” she flicked her ears in annoyance. “I wanted to be the best girlfriend I could be.” Saying out loud, it sounded really, really lame.

Rarity swallowed a large chunk of bread, took a draught of water, and coughed, covering her mouth. “Ack, excuse me,” she said. “Well, I can’t exactly speak for Fluttershy—and certainly not right now, given that I need to speak to her, at the very least to offer her an apology—but… I don’t know that she necessarily wanted a ‘perfect girlfriend’ of any description.”

“Yeah, well, I’m the coolest pony ever, right,” said Dash, frowning at how untrue those words sounded right now. “I’m the best, and I wanna be the best, and that means doing best, but yeah, okay, I get it. That plan backfired. Heh, like it was even a plan. Whatever. Fluttershy just suddenly didn’t want to do the stuff we usually did together. I tried cutting out all the stuff I liked so we could do the things she liked best, but she didn’t wanna.”

The carafe refilled Rarity’s water bowl again, and the unicorn shook her head. “Darling, it took cooperation for us to finally break out of jail. You don’t have to have a lot of experience with relationships to understand that romantic relationships are about cooperation, too. You can’t only give. You have to take, as well.”

“Why?” Dash demanded. “That’s like saying eating dessert all day wouldn’t be tastier than eating it only for… well, dessert.”

Rarity raised a brow. “That is both an atrociously terrible and ill-fitting metaphor, and true, dear.”

“Pinkie—”

“Pinkie Pie, as wonderful as she is,” said Rarity, rolling her eyes, “is not the best role model for eating habits, and yes, you may quote me on that. I’m just giving you some very, very basic relationship advice, that’s all. If you wish to be happy together, you’ll need to work together in some respect, that’s obvious.”

“Sure,” Rainbow Dash said, snorting. She grabbed the teensiest, tiniest little bite of food possible, and her stomach rumbled at the promise of something substantial. “But she’s not very happy when we try to ‘work together’. Are we talking about the same pony? Have you see how she gets when I try to bring her along for something?”

Rarity tilted her head. “Even if she’s made giant leaps the past year, Fluttershy is reluctant to do anything slightly dangerous, frightening, new or otherwise even remotely challenging, bless her gentle heart.”

“Yeah? Well, most of you don’t bully her around half as hard as I do. That’s me. Rainbow Dash the bully,” Dash grunted. “I think even you said something like that.”

“You are nothing of the sort!” Rarity said, drawing back, her brow knit as she stared at Dash. “You—I… you are simply not. Now, when it comes to how the two of you work together, you have your very own dynamic, and I can’t say too much about it. You should talk to her.”

“I tried talking. We tried talking,” said Dash, waving a hoof in the air. She devoured the piece of bread in one swallow. “It doesn’t work. It’s a disaster. Forget about it. Let’s just eat. I’m starving.” She reached out and dragged a good portion of the first bread she’d brought over to her side of the table. Rarity nodded, but didn’t look entirely satisfied with the conclusion.

Nor was Dash happy, either. She found that once she had started explaining this to Rarity, she couldn’t stop.

“I just want to make Fluttershy realise how awesome she is,” Dash said. “She’s awful at that, but if I like doing that, and it hurts her, that makes it selfish and stupid, and it makes me a bad pony.” She lay her ears flat and shovelled more food into her mouth. She didn’t know whether she expected or wanted Rarity to agree or disagree, but Rarity did neither at first, simply staring at her for a moment.

“One thing I do know for certain is that if you keep eating like that, you’ll make yourself sick,” said Rarity. When Rainbow Dash reached for another bite, Rarity whisked the bread away, moving everything over to her side of the table instead. Rainbow Dash sighed and wiped her mouth, her foreleg coming away stained purple and green.

“And I suppose I have a different perspective,” Rarity added. “At first, I must admit I thought that it was one of those ‘your heart is in the right place, but your methods are terrible’ affairs that you read—well... that I’ve read about in quite a few, ah… Twilight calls them unhealthy romance novellas, but I beg to differ.” The unicorn’s cheeks glowed, and she cleared her throat. “Well, at any rate, if I said anything to the effect of you being a bully, then I apologise, and you must either have misunderstood me, or I must not have been thinking very clearly. Regardless, you two worked fine together before, did you not?”

“I thought so,” Dash said. Her stomach still hurt. “Before we became girlfriends.” She deflated. “I really started liking that part. I’m gonna miss it.”

Rarity made a small noise, like a whine or a creaking hinge, her eyes sparkling now. “Dear, you’ve really fallen for her. You really do love her,” she said.

“I’ve told you that,” Dash snapped, her heat up in an instant. “Why is that so hard to believe?”

Rarity shook her head briskly. She smiled. “That wasn’t my point at all, I’m just… I suppose I am happy for you.”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t stop a burst of laughter. “Happy? The whole girlfriend thing was great, but it ruined everything, too. I didn’t realise how different we were before we got here. I didn’t think it was a problem before we got to this stupid place.” She headed for the stairs. All day, all week, all month and ever since they left Equestria, she had flown full out, as fast as she could, and only now did she feel like her brain was catching up. “Forget it. I’m gonna go take a nap.”

Rarity nodded, and still she smiled slightly. Tired, with red eyes and her short-cut mane in what she could call ‘a state’, the unicorn still smiled at her as she waved. “I understand. Sleep tight, Rainbow. I’ll wait for Fluttershy.”

Chapter 43

By raven for all cities and all kin,

By consensus of the Quills of Cotronna and the ambassadors of all cities, the ponies of Equestria, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity are to be given no entry to the cities of Perytonia, excepting only where to deny them such will lead to true and real harm.

These emissaries of far-away territories have given grave insult to the Cotronnan Council, to Cotronna, to the representatives of all her sister cities, and through them, to all cities. They have attempted to undermine the strength of the cooperation that binds the cities together, and shown a callous disregard for the sanctity of our ties.

These words stand for a minimum of eight seasons, at which point the council will reconvene to consider which lessons have passed among kin from these events, and what has been learned from these stories.

Message sent in triplicate

-By the Quills of the Council of Cotronna

Again Fluttershy jumped. Rainbow Dash tried not to look, but she had to. She couldn’t look away. The maddened, frenzied crowd cheered, and Rainbow Dash knew with absolute certainty that if she looked at them, she would find that each and every pony in attendance had the face of Rainbow Dash herself, roaring with delight as Fluttershy plummeted.

She couldn’t look away from the falling pegasus. She could do nothing but watch, so she did so in silence, folding her ears to try to mute the cheers. Fluttershy fell forever, it seemed, and just before it looked like she might actually hit the ground, she instead flew away, out the door, out and away into the city.

Rainbow Dash hadn’t known there was a door before now. Neither a door nor a city, but seeing Fluttershy disappear behind the buildings in the distance, the itch in the back of her mind let her remember the other Rainbow Dash who slept. Memories rushed back to her, but whether it was because she had poked against the barrier between waking and sleeping before, or if it was just another way for the nightmare to toy with her, she couldn’t say. Either way, Rainbow Dash couldn’t follow Fluttershy, because of course her hooves were glued to the ground. The dream changed again.

“Oh, it’s very steep,” said Fluttershy, peering over the riverbank, down into the dark, rushing river. The cart at her back was laden with stacks of glass bottles, each and everyone one containing a bright green flame, and the load was so heavy that Fluttershy strained to even pull it along the ground.

“Yeah. Yeah it is. So just don’t do it,” Dash said, though she knew it wouldn’t help. “I don’t want you—oh forget it.”

Fluttershy took a deep breath and bit her lower lip, then nodded to herself as though Rainbow Dash had said something else entirely. She strained to roll the cart towards the river, flapping her wings frantically to try to take off. It would never work. Rainbow Dash moved to stand in her way, but the next time she blinked, she stood off to the side again.

“I know you want me to try,” Fluttershy said, her teeth grit and her head down as the pulled the cart to its doom.

“I don’t,” said Dash, feeling bone tired. “I don’t. Not this. Not now.”

She closed her eyes as Fluttershy toppled over the edge with a terrified yelp and the shattering of glass. Rainbow Dash knew that the next time she opened her eyes, she would find herself in another situation like it.

“Stop. Just stop,” she shouted, clenching her eyes shut as tight as she could make them. At least this time she didn’t have to watch. “I give up, okay?”

Nothing. No sound. The dream denied her any response.

“I don’t want to have this stupid dream any more! Do you hear me? Princess Luna? Anyone?” Her voice sounded thin to her own ears. She hung her head in defeat and lay her ears flat. “I give up. I’m done! Help. Please.”

The air got a little colder. The dream moved on whether she looked or not, and Dash’s heart sank with the realisation. She cracked an eye open, catching a glimpse of colour. Now she had to look.

The red she had seen belonged to a thick stage curtain. Through a tiny gap in the curtains, Rainbow Dash could see a huge crowd chatting in eager anticipation while Fluttershy lay curled up in a quivering ball on the near side, wearing some sort of fancy dress.

On Dash’s right side, opposite of Fluttershy, stood Princess Luna. She watched with keen interest as Fluttershy slowly got up, drew a shuddering breath, and gave Rainbow Dash a tremulous smile.

“Okay. I’ll try. Even if there are more people out there than I have ever seen before in my entire life.”

“Don’t,” Dash muttered, but it was futile. Rainbow Dash tried to look away, but every way she turned, she ended up facing the same way. Dreams she could handle. Nightmares were dumb and refused to let her decide what happened.

“Can you stop this? Please?” Dash asked, giving Princess Luna a pleading look. She didn’t care how lame she sounded.

“I am not the one doing this, Rainbow Dash,” said the Princess, smiling faintly. “But I am glad to see that you have acknowledged that a recurring nightmare might mean something.”

“No,” Dash said a long sigh wracking her body. “No, I’m not acknowledging anything. Can we stop talking and thinking? You don’t understand, I’m done!”

Princess Luna raised a brow. Dash heard her own voice rising, quickening with a building note of desperation.

“I’m done with ‘meaning’. I don’t want everything to mean something else. That’s how we got into this mess, and I… I need your help. I need anybody’s help. I don’t understand. We messed up big time. I messed up big time! Everything is ruined!”

Her eyes stung. “Just make it stop. We failed our mission. Perytonia doesn’t want anything to do with us anymore. They probably think all ponies are horrible people because we’re bad ponies. I bet we made half of Perytonia angry with us before we even got to Cotronna, and today we made the rest of them angry with us too.” Dash shook her head and wiped her snout with a leg. Talking to Rarity started her thoughts and words leaking, and now it came pouring out in full. In front of Princess Luna, too. Great.

“Can you make me never have this dream again?” she asked. Her voice cracked on the final word. Fluttershy slipped between the stage curtains, the tip of her tail lingering before it, too, disappeared. The crowd cheered, and Dash heard Fluttershy whimper. No, they both whimpered at the exact same time. Dash’s tail sagged.

Dash struggled to swallow. “I don’t understand why this dream won’t go away, and I can’t… I just don’t want anything to do with this. Not now. Not ever. This is the dumbest icing on the dumbest cake of my life, and I don’t want to have to think about this too. Take it away, please.”

The Princess shook her head, her eyes downcast for a moment. “I see. Perhaps we have asked too much of you. I did not think that you would suffer this much trying to complete your task, but it has been a lengthy journey for you ponies stepping outside our borders for the first time. In truth, you should have been back in Equestria long ago.”

“We’re fine,” Dash mumbled, sniffling. “We’ll be fine. Except for the part where we made a mess of literally everything. Just take the dream away. We blew it. I’m sorry.”

Luna’s horn glowed for a brief instant. As far as Dash could tell, nothing happened, but then she realised the sound had gone. From what little she could see between the curtains, everything beyond the stage disappeared into blackness.

“I cannot. I can change your dream for tonight, but unless I were to visit you every night, I cannot keep you from having this very dream again.” She arched a brow. “This dream is here for a reason, however. What do you think that reason is?”

Rainbow Dash rubbed at her eyes, a snort of laughter bubbling forth. “Heh, okay, maybe you didn’t hear me. Lemme try again. We messed up, struck out, crash-landed hard. They didn’t want the sigil because we got everything wrong and insulted them really bad, so there’s gonna be zero Perytonians coming to Equestria.” She looked for any sign of recognition in the Princess’ eyes, for anger, condemnation, or at the very least disappointment. “Perytonia says ‘no thanks’ because we failed. Am I getting through?”

The Princess nodded once with absolute disinterest. “Yes, my little pony, I hear you, but this—” she gestured to the heavy fabric at their side. The stage curtains were whisked away, revealing a terrified Fluttershy frozen in time in front of an audience that stretched on for as far as Rainbow Dash could see, the scene returned and displayed like a picture. The statue-like pegasus looked over her shoulder at Dash. I’m doing this for you, said her eyes. I’m doing this because of you.

“This is not a nightmare of exile and failure to complete a royal mission, Rainbow Dash,” said Luna, her features softening a touch. “I ask you again, why do you think you are having this dream?”

Rainbow Dash sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said, but the anger wouldn’t come, and Princess Luna’s undivided attention urged her to answer, to say something, and so she did. “Because I’m a stupid foal who wants to push my best friend around, but I can’t anymore, so I keep dreaming about getting what I want. But it’s all stupid. And wrong.”

“To have what you cannot have is a dream, not a nightmare,” said the larger princess pony. She walked in front of Rainbow Dash to stand on the other side of her, and the world disappeared in the wake of her tail, the billowing star-stuff erasing existence until they stood in a formless void.

Rainbow Dash was getting far more familiar and comfortable with ‘formless void’ than she should be, really.

“This is no dream of desire. In your dreams, she is hurt because of you,” said Luna. “Could it not be guilt? Many bad dreams come from guilt. It is a force powerful beyond compare.”

Dash laughed. “You’re asking me if I feel bad about pushing Fluttershy around? Yeah, of course I do!” She had told Rarity all of that, though she didn’t know if she admitted it as plain as that.

“Then tell me of it,” said Luna. “You are no child whose fears are easily dispelled by a touch or a reassuring word. You have concerns that drive you to nightmares, and I am a capable listener.” The dark Princess smiled briefly. “And I have had practice with nightmares, if you can believe it.”

“I don’t know where to start. I don’t even know what you know. Fluttershy and I tried being together. Girlfriends,” said Dash. Announcing it while also admitting it was a thing of the past was as painful as it was stupid, but Luna’s face betrayed nothing.

“It didn’t work out,” said Dash, sobering up. “I liked being… close and stuff, but I realised I hurt her.” She gestured off into the darkness, to the curtains that had disappeared. To the scenarios put forth by the nightmare, and to the memories of equally painful events that were real. “I guess running all over Perytonia was a great, dumb place to realise we’re just too different to work.”

Luna cocked her head, a grand gesture on the usually stoic princess pony. “‘Too different to work’? Is this a recent, modern idiom? And how did you ‘realise’ this through your journey?”

Dash snorted. “Everything,” she said, but of course Luna didn’t know that. She hadn’t seen everything they had been through. She searched her mind for an example, for anything to throw at her. “Like… the gorge. Yeah. So, we found this gorge—or we saw the history of this gorge, long story—where the peryton were so different that they couldn’t live together. They were all in one place, and then they split into these different tribes and made the cities really far apart! They barely even talk to each other now. That’s… that’s the problem, I think,” she said, but even as she spoke the words, she realised she wasn’t entirely convinced.

That was Caldesseia’s reasoning, the Morrowsworn leader’s lie. Dash remembered from the echoes they had witnessed that the peryton weren’t unhappy to move apart, and as recently as yesterday, the old claw-priest Dash had met spoke that word in another tone. Different hadn’t sounded like a problem on her lips. Dash was rapidly getting tired of that word anyway. Sick of it. She spoke it, wielded it, but she was starting to realise she didn’t think about it.

“You say they live in gorges?” Luna asked, her tone light.

“Lived. Before,” said Dash. She started pacing, walking in large circles around Luna. “Morillyn Gorges. The Morillyn Gorges, maybe, I don’t know. A thousand years ago, they lived all bunched up in these really weird canyons, or gorges—what’s the difference anyway? You’ve got to know.”

Luna raised a brow. “I always assumed they were the same thing.”

“Right. Okay, anyway,” said Rainbow Dash. She was getting good at walking in Luna’s brand of complete darkness. “They lived together, and then they decided—because of you and Celestia, kinda—to just… no longer live together. They were all inspired and stuff. I don’t know why they lived in the gorges in the first place. Maybe the whole stuff with the monsters from the Bow has something to do with it.”

“I am not familiar with the Bow, and I do not know how sister and I play into this,” said Luna, shaking her head.

“Oh. Yeah. That’s a long story,” said Dash with a bark of laughter. “The Bow is just the Cauldron. That’s what they call it.”

“Let us try to talk of one thing at a time. Focus helps in these matters,” Luna suggested, gesturing with one wing. “They founded new cities after they left these gorges? New places to live?”

“I guess. And now they’re all super weird with each other. They send letters, and there were some… ambassadors or something at the Cotronnan Council, so we don’t really understand it yet,” Dash admitted, spreading her wings for balance as she walked an imaginary tightrope in the void, hooves perfectly stacked in front of each other. It was something for her body to do. “But they don’t understand each other, either. They don’t… heh, Rarity would call it ‘mingle’, I guess. There’s no Ponyville. There are more unicorns and earth ponies in a single street in Cloudsdale than there are Ephydoerans in Orto—”

Luna’s face was especially blank.

“—that’s two of their cities. Or, Ephydoera isn’t a city, I guess, but it’s a place, and the Grove is the city. Anyway, if Cloudsdale wasn’t so cloudy, or if earth ponies and unicorns didn’t have such a hard time walking on clouds, there’d be a bunch of them there, that’s all I’m saying.” Dash swished her tail and frowned. She couldn’t decide if she had gotten off topic or not.

“I see,” said Luna, locking eyes with Rainbow Dash for a half-circle of Dash’s game of ring around the Princess. “You asked me if I dream, do you remember?”

Definitely off topic, then, thought Dash. At least, Princess Luna seemed done with the topic of her romantic woes. Fine by Rainbow Dash.

“Dunno. I probably asked that, yeah,” said Dash.

“You asked whether I dream, or what I dream,” Luna said, nodding to herself. “I do, Rainbow Dash. I dream, but I no longer store my memories in those dreams. We have visited the halls where I stored them, and I have told you why I abandoned them. A memory echoes painfully loud when you hold on to it, I find.”

“Heh, you sound like a doe I met yesterday,” said Dash.

“Now, just because I allow memories to fade when they wish, does not mean that there are not things that I will always remember,” Luna continued, while Rainbow Dash passed behind her. “I am as anyone else in this. I forget trivial matters easily, while I remember important things. Usually, at any rate.”

“I think I forget important stuff first, actually,” Dash said. “Seriously. I can tell you what we had to eat when we first got to Orto, but I don’t remember what I had for breakfast today.”

Luna smiled at that, a hint of laughter in her voice. “I think this happens to everyone, too, but I speak in generalities. A particularly beautiful sunrise, a heartfelt conversation with a friend, or something that strikes one as profound—as different but important—these things I find stay in my mind for years, decades, or millennia.”

“‘Millennia’ is thousands of years, isn’t it?” Dash asked, squinting at her. “Heh, yeah. You’re definitely just like anyone else.”

The Princess inclined her head slightly, her smile fading a touch. “Perhaps you are right to scoff, but regardless, I would like to share with you one such image, if I may borrow your dream.”

“Knock yourself out,” said Dash, shrugging. “And for the record, I wasn’t—”

The void disappeared in the blink of an eye, the darkness drained away quicker than Pinkie Pie could down a milkshake. In its place was blue, open sky, and Dash’s wings shot out on pure reflex, keeping her aloft. At her side, Princess Luna stood in the sky with her wings furled as before.

A band of stark, jagged mountains stretched out far, far below them, making a squished, irregular ring of snow-capped stone teeth. In the center rested a massive valleyscape with rolling hills, patches of forest, and rivers all flowing to a large lake in the middle. It took Rainbow Dash a long while to realise that they looked down upon the Cauldron from an absurd and impossible height, but there was no jungle to be seen. The colour of the grass reminded her of Perytonia, but the trees were a lighter green, almost like in Ponyville. The mountains were the same, but everything between them was completely wrong. She couldn’t tell if the land to either side of the mountains was Perytonia. She couldn’t tell north.

“Scoffing,” Dash finished. “I wasn’t scoffing.”

“This is the place that took the name of the Cauldron of Storms recently,” said Luna, glancing over at Rainbow Dash. “You do not need to fly. You only fall because you expect to fall—this is not even a dream, it is only a moment in time, as seen by me when I was on my way there.”

“Right,” said Dash. She stretched a hindleg down to look for solid ground, but hit only air. She kept flying, and Luna nodded while Dash squinted at the landscape below. The Princess looked down at something that was neither forest nor grass. A clump of huts or houses, small and large, and Rainbow Dash had no idea how she herself was able to make out detail at this height. In fact, she shouldn’t even be able to tell the difference between forest and jungle from this high up.

“Is that a city?” Dash asked.

“It is called Olquo,” said Luna. “I think. Maybe Olquos. Or perhaps that one is Olquos.” She gestured to the left. “One of these is Olquos, another is Berram, but I do not remember the other ones, though I visited them all the last time I came here.”

Dash saw another city to the right, and two behind. One right below them. More still.

“How many are there?” Dash asked. “Are those all peryton cities?”

“These are the nine cities of the peryton tribes living in what was then the Askonyan Ring. Look below, to the eastern bank of the lake.”

The Princess pointed to an unremarkable patch of dirt. From this high up, Dash had no idea exactly how big it was, except to say it was big.

“Cool. That’s the greatest whatever-that-is that I’ve ever seen,” Dash said. “What is it?”

“That is their place of meeting,” said Luna. “They called it the Cotor. There, the tribes met once every season to debate matters pertaining to the welfare of the entire valley.”

“Right,” said Dash, scratching the side of her neck. “So, uh. Why are we here? Don’t get me wrong, it’s cool and all, but—”

“Because the peryton tribes inhabited a fertile and temperate valley that suited all their needs, and would happily accommodate more of their kind to all live together in one giant fellowship, even one city, but here, in Askonya, they built their cities apart,” said Luna, her eyes locked with Rainbow Dash’s. “I visited them often—compared to some, at least. I learned to know them. I cannot tell you how they have changed during my absence, and indeed I do not remember coming here after the Ring changed, but if they are now as they were then, to live together in one place would strain the relationships of those who prefer to do things differently. It would hurt them.”

Rainbow Dash looked between the cities below. Most of them lay towards the edges, close to the mountains.

“Like ours, like ponykind, their cooperation is, or was, a thing of true wonder. Unlike us, they did not seek to live together. They each sought their own way in groups of those who thought like they, and then found how best to contribute towards helping everyone like or unlike themselves. This Morillyn Gorge you spoke of would be to them what separating each and every pony in Equestria from her friends would do to us. It would be like declaring that all pegasi must live in Cloudsdale.”

“That’s weird,” was all Dash could think to say.

“To be different is no crime. This is a base and simple truth. You do not need to be told this,” said Luna, looking at her as though she thought Dash needed to be told exactly that. “Perhaps being similar, being the one and the same, is not what is best for everyone.” The princess gave an utterly mundane shrug. “The Askonyan Ring and its inhabitants is not a perfect metaphor. Distance does not measure into this, in my opinion, but then, for you to apply this metaphor of cities to your romantic relationship was no better fit.”

Dash sighed. “Yeah, okay, fine, I get it, but Fluttershy and I—”

“You are close,” said Luna.

“The closest,” said Rainbow Dash, glaring at Princess Luna, daring her to disagree.

“And from what I have seen, from what I glean in you and your friends’ letters to sister, I understand your cooperation has been lifelong. You have made your own meeting grounds, your own terms.” The way Luna said it made it sound like Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had done something amazing. Maybe they had. “Then... when did you become so filled with doubt for your relationship?” Luna asked, arching a brow.

“What, me? Doubt?” Dash asked. She tried to force out a laugh, but all she managed was a single pathetic heh.

“If you have concerns about the manner in which the two of you negotiate your friendship, your relationship, then what you describe to me is ‘doubt’ at best,” said Luna. “You have suddenly decided for the both of you that your relationship has been marked by cruelty.”

When had she started doubting herself, Rainbow Dash wondered. When had she started doubting Fluttershy? She was awesome. They were both awesome.

“When the hay did I lose my cool?” Dash asked, frowning.

Luna let out a soft snort. “I do not dabble in romantic affairs, so take my words with a spoonful of salt, but perhaps… perhaps it was not only a loss of confidence, but an elevated level of concern for someone. A greater care for their opinions. Sometimes, we must break something to build it stronger anew—but you are speaking to me, not to Fluttershy. That is your biggest issue.”

“Yeah, well… talking is dumb,” said Dash, her ears flat with the lameness of her own words. “Fine, but what’s the point of telling her this stuff? She knows I’ve been mean to her, too. There’s nothing to talk about. I just realised I’ve been a bully, that’s all.”

“I sympathise,” said Luna smiling at that. “And do not think this reflects poorly on you. It is to your credit. If you fear harming someone, that is never to be taken lightly, but if you have decided that your shared past should mean one thing rather than another, and if you have unreleased worries that take the shape of nightmares, then you must speak with her. When did this start?”

Dash scrunched her snout as she tried thinking back. “When did it start,” she echoed. “Huh.”

“Yes. When did you—” Luna began.

“No,” said Dash, holding out a hoof for silence. “When did I not ask, that’s a really good question, and I think I know the answer to that one.”

One of Luna’s eyebrows was raised precariously high.

Dash shook her her head. Already her heart raced with the realisation. “I think I get it, anyway, okay. Fine. Just, hang on. You can wake me up, right?”

Luna nodded slightly. “I could, theoretically.”

“Right, right, can we talk tomorrow night or something? Are you gonna be around?” Dash asked. “‘Cause I still have a million questions, but there’s something I have to do.”

The Princess’s face was a marvel, a mix of a bemusement and amusement. “I can make no such promise, but for a friend, I will try.”

“Cool, right. I’ll see ya around, Lunes. Wake me up!” said Dash, grinning wide.

Princess Luna’s frown was very, very slight. Possibly the smallest, most subtle expression that could in all honesty be called such a thing—but it was more than enough.

“You may call me Luna,” she said.

“Right. Sorry. Gotcha,” said Dash, wincing. “Can you wake me up, Luna, please?” she tried.

Luna closed her eyes and nodded once, her horn aglow.

Rainbow Dash woke tired, and her eyes were glued shut. For a fraction of a second she considered going back to sleep, and then she remembered why and how she was awake.

She rolled out of bed. Either Princess Luna couldn’t do anything about tiredness, or she didn’t want to. Maybe she had a spell to make it so that ponies didn’t need sleep. Maybe she used it on herself. If Luna didn’t sleep like normal ponies, that was a shame. Sleeping felt far too good to give up—but she was getting sidetracked, and all of this was unimportant compared to what she needed to do.

Someone had opened the windows. The shutters were wide open, giving her a clear look of the city beyond. It must be well past midnight. The sounds of a single peryton passing below their window were faint, and all else was quiet. Neither Rarity nor Fluttershy made a sound in their sleep.

Fluttershy was back, though. That was worth a smile. She lay on the other bed, next to Rarity. Rainbow Dash lay alone. That part was less amazing—but again, entirely not the point. She was done being sad over details that could mean something, everything or nothing. She had stuff to do. Rainbow Dash spread her wings and took to the air, gliding down the stairs.

She found the antlers on the table where Rarity had left them. The unicorn clearly hadn’t felt like cleaning up downstairs. Good. That saved Dash the trouble of looking around. She stuffed them into her saddlebags, and then trotted over to the larger dining table and flipped a piece of stale phela into the air, devouring it in a single bite. She grabbed another, and then wrapped up most of what was left, shoving the paper-wrapped bread into her saddlebags as well. As an afterthought, she filled a water-bag from the kitchen, careful not to puncture it on her cargo. Twilight would be proud of her foresight. Applejack, too. She ran back upstairs and made for the far bed.

“Wake up,” Dash whispered. Fluttershy’s mane was messy and her coat looked odd in what little moonlight spilled in through the window. If Dash had to guess, she’d say she was crusty with salt, maybe from… seawater? She’d have to ask later. Right now, she didn’t want questions or answers. She had a course of action.

“Fluttershy, wake up,” Dash hissed, poking her in the side with a hoof.

Well, that wasn’t strictly true. She had a thousand questions, and probably wanted a bunch of answers, too, but whatever Fluttershy had been up to tonight was question number one thousand and one at best.

“What?” Fluttershy mumbled, finally stirring. One eye popped open, squinting at her. She shook her head slightly and rubbed at her face. “Rainbow Dash? What is going on?”

“I need you to come with me,” Dash whispered. She jerked her head towards the stairs. “Come on. We gotta go.”

Fluttershy closed her eyes again, yawning soundlessly and shifting about under the blanket. She turned around, but didn’t get up. A few long breaths passed before Fluttershy replied.

“Why? Where are we going?” Fluttershy croaked. She cleared her throat as quietly as she could, glancing nervously over at the still sleeping Rarity.

Rainbow Dash leaned over to pull the blanket away from Fluttershy, tucking Rarity in with the excess and giving her a pat.

“We’re heading outside. Just trust me,” said Rainbow Dash. That was all she was willing to say. She stared straight at Fluttershy, willing her to agree, and what started off as an unshakeable faith—the knowledge that of course Fluttershy would agree to come with her—that certainty eroded with every passing second.

Maybe she was expecting too much, and the past day, the past few months had done irreparable harm to their relationship. Maybe she could no longer ask this even of her friend? At no point would she have expected Fluttershy to jump out of bed and be happy about being woken up in the middle of the night like this, but she had expected the other pegasus to cave by now, driven by whatever force compelled her to usually go along with Dash’s impulses. Rainbow Dash tapped a hoof on the ground, trying to be impatient instead of worried, annoyed instead of scared.

“Okay,” said Fluttershy, her face carefully neutral as she stared at Dash’s bulging saddlebags. She nodded once and slipped off the bed, and Rainbow Dash didn’t wait in case she herself opened her mouth to say something stupid and made Fluttershy change her mind. Rainbow Dash flashed a smile and led the way down the stairs, pausing on the last step until she heard Fluttershy’s soft hoofsteps above. Dash slid the door open and waited.

“Where are we going?” Fluttershy asked again.

“Anywhere that works. I don’t know exactly,” said Dash, shrugging. “Do you think we should lock the door? I don’t understand why Rarity bothered.” Had the windows not been so narrow, she would have just flown out from the upper floor to avoid the whole question.

Fluttershy shook her head slightly. “I don’t know. I don’t think it matters too much either, really.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna leave it,” Dash declared, stepping outside and sliding the door shut. She didn’t even know where Rarity kept the key anyway. She worked her wings out from underneath the awkwardly full saddlebags and gave them a testing flap. “Alright, let’s go.”

One, two, three strokes of their wings, and up they soared. The darkened city receded as Rainbow Dash flew south. West. Southwest. Any combination of those. She headed for the outskirts of the city. Out of the city was a good start. Past all the farms would be better.

“What are we looking for?” Fluttershy asked, drawing level with her. She yawned into the nook of a leg. The mundanity of that gesture was the only thing that made their flight through the darkness seem real right now.

“We’re looking for a good spot,” said Dash, her eyes roving the farms below. If she hadn’t known they were farms from before, the vague shapes passing by below in the night could be anything. Wild fields. Lakes. She pushed her sleep-heavy wing muscles a little harder, gaining more height, and more farms spread out below them. The entire inland semicircle around Cotronna was covered in farmland—except for a small patch further west. Less farms west in general. They headed west.

Fluttershy didn’t say anything more, but she followed, and still Rainbow Dash was grateful. Dash dipped into a gentle, low-angle dive carrying her towards a small forest area in between all the grain farms. Not long after, she stuck her legs out, bracing to land. It wasn’t much of a forest, just a patch of untended land, but trees and dried-out shrubs hid the rest of the world from view where the two pegasi touched down. A vague circle of dried and stunted grasses was all she needed. Rainbow Dash undid the straps of her saddlebags and opened them without any ceremony.

The look Fluttershy had given her yesterday still stood out in Dash’s mind as one of abject betrayal, and when Rainbow Dash cast her thoughts back, she remembered when she felt like she had broken Fluttershy’s… it wasn’t trust, exactly, but a moment in time stood out when she thought of those words, of trust and betrayal. Rainbow Dash did in fact remember where she had taken it upon herself to start doubting. She knew where it had first gone wrong. Dash pulled out one of the wooden antler-sets from Ephydoera, tossing the silly jewelry back into the saddlebags.

“Put it on,” said Rainbow Dash, grabbing the other one. After a moment’s consideration, she put down the one she had selected and took the other pair of antlers for herself—the one with a piece broken off one of the prongs. “Okay, there. Take that one instead,” she said, thrusting her head into the harness and trying to work the straps.

Rainbow Dash expected Fluttershy to protest. She hoped that she would go along with it, but she thought there would be at least a token complaint, a “why?” or a “I don’t understand,” or perhaps even a “this is silly, I’m sorry, I don’t think this is a good idea”. All Fluttershy did in the end was give Dash a long look before she grabbed the other pair and geared up. They fiddled with the straps in complete silence. When Fluttershy had her antlers secured to her head, the faded brown harness was almost invisible against her coat in the darkness. They looked real on her, like she was always supposed to wear them.

“Why?” Fluttershy asked. Now she asked.

Left or right, Rainbow Dash thought. Left. She started walking to the left, lowering her head a touch while still keeping her eyes on Fluttershy. She circled a little closer.

“Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy asked, frowning ever so slightly. “Why are we wearing these now?”

Rainbow Dash didn’t reply. Fluttershy had to turn to keep an eye on her, but Dash moved closer, too. Fluttershy didn’t have a choice. Unless she wanted antlers in her side, she had to move. Fluttershy moved straight away from her at first, but Dash sped up a little more, moving further out to the flank.

Whether there was any magic to the movements or not, Dash couldn’t tell. Probably not. Without an audience, without the context of the ritual-like sport performance of the Ephydoeran jousts, they were just two ponies with strap-on antlers in a dry clearing—but something happened. The look of bewilderment on Fluttershy’s face disappeared as Dash forced her to react to her movements. Fluttershy lowered her head a little to match Dash’s own stance, and soon they moved in each other’s steps, shadowing the other’s movement.

First they walked, now they trotted. Rainbow Dash tightened the circle and lowered her head almost all the way to the ground, goading Fluttershy, demanding that that she do the same. An open threat. She thought Fluttershy would flee, wondered if the lanky pegasus mare would bolt or turn or call for them to stop, but she did none of those things. Fluttershy lowered her antlers as well, and the two met at a brisk walk with a clack that echoed between the trees. Dash pulled away and started circling the other way.

“Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to join the joust back in Ephydoera?” Rainbow Dash asked, her eyes always on Fluttershy. She widened the circle and kicked off into a canter, chasing her.

“I really thought I had,” said Fluttershy. She matched Dash’s speed. Now Fluttershy was the one chasing her. “I thought it was obvious.”

Rainbow Dash refused to let Fluttershy speed up further. She tightened the circle again, but when Fluttershy slowed down, shying away from a high-speed collision, Dash had to do the same. They met again at a slightly faster walk instead of a run. Clack.

“Nothing’s been obvious. Nothing has been clear. That’s the problem,” Dash said, twisting her head slightly. Fluttershy resisted at first, then let go, breaking away cleanly and circling again.

“That’s never been a problem before,” said Fluttershy. She slowed them down to a simple walk, two pony lengths apart at most, eyes on each other as they stalked. “We didn’t really use to need to make things obvious. We’ve just… worked—and I tried to be clear, I really did! I thought I had told you how I feel, many times. So many times!” Fluttershy said, her voice tinged with disbelief.

Dash sighed, walking straight for a little while, forcing the circle to widen. “Yeah? Yeah, well… I’ve always been an idiot, maybe I’m getting dumber.”

Fluttershy refused to give her distance. She came across the clearing like a dark streak, and Dash rushed to match. They collided at a good trot, and Dash was taken aback by the sudden ferocity.

“You are not an idiot!” Fluttershy snapped. She didn’t twist or pull or try to drag Rainbow Dash to the ground, she just pushed. And she was strong. Dash quickly stepped aside to break the antler-lock and trotted after her, confusing Fluttershy for a moment before she found her path circling Dash the other way.

“You are wonderful,” Fluttershy added, quietly, her eyes on the ground even as she matched Rainbow Dash’s movements. They fell in step with each other again, Fluttershy making her strides shorter and Rainbow Dash making her steps as long as she could until they marched in synch. Either they both subconsciously tried to match their steps to those of the other, or Fluttershy could hear the drums, too.

At some point, a thousand invisible hooves had taken up a beat, and half the time, they followed Dash’s movements, half the time, Dash followed theirs.

“How not-stupid can I be?” Dash asked. She had to shout. Their circle had grown and grown until they walked on opposite sides of the clearing. The grasses were a little taller here, brushing against her. “Sure, we’ve worked the same way since forever, but I didn’t realise that I’ve been a complete jerk to you all the time! How’s that for not being an idiot, huh?” She closed in a little, then angled herself away, curving in and out as she shrank the distance. She found her rhythm at four steps in, two steps out.

“You’ve not been a jerk,” said Fluttershy. She mirrored Dash’s moves perfectly, lowering her body to the ground as well, and Dash did the same to match. “Do you seriously think I would want to be friends with a jerk? I wanted to be friends with you. I want you.”

Want, not wanted. That was something. Want was now, wanted was the past. Rainbow Dash kicked off into a gallop, closer to Fluttershy, but she refused the closer circle. Fluttershy turned around in one smooth motion, and Dash had to do the same. The beat of the drums and the stomping of the hooves followed Fluttershy’s moves.

“Yeah? Well, I’ve been bullying you any way you shake it,” said Rainbow Dash. She refused to keep an even distance, in, then out, in, then out.

“What?!” Fluttershy asked, her step faltering for a second, falling out of synch with the rhythm that filled the clearing. “What is that supposed to mean?” When Dash threatened to come up behind her, she redoubled her speed, and Dash had to obey. Now they were well and truly in the throes of the drums’ commands. Neither Fluttershy nor Rainbow Dash led. They both followed.

“I’ve been a complete jerk-faced bully!” Dash shouted, chasing and being chased, around and around. “Pushing you into stuff I thought you wanted to do!”

“That’s never been a problem before either!” Fluttershy said. They came too close. They passed each other without touching. Rainbow Dash felt the rush of air as Fluttershy thundered past her, and now they ran the other way.

“That I’ve done it for years doesn’t make it better!” Dash snapped. “That makes it worse!”

Fluttershy wrested control of their path. She took them out, away, and in one smooth motion, turned and demanded that they meet. Though their movements were the same, Rainbow Dash felt like she barely had any time to prepare before their antlers met. Her brain rattled with the impact. This time, Fluttershy held on fast, pushing and twisting, denying Rainbow Dash any chance to disengage.

“No! No, you—that’s not it, that’s not it at all,” Fluttershy said, her brows furrowed. “That’s what I meant when I said it’s how we worked. It was wonderful! When I’m left alone, I don’t do anything special, but you encourage me, Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow Dash tried to step aside, but Fluttershy followed. She tried to twist away, but Fluttershy locked her down. The drumming of the hooves were a roar in Dash’s ears.

“That’s the point,” Fluttershy cried, her eyes glinting in the faint light. “You’re tough! When others let me go, you don’t. You don’t let me give up, and you push me to places I didn’t know I could go! Sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn’t!”

“Yeah! Sometimes it really doesn’t work out—” Dash tried to say. She took a quick step back hoping to use the momentum of Fluttershy’s push to make the other pegasus carry through just like she had done with the doe at the joust, but Fluttershy was far too quick. She stepped on and held their antlers locked together. When she widened her stance, Dash caught a glimpse of the scar on her leg.

“And sometimes it does!” Fluttershy said, her voice thick with emotion. The force of her gaze pushed twice as hard as her body. “When the little experiment with the thunder cloud in Vauhorn went wrong, that was okay! It was fine because you were there! I’m not afraid of failing, and did you forget? I can say no!”

With that last word, Fluttershy yanked Rainbow Dash to the side. Maybe it was a momentum thing, or maybe Fluttershy had always been this strong. Maybe she just forgot she wasn’t weak, or perhaps it was just the outcome dictated by the drums. Dash struggled to keep her balance, barely avoiding falling over and then hurrying to fall back in step with Fluttershy, surreptitiously reaching up to adjust her antlers which had gotten a little skewed.

“After you left me at the bonfire in Vauhorn,” said Fluttershy, “do you—do you know how empty the city felt?” She sniffled, a jarring sound amidst the otherwise constant rhythm. Dash couldn’t see her face now that they chased each other at a trot a little ways apart, and she was glad. She knew she had hurt her back then.

“I thought I was protecting you, helping you, doing good,” said Rainbow Dash. She didn’t mean to laugh, but that’s how it came out. A nervous, pathetic and broken chuckle. “I’ve been going crazy holding back from… I don’t know if it’s pushing or ‘encouraging’.” She slowed them down, from a trot to a sedate walk, and Fluttershy obliged. The drums obliged.

“I… I thought you stopped because that was how you wanted us to be when we were together,” said Fluttershy, her voice rising. “I thought that was how you wanted us to be as a couple! I said I didn’t want things to change, don’t you remember? And then you changed! I thought that was what you wanted!”

Rainbow Dash thought she remembered. Vaguely. Fluttershy had said something to that effect, hadn’t she? She had said she didn’t want them being together to change anything, it just seemed infinitely less important than her own realisation that she was hurting Fluttershy. Or that she thought she was.

“And protection?” Fluttershy asked, her voice hollow. They walked closer and closer, but rather than meet, they ended up in a circle so near to each other, Dash could have leaned over and touched her antlers to Fluttershy’s flank if she wanted to. They were a hoof’s breadth away from a close dance.

“Helping?” Fluttershy continued. “The help I need is a little nudge to get out of… of my comfort zone, that’s all. I thought you just didn’t want us to do anything together anymore. You ‘protected’ me from everything about you,” she said, shaking her head. “If you thought that you were doing that for me, I don’t know what to say. There was no Rainbow Dash left in our relationship. It’s like you didn’t think I loved you at all.”

Fluttershy’s steps quickened. Dash had to use her wings for balance, quickly getting dizzy from the tight circles. “You took away the best part about us,” said Fluttershy. “That is why I broke up. I wanted you back. I didn’t want to give you up. I didn’t want to give up what was great about you and me—but when we went to deliver the sigil, you still didn’t want to go back to being the way we used to be. I thought that was what you wanted, now!”

Rainbow Dash refused to let Fluttershy dictate their pace entirely by herself. A little further away, she said. No slower, but further out, eyes on each other, antlers low to the ground they ran.

“I didn’t want it to be that way! Not like that!” Dash retorted. “But after we became girlfriends, things changed, okay? Do you know how bad it feels to look at you when you’re hurt? When I hurt you?” She felt her stomach clench, a clump building in her throat as all those stupid memories bubbled to the fore. She had thought of all those teary-eyed looks and expressions of reluctance and fear so many times lately. She hoped this would be the last time. She wanted to be done with them, and she wished she could show them to Fluttershy. Make her understand.

Rainbow Dash sped up. Fluttershy sped up. Now they galloped, two figures dashing ahead to an unseen rhythm, muzzles pointed straight at each other. At this distance, across the clearing, she hardly recognised Fluttershy’s silhouette. The antlers, the short mane and the tuft of tail were all strange to her. The only thing familiar was the way she ran, a continuous, long-legged graceful gait Dash could recognise from leagues away.

“I love you and all that junk!” Dash shouted. “Bullying you around stinks, even if you want me to do it! Hay yeah I want to back you up, but why can’t I want to not hurt you, too?”

“Not hurt me?” Fluttershy asked. Dash wanted to slow down, but she couldn’t. If anything, the drumming of ghostly hooves sped up. No. That was Fluttershy’s doing. The pegasus put her head down, the antlers nearly touching the ground as they galloped. “Not hurt?” Fluttershy repeated, her voice raw, breaking. At the edge of hearing, Rainbow Dash swore she could make out voices, throat-song out of nowhere building, building, louder and louder. Fluttershy turned, running straight at her. The grace had fled. The voices lent Fluttershy speed and power Dash had never seen in her before.

Dash didn’t want to follow. Against her better judgment, against her will, carried by the song, the drums, and by the pull of Fluttershy’s charge, Dash ran to meet her, the change of direction too fast, too sudden for a straight run. In opposing curves, the two pegasi launched themselves at each other.

“This!” Fluttershy screamed just before they met. The entire world shook, something cracked and tore, and then everything shook again. The song cut out in an instant, the drums exploded, all banished by Fluttershy’s voice and the force of the collision. “This has hurt more than anything else in my entire life,” she finished in a hissed whisper.

The only sound left was that of two pegasus ponies exchanging breath in the night. Dash’s head hurt and she couldn’t see properly. No matter how many times she blinked, the world refused to come into focus. She heard Fluttershy let out a sob, and then something touched the side of her face. Dash’s antler harness slid off her and joined the pieces of splintered wood on the ground.

“I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy. She sat down on the ground, pushing her antlers off her head. They were ruined too, the fancy prongs all broken off. Just two stubs left on a mangled harness, just like Dash’s own. Rainbow Dash didn’t sit down so much as she let herself fall. She rolled onto her side and stared at Fluttershy who sat a hoof’s breadth away from her, the other pegasus’s eyes closed tight.

“You can’t cry,” said Dash, her own voice unsteady. “That’s not fair.”

Fluttershy’s lips curved up in a smile even though her voice trembled. “You can’t tell me not to cry. That’s not fair either,” she said with an absurd giggle that ended in a sniffle.

Rainbow Dash laughed too, but she didn’t trust herself to speak right away. Dash lay there amidst the shattered wood, under the clear night sky, watching Fluttershy who watched nothing, watching the most awesome, most beautiful pegasus in the world for the longest minute of her life, wondering whether they were okay or if everything was worse than ever. She wondered what she could say, what she was meant to say, but she had no idea, so she just opened her mouth and let something tumble out.

“I think I get it,” said Dash, spreading her one free wing, pointing it skywards. She watched the green-dyed tips of her own feathers stretch out as though they could touch the inky sky. “I stopped listening to you, and I stopped listening to myself. Except, I… guess we never really talked much, I just stopped listening to the non-talk too. I started thinking I knew what stuff meant, started thinking I knew what I had to do because I got caught up worrying.”

Dash exhaled slowly and ground her head against the grass, scratching an itch. “Heh. It’s funny, actually. I talked to Rarity earlier, and I think she said something clever. I thought that we got out of the Morrowsworn prison because I forced myself to act like a jerk again.”

Fluttershy shook her head slowly. “We got out of that prison because we worked fine together for a little while. At least, that’s what I think. I thought we were finally okay.”

“That’s what she said, too, yeah,” Dash grunted. “I just got super focused on this whole pushing you around thing, and then I couldn’t stop thinking about how different we are, too.”

Now Fluttershy opened her eyes again, smiling at Rainbow Dash. She raised a hoof off the ground just a smidge, like she wanted to reach out and touch her. Dash wanted her to, too, but instead they just lay there. Lay and sat looking at each other.

“We’ve always been different,” said Fluttershy. She didn’t say it as though it was obvious, even though it was. She didn’t sound like she thought Dash was stupid for forgetting that, or like Dash should have known. She just said it, told Rainbow Dash, and it made Dash feel a little better.

“I know,” said Rainbow Dash.

“I think it’s a good thing,” Fluttershy added, nodding again. “That’s what makes it wonderful that we’re such good friends.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I know that now,” Dash said, waving a leg in the air. “But if you keep this up, you’re gonna be like me, heh. There’s gonna be two Rainbow Dashes around.” She grinned at her own little joke, but then, maybe there was a nugget of truth to it. Sometimes, with how hard Rainbow Dash pushed her—no, with how hard Fluttershy pushed herself—she had to wonder.

Fluttershy didn’t look like she thought it was a joke at all. She tilted her head sideways. “I don’t want to be you, but I’d like to be a little more like you,” she said. “But I want to be me, to be Fluttershy. I just wouldn’t mind being a Fluttershy who is a little bit like Rainbow Dash.”

“Alright. Hey, that’s your choice and all,” said Dash. She tried her best to play it off cool, to pretend it didn’t make her feel good, but her smile probably betrayed her. Fluttershy wasn’t looking at her any more now though. She studied her own hooves where they met the ground.

“It’s probably easy to understand why someone would want to be a little more like you, really. I don’t think that’s very strange,” Fluttershy continued, more quiet now. “It’s easy to imagine why someone would want to be with you, too.”

“Like girlfriends and stuff? I dunno. With how dumb I’ve been lately, I really don’t know.” Rainbow Dash snorted and turned to look up at the sky. The moon was just a sliver tonight, and each star was distinct. She wondered what Fluttershy had really meant. Sure, on a good day, who wouldn’t want to be Dash’s girlfriend, but why only her? Fluttershy couldn’t seriously doubt why anyone would want to be with Fluttershy.

Fluttershy stretched her wings and got up with absurd slowness, silent for the moment. Dash lay still, watching as Fluttershy picked at the pieces of broken antlers that lay about them. She was pretty sure she lay on a particularly sharp bit of splintered wood herself, she just didn’t have the energy to do more than follow Fluttershy with her eyes.

“What do you mean by ‘no Rainbow Dash’ anyway?” Dash asked, furrowing her brow.

“I’m sorry?” Fluttershy asked, pausing with the harness of one of the ruined antlers hanging from a hoof.

“You said something about there not being any Rainbow Dash in the relationship,” said Rainbow Dash, frowning. “What’s that supposed to mean? I didn’t go anywhere. Did you think I was gonna leave?”

Fluttershy shook her head, smiling faintly. “No. Never. But… relationships are about doing things together. Even before we decided to try being together, we did things together. That was… it was one of the things that made us us. I mean, I don’t think you’ll ever come do the bunny census with me for fun, and I won’t ever do all the things you like to do, but suddenly, we didn’t do any of the things we used to do. Nothing at all.”

Rainbow Dash flicked an ear. That was all fair enough—which was to say it had been dumb—but Fluttershy had said something else, too.

“And that made you think I didn’t love you?” Dash asked, her snout creasing further. It didn’t make sense at all.

Fluttershy picked up the other harness, too, and walked over towards Dash’s saddlebags, putting them down there. “No, I didn’t say that,” she said. “But when there was no you in the relationship, that made me wonder if you didn’t think that I loved you. I wondered if you thought I didn’t want to be with you. Did you bring water?”

“Oh,” said Rainbow Dash, trying to wrap her head around that. “Okay. Yeah, no, that’s dumb,” said Dash with a snort. “You said you wanted to be with me.” She flailed about with her wing until she got her left side legs under her and managed to get upright again, still a little dizzy. Her head throbbed when she moved. “Water’s in the left bag, I think,” she added, clutching her temples.

“I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy, wincing as she watched Dash sit down opposite her by the saddlebags. “I didn’t mean to… I’m sorry. My head hurts a little too. You’re okay, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” said Dash. She waited for Fluttershy to take a drink of water before she held her hoof out, motioning for her to pass it over. She didn’t know where this all left them, what she and Fluttershy were at this point, but they were talking. Non-stupid talking without hidden meanings and metaphors. That was something.

“And maybe,” Fluttershy added, pausing for a second while she dug into the other saddlebag with her snout. She surfaced with a bit of dried bread in her mouth, tearing off a bite and swallowing, holding the rest between her hooves. “Maybe the other one too. When I said it’s easy to imagine why someone wants to be with you, I meant it,” she said. “But I don’t know about the other way around.”

She smiled as though it was a joke. As though it was funny. Rainbow Dash let the water-bag drop to the ground and clenched her eyes shut trying to hold the rush of anger and disappointment off, but it was no use. “I knew it,” Dash said, the words coming out a hiss between gritted teeth.

“What?” Fluttershy asked, her eyes widening. “I’m just—”

“No,” said Dash, glaring at her. “You ‘just’ nothing, Fluttershy! You didn’t believe me! You didn’t think I actually meant it when I said I wanted to be with you right after we fought the hydra, just like Rarity didn’t think I was serious at first, either! Way, way back when we first talked about getting together, you didn’t believe me!”

“I did!” Fluttershy said, her ears wilting. “I did believe—”

“You didn’t!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “You just thought I was joking around, you don’t think—”

“I did!” Fluttershy shouted right back. “I did believe you, because I wanted to believe you, and because I do believe you, but when things started going wrong, I looked for any way to explain things! I tried to understand why!”

Rainbow Dash swallowed and looked away. “Great. So you don’t believe me now.”

Fluttershy sighed. “You’re twisting my words. I didn’t say that.”

“Yeah. Well, guess what,” said Dash. Her eyes stung and her breath sounded wheezy to her own ears. “Guess what? I can be sincere. I can do something just like that. I can do something without thinking about it for months or years. I can ask you to be my girlfriend and want that without planning it for forever, and I can mean it.”

“I know you can,” said Fluttershy, her voice tinged with desperation. “I know that, Rainbow Dash, and I believe you. I’m sorry.” Dash felt a hoof touch her chest.

Dash took a deep breath and let it out, slowly, then did it again. Finally, she turned back to Fluttershy. She shook her head and wiped her eyes, pushing Fluttershy’s leg away.

“Don’t be sorry. Just shut up and listen for a second. Just because I didn’t think then doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking,” Dash said. Just thinking about all the thinking she had done tired her out, now. She was done with thinking, probably forever.

“I’ve been thinking too much. About how I like being around you and what I wanna do together with you, and now that I know that I… that maybe you don’t think I’ve been a big mean bully, I just—ugh.” She paused, hitching on that thought, and she really wished that she hadn’t. Fluttershy stared at her, waiting with bated breath for her next words, but Rainbow Dash couldn’t go on before she knew for sure.

“I need you to say it.”

“Say what?” Fluttershy asked, her voice thin.

“That I haven’t actually been a big mean bully. That you want me to… to do whatever it was we used to do. You’ve kind of said it, but I need to know,” Dash admitted. Best to get all the lameness out of the way in one big go. Why not? It was just the two of them, and Fluttershy would understand without making a big deal of it.

Fluttershy sighed with relief, a smile spreading on her face as she nodded. “We’ve had some, um, hiccups lately, but you haven’t been a bully. I thought you knew, but it’s nice that you ask. I really want your help. Your encouragement. That’s what it is to me.”

“Okay. Good. Cool, thanks,” Dash said in a murmur, a wave of relief washing over her. She grabbed a quick drink of water before she went on, feeling like she had been on the longest run or flight of her entire life. She drained the last of the water and wiped her muzzle while Fluttershy watched, and Dash knew she was waiting. Dash had said to shut up and listen, but she didn’t really know where to begin. She knew that even if Fluttershy said she believed Dash loved her, she didn’t. Not really. Or maybe there was just no way she would ever believe it as much as Dash wanted her to.

Maybe this was a really mushy thing then, and these were words that belonged in a romantic setting, words that were meant to be whispered and not spoken, but Rainbow Dash didn’t care.

“If you still aren’t sure that I like you, then you probably still think that the reason I like you as a friend or a girlfriend, whatever—” Dash said, waving a wing. “You probably think it’s because you’re the only one who bothers to come out to watch me fly every day,” said Dash.

Fluttershy looked a little taken aback by that. She hid her confusion well, but Dash could see it in her eyes all the same.

“I… I mean, everypony wants someone who can be there for them,” said Fluttershy, fidgeting with her hooves. “I thought that was part of it, at least. I try my best to be supportive, you know.”

“Fluttershy? I don’t want a cheerleader,” said Dash, staring at her. “It’s nice and all, sure, and hey, don’t stop coming to watch, it’s great, but I have other fans. Ugh, how is this not obvious? D’you remember back when we first got together? Somewhere in Ephydoera you said you didn’t know why I wanted to give it a go.”

Fluttershy nodded, slow and deliberate. “I do remember that.”

“Yeah, well, I told you the answer then,” said Rainbow Dash. “I told you that ever since the Hurricane effort earlier this summer, I… I dunno, you’ve been different, or I started looking at you differently.”

Another nod, this time with a decidedly sheepish look. “You did say that. I… didn’t forget—”

“But you didn’t believe me, not completely. Or you didn’t listen. Or I didn’t say everything I should have,” said Dash. Fluttershy opened her mouth to protest but Dash held up a hoof for silence. “You weren’t just awesome. I realised how much I needed you, too, okay?” She chuckled as she thought back to that one day, the singular effort of one pegasus pony who didn’t think she had anything to offer. Forget that she saved the day. “Ponyville needed every wing it could get. Cloudsdale needed the water, but never mind all that, and never mind the Wonderbolts. Fluttershy, I needed you. I think I even said it.”

Fluttershy said nothing. She stared at the ground between them, chewing on her bottom lip.

“I also made you cry. Like, a bunch,” Dash said. She let out a short, stilted laugh that ended in a snort, and that made Fluttershy look up. Maybe she really was listening now.

“Everything that happened that day happened because you encouraged me. Or… or pushed me, if you really want to use that word,” said Fluttershy, her stare intense all of a sudden. “I became stronger for it. I really, really loved you for everyth—um, well, mostly everything that happened that day. How can you say you fell in love with me because of what happened during the Hurricane effort when you changed everything about us after we became a couple?”

Dash ran a hoof through her mane and sighed. “I’ve already told you how I got that stuff wrong, okay? Stuff changed, and I started caring about you differently! Like… making you upset mattered… not more, but differently,” she said, trying to remember exactly what Luna had said. “That doesn’t have to be all bad, does it? Can we just… pretend I never just suddenly got dumb?” she asked. “And that’s not my point! My point is, that’s the day when I realised how much you winning and being awesome means to me. Jeez, Fluttershy, just shut up and let me tell you why I think you’re amazing and why I love you and all that stuff!”

Fluttershy’s cheeks turned crimson. She nodded ever so slightly, and Dash thought she heard her laugh under her breath.

“Have you ever talked to Rarity about how she begins making dresses? Or, uh,” Dash shook her head, quickly correcting herself, “I mean, have you ever had her start talking about it to you, or at you? She keeps saying it’s all about inspiration, that she gets all this… this power from thin air or whatever, and I didn’t think that word really meant anything, but it kinda does.”

Rainbow Dash looked for any sign of recognition in Fluttershy’s eyes, for any hint that she wouldn’t have to spell it out, but now Fluttershy stared at Dash as though she had gone crazy. Maybe she had, but if she was crazy, it was because she hadn’t realised this sooner.

“Fluttershy, I’m your biggest fan,” Dash said. She felt the clump in her throat return, and she didn’t know why, but her wings felt light all at the same time and her heart raced. “Don’t you get it? I love being the center of attention, but come on, it’s even cooler when you kick butt! When we went on that date in Vauhorn, you said some really nice stuff about what I do to my friends or whatever, and that’s great, but do you seriously think you don’t help me out, too? How can you not see how… how cool you are, Fluttershy?” Dash laughed. She couldn’t help herself.

“You keep talking about wanting to be like me, but you can do so many things I can’t do. All the stuff that’s hard is just extra, and yeah, sure, you cry all the way to the top, but you get there!” Dash’s heart hammered in her chest now. The more she talked about it, the more excited she got, and she knew it was because she was telling the truth. “Even if you need a little push on the butt to keep going, you don’t stop! You challenge yourself more than even I do, Fluttershy. There is nopony in all of Equestria who tries as hard as you!”

Fluttershy wouldn’t look at her now. She stared at her own chest, but with her mane being as short as it was, she couldn’t hide behind her bangs any more. Rainbow Dash worried that she was making Fluttershy sad for some reason. She almost looked sad, but Dash couldn’t stop.

“Sure you like to be safe and hide away,” Dash said, pausing for a second to try to steady her cracking voice. “Sure. But when you really need to do something, you try so hard, you work so hard, you—you make me feel like a deadbeat. You just… you do this thing where you put your head down and just go, and it’s—” Dash looked up at the sky and took a deep, shuddering breath. She didn’t know why she was getting teary-eyed herself, but whatever.

“I can’t beat that. I can’t even compete with that. I can outfly the Wonderbolts, but I can’t even begin to compete against you, because it’s like competing against myself. Against the best part of myself and I need myself—I need you,” she said, breathless. “And you, you always win, because… because you’re you. When you told me that you liked me, that was the bravest, coolest thing in the world.”

“I can’t beat that,” Dash repeated. “And I don’t mind, because it’s the best thing in the world,” she finished lamely, her momentum lost. “Winning without having worked for it is… it’s fun the first few times. Few dozen times. But you earn every single win. You’re amazing. You’re awesome. And if all you want from me is that I’m around to just give you a push on the butt, then that’s fine, because it… it makes me feel awesome, too. It’s not about needing you to have my back. I need to know you’re up there. With me. In front. Being awesome.”

Rainbow Dash puffed out her cheeks. When she shut up, there was no other sound to fill the vacuum. They were too far away from Cotronna for any city noises, and she could hear no animal calls, no insect noises. Dead silence reigned except for the rustle of grass and leaves when a breeze passed through the clearing. Fluttershy reached up to wipe her snout, but otherwise sat still.

“You can’t stop coming to flight practice though,” Dash murmured. “I don’t think I’d do my routines every day if you weren’t there. You can’t just leave me hanging there.”

“Never,” Fluttershy said hoarsely, covering her eyes with a foreleg.

“Cool. Okay. Glad we got that sorted,” Dash replied, clearing her throat. “Yeah, so, I’m probably a bigger fan of you than you are of me, is what I’m saying.” She forced a grin, and Fluttershy finally looked up, breaking into a laugh herself, giggles mixing with sobs. The other pegasus staggered over to her and touched her neck to Dash’s, hugging around with a wing as she buried her snout in Dash’s mane.

“I didn’t know that,” Fluttershy whispered. “I didn’t know any of that.”

“Yeah. Well,” said Dash, taking a deep breath. She wrapped a wing around Fluttershy’s back in return. “I didn’t either, so I guess I’m glad I thought about it. Hey, no need to tell me why you’re into me, by the way. I know I’m great.”

Fluttershy squeezed her tighter, sniffling. Dash closed her eyes, counting off the seconds of silence. Two. Three.

“No, seriously though, hit me. Tell me I’m amazing.”

Fluttershy laughed, loud and clear, shaking her head and rubbing her snout against the side of Dash’s neck. “I love you,” she said. “I love you so much. I want you to always be around, and you make me better, I—”

“Okay, I believe you, I gotcha, it’s fine, I guess we talked about it a minute ago,” said Dash, chuckling. She folded her wing again, pulling back from the awkward hug. “Just checking.” She didn’t want to give up on their touch entirely though, leaning her forehead against Fluttershy’s, ignoring the dull throbs that reminded her of what was probably a moderate concussion. Another gust of wind swept across the clearing, playing with their manes and tails.

“Heh. Remember the tailband?” Dash asked.

Fluttershy made an inquisitive noise, otherwise quiet and unmoving. After a moment, she shook her head slightly, rubbing their foreheads together.

“You gave me a tailband after the Summer Sun celebration where we met Twilight. I thought you gave it to me because… I don’t remember what I told myself it was for, it just made me think of the whole mess outside the town hall with Applejack and everything.”

“Oh,” said Fluttershy, smiling faintly. “I didn’t know you kept it. I made it to say thank you.”

“Right. The exact opposite of what I thought, probably,” said Dash. “Heh. Don’t listen to your own echoes and stuff, don’t make stories alone, whatever.”

“I’m sorry, what?” asked Fluttershy, popping one eye open.

“Never mind. Talked to a bunch of ponies. And peryton. I guess,” said Dash.

“That, um, ‘whole mess’ at Summer Sun could have worked out better, though, really,” said Fluttershy, her tuft of tail swishing from side to side. “Even if we never used to talk about it before, it wouldn’t hurt to talk a little bit about how we work together.”

“Yeah. We really need to do that,” said Dash, flattening her ears. “I can’t stop thinking it stinks to see you looking really sad and stuff.” She frowned. “That’s your fault too, you know. If you want me to give you a hoof up and kick your butt about something, I’m gonna do that, and we probably don’t have to talk about everything we do, right? But even if I’m not stupid, I can still mess up.” She pulled her head back, but still they stood close, their muzzles not a hoof’s breadth apart. Dash felt Fluttershy’s breath on her face.

“I guess I didn’t understand what you really meant when you tried to tell me stuff in Vauhorn,” Dash said. She didn’t need to tell Fluttershy that admitting it was awkward, and that she couldn’t tell anypony else. “You were using all these… some of it was metaphor, I think? And you were talking about us, but you talked about Neisos instead? I don’t remember exactly, but I think I got you wrong for the same reason I’m having a hard time with all these peryton stories. They’re talking about other people, but you’re supposed to pretend it’s you, right? That’s how you ‘learn’ from them.”

Fluttershy nodded slightly. “That’s what I think, at least.”

“Yeah, well, it’s hard to try to think everything is about me all the time,” said Dash. She felt her smile slip, but she had to trust Fluttershy would understand. Confidence was funny like that. “These stories are hard. And when you’re trying to tell me something, but you try to pretend like you’re saying something else—just… if you’re trying to say something, say it.”

Fluttershy sighed and nodded again, her ears pasted to the side of her head now as surely as if she had glued them there.

“I know, but talking is really, really difficult, sometimes,” Fluttershy said. “I kept thinking you knew what you wanted, so I didn’t want to argue with you, and you said these things—I thought we had talked about what I wanted in Vauhorn, about how I wished things would be.”

Dash grunted. “Yeah, well, lots of stuff is hard. And talking to me is extra hard because I’m really, really hard-headed, I know that. You know that. But we’ve got to try.”

Fluttershy deflated a little. “I’ll try. I promise,” she said, but no sooner had she said that than her voice hardened and took an edge of steel. “But you need to stop saying that you’re stupid. You’re not. You’re amazingly smart in your own way—”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t keep from laughing. “Smart in my own way,” she repeated.

“—and that’s not how I meant it,” said Fluttershy, scowling. “What I mean is that just because you sometimes act before you think doesn’t mean you’re bad at thinking!”

Now it was Dash’s turn to duck her head and look away, her cheeks heating up. “That’s what I’ve been trying to say,” she muttered.

“But you don’t actually believe it yourself! You keep saying that you’re stupid when you’re not! You understand ponies!”

“Most of the time I don’t,” Dash said, chuckling. “I messed up with you.”

“Most of the time you do,” Fluttershy snapped, the anger in her voice taking Dash by surprise. “You really understand ponies and peryton, and there have been a lot of things only you have understood. We wouldn’t have gotten this far without you, you know that. You just sometimes… sometimes it’s like you don’t believe in yourself. You understand everyone else, you just don’t understand yourself.” Fluttershy sighed and shook her head.

Dash grinned. “Like a smartness donut, with me in the middle?”

Fluttershy stared at her, mouth open, the frustration that was plain on her face a moment ago warping, passing through confusion, and finally coming to a full stop at a very small, tired smile.

“Yes, Rainbow Dash. Like a smartness donut,” she said. “I’m serious.”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it,” Dash said. She took the two steps needed to put her over by the saddlebags, pulling out the package of stale bread. She didn’t have anything to add. If Fluttershy expected her to acknowledge that, yes, Dash’s confidence sometimes needed work, then Fluttershy didn’t know her as well as she thought she did. Besides, that was all said and done. Dash was good. Back in action. Awesome, in fact. Awesome and hungry. She grabbed a piece of bread and munched away.

Well, she was back in action, and everything had been said, but “done”? She didn’t know about done. Dash grabbed another piece of bread and shoved the rest across the grass towards Fluttershy, who took a bite as well.

“What do we do now?” Fluttershy asked. A casual question, like asking to pass the salt. What now.

Dash hoped that they weren’t done.

“I don’t know,” said Rainbow Dash. She grabbed the water bag, but realised she had drunk the last of the water a little earlier. She shoved it into the closest saddlebag along with the antler harnesses. “We could try again. The girlfriends thing. The being together stuff.” She rolled her jaw. Stared at the saddlebags. She didn’t want to look up and find Fluttershy’s face already saying no. “I liked it,” she added. “Can we please try again?”

She had to look. She locked eyes with Fluttershy, finding the other mare already nodding.

“I’d like to,” said Fluttershy with a cautious smile. “I’d love to really. I… yes, please. If I can have Rainbow Dash back, my Rainbow Dash, as a friend and a girlfriend who won’t put words in my mouth, and understands that I don’t need to be protected, and that it’s okay if I—if we make mistakes. We can make mistakes without falling apart.”

Dash nodded. “Deal,” she said. “If you promise you’ll tell me if I’m hurting you. I know you’ll say yes, but I really, really mean it. You can’t say you will, and then make me think it’s not okay. I need to know you’re… y’know, okay around me. You can’t make me feel like some evil villain when you’ve asked me to give you a little push to do something awesome.”

“I can try to do that,” said Fluttershy, scratching at one leg with the other.

“And I mean tell me,” said Rainbow Dash, frowning at her. “I want us to go back to being the way we were, just… better, and more of it, with cuddling and everything, but if you do have something you wanna tell me, don’t say it with a confusing story. Or a tailband. Just say it.”

Fluttershy giggled. “I promise. So. Um... are we—”

Rainbow Dash hopped off the ground, spread her wings, and with one single wing-stroke, crashed into Fluttershy bearing her to the ground. Action spoke louder than words, and she had been resisting the urge to bury herself in Fluttershy wings for far too long.

Chapter 44

Khaird

Your home is empty. I do not know which house you guest at, but I leave here this letter in hopes that you see it soon. If not, we will doubtless speak tomorrow.

A letter arrived from Cotronna. I do not know that it has been seen by you. You know as well as any that the flow of words from the ravenry to our people’s ears is as molasses, but the urgency of this scroll has made furrows in the air, and the three ravens who carried it bore feathers red with the flames of speed flying low over Orto. No, you must have heard: The three Equestrians who guested Orto briefer than zebra in fall are now exiled from all cities of kin.

This by itself would not warrant me chasing your tail feathers, but there was a second letter from the Council of Cotronna, this one for you. It was addressed to the one who served as liaison to the Equestrians, and so it lies at your bench in our Council Hall, and I admit this to you now: I looked at it. Out of love for you, I looked at a private letter when I should not have, afeared that it is dire news.

While I cannot with confidence say that is exactly dire, its contents worry me still. They ask you to explain what your dealings with these ponies were. Theirs is confusion. It says this: Orto was given the task of understanding and establishing contact with the Equestrians, and have we not done so? Why did these Equestrians come to Cotronna without word from us? Why did we not advise Cotronna of how to greet and understand them? Has Orto already brokered diplomatic accords with them?

I did not ask you what happened after they left Orto’s demesne, as I was busy with matters of my own, but now I recall that a visiting zebra—Ardo—mentioned in passing that he had been asked to bring a letter from you to another city. I hear now from our colleagues at the Council Hall that this is not the only such letter you have sent.

Can you explain this? What do we tell Cotronna? Have we been neglectful, have you made an error, or can you bring understanding to us?

I think you will. I will tell the council now—to still the budding confusion—that you will speak before them tomorrow. Do not make this a bargain with Esorys, but prove to me that you have been dutiful in your dealings with the Equestrians by explaining this.

With all of Myrtella’s love,

Nelystrinna of Hearth’s Rest

Sunrise. Judging by the light growing in the west, Celestia had decided it was time for day.

Strictly speaking, Dash assumed that daytime was at the same time every morning, but fact remained that somewhere—presumably in Canterlot Castle—Princess Luna and Princess Celestia did some cool hoof-shake or a wing-slap, Luna took away the moon, Celestia cast some weird spell, and the sky lit up as a result. Hundreds of leagues away from Canterlot, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy lay in a tiny patch of shrubland-forest in the middle of Cotronnan farmland, and this very moment, the former of the two pegasi was perfectly okay with the situation. Presumably Fluttershy was happy, too. Judging by the way she smiled as she massaged the underside of Dash’s hoof, she was.

“I’m not being too rough, am I?” Fluttershy asked, tilting her head. She gently rubbed little circles with the tip of her hoof against the softest parts of Dash’s own.

“Mh, no,” said Dash. “Or, maybe a little bit—”

“Is this better?”

“Yeah,” said Dash, smiling lazily. “A lot.”

She had never really been comfortable with ponies touching her hooves— friends or no—and Fluttershy had never given a hoof massage before, either, but who would judge them if this wasn’t how they were done? Rainbow Dash didn’t care. This worked for the two of them, and that’s what mattered. Fluttershy re-awoke the aches of months on the road, and then soothed them. They would have to switch afterwards so Fluttershy could feel this good, too.

Rainbow Dash had missed this closeness. One of a myriad ways in which she had missed Fluttershy despite never having been apart from her.

Way back on the road, Rainbow Dash didn’t think that being a couple meant a lot for her and Fluttershy, that it was just being friends under a different name. Now, as stupid and sappy as it sounded, she realised she had slowly fallen in love with being in love. She wanted Fluttershy to always look at her the way she did when she was happy with her. She just needed to try not to overthink it. Talk a little more. Not worry so much about flying that she crashed, basically. She could do that.

Rainbow Dash reached out with her other hoof and ran it along Fluttershy’s side, following her contours. Sat down, the well-toned pegasus’ muscles were on display, and Dash couldn’t not touch. She had no clue how to give somepony a massage, but she could appreciate how good Fluttershy looked. How strong she had become. As a bonus, the scar on her hock actually looked kinda cool.

Whatever Fluttershy did when they got back, whether she kept her body this way or not—and that wasn’t Rainbow Dash’s choice to make—she had at least gotten to experience being in great shape, something that meant a lot to Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy blushed faintly under her touch, but smiled and kept up her work. Easy to fluster, but impossible to dazzle. Thrown off balance by a touch or a word, but completely immune to Rainbow Dash’s awesomeness. Used to her, and once more understanding her. Fluttershy was perfect like that. Right now, she looked up at the darkness that slowly dissipated.

“We should probably go back, really,” she said. “Before Rarity wakes up.”

“Oh, yeah,” said Dash. She was annoyed at the prospect of getting up for as long as it took her to realise exactly what Fluttershy had said. She winced. “Rarity.”

“I hope she’s okay,” said Fluttershy. She let go of Rainbow Dash’s hoof, gently putting it down, and Rainbow Dash stood, testing her wings.

“She’ll be okay,” said Dash. “Or we’ll make her okay.” Fluttershy smiled at that, but there was still a tinge of sadness to her smile. “She feels really bad, you know,” Dash added.

Fluttershy shook her head. “We all do, really.“

“No, dummy. About you,” said Dash. She brushed some more bits of broken antler into her saddlebags and put them on.

“Oh. No, I’m the one who’s sorry,” said Fluttershy, sighing. “I feel bad for what I said to her. I guess I was just looking for somepony to blame. I… I said things I shouldn’t have, and she was asleep when I got back, so I never got to apologise.” She shook her head again sadly, her wings sagging until Rainbow Dash reached over with a hoof to push them back up on her body.

“Yeah, well, let’s go talk to her. We’re not gonna fix things by standing around here. C’mon,” said Dash, grinning. She flexed her wings and gave Fluttershy’s side a little nudge when the other pegasus mare finally smiled back. Rainbow Dash soared into the air, and a moment later, Fluttershy pulled up at her side. Their wings found their rhythm all by themselves, the two pegasi flying entirely too close, perfectly in synch, and Rainbow Dash had no idea if Fluttershy even noticed.

Their flight was entirely too short. They had cool morning air and a proper breeze at their backs, and it felt like a matter of minutes before they touched down outside their house. Already the peryton of Cotronna were moving to and fro, and carts rattled by.

Cotronna and Perytonia obviously hadn’t gone anywhere. They were still exiled, and judging by the look on Fluttershy’s face when they landed, Dash wasn’t the only one who just remembered that. There wasn’t anything to be done about that, though. They could make sure Rarity was okay. Rainbow Dash spit on her hoof and pushed the door open.

“Helps get a grip,” said Dash, grinning at her girlfriend, who giggled and shook her head.

“Don’t tell Rarity about that,” Fluttershy replied.

“What are we not telling Rarity?” the pony in question asked.

Rainbow Dash stepped inside alongside Fluttershy, and shut the door behind her with a little effort. Rarity sat by the low table doing absolutely nothing Dash could see. Her mane was dishevelled, and she looked tired, more tired than even Rainbow Dash felt, and Dash had barely slept tonight.

“Hey,” said Dash, waving.

“Rarity,” said Fluttershy, slumping with one ear bent sideways. She took a step towards the unicorn, her head sinking towards the ground. “I’m so sorry. I said all those awful things, blaming you—”

Rarity shook her head quickly and slid off the bench, walking to meet her. “No, darling dearest, no, I’m the one who’s sorry. I’ve treated you—both of you—absolutely awfully. I got so caught up in my own dreadful plans that I completely neglected my nearest and dearest friendships! I’m ever so sorry, but you simply must forgive me, or I don’t know what to do!”

Rarity wrapped a foreleg about Fluttershy, and Fluttershy returned the hug, squeezing her tight, the two ponies holding each other tight for a long moment.

“Of course I forgive you, Rarity,” Fluttershy mumbled into the unicorn’s neck.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and smiled. “Come on, Rarity. You weren’t that bad.”

“You say that, Rainbow,” Rarity said, sighing as she looked over at her. “But I haven’t even told Fluttershy what I told you—that I’ve been jealous, all these awful things—”

“Hey, Fluttershy,” said Dash, interrupting Rarity. Fluttershy peered around the other side of their hug, one brow raised. “Rarity’s been freaking out because she was a little jealous and worried we were gonna forget about her or something. She’s not perfect. Newsflash: It’s fine.”

Rarity’s look of complete and utter indignation was somewhat ruined by Fluttershy’s giggle. Fluttershy gave the unicorn a squeeze and let her go, smiling at her.

“I think that’s understandable, and I’m sorry if we neglected you, Rarity, I really am. We both are,” she said, pausing and giving Rainbow Dash a look, ensuring that Dash nodded her agreement, which she did. ”But you don’t have to worry. We’re always going to be friends. If you ask me, I feel like we’re even better friends now than we have ever been, after everything we’ve done together.”

Rarity looked back and forth between the two pegasi, first looking like she’d had all her feathers ruffled the wrong way, and then mollified by Fluttershy’s words. At last, she simply sighed in exasperation.

“Well, the two of you are certainly… yourselves again, as potent a one-two kick as ever,” she muttered. “I take it this means you have made up?” She perked up, suddenly a touch nervous. “Tell me you have, oh please do, I cannot bear to think you are going to give up on what you have found together!”

Fluttershy nodded and reached out towards Rainbow Dash with a wing. Dash stepped forward to touch a wingtip to hers, smiling at her.

“Either we’re good, or we just decided to head out and fly all night, and we’re really happy because Fluttershy took home first prize in a shessa-bread eating competition,” said Dash. “What do you think?”

“We’re okay,” said Fluttershy, leaning forward to nuzzle Rarity.

“Speaking of which, thanks for the talk,” Dash added, running her wing along Fluttershy’s body to tap it against Rarity’s chest. “Seriously. It helped.”

“Oh. Well, I’m glad,” said Rarity, smiling a touch at that. “I won’t take credit, though. There is only really one thing I have to take credit for right now, and I wish I didn’t,” she said, trailing off. The costumes they had worn yesterday still lay on the smaller table, the unicorn’s smile disappearing before it had a chance to settle. “I am thrilled to hear you two have made up, but I suppose we still need to prepare to leave the city. That, at least, still hasn’t changed. I still don’t know what went wrong.”

“Eh, I kinda think I do, actually,” said Dash, waving a hoof.

As much as that was still true—looming exile and all that mess—Rainbow Dash wasn’t half as worried about that as she was about the way Rarity’s frown refused to fly away. Maybe it was too much to expect that all of her gloom would be dispelled by the wind under Dash’s wings, but part of Rainbow Dash still felt—what was it? Not responsible, not guilty, but she knew there had to be something she could do to help.

“You do?” Rarity asked, blinking rapidly.

“Hang on,” said Dash. “Be back in a sec.” She darted for the stairs, her hooves off the ground until she hit their bedroom, quickly looking around. Their blanket lay on the far bed, and she galloped over, wrestling with it in an attempt to get it onto her back.

“Rainbow Dash? What are you doing?” asked Fluttershy, who had followed after her.

“I dunno,” Dash admitted with a shrug. “But we gotta do something.”

Fluttershy tilted her head.

“For Rarity!” said Dash. “She’s still hard in the dumps. She’s been walking and trotting everywhere. She can’t just fly to rest her hooves like we can, and the hoof massage you gave me felt really, really good. Maybe we could give her one. Something like that.”

Fluttershy nodded and lit up with a smile. “I think that’s a wonderful idea, really. I could massage her neck and her body if you help with her hooves. Maybe one of us could go get something good to eat, too?”

“You wanna head to the market across the street?” Dash asked. “Like, do you want to want to, or should I yell stupid stuff at you a bit first?”

Fluttershy giggled and shook her head. “I think it’s okay. I saw a lot of the city yesterday when I flew away. I can do it.”

“‘Course you can,” said Dash, grinning at her. While Fluttershy disappeared downstairs, she wrangled the blanket on top of her back and trotted down to the living room to a very bewildered Rarity who stood staring at the door.

“Rainbow, dear? Would you be so kind as to explain to me exactly what is going on?” asked Rarity. “Fluttershy just ran out the door with a pouch of gems!”

“Sure!” said Dash. The bench by the larger of the two tables was wide enough, so she put the blanket down there, folding it double and smoothing it out as best as she could, just the way Rarity liked it.

“What’s going on is that you’re visiting the newly opened Cotronna branch of the, uh, the—” she paused as she thought, flying over to land on a clear spot atop the small table. She shoved the remains of the disastrous costumes into Rarity’s saddlebags and dumped them unceremoniously out of sight behind the table, buying a little more time for herself, but nope. Nothing came to her.

“The Cotronna branch of the Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy spa,” Dash finished, tapping a hoof on the table. “Yep, that’s terrible, but we’re sticking with it, and since I came up with it, it’s automatically cool. That’s a fact.” Rainbow Dash laughed at the confused look she got from Rarity.

“I see,” said Rarity, who clearly didn’t.

“Oh, she’s back,” said Rainbow Dash, gesturing to the door just as Fluttershy returned, the pegasus carrying two paper-packaged bundles on her back. The one on top let off steam, and Dash thought she smelled carrot. “Our spa serves food, too,” Dash continued, nodding sagely. “We serve, er, whatever it is Fluttershy’s got. It’s free!”

Fluttershy giggled. “Rainbow Dash, would you get us some bowls? And Rarity, can you help get this on the table without spilling? It’s breakfast soup, apparently. It looked really good. I got some more phela, too. Freshly made.”

“Bowls, got it!” said Dash, ducking past the curtains that separated the kitchen from the living room. She rummaged around until she found some large wooden bowls, and then grabbed another few for water while she was at it. When she returned, Fluttershy had gotten the unicorn onto the blanket, and Rarity had reached peak bewilderment.

“I don’t understand why you are doing this,” said Rarity, frowning at them. Rainbow Dash said nothing, dumping the bowls on the table. “It’s nice of you to get us breakfast, of course, and I admit I’m famished—”

“Not just breakfast,” said Fluttershy, smiling. “If you don’t mind, We’d like to give you a massage. I thought I’d start with your flank, while Rainbow Dash takes care of your forehooves.”

“Rainbow Dash? Massaging?” Rarity asked, and Rainbow Dash realised her mistake. This was utter confusion and bewilderment. Dash had to laugh.

“Come on, I’ll figure it out as I go. I know how to take care of wings, and I can’t make it worse. Gimme a hoof.”

It didn’t take much more coaxing than that. Soon, Rarity lay on her side. Fluttershy stood half on the floor, half supported by the bench while she kneaded the muscles on Rarity’s flank, and Rainbow Dash tried her best to repeat what Fluttershy had done for her, gently working her hoof’s edge along the underside of Rarity’s own. Rarity didn’t complain, so clearly Dash wasn’t messing up too bad. If the unicorn did protest, it was with her silence, and the confusion on her features becoming a faint sadness instead.

“It’s not right, you two,” Rarity said, shaking her head slowly. “It’s not right for you to pour affection onto me like so much chocolate sauce after I’ve been so horrible to you.”

Fluttershy beat Dash to it.

“It’s okay,” Fluttershy said with the gentlest smile imaginable. “You just lost your head a little for the very last day, that’s all, and like Rainbow Dash said, you weren’t that bad. You’re being too hard on yourself, and we want to help.”

“Yeah, seriously, stop it,” Dash said, frowning. “We’ve all messed up different things anyway, and we’re sorry, too.” She let go of Rarity’s hoof and grabbed the other one, kneading the softest parts there as well.

“You’ve been too hard on yourself this entire trip, really,” Fluttershy said, moving around Rarity slowly as she worked her hooves in circles, now up and down, the unicorn’s eyes slipping shut. “You’ve kept comparing yourself to other ponies, worrying that you can’t do the same magic that Twilight can do, and that you’re not as athletic as some other ponies, but that’s not why you’re here.”

“And don’t say it’s about the dresses,” Dash growled. “You know you weren’t sent here to make some stupid dresses.” She let go of Rarity to hold up a warding hoof when the unicorn glared at her. “I get it! Dresses matter a lot to you, and you’re great at making stuff. I know! That’s a big part of who you are, but wake up! It didn’t work out here, and that’s no big deal! You’re smart, great with people, super nice and a bunch of other junk, that’s what Fluttershy’s saying, and she’s right! We’re all way different, and that’s cool.”

“That’s the Rarity we want,” Fluttershy said, nodding and smiling. “Just because your dresses didn’t go over well, that doesn’t mean anything about you as a person, and we love you for who you are, not for how much you are like other ponies who aren’t Rarity. You’ve done a lot of wonderful things while we’ve travelled, and we’re both very grateful to have you with us.”

“I’m glad the two of you are feeling better, at least, I really am, and it does help.” Rarity chuckled softly. “I don’t presume I can expect this treatment every day in the future of our friendship, but… it does make me feel a little better, too, knowing that one is not going to be forgotten, and that somepony feels I have something to give. I… no, that’s all. Thank you.” Her voice wavered toward the end, but she distracted herself by lighting her horn and pouring the still steaming soup into the three larger bowls, filling the room with the scent of cooked vegetables.

“I think you can dip the phela in the soup. I saw some of the peryton do it,” said Fluttershy. At her suggestion, Rarity levitated the bowl over, tore a piece of bread off with her magic, and did just that. “Oh. Oh this is wonderful—try a piece, dear,” said Rarity once she’d swallowed.

“In a minute,” said Fluttershy, smiling and shaking her head. “I just want to finish your other side first. Can you turn around a little more so I can reach better?”

Rarity did as asked, and Rainbow Dash licked her lips, eyeing the food, then Rarity’s rear hooves—then the food again. Rarity giggled, and the unicorn leaned forwards to rub her muzzle against Dash’s.

“If you’re hungry, do eat,” said Rarity. “This was wonderful, thank you. The hoof massage and the thought that went into this.”

“Sure,” said Dash, smiling back at her and returning the affectionate nuzzle. She hopped onto the bench next to Rarity and gave the soup a sniff and a sip. Carrots, celery, onions and at least two other things she didn’t recognise all made for a heady combination.

“You said you think you know what went wrong, did you not?” Rarity asked. The unicorn looked at Fluttershy, smiling at the pegasus who still dutifully worked away at Rarity’s flank, but the question was clearly meant for Dash.

“Yeah. Or, I think so?” Dash asked, shrugging. She grabbed another sip of soup. It had pasta, too. Weird bits of pasta floated in the soup like it belonged. Breakfast soup, huh.

“So, we know we really peeved the Cotronnans,” said Dash, simply.

“Yes, that much is hardly news,” Rarity replied, while Fluttershy patted the unicorn’s flank to signal she was done and switched her attention to the food instead.

“We really, really offended them,” Fluttershy said with a sigh, taking a seat and nodding her agreement.

“Yeah, well, I think we actually offended everyone, not just Cotronna,” Rainbow Dash said. “They didn’t like us saying that the other cities belonged to Cotronna, but it’s not just that. They didn’t like us putting all the cities together like they’re just one thing, either. They said something like that about your dress, didn’t they?”

Rarity dipped another piece of bread, pausing to think with the soggy fry-bread dripping into her soup bowl. “I suppose so,” she said, nodding slightly. “But the dress was meant to celebrate their individual contributions to what could be a wondrous whole. I’m afraid I don’t see the issue.”

“Because—” said Dash, thinking back. “Because they really enjoy being different. Not like they’re strutting around flaunting it, but it’s kinda who they are. They really appreciate being different, and I didn’t understand how that worked. Or, I did get it, and then I forgot,” she said, her ears itching fiercely. She grinned at Fluttershy. “And then I remembered! I don’t think they see themselves as halves, or parts or whatever. They’re not parts of one whole, they’re all-in-one packages, fine by themselves!”

“Surely that’s not true,” said Rarity, frowning deeply. “They’re one nation! I… that is, they are one nation, aren’t they?”

“I dunno. They all call this place Perytonia, so sure? They all like working together, just not the way we do,” said Dash, grabbing another sip. Delicious soup and talking didn’t blend as well as she would have liked. “Princ—heh, no, Luna showed me last night, actually,” she said.

Fluttershy blinked. “Luna?”

“We’re not using the title anymore, are we?” Rarity asked, one brow perched.

“I’m not,” said Dash, grinning. She waved a hoof. “Whatever, she showed me what it looked like way back when, before all the mess with the gorges, before they even left the Cauldron. They had their cities really far apart then, too! They had this meeting… meeting place, just a bit of dirt, really, but they called it something that even sounded like Cotronna. Like, Cotra? Corta? Whatever—”

Rarity opened her mouth to protest. Dash knew what she was probably going to say. What did this have to do with anything?

“I’m thinking as I go along!” Dash said, preempting her question. “Just hang on, uh. I’m getting at something. I think. Oh! Right! Yeah, because they were different even then. Like, way different, and that’s the way they like it! But I guess the point is that they’re all equal? Maybe each town has its own princess-that-isn’t-a-princess or something, but they just met in the middle back then, and I guess Cotronna is like that now. Cotronna is just where they meet. It could be Orto, or Vauhorn, or just a patch of dirt. It could be anywhere.”

“They don’t have any princess at all,” said Fluttershy, staring wide-eyed at her soup bowl for a long and quiet moment. “They don’t have a princess, and… and I guess that’s kind of the point?” She looked up, one ear bent in question at her own words more than anything. “They all have different leaders. Some don’t have leaders at all, it feels like, and they all do something different best, like a special talent. But they work together, and instead of ponies with different talents, they are cities with different… I think ‘emphasis’ is the right word? And Cotronna seems to like delegating and distributing and protocol, so maybe they like to help everyone with that. It would be very easy to think that’s the same as our capital.”

“Exactly!” said Dash. “Yeah, they do ‘protocol’ and a bunch of those words Twilight probably reads to herself for fun or something. I don’t know for sure, but what Luna showed me kinda explains it. They’re all their own boss, and we just told them that they weren’t, and I guess—” she sighed, the momentum of her discovery lost upon the conclusion. “They didn’t like that. At all.”

Rarity put a half-eaten piece of bread down on the table edge. “Yes, well, that is an understatement. I suppose I did insinuate that Cotronna was their seat of power. And their Head Consul clearly is no kind of princess or prince, I see the signs very clearly in hindsight. Yesterday was a monumental faux pas.” She paused, repeating the words under her breath with disbelief. No princess.

“What I haven’t figured out is why Khaird said that Cotronna was their capital,” Dash said, frowning at the thought. “He told us that the Head Consul was like their princess, at least. Like what they had instead. What the hay is up with that?”

“Maybe they don’t even know what a princess is,” said Fluttershy, her voice full of wonder.

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Everyone knows what a princess is! Right? I mean… they have to, right? No way don’t they know.”

The silence spoke volumes on Rarity and Fluttershy’s thoughts on the matter.

“Right,” said Dash. “Because we didn’t actually explain, either, and he told us what they had that was most like what he thought a princess was. Good job, all of us.” She sighed.

“At any rate,” said Rarity, gesturing towards the other table, behind which lay the discarded costumes. “I suppose that means the dresses themselves weren’t the entire problem, but I understand they didn’t help matters.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I don’t think it was about your dresses, and it wasn’t just you. What you told the council through the dresses we wore was just what we all really thought was true. We all thought things would be better if they came together, and we all thought that Cotronna was their capital. If we hadn’t put the dresses on, we would probably have offended them by saying those things instead. What really made them angry was that you gave the sigil to the Cotronnan Head Consul and said that she was the most important peryton.”

“I suppose, yes,” said Rarity, staring at the table as though the dresses, the jewellery and the antlers all still lay there as they had for so long. “I still don’t understand why I ever thought making those was a good idea.” She looked like she had swallowed a bug. “How did I get here? There was nothing beautiful about them, nothing bold, just a… a mish-mash of random parts with no coherent style, ugh.”

Dash took a long, noisy slurp of soup, and didn’t say she told her so. She vaguely remembered Rarity saying something way, way back, though. Something she had thought was important enough to try not to forget.

“Do you remember that bath in Stagrum?” Dash asked. “The bathhouse, not the ocean.”

Rarity nodded gravely. “Every single time we’ve been forced to bathe or wash in a stream, I cherish that moment.”

Dash chuckled. “Not the actual bath. You said something then. Something how fashion is self-expression or whatever.”

“I may have said that,” Rarity allowed, shaking her head. “And it is true enough. Each dress I make is a part of me expressed through my creativity. Ideally, at least.”

“Yeah? Well, what the hay are you trying to ‘express’ about yourself with these costumes?” Dash asked, frowning. “I don’t know anything about dresses and stuff, but I don’t even understand what these are supposed to be.”

Rarity’s mouth hung open for a good few seconds before she finally laughed. “I don’t either, Rainbow. No, thank you for the reminder, and you are absolutely right. I am quite done with the topic, and with those dreadful costumes, except…”

Fluttershy tilted her head. “Except what?”

“Except I am impressed,” said Rarity, pursing her lips. “I never thought I would find a people who put more meaning into one of my creations than I do.”

Dash giggled and shook her head at that, while Fluttershy smiled.

“We did learn that the Cotronnans put a lot of meaning into things. We probably just didn’t learn it well enough, or soon enough,” said Fluttershy.

“Heh, but the peryton from Stagrum was super upset too though, did you notice?” Dash asked. “I was watching the top row, and the other… I guess they were the other cities’ ambassadors, they were really upset too.”

“Oh, they would be,” said Rarity. “If Cotronna does not make all the decisions for every city, the Head Consul must have taken her cues from everyone present, including the ambassadors…” Her eyes widened. “Oh dear. And if Stagrum is responsible for Stagrum’s own trade treaties, the ambassador would be upset that we did not talk to his city. If they all have their own leadership, as you pointed out—”

“Oh,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Oh,” Fluttershy agreed, her voice very, very small.

“—then we have, for lack of a better word, snubbed every single city we have passed through by announcing that our sigil and our message is for Cotronna,” said Rarity. “I had a lingering feeling that perhaps these peryton were all overreacting, but now I understand. We have said that we have no interest in any trade deals or diplomatic negotiations with the other cities,” she finished. It all made sense, and it all followed from what they had discussed mere minutes prior, but Dash hadn’t really thought about it.

Now, Rainbow Dash thought about it.

“Whoops,” said Dash.

“That’s, um, very bad,” said Fluttershy, folding her ears. She sunk down on the bench until she was nearly flat against it.

“Nah,” said Dash, flicking her tail. She hopped down to the floor and trotted over to where Fluttershy’s saddlebags lay over by the other table.

“No?” Rarity asked, one brow raised so high it threatened to push against the ceiling.

“We’re already banished from all the cities anyway, remember?” Dash said, rummaging around. She pushed Fluttershy’s animal encyclopedia away, a few of the abused pages falling out of their own accord. She found what she was looking for right underneath it. “It literally doesn’t matter anymore. Yesterday I was thinking we’d messed everything up, but I just remembered—” she said, yanking out a glass jar filled with little white balls speckled with green. “—there’s at least one family that liked us.”

“That’s the candy that Neisos and his family gave us,” said Fluttershy, her head tilted sideways.

“You mean to open it now?” Rarity asked.

“Candy is for eating,” said Dash, grinning. She flipped open the lid with a little effort and tossed one of them into the air, catching it in her mouth. Like chocolate, but a little spicy, too. She put the jar on the table and sat back down next to Rarity. “Tasty! I feel better already. Try one.”

When Fluttershy grabbed one, so did Rarity, both of them nodding appreciatively.

“Khaird probably doesn’t dislike us,” Fluttershy said. “And though we didn’t talk to her a lot, Ligilia from the resting house in Orto liked us, I think.”

“Mirossa and her mom too,” said Dash, grabbing another of the candy balls. Chewy. “If she didn’t just run off and leave her mom and say it was our fault for talking her into it or whatever.”

“And Phydra, I suppose,” said Rarity, one of the orassh balls arrested, hovering in front of her muzzle. “I can’t quite say for sure how Phoreni feels about us given the terms of our departure from the Grove and Ephydoera—and we never got to say goodbye to Khyrast. The dockmistress in Stagrum can’t be very pleased with us, though, and all the other leaders—”

“Like I said, doesn’t matter,” said Dash, snorting. “We can’t do anything about it. Just forget about it. We messed up, and we don’t get this place. I mean, no princess? What they hay is up with that? I don’t understand how they get anything done here, but they didn’t say Equestria was banished. Maybe someone else can come here and try again or whatever.” She grabbed another candy ball, chewing as she spoke. “Heh, maybe Twilight and the rest of the gang messed up too, and we can switch.”

“Oh goodness, I sure hope not,” said Fluttershy. “You shouldn’t even joke about that!”

“Yeah, yeah”, Dash laughed. “Come on, what are the odds that they’ve messed up half as bad as we did?”

“And you definitely shouldn’t say that,” Fluttershy said, her already severe frown deepening.

Rarity sighed and pushed the jar a little further towards the center of the table, presumably trying to save some of the candy. “Perhaps you are right. As frustrating as it is to have disappointed Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and though I hardly enjoy the prospect of returning home in shame—” She smiled at the two pegasi, “—what truly matters is that it seems that despite our best efforts, our friendships have survived intact, even if things won’t be quite the same again.”

Fluttershy shook her head slightly. “Just because Rainbow Dash and I are girlfriends doesn’t mean we’re not friends. I hope you’re not worried about that. It doesn’t mean we don’t need you, Rarity. I think it means the opposite, actually.”

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash, sticking out her tongue. “We could probably have fixed all this mess between me and Fluttershy way, way sooner if you had actually listened.”

Fluttershy winced and Rarity flicked her ears, her smile vanishing in the blink of an eye.

“Yes, thank you,” Rarity muttered.

Rainbow Dash headbutted her lightly. “It’s what Fluttershy said,” she added, rolling her eyes. “We need you, too.”

“I think what she’s saying,” said Fluttershy, clopping her hooves together, “is that you have a lot to offer, and that we’re very glad we’re still friends, closer than ever.”

“Sure, that too,” said Dash, nodding. “Same thing, but seriously, if you could have said what you told me yesterday like… last month—”

“Yes, yes, I quite get your point,” said Rarity, sighing.

“Rainbow Dash,” said Fluttershy, clenching her eyes shut.

“Fine, shutting up,” Dash said, huffing, but when she again leaned against Rarity, Fluttershy did the same, and Rarity smiled again, the usual understated yet confident smile that belonged on Rarity’s face. Dash grinned to herself. If Rarity was feeling better, maybe she could even convince her to toss Dash another one of the chocolate balls? She was too lazy to get up and reach for the jar. Her musings were interrupted when one of her ears perked up of its own accord.

“You hear that?” Dash asked, cocking her head. Though very little of the noise from the streets could be heard through the thick and well-fitted shutters, Dash swore she could hear a growing noise.

“I think so,” said Fluttershy, getting up.

“There’s some sort of commotion,” Rarity agreed. The three ponies all moved as one towards the ground floor window, Rarity’s magic surrounding the shutters and opening them just as Fluttershy stepped up. Dash hovered just over her friends’ backs, sticking her head out as much as she was able.

Down the street, the usually orderly flow of daytime traffic had been disrupted. A large wagon blocked one side of the street, clearly forced off the center of the road by a procession of sorts that pushed right down the middle.

No, not a procession, Dash realised. Processions and parades were precise and organised, but the figures who occupied the street stalked, painted peryton awkward on the cobblestones as they tried to find cover where there was none.

The Ephydoerans flowed down the street, surrounding another, smaller group of unpainted peryton. The entire scene stood out as completely alien and at odds with the rest of Cotronna, and the Cotronnans themselves stared, the city completely halted in its tracks. Rainbow Dash thought the peryton doe at the very front looked familiar, but she couldn’t say for sure. She definitely recognised two other peryton in between the Ephydoeran wardens, though. One bore soot-stained legs and glittering beads about her neck.

“Is that… Caldesseia? The Morrowsworn Guide?” Rarity asked, incredulous. “And that’s Velysra, the doe who cared for us while we were imprisoned.”

“And Koltares,” Fluttershy added. “I don’t know the rest.”

“And that’s definitely Phoreni at the front,” Dash said. She got a good look at her antlers and her wings when she stopped to talk to a bowing Cotronnan, and then she passed from view, leading the party of two or three dozen around a corner. “What is going on?”

“I don’t even know what our plan is,” said Rarity, hastily wrapping one of the Ortosian scarves about her neck, then, apparently thinking the better of it, she unwrapped it again and instead slung an ohron full of gems around her neck. “Whatever is going on, what do you two think we can do?”

“No idea,” said Rainbow Dash. She didn’t bother pointing out that despite hints of protest, Rarity was hurrying to leave just as quickly as either of the pegasi. Dash scarfed down one more mouthful of soup-dripping bread. “But I wanna know what’s going on. I’m sure that was Phoreni.” She hurried over to the door and waved for Fluttershy, who struggled to pack up the rest of the food and candy in case any of it spoiled particularly quickly.

“That’s assuming anyone will even want to speak with us,” said Rarity. “Our graces are limited in Cotronna right now, and we don’t know where we stand with Phoreni herself!” She grabbed the key but froze mid-stride towards the door. “In fact, if that was Phoreni…”

“In fact what?” Dash asked, but Rarity did not answer. Instead, the unicorn’s horn lit, and a small tablecloth of some kind hovered from a small cupboard by the short wall by the door to land draped across Dash’s back. “What the hay is that about?”

“I think that’s a good idea,” said Fluttershy, nodding her head at Rarity as though it made perfect sense to her. “Phoreni was really upset about the paint, remember?”

“Of course I remember,” Dash grumped, catching on. “Okay, fine.”

“Exactly. I thought perhaps we could at least try to be a little sensitive this time,” Rarity said, trotting down the stairs. “I don’t know if it will help to simply hide the issue—”

“I get it, I’ll keep my wings out of her face,” said Dash, nodding quickly, eager to get on with it. It wasn’t like she had forgotten Phoreni’s repeated attempts to tell them how it wasn’t a joke to her. How the whole mess with the paint hurt her.

“Well, good. I’m glad we agree.” Rarity flashed a quick smile. “Now let us go see what this is all about. I am certain I have no idea.”

“We know the Ephydoerans flew into the Morrowsworn village,” said Fluttershy. “But we don’t know what happened after that.” She helped Rainbow Dash shut the door, and Rarity locked it right away, the three ponies trotting down the street. Dash didn’t bother joining one of the orderly lines that were re-forming now. She’d grab her friends and fly overhead if a wagon decided to try to run at them.

“Whatever’s up, I wanna know,” said Dash. “We were there. Something’s going on, and this all started because of us! We sent the Ephydoerans the message about the Morrowsworn village!”

Fluttershy nodded quickly. “The Morrowsworn started following us long before then, but I don’t think that matters too much. What matters is that we might be able to help.”

“That’s what I’m thinking,” said Dash.

“If there even is a problem, and they want help,” said Rarity, but despite the skepticism of her words, she sped up, suddenly at the head of the pack. “We are talking in circles regardless. Come on, girls, let’s go!”

Catching up to the Ephydoerans didn’t take half as long as Rainbow Dash had expected. She still remembered how the wardens blended into the forest, moving effortlessly through the trees, but that ease of being clearly did not extend to a city of stone. The ponies simply followed the trail of turned heads and disturbed Cotronnan lines, and a few other locals walked the same way as they, clearly just as curious. Two blocks further on, they saw the tail end of the Ephydoerans, two wardens capping off the sky-and-moss-painted party hemming in a group of six unpainted, among whom Dash recognised Caldesseia, Velysra and Koltares.

“What do we say?” Fluttershy asked.

“No idea,” said Dash.

“I couldn’t say either,” said Rarity. “But if that is indeed Phoreni, it’ll be the first time an introduction does not begin with giving someone our names. A little familiarity—for better or for worse,” she quickly added with the beginnings of a frown. Dash shrugged and pointed ahead.

“It is her, though,” said Dash. She didn’t know exactly when she had gotten good enough at telling peryton apart even at a distance and under a cover of paint, but she was one hundred percent sure. Fluttershy nodded, though she looked nervous at the realisation herself. Rainbow Dash kicked off into a jog, cantering past warden after warden, peryton after peryton. She walked within a few paces of Velysra and Koltares, but they were busy talking amongst themselves in angry tones, so she ignored them right back, drawing level with Phoreni a moment later.

The doe walked at the head of the group, not as crouched-down and awkward as the other wardens, but her eyes darted about the buildings with undisguised confusion.

“You new in town?” Dash asked, walking alongside her and trying to keep from laughing.

Phoreni’s head turned around so fast, Dash wondered for a second if she had given the doe a whiplash. She never imagined she would be able to actually catch her by surprise.

“Rainbow Dash,” said Phoreni. Her step faltered, and she stopped, extending one of her wings to signal the rest of the Ephydoerans to halt as well. She looked over her shoulder to see the other two ponies just as they caught up. “Rarity and Fluttershy, too,” she added, her voice hoarse and breathy. She smiled as wide as Rainbow Dash had ever seen her smile, but it lasted only a second before she schooled her features, shaking her head. “You are here, after all.”

“Pft, where else would we be?” Dash asked, laughing. “I guess this means you got our message, but we already guessed.”

“Did we receive your message? It was… unconventional, but we understood the bird’s meaning, and we also found one who had committed the deed,” she said, gesturing to Rainbow Dash. “The one who stole the… the paint.” Her words trailed off into a brief silence, her eyes falling upon Dash’s back, where the pegasus’s wings were covered by a drab brown tablecloth. One brow quirked in an open question.

“What?” asked Rainbow Dash. “You’re the one who said something about the ‘paint unearned’ or whatever you called it.” She tried to keep the edge out of her voice, but her ears bent of their own accord.

“We didn’t want to remind you, or hurt you any more,” Fluttershy added, nodding.

“Call it damage control, if you wish,” Rarity chimed.

Phoreni’s smile was faint but unmistakable. “Do I think you must cover yourself? Hiding oneself in such a manner serves no purpose, but I understand what it is you seek to do. The gesture is noted.”

“Right. Okay, good,” said Dash, wasting no time in leaning over to fling the stupid itchy tablecloth off to the side, flexing her painted wings. Rarity caught the cloth in her magic and folded it, packing it away into her ohron. “You were saying? What’s happened?”

“Much has happened, and now we find ourselves occupying a city we did not know existed,” Phoreni replied, simply. “We did not plan for this.”

“Wait, what? You accidentally conquered the Morrowsworn city?” Dash asked, blinking.

“Was it an accident? It was… unplanned,” said Phoreni, though she sounded less than thrilled. “Agaus has stayed behind with the majority of the great-flight, and I have much to do in his and the High Warden’s stead. But you made it to Cotronna at last, as you told me was your goal.” She flashed a toothy smile. “I knew you would. Khyrast and I worried much when we saw the ferocity of this year’s storm, but I was not wrong to assume your strength and your size have never seen eye to eye.”

“The storm was scary, but everything that happened in the Cauldron was much scarier,” Fluttershy said, splaying her ears. She leaned a little bit against Rainbow Dash. “A lot has happened to us, too, but if you got our message… well, you probably guessed.” She looked over her back at the cluster of Morrowsworn in the Ephydoerans’ midst, and Dash did, too. For a brief second, Caldesseia looked up at them, but when Dash blinked, the bejewelled doe looked away.

Phoreni nodded. “I can tell that you have seen much happen since last we spoke.” She raised a hoof and pointed to Fluttershy’s mane. “Your… hairs, they are all different. You look unlike yourselves.”

“Yeah. Like she said, stuff happened,” said Rainbow Dash, chuckling. She nuzzled Fluttershy’s cheek. “I like it.”

“But you said… you occupy the city in the mountains?” Rarity asked. “What does that mean, exactly? Nothing bad? I hope we haven’t inconvenienced you terribly much by sending the message.” She frowned. “I don’t know whether you still feel insulted by all the business with Rainbow Dash’s wings and whether or not you are still angry—”

“The less we say of it, the better,” Phoreni said, cutting her off with a shake of her head. “Do I feel I could have acted better? I have acknowledged that I was in the wrong even back then, and to hold on to hurt gains no one. As for the flight over the mountains and our discovery of these lost kin? Your role in it is not to be blamed. What is done is done, that is the wisdom that must prevail this day.”

She looked up, squinting at the roof-tops of the tall buildings surrounding them. “I am taking my flight to the Great Council Hall, and there is much I do not understand still. I must confer with the council and send letters to the High Warden, and then—” she paused, letting out a deep breath. “Then perhaps we can speak? Tomorrow? We have flown hard all day, and I require rest, but I am… glad to see you safe.” Her voice was heavy with emotion even if nothing else about her expression betrayed it at that moment.

“Sounds good to me,” said Dash, nodding along. “We’ve got some catching up to do, I guess.”

“Except, um, well, you know,” said Fluttershy, fidgeting. “We’ve been banished.”

“Oh. Oh yeah, that’s a thing,” said Dash, her ears twitching. “I forgot.”

Phoreni blinked exactly once.

“We’ve been exiled from Cotronna and all the cities, yours included,” said Rarity with affected boredom. “Very droll, but entirely of our own doing. Well. Mostly our own doing, with a touch of overreaction, but I can hardly judge. You’ll probably hear all about it once you talk to the council, especially if you plan on telling them all that happened, given that we are involved.”

“Eh, they said we had to leave in three days yesterday. No matter how you shake it, we’re still good for tomorrow,” said Dash. “We’ll come visit.”

“Dear, I believe the intention is that we have three days to pack up, prepare for the journey and leave town,” said Rarity. “It’s not a license to ‘hang out’ in town for three days.”

“Pft, like they care what we do now,” Dash countered.

“Sorry,” said Fluttershy, giving Phoreni a sheepish smile. “We can probably come visit tomorrow anyway. Where do you think you will be staying? We’re renting a red house just down the road. I think they said it’s ‘third by sixth’ for this part of town.”

Phoreni sighed and shook her head. “You wander from one disgrace to another,” she said, though Dash saw a gleam of humor in her eye. “It is easier if I find out what ‘third by sixth’ means and send word. I do not yet know where we will be, or what will happen. Things are still undecided. I will ask about the terms of your exile, as well, but unless you have done harm to kin—” she said, lingering on that word in question.

“Never!” said Fluttershy. “We just had a misunderstanding.”

“We are not brutes, dear. Do give us some credit,” Rarity scoffed.

“As long as kicking Koltares and a bunch of the others doesn’t count,” Rainbow Dash muttered, sneaking that technicality under her breath. Somehow she doubted that was what Phoreni meant, anyway.

“Then I cannot see what you have done to disgrace yourselves in my own eyes, council or no council,” Phoreni concluded.

“That’s comforting to hear at least,” said Rarity, smiling.

“But!” said Phoreni, raising one wing to the air. The Ephydoerans filling the street behind her perked up. “This talk is not the talk of the future of Perytonia, and that is the conversation I must have with the council now. Will we speak again soon? We have not spoken our last.”

“Sure, see ya!” said Dash, waving as they said their goodbyes. Once again the peryton of Ephydoera stalked down the street, using as much of the space as the curious and bewildered Cotronnans gave them. This time, Dash caught a sad smile from Velysra in passing, the doe walking with her head low. A small but growing group of Cotronnan peryton followed after the party, gesturing vividly and talking amongst themselves.

“I suppose that means we stay in Cotronna for the day, at the very least,” Rarity said, watching the last of the Ephydoerans disappear around the corner of the next block. “Do we have any other unfinished business?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I got nothing. I wanna go see what Phoreni’s up to, but if she needs to talk to the dumb peryton up in the council first, I guess we’ll have to wait. Heh, and speaking of the Ephydoerans and stuff, anypony else think they looked weird in the city? That blue and green looks so stupid here.”

“Um,” said Fluttershy, looking pointedly to Dash’s back.

“Hey, whoa, whoa,” said Dash. “Their blue is cerulean! Mine is more… deep sky. Totally different! And I wear the green better. No contest.”

“Yes, well...” said Rarity. “No comment. Do either of you have suggestions on what we might do to pass the time?”

“Actually, I know a pretty nice café,” said Fluttershy with a lopsided smile. “I found it yesterday when I was… taking a walk.”

“By all means, darling. Lead the way,” said Rarity.

Dash glanced up at the bright and cloudless sky above. It might not be as ridiculously hot as some of the days, but it was hot enough that she wouldn’t mind some shade.

“Yeah, okay. If it’s got something cool to drink, I’m in,” said Dash, shrugging.

“Ryshalos’ Rest?” Rarity asked, her snout creased as she peered at the peryton scrawl on the pole-mounted sign. Like so many other public establishments, the eatery had an open front, but stood out for having not one, but two entire floors lacking a front wall. “Unless you have learned how to read their letters, you must have asked someone what this place is called,” the unicorn said.

“I did spend most of yesterday evening here,” said Fluttershy with a nod. She gestured to an empty table on the second floor, trotting towards stairs set on the back of the ground floor right next to a long bar desk. Rainbow Dash didn’t bother with that. She ducked under Rarity, stood up straight, and took off with the unicorn on her back. Rarity let out a squeal in surprise that lasted exactly as long as it took for Dash to set her back down on the floor, this time on the balcony-like second floor that overlooked the docks.

“Just because we are not yet back in Equestria,” Rarity said, her cheeks flushed, “does not mean that I am baggage to be carried around at your whim!”

“Sure it does,” said Dash, laughing. “Gotta enjoy it while it lasts.” They got more than a few weird looks from the many peryton scattered about the low tables that studded the floor, but nothing more than that. Fluttershy came trotting up the stairs a second later, shaking her head in the mildest of reproaches possible.

“Speaking of while it lasts,” said Rarity, brushing imaginary dust off her chest. “What did Princess Luna have to say about transport back home to Equestria?”

“I didn’t ask,” said Rainbow Dash, scratching at her snout. “We kinda had more important stuff to talk about.”

“More important—” Rarity sputtered.

“Yeah. Like fixing stuff with you guys. She helped me out big time,” said Dash, holding her gaze. She ran a wing along Fluttershy’s back and smiled, and Fluttershy smiled back, stopping Rarity short.

“Well. I see,” said Rarity, clearing her throat noisily. “I… yes, I suppose there are some things that are more important. Forget I said anything at all. But that’s the second or third time you’ve failed to ask the Princess about our return. You do realise that at this rate, we are going to have to find somewhere outside of town to sleep while we wait.”

“It’s not such a bad thing, is it?” Fluttershy asked, taking a seat between the two ponies. She smiled at Rarity. “We have a lot of experience sleeping outside now, and we could always pick up a bigger tarp or a new blanket tomorrow to make it a little more cozy. Maybe even a tent? Besides, I think the weather is getting a lot better.”

“Just because we have been on the longest camping trip of my life does not mean I am eager to go on another one,” Rarity said. “In fact, I believe I am cured of camping urges for the rest of my life.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Oh come on. It’s been fun!”

“Do they serve drinks here, then?” Rarity asked, changing the topic completely and turning to Fluttershy. Dash knew why. Not only did Rarity not deny that she’d had a good time, Dash was pretty sure she had caught a smile lurking under that frown. “Cold cider or grape juice? Anything?” Rarity continued, fluffing her shortened mane.

“Oh, I think they have both, even if their cider is a little different,” Fluttershy replied, nodding and smiling. “You order at the bar, and they can bring it up if you like. I don’t know what their prices are like, though. I didn’t bring any money last time, but someone bought me something to eat.”

“Anything good? I smelled something vegetable-y downstairs. What did you have yesterday?” Dash asked.

“We ate just before we left, dear,” said Rarity. “That was less than an hour ago. You cannot possibly be hungry again, unless that’s Pinkie Pie in there somewhere, dressed up as—” she went quiet for a half second, then shook her head. “No, I’m reasonably sure you’re Rainbow Dash.”

Dash rolled her eyes. “Ha ha.”

“They grilled and salted some vegetables,” said Fluttershy. She stared at Rainbow Dash with open curiosity. “But speaking of food and weather, actually… it really is getting a little less hot these days. Summer’s been over in Equestria for a long time now. You don’t think that’s why you’re hungry now?”

“Huh. Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash. She glanced down at her own chest and ran a hoof along her coat. “I guess that’s it.”

Rarity made an inquisitive noise, her snout creased. “Your winter coat is coming in now? It’s still hotter than any day we’ve ever had in Ponyville, that’s ridiculous.”

Dash shrugged. “It takes a long time for pegasi to get our winter coats, and it has nothing to do with temperature or whatever. Can you imagine what a mess that would be? We play around with weather all the time, and it’d be really dumb if we started getting shaggy while making something that’s not on-season! It’s just the time of year.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Don’t you remember last year? Twilight wanted to study us because she had never heard of it.” She giggled. “I guess Canterlot’s libraries don’t have a lot of volumes about pegasus physiology.”

Rarity chuckled and shook her head. “I must have missed it. That must be a bother, though. I would perish if I got mine while in Perytonia. It shouldn’t be any later than early or mid fall back in Ponyville.”

“Like I said, we get it real slow,” said Dash. “Shouldn’t be a problem.”

“And besides, Rainbow Dash always gets hers early,” said Fluttershy. She extended a wing to rest it lightly on Dash’s back. Dash scooted closer until she sat flank to flank with Fluttershy. She meant to insist on food again, but from where she sat now, she faced the missing wall of the eatery, looking out over the docks unobstructed by any guard railings or anything.

The dockside traffic was as orderly as the rest of Cotronna, and though the peryton here did not hide in the shade like the Vauhornites did mid-day, there was a relaxation to their movement that was so very peryton.

The ships, the masts and the rigging, the bustle of peryton loading and unloading cargo—all the sedate chaos of the docks just across the street and beyond the boardwalk obstructed their view of the sea, and though Cotronna was unique among the other cities, so were they all. All unique, but with the same essential core of the peryton people. Rainbow Dash had almost gotten used to it now. Used to the constant surprises and re-adjustments, to trying to understand new peryton. She was almost as used to the sight of peryton and their cities as she was to watching ponies walk by Sugarcube corner while she had a lunch muffin.

“Rainbow? Are you quite alright?” Rarity asked.

“Yeah,” said Dash, shaking off her thoughts and tearing her eyes off the streets and the glittering ocean. “It’s been a while, huh?”

“Hm?” asked Rarity.

“You mean since we left Equestria,” Fluttershy guessed. Dash felt her tail touch against her back.

“Yeah,” said Dash. She forced an awkward chuckle. “You know, at first when we got here, I thought it was weird whenever they talked about ‘seasons’ instead of months as a time thing, but we’ve actually been here for a full season.”

“One or two, depending on whether they count first and second summer as separate seasons,” Rarity mused, her eyes on the docks now as well. “But we’re getting uncomfortably close to starting our third month abroad, I believe.”

“Jeez,” was all Dash had to say to that.

“Did you want something to drink? And maybe something to eat?” Fluttershy asked, seeming rather less fazed by that particular truth. She got up and gestured to the stairs. “If one of you come with me, I’m sure I can handle ordering and everything.”

“I’ll come with you,” said Dash, grinning at her.

Many hours later, they still sat at the same table, chatting and glancing out to sea. Though dark threatened, the peryton were fastidious about keeping the streets clear around the docks, probably owing to the many great wagons that rolled by. Whenever one of them rumbled along the cobbles outside Ryshalos’ Rest, talk was impossible for a good half minute.

Rainbow Dash had slung a foreleg around Fluttershy’s neck, the two pegasi sitting as close as they possibly could, and Fluttershy had grabbed Rarity with a wing, pulling her closer as well until the three ponies sat side by side at a table littered with empty bowls of all sizes and shapes.

“Do you know,” said Rarity, frowning. “I am going to miss it.”

“The city, or Perytonia?” Dash asked. “Yeah, me too,” she added before Rarity even replied.

“It would be nice to have a little more time, even if we made some mistakes,” said Fluttershy, nodding her head. “We’ve actually spent as long here as we have in any of the cities, haven’t we? I wish we had stayed longer in Orto.”

“All the other cities,” Rarity murmured in agreement, covering a yawn with a hoof. “Especially Stagrum with its bathhouses.”

“I’m sure they have something like it here, somewhere,” said Fluttershy, giggling. “Maybe we can visit a bathhouse tomorrow before we leave.”

“A last hurrah, in a sense,” said Rarity, smiling back at her. “Yes. I like that idea.”

“Sure,” said Dash, stretching lazily before she put her wing back in place. She pushed her snout up under Fluttershy’s jaw, causing the other pegasus to make a little squeaking noise. Success.

“But,” said Rarity, slowly disentangling herself from the other two ponies. “As much as I do stand by the sentiment, I am very much eager to get home to Equestria, to Ponyville, and to Carousel Boutique again, assuming it still stands. You will let Princess Luna know to come pick us up when you go to sleep, won’t you, Rainbow Dash?”

“Yeah, I need to talk to her anyway,” said Dash, nodding absent-mindedly, but even as she did so, she realised that the notion bothered her. Not because she necessarily wanted to stick around and munch on phela, vegetable soup or kelp for the rest of her life—she shuddered when she remembered that kelp cakes were a thing—but because she felt like there was something else she should, or could be doing.

“Maybe we can go back to our house anyway,” Fluttershy suggested. “I wouldn’t mind.” Rarity nodded her agreement and stood, stretching out her limbs.

“Let’s,” said the unicorn. “With luck, perhaps we can find something else to do tonight on our way back home. If we can find a copy of the board game I played with Neisos, that would be wonderful—I can teach you to play.”

“Sounds good,” said Dash, smiling at that. She pointed to one of their neighbouring tables where a group of peryton hunched around a bunch of small stone game pieces, their antlers glowing in turn as they moved them about. “Those guys over there are playing something. Let’s ask them where they got it.”

She definitely didn’t feel done. Rarity had mentioned unfinished business earlier in the day, and Rainbow Dash was sure they still had some. Presently, Rainbow Dash lay in bed between Rarity and Fluttershy, leaning against the latter and idly playing with a hoof along her leg. Fluttershy smiled in her sleep, and Rarity leaned against Dash in turn. Their backs was a mess of interlocked wings that would require serious preening if they slept like this, but at least their manes were too short to get tangled.

Not the worst way to sleep. Possibly the best way to sleep, really. Rainbow Dash had her girlfriend back, and Rarity was cooler than ever before. Things had changed, and changed again, and ignoring the whole failing their mission and disappointing the Princesses detail, she couldn’t be happier.

And she had no desire to close her eyes. Rainbow Dash quested her hoof a little further up, resting it where Fluttershy’s foreleg met her body.

If she closed her eyes, she would sleep. If she slept, Luna would come by, and she’d have to talk in earnest about how they failed. Annoying, but true. Then she’d have to ask the Princesses to send someone to get them—and what if Luna just said “okay” and whisked them back to Equestria in an instant? Apparently she was crazy magical and could probably do that. If she could turn a monster into a rainy snake and some stupid burning bird, dumping the three ponies back in Ponyville couldn’t be all that hard, could it?

Okay, odds of that happening were slim, but point remained that she wanted to see Phoreni first. She didn’t feel done. She didn’t feel finished until she knew what would happen to the Morrowsworn. Her eyelids drooped, and she covered up a great yawn. Fluttershy shifted a little, nuzzling her in her sleep. Dash smiled and sighed contentedly as she thought.

If she never fell asleep, she couldn’t contact Princess Luna. That much was obvious, and obvious stuff made for the best plans. Dash grinned to herself and began the laborious but necessary process of sneaking out of bed without waking either of her friends.

Chapter 45

Ohrinna,

Deimesa and I have gone to the ravenry. We will fly, and so be there before you return and read this, but come to us, and quickly. We have brought slivers with which to purchase raven-wings, quill and ink. If you have not yet heard criers or visited the wall today, I will explain, but think on when Pelessa stumbled into Vestrus’ court and was denied. That will put you in the right frame of mind.

-Neisos

First Teacher Khyrast

The High Warden calls you to the lodge. Come to Helesseia’s Promise as soon as these words reach you.

This relates to the letter posted on the upper wall.

-High Warden

Mirossa, littlest feather mine,

I have gone to market. If you rise before I return, will you clean the kitchen?

Also, you went to sleep angry, and I think now that I was wrong to deny you. I have read and heard the same words as you. I think the missive from Cotronna is unjust, and I have been unjust as well. Phostos’ scales are never balanced by two unjust deeds. This means much to you, and even if a raven’s flight is not cheap, the Hymn earns enough slivers that we can afford it. On my way back from market, I will speak with the dockmistress of ravens and words.

I do not know this will do what you hope, but I will add my words to yours.

Your friend Rohast visited to give you all he has to help buy you this raven. I turned him away because his bronze is more precious to him than mine is to me, but I wished to mention it.

-N

Ligilia

The Equestrians guested at your Heavenly Song upon first arriving in fair Orto, and I prepare to send today this letter that I should have sent long ago. As you spoke warmly of them when we last met, I thought perhaps you would like to add your words to mine before I entrust this missive to the ravens, but hurry. I wish to send this before the sun reaches its zenith.

-Khaird

“I cannot believe you, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said all in a huff, her voice muffled for a few seconds when she disappeared behind the heavy curtains. She returned from the kitchen a second later, sipping from a bowl of water. “—irresponsible and downright silly. Why haven’t you slept tonight?”

Rainbow Dash chuckled and rubbed at her eyes with the nook of a leg. “Because I was too… uh, excited and happy we’re all friends again?”

“Yes. That is it, I am sure,” said Rarity with a blank look. “Darling—”

“Because I have the coolest girlfriend ever, and stayed up all night thinking about it?” Dash tried, tilting her head, grinning.

Rarity rolled her eyes, while Fluttershy just shook her head and smiled, not even blushing this time. Maybe it was a little too silly. Fluttershy was still focused on the scroll that lay on the table anyway.

“Because,” said Rainbow Dash sticking out her tongue as she thought. “Oh, I got it! I felt really bad about los—er, about letting you beat me at this stupid game yesterday, and I stayed up trying to think of some new moves?” She pointed to the game board and the pieces scattered about. Vossos’ Vaunted Protocols was probably the lamest board game anyone had ever made.

Rarity just stared at her now, not betraying any emotion whatsoever. Dash flung her forelegs in the air.

“Fine! Because I didn’t want to tell Luna to get us back home, because I wanna see what’s up with Phoreni first,” said Dash, her cheeks flushing. “It’s our fault. Fluttershy’s the one who said that we should see if we can help, and I’m with her. I wanna help. There. Happy?”

Rarity sighed, deflating a touch and pushing the water bowl over to Rainbow Dash. “No, dear,” she said. “I’m not happy with it. Getting us home will take days even if they do have a fast airship ready for this express purpose, so I still think it’s silly to not even talk to the Princess if you had the chance, but,” she said, raising her voice and barreling on before Dash could defend herself. “I can’t really complain if your heart is in the right place. I certainly feel a little responsible for whatever transpired in the mountains as well, so consider my question retracted.”

“Yeah,” Dash muttered. “I just wanna go see what’s up, you know? Make sure that stuff’s gonna be okay. Then we’re done. Then we can go home. Speaking of which, any luck, Fluttershy? Is it a map?”

Fluttershy nodded slightly. “Sort of. I’m very glad that Phoreni remembered we can’t read their writing, and she was very good at giving directions to us when we were travelling through the Splitwood,” she said, the pegasus’ voice trailing off into silence.

“But?” Dash asked, leaning over to give the scroll another look, but she gave up before she even tried to understand the mess of lines and circles.

“But I guess they’re used to looking for very different landmarks,” Fluttershy said. “They haven’t drawn in any of the streets, just some buildings. We could follow the trail, but I think they’re in the inner circle, in one of the buildings. It would probably be faster just to go there and look.”

“Oh. Cool. The place with the council and stuff. We’re really popular there,” Dash said laying her ears flat.

“This would have all been a lot easier if they had simply knocked on our door and told us where they are,” said Rarity. “I can’t believe you didn’t hear them push this note under the door.”

“I said I didn’t sleep, that doesn’t mean I didn’t doze off once or twice,” Rainbow Dash replied, shrugging. “I woke up when my head hit the table though. I feel fine now.”

“It’s a wonder the table is unhurt, if you ask me,” Rarity muttered, shaking her head. “Shall we?”

Rainbow Dash wondered if she imagined it, or if there was something different in the air. At first she thought the news of their impending exile had finally spread, but with how well organised Cotronna was, every peryton in the city probably already knew, and somehow she doubted that the ponies were the cause of the nervous energy that flowed through the city.

The peryton didn’t give the ponies the stink-eye or anything, but people talked louder and looked around as though there was something to see. Though they saw no Ephydoerans, there was plenty evidence that their passing had left the entire city anxious. That, or there was some weird Perytonian holiday going on, but Rainbow Dash didn’t know of any holidays that made an entire city stand on edge. At least no pony holidays.

When they reached the great circular street that ran the outside of the large park, Dash knew something was up. When they entered the inner circle, she felt reasonably sure she knew what was up—or at least where.

“Guess we don’t need directions to find out where Phoreni and the wardens are, huh,” said Dash. “I have a hunch.”

The three ponies halted at the edge of the inner circle plaza. Just as before, the ring of large, official-looking buildings spread out before them. Unlike before, a disproportionate amount of the peryton were gathered around the building on the other side of the Hall of Scrolls from the Great Council Hall. The building was a little larger than the council building, a little less full of doors, but otherwise didn’t look entirely dissimilar—excepting the four wardens posted by the main door, their colours a stark contrast against the grey-white stone.

A semicircle of sash-wearing peryton stood between the Ephydoerans and the crowd, watching or talking to the other peryton gathered around them.

“It doesn’t look like a… a riot, at least,” said Fluttershy. She shuffled her wings nervously. “So that’s good.”

“It hardly even looks like a protest, if you ask me, but clearly they are concerned,” said Rarity, humming in thought. The peryton moving to and fro the Great Council Hall and the Hall of Scrolls were tiny gatherings compared to the sea of peryton outside this third building. “I wish the note from Phoreni explained—”

“‘Explained’ nothing,” said Dash, flexing her wings. “Let’s ask her ourselves, c’mon! Rarity, hop on!”

“Um, I don’t know if they’ll be very happy with us coming in flying really fast, actually,” said Fluttershy. She remained very still, glancing nervously at Rarity.

“I agree,” said Rarity, nodding. “If things are tense, perhaps we should just walk, dear. Surely you remember that the Ephydoerans in particular are of a… let us call it a cautious disposition.”

“Feh, fine,” Dash snorted, trotting towards the crowd. They made their way between a large group of peryton engaged in animated discussion, then past the rows of benches and the podium at the centre, ever occupied. Soon after, they had to walk single file to pass, more and more peryton gathered the closer they got to the unremarkable building.

“Coming through!” said Rainbow Dash, ducking between two peryton, nudging them aside. “Important business! Probably!”

“Sorry,” said Fluttershy at the rear-end of their echelon.

“Ow,” said Rarity. Probably because Rainbow Dash had stopped abruptly, making the unicorn collide with her. She didn’t really have much choice, coming face to face with a sash-wearing peryton who blocked her path without even looking at her, the taller stag staring straight ahead over and past her.

“No meetings for the public have been set up at this time,” said the stag in a voice clearly hoarse from overuse. “If you have questions, missives and declarations will be on the wall—and young little claws should not be here, it is dangerous to step between the legs of—oh. You are no children,” said the stag, staring at Rainbow Dash through a plain frown.

“Wow, figured that out, huh?” said Dash, sighing. “We need to talk—”

“No admittance,” said the stag in a bored voice, shaking his head and taking his eyes off her. “If you have questions, missives will be on the wall.”

“Is there a problem?” Dash heard Rarity’s voice from behind her, somewhere between the press of peryton. “Why have we stopped?”

“There’s no problem!” Dash shot back. “Hey! Maybe you didn’t hear me, because you didn’t let me speak. We’re here to see Phoreni, who’s apparently in charge of those painted peryton who are like… right over there! Hey!”

“Are those the Equestrians? Let them pass!” a voice called from by the door. One of the Ephydoerans waved a foreleg, and Rainbow Dash tried not to look smug when the sashed stag stepped aside. She probably failed, and the stag himself didn’t look very bothered anyway. She waited for Rarity and Fluttershy before they together made their way towards the door.

The Ephydoerans nodded at the ponies, but they were so out of place posted by the stone building, Dash wanted to laugh. The four wardens stood with the rigidity of the uncomfortable, not the stoic detachment of the royal guard. Dash pushed the door open since it didn’t really look like any of the Ephydoerans were about to do it for them.

An office-like room waited on the other side, all desks and scroll-cases much like the forechamber of the Great Council Hall, but while there was less noise inside than the buzz of the crowd on the other side of the door, there was plenty of activity in here as well.

On one side of the room, a small clump of peryton gathered around a table so tiny it nearly disappeared between them. On the other side, Phoreni and two others were engaged in discussion that abruptly ended when the ponies entered. Dash recognised the other painted peryton stood with Phoreni as the Ephydoeran ambassador from the council, a stag with no marks shaved into his flank, but she didn’t know the last of the group of three.

“I think perhaps it is good for me to leave,” said the unpainted stag with a glance at the ponies.

“Do I believe that is best? I think perhaps you should stay a moment longer,” said Phoreni, first holding a hoof out to still the stag, then waving to the ponies. Dash glanced at her friends and shrugged, walking towards them. The unpainted stag raised his head a touch and spread both his wings out from his body, giving them an arch look.

“You do not understand. These Equestrians have given Cotronna and all the cities grave offense. I do not bear them ill will myself, but they must leave by the morning day, and as a consul—”

“The letter has been read to me, I understand what has happened,” said Phoreni, shaking her head slightly. “Their visit to me has nothing to do with council proceedings and offenses, real or imagined.”

“While we speak of offense,” said the ambassador, his voice as gravelly as any Dash had ever heard. His eyes fell upon Rainbow Dash’s back. “One flies the paint. I have read letters from Ephydoera from one of my loved ones. I have read words of banishment and exile of guests from our city for thievery of paint.”

Rainbow Dash meant to reply. Her wings itched, willing her to fly up and thrust her face up in the stag’s grill, but Phoreni closed her eyes for a second, and though she made no sound, Dash saw her body move with a sigh.

“Then you must tell those you love to send raven-borne words more often, Parshos, and you would hear that the High Warden has reconsidered,” said Phoreni. “I expect you to follow her in this. And as for you, consul, I remind you that we are here now because Ephydoera, and by extension through our compacts, Perytonia has failed to protect diplomats who were, at the time, in all our good graces—” she paused only for long enough to extract a nod from the consul. “—and failed to protect them from our own kin, no less.”

Rainbow Dash slowed down, stopping the group of ponies a small distance away from the three peryton. Being around when other people argued was awkward. Being the subject of that argument was awkwarder—or was that ‘more awkward’? Both?

“I do not know how loudly this speaks in their defence,” said the consul, shaking his head slowly from side to side, one wing flicking at the air. “It is lamentable that Ephydoera has been neglectful. It harms us all. But whether this situation is something to be thankful for is yet to be decided.”

“Do I know the tone of the stories that will come from this? Not yet,” said Phoreni, flashing a scowl. “But while you decide, ensure that the fire in your heart is Helesseia-born, and not sourced in Esorys’ darkest stories.” She turned to face the ponies in full. “But Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity. You come at last.”

“Yeah, no thanks to your ‘map’,” said Dash with a grin, but she didn’t enjoy seeing Phoreni stressed out like this. She had never before heard the quiet and reserved doe talk this much in so short a time, and while Dash’d had a lot of time to learn to understand peryton, she now came face to face with the first doe who answered to the word haggard. Phoreni looked more tired than Rainbow Dash, and Dash hadn’t slept all night.

“We came as soon as we saw your note,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her. “It’s good to see you, but… if you don’t mind me asking, how are you doing?”

“Darling, you look awful,” said Rarity, eschewing Fluttershy’s gentle poke in favour of a mallet. Clearly, Rainbow Dash wasn’t the only one to have noticed.

Phoreni shook her head and let out a soft, clucking caw, her laughter momentarily silencing the talk from the other table. “Am I in good health? I live well, but my flight and I have flown much and hard lately, and this… this—” she said, waving a leg at the room and everything in it. “It is not restful to minds such as mine. We face an event that I do not even fully understand. I am bewildered. We have found lost kin who have harmed guests and stolen from us, kin who may have driven creatures from the Bow into our lands to harm us. It is hard to understand this. It is hard to understand them.”

The consul nodded. “There are no protocols that adequately cover these events. These kin are different from all other, we do not understand how to proceed.”

Rainbow Dash tried to hold back her laughter, but she didn’t put a lot of effort into it. It escaped her mouth as a guffaw become a snort and a giggle, earning her a raised eyebrow from Phoreni, a blank stare from the unusually stoic ambassador, and a frown from the consul.

“Um, Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy asked, tilting her head. “What is it?”

“If this is hysterical insomnia, I have to say, you could have timed it better,” Rarity commented.

“No, no, jeez, it’s nothing like that,” said Dash, still chuckling to herself. “It’s just… they’re different? Wow! Okay, have you not noticed how super different all of you are?” she asked. Rainbow Dash wrapped a wing around Fluttershy’s barrel and yanked her close, making the other pegasus yelp. “It’s funny because you guys are the ones who reminded me that that’s fine!” She scratched her snout. “Well, actually, Luna did, using you as an example, and maybe an old doe I talked to, but that’s not the point!”

Now she had their attention at least. Dash shook her head as she went on. “Sure, the Morrowsworn are freaky and weird, and yeah, they acted really stupid, but they hurt us, not you. If they stole a few wagons of kelp or whatever, that’s really dumb, but so what? And monsters? You think they did that? Come on! They understand the Cauldron—which is what the Bow it’s really called by the way. They understand it way better than any of you, but they sure as hay haven’t sent any monsters your way!”

“Well, we don’t strictly know that,” Rarity murmured.

“We heard them talk about the cities. They really only seemed interested in learning. Or, well, spying, I guess,” Fluttershy replied. “And if they don’t talk to Yelgadar or Odasthan, I doubt they know about the ruined tunnel that was in Yelgadar’s territory.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Sure, but who cares about a little bit of ‘spying’?”

“They might care,” said Rarity, her tone warning. “But I agree, really. From what we understand, or rather, from what we now hopefully understand, if your people generally enjoy this distant cooperation, unity at a leg’s length, then what is the issue?”

The consul’s gaze flitted between the ponies and Phoreni, and Phoreni herself smiled toothily.

“Now you see why I wished to see the Equestrians, Consul. Do you hear them? Nothing they say is false.”

“Except,” said the ambassador, beating the consul to the punch. “Do we trust their words on the matter of the Bow? I do not know that I am ready to seek counsel from them on this.”

Rarity scoffed. “Just because we are technically exiled, or waiting-to-be-exiled, doesn’t mean we are lying. I don’t see why the Morrowsworn would attack you by sending monsters your way.”

“And I trust them,” Phoreni said, her tone ironclad. “If they say our kin are not the cause of the creatures spilling from the Bow, then I have no reason to doubt.”

“From what we understand, the ‘glare beasts’ that trouble you travel through a tunnel, and the passage is supposed to be a ghastly place. I wouldn’t be surprised if the hydra and whatever other nasty creatures you struggle with come from the same place,” said Rarity. “If you’re truly interested, it should be in the southeast of the Cauldron, so if anyone has a map, Fluttershy could no doubt help you find the general area.” The unicorn gestured to a suddenly wide-eyed pegasus.

“Oh. Oh goodness, I mean, I guess we could try if we had maps of both the Cauldron and Perytonia and cross-referenced them, but it could be anywhere—”

“It matters less than some other things regardless,” the consul interrupted her, shaking his head. While he spoke, Dash turned her head to see a stocky, unpainted peryton slip inside through the main door. “This is an Ephydoeran issue, and if you wish to chase this, then you do so on your own authority, but the main issue remains unsolved—even if we welcome this perspective the Equestrians bring.”

Dash blinked, a little taken aback by the consul’s tone and words. He sounded genuinely appreciative and regretful both at once, and now he turned to face the new arrival who trotted over to the group.

“Consul Alagrass,” said the plump doe, her head bowed and one wing extended. “You said to let you know if yet more letters arrived.”

The consul sighed. “I did say this, and I suspected when I said it that I would find no rest.”

“Yet more letters have arrived.”

“I understood your point, yes, thank you,” said the consul. He bowed his head tilted sideways, offering Phoreni and the ambassador a weird nod. “We will speak more later.”

Phoreni nodded in return. “Do I think it likely? I believe it is inevitable we shall wear our voices out this day and the next. Farewell, consul.”

“I will leave and see about these letters myself,” Ambassador Parshos rumbled in agreement, following the consul and the messenger. Neither the ponies nor Phoreni spoke while the unpainted peryton all left, and the moment the door closed, the wardens over by the other table abandoned their work—whatever they had been doing—and moved to join Phoreni.

“Come,” said Phoreni to the ponies, blinking heavily. She pointed to a hallway entrance in the far side of the room, approaching at a slow walk while she turned to the Ephydoerans.

“Eirethyn, yours is the vigil in this room. Wake me if any should enter. Sleep two at a time if you must, but make sure the captives and those who guard them are cared for—and find something fresh for us to eat. Food that is plucked today!” she barked, leading the ponies away. Dash grinned privately as the peryton scattered and formed little groups right away, two of them disappearing out the door, two heading down another hallway, and two staying put.

“If you all want to be friends, and you’re not upset with them because of what they stole,” said Fluttershy, looking up at the taller doe as they walked down a wide and simple hallway, “then why is everything still so… well, why is everyone still worried?”

“I do not know the word ‘worried’ is what all of us feel,” said Phoreni. She pointed to the first room on their left, herding them all into a smallish chamber with rows of simple makeshift beds. Some other furniture had clearly been moved to make room, the stone tiles lighter in places where tables and benches had been moved. An apparatus of some kind still dominated a corner, a board placed over a large, empty vat.

“Even if Consul Alagrass sees the wisdom of your words, and I think he will, the disposition of the Cotronnan consul, this confusion and chaos and all things new—it is only half the challenge,” said Phoreni. The powerful doe walked up to the window and stared out for a second, but all Dash could see beyond was the Hall of Scrolls’ side wall. Phoreni turned away and sat down next to one of the beds, rather than on it.

“I will argue for the council to accept your words. In your words I hear the promise of making allies of these Morrowsworn, and of course kin wish to understand and help kin, even if they are new to us.” The peryton doe shook her head and smiled slightly at the ponies as Rainbow Dash sat down on the floor next to her, followed by Rarity and Fluttershy. “Once the fear has gone,” said Phoreni, “the cities will consider this. They will seek counsel in each other—or, as Cotronna does, vote in their councils.”

Rarity tilted her head sideways. “I don’t see the problem in any of what you have just told us, dear. Is there something we don’t understand?”

“Is there something you are missing? I will tell you,” said Phoreni, nodding. “For anything to happen, for this to move beyond occupation and captivity, we must of course also seek counsel with the Morrowsworn themselves, but they do not wish to speak. They have no consensus. No counsel-group as do we in the Grove, no council as they hold in Cotronna. We cannot talk to them.”

“Yeah, well, duh,” said Dash, snorting. “Because they don’t have a council.”

“They have one leader,” said Fluttershy, smiling at Phoreni. “Just like we had only one Princess until recently, they have a Guide. You should probably start by talking to her.”

“Even if she is a rather insufferable personage,” Rarity muttered under her breath. “But yes, I don’t see why this is so hard to understand. Your councils are very strange to us, but you report directly to your High Warden. You of all peryton should be able to grasp the concept of a single leader.”

Phoreni folded her forelegs in front of her, listening intently, but when the ponies said their last, she shook her head. “Do I fully understand this? I do not see how one person can speak for all. The High Warden is one leader, the roots of one tree in a grove that forms the counsel-group, much like other councils, even if it is far smaller than the Cotronnan council. To think that one like the High Warden should decide on matters that are not of safety? To decide on all things?” Phoreni snorted.

“Perhaps it can be imagined, but if that was our challenge, I would at least be aware of it. Instead, they are fractured. They argue and fight, and we struggle to keep them from harming each other. They do not speak with one voice. They speak in discordant voices. They do not seek counsel, but seek to warp the words of the other. We cannot make peace with those who can neither speak nor listen.”

“Oh,” said Fluttershy, her ears wilting. “That’s… different from what we saw. I guess something must have changed.”

Phoreni inclined her head slightly. “Still, as Consul Alagrass has said, your perspective may help. It may help convince the council that more kin are to be welcomed, not viewed with distrust.” She let out a low cawing laugh. “Politics. Did I think this would ever be my life? I did not think any of my days would ever be like this one, but now I must prepare for more of them. Already I long for the shade of the Khosta and soil under my claws.”

“I hear you, sister,” Dash said, shaking her head and chuckling. “And I guess it’s not just the ‘politics’, Cotronna’s a bit weird to you too, huh? I bet you’re twice as weirded out as we were when we first got here,” Dash grinned to herself, even though she already knew that Phoreni wouldn’t consider it a problem.

“Their methods of greeting are complicated, and I do not enjoy their city,” said Phoreni, shaking her head. “But do I worry about this? I make no assumptions, and I make no judgment. Theirs are different tasks from ours.”

“Heh, yeah. I knew you’d say that,” said Rainbow Dash, yawning and stretching. “Or something like that. I get it now.”

“Speaking of politics,” said Rarity, “shouldn’t the High Warden or the others in this counsel-group weigh in on this? Surely your superiors can help with these matters.”

Phoreni’s ears twitched. “Word has not arrived from the Grove. A missive already waited here when I arrived. The High Warden and the others say this is for me to deal with, but I struggle without competent counsel here and now.”

“You’ve got us, at least,” said Fluttershy, smiling.

Dash snickered. “Dunno about ‘competent’, but yeah.”

“For another day and no more,” said Phoreni, sighing softly.

“As we keep forgetting,” Rarity added.

“Have I enjoyed this moment? It has been good to see you,” said Phoreni. She gave them a head-only bow, tilting her head forward until her muzzle lay flat along her neck and smiled toothily. “I feared for a moment I would not get to say goodbye, and even now I will not say it. I will visit you before you leave, or if I do not get this chance, find you upon the road. I have one final matter I wish to discuss, and it cannot be that difficult to find your bright and colourful selves here for one eager to use her wings. All is open ground with nowhere to hide."

“What is it?” asked Fluttershy. “Is something wrong?”

“Is something wrong? No, nothing is wrong,” said Phoreni, pausing to let out an undisguised yawn. “Finally, I will speak again to the council when I have a moment. I spoke to Consul Alagrass about your exile, but he told me to send my ‘complaint’ in letter form.”

“Bureaucracy,” Rarity said with a sigh.

Phoreni shrugged. “I will have Eirethyn assist me in creating such a letter. She is strong with her words, and has written missives for the High Warden, but I do not think one voice alone will matter much.”

“That’s okay. It was our mistake anyway. I think we’re just going to ask the Princesses to send someone else to try again sometime,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head.

“Yeah. Thanks for trying anyway,” said Dash, smiling her thanks. “We didn’t really understand any of you peryton at first, and I think we kinda do now. Maybe we—eh, maybe Rarity and Fluttershy can write a book about do’s and don’ts for Perytonia or something.”

“Did I understand you when first we met? I did not, either, but now I would bond with you if only you roosted in the Grove as I,” said Phoreni, nodding gravely. “Now I must have my rest before I am woken to attend again. This is a challenge for Perytonia unlike any we have faced, but this is our challenge, not yours, and we will find our path. We will talk again later, hopefully not only to say our farewells.”

Rainbow Dash grinned at Rarity. “That’s totally what she said.”

“I would hardly be bothered if Phoreni had proposed to me—to us,” said Rarity with a huff. “But that is simply not what happened.”

“That’s what they called it in Ephydoera,” said Dash, cackling. “Phoreni was ‘bonded’ to Khyrast!”

“I don’t think that’s what they called it exactly,” said Fluttershy. She shook her head. “I think she said that they were bonded in love.”

“Details! I still think it counts as a marriage proposal,” said Dash, poking Rarity with a wing. “Why else would she say that stuff about if we lived in the Grove, huh?”

“It wasn’t a proposal,” Rarity snapped. “It simply was not!”

“Oh wow!” said Dash, gasping in pretend shock. “You are totally bothered by it. This is good.”

Rarity sighed. “No, dear, I am not. I am flattered, and Phoreni is wonderful, if a touch challenging to co-exist with, but I have ample experience in that department.” She shot Dash a look. “I simply do not accept that my first marriage proposal came in a casual conversation in some dusty and disused office building while discussing politics. Besides, bonding and marriage is not even remotely the same thing.”

“Eh, whatever,” said Dash, brushing the topic away with a wave of a wing, bored now that Rarity actually wasn’t outraged any more. She had teased the unicorn about it all the while as they had caught a quick meal at a café right outside the inner ring. Dash yawned and began turning right at the next street before she realised that the others were going left. She hastily corrected her mistake, pretending at nothing.

“Speaking of marriage, however,” said Rarity, arching one brow.

“Rarity, we’ve been together for barely a month,” said Fluttershy with a shake of her head and a laugh.

“Well. You will let me know if you want someone to help organise such an occasion,” said Rarity, leaving little room for discussion.

“Who marries these days anyway?” Dash asked. She trotted back into the street, walking side by side with her friends, accepting the mandatory smattering of odd looks from peryton when she defied their orderly lines.

“It’s not very popular outside of old-fashioned unicorns and royalty, I will grant you that,” Rarity replied with an arch look. “That doesn’t mean ponies of all kinds can’t decide they appreciate a lovely ceremony. I, for one, think it’s a wonderful way to display affection for someone.”

“Uh-huh,” said Dash. She glanced over at Fluttershy, but her girlfriend just smiled at her, and Dash smiled back. Dash didn’t much care for the idea, but for once in her life, she was in no hurry to decide, either. Rainbow Dash heard a cart approaching so she took wing and flew overhead while it passed. Another one followed soon after, forcing her to stay aloft for a bit, level with the rooftops. The sun approached its zenith.

Their last day in the city. Tomorrow they would be expected to leave. While it was nice to see Phoreni again—doubly so if they had helped kick some sense into the peryton trying to figure out what to do with the Morrowsworn—Dash couldn’t help feeling that it was sad this entire trip ended so simply, so quietly. She wasn’t exactly about to pick a fight about getting kicked out, of course not, but...

But what? She felt there was more they could do, obviously. The realisation came to her easily enough now that she had her confidence back, and Fluttershy was both at her side and led the way all at once. Dash’s brain wasn’t busy running in circles any more. She wondered how often she had been paralysed by doubt during their journey. How often had she let her own worries convince her that she, that they were anything less than awesome? When had she started believing that there was anything the ponies could not do?

Point was, there was time and space for more doing. Awesome ponies did not go out with a whimper. The second cart passed by underneath her, and Dash let herself fall back down to the ground next to Rarity and Fluttershy.

“—sleep at one of the farms, perhaps. Do you think that counts as the ‘city’?” Rarity was saying.

“I think we should leave the area, probably. Half a day’s travel marks their ‘demesne’, if you don’t remember,” said Fluttershy.

“You’re probably right, hmh.”

“Why is this a Perytonian matter?” Dash asked.

“Why, um, what? Sorry?” Fluttershy replied.

“Why is what a peryton matter?” asked Rarity.

“The whole thing with the Morrowsworn! Phoreni said it’s a Perytonian thing. Perytonia, not peryton. The place, not the people. She said it’s all about the cities, but Ephydoera’s mostly mad at them because they hurt us!” said Dash.

Rarity arched a brow. “I am not sure what you are saying, dear. Is this… a conspiracy theory, or are you trying to trap Phoreni in some sort of legal technicality right now?”

“No! None of that, jeez, I just… this is about us, too, that’s all I’m saying, so why can’t we help more? Why are we letting them deal with it?” Dash asked.

“I don’t understand what else we could possibly do,” Rarity said. “And darling, three Equestrian emissaries should hardly have equal say in what happens when these five cities are discussing what to do with a… I don’t know what the Morrowsworn are.”

“They were a sixth tribe,” said Fluttershy, swishing her tail as she thought. “We know that because we’ve been told what happened at the gorge a thousand years ago, so I guess they’re a sixth city, kind of.”

“Sure, yeah!” said Dash, nodding vigorously. “But do all these other peryton know that?”

“Well, likely not,” said Rarity. “That’s the issue. We only know because that ghastly echo told us, and the Morrowsworn likely haven’t told the Perytonians. That’s the issue. They refuse to talk to them.”

“Why?” Dash asked, frowning. “That’s stupid!”

“For goodness’ sake Rainbow, darling, I don’t know!” Rarity cried.

“Then let’s go make them talk!” said Rainbow Dash, ignoring Rarity’s tone. “This is our last day in Cotronna, and we can either spend it sitting on our butts eating and playing games, or we can make a difference! They’ve got Velysra and Caldesseia here, and even if the peryton haven’t talked to them much, we have!”

“We hardly know them well,” said Rarity, but now she sounded unsure. At some point they had stopped, forcing the Cotronnans to go around them, disrupting the traffic.

“They have Koltares here, too,” said Fluttershy, deflating like a punctured balloon. “I’d really like to not see him again.”

“He’s the least of our problems in this particular context,” said Rarity. “He can hardly hurt you now.”

“Oh no,” said Fluttershy, fidgeting. “I’m worried he’s angry because we hurt him.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. Rainbow Dash laughed.

“Whatever,” said Dash. “He asked for it. But come on, I don’t know if they need a leader, if they have too many leaders, or whatever’s going on up there, but if the peryton have such a tough time getting the Morrowsworn to talk, maybe we can fix that!”

“At the very least we should tell Phoreni all that we know, but I thought we had planned on doing that the next time we speak to her, after she’s had a moment to rest,” Rarity said, tapping a hoof on the ground.

“We can do better than that!” said Dash. “We know a lot more about the Morrowsworn than they do. We have to try to help. Come on, let’s fly there right now!”

Fluttershy licked her lips and looked to Rarity, and Rarity stared back at her. At length, Fluttershy smiled at Dash, and Rarity shrugged, climbing onto Dash’s back.

Wind in her mane. Fluttershy flying with her. The buildings of Cotronna passing by underneath, block by block, followed by the thin band of the inner circle park. The sense of doing something instead of just accepting things as they happened. Rainbow Dash had never been less tired in her entire life.

“I hope they’ll let us see Velysra and the others,” Fluttershy called over the wind rushing by Dash’s ears.

“It’ll be fine!” said Dash, more concerned with the way the wardens reacted to them coming in fast. The crowds were a little thinner now as they neared mid-day, and even as they flew over the outer edge of the inner circle plaza, she felt four sets of eyes sharply upon them from below.

When she picked her landing site in front of the building that housed the Ephydoerans, one of the wardens’ hooves and wings pulsed with magic. A second later, the warden next to him leaned in close and whispered in his ear, and the ponies landed without contest next to a very confused sashed peryton who turned at the noise of someone touching down behind her.

“Sorry, no time to chat,” said Dash to the Cotronnan guard, grinning while Rarity dismounted.

“May we come in? Um, again?” Fluttershy asked, and the only response the ponies got from the Ephydoerans was a shrug and a nod towards the door. Dash pushed the door open for the second time, and this time, the chamber held only two new Ephydoeran peryton and their ambassador, all stood around the smallest table in the room. Parshos, Dash thought he was called.

“Hey!” said Rainbow Dash. “We’re here to see the Morrowsworn. D’you have them in a cell or something?” She frowned at the thought. “This doesn’t look like a prison.”

“I do not believe you have been asked to do such a thing,” said Parshos, his face perfectly blank.

“We have not, in fact,” said Rarity, raising her snout a touch. “But I think if you ask Phoreni, I am certain all will be in order.”

“We know them,” said Fluttershy with half a smile. “Sort of. It’s complicated.”

Rainbow Dash scowled at the still stone-faced stag. “Hey, we’re just trying to help. If you don’t believe us, check with Phoreni. She’s like… pretty much your boss right now, isn’t she? She could come along! We kinda need to talk to her, too!”

“Would I wake Phoreni? She has not slept for days,” said one of the other peryton. “I will not let you wake her for anything less than a threat to the city, but the Equestrians have her counsel. If you will not take them to see the captives, I will.”

Parshos stared at the defiant stag for a second, then shook his head. “Do not bother her or yourself. I will take them. Come,” he said, walking towards a different hallway entrance than the one Phoreni had chosen earlier. “And,” he added, “is Phoreni my ‘boss’? She is not my flight-leader, but her counsel comes from the High Warden first, just as does mine. We are not opposed in any of these matters. Except perhaps on what we think of you.”

“Because you don’t like my wings,” said Dash, nodding. “Got it. Not my fault, not my problem. Get over it.”

The ambassador did not reply, but Fluttershy gave Dash a particularly concerned look at that. The three ponies followed Parshos in a silence broken only by the echoing clacks of hooves on polished stone tiles. Down the hall and to the left, an archway opened into a chamber larger than the entrance hall by far, though low-ceilinged and with narrow windows. At one point, this room had been used for something else, again with the bright spots betraying furniture moved, with a few large vats still along one wall.

It wasn’t much of a jail like the ones Dash had read about in storybooks, and even less dungeon-y than their own accommodations back in the mountains. Four Ephydoeran wardens sat in a circle by the entrance, chatting, and the inner half of the room was cordoned off by tiny chest-high poles tied together by velvet rope, making the Morrowsworn look more like an exhibit than prisoners. Simple beds lined the far wall, but two beds had clearly been moved, one to the far left, one to the far right. Velysra lay on one of them, and Caldesseia on the other. In between them, another four unpainted peryton talked or dozed.

“Let them do whatever it is that they do, so long as it neither harms the captives nor aids their escape,” said the ambassador, gesturing to the cordoned area. “There. You have what you wish. Leave when you are done,” he added, turning without another word. Dash caught a curious glance from one of the Ephydoeran guards and waved, getting a faint nod in return.

“Well, here we are,” said Rarity, clearing her throat. “To… do whatever it is we are here to do, as he said. Where do we begin?”

“Hey! Velysra!” Dash shouted, making Fluttershy wince. She galloped over to stand by the velvet barrier. The Ephydoerans would probably get annoyed if she leapt it, but it felt stupid to pretend the barrier would stop anyone.

Velysra stared blankly for a few seconds before she slipped off her bed and came to meet Rainbow Dash. Some of the four peryton in the main group looked over at Dash, too. She recognised Koltares, but ignored him just as hard as he probably ignored her. Caldesseia cracked an eye open, the Guide watching but saying nothing.

“I didn’t think you three would ever want to see me again,” said Velysra with a sad little smile. She stopped on the other side of the rope just as Fluttershy and Rarity joined Rainbow Dash. “Unless you have come to give me food or water in some great act of irony—and I am well cared for regardless—I don’t see why you are here.”

“It is an interesting role reversal, is it not?” Rarity asked. She reached out to touch the velvet rope, and even her gentle hoof made the closest fence pole shift a little.

“I suppose so,” said Velysra, nodding. “Do not think I don’t believe I deserve this. I do.”

“We’re not here to gloat, or to try to make you feel bad,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head.

Caldesseia stirred over on the bed opposite. “You should be. Why else?” The imposing doe’s voice was sharp.

“Then why are you here?” asked Velysra, her head tilted. She did not even acknowledge that Caldesseia had spoken. “You owe us nothing but your anger.”

“I dunno, if you wanna make it up to us, why don’t you start by telling us what happened?” Dash asked. She gestured to the prison-pen. “Obviously we know what’s happened, we got the short version, but like… with you guys.”

Velysra shook her head, smiling faintly. “Shortly before, but also after the attack, we Morrowsworn and our village were split in two. With Caldesseia’s silence stretching on, I found more and more heads turned to listen to me as the one closest to her, and I never agreed with our esteemed Guide on all things. I spoke out against her plans to leave the mountains. I disagreed with her ambitions for different lands. I never asked for soot-marked legs and strings of leaders’ amber, but… before I knew it, many of our home followed where I trod.”

Fluttershy shifted her stance a little, her side touching against Rainbow Dash. “The peryton here said you don’t want to talk to them,” said Fluttershy. “They’ve tried to speak with you.”

“They have,” said Velysra. “The Cotronnan leaders and those of other cities come to see us, to talk, to ask and to suggest, but when I try to explain that we wish to stay and be left to our mountain, Caldesseia raises her voice against mine, and when she says that she will not stop, that she will not make peace or rest until the Morrowsworn have the Perytonian plains as ours, would you have me be silent?”

Over on her bed, Caldesseia snorted and rolled her eyes.

“They expect us to reach a consensus,” Velysra continued, sighing. “They think we will together seek to find agreement, that this is our way of finding a path. They think we will find peace between us and, but we will not, and back in the mountains, those who listen to one of us will not see the reason of the other. I have betrayed our Guide, say some. The Guide has betrayed her purpose, say others.”

Fluttershy looked to Caldesseia, the stocky peryton mostly still on her bed, her amber necklace still around her neck, and her legs still carrying the faint tint of soot. “I thought you were friends,” said the pegasus, her bottom lip quivering.

“Very close, in fact,” Rarity added, frowning. “How could this happen?”

Rainbow Dash had no issues imagining how someone could decide they didn’t like Caldesseia, but her quip died in her throat when she saw the look on Velysra’s face. She hung her head, and what little conversational energy remained in her, the tiny spark in her eyes, all disappeared at once. Caldesseia shuffled around on the bed without a word, facing away, and when Velysra glanced over her shoulder to find that Caldesseia was pointedly not paying attention, she walked them along the cordon barrier, away from her, lowering her voice until it was barely a whisper by the far wall.

“You must understand, I beg of you,” she said. “You do not owe me this. You owe me nothing, and by all rights, you must think me the worst person alive—”

“Don’t say such nonsense,” Rarity said, scowling.

“—but she is… no. Blameless is not the word. None of us are ever blameless,” Velysra continued, shaking her head briskly. “But she has been on this path for her entire life. She has suffered from pressure ever since she was a little feather. From expectations.” The doe sighed. “I blame her father, but surely his path has missteps as well, and you do not come here to hear of family strife. Her father wanted her to find a path for her people, and I see now that she has dug into the past to try to find something good for them, for all of us. She has suffered the weight of her own expectations, of her inflated purpose.”

Rainbow Dash swallowed. She spread one of her green-painted wings and inspected one of her primaries, trying to appear only mildly interested.

“She made her own suffering into the suffering of all her people by listening to—no, by creating a past that does not exist.” Velysra took a deep breath. “We staked our own path from the cities long ago. Even if she regrets it, even if she wishes for something else for our own people now—and I can respect that—her zeal has blinded her. Wounded her.”

“Yeah yeah,” said Rainbow Dash, rolling her eyes. Better to be annoyed than consider the obvious similarities. Dash had done the same thing. Or something like it. She made her own story from the past and made a mess. That sort of stuff. “So she’s had a rough time and she messed up.” She shrugged. “That doesn’t mean she gets to push people around. Or steal ponies.”

“On that we agree,” Velysra replied, nodding briskly. “But that is the lamentable past. We still wish different things, and of us, one,” she said, raising her voice so Caldesseia could hear. “One of us has chosen to further their goal by lies, theft, and mischief.”

“Good!” Caldesseia snapped from the other side of the room. “You ponies show your true colours. Not only have you come for vengeance and to gloat, you band together with her against the only one who wishes for something better for her people!”

“Better!” Velysra spat. “How—”

“We’re not here to gloat!” Rarity said, silencing both of them. “We are here to talk, and that is what we are doing, but believe me, the more the two of you argue, the more I do in fact feel like gloating and pointing out who is behind bars!” She pursed her lips, running her hoof along the rope cordoning off the prisoners’ side of the room. “Well. Figuratively speaking. This is some lovely velvet. I didn’t know they had velvet here in Cotronna, actually, and they choose to use it like rope? Do you think we could buy—”

“We’re trying to help,” said Rainbow Dash, scowling at Caldesseia, who got off her bed and started walking towards them, her amber beads clattering.

“You mean you have come bearing pity, and we want none of it,” said Caldesseia, sneering.

“We?” Velysra retorted. “You do not speak for any ‘we’!”

“It’s not pity,” said Fluttershy, stomping a hoof on the ground. “Didn’t you hear what Rainbow Dash just said? We’re trying to help, and you are not helping us help you right now!”

Caldesseia’s mouth hung open for a good few seconds, her expression going from anger, through disbelief, finally landing on confusion.

“You are sincere,” she said, shaking her head. “Why? Why would you wish to help us? After all we—no, after all I have done to you, why would you wish to help? Velysra is sun-touched and blameless. Her wrongs towards you were ordered by me, but you have no cause to wish to help me and mine.”

Velysra stared at Caldesseia, taken aback. “I… no, I appreciate the intent, but I chose to act on your orders. You cannot take away my blame and guilt, Cal,” she said. “Caldesseia,” she corrected herself with a shake of her head.

“Ugh, whatever!” said Dash. “I don’t care which one of you is sorry or thinks the other one did what, you need to talk to these guys here in Cotronna. Talk to the council and to Phoreni and everyone else!”

“They expect them to speak with one voice,” Rarity added. “As a council, or at least as ‘kin’ who can reach a decision together, and if we are talking about the future of the peryton people, I understand why.”

“Then they will wait for a long time,” said Caldesseia, simply.

Velysra nodded. “That will not happen. Not for as long as half of our people are deluded into believing Caldesseia’s madness.”

“Not for as long as half our people believe that it is better to stay in the mountains than these fertile lands here, is what you mean,” Caldesseia snapped.

“You do not even wish to leave the mountains while the cities remain as they are!” said Velysra. “You cannot abide their Aspects, and you have scowled at every stone and statue we have passed! You mean to continue this meaningless struggle? You wish to fight?”

Caldesseia’s cawing laughter filled the room. “And you wish to give up? You wish to accept that the mountain is the best our people will ever have?”

“It is not merely sufficient, it is good, and it is ours! It is bountiful, and it is home, but if staying in a burning pit would keep you from meddling with fell creatures such as you have, I would do that instead!” Velysra replied.

“Both of you, shut up!” Rainbow Dash yelled, breaking into a hover to draw level with the quarreling peryton. When she landed again, the impact of her hooves echoed loudly in the otherwise completely quiet room. “Wow, you two just don’t stop!” Dash said, sighing. “Okay, uh, so how about this. You said ‘fell creatures’. You’re talking about the heron, yeah?”

“I did not think I let them see you,” Caldesseia said, frowning. “I gave an order for them not to see you, at least.” She glanced over at Velysra, who shrugged.

“We didn’t see them except for when we busted out of your dumb jail, but we figured it out, and lemme see if I remember this right, ‘cause Fluttershy, Rarity and I talked about this.” Rainbow Dash stuck out her tongue both trying to reorder her thoughts, and giving her friends a chance to jump in in case they knew where she was going with this, but they didn’t. Dash shrugged and went on.

“You probably know the heron are bad business now. We know stuff didn’t really work out with them. They were trying to get you to do really bad things, and they weren’t helping you much at all. Uh, you both knew all that stuff, right?” Dash asked, cocking a brow. Velysra nodded, while Caldesseia said nothing. “Right. Cool. Remember that, because, second point—” Dash raised a hoof. “You’re angry because the Perytonians made the Aspects and stories and everything. Helesseia instead of Celestia, Selyria instead of Luna, that sort of stuff. With me so far?”

Velysra nodded again, slower this time. “It is not offensive to me as it is to Caldesseia. I think they are wrong to do so, but I do not concern myself with it.”

Caldesseia sighed. “Where are you going with this? You know well what I think about the practice of annihilating Celestia’s sacred name. Why—”

“Because be quiet for a second,” said Rainbow Dash, glaring at her. “So! Back to the gorge where you all split off! What you don’t remember, or what you don’t know, is that Celestia and Luna were turned into these Aspects to help peryton remember the ‘stories’ you’ve decided you don’t like, even if you don’t know anything about them.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Okay. I didn’t like them at first either, but some of those stories,” Dash said, drawing the word out because it made Caldesseia sneer, “they’re stories about the heron. Am I forgetting anything so far?” Dash asked, glancing askance at her friends.

“No, you’re doing wonderful,” said Fluttershy, beaming at Rainbow Dash and stroking her back with a wing.

“Go on, dear,” said Rarity, smiling at her.

“So basically, the other peryton created their ‘First Stories’ to remember the stuff Celestia and Luna taught them way back, like don’t play with the heron,” Dash said, propping herself up against Fluttershy in return. “Or if you need me to spell it out for you, the peryton here remember your ‘gods’ better than you do, and they have a bunch of stories about Celestia and Luna that you don’t have. Hay, stories we don’t have. Their First Stories are just really old history, and they have a lot of it!”

“That… is more than I think I knew,” said Rarity, arching a brow.

“Talked to a claw-priest, tell you about it later,” said Dash, grinning.

Caldesseia’s face had gone entirely blank, wiped clean of emotion. No sneering, no glaring, just an empty stare.

“This is much to understand, to take in,” said Velysra. She tapped the ground with one of her claws, looking to Caldesseia. “Do you now see? You cannot deny that to consort with the heron was a misstep. The three ponies are not our enemies.”

Caldesseia rested a hoof lightly on one of the posts of the barrier separating them. “Why should I believe these words?”

“Are you serious?” Rainbow Dash groaned. “I give up! Why does everyone have such a hard time believing us? Why is this even a thing?!”

“Because we have been truthful with you every time so far,” said Fluttershy, smiling patiently.

“Think,” said Velysra. “Why would they lie about this? And how do they know so much of the heron? They know things we do not. They have known so much of Celestia—think back to all that was said back in the mountains and assume just for a moment that all they said then was true. I know you believed it even then.”

Caldesseia sighed and nodded slowly, while Velysra went on.

“You no longer lead our entire people, Cal. Things have changed. Let go of this weight you bear for now, and look. This is where you have led us,” she said. “Here. To imprisonment and strife.”

Caldesseia, the Guide—whatever name or title fit at the moment, the stocky doe shook her head slightly at first, small movements that became a stern shake of the head. Rainbow Dash’s muscles tensed as she prepared for rejection, for another I don’t believe you. She was about ready to call it quits and fly out the door.

“Why?” Caldesseia instead asked in a croaky voice. “How? Forget these… forget these words on the gods for now. Why would you say these things instead of—” she clenched her eyes shut. “Why do you feel you owe us words instead of vengeance?”

“You know, the other peryton, your ‘kin’, they don’t look for vengeance either,” said Fluttershy, taking a small step forward until her chest pushed against the ropes. “No one is except… you, really. Maybe you’ve been looking for someone to blame for so long, you’re having a hard time stopping. You’re looking for vengeance for something you know didn’t happen at the gorge and vengeance for a fight between the Princesses that’s long in the past and forgiven by every pony in Equestria—”

“Mostly. Last Nightmare Night was crazy,” Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath, though not too loud. It probably didn’t help their case.

“—and forgiven by the two Princesses themselves, the only ones left who were actually hurt,” Fluttershy concluded.

“Yeah. Seriously, vengeance is dumb,” Rainbow Dash agreed. “Getting obsessed with all these… these scars is dumb. They stay around for as long as you let them. You can keep obsessing over something that hurt once, keep poking your hoof at a scar, and it’ll never heal. It’ll grow bigger!” She took a half step back and pointed to the scar on Fluttershy’s hock, earning a curious look from Fluttershy herself.

“I did that too! You know who taught me how stupid that is?” Dash asked, her eyes on Caldesseia, the wavering doe staring back. “Velysra. Well, okay, she said something like it, and I didn’t really get it at first, but I kinda understood what she meant later.”

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. “Okay, fine, I figured it out right now. She said something really smart way about how you should stop poking your wounds and it was really, really cool. Fluttershy got hurt back in Vauhorn, zapped by lightning, and I kept thinking about that scar and some… I was gonna say something metaphor-y about old hurts that aren’t on your body, memories—it made a lot more sense in my head but shut up, not the point!” she said, flicking her ears irritably. ”Vengeance? Revenge? Who wants anything to do with that stuff? Me, I’m good if you have to stay on the other side of this rope for another hour or two. Call it even. Koltares can stay for a week because he’s a huge jerk, but I think all of this is stupid.”

Past the two does they spoke with, Koltares locked eyes with Rainbow Dash for a brief second, then looked away, his eyes on the ground.

“This is not a joke, is it?” Caldesseia asked. “You have forgiven Luna—”

“There’s literally nothing to forgive,” Dash groaned.

“But even if she had wronged you directly,” said Caldesseia, insistent, “if you believed as we did and gave the sun her dues, you would forgive Luna. I see it in you now.”

“For taking away the sun for like… half a day? If you mean back in year one thousand, we were there, and hay yeah, no big deal,” said Rainbow Dash, shrugging. “If you mean way back? Same thing. No big.”

“This is what we have been saying since we entered this room,” said Rarity with an exasperated sigh. “We are not here because we are angry with you. We are trying to help, but I don’t know how many ways we can rewrap those words until you accept them.”

“You were wrong about them,” said Velysra. She smiled at the ponies. “I have told you this at our home, too. You underestimate their capacity for forgiveness.”

“I may have been wrong about a lot of things,” said Caldesseia, her eyes shining like her necklace did in the sparse light admitted by the narrow windows. She settled her wings on her back anew after airing them out, and her gaze fell on Velysra.

“Still, I do not see how we will overcome these gaps between us. We have split our city not only from anger that may have been… wrong. It was not just malice and missteps. Though those who listened to me have had their hearts calmed after the Ephydoeran attack, and even if my desire for a fight has gone, we still wish for something beyond the mountains, but here in the lowlands they speak of different names for the gods, of Aspects, of stories we do not know. Even with soothed hearts, there is no city here for us. We are not as they.”

Fluttershy’s head tilted a near-perfect ninety degrees. “Who says you have to be? You don’t have to believe in, or like the same things at all.” No maybes, no uncertainties, she spoke in a clear voice and with absolute confidence. Rainbow Dash nuzzled into Fluttershy’s neck while her girlfriend went on.

“They all have the same Aspects, but they don’t have a lot else in common except wanting to work together in their own way. Why would you need to live in one of their cities? Living apart worked for you in the past.” Fluttershy bent one ear. “It’s not you and them, you’re just five cities, all different.”

“Yeah,” said Dash, grinning. “And hey, speaking of stories and junk, they probably don’t know everything about what happened at the gorge. Maybe they were too busy moving and thinking about other, older stories, but if you can drop the stupid lies, I bet they’d love to hear about it. I didn’t think they cared too much about history, but like I said, that’s what their First Stories are about, and if you know stuff they don’t, maybe you can help make the first new ‘First Story’ in a while. Share what you’ve got! That’s the fun part of getting along!”

Rarity nodded and stepped up to Fluttershy on the other side, smiling at Caldesseia and Velysra both. “And in turn, I am certain they will be happy to share what they know. If Celestia is so important to you, surely the prospect of learning more about her from the time when the ‘goddess’ was active here on your continent appeals to you.”

“Maybe you’ll come around and realise Luna’s pretty cool too,” said Dash. She held up a hoof when she saw Caldesseia’s instant frown and Velysra’s nervous look. “I said maybe!” she said, laughing. “Take it slow if you really wanna, but hey, I bet you didn’t know that most of those stories aren’t gonna be about Perytonia. Your people are from the Cauldron. The mountains you’re from, that’s like… your really, really old home.”

“Ancestral home, I believe is the term,” Rarity supplied.

“Sure, that,” Dash agreed.

“And we really did mean it when we said we can take a letter to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, you know,” said Fluttershy. “If you really believe us now, maybe you can think about it.”

The two does had been quiet while the ponies spoke, and now that they had no more to say, they looked not at the three friends, but at each other.

“We must find some compromise,” said Velysra, her voice urgent. “Cal, we belong in the mountains. All this talk of cities—we have our village. The mountains is as close as we can get to our past, free from all these poisonous ambitions!”

“They are not poison!” Caldesseia hissed, and for a second, Rainbow Dash thought they were about to start yelling at each other, but the Guide took a deep breath and continued, much calmer. “It is not about ambition. Forget the fight and the strife. Even then, the plains are so much richer, and here the sun shines down upon the ground all day long. I wanted to make a difference, to make something better.”

“Um, actually,” said Fluttershy raising a hoof before Velysra could reply. “You don’t have to be together to work together, really. If splitting up worked out well for the other cities when they moved from the gorge, it doesn’t have to be six cities. Why not seven? I’m sure you could talk to the Cotronnans and the Ephydoerans and come to some sort of agreement.”

Rarity nodded vigorously. “Talk to them. Make repairs. Phoreni is an absolute star once you get to know her, and her chief concern is that you kidnapped us. The poor dear feels responsible for us, and we’ve already forgiven you. Tell her you wish to negotiate. That’s all they want, you do realise. They wish to talk to you. As it stands, your quarrel hurts your entire people’s chances for the future. Together, you can stake out a course for your people.”

“One or two courses, or however many you like,” Fluttershy added.

“Yeah, and you should do so as friends,” Dash said, frowning at them. “If you two used to be super close, you can’t just give up on that! Even if you had your differences, you used to be super best friends, and you’re letting a whole load of nothing get in the way of that!”

“Reminds me of some ponies I know,” Rarity murmured. Rainbow Dash bumped against Fluttershy’s flank, making Fluttershy bump into Rarity in turn, but the unicorn recovered before she fell and put on a smug grin.

Caldesseia flicked her ears and glanced nervously over at Velysra, looking more like a bashful school-filly than anything else.

“Give us… some time to talk, I think,” said Velysra, stealing furtive little glances at Caldesseia in return.

“Then, we will call upon your Phoreni,” Caldesseia agreed, nodding and smiling just the barest bit.

“That’s wonderful!” said Fluttershy. She smiled so wide, Rainbow Dash wondered if she was about to hop over the flimsy barrier and hug the two does.

“Cool,” said Dash, grinning. “She’s probably gonna nap for a day, just so you know, because this entire thing’s driven her crazy, but… cool.”

“I believe you will do a marvellous job,” said Rarity, dipping her head.

“Thank you,” said Velysra. “And… thank you.”

Rainbow Dash chuckled and waved a wing while walking away. “No problem. We had some time to spare and we were in the neighbourhood, no big deal. See ya around!”

The four peryton sitting by the door looked up, traditionally stone-faced Ephydoerans giving them small smiles and nods as the ponies passed. They must have been listening in, Rainbow Dash decided. Hard not to when a good half of the ‘conversation’ was practically yelling. The two wardens occupying the forechamber waved on their way out, and the crowds had thinned out further, though the plaza was still packed with peryton. Rainbow Dash spread her wings and lowered herself a little lower to the ground.

“Hop on,” said Rainbow Dash.

“I think you’ve deserved a little break, dear,” said Rarity, smiling at her. “Fluttershy, if Rainbow Dash doesn’t want to walk through these crowds, do you think you could carry me instead, perhaps?”

“Of course,” said Fluttershy, nodding at her. Rarity climbed on top, and they were off into the air once more, followed by eyes from below. Rainbow Dash twisted and turned in the air, corkscrewing and looping on the ascent just to give them a little show before she levelled out next to Fluttershy.

She didn’t mind Fluttershy taking a turn. And she certainly didn’t mind the that Fluttershy seemed to carry Rarity with relative ease. No, that particular fact made her giddy, as did the fact that when she pushed herself to fly a little closer to Fluttershy than was strictly safe, their wingbeats synchronised of their own accord.

“There,” said Rainbow Dash, letting out a yawn she had held in since this morning. “Now we can go home.”

Fluttershy nodded and turned to look at her, smiling, and it was all Dash could think that she never wanted Fluttershy to stop smiling like that.

“I’m really proud of us. I’m proud of you,” said Fluttershy.

“I think we’ve done our best, and I’m sure things will work out.” Rarity chimed. She rested her head on Fluttershy’s, looking at Dash. “This was a splendid idea.”

“Yeah,” said Dash. She was sure her cheeks and her eartips were both on fire from the praise. “It wouldn’t have worked out without you two. Obviously.”

“Obviously,” Fluttershy repeated, giggling.

“Is somepony having a difficult time accepting their dues?” Rarity asked, arching a brow and laughing. “Rainbow Dash, of all ponies? I hardly believe it.”

Rainbow Dash joined in the laughter, shaking her head. She flipped upside-down and grinned at her friends. “I didn’t think of half the stuff you said, I’m just being honest. But hay yeah it was my idea, so I get at least thirty percent of the credit!”

“Um, that’s less than a third, Rainbow Dash,” said Fluttershy.

“Yeah, well, uh,” said Dash, frowning. “I’m not only the best, I’m super generous too?”

Rarity stared blankly. Fluttershy snorted and covered her muzzle with a hoof. Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to try to come up with a less lame defense, or perhaps just double down—she hadn’t decided yet—when a dark shape whisked past her. Dash folded her wings and dropped down a little on sheer instinct, stabilising her flight right below Fluttershy.

“What the hay?” Dash shouted after the large raven that had nearly clipped her, heading for the center of the city. “Jeez! Somepony needs to give them flying lessons! You don’t pass that close, you just don’t!”

“Ravens can be playful, I’m sure she didn’t mean anything by it,” said Fluttershy, her head turned to watch the bird aiming for the spires of the Hall of Scrolls. Just then, two ravens left the spire, heading south.

“Quite a few of those out today,” Rarity remarked, pointing ahead to another two ravens incoming, on approach to the city. “A busy workday, I imagine.”

“Probably,” said Dash, yawning again. Now that they were done talking about how awesome she was, and assured that she wasn’t being attacked by a flock of wild geese, the lack of sleep from yesterday made itself known. It was still just early afternoon, but flying when tired was never a good idea. “Okay, let’s get back. I need a nap, bad.”

“I think we could all use a good night’s sleep today,” Fluttershy said. “Maybe we can just land at the market, buy something good to eat and as much food and water as we can carry, and then go to bed early?”

Rarity nodded. “I think that sounds like a good plan. I think I’ll see if I can find that bathhouse before bed myself. Would you care to join me? If Phoreni truly meant that she would try to find us for a longer chat sometime before we leave Perytonia, I would rather prefer not to spend every minute being ashamed of my own appearance.”

“Bed,” Dash said, blinking heavily. “I’ll bathe in the grass when we’re out of town if I have to.”

“We could just bathe in the ocean, really,” Fluttershy giggled.

“Sure. Whatever. But right now, I wanna bathe in blankets. In a bed.”

Rainbow Dash woke up in the middle of the night. At first, she thought it was early morning, and that her tiredness came from the need to launch right into a bonus morning nap, but the near total darkness outside the open window said otherwise. If the moon was out, it hid behind heavy clouds.

Her sleep schedule had taken a little bit of a hit. That was one of the problems with staying awake for nearly two days straight, then crashing onto bed minutes after getting home from the market.

On the other hoof, she enjoyed the benefits of having a girlfriend, and of saving the day. Saving the day, or maybe just fixing half of their mess-ups. Dash wasn’t keeping track, and didn’t care. She felt good. For once she woke up lazy and had the luxury of closing her eyes and going back to sleep again instead of rushing along.

Rainbow Dash shuffled closer to Fluttershy, wrapped a wing around her girlfriend’s body and nuzzled into her chest-fluff until Fluttershy smiled in her sleep.

“Sure, it’s really clean,” said Rainbow Dash, landing again to walk next to Rarity and Fluttershy after the wagon had passed.

“It’s not merely ‘clean’,” Rarity scoffed. “It is brilliant. I swear, the soot from those ash-paths in the Cauldron worked its way into my coat all over, and I must have forgotten what actual white looks like. Why didn’t you tell me I had been a dusty grey?”

Fluttershy giggled as they crossed the street. “You weren’t grey, but you are a little brighter. I think my coat looks a little better too.”

“Before you say anything, I’m taking a dip in the first river we see,” said Dash, trying not to sound too defensive about it. “But no way was I gonna stay awake for a bath yesterday.” Now that Fluttershy had said it, though, and giving her a good look under the morning sunlight, Dash had to admit that her girlfriend’s coat and mane colours were more vibrant than before. Dash ran a single feather along Fluttershy’s side, and the other pegasus didn’t even blush. She just smiled at her and shuffled her own wings.

“I did not mean it as implied critique, dear,” Rarity said after a moment. She stepped out of the lines of peryton moving in the same direction as they, taking the ponies onto the stone stairs of a corner building. “This should be Ihassa’s office, if I recall.”

“I remember the plants,” said Fluttershy, nodding even as Rarity opened the door for them. The three ponies stepped inside the same cramped office, and a vaguely familiar-looking doe put down a scroll, dipped her hoof in the water bowl and shook it, bowing and extending a wing.

“I trust Vossos closes his eyes even at this second of our meetings,” said Ihassa Qual, smiling toothily at them. “That is to say, you wish to speak ‘plain’ again, however strange it is.”

“We won’t take up much of your time. We have come to return the key. Thank you for letting us stay,” Rarity explained, smiling back at her.

“You paid for the season,” said Ihassa, blinking in open surprise. “Is something wrong with the house? You do understand I am bound to fix any and all things that may break or go missing?”

“Nah, the house is fine,” said Dash. “But I guess you haven’t heard the news.”

Ihassa had one dainty forehoof halfway to the water bowl out of habit before she evidently thought better of it. “I have been to my brother’s farm at the edge of the demesne,” she said, nodding. “I have not visited my block’s wall since my return this morning.”

“It’s okay,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head. “We’re on our way out. Thank you again.”

They left the mildly confused doe behind, and a few more blocks down, the traffic of peryton dispersed to make for easy walking. Three ponies walked abreast, manes and tails cut short, laden with saddlebags and ohron. The blanket lay folded between Fluttershy’s wings, and both Rarity and Rainbow Dash carried some fresh food on their backs for a good lunch before they had to switch to the packed bread and biscuit-like things they’d bought. In short, they were as prepared for a journey as they had ever been. Rainbow Dash stretched her neck out when the last of the tall buildings were left behind and the sunlight finally fell upon them in full.

“Yeah, it’s absolutely getting colder,” said Rainbow Dash, smiling. She felt like she could fly anytime she wanted to, really.

“Maybe we’re so used to the heat now, we’ll get back to Ponyville and feel cold even in summer,” Fluttershy mused.

“You don’t truly think—” said Rarity, frowning.

“Like… we’d have to wear clothes all the time?” Dash asked.

“—actually, that isn’t the worst of fates,” Rarity said, her expression pensive now.

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Okay, but we’re still in Perytonia, Rarity. Let’s just hope it doesn’t get super cold at night right now.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I don’t think so. The nights in the city were okay, weren’t they?”

Rarity nodded her assent. “They were milder, I think. I haven’t been very cold in a while, but I suppose that might just be me getting used to the cold just as we’re used to the heat. If you ask me, the greater concern is contacting Princess Luna if she didn’t talk to you last night, Rainbow.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “She’ll be around.”

“You say that, but I also believe you said you had an appointment with her that she missed,” Rarity replied.

“Because I didn’t sleep that night. That was the night before. We didn’t have a date tonight or anything, and yeah, I told her we messed up, but I didn’t say we were in trouble,” said Dash. “Well okay, I said we were in trouble, but not like… peryton trouble. Just being stupid trouble, lame trouble about awesome being in love stuff, and that all worked out.”

Fluttershy smiled at Dash and nodded, nuzzling in between her ears. “I think it worked out at least,” she said. Now they walked among the Cotronnan farms. A stag looked up from his work, stared at them for a second, and went back to inspecting the soil.

“Hay yeah it worked out!” said Dash, grinning and retaliating by bumping her flank against Fluttershy’s. Besides, Dash thought, Luna had been quite clear how she felt about Rainbow Dash trying to treat her dreams like it was a way to knock on the Princess’ private chamber doors. Dash had tried calling her name once last night in between kicking hydra butt, to no effect. Luna would pop up tomorrow or the day after.

“Well, if you aren’t worried, neither am I,” Rarity declared, smiling at the two. “Though I hope it doesn’t rain,” she said, suddenly frowning. “Did you see that shadow just now?”

“What shad—oh,” said Dash, looking over her back. It hadn’t been the large shadow of a cloud passing overhead. The sky was almost completely clear, in fact. No clouds. Just one peryton high in the sky, a faintly glowing blue shape that would have been invisible against the sky if she hadn’t been looking for something. A single peryton whose shape grew as the angle changed and they dove straight for the ponies. “Oh jeez,” said Dash, turning around to face it. “What?!” she yelled at the sky. “Are we moving too slow for you? Seriously? We’re leaving!”

“It’s an Ephydoeran,” said Fluttershy, squinting at the fast-growing figure. “Why would they worry about how quickly we leave Cotronna?”

“I don’t know,” said Dash, deflating a tad, abandoning all efforts to get worked up about it. She carried some very delicious breakfast soup on her back and didn’t care to fly up and drop it. She didn’t even know of any Ephydoeran peryton who had any problems with them. Maybe the ambassador? No. She recognised those antlers. “Wait. Is that—”

“That is most definitely Phoreni,” said Rarity.

She came in fast, but she didn’t look like she was in a hurry. Phoreni cut through the air effortlessly—for a peryton, anyway. She dove and broke the fall, then wove left and right, finally circling a little to shed the last of her height, her great wings spread in full as she finally touched down on the hard-packed dirt road right in front of the ponies.

“Yo!” Dash shouted. “What’s up? Worried you wouldn’t find us later? We’re just gonna camp down the road,” she said, gesturing down east. “Like, right outside the farms, probably. There are some cliffs and stuff a little way past the city demesne borders.”

Phoreni didn’t look worried. She didn’t look tired, either, but she definitely looked… excited? The peryton doe shook her head and pointed to Cotronna.

“Am I concerned with finding you later? I am relieved with finding you now. You have been called to the council.”

Rainbow Dash frowned. She looked to her friends, and Rarity and Fluttershy, but neither of them looked like they had any answers.

“I don’t believe we are allowed in the city any more,” said Rarity, one brow arched. “This exile is hardly being policed very efficiently from what I can tell, but I think we’ve done quite enough to harm the relationship between Equestria and Perytonia’s cities.”

“We thought we’d set up camp somewhere nearby, and we won’t leave for another three or four days at least,” said Fluttershy, nodding. “But… they want to see us?”

Phoreni inclined her head. “‘Want’ is a good word. Were you wardens, and were this the High Warden calling you, this would not be a question but an order, but there is no authority that can compel you to come.”

Dash shrugged. “Got that right, but what’s up?”

“Ask me if I like to speak in absolutes, and I will tell you that you should by now know that I avoid them when I can, and now all in my mind is even more in flux than usual,” said Phoreni, but despite her words, she smiled faintly, just enough to show teeth. Amused, almost. “But I am not unthinking, and I think you will wish to witness this. The message I bear from the council specifically is to ask your aid in understanding events, and I know you three. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, you three love nothing more than to aid others. Will you come?”

“We’re hardly in a hurry to get anywhere. What do you say, girls?” Rarity asked.

Fluttershy nodded. “We can always fly if we have to hurry to get out of their lands by the evening. Of course we’ll help if there’s anything we can do.”

Rainbow Dash glanced at the paper-wrapped package on her back, her snout scrunched as she thought.

“Gimme me like… three minutes to finish this soup.”

Chapter 46

For the Quills of the Council of Cotronna

To Orto was given the task of greeting and reaching an understanding with the Equestrian delegation. Mine was the task of paving the way for a relationship between Equestria and all of our cities by understanding them, and by advising the cities on their ways until a story could be written of Deiasos and Myrtella met.

When the delegates met with me, I understood that they wished to meet our cities, but they also spoke of wishing to hurry to Cotronna, as one city to stand out among five. They said this even while they sang the virtues of shining Orto with their words and deeds. I understood one of two things had happened.

Either the words between the first Equestrian visitor, Red Sun Runner, and the Ephydoeran scouts had been ill reported, and these ponies truly only had interest in Cotronna upon the far shores. This, I doubted, for they knew nothing of Cotronna. Else, there was a failure of expectations and understanding.

Being ambassadors of Equestria—what we then thought was a great city, and that I now understand is a union of many cities great and small—it was not my place to tell them that they wanted something other than what they said. I would not be so reckless as to risk offending with forceful words.

From my conversations with the ponies, they seemed exceptionally cheerful and friendly, and possessed of their own wonderful intellects. Could I bring out my maps and ask, dig through meanings, explain and try to negotiate these differences between us that I barely understood at the time? Yes. Could I have done it well? Likely.

Could I have done it well enough to give these ponies a true understanding of Perytonia? Could I have give them an understanding upon which could be created the lasting relationship Cotronna must want when they refer them to Orto? The sun-touched relationship we all desire?

I did not think so.

In explaining what I know, I would misrepresent the cities that are not Orto. I would bring into speech a story of cities that are not my own home, with my limited understanding. As a member of Orto’s council, I have visited the cities briefly, but I do not truly know them as they themselves do. I would also invariably weave stories of Perytonia as Perytonia sees herself. That is not the truth of Perytonia. We would be lost in such a telling, that is my fervent belief. I can only try to make a stranger understand my understanding. Perytonia herself must be experienced, not explained, and her truth exists in between the resident and the visitor. This we have learned in our meeting with other cultures, most recently Cotilla.

We are sister-cities. I have heard from other tongues, from well-travelled zebra, that we are ‘autonomous and cooperative city-states’ as though those words explain all, but those are words given to me. They are not mine, and I hold no love for them. Any kin will have one thing in rich measure: a keen understanding of the forces that work upon them and their city. This, I sought to share with them. I set the ponies loose upon Perytonia and encouraged them to find those kin among us who would share their cities with them like the most vaunted stories of Myrtella’s love. Then, the ponies could render their own judgment as to whether or not they would speak with us, and how they would do so.

If your minds are swayed, I can add much of what I have learned of Equestria if the council will remember that my words are borrowed: across the eastern ocean lies a great land, and to hear it said, there are more cities in Equestria than there are ships in Orto’s fleet, distinct and distinguished, yet barely a circle-throw away from the next. Each city of kin should send their own to see it, and I hope that we will have this opportunity. I further hope your latest missive regarding the Equestrian delegation will be reconsidered, and you may expect another letter from the full Ortosian Council on this matter.

If my words are not well liked in your eyes: as per our compact, you may call for me to step down from the council. I will not urge our own council to contest this decision if you do, but I will ask you to read my words three times at the very least, and to consider that you called upon Orto to perform a task, and she has done so. If I have committed any errors in my own sight, it is that perhaps I should have sent a raven to every city explaining this. Not only have I been absorbed in my own journey of learning, but I also feared that to do so would hamper the entire point I have described above. To begin crafting stories in the sight of existing Aspects would be to deny the possibility for something new.

Attached: Another letter from an interested party.

-Consul Khaird of the Swaying Stalks, Visitor Liaison

For The Council of Orto

For the Council of Cotronna

Of all my friends and loved ones do I know none who have written to another city’s council in this manner, but Khaird of the Swaying Stalks is dear to me, and his was the suggestion that I should give you these words.

What you have done must be injustice, a mistake, or otherwise a wrong shrouded in Raella’s absurdities that is beyond my grasp to understand. These three ponies of Equestria stayed at the House of the Heavenly Song in Orto, and though our meeting was brief, I saw clearly in their hearts the songs woven like golden links between every one of Myrtella’s stories, or the colours mixing in the new scarves she showed us.

Orto honours its guests, and its guests honour Orto in return. As consul, Khaird cannot say this, but as one who has seen many visitors over countless seasons, I will say this: the Equestrians will have beds at my House until a missive arrives to Orto that gives a true and real cause to deny them my friendship.

-Ligilia of the House of Heavenly Song, proprietress.

For Cotronna

I heard your letter from the criers, and I read it for myself thinking the crier had copied a missive wrong. Someone has made a mistake, but it was not the crier’s guild. It is you.

In two seasons, I join the Bent Feathers. I had thought that one day, I would visit the ponies’ homes, to thank Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity for all they have done to remind me to be as Daros and seize the courage to do what I have always wanted. Still I plan on doing this. One day I will show up in their city and surprise them, to thank them, but first, I must thank you.

Thank you for taking them away from all other kin. Thank you for placing another sliver on my scales, for giving another reason to step outside the cities. If they will not tread in our cities again, I am happier for every step I will take outside our shared outer borders.

-Mirossa

If your heads are still below your tailfeathers and you do not understand, I will explain: I am not thankful. This is sarcasm. You are all fools, and this kinsdoe is richer for them having set their hooves upon Stagrum.

-

To add to my daughter’s words, and with all the respect one can give you without respecting the decisions of you and the ambassadors, I do not understand this. I may just be one doe, but I will ask the Dockmistress if the Houses of Stagrum will at the very least ask for an explanation of what this ‘undermining’ means, and what the ponies are charged with. This is owed.

-Naressa, Proprietress of the Autumn Hymn Resting House, Free League of Unbound Houses

For the Council of Cotronna and all its members

In light of the missive explaining the expulsion of the three ponies of Equestria, we wish to share with the council a lesser known story. First, understand that we are not city officials, nor are any of us claw-priests or a hedge-claws. Still, we wonder: Have you heard the story of Iagasus’ three companions? It is a local story, so we suspect you have not. We will share it with you.

Iagasus travelled along the twilit western coast, and there came upon five nameless kin. He saw that his talents were needed. Here was ample opportunity for the Aspect of the Council of the Thirteenth Hour. Here was so many an ear that could benefit from the whispered word. Some needed healing, some wished delight, and some were young and would benefit from having their eyes opened to a larger world, a world that expanded until it seemed that Pyn would need to give them an extra set of legs if they ever wished to tread it.

But Iagasus despaired. They were too many, and the time too short. Iagasus visits when and where he is needed the most, but one Aspect is not infinite, and so he called upon his three companions. These companions went forth, and chaos reigned for a short time as they did their work. Words were whispered, encouragement given, and the very meaning of a horizon was redefined.

Iagasus himself spun in the chaos until he could not rightly say whether the words had been right or wrong, and he thought that surely Chorossa had seized a hold of his talons and made him do this—but if so, it was Chorossa’s Aspect not as befuddlement and despair, but delightful confusion. When the dust settled on the ground, how vibrant the world seemed! All had been shaken until Orsshur laughed with joy at how nothing was known for sure.

Iagasus departed having spoken not a single word, but in his silence, his presence had been felt, and problems had been solved that did not exist. He left the world brighter and more colourful than before, and even Iagasus himself understood that, in giving this task to his companions, his own existence had been enriched.

That is the story of Iagasus’ companions. In the beginning of this letter, we warned that this story is local, and we spoke no lie. This story is as local as a story could possibly be, belonging only to the house of Neisos, Ohrinna, Deimesa, Teilos and Berissa, citizens of Vauhorn, and you may share in it and understand from it what you will.

Of course, you may also wish to ensure you read the stories of the Alluvium. We do not know if the Council has time for such things, but we think most others do. If you did listen to the Pony and the Osprey, did you understand who told it? Do you understand the profundity of its impact?

What we understand is that the story told at the Alluvium likely is only one small part of the stories these big-hearted travellers leave in their wake, and your letter is an unkind ending.

-Neisos, Ohrinna, Deimesa, Berissa and Teilos of Vauhorn

Cotronnan Council,

I am Khyrast, and I respond with this to your letter denouncing the Equestrian ponies who left Ephydoera last season.

I am First Teacher of the Grove. I teach our small-feathers in our magic, and in doing so, I see a great many hearts bared before me. I see little claws who are anxious and afeared, frustrated, struggling and worried. I see young kin-to-be who, for their little size, have enormous hearts, stumbling as they walk the path before them.

Even as grown kin, we never truly put away this faltering step. That is all I will say on your missive, as I do not yet know the scope of the Equestrian delegates’ stumblings in the Cotronnan council, but a second letter will go to Ambassador Parshos to learn of it. I will not lie to you of this: I will put grim hours into learning until I am satisfied you have not wronged them.

The ponies’ visit to Ephydoera was brief. I cannot claim to have looked into their hearts as deeply as I would have liked. In the stead of such a claim, I offer what lies within my own heart, and the heart of one I love: Phoreni and I wish to have known them better, and the sincerity of this claim echoes in how Loriessa and Aoras—with whom they never met—regret that they never had the chance that Phoreni and I had.

Finally, as our ravens are all reserved or in flight, I will append this one note for Phoreni for lack of a separate letter, as the High Warden assures me she will be in Cotronna: All love from me, Loriessa and Aoras, please be unhurt, and do not forget to give Rainbow Dash my congratulations.

-Khyrast

Councillors of Cotronna

The High Warden suggests that you give grave counsel to Phoreni’s words. I have no formal request to overturn your missive yet, but though Phoreni is not appointed ambassador for your council at this time, she has dealt much with this matter.

This relates to your letter concerning the expulsion of the Equestrians.

-The High Warden

The Cotronnan Grand Council Hall wasn’t any less stuffy the second time around. It seemed larger than ever, too. Without a mask obstructing her view, Rainbow Dash had a clear view of the rows upon rows of peryton seated on infinite benches behind endless desks, all of them looking down upon the ponies who stood at the centre.

Behind the desk facing them in the central front row of consuls, the ageing stag’s magic winked out. He put down the last of the many scrolls he had read aloud, finishing with the High Warden’s letter. Next to him sat a doe, and Rainbow Dash thought she recognised her as the Head Consul—not that the title mattered terribly much, of course.

“This,” she said, her surprisingly soft voice shattering the silence into a hundred whispered murmurs among the peryton. “This is what we seek your help in understanding. This is what has come to the ravenry in the Hall of Scrolls over the past days. This is what happened after we proclaimed exile. What does Equestria say of it?”

It wasn’t much, as far as accusations went. At her side, Fluttershy finally stopped quivering. She had stood oppressively close to Rainbow Dash ever since they entered the chamber, but now she seemed to breathe again. Maybe it was the silence that had scared her. The way everyone in the room—from the council to Phoreni who stood right next to them—had been utterly quiet while the stag read the letters. Now, life flooded back into the gathering, and the Head Consul’s frown was one of befuddlement. Of confusion.

“What do we have to say? I think Mirossa’s gonna be sad you spoiled her surprise visit,” said Rainbow Dash, raising her voice. She had to laugh. “We’re gonna have to pretend to be surprised, but she said she’s joining up with the Bent Feathers in two seasons? So like… in Spring? Yeah, I’ll probably forget. And what the hay is this congratulations stuff Khyrast said?” She looked over to Phoreni who simply smiled.

“Not now,” she said.

“I don’t quite understand what it is you want us to do,” said Rarity, her gaze roving among the assembled peryton. She shook her head helplessly. “I suppose that your decision was unpopular. We visited all the cities, and we made friends. Lovely friends who care enough about us to come to our defense.” Her smile wobbled a little. “Do you expect us to explain friendship to you? Or apologise for meeting wonderful peryton in the other cities?”

“I guess we could say we’re sorry if we made you feel bad, or if we made it difficult for you to exile us?” Fluttershy offered, her ears flat.

“Pass,” said Dash. “I’m not sorry. That’s dumb. Your opinion’s dumb—”

“Let’s not start another quarrel, Rainbow, please,” Rarity murmured.

“Yeah, okay, but what Rarity says is right,” said Dash, staring down the Head Consul. “What do you want? You want us to promise not to sneak back into Orto and sleep at Ligilia’s resting house? Sure. We won’t. We’re outta here, because that’s your call—”

“It was not our ‘call’,” said the Head Consul, interrupting Rainbow Dash. The lanky grey-white doe shook her head briskly. “If by this you mean to say you think this council made a decision by itself, you misunderstand even now. We are not the will of Perytonia. When we proclaim something on behalf of Perytonia, we are a voice. When we act on behalf of all cities at once, we do not do so to decide. We do so to put words to what we believe has already been decided, and we do so together with the ambassadors from our sister-cities.”

“And in this,” said the old stag at her side, unfurling one of the many scrolls that lay before him. “As First Teacher Khyrast suggests, we too may stumble.”

“Well… I must admit, I did wonder at the obvious hypocrisy of you banishing us from all cities in the same breath you claim not to be their leaders,” said Rarity, one brow arched. “But this is… a retraction?”

“You’re taking it back?” Dash asked.

The Head Consul nodded. “We are not afraid of debate or disagreements. We also have systems in place for when missives need to be overturned, however rarely they are used. We admit our mistakes. Our stumbles.”

“In this case, however, and before all else, we bow to Orto,” said a third peryton, a young doe sat next to the Head Consul. “Consul Khaird is correct. We suggested this task to Orto.”

“And we bow to the letters,” said the old stag, sounding almost confused himself as he gestured to the mess of scrolls littering the desk. “This is a second unprecedented event in few days. Letters from citizens. To the council. This is very strange, but poignant.”

“And we bow to events. To change,” said the Head Consul, raising her voice further, pointing to the ponies—no, to Phoreni who stood at their side, Dash realised. “Warden Phoreni here has explained to us that you three are the only reason we speak to the Morrowsworn this day to discuss future compacts and trade with a sixth city. Without you, we would not be talking of kin founding a seventh city upon the inland plains by the Splitwood.” She turned from Phoreni, raising her head to look to the upper rows of the concentric rectangles of desks. Rainbow Dash instantly recognised Velysra and Caldesseia stood amongst the other consuls.

Dash grinned to herself, whispering to Fluttershy. “They could’ve just said ‘yes, we’re taking it back, sorry’, ‘cause that’s what they’re doing, but I’ll take—ow.”

“Be quiet,” Rarity hissed, but none of the peryton seemed to hear them, most of the attention taken up by two stags who entered the room levitating a large bowl of water. They stopped by the top row, and the first consul they approached dipped a hoof in the water, flicking it off.

The two stags moved on, making the rounds until everyone on the top row had done so—including two very confused Morrowsworn does—starting on the next row right after. Soon, the two stags stood before the ponies with a half-full bowl of water. Phoreni smiled at the ponies and dipped a hoof in, flicking the water away, and the ponies followed suit.

“It’s like washing away the whole problem,” Fluttershy whispered, smiling. “I don’t mind that at all.”

“As this council discussed in the morning session, a new missive will be drafted renouncing the previous,” said the Head Consul. “If the Equestrians have further grievances regarding this, a letter of complaint will be considered with the gravest of sincerity. We move on to the next item. Gratitude.”

Rainbow Dash tilted her head, waiting. What now?

The peryton all stood up. Younger stags and does bounced up on all fours, while the older ones moved with groans or winces, but without further words, and with the noise of over a hundred peryton bodies in motion, the council rose—and then they bowed.

Eyes closed, heads tilted forward, and their wings dipping down to touch their primaries to the floor, all of the peryton performed the exact same weird bow. Phoreni remained upright, and Velysra and Caldesseia did their best to mimic the bow with covert looks at the others, but for a good few seconds of unnatural silence, the entire Council of Cotronna held their heads and wings low.

“We do not yet know how the last story of these events will be told,” said the Head Consul, opening her eyes again, sitting back down. “But all of Perytonia owes you a debt for helping give us a chance to weave stories together with our lost kin.”

Rainbow Dash looked up to the two Morrowsworn peryton up on the top row again. Both Velysra and Caldesseia smiled down at the ponies, nodding to them, and Dash grinned back, waving.

“This concludes all we had planned for this session!” the Head Consul announced. “It is time for lunch, but if the Equestrian delegation would like to put forth another item before we dissolve, we will allow it as a first step to repair relations between our people, and a first step on a journey to reward those who have offered our kin much.”

“The what?” Dash asked, blinking.

“Oh, I think we could probably ‘put forward’ something,” said Fluttershy, glancing over at Rarity.

“Why yes, dear,” said Rarity, smiling wide. She lit her horn and lifted the flaps of her saddlebags, rooting around. “I do believe we have something we would like to present to the council.” She levitated out the simple box from her saddlebags, positively radiant as she went on.

“If you don’t mind, I would like to discuss an invitation from the Princesses of Equestria. An invitation to all the cities of Perytonia to visit Equestria, attend a moot, and maybe to learn a little bit about us while you’re at it, just as we have had the pleasure of learning about you.” She magicked the sigil out from the box, the delicate eight-pointed star shining bright.

“We only have one invitation, though,” said Fluttershy, shuffling her wings nervously. “That’s not a problem, is it? Maybe you can share it?”

“I’ve got a better idea,” Dash said, batting the sigil out of Rarity’s magical grip with a hoof. It clattered to the ground.

“Well, that’s unnecessary,” said Rarity. “What are you—”

Rainbow Dash leapt into the air and put all her weight on the edge of one hoof, landing on the sigil with a loud crack and the squeal of metal on stone.

“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy squeaked, while Phoreni raised a brow but otherwise remained very still. More than a few of the peryton exchanged glances.

“And that is very unnecessary, dear,” Rarity said deadpan, louder than the murmuring peryton. “That was a royal invitation, and now it’s ruined. What has gotten into you?”

“It’s not ruined,” said Dash, lifting her hoof to review her work. Sure, it wasn’t perfect, but the star had split into eight pieces of roughly the same size, separate from the magical plaque bearing the directions and details.

“We had one invitation, now we have eight. That’s one for each of you, and er, a spare. And don’t start arguing over who gets the biggest piece, either. Oh, and you’ll have to copy the directions, I guess, but you love organising here in Cotronna, right?” She chuckled and scooped the metal pieces up with a wing, trotting over to the Head Consul’s desk and depositing them in front of her. “I’m sure you can make a story of how Vossos had a great time working that out.”

The Head Consul levitated up the piece with the coordinates and smiled faintly, nodding, and when the peryton didn’t explode or re-exile them or anything, Rarity looked a little less like she was about to have an aneurysm. Fluttershy no longer hid behind her wings, either, which was nice.

“To copy these directions and make meaning of them is a task that Cotronna can undertake, and one of your invitations can find its home here with our thanks,” said the Head Consul. “As for the other invitations, that is a different matter. All this council would do is turn them over to the cities’ ambassadors, and I do not know if that is of help.” She turned around and looked to the top row where the four ambassadors stood together, next to the two Morrowsworn does.

“The Houses will take this opportunity to gather, and to be delighted at the prospect of Phostos’ songs of fair trade,” said the Stagrumite ambassador, nodding deeply with the rustle of the jewellery in his antlers. “This would best be presented before the gathered Houses with a provisory trustee to manage their cooperation in trade. Perhaps the Dockmistress may be helpful, but I cannot accept it on any House’s behalf.”

“With regret, nor I, for mine,” said the Vauhornite. She shook her head. “I do not trust a raven to carry this object, and I should think you would want to weave your own story of what it is you propose, directly to the sitting council. I am an ambassador to the Council of Cotronna, but my position is not part of the Vauhornite Council rotation.”

“Will I accept this on behalf of the High Warden? I can do so no more than Phoreni, and this is a matter for all of Ephydoera, not the High Warden alone,” said Ambassador Parshos. “I cannot take it.”

“And I know that the Council of Orto will be delighted to see you again if you wish to deliver this to their table,” said the Ortosian ambassador. “No sooner will you offer your friendship than will we accept it, but that offer is yours to make, not mine,” she concluded, smiling wide. “I believe you are acquainted with Consul Khaird, our current visitor liaison, and in light of his letter that we read just now, I think your return might be appropriate.”

Rainbow Dash rustled her wings and looked to her friends. Rarity was deep in thought, while Fluttershy puffed out her cheeks and looked right back at Dash.

“Right,” said Rainbow Dash. “Should’ve seen that coming. So, it’s getting colder. That’s because your summer’s done. It’s not gonna get super hot again—it’s gonna stay like this for a bit, right?”

The Head Consul blinked and looked to the rest of the council as if she needed some help in verifying exactly that. A confused scattering of nods all around culminated in a very certain nod from the doe herself. Phoreni tilted her head sideways, the very picture of curiosity.

“So, you said you were super grateful and all. Does that mean we get a reward?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Again, the Head Consul nodded, a little less sure this time. “I confess I do not understand this line of questions. If we can aid you, we will, but all we have said now is that none here can invite the cities to attend this event on your behalf.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got that, and I figure we’re probably going to have to do that ourselves. It makes sense after everything Khaird wrote in that letter,” said Rainbow Dash, wrapping her wings about Fluttershy and Rarity both. “What I’m asking is, if there’s anyone in this city who knows how to use a hammer and some wood, can that reward be a really cool chariot?”

Rainbow Dash did her best attempt at the whole ‘gesture of grateful farewells’ bow that Ambassador Parshos had shown the ponies. She added a more normal wave for good measure, kicked off, and soared out the wide open workshop front, glad for the lack of sliding doors.

Even though traffic was thinning out in the western reaches of town, she decided to fly the short distance over to the weird little drinks-only café at the end of the street. She sailed towards the table she and Fluttershy had found a little earlier, spotting a pink-maned head—and two other familiar figures.

“You’re back!” said Rainbow Dash, waving at Rarity and Phoreni as she touched down and grabbed a seat by the small table, planting her butt on a dusty cushion perilously close to the traffic that flowed past the open-faced building. She tucked her tail-tuft under her to keep peryton from stepping on it.

“We returned only a moment ago,” said Phoreni. The doe shifted her weight a little, frowning at her flank as though she couldn’t get comfortable on the small pillows.

“The inner circle isn’t too far away, but yes—what did they say?” Rarity asked. The unicorn smiled her thanks when a stag walked over from the bar, putting four sweet-smelling bowls on their table.

“Did they think they could make it?” Fluttershy added, cocking her head sideways.

“Yep,” said Rainbow Dash, chuckling. She pushed her pillow a little closer to the others and sat down again, grabbing a sip from one of the bowls. Fruit juice, apparently. “They know how to make wagons, and I know what a chariot is, so, uh, I think we kinda ended up agreeing on what they were gonna do, but I have no idea how they hammer the thing together. I just know how a chariot works. Kinda. They wanted to make it too big, and I had to yell at them to make it the right size—oh, and they still complained that the wheels were too small.”

“Wheels are not the purpose of this thing, the way I understand it,” said Phoreni, one brow raised a smidge.

“Exactly!” said Rainbow Dash, laughing. “Just to make takeoff easier. The carpenters still don’t believe it’s gonna fly, but hey, council orders, so they’re gonna make it anyway.”

“Do I believe it will fly? I believe that if you say this wagon will fly, then it will,” Phoreni concluded, nodding to herself and taking a sip of fruit juice, scowling at the bowl shortly afterwards. “This is much, much too sweet.”

“Oh. I thought it was a little too sour myself,” said Fluttershy, giggling at that. “Different tastes, I guess. Did they say when they would have it done?”

“Tomorrow morning!” said Rainbow Dash. “That’s why I’m not complaining more. Those guys sure work fast, and they said they’re not going home before they’re done. They’re gonna make a copy of the old harness from the cart too, so that’s everything covered. We can probably leave tomorrow. How about you? Got stuff figured out?” She turned to her girlfriend and smiled expectantly, and Fluttershy nodded.

“We don’t have exact distances or anything, but I think it should be one or two days between each of the cities,” said Fluttershy with a lopsided smile. “If we keep a good speed, and the weather is nice, it’s one day to Vauhorn, but Ephydoera should be two. If we can fly for as long as we used to walk, that is.”

“Of course we can,” said Rainbow Dash, grinning wide. She pressed her snout under Fluttershy’s jaw and nuzzled, getting a proper, confident smile in return.

“If we struggle with progress, I am fairly confident I can handle the body magic spell a little more safely,” Rarity added, pushing her drained juice bowl away. “I talked to Phoreni a little, and while neither of us can really explain why I can’t use the spell on myself, nor do we know why it lingers, she gave me some suggestions on how to ensure it takes effect without overdoing it.”

Phoreni nodded. “Khyrast would be better suited to investigating this, but while ponies are not peryton, and peryton are not ponies, what she told me of your usage of this spell in the Bow is unsettling. I think you underestimate the value of a smaller application of magic.” She shook her head slowly from side to side and smiled toothily. “But then, I find you ponies rarely do things with subtlety, so I should not be surprised.”

“I choose to take that as a compliment,” said Rarity with a smile and a huff.

“How is it not?” Dash asked. “What about you guys? How’d your stuff go?”

Fluttershy nodded and looked to Rarity and Phoreni as well, fidgeting. “Did everything go well? They haven’t started arguing again, have they?”

Rarity shook her head. “Far from it. The only issue was that Velysra and Caldesseia didn’t quite like the idea of receiving separate invitations despite the fact that Velysra will stay in the mountains, and Caldesseia is founding a new city. We left them two of the… let us call them ‘invitations’, but I prefer ‘pieces of Rainbow Dash’s act of callous disregard for Royal craftwork’.”

“Uh-huh,” said Dash, sticking out her tongue.

“I guess they’ll have to decide for themselves if they both want to form some sort of council together, if they are going to be like princesses of different towns,” said Fluttershy with a sedate smile. “Or not lead at all. I don’t think we can help with that.”

“Sometimes one—or two—must find their own paths,” said Phoreni, nodding softly. “They will talk and seek counsel with each other and their people as they decide.”

Rainbow Dash nodded absentmindedly as she finished her juice bowl, watching the Cotronnan peryton flow past them, right outside of the café.

“Wait,” she said, pinning Phoreni with a look. “Hang on, talking of talking, actually. What was it you wanted to say?”

“You mean earlier, not now,” said Phoreni with rare precision and certainty.

“Yeah!” said Dash. “Yesterday you were all, ‘I gotta talk to you about one more thing’, and then Khyrast wanted you to tell me congratulations? What the hay is that all about?”

“You did say that,” said Rarity, frowning.

“You said it’s nothing bad, I think, and it can’t be all that scary if comes with a ‘congratulations’,” said Fluttershy, though her ears were at half tilt nevertheless, one wing questing to touch Dash’s side.

Phoreni took another sip of fruit juice. Either she enjoyed the anticipation, or she was thinking. For all her experience dealing with peryton, Rainbow Dash honestly could not get a good read on her right now. The powerfully built warden stretched her neck out and gave their surroundings a long look, but in the end, she simply nodded.

“I would have liked a better place for this than the hard and sharp chaos of these stone roads, but I have no choice,” said Phoreni. “What I meant to say was that yours was the winning joust this season.”

Fluttershy’s eyes lit up, and she smiled wide. “Rainbow Dash won the joust? That’s wonderful!”

“Oh, that’s marvellous! You were ever so concerned with not winning any of the contests at the games, but the joust was the most important event of them all!” Rarity added, beaming. “That’s quite the feather in your cap!”

“But you’re not looking very happy,” Fluttershy said, tilting her head, leaning forward to look Rainbow Dash straight in the eye.

“Yeah, no I didn’t,” said Dash with a snort. “Back in the Grove, I lost the joust.”

Phoreni raised a brow. “Perhaps you do not understand. At the closing of the games, your joust with Mhessa, the doe, was voted the strongest story, even though Khyrast recused himself from the counsel-group—”

“No, I get that,” said Dash, quickly shaking her head. “Sure, it was cool and all, but looking back at it, the joust was when I really started getting stuff wrong. I messed that up, hard.” She gave Fluttershy a glance, but they were past that now. It was just a memory. Fluttershy nodded in understanding and smiled, gently stroking her side with a wing, and Dash returned the gesture. Rarity said nothing, and Phoreni stared at her, uncomprehending.

“Girlfriend stuff,” Dash said waving a hoof. She smiled at Phoreni. “I lost my head. If I won the joust, that was two nights ago in the woods with Fluttershy.”

“Actually, you hit the ground first,” said Fluttershy. “I think I won that one.”

Rainbow Dash blinked, her brain shorting out for a second. The impish smile looked weird on Fluttershy, but she’d also been completely right. Dash burst into laughter, and so did Fluttershy.

“Okay, okay, but I still say that I won, even if I lost,” said Dash, her giggles petering out. “And hey, uh, we’re gonna need another pair of antlers. Let’s pick some up in Ephydoera on the way back.”

“I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy after a moment, shaking her head at their two confused companions’ faces. “We never told you how we made up. Maybe we can find some place to get some food? I’m sure we can tell you all about it.”

“I would appreciate that,” Rarity admitted, chuckling. “I did mean to ask, but there has been quite a lot going on lately. There are are a few gaps we still need to fill in, and that goes for you as well, dear,” she added, nodding her head in Phoreni’s direction. “I’d love to hear exactly what happened up in the mountains, and surely you and all the other peryton wonder why the moon covered the sun recently.”

Phoreni shrugged. “Do I wonder? I do not know any who think the movements of sun and moon are of particular interest, but I am eager to hear the story of this joust that I have not seen and anything else that has happened to you since you left the Grove. For all that we have grown close, there are many things I do not know, and food pairs well with talk.”

“But first, the reason I wished to tell you of your victory,” she continued, opening the ohron about her neck as she talked, placing a small jar on the table among the empty juice bowls. “If I understand you right, the joust of the Brush Games is a story of regrets for you, but for Ephydoera, it became an event to be remembered. A meeting of strangers. As winner, you are entitled to a prize.”

“Right!” said Dash, perking up. She had forgotten that part. “Sure, the whole ‘I lost’ thing is just kinda a figure of speech, you know.” She sat up and rubbed her hooves together. “If I won, I won, and if you wanna give me a prize, I’m down with that! What is it?” She squinted at the jar. It didn’t look like the jar of ointment they had used to paint Dash’s wings. It was smaller, and whatever was in it was clear, not white or green.

“This is a paint thinner devised by our foragers,” said Phoreni. She gave the little jar a brief glance, and shook her head. “The intent then was to aid in helping you rid yourself of your shame, and that this would be helpful to all of us.”

“Alright?” said Rainbow Dash. She looked from her wings to the innocuous container and back again. She barely remembered what it was like to have her wings be the same colour as the rest of her body. She even knew the location and size of the little green splotches around her wing-bases without even looking at them now. “I guess that’s cool.”

“Do I believe it is ‘cool’?” Phoreni asked with a full bodied shrug. “I do not know that I do. I do not see the need for it any more. Since then, you—all of you—have showed the wisdom of wardens, of warriors who understand that the only conflict won is the conflict avoided, and that the only good decision is the one that has no losing parties.”

Rainbow Dash licked her lips and waited for Phoreni to go on. She didn’t have anything to say to that. No funny quips. No protests. It was weird praise to get, but who was she to turn it down? Fluttershy’s cheeks reddened, and Rarity sat up a little straighter.

“If you wish to use it and return your own colours, I have been told it may help speed the process,” said Phoreni, spreading her wings the tiniest bit. “But I think I would rather do the opposite.”

“Oh?” said Rarity, blinking rapidly.

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked, though Dash could tell she had already guessed, just like Rainbow Dash herself.

Phoreni flashed her teeth. “You have done much not just for Ephydoera, but for the cities of the Perytonia that Ephydoera is sworn to protect. You have worked harder to uphold our integrity in the face of new challenges than anyone else, turning disaster into boon and new opportunities. The only way to keep you Equestrians from stealing our duties is to grant you three the paint and share in your victories. If you would have this honour, we would be honoured to give it, and I would like to help apply it.”

“No offense, but my blue is cooler than yours,” said Rainbow Dash, grinning. “But I’ll take a touch-up on my wings, at least. It’ll be nice to be able to tell people that my wings are all cool and above-board.”

“I… I think that sounds lovely, really,” said Fluttershy, chewing her bottom lip with obvious trepidation. “I mean, it comes out eventually, right?”

“In a season,” said Phoreni, nodding.

“If you aren’t offended if we take home the paint thinner as well, I think it sounds like we graciously accept,” said Rarity, her grimace and flinch so brief, Dash wondered if she imagined it. “Ah, and why not. I’ve already ruined my mane and will return to Ponyville as a stranger regardless. I have seen worse shades of green.” She rose up and stretched. “I suppose we have our after-dinner date as well then. I propose we eat at that darling little place by the docks.”

Fluttershy nodded, smiling at Phoreni. “Our treat.”

“Did you bring paint all the way here?” Dash asked, hopping up on all fours, following after the others as they joined the orderly Cotronnan traffic.

“Always,” the doe said, nodding. “Each flight carries two jars, and guards them well. They are for repairs, not for… situations such as these, because there has not been a situation such as this one, but... each new story must begin with the doing.”

“First time for everything,” Dash said, chuckling. “That’s what we say.”

“The words are different, and the message is the same,” said Phoreni, nodding slightly.

“I don’t suppose you’d like to join us on your way back to Ephydoera?” Rarity asked, looking over her shoulder as they walked.

“Oh, that would be wonderful,” said Fluttershy. “We’ll be passing by, and we’d love to have you with us.”

“Would I love to join you as well? I would,” said Phoreni, sighing, “but you leave tomorrow, and even if you delayed, after I ensure our business in Cotronna is resolved, I must then retrace our wingbeats and lead my flight back to the Bow to give word to Agaus and the others that three fresh-painted wardens have set all things right.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Come on, we didn’t do everything, we just talked some sense into some silly peryton. We just did words.”

“There is no ‘just’ about meanings, ideas, and other such things. About forgiveness and understanding,” said Phoreni. “Words are forever connected to action. Words spoken without action are empty, and your words contained much.”

Dash had no counter to that.

“And if I cannot fly with you now, all this means is that you will have to come visit Khyrast, Loriessa, Aoras and me again,” said the peryton doe with a shrug.

Rarity chuckled. “Well, I think I, for one, would love to do that someday.”

“Count on it!” said Dash.

“Or you could come visit us,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her. “Maybe you’ll be sent to Canterlot as the Ephydoeran delegate for the meeting.”

Phoreni shook her head, but her easy smile slowly disappeared, warping into a subtle frown.

“You’re likely the most qualified warden at this juncture,” said Rarity, the unicorn arching a brow. “You have the most experience dealing with ponies.”

“This is not untrue,” Phoreni said, looking like she did not particularly enjoy this fact, or perhaps the conclusion.

“Oh. It’s totally gonna be you, isn’t it?” Dash said more than she asked, cackling.

“I warn you, if this is to be my charge, I will not go alone,” said Phoreni with a huff. “If I were sent, it would not be as a warden, as wardens are only one branch of Ephydoera. I must represent all branches of Ephydoera, and if I am sent heedless of the paint, I will bring all my loved ones. If you will guest me and mine, you must make room.”

“You did say you would like for Loriessa and Aoras to meet us,” Rarity pointed out.

“That doesn’t sound like such a bad thing to me,” said Fluttershy, giggling and wrapping a wing around Dash’s side.

“Deal,” said Dash, grinning, sneaking a wing around Fluttershy’s neck in return.

Three quick wingbeats, and Rainbow Dash soared above the beast. The winged hydra retaliated with a blast of fire from each of its twelve heads, but they were all far, far too slow. Rainbow Dash wove around and between the solid beams of light, picking up speed as she closed with the creature. Instead of giving it a solid kick, she just soared in between its necks and hovered out of reach on the other side, giggling to herself.

“You’re making this too easy! Come on!” said Rainbow Dash, sticking out her tongue, but the beast didn’t rise to the challenge. Dash wondered if the hydra-thing was planning something big, but instead it slowed down, its efforts to turn around halted before it could face Dash again. Twelve scaled snouts fully frozen.

“Oh hey, there you are,” said Rainbow Dash. She let herself glide down to the ground. The plains that she and the hydra had fought above were featureless and uninteresting, a flat yellow-green grassy field by the shore. In the distance, the sky and the ocean’s particular shades of blue met, and on the opposite side the horizon remained bright where the sunrise still lingered.

“Why do you always stop whatever I’m dreaming about? Do you do that with everyone?” Dash asked nopony. She couldn’t decide if the waves of the distant waters were stuck and still, too. Too far.

“I simply assume that most ponies find it difficult to fight and speak at once,” said Princess Luna’s voice. “Am I mistaken?” A piece of ground like any other darkened, a patch of grass cast into shadow with nothing around to provide shade. The Princess stepped out of a fold in the air, smiling at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash dipped her head in something like a bow and came up grinning. “I do some of my best thinking when I’m doing something else at the same time, really,” she said, glancing up at the weird hydra and its stubby little wings. It looked comical from below. “But eh, it’s fine. Leave it. That one was way too easy anyway. It’s not like I need to think right now, either. Just gotta tell you a bunch of stuff. I said we failed, right? I take it back.”

“Do you, now?” asked the Princess, one brow arched in earnest curiosity. She approached Rainbow Dash, and the closer she got, the more their surroundings warped. Gone was the frozen shape hovering above. The grass grew longer, trees sprung up at the edges of Dash’s vision, and the next time Dash blinked, she stood in the firefly grove. Princess Luna sat down near the center, faintly backlit by the reddening light of a sun nearly completely blocked out by the trees.

“You did not make it sound like there was a lot of room for ambiguity or doubt,” said Luna. “To guess from what little you told me, diplomatic relations with Perytonia were definitively soured.”

“Yeah, well, we fixed it,” said Dash, scratching an itch at the side of her muzzle against her neck. “Stuff… uh, stuff worked out. All of it, pretty much. Fluttershy and I are back together, and Rarity—I guess I didn’t tell you about that, really. We’re okay, is what I’m saying. We fixed Perytonia while we were at it, so thanks for the pep talk.”

“You are very welcome, Rainbow Dash,” said Luna, nodding and smiling. “I will take no credit, but I am glad for you and Fluttershy both.”

“Heh, me too,” Dash said, tossing her mane. “I’ll tell you all about it later if you want, but right now, or I guess tomorrow, we’re leaving Cotronna after breakfast. We’re crashing with Phoreni right now. We were hanging out and talking, and I guess we fell asleep. I think Rarity was breaking out that stupid board game, and I think the idea of a round of Vossos’ Vaunted Protocols knocked me out.”

“And this was after decorating yourselves with paints?” Princess Luna asked, tilting her head.

“Uh… actually, yeah,” said Rainbow Dash, blinking. “How the hay do you know that?”

The Princess simply pointed to Rainbow Dash. Dash looked down at her chest and now noticed that her blue was a little different, and all of her back was the same green as the top side of her wings. It didn’t register as wrong or weird to her. That was what they’d been doing before they started talking about bed or games, but still—

“Why am I like this in my dream?” Dash asked, turning back to Luna. If there was somepony who could explain that, it had to be the Princess of Dreams herself.

“Because your mind has accepted a change, and you see yourself thus right now,” said Luna, stretching languidly. She looked and sounded a little tired, a pleasant kind of tired, Rainbow Dash thought. Luna looked away and covered a yawn before she went on. “Conversely, those who are wounded but do not see their wounds as a part of themselves, or refuse to accept them, will not carry them in their dreams.”

“Huh. Cool, I guess,” said Dash, not knowing what to do with that particular piece of trivia.

“I also note that you seem to remember your present sleeping self quite well unaided,” Luna remarked, smiling slightly.

“Yeah, that’s not normal either, is it,” said Dash with a chuckle. “No freaky glass window thingies this time. I guess I’m just getting better at it?” Her laughter halted abruptly. “Uh. Unless… wait, is this something else freaky going on? Is this—”

“I think you are getting better at it,” Luna interrupted her with a soft laugh. “This is no mystery.”

“Okay. Not a mystery. Cool,” said Dash, feeling a grin coming on. “How about… a special super power?”

Luna rolled her eyes, but she still smiled. “If you wish, yes, it is certainly a power of sorts. In the same way that making a good cup of tea is a power. I would advise you not to exercise it too much, however. Your mind needs rest, and cannot get it like this. You may exhaust yourself unwittingly and wake up tired, and I will have to step in.”

“Uh-huh. I guess you’re going to have to stop by once in a while to make sure I’m okay, then, while I’m figuring this out,” said Dash, crossing her forelegs.

“I had every intention of visiting ‘once in a while’ regardless,” Luna retorted. “Not as often as we have as of late, but one day I would like to fight at your side again. Perhaps I could show you a true challenge with some creations of my own.”

Rainbow Dash smiled at that, but didn’t say anything. It all sounded pretty good to her. She sat down opposite of Luna, watching the fireflies mill about lazily in the air.

“You say you are leaving a city?” Princess Luna asked.

“Oh,” said Rainbow Dash. Questions. “No, no way,” she said, pointing a hoof straight at the Princess. “You first. I have a million questions!”

Princess Luna didn’t do the whole Princess thing of pointing out that making demands of princesses was strictly not okay, nor did she do the expected and very Luna thing of simply staring at Dash with one eyebrow raised a tiny, chilling smidge. The Princess held up a hoof and laughed loud and clear.

“I have promised you some answers, yes. Many times, I think. You have had questions for a while now,” said Luna, her laughter trailing off into a tired smile. “You may ask. I have a little time. For a friend.”

“Friends,” Dash corrected her. “I think all three of us have questions, really. We’re all your friends, you know, even if we haven’t hung out a lot. Not just Fluttershy, Rarity and me, but all of us. Twilight, Applejack and Pinkie Pie will say the same thing if you ask them. If you want us to be, anyway.”

Luna nodded slowly, then cocked her head slightly, staring off into the trees of the grove. Finally, she nodded again. “Yes. I understand your point, and you are right, but I will not toy with your dreams more than I absolutely must. We have discussed this before, too. Besides, one of them is not asleep at this moment.”

“Probably Rarity playing that dumb game with Phoreni or something,” Dash said, snorting with laughter.

“Perhaps. That is not something I can tell you, but you will have to tell Fluttershy and Rarity the answers to whatever it is that you all wonder about when you wake.”

Princess Luna looked up at her own horn as a firefly alighted on the tip, the very picture of serenity as she lowered her voice a touch. “We will talk at length when you get back, all of us. I, sister, and you all. But if there are burning and immediate questions that are still unclear to you, now is the time to ask.”

Rainbow Dash nodded and rubbed her hooves together. She had been waiting for this moment for a very, very long time. “Right. Okay, okay, uh. First, you’ve been here before. Like, across the ocean and stuff, and you’ve met the peryton before. Obviously. We know that now, but uh,” she scratched her head. “In the dream I had back in the mountains, just before I woke up and you were gonna help us escape, you said something about not wanting to do too much, and ‘again’?

“What the hay does that even mean?” Dash continued. “If you’ve been here before, why didn’t you just come here yourself? It’s not just because there are too many places to go and too little time, is it?” Rainbow Dash frowned. It wasn’t just one question. It all just became a huge tangle when she tried to ask.

Princess Luna waited a moment longer, perhaps waiting to see if Dash had more to add. She closed her eyes for a second and nodded once.

“We never meant to lie about this, and I do not think we did,” said Luna. “You ask why sister and I did not board the airship in your stead, and you know that it was not only about logistics.” She smiled. “Long ago—”

“Whoa, hang on, hold up,” said Dash, raising a hoof. “There are a lot of those to pick from. ‘Long ago’ as in, ‘the Bow is really called the Cauldron’? Or are we talking ‘peryton lived in a gorge’, which was a thousand years ago? Or is this ‘the Cauldron was called the Ask-whatever range’, which was even longer ago? There are a bunch of long ago’s to choose from!”

Luna inclined her head ever so slightly in a very royal nod. “You are right. It is an imprecise thing to say, but this is a very broad time period. I do not have exact answers for you beyond that it was before my fall, and before the final events of the Askonyan valley—which I suspect you will also ask me about.”

“You bet,” said Dash, nodding vigorously.

Luna smiled. “But to continue, this was long ago, before anything you will know of. Celestia and I were... different, and so was the world. At this time, we were more, hm. Let us say we were more free—no, that word carries the wrong tone.” Luna frowned and tapped a hoof on the ground, visibly uneasy. Rainbow Dash hadn’t often seen either of the Princesses struggle to articulate themselves without Pinkie Pie being involved, but now she hesitated.

“We were less restrained, sister and I, I think is the better word,” Luna said at length. “Unfettered. Not more ourselves. More different selves, and we were at the center of diplomatic relations, of contact with most of those peoples of the world who desired relations. In that time, Equestria—”

“But there was an Equestria?” Dash blurted, seizing on that. Maybe a few months ago that would be obvious, not something that was up for debate, but nothing could be taken for granted. It was very long ago, after all. “If there’s an Equestria, this was after the whole business that the Hearth’s Warming Eve story is about, right?”

Luna stared at Dash for a second, her mouth a thin line now with obvious annoyance at the interruption. “Yes. Well after then. Those events are very, very long ago indeed.” She shook her head. “And that is a very different story, unrelated and irrelevant. Long ago,” Luna began anew with a sigh, her usually rigid posture broken as she went on.

“Celestia and I were at the heart of close relations between many peoples. A network of trade and speech. I admit that I have forgotten much of this, but what remains is that where we touched, we all shaped each other. That, after all, is the nature of friendship.” The large princess pony’s lips curved upwards in a faint smile. “Pony culture bears the mark of this time in ways I can no longer fully trace to any one source, and other cultures bear the mark of our culture and those of others. Languages were shaped and aligned, something that persists to this day.”

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to ask why the peryton letters were so weird, but decided against interrupting the Princess again not for fear of the Princess’ anger or annoyance, but because Luna had gotten more quiet, sedate and slow in her speech instead of her usual forceful self. Thoughtful, not bold.

“We learned of… issues with having such a large presence,” said Luna with a half-smile. “Issues with ourselves, not with the world.”

Rainbow Dash felt her ears droop with the weight of Luna’s words. She got the very real sense that in those two sentences lay more history and mysteries than she would ever get the chance to fully know.

“D’you mean… the Nightmare Moon stuff and everything?” Dash asked, taking a wild stab.

Luna stared at the ground. The firefly that had perched on her horn finally took off. “Yes and no. The Nightmare was the conclusion. A punctuation long after the issues had begun. My becoming Nightmare Moon was only a small part of the harvest of those issues. Much happened before that. Suffice it to say that things did not turn out well. The Nightmare is useful in this sense, because it gives you an idea of, well… It tells you that things did not turn out for the best,” she repeated.

Dash nodded glumly. She thought the Princess looked sad, such a simple emotion for a very large and intimidating pony, and Dash didn’t know what she could do about that. She didn’t have the time to consider it fully anyway. Luna looked at Rainbow Dash, meeting her eyes and perking up as though she sensed Dash’s thoughts.

“As I have said many times now, it was long ago,” said Princess Luna, reviving a little. “I am returned, and these things are the past. Now—”

“You are fine, right?” Dash asked, cocking her head. “Just… ‘cause if you’re ever sad again, you just know Pinkie’s gonna be happy to make you a party. You said you know we’re all friends, so we could have a sleepover when we get home or something. That’ll cheer you up.” Rainbow Dash grinned. “You can’t be sad when you’ve got friends all around you.”

Luna exhaled heavily. She seemed more tired still, but her smile grew by degrees until she finally closed her eyes in a long blink, nodding slowly, as though she was half asleep.

“I am better, Rainbow Dash. In truth, I have never been better in my entire life,” she said. “Two years is a short time to learn to live again, but I am better, and getting better still, not in the least because of the knowledge that as I reach out, I have those who are willing to be my friend. I am grateful, your worry is misplaced, and as for the offer of a sleepover, perhaps we may get back to that someday.” She smiled wider still. “May I continue my story?”

Dash felt a little better, a little warmer for her words, and nodded quickly, sitting upright. “Yeah. Sorry.”

“Think nothing of it,” said Luna, nodding in return. “We come now to the bridge between the past and the present. That was the past, and now I have returned, and sister and I decided upon my return to see if we can’t rekindle, or create anew these old ties.” She took a deep breath, her usual volume creeping back into her voice. “We told you and all of Equestria as much at the banquet. We wish to foster stronger ties with both our neighbours and distant amenable nations, except this time, with one difference. We wish to do so as ponies of Equestria, alongside other ponies.”

Dash rustled her wings and tilted her head, waiting for an explanation. Luna cleared her throat before she went on, her every word deliberate as though they were hoof-picked.

“When last we forged these ties, we did so as the creatures we were at the time, with all the power we had and have. In some places, that gave us… undue attention. Undeserved respect,” Luna said with a faint sneer. “Some thought us gods, a word that has no place any more. Sister and I have spoken of this at length. Gods have tools and instruments. Princesses have subjects. And ponies?” She smiled at Rainbow Dash, bright and cheerful now. “Ponies have friends who help them, and that is why we sent you. We sent you to be your beautiful, wonderful selves and meet prospective friends as ponies.”

“Yeah, and not to make dresses or start shoving our own problems about being different from your girlfriend onto the peryton and make a big mess,” Dash muttered under her breath, chuckling to herself.

“I’m sorry?” Luna asked, blinking rapidly.

“Nothing, never mind, sorry,” said Dash, chuckling. “Okay. I… uh, I guess I get it? I hear what you’re saying, anyway, even if I don’t get why you want to talk to people differently this time. I don’t even know if I understand what’s different, really—uh, yeah, okay, I don’t get it at all,” she admitted.

“If it is all the same to you, I would prefer to wait to deliver the long version of multiple thousands of years of history, such as sister and I can remember, until you return,” Luna chuckled. “But I will try to explain.”

“Yeah, no, I don’t even think I care about the history of it, I’ll take your word for it,” Dash laughed. “I dunno. It got bad last time so you’re trying something new. I just think it’s weird, because we nearly messed up! We actually did mess up, we just lucked out and un-messed up, too.”

The Princess rose to stand, stretching her wings and her legs out. “But you did not fail. And even if you had ‘messed up’ irrevocably, we would make repairs and try again. I think you do understand, Rainbow Dash. There is no hidden meaning to grasp, no deceit. This is simply how we wish to go about making friendships with other peoples at this time, and we are glad—no, honoured—” she said, locking eyes with Dash. “—that you and our friends, as well as many others, wished to help establish these ties between Equestria and all who share this world with us. We placed our trust in you, and we were rewarded. Thank you.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged and smiled. “Hey sure,” she said. “Glad to help. I’ll tell Fluttershy and Rarity thanks from you, too.”

Luna nodded in return, satisfied, and looked to the side. Her horn pulsed, and the sunlight faded away entirely, in a second replaced with an equally bright moonlight from above, the suddenly dark sky aglow with brilliant colours and shifting bands of light. She lay back down and smiled.

“Now, I think I will ask a question myself,” said Luna. “You mentioned a ‘Selyria’ who the peryton regard as a part of me, connected to some statues. Would you explain this?”

“Sure thing. So, you said you’ve visited them a lot way back when? They actually remember a bunch of stuff about you and Princess Celestia,” said Rainbow Dash, scratching her snout. “Except they call you Selyria, and her Helesseia. At least, they think they remember a bunch of stuff about you, but, hey, before I explain that, can you tell me what the hay happened at the Cauldron, or the Bow, or Askonya? The mountains where there was a mess with the big beast and stuff?”

Luna shifted onto her side and nodded slightly. “You explained that you know some things, but I was busy last time we spoke. Perhaps it is best if you explain what you know?”

“Some terrible drawings said—” Dash began, frowning at herself. “—well, okay, they can’t say anything, but we found some crummy drawings that said the heron gave the peryton some stuff, and then the peryton summoned some big monster that Odasthan called The Fell. You and Celestia defeated it, I guess? Is that true?” Dash snorted. “And you made Odasthan and Yelgadar from it? A big wet snake and some dumb burning chicken?”

Luna chuckled. “I think that is the shortest and most efficient telling of it that I could possibly imagine, but I can’t correct you, because that is the simple truth of it. The peryton of Askonya were… perhaps a slightly wild and reckless people, but the events were the heron’s work, there is no doubt in my mind of that, even with all I have forgotten. I only remember so much, so unless you want fragmented and often private memories of that time, then let us settle for ‘yes, the last time I visited Askonya was to battle The Fell’.”

“Wild and reckless?” Dash asked, her snout creased ever since Luna said those words and the pegasus latched on to them. “They’re about as ‘wild and reckless’ as Fluttershy. They’re all super relaxed. They even use the word ‘reckless’ like it’s one of the worst words they know!”

Luna rolled her jaw. “Then perhaps that change is a result of the events within Askonya. I do not think that is very strange at all.”

“Right,” Dash grunted. “Okay. More importantly: do you know why Yelgadar is such a total butt?”

Luna smiled and shook her head. “I do not remember all, and I don’t even know that question has an answer. Clearly I must visit Yelgadar and Odasthan soon, but as far as I know, the two creatures were made to house the parts of The Fell. They are the same as each other, but different. Halves. From what sister has told me, Yelgadar is not malicious or cruel, but she can be unreasonable. Temperamental and… decisive, qualities Odasthan lacks.”

“‘Unreasonable’, huh,” Dash grumbled. “Yeah, I’d use different words.”

“Regardless, the visits Celestia and I made to Askonya and the peryton people became more infrequent towards that age,” Luna continued. “We had not seen them for centuries when the herons’ labour upon the peryton resulted in The Fell, and I know little of them after Askonya became the Cauldron. You know more than I of this,” she concluded, raising a brow.

Rainbow Dash nodded absentmindedly, still mulling that over in her head, and then nodded again when she realised the Princess had asked her a question without a question. Luna’s stare was expectant. Hungry, almost.

“They migrated to what’s Perytonia today,” said Dash, stretching her forelegs out and yawning. “I guess because the place got stormy and jungle-y, but the tunnel they used to leave became a really bad place, I don’t know what’s up with that,” she admitted, shaking her head.

“Then I guess they hid in the gorges from the monsters, but that could have been a long time afterwards. I dunno,” Dash continued. “But yeah, the Aspect stuff you asked about. They kinda just… put all the stories about you and Princess Celestia into these Aspects, and some of that’s their First Stories, which is like their history, except they’re really keen on learning from it. They’ve got a bunch more stories and Aspects, and they like to teach each other stuff by taking things that happen to them, and making it a story about someone else. Like storybook characters, I guess, and you’re really popular.” Dash chuckled. “But really though, some of those First Stories are about the heron and how you and Princess Celestia told them not to play with the heron. D’you wanna explain that?”

Luna shook her head. “I do not know what more to say that you probably haven’t guessed. Sometimes, I think the heron themselves are slaves to their own labours. I long ago stopped thinking of what they do as schemes, because I don’t think they plan. It is almost as if what they do is instinct.” She snorted. “That was not your question, was it? They created The Fell, and Celestia and I hardly needed to tell the peryton how vile the heron are, but we did. Both before and since then, the heron have tried to do many similar things.”

“So, they’re bad news,” said Dash, shuffling her wings. “Got it. But okay, if you haven’t actually visited Perytonia, the lands east of the mountains where you used to hang out with them, how the hay did you get sucked into my dreams and all that? And why couldn’t you reach me when we were in the mountains?”

“I do not know why my dreams joined with yours exactly,” said Luna. “But I have theories, now that you have explained these Aspects a little. If they tell stories of me, and they echo with my actions, a lucid dreamer calling my name sleeping under a stone dedicated to these memories, combined with my awareness that you are visiting a people of whom I have memories myself?” She shrugged. “I think I presented some of these thoughts to you before, but my own subconscious may have played a part.” The Princess smiled a lopsided smile, pausing before she continued.

“Or… perhaps this Selyria has a power of her own, even if I am no longer she,” said Luna. “As for the mountains, the powers at work during our battle with The Fell were considerable, and bled into many realms, including the realm of dreams.”

“I didn’t have any weird dreams while we were there or anything,” said Dash, frowning. “Is it dangerous?”

“Not at all,” said Luna. “But it is tempestuous, and to try to single out one lonely dream there is akin to trying to start a fire underwater.” Her smile waned. “No, that is a terrible metaphor, never mind. There is not much to say of the Cauldron except that the realm of dreams is wounded there, but you say the peryton people have memories of my actions? Of mine and sister’s? Is there more than the warnings against the heron? Nothing unpleasant, I hope?” she asked, and Dash didn’t miss the glimmer of hope in Luna’s eyes.

“Nah, like I said, you’re way popular,” said Dash, chuckling. “Especially in Ephydoera, I think. They were all over you and Celestia there. Oh, uh, I guess there’s one exception, but we’re working on that,” she added, not much feeling like going into detail about the Morrowsworn right now. “To most of Perytonia, Selyria’s all about… travelling and protecting and maybe a little bit about being nosey? We haven’t heard a lot of the First Stories, but the other ones are all cool. They have so many stories about Selyria, you have no idea. They’re talking about you like you’re still here. I guess that means you’re still friends with them, in a way.” She grinned and gave herself a mental pat on the back for the cool thought. “If you wanna hear all the First Stories, you should come visit yourself.”

“There was a time when I spent a lot of time with their people. Perhaps,” said Luna with a faint smile, shaking her head. She glanced skywards, and Dash caught the last glimmers of a meteor shower. “If those are your major questions, I have one more of my own, just in case I have to leave in a hurry, and so as to cover what I should have asked a lot sooner.” Luna stared at Dash, her brows furrowed. “How did you resolve the issues that plagued you? What happened, and what will you do now? Shall we arrange for your passage home?”

“Right. So that got a little complicated, actually,” she said, chortling with laughter. “We’re kinda on the other side of Perytonia right now, but hey, can you pick us up in Orto in like, uh, hang on,” she said, tapping her hooves as she counted five cities off on her primaries, times one or two for the days between each city as Fluttershy had said, but minus one since they were in a city. She extended her other wing to bring more feathers in to help—yeah, no. She was fine with pretending that it was the dream that made math hard.

“A week or two? Maybe?” Dash said. “Pony weeks, not peryton weeks. I’ll tell you when I know exactly, if you’re free? Yeah, probably closer to two weeks if we’re actually gonna say ‘hi’ when we visit the cities. We kinda have to go back to Orto through every other city on the way.”

“I see?” Luna asked, raising one brow like a pony who did not, in fact, see.

“Yeah,” said Dash, grinning. “You asked how we fixed stuff? Well, you’re gonna get a bunch of guests, not just one. Remember you told me they used to have a lot of cities? They still do, but they don’t have a meeting ground any more. They use one city, and it’s like they’re always having a meeting about what to do together, except it’s not their capital at all. They don’t even have a princess! So we invited like… six or seven of them.”

“Six or seven,” the Princess said.

“Cities. Like, probably way more peryton than that, though,” Dash agreed, chuckling and waving a hoof. “Phoreni’s talking about bringing all her girlfriends and boyfriends and whatever, and she said that Aoras has like… two stags he loves who Phoreni doesn’t know all that well, and I don’t know if this is gonna be like the Apple family reunion craziness where everyone brings everyone they know, but it sounds—”

“Or seven,” Luna repeated.

“Oh! Yeah. The city stuff. We don’t know yet. They don’t know yet, but they’ll figure it out. They’ve got this.”

Luna was quiet for a moment, then shrugged and smiled back. “Well, we expected many challenges, and we hope to meet these challenges, to struggle to accommodate and communicate with very different peoples again, so this is not unwelcome or entirely unexpected.”

Dash nodded. “Sure. But, y’know, you could probably have fixed this, right? Like, if you’re crazy magical, I mean.” She frowned. “I don’t know what you did wrong the last time exactly, but… couldn’t you just pop by, talk to them for a second yourself and pretend you’re a normal pony? Magic yourself to each of the cities really quick and tell them not to make a big deal of it?”

The Princess had begun shaking her head slowly from side to side ever since Dash started making her point.

“It sounds like you have an understanding of present day Perytonia greater than what we could achieve by simply ‘popping by’, and what sister and I have come to realise is that exercising restraint with power is a grander task than using it. Derive strength not from power, but from your humility with it, especially when dealing with people who are not used to the power that we wield as Princesses.”

“I don’t get what the big deal is,” Dash admitted. “You’d still probably do a better job than we did.”

“First, I do not know that is true,” said Luna, smiling. “Second, you do not see what the issue is because you have grown up in a land that knows us. You are used to us, even if you do not know the full extent of the power we wield.”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “Like what? When you helped us escape, you just made the sun and the moon go weird, big whoop. I don’t care. We’re friends. You could have turned the mountains upside-down just to show off, but you’re still a nice pony, you and Princess Celestia. Who cares what you can do? How does that make you different?”

Luna laughed and touched a hoof to her own chest. “And that you say that, my little pony, warms my heart. I am lucky to have friends such as you, but again, you can only say that, you only have the privilege of not caring because you know sister and me. Not all have that luxury, and we do not wish to repeat our mistakes.” She smiled. “I do not care to go on about this all night, but while these Aspects are no doubt interesting receptacles for memory, history, learning and such, they are also an example of my point on consequence. We are guilty of shaping peryton culture even thousands of years later. Their culture still bears the mark of sister and me.”

“That’s a load of hay,” Dash said, feeling her snout frumple. “Like, okay, sure, the Nightmare Moon stuff made some problems, and yeah, I haven’t told you a lot about the peryton up in the mountains. They had some really weird ideas, but it’s fine now!”

Dash shook her wings out in annoyance. “You’re just two out of like… fifty Aspects. You said you’re not Selyria, and yeah, duh, but Selyria isn’t you, either. Selyria belongs to them.” She felt her ears twitch. “If you have some crazy magic, that’s part of who you are, but you can’t be afraid of inspiring or being inspired, and that’s what you and Princess Celestia did. You inspired them!”

She didn’t know if the reason she felt the heat in her cheeks, if the reason she cared so much about this was because had some very recent first-hoof experience with exactly the idea of being on both sides of the whole inspiring thing, but there it was.

“The Aspects are awesome for the peryton, even if they’re a little weird. They’re way different, but they found their own way. They figured out something that works for them,” Dash concluded, but her frustration was short-lived, evaporating twice as fast under the Princess’ look of mild surprise. The larger pony’s brows were raised, and at length, she simply nodded.

“Do not misunderstand. I do not regret the powers I wield,” she said. “And your reasoning is… solid—”

“It is?” Dash asked, blinking, surprised herself.

“—but how sister and I use our power is ultimately up to us, just as your gift of flight is for you to use. We desire to interact with the world as ponies first, however much your words are appreciated.”

“Right. I get that. Of course it is,” Dash admitted, sinking down on the ground a little. “Sorry,” she muttered.

“Perhaps you are right, ultimately,” said Luna. She walked over to sit at Rainbow Dash’s side, a hoof’s breadth apart and smiling down at her. “If nothing else, I choose to understand that something good has come from our interactions with the peryton, and it is nice to know we have not left behind a hurt and damaged people for our past mistakes.”

“Nah. They’re fine. And cool,” said Dash. She leaned against Luna, only realising after the fact that it might perhaps be a very, very weird thing to do, but the Princess said nothing. She stiffened a little at the touch of Dash’s head against her, but it lasted only a second, and now Dash was committed. She had to play it cool and pretend she knew what she was doing.

“I wonder,” Luna said, a little more quiet. “Sister was the last one to have visited them. When we discussed this upcoming moot, she mentioned that she had journeyed to the present lands of Perytonia once, and that she made them a promise, but she refused to elaborate, suggesting that one day I should visit for myself, after relations had been established.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying,” Dash agreed. “If you do come visit, try the phela and the sour-grass, but stay away from the kelp. They probably won’t recognise you, if that’s what you’re worried about. At least not as long as you stay away from statues and don’t put on any antlers.”

Luna chuckled. “I will take this under advisement, but mundane details can wait until you return to us. Not that I can fool sister for a second into believing I haven’t talked to you extensively. I suspect I must confess my direct involvement sometime tomorrow. As you can imagine, she did not exactly miss the minor detail of the eclipse some weeks ago, and I can tell she wishes to know, even though for whatever reason, she has not yet asked.” She shook with a short, soundless burst of laughter. “Any final questions? I cannot stay for much longer, I think. I am as tired as you must be.”

Rainbow Dash frowned as she thought, trying to rack her brain, to squeeze out a lightning round of questions. “Sure,” she said, grasping at anything within reach. “Do you know anything of something or someone called... The Curinion? I think that’s it.”

Princess Luna shook her head. “I am afraid not.”

“The Ever Soaring? They talked about him a bunch.”

“Again, no.”

“Heh, never mind then,” said Dash, chuckling. “I think that’s… wait, no, someone told me a story about Selyria. One of the few stories I’ve actually listened to. Something about a, uh… Morrashon? The council guys in Vauhorn told me something… wait, I remember this. Selyria talked to this peryton who couldn’t move—”

“I remember Morrashon,” said Luna, nodding.

Rainbow Dash pulled away from Luna in a flash, staring up at her. “Wait, what? Really?”

The Princess nodded, smiling calmly. “A stag born crippled, with an unfathomably strong mind, and a very nervous disposition. I recall talking to him a few times. He lived in the western part of Askonya in self-imposed exile of some sort that I never understood.”

Dash still gaped. “So you… gave him a pep talk? And they still remember that?”

Luna shrugged. “I encouraged him, but I like to think we learned from each other—and why not? Stories live for as long as people care to tell them. This would not be half as old as the Hearth’s Warming tale.”

“Jeez,” Dash said, shaking her head and laughing. “I guess some of the stories that aren’t the First Stories are pretty old too. What about… Vestrus?” she asked, trying to remember the story Neisos had told her. “Did you send some trickster to help someone called Vestrus turn around or something? See the other side of things?”

Luna cocked her head sideways. “I… do not think so. I do not think I have ever ‘sent a trickster’ to do anything on my behalf, truly, and I do not remember the name.”

“Aw, alright. I guess most of them aren’t actually stuff you did. They’re probably gonna make a bunch of stories about stuff this new Fluttershy Aspect thing did that she didn’t do, and that’s gonna weird me out pretty much forever. I’m gonna have to come back next summer and check those out. Or, make that spring. Or fall.” Dash waved a wing. “Whatever. I guess that’s it. That’s all I’ve got. All questioned out!”

The Princess nodded her agreement. “I think it is time for you to wake up, and for me to turn my attention to other things. I feel better now knowing that you are all truly feeling well. I will have an airship stand by waiting for you to tell me when you are ready to return home.” She smiled. “No more lingering fears or insecurities that will turn to nightmares?”

At first, Rainbow Dash thought the Princess had made a joke, but her smile was sincere like nothing else.

“What? Pft, no, no way,” said Dash, laughing. “Of course not! We’re great now, thanks to you, and Rarity, and a bunch of peryton we’ve talked to, and some other stuff—” she scrunched her snout, “—point is, we’re doing awesome, and I’ll let you, or Rarity, or someone else know if I need some help again, maybe before it turns into a terrible nightmare.” She chuckled and shook her head. “And before that, I’ll tell Fluttershy. We kinda promised each other we’d try that.”

Luna’s horn glowed, and the grove scattered like grains of sugar swept away in a storm, the scene returning to Dash’s own shore with a frozen hydra-thing held still in the air above them.

“Changing the relationship between two ponies, establishing relationships with a new people,” said Luna, her head tilting left, then right. “You have done both, and I think in some ways, they can be equally great challenges.”

“Especially when you’re doing both at the same time,” Dash agreed, laughing. “Alright. Thanks again. I’ve gotta rest up for tomorrow. This is gonna be awesome.”

Chapter 47

Rainbow Dash

Ponyville, Equestria

I met a Bent Feather at the docks here in Cotronna who said she would take this letter to some creatures called the Sought. She said that they can take a message to anyone, anywhere, but that they couldn’t say when. If that’s true, you could get this letter next week, or you could get it in many years.

Maybe you won’t even remember Cotronna by the time you get this. I know that a little earlier tonight, I was in a hurry to forget about Cotronna and all of Perytonia. I was really angry. At Rarity, and then at you, and now I feel very bad about it. I was very sorry. I wanted to run back and apologise to Rarity, but I didn’t. I got really hungry, and I found this little café by the docks. They call it Ryshalos’ Rest, and I’m probably going to stay here for a little while. You probably know that by now, and hopefully I’ve remembered to tell Rarity I’m very sorry for yelling at her.

I don’t want to forget Cotronna. I don’t regret anything, and I don’t want to forget Perytonia, because one of my best friends, my oldest friend, she taught me that sometimes you have to try even if there is a chance you can fail. Or, as she would say, sometimes you have to break a few wings to pull off an amazing stunt.

Right now, I don’t feel very amazing. I feel like I broke us. I ruined everything. We don’t work like we used to, and I don’t know how to fix it. I’ve tried to talk to you, but… well, that didn’t really help, and it’s not very surprising. That was never how we worked.

I feel like I broke us, and maybe you feel the same. Maybe we broke us together, but you’ll find a way to fix this. Or maybe I will. One of us, or both of us. We will fix this because you are strong and clever, and you always figure things out. You are strong, and I am, too.

-Fluttershy

“This is awesome!” Rainbow Dash shouted. The tug of the harness was lighter than she ever remembered from pulling the cart. The chariot eagerly followed, gliding effortlessly across the open sky owing to the two pegasi pulling it. One set of wings beat fast and urgent, the other slower and more deliberate, Fluttershy’s wing-strokes more akin to Phoreni’s than Dash’s own. It took a little work to keep the pull even, but the chariot’s wiggles and shifts were no worse than the bumps of cartwheels upon a dirt road.

Rainbow Dash grinned hugely and glanced over her back, finding Rarity standing comfortably at the back of the simple, unpainted chariot. She had one foreleg over the rim for balance, and with the other she waved goodbye to the Cotronnans and their council who rapidly receded below. Phoreni waved as well, and Rainbow Dash added her own with another whoop and a cheer as they soared up and east, away from the inner circle plaza.

Fluttershy did not seem inclined to celebration. She focused on the beats of her wings, on flying straight. She obsessed with basics that Dash knew she could do in her sleep. Her ears were not bent back to mute the rush of wind, but splayed with tension as her eyes flitted from the city below to Phoreni who flew at their side, then to Rarity as though she expected their friend to fall off.

“Chariot’s doing great,” Rainbow Dash announced to nopony in particular, still smiling to herself. Cotronna receded behind them, below them. She noticed a tiny shift in their ascent as Fluttershy subtly levelled their course, clearly thinking they had enough height, and Dash yielded. Still Fluttershy said nothing, wincing with every shift in the air currents, her jaw taut.

“I am very impressed,” Rarity replied, conversationally. “I don’t know how much goes into chariot design, but there’s room for me to stand, and a darling little latch attached to the door at the back to keep things from falling off.”

“Also,” Phoreni added, “this cart flies.” The powerful doe’s large wings flapped once for every five or six of Dash’s beats, the subtle glow of the Ephydoeran magic nearly lost in the bright sunlight of the morning, and her eyes were glued to the chariot, gleaming with subtle but undeniable delight.

“Well, duh,” said Rainbow Dash, laughing. “That’s kinda the point! The carpenters did good, but I think the shafts with the harnesses are a little too close,” she added, looking to Phoreni while she gestured to Fluttershy who flew at her side. “Our wing-tips nearly touch. Feathers brushing against each other is really distracting.”

“Oh! I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy. “Maybe I can… well, no, there’s not much I can do.”

Rainbow Dash ignored her, talking strictly to Phoreni and Rarity. “Like, distracting in a good way. I like it,” Dash said, still grinning. “It’s really nice.”

“Well, that’s… good?” Rarity chanced, and in the corner of her eye, Dash spotted Fluttershy smiling faintly, her cheeks reddening a touch.

“Yeah! It’s good,” said Dash. The tips of Dash’s outer primaries just barely touched Fluttershy’s every time their wings crossed paths. Their beats were completely out of synch. Dash had to force herself to slow down her beats a little, to try to get even more out of every stroke. That, or she’d have to tell Fluttershy to do the opposite.

Or, of course, she could do neither of those things, because she strictly didn’t have to say it.

“Besides,” Dash went on. “I’m more worried about the paint and everything. Fluttershy, do you think the animals are even gonna recognise you when you get home? You don’t think they’re gonna just run away wondering who this strange new pegasus is?”

Fluttershy blinked. “What? I… um, I’m pretty sure, yes. Most of them go by smell, or movement, or my voice, but I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“Cool,” said Rainbow Dash, fishing for anything more to say, however inane. “Even the geese?”

“Even… even the geese,” Fluttershy said, sounding a little confused.

“Geese,” Phoreni repeated.

“‘Cause I figure, maybe they always go after me because they’re jealous of my colours. I’ve always been an awesome blue, and I got green in my mane, and now you’ve got both blue and green on you too, even though your mane is still the usual colour.”

“I think it’s more likely that they attack you because you’re bothering them, if I have to be honest,” Fluttershy replied, one brow raised. “They can’t understand what you say, but they understand body language. If you stopped being rude to them, maybe that would help.”

“Pff, I’m not rude. They started it,” Dash said with a snort. “Think you have a lot of mail waiting? What about you, Rarity?”

“Mail? Darling, what are you going on about?” Rarity asked.

“I’m trying to distract Fluttershy, duh,” Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes. “I’m trying to get her to stop worrying or thinking about flying, ‘cause she’s amazing at this. Now that she’s not thinking about flying, she’s helping funnel air under the chariot to keep it up, and that’s why we’re flying smoother. Obviously!”

“Oh,” said Rarity, mollified in an instant.

“Do I think that is obvious? I did not think so,” said Phoreni with a cluck of low laughter. “I wondered if you were beginning to suffer heat stroke, but it is late in the year for that.”

Fluttershy herself just laughed, pure and wonderful giggles rolling forth, her flight steady all the while as she shook her head. “I guess it is working,” she said, smiling at Rainbow Dash until her laughter ended in a soft sigh. “It really is. Thank you.”

“Good!” Dash declared. The chariot’s shafts were rigid and didn’t let her move closer to Fluttershy, denying her a nuzzle or a touch, so she settled for a smile. For a few seconds, silence reigned. Dash caught Rarity shaking her head and chuckling to herself, while Phoreni flew silently at their side, occasionally glancing down at the farms that now passed by underneath them. The peryton doe didn’t seem inclined to tricks or fancy moves, and the two pegasi were tethered to a chariot, but right now, Dash didn’t mind just flying low and steady.

“You truly don’t have any chariots at all here, do you?” Rarity asked after a moment.

“In winter, flying is challenge for the untrained, and in the summers, flying too much risks heat stroke,” Phoreni replied, shaking her head. “That denies us half the year of easy flight, and flying is only half of the two vital modes of movement, the flight and the stalk. Besides, when all have wings, who would we carry?”

“You could carry all the things you trade, of course,” Rarity countered.

“Ephydoera does not have much to trade. Trade comes to Ephydoera,” said Phoreni, matter-of-factly. “Ours is the concern of warding, and as such, the other cities offer a share of their excess to us. Regardless,” she said, gesturing to the chariot. “I think none of this matters, because though crafting is not my calling, I remain convinced this thing would not fly if I pulled it.”

“I’m fairly certain there’s some magic involved,” said Rarity.

“Pegasus magic, yes,” Fluttershy agreed, nodding.

“Awesome magic, pegasus magic, same thing,” said Rainbow Dash. Now that Fluttershy did her part, the cart flew almost completely smooth outside of the constant subtle banking left and right as they negotiated the differences between their wingbeats.

“I see that this contraption of yours works, at least,” Phoreni allowed. “For now, I must turn and go back, knowing that you are safe.”

“Of course we’re safe,” said Rainbow Dash, smiling. “If I headbutt my own butt and fall unconscious, Fluttershy will catch us. We’re good.” She winked at Fluttershy, who just shook her head and smiled back. “We’ll catch you later.”

“You will and you must,” said Phoreni, tilting her head forward in a head-only bow, smiling toothily. “I think I have said this in many ways, and many times, but to meet you has been a great joy. I understand you are used to different expressions of trust and love, but I hope I have made you understand that my respect for you runs deep.”

“Hey, right back at you,” said Rainbow Dash.

“I think we’re all very glad to have met you,” Fluttershy agreed, smiling wide. “I look forward to seeing you again. We’ll tell Khyrast you said ‘hi’ and that you’ll be back home with him soon.”

“Let’s not say farewell then, but rather, until next time,” Rarity said. “And thank you. For everything.”

“And you,” said Phoreni. “I hope all three members of your flight stay well.” She locked eyes with each of the ponies for a moment, closed her eyes and nodded to herself, then dipped a wing and broke off.

Never got to race her, Rainbow Dash realised, but she’d get another chance, and she didn’t really care to know who was faster, she just wanted to fly more with her. Dash watched the large peryton arc away from them, pull a great turn, and set course back towards Cotronna. Seeing the particular way she tucked her talons in when she flew, the way her wings negotiated the air, Rainbow Dash knew that she had to get to fly more with her. She had barely completed the thought when she frowned, wondering if it was okay to think about it so much. After all, she had a girl—

“She’s really beautiful,” said Fluttershy, the other pegasus’s eyes also on Phoreni’s rapidly receding form.

Or maybe I’m thinking too much again.

“She really is,” Dash agreed, simply. She grinned. “Can’t wait for her to come visit. Not just her, but everyone we’ve met.”

“Well, before that, we’re the ones doing the visiting,” said Rarity, leaning with both her forelegs on the front rail of the chariot, smiling.

“Mhm,” Fluttershy hummed in agreement. “We can say hello to everyone we’ve met while we’re delivering all these invitations.”

“Sure, but I wanna show them Ponyville, too!” Dash said, smirking. “And maybe I wanna see them all be super confused about silly stuff where we live, too.” She giggled. “Imagine taking Neisos and the gang to a fashion show in Canterlot. They’re not gonna get it. At all. Oh, and Mirossa’s gonna throw a fit about how small our market is, and at all the free samples!”

Fluttershy giggled, and Rarity chuckled with a shake of her head, halfway disappearing behind the rim of the chariot for a second to root around in their saddlebags for something. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes for a moment, relishing the feeling of wind under her wings, breaking on her chest, tousling her mane and tugging at her short tail.

There was something to be said for just flying sans loops and corkscrews. She’d probably go crazy if they were flying slowly, but they weren’t, not by any measure. Fluttershy matched her pace even though they hadn’t really talked about how fast they meant to go. Dash popped an eye open at that thought, watching Fluttershy.

Her girlfriend was a marvel. Her legs, chest, the front of her neck and the underside of her wings were coloured blue, while her topside was painted green, including one or two flecks of forest green in her short-cut mane where Dash had spilled some paint, but no amount of paint could hide the pony underneath or make her stranger to Rainbow Dash, nor could any amount of exercise.

Well-toned wing muscles worked effortlessly, but her legs still moved with the subconscious little steps they always did when she flew, like she was simultaneously on the ground and in the air, and her legs wanted to run. The little tuft of tail still swayed in its own particular little pattern.

In a flash, she remembered something a flight instructor had said, long, long ago. She had called Fluttershy’s wing-strokes hesitant and urged her to change them, to be quicker on the updraft, straighter on the way down. Dash scowled at the memory of a pony whose name she had long forgotten. Fluttershy wasn’t hesitant in the least. She had found her own wing-strokes, and they were efficient. Perfect. Rainbow Dash could watch this all day. Legs wiggling slightly. Wings up, wings down, muscles working beneath her coat. Neck slightly forward, and then back again—and then turning to look at her.

“Is everything okay?” Fluttershy asked, tilting her head, smiling at her.

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash. Her cheeks tingled, and she ignored it, grinning back. If she was blushing right now from getting caught staring, she decided to own it. “Everything is way, way more than fine.”

Fluttershy simply nodded and looked ahead again, and Rainbow Dash didn’t bother pointing out that their wingbeats were perfectly in synch now, the chariot gliding through the air like it was smooth ice. She glanced over her own back at Rarity. The unicorn stood tall and proud at the back of the chariot, restored to her confident and wonderful self, the same green-and-blue coat of paint worn with an almost regal air. When she noticed Rainbow Dash staring at her, she simply quirked a brow in question and, with no explanation forthcoming, looked ahead at the coastal landscape, at the beaches and the plains below.

Maybe one of them would suggest they apply the paint thinner liquid sometime soon. Perhaps right after they got back to Equestria. Right now, though, Rainbow Dash enjoyed the gesture, not just because it pretty much screamed mission success, but because they all wore the same paint. Sure, trying to be the same pony and like the exact same things didn’t work out, she knew that now, but even with all their differences, and though Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were girlfriends, it was nice to have something extra in common, something together.

“A bit for your thoughts?” said Fluttershy, now looking at her again.

“Mm, you’re staring,” said Rarity, fluffing her own mane. “Clearly you’re thinking about something, dear. Nothing terrible, I hope?”

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “I’m thinking about how awesome I feel, that’s all,” she said. “Fluttershy, let’s kick it up a notch. Vauhorn next! Again! Think we can land on the roof of the council building?”

“Rainbow Dash, no,” said Rarity, glaring at her. “Outside the city will be fine.”

Fluttershy giggled and shook her head, speeding up to match Rainbow Dash. “Maybe we could make a compromise? I’m sure we could find an empty plaza or a road.”

“Deal!” said Dash.

“Hold your thoughts and voices just a moment,” said Neisos, his antlers glowing as he levitated up the empty carafe. “I will be right back with more water, and perhaps some more fruit!”

The stag shifted onto one side, leaning against Ohrinna to stand up more easily. He moved towards the kitchen in his usual three-legged gait, leaving Ohrinna, their daughter Deimesa, and the three painted ponies sat around the familiar stone table just inside the main room. While they waited for Neisos to return, Dash cast a quick glance out the open door, catching a glimpse of Berissa and Teilos, the twins still hopping around and atop the chariot parked outside the family’s home. She grinned and shook her wings out as a pleasantly cool breeze blew through the house.

“While we’re waiting,” said Fluttershy, smiling at the very same sight, “you’re sure the chariot’s not in the way, parked out there? It’s just for a day or two.”

“There is little traffic in our street,” Ohrinna replied, smiling back. “It is not made for wagons.”

“I am more concerned with the two little terrors breaking something,” Deimesa added, the younger doe frowning at her siblings’ efforts, looking like she was perpetually half-way to standing up and rushing out the door. “Berissa! This thing is not a vessel for acting out Glandros’ stories!” she shouted.

Rarity chuckled. “I’m sure it will be fine. It’s just wood. We’ve moved all our possessions inside regardless, just in case it rains, but I don’t expect that’s very likely here.”

“Speaking of rain,” Dash said, seizing upon that word with a grin. “How’s that all going? You managed to make rain or do any fancy cloudcraft yet?”

Deimesa let out a short caw of laughter. “No, not yet, perhaps not ever, but for all our efforts trying over these past weeks, the twins will be the strongest fliers in Vauhorn.”

“They spend hours in the air these days,” Ohrinna supplied with a slight shake of her head. “More every day now that the weather turns. Perhaps I will lose my daughter to go seek wardenship with the Ephydoerans as you have done.” She laughed.

Rainbow Dash chuckled and spread her wings to tug Rarity and Fluttershy a little closer, getting a small protest from the unicorn who was in the process of extracting her journal from her saddlebags, and a nuzzle on the cheek from Fluttershy.

“I doubt that,” Deimesa retorted with a roll of her eyes. “I am not in the sky half as often as dad, so if anyone here is to do as these ponies, it is him.”

Rainbow Dash raised a brow at that, but any follow-up question was cut off by Neisos’ return, the stag hobbling back into the living room carrying a large bowl with a carafe of water wedged in the middle like it was yet another fruit amongst the others.

“You were trying to cross the mountains,” said Neisos, taking a seat and placing the bowl on the table. “Unfathomably tall, snow-capped mountains.”

“Right, we were,” said Dash, sitting up straight. “So, Rarity was gonna get cold, so she made—”

“We found a dress,” Rarity corrected her.

Fluttershy giggled and shook her head. “Yes. Under a rock. So, the mountain pass was really high up…”

“And then we basically ended up marrying or bonding with or hooking up with Phoreni. You know, the warden from Ephydoera,” Rainbow Dash concluded.

Rarity just rolled her eyes. Clearly Dash couldn’t get a rise out of her on that point any more. Fluttershy laughed, though.

“Okay, fine, the council told someone to make us this chariot, Rarity hopped on, and we started flying here yesterday,” Dash said, stretching. She picked at the fruit bowl, but couldn’t find anything else that looked interesting.

“We caught a quick nap at a Selyrian statue on the way,” Fluttershy added, smiling. “It was getting dark when we saw Vauhorn, and we didn’t want to fly all through the night, wake you up, and then fall asleep ourselves.”

“Yeah, that,” said Dash, shrugging. “Anything else you wanna know? I’m sure we missed something about the whole business with the Morrowsworn. You seriously had no idea there were peryton in the mountains?”

“None,” said Ohrinna, shaking her head. She looked at Neisos, who also shook his head. “Though we will be paying close attention to the wall now that there are important things about this to know. I have no more questions, though, but thank you for sharing this.”

Neisos nodded. “Clearly this business concerns all cities, and if they settle on the highlands to the south, then, well… We may not be much for travel by your standards, as we have much discussed, but it is a comfortable feeling to have more neighbouring kin. Always.”

Deimesa tilted her head. “If I have one question, it is… what are you doing, Rarity?”

“I’m wondering, too. Rarity?” Fluttershy asked. Ever since their story drew to a close, Rarity had her journal out, flipped upside-down and backwards, furiously scribbling. Now that her name was called, the unicorn paused, looking up.

“I was struck with an idea of this traveller’s guide I think we discussed long ago,” said Rarity, frowning at her journal and grabbing a quick drink of water before she cleared her throat. “How about this: Vauhorn is a riot of cultural expressions. Stories, people and items, the only common denominator is that peryton here, by and large, agree that things happened, or may have happened—or at the very least that the idea of happening is far more productive and interesting than the denial of such a possibility.”

Rainbow Dash tilted her head. She glanced over her shoulder and out the door again. Just across the street she could see the richly painted wall opposite of the family’s house, and they had been reminded of the sheer variety in Vauhorn when they came in to land earlier this morning. Still—

“If you mean the Aspects and everything, you know they do that all over Perytonia,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Mm, yes, but never more than here,” Rarity retorted. “I thought travellers might appreciate some help.”

Deimesa shrugged. “They are strange words, but not untrue words.”

Ohrinna nodded. “None of us have travelled much, but while the way you say it is strange, what you say is true for all who seek storied speech or stories to guide at all.”

Rarity chewed her bottom lip and nodded, putting her journal away. “Perhaps you are right. I just found myself enamoured with the phrasing, I suppose. I’ll use it somewhere, I hope. Never mind that for now. There will be plenty of time for memoirs later. Fluttershy, dear, what are our plans for the day?”

“Oh, well, we have to deliver the invitation, at least,” said Fluttershy. “Maybe there is something else?”

“If you liked the corner club, there are many like it,” Deimesa said, shuffling her wings. “I can show you another I found recently.”

“Um, oh. That’s… nice,” said Fluttershy, her ears splayed.

Rainbow Dash chuckled, turning to Neisos instead. The stag watched and listened to the talk around the table with rapt interest, but when Dash looked at him, he turned to face her and smiled expectantly.

“You were totally trying to give advice even when I said I didn’t want advice,” Dash said, delivering the accusation with a grin.

“Did I?” Neisos asked, one brow raised. “When?”

“The whole thing about how stuff goes weird if you wanna talk about something, but you don’t?” Dash said, trying to remember. “I don’t know exactly what you said, but you said something about how it builds this wall, and then you can’t talk about it. You were talking about your leg.”

“Ah. I did say this,” Neisos agreed with a nod, smiling at her.

“Yeah!” said Dash. “Like, whether you like or believe in talking about problems or not, it gets harder the less you do it.” She snorted and looked over at Fluttershy who was still engaged in a discussion with Deimesa, Ohrinna and Rarity. Dash licked her own lips and shook her head. “Trust me, I get it now. And the story about Vestrus was kinda clever too. Talking about how… how something can mean a lot of things and… just thanks. I’m trying to say thanks.”

Neisos nodded again, a small and shallow nod and a muted smile. “You do not owe me thanks. I was only trying to fill the silence with stories, and I did mean what I said about my leg. That story has no place here anymore. As for advice?” He chuckled with a low and warbling sound. “The story of Vestrus is generally always applicable. Anyone can appreciate the fact that new perspectives are helpful. If you found something particularly useful, then that is owed to your sharp mind and desire to find use, not on mine for trying to covertly help you or somesuch. I did none of this.”

Rainbow Dash believed none of that, of course. It was about as likely as Pinkie Pie saying that of course she didn’t have anything special planned for your birthday.

“If we are speaking of friendly advice, or simply words among friends,” Neisos went on, his voice softer. “Then I think I myself preferred the bluntness of yours. I found our little talk on the roof deceptively useful.”

Rainbow Dash grinned, staring at the large wings folded on the stag’s back. She swore she could spot a feather or two slightly out of order from use.

“Yeah?” said Dash. “I hear you’re out flying lots now, huh?”

“Enough that neighbours have begun to talk,” he said, his smile wan for a second before it widened. “Not that I am concerned. Not unpleasant talk. At least, I do not think so anymore.”

“That’s awesome,” said Rainbow Dash. She felt a little warmer from her own smile at that. “I didn’t do anything, though. You’re the one who decided to get back in the air.”

“I suppose, then, that we are thankful to no one for nothing, both of us.” He chuckled. “Or perhaps we can both be thankful for each other.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “If you wanna thank someone, thank Fluttershy. It was her suggestion. Kinda. It’s complicated.” She shrugged and smiled at her girlfriend when she looked over at the mention of her name, leaning over to touch her snout to a very confused Fluttershy’s muzzle. The fuzzy tingles in her chest redoubled, and doubled again when she thought about this one little act of friendship to get Neisos flying not as her own win, not even as Fluttershy’s, but as theirs.

“What are you talking about?” Fluttershy asked, giggling and rubbing the side of her two-tone dyed muzzle against Dash’s. “Everything okay?”

“We’re fine,” said Dash, grinning back at her. “Just talking about stories and stuff. Speaking of stories,” she said on a whim, turning back to Neisos. “The council here in Vauhorn told us a story the last time we came by. D’you know it? It wasn’t as cool as yours about Vestrus, something about Morrashon feeling bad that he didn’t know anything ‘cause he couldn’t move, so Selyria came by and talked to him a bit.”

Neisos nodded and smiled, his head at a slight tilt. He levitated a peach in his grip as he spoke. “It is a well known one, yes, not that I understand its relevance to your visit then or now.”

Dash shook her head. “I don’t remember either. That’s not my point. Did you know it actually happened? I talked to Princess Luna. Or, Selyria. Same thing, actually. She lives in Canterlot, but yeah. She remembers him.”

Even as she spoke, Rainbow Dash knew how Neisos would react, and she immediately saw she had been right. Neisos cocked his head the other way and smiled still, as though he waited for the follow-up. No, for the point, his interest largely polite. Unimpressed with the fact that Selyria, one of their first two Aspects lived and breathed. Dash knew he wouldn’t be amazed, because she got it now. The stories were what was important to them. The stories and the learning. Most peryton probably wouldn’t care that Helesseia was Princess Celestia, either.

“I see,” said Neisos. “Princess Luna was one of the two of your kin who sent you?”

“Yep,” said Dash, chuckling. “Just, you know, throwing it out there.”

“If that is the case, it’s an interesting fact. I suppose that means our two cultures have met before,” Neisos said, nodding along. Unimpressed, but politely interested, so utterly unlike the Morrowsworn upon their first meeting. Princess Luna would certainly appreciate that, at least.

“Yep,” said Dash again, laughing. “Never mind,” she said, waving a hoof and turning around when she caught Fluttershy seeking her eyes.

“If you don’t mind, Rarity suggested that we could go visit the council now,” said Fluttershy, smiling bright. “We could give them the invitation, and maybe tell them a few more stories they might like, and then come back to pick up the others and go eat dinner together.”

“And on the topic of stories,” Rarity added, her brow knit. “Deimesa here told me about a quite interesting story that they’re telling here in Vauhorn now, as well as a potential fiftieth Aspect.”

“And… and that,” said Fluttershy, her ears splayed in an instant.

“Ah yes,” said Neisos, grinning toothily. “There was one story that stood out during the last Alluvium that I thought I would ask you about.”

“I must say, I don’t envy those poor dears down there the climb,” said Rarity.

Rainbow Dash looked down between her forelegs and saw what she meant. Four wagon-teams worked hard to pull their great wagons up the long, long slope that led from Vauhorn to the little hilltop. The Northern Crown, wasn’t that what it was called? Already they gained on the little nub of rock and grass ahead of them. They’d pass it within the hour, probably.

Not for the first time, Dash silently gave thanks to the combination of weather, their chariot, and the sheer strength of pegasus wingpower that let them soar south. Soon they would begin their trek along the Splitwood. They had spent over a week travelling through the forest going north. Now it was a journey of one or two days according to Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash was ready to go for one. She grinned to herself and glanced over at Fluttershy.

“I still can’t believe your story won,” Rainbow Dash blurted, the words escaping her just as she thought them. “Not just a winning story that’s being sent all across Perytonia, but maybe an Aspect made after you!”

Fluttershy’s cheeks reddened, but she said nothing, her eyes ahead and her focus on the climb. As the road climbed, so did the chariot, but it wasn’t nearly hard enough work to consume the pegasus entirely. When she held her silence despite, Rarity spoke up.

“Honestly, it almost beggars belief,” Rarity said, the unicorn rubbing at her green-painted horn and staring critically at the edge of her hoof. “You never told me any of this. Not that I asked much, I understand—that is on me, of course, and I am glad to have the full story of that evening—but I… well, no, I am still quite frankly amazed you wouldn’t tell.”

“You're amazed that Fluttershy wouldn’t brag about something awesome she did?” Rainbow Dash asked, cocking a brow.

Rarity frowned. “Point taken, dear,” she said.

“I left before the biggest bonfire at the Ravenwall,” Fluttershy said, a little quiet.

“Yeah, you mentioned,” said Dash, squinting at her. She knew Fluttershy wouldn’t lie, of course.

“Surely you must have known part of it,” Rarity said.

Fluttershy sighed, her ears wilting. “Kind of. Vulenos said he thought it would go all the way, and the night I spent alone in Cotronna, I actually overheard someone telling the story, even if it’s, um… a little different the way they tell it, but that’s okay.”

“Okay, but how is that not awesome?” Dash pressed.

“Because it’s a story I told when I felt really bad, Rainbow Dash,” said Fluttershy, finding some of her energy again. She locked eyes with her. “Because I told the story when things weren’t great at all, and then, I thought… that was when I thought maybe you—” she exhaled noisily, fully. “That’s when I didn’t know if I believed you wanted to be with me, or if you wanted something I didn’t want. It wasn’t a very happy time for either of us, was it?”

Rainbow Dash winced. Nothing Fluttershy had said was untrue. She wished she wasn’t harnessed to the cart, wanting to reach out, to touch Fluttershy because she didn’t know what words to use or to say. Rarity didn’t miss a beat.

“That’s how we learn, dear,” said the unicorn behind them, her voice soft. “Maybe it’s a little more explicit in the way the peryton handle stories, but mistakes and the memories of those mistakes are a way to improve. Memories of worse times only hurt if you let them. If you sit on them, hoarding them alone.”

“You have no idea how true that is,” Dash murmured.

“This way,” Rarity continued, smiling, “others will learn from the little… hiccup the two of you had, but even though you told the story, it isn’t necessarily about you. I think it’s quite wonderful, really. One pony’s experiences can benefit everyone, and you yourself feel better now, don’t you? You know that Rainbow has always believed in you.”

Fluttershy chewed her bottom lip and nodded slightly.

“Nope,” said Rainbow Dash. “That’s not true at all.”

She felt Fluttershy’s worried, hungry and curious stare, as well as Rarity’s nonplussed look boring a hole in the back of her head while she herself kept her eyes on the Northern Crown, the statue of Selyria slowly coming into view as they climbed.

“Got plenty of times when I didn’t,” Dash said. She didn’t like admitting it, of course. It burned her throat to say it, but shutting up hurt worse. “Remember the whole business with the dragon the summer before last? I totally didn’t have your back, then. Didn’t think you could do it at all. That’s on me.”

“Two years ago?” Rarity asked. She folded her forelegs over the rim of the chariot and rested her head atop as she thought. “I don’t know that I do, exact—oh. The smoke and everything, no, I do. You’re still on that?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. She didn’t know what it meant to be on it, but she certainly hadn’t forgotten. She looked at Fluttershy, looking for any trace of hurt in the wake of Dash’s admission, but there was none. Fluttershy smiled faintly, her eyes unfocused for a moment as though she, too, remembered.

“Of course she remembers,” Fluttershy said, nodding at length. “And I do, too. It wasn’t fun at all, and I was very disappointed, even if I never told you.”

Dash felt a pang in her chest, but Fluttershy still smiled at her, like she had put the balm on Rainbow Dash before Dash even realised she was hurt.

“I think you can believe in me without saying it all the time, really,” said Fluttershy her ears perking up. “Just like how I can say that I think you are one of the most sincere and honest ponies I know, and really mean it, even if I, well… slip up once or twice.”

Fluttershy tilted her head sideways, leaning towards her as though she strained to touch Rainbow Dash. Dash missed her regular wingstroke rhythm on purpose, rocking the chariot just the tiniest bit so their feathers would brush against each other once.

“Sure,” Dash said, smiling back. “We can be great together even if we mess up. I guess you’re right. Heh, you’re always right.”

“No, that’s my point,” said Fluttershy. “I’m usually right, that’s all. Just like you are.”

Rainbow Dash giggled and said nothing to that, again not knowing what to say. Fluttershy just looked at her for the longest time, and it made Dash want to keep grinning. And so she did. They flew in silence for a while, the two pegasi climbing and climbing until finally they passed the Northern Crown and soared above the road that ran along the Splitwood. Rarity leaned on the rim of the chariot, now watching the two pegasi fly, now staring off into the vast and unending plains to their east, now to the forest on their west.

Idly, Rainbow Dash wondered what they looked like from below. If the paint did its job, and if they bothered to fly a little higher, any onlookers from below would just see a wooden chariot hurtling across the sky. She looked down at her own chest, still not used to the different shade of blue.

“Gotta remember to pick up more paint for our ‘flight’,” Dash said, chuckling to herself. “That’s what Phoreni said.”

Fluttershy nodded. “She said that if we wanted more jars, we could get them in the Grove since we’re wardens now.”

“She used the word ‘requisition’. On the condition that we guard them with our lives, might I add,” Rarity commented. “And something about promising to use them in furtherance of warden activities, though I don’t know how serious she was about that particular part.”

“Yeah yeah, sure, that,” said Dash, waving a hoof in dismissal. “But she said the three of us were a flight. Like they talk about their… units, I guess? Is that what you call a group? Oh. Uh, okay, so our group then.”

“I—” Rarity began.

“No, unit. Unit sounds way cooler,” Dash corrected herself.

“I believe she did say that, yes,” Rarity said.

“I guess that’s what we are, yes,” Fluttershy agreed, nodding and smiling. “A three-pony flight.”

“Some with more capacity for flight than others,” said Rarity with a dry chuckle, levitating up a bag of water for a quick drink, turning her head away from the wind.

“As long as you’re with us, you can fly anytime you want, really,” Fluttershy offered.

“Hay yeah,” said Dash, grinning wide. “Back in the Cauldron, we proved that Fluttershy and I can outfly anything with just two wings between us. We got plenty of wings left for you.” Rarity said nothing to that, but she her smile was warm and genuine, so Dash left it at that.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Fluttershy said after a moment. “You don’t feel airsick at all, do you?”

“Not at all, dear,” said Rarity, shaking her head. “I think I’ve had more airtime than just about any other unicorn in existence.”

“You’re basically an honorary pegasus,” Dash said, laughing.

“I’ll accept that, little miss flaming tornado,” said Rarity. “Somepony should be a unicorn, if you ask me. Not that unicorns are defined by their ability to start fires at inopportune moments.” She lowered her voice a touch, frowning as she finished under her breath. “That specific talent belongs to my dear sister.”

Rainbow Dash blinked, then grinned so wide her face hurt. “Sure, but okay, hold that thought for a second. Remember when we talked about ponies changing names? Do you think—”

“Rainbow Dash, no,” said Fluttershy, giggling all the while. “No!”

“Because I’m thinking ‘Flaming Tornado’—”

“No, dear,” said Rarity, sighing. “Just no. Coming home with two colours added to your coat atop your already ridiculously loud mane and tail is enough, don’t you think?”

“You mean awesome,” said Dash, smirking. “You’ve already said you like my mane. You can’t take that back.”

“Nor would I ever,” said Rarity, flashing a smile. “But in all seriousness, I wonder what ponies will think of this paint if we wear it back in Ponyville.”

Fluttershy touched a hoof to her own chest. “I kind of like it, really.”

“Oh, by all means, and if they will let us have another jar of the paint, I won’t turn down the offer,” said Rarity, nodding her agreement. “My point is that there’s a reason ponies don’t usually go for two tones even in those rare moments when they decide to dye their coat, and no—”

“What about—” Dash began to say, but Rarity beat her to it.

“—Pinkie Pie’s ‘popsicle week’ does not count,” Rarity concluded. “And that was food colouring, I am certain.”

“I guess,” Rainbow Dash allowed, chuckling.

“Mm, maybe,” said Fluttershy. “I think the paint is only half of what I like about… um,” she paused, her attention momentarily seized by a flock of birds flying in the opposite direction, a small distance away. “About… the paint. Okay, that didn’t sound right.”

“What?” said Dash, giggling. “Try that again?”

Fluttershy shook her head and smiled. “I’m sorry. I like the paint and everything, but I really liked putting it on together, that’s all.”

“It was a rather nice gesture, truly,” said Rarity. Dash glanced back at her and found her stretching her forelegs out.

“Not just the gesture,” said Fluttershy, frowning slightly as she thought. “She made it feel like applying the paint is a little intimate.”

“Yeah. I guess it’s not just wearing the paint that’s a big deal to them, huh,” said Dash.

“Exactly,” said Fluttershy, her ears at half tilt to go with her sedate smile. “It just felt… special. Like making a bond together. All of us.”

“Been thinking the same thing,” Dash admitted, grinning. “I like it.”

She looked back at Rarity again, but the unicorn was silent, her gaze drifting through the air in front of her, nodding absentmindedly.

“You know, I joke a lot about the whole ‘married to Phoreni’ thing, but—” Dash added.

“You really do,” Rarity interjected, and Dash chuckled. She’d probably milked the last of the fun out of that, but then again, that was kind of her point.

“—I’m starting to think that maybe it’s not completely a joke, but who knows. Even if I think I get the peryton a bit, and understand the Ephydoerans a little, I kinda still don’t,” Dash said.

“Well, whatever she thinks we are, I’m very glad we have her,” Fluttershy replied, smiling wide.

“You two are certainly taking the notion in stride,” Rarity commented, shaking her head, though she didn’t look entirely unamused herself now.

“Yeah, well, you’re not freaking out over the idea of some weird sort of four-po—err, three-pony, one peryton thing either,” Dash retorted, laughing. Rarity just rolled her eyes and rested her heads on her forelegs again, shifting her stance a little.

Rainbow Dash looked to the west when the silence dragged on again, wondering if they could catch a glimpse of the Morillyn gorges from the road. Probably not, she decided. The sun hid behind a light cloud cover, and the plains rushed by below. They had found a comfortable pace and a decent height, the wind at their backs for now.

“Speaking of speaking,” Rarity said, pausing to let out a great yawn, “your capacity for discussing emotions and relationships and such has clearly changed.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I guess?” she said, glancing over at Fluttershy, and her girlfriend’s smile suggested that maybe that was a good thing. No, it was a good thing. That was kinda the entire point of their discussion slash mutual concussion thing in Cotronna, wasn’t it? She stared at Rarity, waiting for the point.

“I just notice you haven’t talked about the Wonderbolts or anything like that in a great while,” said Rarity. She shrugged, then smirked ever so slightly, the wry little smile that Dash knew so well, a smirk that presaged a little barb. “I just never imagined you’d become a family mare, that’s all.”

Rainbow Dash’s laughed. It wasn’t much of an insult, if that was what Rarity had tried for. She didn’t even bother to answer. When Spitfire had praised Rainbow Dash at the hurricane effort earlier that summer, she already knew she could probably outfly them already. If anything, Dash’s ambitions were higher than ever, she just didn’t know what they were. Not yet. And that was fine. Just like she had no idea what lay in store for her and Fluttershy except copious amounts of snuggles and preening.

Now, if she could get Fluttershy into a Wonderbolts outfit. She licked her lips and swallowed, her mind going blank for a second.

“Rainbow Dash? Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked, her head tilted sideways.

“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah,” said Dash, clearing her throat. “I’m fine. Uh, what I meant to say was… I don’t remember. Something about how I’m still me, I just figured out that I’m pretty okay at encouraging others, too, I guess?”

Rarity arched a brow. “That… is a very insightful response to what I assure you was a joke, but I’m still worried that you treat the whole idea of you being a very inspiring individual as news, darling.”

“I’m going to keep telling her, don’t worry,” Fluttershy said, smiling at Rarity.

Rainbow Dash grinned. “And Rarity, if you think I’m losing my touch—”

“It was a joke, darling. Again, flaming tornado mere weeks ago,” said Rarity, frowning at Dash.

“—then how about I make it up to you? I’m like… fifty-five percent sure we can do a corkscrew with this chariot without you falling off!” Rainbow Dash cackled.

“It was a joke!” Rarity screamed when Rainbow Dash jostled the chariot a little. “Rainbow Dash, no!”

“So thunderclouds can simply spontaneously appear like that?” Rarity asked, frowning deeply. “That sounds unpleasant. I can see why you moved from Cloudsdale.”

“Oh, no. Not at all. There had been an accident at a nearby cloud laboratory,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head quickly. “It got stuck in my bedroom wall. I just didn’t know that at the time. I was very young. I’ve been terrified of them ever since.”

Rainbow Dash scowled at their chariot. Once they crossed the wooden bridge, it was back to rocks and pits. Whatever advantage they had being two ponies to pull the chariot was lost by having such tiny wheels. Every now and then something scraped along the bottom of the chariot.

At least the awful road was familiar. This was definitely the same bridge, and there was no mistaking the river for anything but the Meronna. They were back under the canopy of the Khosta, a forest so dense that even in the middle of the road—even while some of the trees dropped their leaves all on their own—the dark blue-green trees on one side of the path reached for the trees on the other side, as though they sought to swallow all sunlight. She kept her eyes on the bushes to their right.

“Given your stunt with the thundercloud and the lightning bolt that freed Rainbow from those awful chains, I imagine that’s a fear of the past,” Rarity said shaking out her legs as she walked at their side. Three ponies, side by side on the road again, and Dash couldn’t be happier.

“Not at all. I’m still scared of thunderclouds,” said Fluttershy. Rarity blinked.

Well. Not strictly true. Rainbow Dash could be happier. She would be, once they found the entrance to the path. Phoreni’s description had been as exact as ever, but looking for something as generic as “three trees with a dense purple glowing moss” was proving hard, despite her insistence that they would find it soon after the bridge.

“Really, the escape from the prison, and setting off a lightning bolt inside a tiny little cave didn’t help at all,” Fluttershy said, her ears bent flat with the admission. “We just did what we had to do.”

“Did what you had to do,” Rainbow Dash repeated with a snort of laughter. “I’m not buying it. Sorry, Fluttershy. That whole thing was pretty much the coolest, bravest, most amazing thing anypony has done in the history of Equestria.” She grinned to herself, swishing her tail when she realised how good it made her feel. Her girlfriend had done that, and that made them both more awesome.

At the silence, Dash finally looked up from the roadside, finding Fluttershy staring at her with her wings half-spread, nibbling her lower lip.

“I was just trying to help,” said Fluttershy after a moment. “That’s all. We all did—”

“We didn’t all figure out the best plan ever, grab a thundercloud without anyone noticing, and then zap the chains off,” Rainbow Dash pressed. “No way, Fluttershy. No getting out of it. You did way more than what you ‘had’ to do, you kicked butt!” Dash hopped into the air at that last word, making the chariot jiggle.

“And as true as that is,” Rarity said, smiling, “that wasn’t really the topic at hoof. We were discussing Fluttershy’s fear of thunderclouds—as much as I appreciate your input reducing poor Fluttershy to a puddle of blushing matter.”

Fluttershy giggled and shook her head, her cheeks cherry red now. “It’s okay. I didn’t have anything more to say about what happened in the mountains. I was just going to say that if there was anything that made me a little less afraid of thunderclouds, it was when Rainbow Dash and I played around with clouds together with Deimesa in Vauhorn the first time we travelled through it.” She tilted her head slightly, her smile and those big bright eyes trained straight on Dash’s own. “That meant a lot to me, even if I think Rainbow Dash didn’t understand it at first. I think that was amazing, if you ask me. It’s not easy for me to get over my fears, you know, but you helped.”

“Oh. Yeah. That,” Dash muttered, her own face heating up a little as Fluttershy turned the tables on her. “That’s no big deal. We both had fun then, I guess. That’s good. I’m glad.”

“And so am I,” Fluttershy said, nodding slightly. “And thank you.”

In Fluttershy’s eyes, Dash saw the same the same desire for touch that she herself felt. Dash wanted to bury her muzzle in that tantalisingly short mane, but still they were tethered to the chariot. Rainbow Dash reached out with a wing, stretching it as far as she could, and Fluttershy did the same, their primaries just barely touching.

“I wish I could take a picture,” said Rarity with a faint, wan smile. “To show to anypony who ever doubts how sweet the two of you can be togeth—ack!”

“Get over here,” Rainbow Dash laughed, snaring Rarity with a wing, pulling her to her side. “Come on, there’s room for you to walk in between us, you know.”

“Here?” Fluttershy asked, pointing.

“Those are definitely three trees,” Dash agreed, nodding and halting the chariot by the roadside just as Fluttershy did the same. “Alright, and there’s loads of the mushy bits. The moss is supposed to be purple, though.”

“I think that’s the moss that glows purple when it gets darker,” Fluttershy suggested. “It’s a little purple now, isn’t it?” She leaned a little closer to the innocuous clumps of moss adorning the cluster of trees nearly completely lost among all the other hundreds, thousands, millions of trees and the carpet of undergrowth.

“Yeah, well, I don’t see the path,” said Rainbow Dash, frowning. “But I don’t recognise anything. It’s just forest.”

The Khosta looked different in this second summer—or fall, probably—but the changes weren’t nearly as dramatic as they had been in the Splitwood just after the storm. There were more colours, but not in the trees. The canopy remained nearly completely unchanged, yet the flowers and grasses had streaks of yellows and oranges mixing with the same green that matched their lower bodies perfectly, and the few trees that shed their leaves disappeared in the mess.

“This has to be it,” Rarity said. She stepped out from between the two pegasi, approaching the trees. Her horn glowed, and she shifted some ferns and other grasses about, pushing them left, then right, finally thrusting her head in amidst the growth. “Oh. It is here!” she announced. “Bring the cart!”

“Chariot,” Dash corrected her, sighing. “This is gonna be terrible to drag along their crummy little dirt paths.”

“I suppose you are right,” Rarity replied, staring back at their very useful, very awesome, and sadly, larger-than-their-old-tiny-cart chariot.

“Maybe we should just follow the road and wait at the trader rest stop the Ephydoerans mentioned?” Fluttershy suggested, remaining still while Rainbow Dash tried to turn the chariot around. “Someone’s bound to come pick us up there.”

“Waiting?” Dash scowled. “Really?”

Fluttershy shrugged helplessly.

“You will ruin the path,” said a sharp voice. “You will make it plain if you pull that wagon through the brush, and we will have to abandon it.”

The peryton stag came wandering in from the bushes on the opposite side of the road, sauntering out of the forest almost nonchalantly, just like how Rarity strode into the shop area of her boutique when Dash came to visit, before the unicorn realised Rainbow Dash was not, in fact, a customer. At his back were another two stags and a doe, all four of them painted just like the ponies, giving the group unabashedly curious looks.

“Oh, hello,” said Fluttershy, smiling at the wardens. “You’ve been watching us all the time, haven’t you?”

“Have we watched you? We have been aware of your approach only just now, but others on sky-stalk have told us of your arrival over the brush earlier,” the stag said, nodding. “I see now they were making no jest. You are indeed the new wardens we have heard about.”

“That’s us,” said Rainbow Dash, grinning. “I guess we’re still in training or something.”

“You must be. Or else you would not stand by one of the Grove-paths and render it insecure,” said the doe, frowning ever so slightly.

Fluttershy nodded quickly. “We’re sorry. We just wanted to get to the Grove. Perhaps you could help us get there? Our… flight needs some supplies,” she continued, smiling wide at Dash and Rarity, “and we’re here to see some friends.”

The stag at the head of the wardens inclined his head slightly. “Let us find a different and safe place for your wagon, and then we go by ground. Come.”

“I have long hoped you would return,” Khyrast said, climbing in wide but steep circles. “You cannot leave tomorrow. That will be entirely too cruel!”

“We were really only planning on staying a night or two,” Fluttershy replied, glancing over at Rainbow Dash and Rarity on Dash’s back, smiling slightly. “I’m sure we can make it two nights, right girls?”

“Do make it two,” said Loriessa. The small and nimble doe was unpainted, just like Khyrast, her flank adorned with more symbols and script than any other Ephydoeran Rainbow Dash had ever seen. She climbed almost as sharply as Dash herself, her wings and hooves glowing bright. “We have only just met!”

Rainbow Dash smiled. “I’m down for two nights.” As they ascended to the treetops of the Grove, what had been anonymous platforms from below gained purpose. Open-faced nests with strange, large beds, peryton making crafts, the occasional shops or café-likes, all with lanterns dull and unneeded in the indirect yet bright mid-day sunlight that warmed the canopy above.

“You owe me to speak at length of magic,” said Khyrast, smiling toothily at Rarity. “And you must tell me of our dear Phoreni.”

“How is she?” Loriessa asked, her eyes fixing upon the ponies in an instant, her breath quickening. “You must tell me she is safe and well. Khyrast has told me from what we hear that you have met in Cotronna. The flight to the Bow did not end in disaster? We guessed, from what we heard of these new kin—”

“Loriessa, it is Phoreni,” Khyrast said with a cawing laugh as they finally levelled out among the tallest platforms and dwellings. “Of course she will be safe.”

Despite his words, Khyrast’s eyes lingered on Rainbow Dash, now on Fluttershy, clearly hoping for an answer, too.

“‘Course she’s fine,” said Rainbow Dash, chuckling. “She’s drowning in like… talking and making nice and diplomacy stuff, and she doesn’t like it, but she’s fine.”

Fluttershy giggled. “She’s maybe a little grumpy about it.”

“Bureaucracy can do that to the best of us,” Rarity added, holding on a little tighter to Rainbow Dash as they sped up. Khyrast took them northeast among some smaller trees—smaller by comparison only. “But,” the unicorn added, “I agree. I think we can spare two nights, surely.”

“S’what I said.” Dash grinned.

“We spent two days in Vauhorn, so I think we can probably do the same here, yes,” Fluttershy agreed, smiling wide. They touched down at a small landing platform at the edge of a simple house half built into the trunk of a tree, and even before they landed, Dash saw that the house was a single room. A lone chamber with a wide opening, occupied mostly by a large and simple bed.

“I have already had the pleasure of introducing you to Loriessa, loved by Phoreni, Aoras and me,” said Khyrast, trotting ahead to gesture to the bed, the shelves and simple cupboards. “Now I welcome you to our home. If you wish to leave your ohron somewhere, this is a good place, and we will make room in our nest for you to sleep.”

“Cool, thanks,” said Dash, already halfway out of her saddlebags.

“It’s very nice of you,” Fluttershy agreed, dipping her head.

“‘Very nice’,” said Loriessa, the small monocolour brown doe smiling wide, “is what I would call all you have done for our kin. What we offer you in return is for our own pleasure, for Khyrast to see you again, and for me and Aoras to meet you.”

Rarity shook her head and chuckled while the ponies shed their baggage on the floor. “I think we can spend all day thanking each other and all such, and perhaps we should, but while I am very eager to get to know you better, we must not forget to deliver the invitation and these maps with the supposed location of the tunnel to… I suppose the High Warden can coordinate the Ephydoeran side of things, don’t you?”

“Sure,” said Dash, shrugging, looking to Khyrast. “If we get a meeting with the High Warden and ask her nicely, d’you think she could ask all the other leaders here to handle the whole ‘being invited to Equestria to a meeting’ thing we mentioned?”

“Actually,” said Fluttershy, tilting her head. “Khyrast, aren’t you the head of teachers? Could you take the invitation to the… if I understood Phoreni right, you have a ‘counsel-group’? Is that like a council?”

Khyrast nodded. “Do we have such a group of kin who seek the counsel of others? We do, but this invitation of yours should go to the High Warden, who will meet with us.”

“And you do not need to ask for a meeting with the High Warden,” said Loriessa, nodding at Khyrast and the ponies both. She gestured to Fluttershy, who stood closest to her. “You carry the paint. The Promise is yours as much as the High Warden’s.”

“Cool,” said Dash, shuffling her wings. She looked to Rarity and Fluttershy, to Khyrast and Loriessa, all five of them stood around the simple, messy and unlit bedroom. “Okay, guess we don’t have to worry about that. What do you guys wanna do today then?” she asked.

Khyrast grinned. “This is a place for resting, not for being,” he said. “Rarity, would you believe there are those who still speak of your skill at shaving symbols?”

“Truly?” Rarity asked, one brow arched.

“I guess you made an impact,” Fluttershy said, giggling.

“I can see those who have received your attentions, and tell them apart from those who have not,” said Loriessa with a lopsided smile. “There are rumors that some are considering doing nothing but shaving, and trade for larger favours, to make a craft of it.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “That’s awesome! Are they actually gonna use magic for it, too?”

Khyrast crowed with laughter. “I do not think this will happen soon, but perhaps! I think what Loriessa is saying, with all the subtlety—”

“Khyrast, love—” Loriessa held up a forehoof.

“—is that she admires your craft and would be grateful if you would help her with her marks. Our little family has not before had one skilled in it.”

“Of course I would,” said Rarity, beaming just as Loriessa opened her mouth to protest, the doe’s cheeks flushed. “I would be delighted to help. This evening, perhaps?”

“Let’s hit town first?” Rainbow Dash gestured to the open portal that led to the treetop-city beyond, with its myriad of strange new sights and smells. “We need to pick up some new antlers.”

“And paint,” Fluttershy added with a smile. “We need to talk to the wardens about the paint.”

“Then let us all go together,” Khyrast suggested, grinning toothily.

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and yawned groggily, but there wasn’t much to see. It was the dead of night, and she wasn’t entirely sure why she was awake at first, but then she noticed one of Khyrast’s hooves poking her sharply in the side. The bed barely deserved being called such a thing, a thick and slightly too hard mattress of some sort that fit the group only barely, especially now that they had picked up Aoras as well, the bulky grey-white stag sprawled out on the other side of the nest.

Dash chuckled to herself and pushed Khyrast’s foreleg away gently. At her other side, Rarity and Fluttershy lay close together, and Dash spread her left wing as far as she could to cover what Loriessa’s feathers did not, making sure both Fluttershy and Rarity were well covered against the cold.

All in all, it was probably the weirdest sleep Dash had ever had in her life. The most different night of her life, but she found that she didn’t mind in the least. She spread her other wing to rest it across Khyrast and touch Loriessa and Aoras too, just because, and closed her eyes, seeking sleep again.

“Jousting?” Fluttershy asked, her eyes widening. For a second, Rainbow Dash wondered if she would drop the water bowl she carried on her back when her wings snapped shut, but Aoras steadied it with a hoof. Both Fluttershy and Aoras managed to get the food onto the table without incident, rejoining Rainbow Dash and Loriessa by their table at the edge of the great tree’s cantina.

“Yeah! So, they don’t just do it during the big joust during their summer brush games. It’s all for fun, right?” Rainbow Dash explained while Fluttershy and Aoras sat.

“I don’t know if I did it for fun,” said Fluttershy, one of her ears twitching. “I just really wanted to do it with you, and I don’t know if I want to try that again. I thought we picked up the new pair of antlers yesterday for the memories, and as, um, souvenirs, I guess?”

“Alright, that too,” Dash agreed, chuckling. “But Loriessa told me there’s a brush-level drinking house—a place down on the ground that sells really great fruit juice—that also has jousts every night! No fancy stuff with singing and stories, just like… wrestling.”

“The exact brutish competitions that every brush games’ joust begins with telling us that we as a people have progressed past,” Aoras grumped as he sat, grabbing a root of some kind from one of the bowls he’d brought. “And their fruit juice is too strong. It muddles the head.”

“That sounds a little scary,” said Fluttershy, nibbling on her lower lip. “I don’t know.”

“There is nothing wrong with engaging directly with older customs,” Loriessa countered, rows of sharp teeth showing in a grin. “Aoras, come. It is too long since you have come with.”

“And is that a ‘no’, or do you kinda wanna try?” Rainbow Dash asked, grinning at Fluttershy. “Hey, it’s cool, but you could just come watch, you know. No pressure. But I’m gonna bring your antlers, too.” Dash smirked.

Fluttershy said nothing at first, but Dash saw the faint smile budding on her girlfriend’s face just as she heard Rarity and Khyrast walking down the nearby stairs, coming back from the Warden’s Fortress on the floor above.

“Hey, Rarity! Khyrast! I know what we’re gonna do tonight for our farewell party!”

Rainbow Dash’s head still hurt. Too much fruit juice. Too many head-on collisions. Too much loud noise, shouting and yelling. The notion that all Ephydoerans were grumpy and stone-faced had cracked long ago as they got to know Phoreni better, but Ephydoeran parties were something else entirely. Fortunately, the best cure for an aching head was air, and right now, Rainbow Dash had a lot of it. All of it.

The Khosta made up the entirety of the world below. The blue and green treetops were infinite and unmoving, and if not for the hills and bumps in the lumpy forestscape, it would have been easy to think that the movement came from the road or the river they followed, not from themselves. Two snakes, one blue, one grey-brown, both wiggling once in a while but otherwise remaining still.

They weren’t still at all, of course. The air tugged on Dash’s ears and mane. Her wings were like clockwork in concert with Fluttershy’s, two entirely different sets wings in synchronous beats, perfectly working together. Cool fall air, a gentle sun, a hint of rain from scattered clouds that would not release their cargo. The occasional snore from Rarity who lay out of sight at the floor of the chariot, fast asleep even though it was well past midday.

Rainbow Dash glanced over at Fluttershy, and Fluttershy looked back at her. They both smiled. Probably one of them had smiled and the other one returned it in kind, but Dash couldn’t tell who had started it. Rainbow Dash shared her sky with Fluttershy, and shared her silence, too. They had flown for nearly an hour just like this. Not speaking. Not thinking. In Dash’s case, not-thinking, a deliberate, pleasant emptiness of thinking about nothing at all, because there wasn’t much to say, but that part of the morning was coming to an end.

Now Dash was thinking. Random scattered thoughts about all they had done. All they were doing to do. She was glad they had met Khyrast and Phoreni’s other loved ones. Glad to have spent time with them. She missed Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and all the others. She wanted to sleep on a proper Equestrian cloud. She wanted one of Pinkie Pie’s breakfast muffins. Her winter coat was definitely coming in now, and so was Fluttershy’s. She stared at Fluttershy’s chest, noting that her coat-hairs were getting longer. Fluttershy herself looked down below.

“I think that’s where we met the hydra,” said Fluttershy. Her voice was soft, quiet, barely loud enough to be heard, perhaps for Rarity’s benefit.

“Yeah, you don’t get points for that guess,” Dash countered, giggling. The trail of bent and broken trees was hard to miss. Fluttershy laughed in reply.

“I’m glad, you know,” Fluttershy muttered.

“Yeah?” said Dash. Perhaps weeks ago, months ago, she’d worry. It should be obvious that Fluttershy was glad they were together, because they were happy together.

Okay. Maybe she worried a little even now, just a touch, but it never amounted to more than wanting Fluttershy to hurry up and explain. No panic. No pangs of insecurities.

“Mm. That you convinced me that ‘fine’ isn’t enough,” Fluttershy added, nodding. Her smile grew ten sizes. “At least not always. Not this time. Maybe you were right, actually. Maybe a small part of me did doubt you at first, because I know better—” she said, pausing to frown at herself. “Well, I like to think I know better than some ponies, at least, how… how big your heart is. How much you would do for a friend. I didn’t think we would be unhappy as friends, you know, but… thank you.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged as much as the chariot harness let her. The admission that Fluttershy may have once doubted her didn’t hurt at all. Ponies changed. Ponies made mistakes, and ponies were wrong. And Fluttershy wasn’t the only one.

“Yeah, well, I rushed into this headfirst without thinking, you know,” Dash replied, her ears painfully flat against her head. “I said I meant it, and I did, but I was still so much about… I mean, I just kept thinking about going, but I didn’t think about where we were going, what we were doing, so I messed up a lot, so whatever.” She shook her head. “Things are gonna be better now that we’ve found out what we want, I guess?”

“Or maybe decided what we want, instead of found out,” Fluttershy suggested, nodding in agreement.

“Heh. Yeah. That’s better,” Dash said. Together they could be more than just “fine”. They could be in each other’s lives forever, and do whatever they wanted. Together. It didn’t matter if that meant doing aerial tricks together or if it led to some silly unicorn marriage ceremony. They would find, or make their own brand of harmony. Maybe that meant Dash attending a bunny census once in a while and trying to not be bored out of her skull. She could watch Fluttershy instead of the bunnies. Maybe it meant getting Fluttershy to try out a cool trick or come ice skating more often. It definitely meant more touching.

Rainbow Dash sighed. The only bad part about flying the chariot was the rigid beams to which the harnesses were attached, denying her the chance to casually bump against Fluttershy, or even touch her with a wing. Fluttershy must have seen the way Rainbow Dash looked at her. Or maybe she just had the same thought at the exact same time.

“I can’t wait to land,” said Fluttershy, simply.

“Uh-huh,” said Dash, grinning back. “‘Cause the second we do, I’m gonna be all over you. I really want at those wings right now. And you’re not getting out of nuzzles.”

Fluttershy giggled, but she didn’t blush even the tiniest bit. She smiled, warm and calm before she pointed her muzzle east once again, the two of them soaring over the treetops. “I think I’m okay with that, really.”

Rainbow Dash ran the brush along the length of Fluttershy’s body again. She started at the side of her neck, went over her upper foreleg, down her side, and finally across her flank. The brush was awkward and ungainly, Rarity’s fine coat-brush designed for summer coats and for unicorn use, forcing Dash to bite onto a mostly decorative nub for grip.

Every pull of the brush, it threatened to slip from her grip. Every time she hit a bump following the contours of her girlfriend’s well-defined muscles, she had to readjust or bite down harder. Adding to that, cleaning the brush was a chore.

And there was nothing else Rainbow Dash would rather be doing right now. Whether it was grooming Fluttershy, listening to the little noises the other pegasus made when Dash nudged her wing out of the way or moved one of her legs, or if she was simply taking a break to steal a little nuzzle, rubbing their muzzles together, this was already an afternoon well spent. Their room at the Autumn Hymn was larger this time, but they only really needed the one bed upon which Fluttershy lay while Rainbow Dash attended her.

Of course, Rainbow Dash would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge that some of the pleasure came from knowing it was her turn next. She grinned to herself as she gently ran the brush over Fluttershy’s flank, imagining what it would feel like when Fluttershy set to grooming her.

For now, though, she was content with drawing soft and contented sighs from her girlfriend. When she heard the hoofsteps, she had already nudged Fluttershy over onto her side and started on a second pass on her belly. Dash cocked an ear, as did Fluttershy, cracking an eye open and smiling at her with all the radiance of the sun.

“Someone going back to their room, I guess?” Fluttershy murmured, sounding halfway to sleepy-town.

“No,” said Dash, tilting her head. The second set of hooves weren’t accompanied by the lighter taps of claws. “That’s Rarity.”

Sure enough, the door to their room slid open a moment later, drawing a pleasant draft across the room from the open windows, revealing the unicorn herself—and Mirossa in a dress. Rainbow Dash blinked. She looked to Fluttershy, who also blinked, then back to Mirossa.

The young doe stood in the doorway wearing a simple dress of greys and whites reminiscent of the colouration of many peryton, mixing well with her own white-speckled light brown, and accented with green. As was usually the case, Rainbow Dash couldn’t say whether or not it was a good dress beyond that she herself thought it was pretty cool as far as dresses went. If Rarity had made it, it was probably a great dress, and as the first peryton wearing a proper dress that Dash had seen, Mirossa chose to wear it with absolute confidence rather than hesitation, her head held high.

“What do you think?” Rarity asked, beaming. “Quite the thing, is it not? My measurements were perfect—she hasn’t had to adjust it in the least!”

“I wouldn’t know how to ‘adjust’ it,” Mirossa retorted, picking at the fabric on her own chest with a hoof. “This is the first time I have worn it. I told you I could not figure out how to put it on. It has been in my room until today.”

“Well, I think it looks lovely,” said Fluttershy, smiling wide.

Dash giggled. “Looks great! You’re gonna take the town by storm! Or, you know, have people be super confused and completely ignore the dress!”

“Likely the latter,” Rarity muttered under her breath, but she just shook her head and smiled still.

“Do you like it?” Fluttershy asked, tilting her head.

“It is strange,” Mirossa admitted. “Very, very strange, but I think I like it, yes.” She looked up, grinning at Dash and Fluttershy. “I understand strange may be good, just like you are.”

Dash raised a brow, then laughed. “Thanks?”

“I think I’ll say ‘thank you’, too,” Fluttershy agreed, giggling. “Really, it looks wonderful on you, and I think Rarity did a great job. I wish I had gotten to see it sooner.”

“Mm, well, I wasn’t quite sure about it even as I gave it away as a parting gift,” Rarity said, smiling and tugging at the fabric at the back of the dress with her magic. “Still, I am glad. I think it turned out well.”

“I can’t wait to show this to Rohast, he will be so confounded!” Mirossa declared, letting out a cawing laughter that sounded almost like a cackle. “I don’t think this will be a good thing to wear when travelling, so I will have to have my fun now before I leave.”

“Oh, you want travel wear?” Rarity asked, giving Mirossa a light push down the hallway. “Why, darling dearest, it’s not impossible to make a tear-resistant and waterproof outfit that is also fashionable!”

“The word, ‘fashionable’—” Mirossa said, the question plain in her voice even before Rarity interrupted her.

“Let us hit the markets and see what fabrics we can find before we deliver this invitation to the Dockmistress, shall we? Come!” Rarity nudged Mirossa out of view and followed. “Fluttershy! Rainbow Dash! Do finish your cuddling and join us, we’ll be downstairs with Naressa until you are ready to leave!”

Rainbow Dash laughed and shook her head while their steps receded down the hall. She leapt off the bed and closed the door with a little effort, and when the sliding door was finally shut, neither her nor Fluttershy could hold back their laughter.

“She’s going to be the most well-dressed Bent Feather ever,” said Rainbow Dash, hopping back on top of the bed.

“She’s going to be the only dressed Bent Feather, I think,” Fluttershy retorted, still giggling. “She did look really nice, though.”

Rainbow Dash just put a hoof on Fluttershy’s side, resting it there. Fluttershy still lay on her side, and Dash eyed the brush, but she’d put care and effort into every piece of Fluttershy’s coat to the point where her jaw ached with biting onto the brush.

“Thank you,” Fluttershy said. Dash felt one of Fluttershy’s hooves touch her upper leg, rubbing gently. “It was lovely. I nearly fell asleep.”

“Hey, don’t thank me, it’s your turn,” said Dash, grinning. “Actually, nah, if Rarity and Mirossa are waiting, I guess it can wait.” She leaned in to run her muzzle along the rigid hairs on the back of Fluttershy’s head and neck, where her mane was at its shortest. “If you wanna do my wings real quick, that’d be cool though. Think I lost a feather or two landing.”

“Of course,” said Fluttershy, sitting back up and smiling patiently while Rainbow Dash lay down and spread a wing. Dash was immediately rewarded with hot breath against her feathers and teeth grabbing onto one of her primaries, expertly adjusting it, cleaning it, and moving on to the next. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and sighed.

“Heh, can’t believe I actually didn’t know you were any good at this,” Rainbow Dash muttered.

“I didn’t want you to stop,” Fluttershy replied. Unapologetic, for once. “It feels a little different now, though—in a good way,” she rushed to add.

“Yeah.” Rainbow Dash rested her head on her forelegs. “Think we talked about that, didn’t we? Or maybe I just thought about it.” She turned her head slightly so she could watch Fluttershy at work, watch while her girlfriend nuzzled in between her feathers, sending electric little tingles down her wing and all the way to her body. “I like it too,” she said, shrugging.

“Even just hugging,” Fluttershy said. She moved onto Dash’s secondaries.

“Yeah. Everything,” Dash agreed. “Heh, it’s kinda different with Rarity now, too, isn’t it?”

Fluttershy paused only long enough to tilt her head, then continued moving down Dash’s wing.

“Dunno,” said Dash. “The whole thing with giving Rarity a massage, hooves and everything, we hav—well, I haven’t done that with anyone else, ever. You?”

“Nph—” Fluttershy pulled back, wiped her muzzle and shook her head. “No. Not really. I help Applejack out with her mane sometimes, but I think that’s it.” She bent one of her ears. “I… don’t know what you mean, or what to think about that, actually.”

“Yeah, me neither,” Dash admitted with a chuckle. “Just thinking. We’ve always been close, all six of us, right? Everypony hugs and stuff, I’m just wondering what it’s gonna be like when we get back. What’s the difference between the way we’re friends and the way Phoreni, Khyrast, Loriessa and Aoras are?”

“I don’t know.” Fluttershy smiled. “But I know that even though we’ve spent a lot of time with Rarity lately, I care just as much about Twilight, Pinkie Pie and Applejack, and I’m excited to see them again, so I guess we’ll… find out?”

“Guess so,” said Dash, closing her eyes again when Fluttershy moved closer to her axillary feathers, stretching her forelegs out in front of her and deciding to savour each and every moment. She was in no hurry to do anything but enjoy herself.

Alaesta and Neretar’s eyes were still glued to the chariot as they had been from the moment the ponies came in to land, and all the while as the three friends shared their stories with the Phydra and her two apprentices. Presently they stood at the entrance to the small house at the edge of Stagrum’s demesne, crowded around the stone fence.

“Much of what you tell is irrelevant to a claw-priest, of course,” the old doe said, a faint smile upon her speckled muzzle. “But fortunately, I am no longer one such, and I can instead say that it is interesting. I foresee many trips down to the Dockmistress’ raven-boards in Alaesta’s and Neretar’s future to understand what comes of this business of new kin.”

Alaesta looked up when her name was called, and smiled. Neretar tapped a hoof on the ground impatiently.

“Not interested in the whole parts with Princess Celestia and Luna at all, huh?” Dash asked with an easy grin. “The bit with moving from the Cauldron to here, to the gorges and to the cities, all that stuff?”

Phydra laughed, a hoarse and long caw. “Yes, and no,” she said. “Yes because I am not incurious, no because it does not relate to the Aspects at all, even if it is their origin, in some strange way.”

“I don’t think most ponies are exactly voracious in their appetite for history, either,” said Rarity.

Fluttershy nodded. “I don’t really think it matters, but it’s interesting to know, isn’t it?”

“It is that,” said the ageing peryton, inclining her head, blind eyes on the road behind the ponies. “And in telling me this, you betray that you have come to a stronger understanding of the Aspects than you had when we first met, and that is impressive. It can not be easy to understand attributing learning to something you cannot touch, not when you, in truth, can. From what you tell me of your Princesses, you can touch that which you worship, those that some once called gods. To then understand those who cannot, that must be a challenge.”

Rainbow Dash shuffled her wings and shrugged. “Dunno. Maybe? They’re just people. Friends. They’ve moved away from the whole ‘gods’ or ‘goddesses’ stuff.”

“And so have we,” said Phydra, smiling wide. “And there, perhaps, we meet. Even if our Aspects are untouchable, they are forever our friends, because they are us.”

“And the stories of those Aspects can involve your friends, too,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her. “So they actually can be your friends.”

Phydra simply nodded. “And to confer a story to all peryton is to elevate it from kin-matter to Aspects.”

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Yeah, okay, you lost me again, but that’s fine. I’ll be over here, weaving a story about Chorossa’s delightful confusion or whatever.”

Phydra cackled. “You understand it well enough for use, and then, you do understand. Now do not let me and mine bother you anymore, you have your own homes and lives to hurry back to, but you must come again if you ever tread upon our shores!”

Rainbow Dash squinted, trying to catch a glimpse of the ocean, but there was always a hill in the way. There was always a dry swell of land to hide the Perytonian shore from view, and in those rare moments she was afforded a clear look east, she could still only see yellowed grasses darkened by the fading sunlight. They would have to fly higher to see the ocean.

Not that they needed to. Even down here, cruising right below where the carefully tended Ponyville cloud layer would be, the cool coastal wind pushed and prodded the two pegasi, their chariot, and their passenger. A strong breeze to go with their overland flight. Fluttershy said that flying straight would let them reach Orto by evening, proving that however little Rainbow Dash liked them, maps had their uses.

“Anyway,” said Rainbow Dash. “What I’m saying is, if you wanna do something cool for my birthday, surprise me!” She tried to imagine what it would be like if Fluttershy suddenly announced that she had practiced some cool stunt on her own in secret, and her heart soared.

“What kind of surprise?” Fluttershy asked, tilting her head.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Okay, you’re not getting it—”

“I think it’s a perfectly valid question,” Rarity retorted, leaping to Fluttershy’s defense. “A theme. A motif.”

“Anything!” said Rainbow Dash. “That’s the point. Surprise me! Anything cool!”

“Okay, but… I really don’t like surprises myself,” Fluttershy said. A gust of wind pushed against the chariot. She rose up a little, letting Rainbow Dash bank against it, and Rarity held on tighter. “Maybe that makes me worse at making surprises?”

Rainbow Dash snorted and grinned. “Are you telling me that you wouldn’t like it if I… I dunno, did all your chores and fed all your animals for you or whatever?” She frowned, wondering if she should even have said that. She really would prefer doing literally anything else for Fluttershy.

“Um, I don’t know, but I think I would really like to do that myself, unless I was sick.”

“Okay, okay, bad example, fine,” Dash grunted. “But you know what I like, you can surprise me just fine, and I like it! Come on! Sweep me off my hooves!”

Rarity giggled to herself, while Fluttershy just shook her head and smiled.

“I know I don’t know how to do that, at least.”

“Yeah? Well, my birthday’s not for another few weeks.” Dash grinned, her coat standing on end with the excitement of the thought. “I’ll teach you how!”

Fluttershy laughed. “I guess you can try, but don’t try to surprise me by feeding the animals. Please.”

“Deal!”

Nothing more to say about that, they drifted off into silence again. They weren’t lacking for things to talk about, but when they flew all day, they couldn’t talk all the time. Rainbow Dash glanced down between her forelegs at the boulder-ridden hills below, wondering if someone had rolled them up there. How were boulders made anyway? Or was that ‘how were they formed?’”

“Rarity? Did you come up with something nice for your traveller’s guide for Stagrum?” Fluttershy asked. Dash listened with one ear only.

“Mm, no,” Rarity replied, smiling back at her. “Most of my efforts to say something profound about the cities boils down to ‘you really just have to see if for yourself’.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I guess that makes sense. That’s what Khaird said, sort of. That the best way to learn about a place is to take part in it. I don’t think most people visiting here in the future are going to be diplomats bringing invitations or treaties, though.”

Rarity chuckled. “No, you’re quite right, dear, I just think I’ll wait with writing until I’m back in my study, that’s all. During our most difficult time in Cotronna, I had the thought that maybe the Cotronnans and the Ephydoerans had done something right in sending us to Orto first. Put their best hoof forward and such.”

Rainbow Dash tore her attention off a small abandoned house on a hilltop far in the distance, glancing back at Rarity. “Best?”

“Mm, as we now know, the intent was that Orto knew how to deal with us, and in a sense, they were right. Everything did work out, after all. Obviously I no longer believe that Orto is simply better than the other cities,” Rarity gripped onto the chariot tighter as another gust slammed against it. Rainbow Dash looked over at Fluttershy, and the two pegasi flew a little lower to the ground, adjusting without a word.

“No,” said Rarity. “They are all lovely in their very own way. Even if one does not need to reach some sort of ‘true’ understanding of Perytonia, a good start to comprehend the peryton is to realise the strength of their love. Strength evident in how they work together in their own way despite being so very different. You can see their similarities to us ponies, or you can choose to see the differences, but in truth, there are both, and it shouldn’t take a very charitable eye to admire both what is like us, and what is unlike us.”

Rainbow Dash smiled at Fluttershy, and received a smile in return. She couldn’t not think of her girlfriend at those words, and clearly Fluttershy thought something of the same, holding her gaze for a long, quiet moment. Up ahead, Dash was vaguely aware of glowing lights at the bottom of a long and familiar slope leading to a valley. The ocean came back into view.

“And I think,” said Fluttershy after a while, looking back at Rarity, “that it sounds like somepony has her opening to the foreword of a traveller’s guide to Perytonia.”

“And after that, we came back here,” said Fluttershy, smiling as she neatly concluded all that she, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash had explained. “When I said we left Stagrum, that was actually this morning.”

Dash nodded absentmindedly. It had been near sunset when they touched down upon the broad streets of Orto, but now it was full dark, owing to the length of the tale they carried with them. Rainbow Dash leaned against one of the stone stele of the Heavenly Song’s half-roofed garden, idly wondering how long she would have to stay here to see the weird stones as the peryton did. Even if she understood the Aspects, writing stuff she couldn’t understand down on a rock still struck her as silly—but that was fine.

“I expect you know at least some of what we’ve told you,” Rarity added, nodding graciously. “It’s been a week and a half since we left Cotronna. I’m surprised you haven’t interrupted us more often if we’ve told you things you’ve heard from letters carried by raven. We know for a fact a missive countermanding our exile went out.”

Khaird nodded slowly at first with a trace of a smile upon his lips, but his nods came quicker and quicker, his smile growing by degrees.

“Yes. Yes, no and yes. I have heard much since then, but to interrupt you, that would run contrary to all we have achieved so far, I think—but you came here as you travelled between all the cities? In this chariot of yours?” He turned to the street, where their chariot stood waiting, neglected and still not yet parked behind the resting house where it belonged.

“Oh, yes. It would take a very long time to get back if we had to walk,” said Fluttershy, nodding in return.

“Truly you are marvels, to bring this into the air.” Khaird cawed with unabashed laughter. “Wagons that fly, and at such speed, and now that we head into the windo fall season! You continue to amaze.”

“Pft, that’s nothing,” said Dash, waving a wing dismissively. “Bet that chariot could fly all through winter, easy.”

“At least if one has two wonderful pegasi to operate it,” Rarity commented. “And as it turns out, we do.”

“Uh-huh,” said Dash, grinning. “And hey, if there’s a hurricane or whatever, Rarity just casts her awesome spell, and we can probably fly straight through it.”

Fluttershy folded her ears. “Um, and while I’m sure that’s true, I don’t think we need to test that.”

Rainbow Dash giggled and snaked a wing around Fluttershy’s body, tugging her close. “I’m just saying that if we do see some cool weather—”

“Let us not,” Rarity suggested, chuckling to herself and smiling up at the slightly bewildered stag. Behind him, the hostess, Ligilia, continued her work meticulously cleaning the fountain that was the centerpiece of her inn’s frontal garden, both of them having listened to the full tale over the past few hours. However tired Dash was, the ensuing silence felt pregnant with a demand for comment. This was where it had all began, in a way. Rainbow Dash tilted her head.

“So, yeah,” said Dash. “I guess it worked out.” She waited for Khaird to explain. To talk, even though she didn’t know what she wanted him to say that he hadn’t already explained in his letter to the Cotronnan council. She didn’t blame him for anything that had happened, but felt like there was a question she didn’t know how to ask. Fluttershy and Rarity both seemed similarly impatient, all eyes on the consul, and either Khaird could read ponies as well as Rainbow Dash could now read peryton, or he, too, felt he needed to say something. He drew a deep breath and walked over to put a hoof on one of the garden’s stele.

“Indeed, it has ‘worked out’, if by that you mean that things are set right,” Khaird said. The brown-grey stag shuffled his wings and rolled his shoulders, blue and green feather-tips spread for a moment. “I think now, perhaps, it is for me to… is it an apology? It has turned out that my efforts to be kind and do good work has made me look duplicitous.”

Rainbow Dash frowned. She had thought that maybe she wanted to hear those words from him, but now she realised they were wrong. Rarity opened her mouth to reply, but Fluttershy beat her to it.

“You don’t owe us an apology at all. At least, I don’t think so.” She shook her head and smiled gently. “You weren’t lying, you were trying to help everyone.”

“Yet both you and Cotronna failed to understand my ploy—no,” Khaird scowled, his snout frumpled as much as a peryton snout could. “It was not a ploy. I wrote this in the letter. I simply wanted to let you see us with fresh and free eyes that were your own, but I think that perhaps there must have been a way to do this that did not cause so much grief.”

“You didn’t get us kidnapped,” said Dash, rolling her eyes.

“I did not. But even without our misguided kin’s efforts, you may still have run afoul of Cotronna’s particular functions and habits in the same manner,” Khaird retorted with a shrug. A cold breeze swept across the little garden. “I find it easy to see how this is my doing.”

“Perhaps,” said Rarity nodding once. “And perhaps that gaffe, and our resolving that particular chaos is what has helped us understand you best of all.”

Fluttershy smiled and leaned against Rarity at that, and Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but laugh. She hadn’t thought about it that way, and she couldn’t decide whether or not she believed it, but it sounded cool and it made Khaird laugh as well, so that was a win-win.

“You offer me Iagasus’ sage advice when I stand about ready to condemn myself,” Khaird managed between caws of mirth. “I yield, I will take it and absolve myself. Thank you.”

“If you don’t mind though,” said Fluttershy, chewing on her bottom lip. She had been the only one not to laugh, her expression pensive. “Why was it such a big deal that we meet your people like this? I… I mean, we all agree it’s okay now, and I’m very glad, but what gave you the idea? Why did you want us to travel like this?”

“He told us, didn’t he?” Dash asked, tilting her head.

Rarity pursed her lips. “Mm, no, she’s right. He explained that he wanted us to see the cities for ourselves.” She turned to Khaird. “But why? Why was this so important to you, and where did you get the idea?”

Khaird yawned, his long tongue rolling out of his mouth as he looked off to the side, across the darkened street for a moment. Behind him, Ligilia briefly looked up from her labour before she went back to scrubbing at the fountain with some weird kind of hooked brush, evidently having little to add to their conversation, but clearly listening.

“Have you heard of Cotilla?” Khaird asked, at length.

Fluttershy bent an ear. “I think I remember someone mentioning that word, but I don’t know if it was a peryton or if the Princesses or Twilight said somepony else was going there to invite them to the moot too. Sorry.”

“Why?” asked Rainbow Dash. “What’s their deal?”

Khaird shook his head briskly, holding up a hoof. “There is no ‘deal’, though I do not know what you might mean by this, but I understand you have not met.”

Rarity shrugged. “Well, then who are they?”

Khaird let out a low, clucking laugh. “Ponies and questions! This is not my point. They are traders and travellers from the far south, but I speak not of they, but of our first meeting with them. Of what happened when their ships came to fair Orto. They are a people, like you, but unlike you. Unlike us. As happened with Equestria, Orto was tasked to meet Cotilla and establish an understanding. Like you ponies, Cotilla was strange to us.”

Rainbow Dash leaned against Fluttershy and covered up a yawn that would not be denied. She was listening intently, but her body made her keenly aware that she had been awake and flying all day. Khaird did not miss it, and smiled at Dash before he continued.

“All first meetings are difficult. That is why being a diplomat is hard. That is why my respect for you is as high as it is. So, they were a new people for us to meet, as you have been, but unlike you, with Cotilla we tried to explain to them the workings of Perytonia.”

“And it didn’t go so well?” Fluttershy asked, her wings sagging a touch.

“Surely there are limits to the disasters that can come from trying to talk to someone,” Rarity murmured.

“There are also—and this I have said—limits to what can be understood from talk,” Khaird countered. “But of course no cities fell, no continents were shaken off their foundations from this, but we talked past each other, not to each other. Our first accords were made on unsafe ground, and when Cotilla entered the other cities not knowing them, there were bones that had to be broken and set anew before things could proceed.”

Fluttershy winced, though whether it was due to the analogy, or the idea of two people not getting along, Dash couldn’t tell. Dash shrugged.

“Okay? But that worked out, right? You’re friends now, aren’t you?” She frowned. “I… haven’t seen a lot of other people, actually. Are you—”

“We are fast friends. They come only rarely, and stay on their great ships, their dromae, rather than at our resting houses. Out of preference, I must believe,” Khaird said, smiling. “But the paths we had to walk to find those friendships were long and difficult. I thought that this time, I had found for you and us a path less arduous.”

Fluttershy sucked in a hissing breath. “If this was the easy way, I don’t think I’d like to know what the hard way was like.”

Khaird tilted his head forwards in a bow, grinning wide. “But this path has led you to me again, and there is joy in all hearts now, I think, even if nothing has followed anyone’s plan this time, either.”

“Nuh-uh.” Rainbow Dash shook her head and grinned, curling her wings lightly around both Rarity and Fluttershy’s necks. “I planned on winning, and I think I’ve won, so my plan worked out.”

“As glad as I am, I will not take credit for this,” Khaird commented, gracing the three friends with a wide and warm smile. “And speaking of victories, you are back in Orto, and it falls to me as visitor liaison to entertain you until you leave. After you present the sigil to the council tomorrow, I would like to show you more of our city, a work I began seasons ago.”

“I think that sounds wonderful,” said Fluttershy, looking to Rarity and Rainbow Dash for support, both of them smiling and nodding in return. “Rainbow Dash talked to Princess Luna. The airship should be here in two or three days, and we don’t have anywhere else to go.”

“Yeah, let’s hang out until then!” said Dash, covering up another huge yawn. “But I could really use a nap right now, no offense.”

The stag dipped his head in agreement and took a step back, towards the steps down to street level. Orto lay dark and silent for the most part, a strong breeze blowing down the streets to harry a few errant street-corner braziers.

“I think we are all long overdue our sleep. Until morning. I will return.”

“Indeed, but first,” said Rarity, “I have one more question.”

“Anything I can explain, I will answer,” came the reply.

“No, not you, dear. You.” Rarity took a few steps closer to Ligilia. The shy and usually quiet hostess put her brush aside and looked up with obvious and wide-eyed curiosity to match Dash’s own. What was Rarity on about?

“You need something? I have set aside rooms for you already, but if you worry they are not perfect—”

“Darling, the last thing I worry about is your rooms or your hospitality. No, it was something you said in your letter.”

“Oh.” Ligilia blinked and tilted her head expectantly.

“The letter to the council?” Dash asked.

Rarity nodded. “You said that I had shown the scarves that I gifted you to you. A plural. That they had been seen by ‘us’, not by ‘me’, and I found that a little curious.”

Rainbow Dash stared at the back of Rarity’s head. She always knew her friend had an eye for detail, but the peryton used words in weird ways, and if Ligilia had written something wrong, there was probably exactly zero significance—

Ligilia smiled and inclined her head. “I hope I have done no wrong in this, but yes, that is why I lingered here. I had thought to tell you when you had done speaking of more important things.”

—or maybe not.

“More important than fashion?” Rarity asked, scrunching her snout. “I think not. What is it?”

“My own Myrtellan band shows its age, so I wore one gifted by you, and Oura and Thelis did both so enjoy the way you twisted Myrtella’s colours. They vowed that when next they made their bands, they would do the same, and they spoke with their friends and loved ones, and now it seems that many others wish to do it as well.”

“Indeed?” asked Khaird, raising a brow. “This explains some of the curious bands I saw last weekend.”

“I have told all that these were generous gifts from the Equestrian delegation, you must believe,” said Ligilia, her eyes downcast. “Those words seem to travel only half as fast as the desire to twist the colours.”

“Huh,” said Rarity, and for a while, that was all she said. Idly, Dash wondered if she was mad that they had stolen her designs—if that was how this even worked—but after a moment, Rarity simply smiled and nodded her head. “I suppose I have had an impact here in Orto as well, then. I’m glad.”

“I don’t think we need to worry about not having made an impression, really,” Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath.

Fluttershy giggled. “I think she means fashion, specifically.”

“Yeah yeah, I get it,” said Dash, waving a hoof in dismissal. “And actually, I take it back. We barely got to make an impact on Orto the first time around, so let’s go get some sleep and fix that! Khaird! Any festivals tomorrow?”

Khaird laughed and took a step down the stairs, waving with a wing as he walked. “The next festival is on the other side of the full moon, but there is ever dance and song at the center plaza. Get your rest, friends!”

“I don’t know if I can,” said Fluttershy.

“But do you know if you want to?” Dash asked.

No answer.

“Like, do you wish you could?” Rainbow Dash added. “You don’t have to do this. Really, we can just do something else, but… that’s what you said. You said you wanted to try. Y’know. That you wish you could do this.”

“I think I do.”

“Alright?”

“Mm. I just… I need to relax, I guess. It’s the crowd, or, um, the people. I guess it’s not a crowd, but...”

“Yeah. I get it.” Rainbow Dash gently ran her wingtip along Fluttershy’s side, smiling. “Need some help? Want me to say that you’ll be fine?”

Fluttershy giggled and shook her head slightly, not a no, just an idle shake of her head as she leaned against Rainbow Dash, trapping Dash’s wing between them.

“Because you’re gonna be more than fine,” said Dash, grinning at her. “You saw the way they looked at us when we landed the chariot in the middle of the street last night. They’re gonna be super impressed no matter what you do.”

“I know. That’s not really helping with the people problem, though.” Fluttershy bit her lower lip.

“Sure, but that’s what this is about, isn’t it? It’s about showing you can do it, and I know you can. Just jump to it! Spread your wings, fly up there and do your best without thinking.” Dash smiled and ground the top of her head against the side of Fluttershy’s neck, giving her a little push at the end. “Don’t look down, look up!”

Fluttershy didn’t exactly leap to it. She took a step away from Rainbow Dash, drew breath, and let it out again, her painted wings tight to her body for a second before she rustled them, shaking her feathers out.

“And before you say what if,” Rainbow Dash said with a lopsided grin, “nothing’s gonna happen. What if everything works out fine? Try that on!”

Fluttershy opened her mouth, but closed it again having said not a single word, and then she giggled and leaned in to nuzzle Rainbow Dash, spread her wings, and took off.

Rainbow Dash shuffled her own wings and did very little, feeling a blossom of warmth spreading across her cheek while she watched Fluttershy gain height. Graceful and wide circles led into a slight dive, which in turn became a simple, no-frills loop with a shaky ending. Fluttershy righted herself, shook her head, and climbed again.

Of course Rainbow Dash could have flown up there and done a triple-spin quadruple-twist no-wings dive into a vertical windmill, but applause and praise for what was basically nothing at all was pointless. Compared to getting your dues for something that took actual effort, anyway. If Rainbow Dash managed to coax a scared bunny out of its den or something, she would definitely expect a pat on the back.

When exactly had effort become cooler than results? Rainbow Dash had no idea. Before or after they left for Perytonia? It didn’t matter. Somewhere along the way, and right now, she watched Fluttershy, watched her girlfriend prove exactly why she was so much cooler than anypony ever gave her credit for. So much cooler than anypony else. Cooler than Rainbow Dash.

Even though Fluttershy was comfortable admitting that she was nervous with audiences and attention, even though that was a part of her, she also tried to overcome it. She was willing and eager, at least since this summer, to try to be even more than she already was.

Rainbow Dash watched Fluttershy twirl around in the air in something like a corkscrew, clearly not trusting herself to fold her wings completely. Her larger wings made it look very different from Dash’s own maneuvers, and the blue and moss-green paint made her half invisible against the sky, flickering in and out of existence if Dash didn’t focus. At the end of the spin, Fluttershy turned and looked down to the ground, just like Dash had told her not to. For a moment, Dash’s her heart stopped. She worried that maybe Fluttershy would see all the peryton looking up at the air, realise the size of her audience and lock up.

Fluttershy didn’t look at the crowd. Fluttershy’s eyes unerringly found Dash’s own, and she smiled. What could Dash do but smile back? She gave Fluttershy a little hoof-pump for good measure, and Fluttershy continued her simple routine.

Her girlfriend challenged herself, and that made her the coolest pony Dash knew. She did the things that she found hard.

Dash glanced over at a cluster of peryton standing nearby, each and every one of them looking straight up as Fluttershy did a few mock dives that weren’t exactly daring by Dash’s own standards, but it drew a few oohs and aahs from the assembled peryton, and Dash had to smile. All around the vast plaza, peryton in singles and groups stopped what they were doing to look up, pointing and alerting their friends to the curious creature putting on an air show. Here, a dance slowly ground to a halt, there, a peryton stared, her food hovering forgotten in her grip.

It was no festival with thousands of attendees, of course. It wasn’t the crowd Rainbow Dash had wanted months ago upon arriving in Orto during the Myrtellan festival, but just like Khaird had said, there was always something going on at the central plaza. When Rarity went off to talk to Khaird and some zebra about silk or whatever, Rainbow Dash had put forth that before they left, somepony had to show the notoriously curious and friendly locals what a pegasus with a good pair of wings on her back could do.

Somepony who needed a little push to test her fear of crowds.

Again Fluttershy looked down at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash grinned wide.

“You’re crushing it! Keep it up!”

Fluttershy didn’t reply, but Dash saw Fluttershy’s smile, a faint touch of red on her cheeks as she circled higher again and did another loop, a little faster and tighter. Bolder.

Rainbow Dash kicked off the ground and made her way up to join with Fluttershy, her wings working half-time as she ascended in tight circles of her own. When she caught up with her girlfriend, she followed her lead. Fluttershy did another little corkscrew, and so did Rainbow Dash, doing her best not to upstage her, to follow.

Of course it wasn’t easy to hold back, but Rainbow Dash wasn’t lacking for times and places to show her own awesome stuff. She knew that the way Fluttershy acted around animals when Rainbow Dash was present differed from the way she treated animals by herself. Dash didn’t have to prove herself in the air all the time, and besides, Rainbow Dash usually only challenged herself with stunt flying. In the ways she knew how. That Fluttershy could step out of her comfort zone so boldly—

Another simple loop. Fluttershy paused and wiped nervous sweat from her brow, glancing over at Rainbow Dash before she took a deep breath and flew on.

Well. Perhaps not so bold, but that Fluttershy could step out of her own world, quavering and quivering, was the most amazing thing Rainbow Dash knew, and she felt cooler just for sharing the same sky as Fluttershy, even if it was just for a few simple loops and corkscrews to amaze a lazy weekend crowd of random peryton.

Rainbow Dash grinned to herself and hurried to catch up, her smile twice as wide when she followed Fluttershy through an immelmare turn into a reverse loop. Clearly she couldn’t rest on her laurels even in the air. Dash knew plenty of pegasi who couldn’t pull off something like that—nevermind the unsteady finish. She could feel her heart swell with pride, a warmth spreading through her as she pulled up alongside Fluttershy and cheered.

“You’re doing great! Come on, let’s fly backwards next!”

Fluttershy stared at Rainbow Dash as they both slowed down to hover on the spot. “Fly backwards?” she asked, her eyes wide. “Rainbow Dash, I, um, I can fly in circles or do a few simple tricks fine, but I can’t do backwards loops or any of the really difficult—”

“No, no, jeez,” Dash said, laughing. “Not a reverse loop, just, like, fly backwards!” She flapped her wings in reverse, flying back just a smidge, showing what she meant. “We’re trying to put on a show for the Ortosians, right? They’re terrible at… at this.”

Dash’s voice trailed off. At the mention of the word show, Fluttershy looked down below her forelegs, at the plaza. Maybe she hadn’t realised how many eyes were on them. In truth, and in the joy of the moment, flying with Fluttershy, Dash herself hadn’t really noticed either.

The great plaza at the heart of Orto was vast, and the smattering of peryton walking around, the groups around the huge stele in the middle circle and the haphazard markets—swallowed up by a space that could fit dozens of Stagrum’s major market squares—all combined made for hundreds of peryton, most of whom were looking up at them. Hundreds of delighted peryton faces watching strangers do strange things.

Rainbow Dash could hear Fluttershy lose her nerve. Her girlfriend let out a tiny shuddering whimper, her wingbeats suddenly unsteady, as though threatening to drop her out of the sky.

“Hey, let’s go over there,” said Rainbow Dash, pointing away. It didn’t matter what she pointed to. Elsewhere. When Fluttershy still stared down at the crowd of smiling and waving peryton, Dash ducked under her and came up in front, blocking the view. She put her face right next to Fluttershy’s, their snouts touching on a matching downstroke. “Fluttershy! Come on! This way!”

Fluttershy nodded briskly and followed. All she had to do was glide as Rainbow Dash took the lead, pointing them towards a quiet corner of the plaza. A small distance away, a large and unworked stele—just a boulder, really—waited by a low stone wall. Some buildings bordering on the plaza provided rare shade from the warm mid-day sun. Dash touched down a minute later, making sure to put some distance between them and some peryton who looked like they wanted to follow and talk to the pegasi. That would have to wait. Fluttershy landed right next to her and slumped, her eyes closed.

Rainbow Dash would have none of that. No slumping. Dash thrust her snout in Fluttershy’s face and nuzzled her, grinning wide.

“You did great!”

Fluttershy’s smile was faint, accompanied by a nervous glance over her back towards the plaza and its myriad of peryton and goings-on.

“Seriously,” Dash added, stepping around to throw a wing around Fluttershy’s back, rubbing her feathers against Fluttershy’s own, the paint making them hard to tell apart. “The Wonderbolts are so last year. We’ve got the coolest costumes, the coolest tricks, and the coolest ponies.” She laughed, and now Fluttershy laughed with her, returning a giggle and a shake of her head.

“I don’t know about that,” said Fluttershy. “I don’t… I don’t know if I’m ever going to get used to having an audience, really. I don’t think I’ll ever really like it.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged, moving both their bodies. She leaned against Fluttershy with all her weight, taking a deep breath and rubbing her cheek against Fluttershy’s neck. “Doesn’t matter,” she said. “You know I’m joking around. Like… if you wanna do this kinda stuff, that’s awesome, but you just hit the air and faced it, you know? Your fears or whatever. That’s what makes you the best.”

Fluttershy’s reply was a smile and a shake of her head. Rainbow Dash pulled away a little, then stepped back, bumping her flank against Fluttershy’s, a little harder than she intended.

“I mean it! And if you don’t wanna do something like this ever again, that’s fine, you’ll tell me, but—”

“I know,” said Fluttershy, interrupting her with the softest voice imaginable, nodding. “I will, and I know, sorry. I’m just… my heart’s still racing, I’m sorry.” She giggled.

Rainbow Dash snorted and shook her head, throwing a foreleg around Fluttershy’s withers, hugging her, and Fluttershy hugged back. Dash didn’t know how long they stood like that. The warmth of Fluttershy’s body became her own, and Dash closed her eyes. She could fall asleep like this, feeling Fluttershy’s coat brush against her own, the touch of her feathers against her side, her girlfriend’s breath against her neck.

“Heh, I think I just understood something, by the way,” Dash murmured.

Fluttershy made an inquisitive noise. Dash didn’t move at all while she answered, refusing to give up the touch.

“Back in the gorge, when you tried to fly the cart, I thought I was being a butt, and that I pressured you into trying it.” Dash frowned at the memory even as it lost its power over her, seeming less terrible by the moment. “You kept looking back at me, and I thought it was because… I don’t know, it was my fault.”

“Mm?”

Dash snorted at her own silliness, shaking her head. Fluttershy had looked down at her just now as well, while she was doing tricks.

“I wasn’t pushing you into it. You were just looking to see if I had your back. And I didn’t. That’s why you crashed.”

Fluttershy giggled and gave her a squeeze. “I don’t know if I crashed because you wouldn’t look, and I tried to fly the cart because I wanted to prove to you that I wasn’t as weak or fragile as you treated me then. Maybe that was silly of me, but… but yes. Having your support means a lot to me. It’s important to me.”

“Yeah, well, same,” Dash muttered. “But you decided to come with us to Perytonia because I asked, right? Because I wouldn’t shut up about it, and really wanted you to come?”

From their hug, Dash couldn’t see Fluttershy’s nod, but she felt it. “If you mean that I probably wouldn’t have come if you hadn’t asked and insisted, then yes, but I’m glad I did. I’m glad you did.”

“Same. Because now I can do stuff like this,” said Dash, giving Fluttershy a light nip on the neck. Fluttershy eeped in surprise and stepped away, frowning at Dash and blushing furiously.

“Rainbow Dash!”

Dash grinned wide and waited. “That’s my name! What is it?”

Fluttershy’s mouth hung open for a good few seconds before she gave up, shaking her head, the two of them breaking into giggles and sinking down to sit next to each other, leaning back against the large boulder in the corner of the plaza.

“Thank you.” Fluttershy let out a deep breath and put her head on top of Rainbow Dash’s.

“Sure. For what?” Dash asked. “‘Everything’?”

Fluttershy smiled. “That too. But for not pitying me because I’m a little hesitant at times. For when I’m afraid.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “I told you. That’s what makes you awesome. You don’t stop. And hey, thanks, too. For listening. And for, I guess…” she felt her cheeks flush. “For being you and stuff.”

“I think Rarity would be proud of us,” said Fluttershy, giggling softly as she looked around. “This is a little romantic.”

“Oh no,” said Rainbow Dash, gasping in mock horror while moving exactly none at all. “Quick, let’s go do something cool to wash all this yucky mushy stuff away!”

Fluttershy’s giggles redoubled, and she shook her head.

“Seriously, whatever,” said Dash, waving a hoof in dismissal. “Wanna go do something else for a bit? Grab something to eat, see if we can find Rarity—hey, maybe we can find Aroris again. The doe I accidentally flirted with when we came here the first time, remember?”

“Oh, I remember her,” said Fluttershy, nodding and smiling. “That sounds nice. Maybe we could all grab a meal together. I think Rarity said they would be on the north side of the plaza, so we could begin looking there.”

When Fluttershy got up, so did Rainbow Dash, the two of them walking side by side towards the opposite side of the plaza. Fluttershy hummed to herself and swished her tail while Dash’s thoughts wandered. If she wanted to be as amazing as Fluttershy, to do something that truly challenged her, what could Rainbow Dash do?

Something related to animal care? No. She liked most animals just fine when they didn’t give her trouble. Some animals were even cool or awesome—a couple stepping into radical territory—but being some sort of animal person wasn’t her, challenge or no.

What was the hardest thing Rainbow Dash could imagine? The elusive quadruple no-wings thunderbolt spin? No. Hard, sure, but not a challenge in the same way it was for Fluttershy to do something she usually never imagined herself doing.

“Hey, Fluttershy?”

“Yes, Rainbow Dash?”

Her girlfriend looked over at her, head at a slight tilt, short-cut mane bobbing with the motion. Never mind the Ephydoeran paint. Take it away, and Rainbow Dash still wasn’t used to the way Fluttershy smiled at her these days. She hoped she would never get used to the surge of butterflies milling about her stomach. It took Dash a long, uncool moment to recollect her scattered thoughts.

“You said something about how learning to read and write Perytonian would be super hard, right?”

“Mm, that’s just what I think. They probably don’t have any learner’s books, nothing that’s Equestrian to Perytonian or Perytonian to Equestrian.”

Dash scratched at her snout with a wing. “But if we pick up whatever books they usually use to learn to read or whatever, maybe ask around a bit, I could probably try, yeah? You’re saying hard, but not impossible.”

“Lots of ponies are self-taught in other things, so I don’t see why not,” said Fluttershy, nodding. “I don’t think it would be impossible.”

“Cool. ‘Cause we’ve been telling everyone to send us letters, and if there’s actually gonna be mail between Equestria and Perytonia, and if Twilight doesn’t have a spell for it, somepony’s gonna have to learn to read the letters and maybe write back. I could give it a shot.”

“I think that sounds like a wonderful idea,” Fluttershy replied, her beaming smile bright enough to give Pinkie’s widest grins competition. “Let’s see what we can find after we eat. We should ask Khaird. I’ll help in any way I can, promise.”

“Deal!”

It wasn’t the most boring thing Rainbow Dash could imagine, but it came pretty close. It would be hard in the way that Dash liked the least of all. It would be book hard. It would be thinking without doing hard. She would probably get bored after five minutes, but at least she would have tried—and what if she didn’t?

“Oh, and Fluttershy?”

“Yes?”

“No telling Twilight. I’ll tell her later, maybe.”

Of course Twilight would be able to help. The instant Rainbow Dash stepped into the library with the intent of getting some help on learning, Twilight would be a tornado of books and sage advice, but it wasn’t just about learning a language.

Rainbow Dash liked the idea of being able to talk to their Perytonian friends, and she wanted to do that, but there was no point if somepony else was going to take over the job for her. If she needed support, she had Fluttershy for that, and if she failed because she wasn’t book smart enough? Whatever. She could put herself out there and try first. She could try and fail, however much she didn’t like the idea, and then Twilight and her infinity books could tell her what to do.

Fluttershy tilted her head, and then nodded. She didn’t ask why, and Rainbow Dash didn’t need to tell her. Of course Fluttershy understood.

Rainbow Dash shifted a little to the right, making sure she sat directly under one of the support beams. The Heavenly Song’s front garden didn’t have a roof so much as it had columns and arches with plants to make up the difference, but the verdant canopy warded off most of the rain.

Most of it. Another fat raindrop hit the middle of Rainbow Dash’s book while she was mostly occupied staring at the nearest stele, squinting at the weird crow’s-foot symbol.

“Okay, that’s the same as this one,” Dash muttered to herself. “And the symbol on the picture is Helesseia’s weird little flamey spike thing.”

“It does say Helesseia,” said Ligilia, nodding slowly. “But the way you have described your letters to me, it is clear you use them differently from ours. Each symbol is a clear sound. The upper and the anterior alphabets are on the first page.”

“Right,” said Dash, another drop hitting her hoof as she turned the page. “Thanks.”

Ligilia smiled toothily and inclined her head.

“For goodness’ sake, Rainbow Dash, take your book over here,” Rarity called from the table under the awning. “It’ll get ruined by the rain!”

“Yeah yeah,” said Dash, sighing. Ligilia’s magic surrounded the book and she looked askance at Dash, who nodded, and then ferried it over to where Fluttershy and Rarity sat, Dash following with some reluctance.

“I just wanna see what’s on the stones,” Dash grumbled, taking a seat next to a smiling Fluttershy who wrapped a wing around her side, rubbing gently.

“Maybe you can do that on a day when it isn’t raining,” Fluttershy suggested, nuzzling her.

The rain had been pouring down all day, thick and heavy clouds with just enough movement to make clearing the clouds above the Song impractical. It made for a cozy afternoon sitting under the inn’s awning, eating grass balls and chatting with their hostess. It made for a terrible literally anything else.

“You will find one story for each of the forty-nine Aspects at the end of the book,” Ligilia helpfully added, leafing through the book. “I can not even think what it is like to read this and not be able to understand it, but I hope it will be of help. It is the book for the first year of schooling in letters.” She gave the thick book a magical push back over to Dash’s side of the table.

“Alright. Cool,” Dash said, nodding. “Let’s just… remember to write down what it means in Equestrian before we leave, I guess.”

“If you run out of things to read, I’m sure we can send Ligilia a letter and ask for another book,” said Fluttershy, earning a deep nod from the brown-white doe. “Like she said, there are zebra here sometimes, and some of them can read Equestrian.”

Dash laughed. “Let’s not get crazy right away.” She grabbed a grass-ball and chewed noisily, pushing the book back towards the center of the table, done with it for now. Rarity smiled at her and took a sip of water, looking past the others to the driving rain splattering against Orto’s white stone streets.

“Do you get a lot of rain in fall?” Rarity asked.

Ligilia shook her head slightly. “Some. I do not know what ‘a lot’ would be, but this heavy rain? Not often.”

“I guess Odasthan was bored.” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “It’s coming from the the mountains.”

“Odasthan probably couldn’t create this much rain by himself, or send it this far,” Fluttershy replied. “Yelgadar must have helped.”

“Sure.” Rainbow Dash frowned, touching her neck. Though they had cut the burnt bits of her mane away, she swore the hairs still felt a little more stiff than they should. ‘Two halves’ this, ‘working together’ that, she wasn’t soon about to like the stupid fire chicken.

“I don’t expect they’re aware of where we are, really,” Rarity commented. “But it does feel like a farewell of sorts. I’m just glad it’s not a storm.”

“Not many storms in fall,” said a familiar voice.

“Khaird,” said Ligilia, smiling wide and tilting her head forward in a short bow. “The Equestrians’ visit brings many boons, one of them being to see you so often.”

The stag strode into the garden dripping wet and heedless of it, as cheerful as ever as he exchanged greetings with the ponies.

“And it is good to see you, but I think that this time, it is the last time, at least for a while. An airship has been spotted, a shadow moving through the clouds to the east of Orto, and I think this means farewell. I do not suppose you can convince the ponies of this ship to come say hello? Spend the night or the week with us?”

“I doubt they will be thus inclined,” said Rarity, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, dear, but I think this means it is time for us to go.”

Fluttershy puffed out her cheeks and nodded, her ears wilting. “I think so, too.” She gave Khaird and Ligilia a wan smile. “But we’ll come visit. Promise.”

“And when we come back, we’ll bring all our friends, too,” said Dash. She tried her best to sound cheerful, but at her own words, she felt a pang in her gut, a little sad not just to be leaving, but in realising exactly how much she missed her friends. She missed Pinkie Pie’s laughter, Twilight’s snarky comments, and Applejack’s banter, and now she found that she could not wait another second to see them.

“We will be waiting,” said Khaird with a wide smile. “Eager to see more of your kind. If they are friends of yours, they are friends of ours, and they must be wonderful to meet and learn to know.”

Ligilia nodded and gestured to the open doorway leading to the Heavenly Song’s main chamber. “And you have rooms here any time you visit. Come. I will help you pack and dictate at least a few of the Aspects’ stories for you to write down.”

“It’s definitely the same ship,” said Rarity.

“Yep,” Dash grunted. There was no mistaking the fat keel of The Vantage. As familiar as the feeling of pulling a cart up an awful road. Except this time, the cart was a small-wheeled and low-bottomed chariot, the road climbed a hill, and everything was mud. Rainbow Dash grit her teeth and pulled, just like Fluttershy did, while Rarity brought up the rear, her magic surrounding and pushing the chariot from behind.

“I think—ah!” Fluttershy called out, nearly slipping and just barely catching herself. “Uh, I was trying to say, I think it’s heading for the same hill where they left us off. We should probably just head up there.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, more focused on the pulling and the dragging and the mud. They all had more mud brown than green on their legs from less than an hour spent out in the rain. Dash’s own laughter caught her by surprise, earning a strange look from Rarity.

“What’s so funny, dear?” Rarity asked, frowning in distaste as she stared at some mud that had somehow made its way to her chest.

Dash shook her head. “Nothing. Just… there’s been so much mud.”

“There has been a lot of mud,” Fluttershy agreed with a giggle.

“And precisely why is that funny?” Rarity asked, tilting her head.

“It isn’t!” Dash said, laughing harder. “I just, I don’t know, I’m happy, I guess.”

Rarity just shook her head and smiled serenely at that, while Fluttershy giggled along, reaching out with a wing until Dash did the same and touched a wing-tip to hers. The hill where the airship had dropped them off over two months ago came into view.

“So, do you think anything we’ve done counts as an incident? I remember the captain was super worried about incidents.” Dash grinned.

“I think this entire visit has been an incident,” said Fluttershy, still giggling to herself as though she’d had entirely too much cider.

“Alright, so… how much of an incident do you think it would be if we just ditched all this mud and flew up instead and tried to land on the airship, only crashing a little bit, because no way are we making that landing in this weather and no space to stop?”

“Rainbow Dash, no,” Rarity groaned, drowned out by Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash’s laughter.

Rainbow Dash squinted. She frowned and she glared at the book until she went cross-eyed, trying to stare it into submission, but the arcane symbols refused to make sense. She pushed the book away and leaned against the wall, rubbing the back of her head against the coarse woodwork. After so much flying, so much air time, the passenger quarters of The Vantage were stupidly cramped.

“Is there a Peryton equivalent of learning how to spell ‘cart’?” Rarity asked, looking up from her own work sorting through all the gifts and little memorabilia they had gathered on their way back to Orto. “Surely you can find a simple word somewhere in there and try to find its equivalent in the notes we wrote down.”

“I can’t,” Dash snapped. “I can’t read any of it, and they don’t use normal letters! How the hay—” she closed her eyes and frowned, biting back the surge of annoyance.

“Darling,” said Rarity. Dash could feel the unicorn’s eyes upon her. She could hear the scowl.

“Sorry,” Dash muttered. “It’s really hard, and it’s really annoying that it’s hard.”

“You’re not just trying to learn a language, what you’re really doing is more deciphering than learning,” Fluttershy supplied. She rubbed a hoof against Dash’s side, and Dash smiled back at her.

Fluttershy made it sound so much cooler than it was, staring at stupid letters and trying to figure out what they meant, trying to remember. Letters were not, and would never be cool. Being able to read what their friends in Perytonia wrote to them, however, would be cool. Cooler than even that? Being a little bit more like Fluttershy, a pony who could try something she was terrible at. It wasn’t hard to try out a new sport when you were already great at most sports. This was hard.

Right now? A little bit too hard. Rainbow Dash closed the book and exhaled, grinding her snout against Fluttershy’s neck, eliciting a giggle and a nuzzle in return. She’d try again later.

“I believe we are home,” said Rarity, smiling.

Dash arched a brow, but Rarity made no reply outside of pointing to the small window set in the outer wall of their quarters. Where there had been only shades of blue for days, Rainbow Dash now spotted green. She was out of the bed in an instant, her face glued to the window.

The fall colours were familiar to her. Greens, reds and yellows, but mostly the bright green so very different from Perytonia’s particular yellow- or blue-greens. In the afternoon sunlight, Rainbow Dash saw fall colours that she recognised as Equestria. She felt Fluttershy move to stand side by side with her, and gave her girlfriend a little space, their breaths fogging the glass. Fall had come to Equestria in their absence, and somewhere waited friends they hadn’t seen in forever, the parts of her that Rainbow Dash had left behind, now sorely missed.

“Hey, what time is it?” Dash asked, even though she knew the answer.

“Late afternoon, from the looks of things,” said Rarity, abandoning her saddlebags and stepping up to Rainbow Dash until all three ponies stood side by side staring out the window, all in matching colours. “Why?”

“How fast does the train from Las Pegasus to Ponyville go?”

“Um, well, I’m sure there’s an overnight train—” Fluttershy began to say.

“And how fast does a chariot pulled by the two most awesome pegasi in the world go?” Dash pressed, grinning. “When they have the coolest unicorn in existence to cast some freaky amazing peryton magic on their wings?”

Rarity arched a brow. “Are you quite serious, dear? I mean no offense, but even standing on that chariot all day isn’t exactly comfortable.”

“You want to fly home? Tonight?” Fluttershy asked, tilting her head.

“Hay yeah!” said Dash. “You game for the fastest chariot ride in all of Equestria’s history?”

Fluttershy giggled. “I’m game.”

“Rarity?”

“Flying across half of Equestria tonight?” The unicorn tapped a hoof on the wooden floorboards, a faint smile breaking upon her muzzle. “Well, let us make sure they aren’t waiting for us at the airdock first, and then we fly.”

Epilogue

“It’s weird,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Hm?” Fluttershy’s question was a soft hum nearly lost upon the wind.

“Flying over Equestria isn’t the same. It’s… well, it’s weird.”

“What exactly is ‘weird’ about it?” Rarity asked, and even without turning, Dash knew one of her eyebrows was raised precariously high. “I agree it was a unique challenge to walk on those terrible paths the Perytonians called ‘roads’, but how is flying here different?”

“I dunno.” Dash shrugged, both as part of her response and to stop the harness from pushing against the bases of her wings. “We haven’t done a huge all-day cross-country flight over Equestria before, have we? All day in one direction like this? I don’t think we have. I don’t think I have.”

Fluttershy tilted her head slightly, giving her an openly curious look and clearly hunting for further explanation, but Rainbow Dash had nothing. Dash glanced behind them, off to the side, catching just a glimpse of a colourful train disappearing around a hill, further hidden by the dusk. Puffs of steam blended with the clouds, and when lantern-bearing engine passed from view, she had to strain her eyes to see evidence of the train that had been far ahead of them not long ago.

“I’m surprised they kept up with us for so long,” said Fluttershy, apparently reading Dash’s mind. She stared off into the distance behind them just as Dash did.

“I guess they get cookie points for trying, but we’re way faster,” Dash agreed, grinning.

“Well, maybe, but I really just meant that the western heartlands are very hilly,” said Fluttershy, giggling and shaking her head.

“Perhaps a little bit of column A, and a little bit of column B, then,” Rarity chimed from behind them, leaning against the rim of the chariot.

“Sure,” Dash said, waving a foreleg, dismissing the whole topic as her thoughts again drifted to what felt different about flying over Equestria as opposed to Perytonia, because it sure as hay wasn’t just the colour of the grass. It had long since ceased to be ‘evening’, now well into the deep of night. Under moonlight, the darkening mush of colours and shapes below could just as well have been Perytonia.

Well, that wasn’t strictly true. Here were more mountains and hills. More varied and smaller forests instead of infinite plains or an endless carpet of blue-greens. No weird rocks and sand pits. Small pockets of light glimmered here and there, evidence of villages and farmsteads, another always coming into view up ahead before the previous one faded behind them, an unthinkable sight on the other continent.

This was Equestria alright, down to the way the mild breeze blew and the occasional gusts tasted—and even if all those things hadn’t been there to tell her where they were, the lack of the once-inescapable shadows of the Cauldron’s mountains to give scale to the rest of the world drove the point across. They were nearly home.

Yet, for all they had seen, Equestria hadn’t shrunk as Dash had thought it would. It had expanded. Even in the night, every sight was as vivid and fresh as though she viewed them for the first time, and now that Dash spotted the familiar contours of Mount Canterlot in the distance, she wondered if maybe it was because she didn’t fly alone.

This night, Rainbow Dash flew with four wings instead of two. She never imagined that she would ever just fly for so long in somepony else’s company outside of weather duty overtime. They were simply travelling, yet it felt like so much more.

Travel. They really had travelled a lot—or was that journeyed? One of those words. They had gone from one place to the next, on and again, but it wasn’t all walking or flying with hooves or wings. There had been movement between the ponies, too. Metaphorical and stuff. Despite how close they were to home, they’d come a lot further than to just return where they started.

It wasn’t only about her girlfriend, either. Perytonia had thrown fuel on the fire that burned inside Rainbow Dash for her friends. Both she and Fluttershy were closer to Rarity than they had ever been before. Dash’s heart suddenly raced and she felt a tingle deep in her belly as her thoughts moved on to the rest of her friends.

“I can’t wait to see Twilight and the gang again,” said Dash, the words tumbling forth the moment she saw the first signs of Ponyville in the distance. There was Town Hall, the bell tower and a smattering of other buildings, none much taller than the horizon from this angle as they soared above the Whitetail Woods.

For just a second, she wondered if she had betrayed her friends a little by not missing them more. By not missing them more often. The doubt was a flash of a thought that lasted only for an instant, but she felt better for having considered it, at least. Was there such a thing as a good worry? Fluttershy might defend the idea of showing... concern, she’d call it. Maybe her girlfriend was rubbing off on her.

At Fluttershy’s silence, Dash glanced to the side and found the other pegasus smiling through eyes glistening with wet, and Rarity was similarly mute, all eyes on the town ahead. Ponyville was caught in the middle of fall, a full season after they left it.

“Guess I’m not the only one happy to be back,” Dash added with a brief chuckle to herself, earning a giggle, a sniffle, and a shake of the head from Fluttershy, and a smile from Rarity who leaned over the chariot to look down. Rainbow Dash kicked the speed up a notch, and Fluttershy followed her lead, the town’s outskirts whisking by. Sugarcube Corner lay dark and silent, and on the northern side of town, Sweet Apple Acres’ fields stretched on longer and larger the lower they descended. Applebuck season must have started by now.

Part of Rainbow Dash expected things to be more different, but she recognised almost every detail she could make out, all the way down to the tables clustered under the awning of Snowmelt’s ice cream parlour for the night, the perpetually grumpy pony clinging to her belief that the pegasi might create unscheduled rain at any moment. It only took Dash a second to decide that she was fine with the familiarity of it all. Ponyville remained the same, and that was just as well given how much the ponies themselves had changed.

Granted, she wasn’t sure of all the ways in which they had changed except for their outward appearances, down to the body paint she had almost stopped thinking about, but she’d figure it out. Right now, she just wanted to see her friends again, and this time it was Fluttershy who pulled them on, speeding them up like they were in a race. Dash would’ve applauded her initiative if they weren’t about to run out of town to fly over.

“Hey, slow down, girl,” Rainbow Dash said, laughing at herself the instant she said it. Those were two words she never expected to say to Fluttershy. “Where are we going?”

“Oh,” said Fluttershy, her momentum blunted and the chariot slowing down until they barely moved at all. Her ears drooped as she turned to Rarity and Rainbow Dash. “I’m sorry, I’m getting a little tired, and I guess I wasn’t really thinking. We’ve been flying and running and walking so much, and I really wanted to get home, but, um…” She blinked and looked down between her forelegs as they drifted above the heart of Ponyville. They were close to Town Hall, with the library just a short distance away.

“The very idea of being home seems really strange all of a sudden,” Rarity murmured, stretching. “Where do we go now? It must be well past midnight, and I left the key to the Boutique with Mayor Mare, but I suppose the back entrance will be open—oh, but I haven’t seen Sweetie Belle in so very long, either, and she won’t be there!”

Fluttershy’s head turned north to the orchards, past which lay her cottage. No doubt she thought of all her animal friends, but she said nothing, just like how despite Rarity’s words, the unicorn said nothing to suggest a course of action. Maybe they thought the same as Rainbow Dash: splitting up just felt weird. The idea of dropping Rarity off at the Boutique and going each to their own, just like that? Dash wanted to laugh at how absurd the notion was.

“We could go say hi to Twilight,” Dash instead said. She tried to make it sound as casual as possible.

“Let us,” said Rarity, a little too quickly, and the chariot yawed when Fluttershy turned to set course for the library tree faster than Dash could react.

“We probably beat the message from Las Pegasus saying we’re on our way home,” Dash said, grinning to herself. “I bet the Captain’s gonna wait until tomorrow to send a letter.”

“I imagine Princess Luna must have told everypony when she sent the airship to pick us up a week ago,” said Rarity, holding on to the chariot.

“Maybe, but Rainbow Dash said that Princess Luna wanted to keep all the dream-talking a little secret if she could,” Fluttershy countered. “I don’t know if they know we’re coming, I just hope Twilight is still awake.”

Dash snorted. “Are you kidding me? She’ll be up studying something.” She stuck out her legs and flapped against their descent. At her side, Fluttershy did the same with her larger wings, breaking their speed. The two of them worked together to bring the ponies to a gentle landing right by the library entrance.

Once they stopped, Dash worked the straps of her harness with practiced ease before turning to see if Fluttershy needed any help with hers. She didn’t, but Dash leaned in to yank one of the straps open with her teeth anyway, and Fluttershy touched a wing to Dash’s side in silent appreciation. “Besides,” Dash added, “if I don’t get to tell someone about at least one of the awesome things we’ve done, I’m gonna burst, and I’m not risking waking up Granny Smith or the twins, so Twi’s our best bet.”

“I’d just like to see… to see ponies, really,” said Fluttershy with a sheepish smile while the two pegasi waited for Rarity to open the rear latch and hop down to the ground, their much-abused saddlebags and ohron in her magical grip.

“I have to agree,” Rarity said, nodding once and closing the chariot door with exaggerated care. “I mean no offense to the sailors of the Vantage, but they were very busy people, and we hardly saw anypony at the skydock before we left, so I’d like to see someone, anyone we know before bed, too.”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “Yeah, except I was wrong. Guess she’s gone to bed.”

“How do you figure?” Rarity asked, cocking her head and pausing on approach to the library’s great oaken door.

“No light,” said Dash, pointing to the window one floor up. “That’s her reading spot.” She felt a frown coming on. The tell-tale candle-light glow that spoke of the unicorn’s disregard for bedtime was absent.

“What if they’re not home?” Fluttershy said in a whisper. “We didn’t really… ask anypony. Did you ask Luna? What if they’re not in Equestria?”

Rainbow Dash’s heart sank. Where Dash had first looked to the windows, Fluttershy’s attention was on their immediate surroundings, and her words were all too plausible. The flowerbeds, faintly lit by Rarity’s horn-light, were an untended and neglected mess even to Dash’s untrained eyes.

“You’re kidding,” Dash said. “No. They’ve got to be home. They can’t still be off in the middle of nowhere!” She glared at the dull and dark upper floor window, growling low in her throat. “Okay, you know what? Fine! Who’s up for heading to Canterlot tomorrow? The Princesses have got to know where they are, and we can bring the chariot. I don’t care if they’re on the other side of the world, we can go get them, bring—”

“Darling, do try not to wake up the entire town,” Rarity hissed. “Also, the door is open.”

While the pegasi talked, Rarity had advanced, and now she stood by the entrance, her magic holding the door slightly ajar.

Fluttershy licked her lips. “She… she locked the door before she left, didn’t she? She always locks her door so ponies can’t check out books without notice. Do you think maybe somepony snuck into the library?”

“Fluttershy, after all the stuff we’ve done, you can’t be afraid of a thief,” Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes. She slapped Fluttershy on the rump with a wing in passing, heading for the door. “And besides, a book thief? That’s gotta be the lamest thief ever. Come on, let’s check it out!”

“Perhaps it’s simply Spike or somepony else come to clean the library,” Rarity mused out loud. “If the inside is as neglected as the outside, this place could certainly use it.” She held the door open for Rainbow Dash, and followed once it was clear Fluttershy meant to join them as well, the other pegasus rubbing at her flank with her own wing, frowning at Dash’s back.

“Yeah, cleaning. In a dark library in the middle of the night.” Rainbow Dash snickered. “I don’t know about you, but that’s not how I clean.”

“I think she meant that maybe they forgot to lock the door after cleaning,” Fluttershy said from the rear.

“Yes. That was precisely my point, but now I’m curious, when was the last time you cleaned your house, Rainbow?” Rarity added. “Do you even own a broom?”

“Eh, clouds are basically self-cleaning. Kinda,” Rainbow Dash replied, stepping inside the darkened entrance hallway, but it was hard to see much. Rarity kept her horn-light down to an absolute minimum, faint, blue-white light casting long shadows. Rainbow Dash perked her ears up, suddenly sure she heard whispers.

“Wait, hang on,” Dash murmured as she trotted further into the main chamber of the library proper. Her friends lagged behind, and tiny warning bells chimed in her mind, triggered by half-forgotten memories. Darkness, whispers, and a feeling somewhere between trepidation and foreboding. She had been in this exact situation before. “Oh, horseapples,” she breathed, taking a step back. “This isn’t a burglar, this is a—”

“Surprise!” yelled a shadow before slamming into Rainbow Dash from the side just as the lights turned on.

Rainbow Dash rubbed the side of her head against the floor, suppressing a groan as she tried and failed to stand. She was held down something warm and heavy, and the curly hairs tickling her snout left no mystery as to who the body belonged to.

“Yep, this is exactly like the last surprise party,” Dash groaned, wiggling side to side, trying futilely to get up.

“You mean the last surprise birthday party?” Pinkie Pie asked, finally rolling off Rainbow Dash to let her stand up.

“It wasn’t my birthday! It was right before we left!” Dash retorted without thinking.

“Duh! That was the surprise!” Pinkie said amidst giggle-snorts. Dash got back up on all fours, only now noticing that Pinkie Pie wasn’t alone. Twilight and Applejack stood backlit by a single lamp, the unicorn’s magical grip still surrounding the little pull-string that had lit the table lamp. Both of the other ponies stood frozen, and Pinkie Pie’s laughter petered out into a weird silence as Rarity and Fluttershy finally stepped in from the hall. Despite the ambush, Twilight, Applejack and Pinkie Pie all looked just as surprised as they, the two groups of ponies staring at each other.

It was the rest of their friends, despite hints to the contrary. Applejack favoured one side, her stance a little unbalanced, and the hat that usually never left her head was nowhere to be seen. Pinkie Pie had a strange jewelry piece in one of her ears, and Twilight’s horn was dark, almost black at its very tip, and her eyes were slightly bloodshot. Adding to it all, their manes and tails were long and unkempt and their bodies showed the evidence of months on the road. That by itself would give Dash pause on a normal day—until she realised that Fluttershy, Rarity and she herself probably looked just as strange and changed.

In the mutually stunned silence, their friends stared at the evidence of their journey with all its challenges. The paint, the shape of their bodies, their short-cut manes and tails, the torn bags and ohron as well as the remains of cuts, bumps, bruises and the lines left by the tight chariot harnesses.

“What in tarnation—” said Applejack, and that was as far as she got before Fluttershy rushed forward, fording the gulf between the two groups and hugging the first thing she impacted with. She wrapped a wing and a leg around Pinkie Pie, who let out a startled and delighted squeal as she nearly fell over, and Fluttershy reached out with the other wing, stretching out as far as she could in an open invitation.

With that, the dam broke and the other ponies rushed in. Twilight’s lips wobbled in a shaky smile as she ran into the hug, and Dash launched herself towards her friends as well. She felt Rarity touch her side, somepony sniffled loudly, and suddenly one of Pinkie Pie’s legs were around her neck. Probably a foreleg. Dash covered as many of her friends as she could reach with her feathers, closing her eyes.

“I’ve missed you girls so much.” Fluttershy’s voice broke.

“Me too,” Twilight said, letting out a deep breath.

“And me three!” Pinkie cried. “Ohmygosh, you guys, I haven’t seen you guys in forever! I thought that maybe you wouldn’t want to come back, or maybe we’d have been gone for so long, everypony would be a Princess! Or that—”

“It’s good to have y’all back.” Applejack interrupted Pinkie with a sigh, her words simpler, shorter, but equally thick with emotion.

“And believe me, dear, you have no idea how good it is to be back,” Rarity replied, puffing out her cheeks. “Or perhaps you do.”

Rainbow Dash chuckled to herself, cracking an eye open to see Applejack’s face bearing a wide grin, the farmpony giving a slight nod before her expression turned quizzical and she tilted her head sideways.

“You can say that again. But really now, what the hay is up with your coats?”

“Long story,” Dash muttered. “A way long story, and we got a lot of those, but like… in a minute.” She clenched her eyes shut again and pressed her side against whoever stood to her left. The chill that swept in through the open door just made the warmth of touch that much comfier.

If Rainbow Dash was being a little sappy, for once Applejack didn’t leap at the chance to comment. No quips or barbs. Instead, Rainbow Dash felt a powerful foreleg rest over her withers, and Dash returned the gesture, tuning out the world while she enjoyed her friends’ presence, the six ponies wedged tight together in a confusing mess that soon toppled over with a collective giggle, forcing Dash down to sit on the ground on top of somepony’s tail. All was right.

“Alright, I think I said this before, but now I’m starting to feel like maybe we’re home,” Dash murmured under her breath, and she felt Fluttershy’s wing touch against her side, followed by a familiar cold snout touching against the top of her head.

The group hug broke up slowly into a series of smaller hugs, Twilight stepping up to Dash to cross necks, then Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie again while Rainbow Dash looked around for the first time since she stepped into the library. Just like Ponyville itself, the place looked well-worn and familiar.

Perhaps a little too familiar, thinking about it.

“You know,” said Dash, letting go of Pinkie Pie, “if this is a surprise party, you’ve really lost your touch, Pinkie.”

There were no streamers hanging from the ceiling, no balloons and no cake, and while Dash didn’t really think this was ever meant to be a party, it looked like the opposite of a party, like somepony had cleaned a party away with meticulous care—or at the very least regular cleaned. Desks that usually strained under the burden of stacked books stood bare, and a light cover of dust lay like a film over much of the library’s main room furniture outside of the most commonly used shelves.

The only place that showed any signs of life was the area around the fireplace. Blankets and pillows lay on the floor in a loose semicircle around the memories of a fire whose embers were lost in the lamplight. One single table carried a wealth of confusing items and an impressive spread of loose parchment burying open saddlebags, somewhat making up for the rest of the room and its vague sense of abandonment.

Pinkie Pie’s belated reply was a loud giggle, but it was Twilight who spoke up, both the unicorn and Applejack letting out a short laugh as well. “We probably all have a lot of questions, but if you’re wondering why the library is a mess—or why it isn’t—that one’s easy,” said Twilight. She walked towards the fireplace, her horn glimmering when she drew near, and the fire picked up as though it woke from a slumber. She turned on the spot and smiled at the ponies. “We just got back ourselves.”

“You returned only just now? You’ve been gone for as long as we have?” asked Rarity, blinking rapidly.

“Yep!” Applejack affirmed, nodding her head. She sauntered towards the fire as well. “Almost, anyway. We’ve been in Canterlot for a bit. Princess Celestia mentioned you were already on your way back, so we figured we’d beat you to Ponyville. Grabbed the last train home today.”

“I meant to make a surprise party, but we didn’t think you would get back before tomorrow,” Pinkie said. “But you did! You did get back before tomorrow!” Her face flipped from smile to frown to radiant smile again as she bounced towards the fireplace. “We got off the train this evening, and we just wanted to have a little chat before we all went home, but we were having such a nice time while Twilight was taking notes, I guess we all fell asleep!”

“Weren’t asleep,” Applejack grunted. “Was resting my eyes.”

“The sun was all, whoosh, bye now, and the moon popped up out of nowhere because it got late—I already said that—and then I heard you guys, and I said ‘turn off the lights’, and then Twilight woke up and said why, and that there weren’t even any lights on, and then I waited, and you came in—”

Applejack chuckled heartily and stilled Pinkie Pie’s rant with a touch to her withers, which honestly surprised Rainbow Dash more than anything else she had seen or heard so far. Pinkie Pie just smiled at Applejack rather than go on forever.

“T’aint much of a welcoming party, I think that’s what she’s saying,” she said.

Pinkie Pie nodded enthusiastically. “That’s totally what I was saying!”

“We barely got started on the unpacking,” Applejack said, gesturing to the area around the fireplace, a small island of life in the dark library. Some scraps of cloth like little scarves lay on a the messy table next to a bunch of tiny carvings Dash hadn’t noticed before, right next to a cork-stoppered bottle, all of it drowning in papers Twilight busied herself with stacking and organising even while they spoke. Despite the wealth of curios, the saddlebags on the back of the large table were full.

“Well, I think that’s okay, really,” said Fluttershy, smiling warmly. She headed for the fireplace, nuzzling Rainbow Dash as she passed her and tugging her along with a wing.

“What is?” Rainbow Dash asked, following. Applejack pulled out some more pillows from the stack in the corner, pushing them towards where pillows and blankets already lay in a heap.

“That there isn’t a party,” Fluttershy said with a giggle. “I’m okay with just… sitting down, really.”

“I have to agree,” Rarity chimed. She put down the mess of saddlebags and ohron she carried with her to help Applejack by rearranging the pillows so there was space for everypony. “But surely we can at least find something to eat. I don’t think we’ve eaten all day. All we have are some biscuits from the airship.”

Twilight placed the last stack of papers on the table, her brow knit in thought for a second. “I actually don’t think I have much more than that in the kitchen myself, sorry. We got back to Ponyville after market was over. All the shops had closed and everypony had gone to bed.”

“We had a pretty big dinner in Canterlot before we left, but I can always eat more, and I always have a candy-stash for emergencies. I just don’t always remember where I have them,” said Pinkie. She squinted at a nearby bookshelf with grave suspicion, then glanced sideways at a cupboard. A split-second later she perked up, beaming at the other ponies. “Let’s go hunting!”

A discarded bag of hard marshmallows from the depths of Twilight’s kitchen joined a half-full pack of ship’s biscuits and a trove of stale gummy bears Pinkie had somehow extracted from the romance section of the library. The haphazard collection of barely-edibles lay on the warm wooden floor in front of the fireplace, and while it didn’t exactly make for a complete meal to sate a rumbling belly, the short burst of activity while they scrounged for food only made the ensuing pause more poignant.

It was clear to Rainbow Dash that she wasn’t the only one who just now relaxed for the first time in a long while. It wasn’t just her, Fluttershy and Rarity, either. She imagined she could feel the aching of the hooves of the other three, too. They must have snuck in a quick bath in Canterlot or something, though, whereas Dash was keenly aware that she herself had spent half a week on an airship and half a day in flight. They were unkempt and unwashed, Rarity would say, and adding to that general discomfort, the library was not yet fully warmed by the roaring blaze of the fireplace. The blanket itched, too, and the water had gotten lukewarm while they got settled.

In short, everything was perfect.

Rainbow Dash lay back, resting against Fluttershy’s side with her hindlegs up on Applejack’s back. In the end, the extra space Rarity and Applejack had made for the bigger group was entirely wasted. All of them huddled together, except Pinkie Pie who shuffled, rolled, and moved around, now resting her head on Dash’s flank, now curled up between Twilight and Rarity as though it was impossible for her to decide where to sit—or perhaps just from a desire to be everywhere at once.

Dash might have done the same if she wasn’t bone tired. She stretched, hooking her neck around Fluttershy’s own and nuzzling into her coat while Twilight shut off the table lamp, the fireplace providing enough light by itself. The past few minutes had seen little talk outside of directions and discussions on finding bowls and cups for food and water, and now as they were all seated or laid down, silence settled again. Rainbow Dash had more questions than ever. There was a notch in one of Pinkie’s ears next to the weird jewellery piece, and why did Applejack favour one foreleg over the other? Was she hurt? What was up with Twilight’s horn, and was that a stripe in her mane?

“Alright, I’m gonna ask again,” said Applejack, beating Rainbow Dash to the punch. She glanced over the two pegasi, then to Rarity, staring pointedly at the unicorn’s dyed coat. “Why in all things good do y’all look like you’ve rolled in wet grass and then had a bucket of blue paint poured over yourselves? It is paint, isn’t it? It ain’t some magic?”

Fluttershy giggled, Dash shrugged, and Rarity nodded her head slowly and carefully.

“I’ve been led to believe that yes, it will wash away or fade—eventually.” She frowned at herself, and Dash expected that maybe she’d say something about regretting it, to bemoan being painted in weird colours for weeks unless the paint thinner worked. At length, the unicorn simply smiled, and that was that.

“Alright?” Applejack asked, tilting her head.

“I smell a sto-ry~” called Pinkie Pie in a sing-song voice. “How—”

“That’s the biggest story here?” Dash interrupted her, frowning slightly. “Look at Rarity and Fluttershy! They’ve gotten super strong! Look at this!” Rainbow Dash bumped her snout into Fluttershy’s chest and pointed to Rarity with a free wing. “Come on, Applejack. If applebuck season isn’t over, we can do it for you!”

Twilight was the first one to laugh, but Dash was already moving on, distracted by all the other weird stuff. “What the heck is up with those things on the table, anyway? And Applejack, are you hurt? You were—no, wait, forget that, what the hay is Pinkie wearing?!”

Pinkie Pie stared back at Dash, her muzzle hidden behind a piece of cloth she had dug out from their saddlebags on the table. Despite the cloth covering her muzzle, Dash could tell she was smiling.

“It’s a Demagarran veil,” Twilight said. “We—”

“The mode motes?” Applejack asked at the same time, one eyebrow raised. She turned to look at the tiny carvings on the table as though there was nothing special about them at all. “Never mind that, you didn’t answer why you’re all blue and green! And what the hay happened to your manes?”

“Are you and Fluttershy dating and girlfriends and everything?”

Pinkie Pie’s voice shut out all the other budding questions, the confusing chorus brought to a wrenching halt.

“You noticed only just now?” Rarity retorted, one brow arched high, and now that Dash thought about it, the question wasn’t only warranted, it was a little late. She did lie draped around her girlfriend. As an afterthought, and given the spotlight, Dash rubbed at the base of one of Fluttershy’s wings with one of her own primaries. Twilight stared blankly, Pinkie Pie stared expectantly, and Applejack just plain stared.

“If you ask me,” Rarity continued after she had given the two ponies in question a polite tenth of a second to comment themselves, “it is wonderful, and the two of them are perfectly darling as a couple. Rainbow Dash is absolutely smitten with Fluttershy. It’s quite the thing to see, but you’ll hear all about it if we are to share all our respective stories.”

Rainbow Dash said nothing. She nuzzled into Fluttershy’s coat and grinned to herself, vaguely aware of Pinkie Pie’s exaggerated inhale and Applejack’s chuckle. She’d happily talk all day long about how she and Fluttershy were girlfriends, but she was also more than a little curious about what had happened to Twilight and the rest of the gang. Just thinking about Fluttershy right now made her want to bury her face in Fluttershy’s wings and disappear amidst the feathers, and that wouldn’t be very social.

“We sure do have a lot of stories to tell, but I sure know which one I’m the most curious about now,” said Applejack.

“Tell us!” Pinkie Pie near-screamed. “You are girlfriends? Tell me all your secrets!”

“Maybe it will help if we start at the beginning?” Twilight asked. She cleared her throat and levitated a curiously shaped bottle over from the nearby table. “Let’s start with you three, and after that, we can tell you all about our journey.” She smiled and locked eyes with both Applejack and Pinkie Pie, who both returned the smile.

“—which was why we had to stay in Canterlot for a while,” Applejack concluded.

“It let me look up some of these phenomena in the Royal Library, so I appreciated it, at least,” Twilight added, smiling. “Celestia didn’t mind us leaving today. We’ll pick up via letter. She ordered royal chariots to take us home, so we landed in Ponyville—”

“Right after even Night Snack closed his food cart!” Pinkie Pie finished for Twilight.

“I reckon we could’ve gone each to our own,” said Applejack, “but with everypony closed up and gone to bed, not wanting to wake anypony up and all, well...” She hesitated, glanced at Pinkie and Twilight, then smiled. “Dunno. Twilight met her folks in Canterlot, and Pinkie and I both sent letters to the families in case we had to stay for another few days, so they know we’re safe. It just didn’t feel right to leave off, so here we are.”

“And then I started planning the surprise party for tomorrow, but you cheated and got home first!” Pinkie said, scowling.

“Then throw us all a surprise party when we’re not expecting it,” Dash said, stretching her hindlegs out and yawning. “Just stay out of my closets, jeez, you scared the rainbows out of my mane last time.”

“Oh I’ll surprise you,” Pinkie muttered, rubbing her forehooves together. “You can count on it.”

“Anyway,” Twilight said, clearing her throat, a sound that was almost lost amidst the rustle of paper as she rearranged her notes. “Could we go back to your story? I have some questions about the serpent and the bird you mentioned. I’d love more detail in general, actually, but I also think I misunderstood what you said about these heron. You said there were multiple heron cooperating in some fashion in this mountain city—”

Rarity held up a hoof to her muzzle to cover a yawn of her own, shaking her head slightly. “I don’t know if I’d call it cooperating. Or, well, I suppose you could, but I don’t see how that matters. What’s more—”

“—important is,” Pinkie said, picking up the sentence, “can we taste that chocolate you mentioned?” She eyed Rainbow Dash’s saddlebags hungrily.

“Seriously?” Applejack asked, chuckling low under her breath. “That’s what you got from all that? The chocolate balls?”

Fluttershy giggled. “They’re not really meant to be eaten as candy. They’re a cure of sorts, medicine. I think we’ll save those for a rainy day, but I’m sure you can taste just one a little later.”

“They’re like sugar pills,” Rainbow Dash added, grinning to herself. She glanced over at Twilight. “You know what those are, right?”

Twilight returned a flat look. “Yes, Rainbow Dash. I know what a sugar pill is.” She rubbed her eyes and shook her head, and Dash followed her gaze to a nearby window where the first rays of morning light hit the drawn curtains. “Perhaps we better pick this up sometime later, though. It’s getting… early.”

“I’m inclined to agree,” Rarity said, downing the last of her drink. All around them lay empty cups and bowls, the evidence of a full night passed in each other’s company. Rainbow Dash’s wings were stiff and achey from resting on or around her friends or hugging her girlfriend close. “Mind you, I thought you, of all ponies, would be used to late nights,” Rarity added.

“We didn’t exactly keep to our regular schedules in Demagarra,” Twilight replied. “As you can imagine, we had to make some compromises with the place. And some between ourselves.”

Applejack nodded at that and touched a shoulder to Twilight’s side, and Pinkie beamed at them both, but no one offered to say much more as a thin line of sunlight crept across the floor, sneaking in between a gap in the curtains. Twilight yawned again, and that yawn turned infectious, making its rounds in front of the fireplace. Rainbow Dash was tired, too, and she really wished she wasn't. They had shared the short versions of their stories with each other, but it didn’t feel like an end. Rather, it felt like a beginning.

Even after sharing daring escapes and silly misunderstandings, awesome wins and crummy failures, Rainbow Dash still didn’t know how to put words to the most amazing thing she brought home from Perytonia. She knew it was something about sticking together, about closeness, but she couldn’t explain it. It was the sort of thing that had to be shown, like a really cool and complicated stunt that needed an example to be communicated. From the way Twilight, Pinkie and Applejack looked to each other to tell their story, maybe they had the same experience.

Whatever the case, they had all the time in the world, and all in all, things were looking up—which was weird, because Rainbow Dash always thought she was doing pretty good. Then again, there was no such thing as a ceiling to the sky.

“Well, if we’re all heading home, let’s at least get some breakfast first. Market should be on soon,” Applejack said, slowly and reluctantly getting up. “Any of y’all lazybones want to come with me?”

Rainbow Dash awoke in her own bed. She didn’t remember exactly how she got there, but it wouldn’t be the first time her last memory was launching into the air with a vague need to get home, only to wake up the day after, tangled in her blankets. Before she even opened her eyes, she spread her wings as much as she could. No hurt. She hadn’t stubbed her wings on the window frames coming in, then. Instead, the motion whirled up some dust that made her cough.

“Right. Change bed sheets,” Dash muttered to herself. Being away for a long time made things dusty. That made sense.

Waking up felt weird though. Which also made sense. It had nothing to do with waking up in a soft and cozy bed. Fact was, the clouds hadn’t been fluffed since the middle of summer, and by her old standards this was a lumpy and hard mess not fit to sleep in. Now, after so many nights on the ground, she felt like she was about to fall through the bed. All in all, waking up brought with it a lot of strangeness, but one thing stood out.

Alone was weird.

Rainbow Dash staggered upright, clutching her head when a mild headache hit her. Why? No idea. Too much sugar? What was in that stuff the rest of the gang brought back from… Demi-wherever? She groaned and stretched, vaguely remembering falling asleep again at the library. She knew she had slept through a clumsy attempt at breakfast. Applejack had made pancakes before everypony left to make sure their homes still stood, but now that Dash was awake, she didn’t spare her bedroom a single glance before she was out the window, pushed out, pulled away.

It was mid-day already. A lot later than Rainbow Dash usually got up, even when she slept in on purpose. Had Pinkie Pie said something about a party at Sugarcube Corner tonight? She probably had. She would. Everypony seemed eager to be together as much as possible, and Dash was glad. Twice as glad because she knew it wasn’t just because they still had a lot of catching up to do.

Rainbow Dash soared past the central market, hearing a singular voice call out over the din: “Apples! Git’ yer apples here!” She let herself drop a little and waved at Applejack in passing. Applejack smiled back and waved, though Dash could see her eyes were red with a lack of sleep, and her mane was even more frazzled than yesterday.

Even if some things had changed, even if more would change, some things would probably stay the same, too. Rainbow Dash chuckled to herself.

The rest of Ponyville whisked by, building by building. No queue outside Sugarcube Corner. Too late in the day for that. Carousel Boutique seemed closed, but there was no sign explaining it. Rarity probably needed some time to get things in order. A moment later she spotted three familiar fillies walking the road beneath her. She aimed low enough that she ruffled their manes in passing.

“Rainbow Dash!” shouted Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo in choru, the three little fillies bouncing as she flew past.

“Hey kids!” Dash shouted, flipping onto her back. “I owe you a flying lesson or something, squirt! Don’t get too busy this weekend!”

Whatever else they said, Dash couldn’t hear, already on her way out of Ponyville, following the familiar path over the brook. Some of the apple trees on the other side of the fence no longer bore apples, and though there had been no Running of the Leaves here yet, the Whitetail in the distance looked late-fall-y. She’d have to check in and ask when the Running was, perhaps ask what the rain plans for the seasons were, but that could wait. Now she flew low and fast, and before she knew it, she landed on Fluttershy’s doorstep.

The cottage was as familiar to Rainbow Dash as her own house. The door, specifically, wasn’t. Windows were better. They used to be open. Doors were closed. She couldn’t tell why she chose the door, but she did, and then she knocked. Three rapid taps on the red-painted wood, a wait of exactly two seconds, and then she flew up to perch on top of the roof above the door. Another ten, maybe twelve seconds, and the top half of the door opened. Fluttershy’s head poked outside, tilted left, then right.

“Um… hello?”

“Hey, girlfriend,” said Dash.

Fluttershy didn’t seem startled at all. She stepped outside and looked up at Rainbow Dash, and in her wake followed a cluster of animals. Rainbow Dash couldn’t have identified all of them if she had all the time in the world. A pair of otters milling around her legs, a duck, a bunch of smaller birds, more small mammals, a fox—all of them clung to her like their lives depended on it, and every second, more animals trailed out from the cottage, squawking, quacking and peeping.

It had been one night since they went their separate ways, but when Fluttershy met her eyes, it felt to Dash like they hadn’t seen each other for months.

There she stood, the same old Fluttershy with her cottage and her animals, Fluttershy who had Dash’s back, with her feet solidly planted on the ground. At the same time, there stood Fluttershy with her painted coat and short mane, Fluttershy who had travelled the world with her, her wingmare and the pony who led the way by example even if she didn’t know it half the time, and didn’t believe it the rest of the time.

All Rainbow Dash could think was that she couldn’t get enough of either. She could stand here on this roof watching her until the sun set, every day—and then Fluttershy smiled. Rainbow Dash had to smile back, she had to laugh even though she didn’t know why. She had to come down.

Dash spread her wings and sailed down to land right in front of Fluttershy. She gingerly stepped up in between some protesting critters and leaned a little closer. Fluttershy did the same, the slightly taller mare leaning forwards until their foreheads touched. When they parted, Rainbow Dash took half a step back and grinned wider still.

“Hi,” said Fluttershy, finally.

“Hey,” said Rainbow Dash. “Wanna hang out? Can I come in?”

Fluttershy giggled and turned around, heading inside. The animals scrambled to follow. “Of course. You don’t have to ask, you know.”

“What you mean by that is that I don’t usually ask,” Dash said, laughing as well as she trotted after her. “You got some cocoa?”

Fluttershy didn’t even break her stride, already on her way to the kitchen. “Mm. You can help me make us some hot chocolate and some food.”

“I’m surprised they recognised you,” Fluttershy said, giggling. “I guess it’s because of your mane. There aren’t many ponies with a mane like yours. If not, I bet the girls wouldn’t have realised it was you flying past.”

“Applejack and Rarity’s back home, they know we’re back in town,” Dash said, shrugging. “Anyway, I told Scoots I’d hang out with her this weekend, and, uh, I actually have no idea when the weekend starts. What day is it? Oh, you’ve got—”

“Middle of the week, I think—oh, sorry,” said Fluttershy. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“Nah, I was just gonna say you’ve got something on your snout,” Dash said, pointing a hoof. “Bit of marshmallow.”

“Oh,” said Fluttershy, going cross-eyed as she tried to look at her own muzzle. Rainbow Dash leaned across the table and darted in, giving her girlfriend’s snout a quick lick.

Even as she laughed, Fluttershy’s cheeks flushed, barely visible through the green paint. “I didn’t actually put marshmallows in my chocolate. There wasn’t really anything there, was there?”

“Nah, just felt like it,” said Dash, smirking. She grabbed her own mug of hot chocolate and took a long sip, looking past her girlfriend to the clouds hanging over the Everfree. It was pleasantly cold, a light gust tugging at the tablecloth. Having... lunch? Breakfast? Having food at Fluttershy’s garden table was a great idea. Almost as great an idea as sticking with the whole journey to Perytonia.

“What are you thinking about?”

Fluttershy smiled at her from across the table, her oats half-eaten and currently being dug into by a small pack of birds. One of her hooves rested gently but insistently on the head of a fox who stared at the very same birds.

“About how all the best tricks need a few crashes before you ace them,” Dash replied, thinking as she spoke. “But like… as a metaphor. So about you, I guess? About us? Hey, do you wanna sleep together?”

Fluttershy lowered her eyes a touch. “Mm, I’d really like to. Waking up this morning alone was a little strange, but I can’t really leave the cottage and stay at your house all the time. I have all the animals and everything.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t like beds that aren’t on clouds,” Dash replied, and Fluttershy’s ears drooped for half a second before she caught on to Dash’s tone and looked up to see her smiling. “Usually. I’ll manage. We could go half and half or something?”

“I think ‘or something’ sounds good,” Fluttershy replied, smiling back at her. “We can decide as we go. I’ll need to stay here for a few days, at least, because someone’s been naughty and gotten into the pantry while I was gone,” she added, frowning at the fox at her side. “Besides, the birds are quarrelling with the mice, and now that the animals are all back to living inside the cottage, I need to be there to make sure they don’t fight, so…”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Alright. I’ll grab a pillow and come over tonight. Deal?”

Fluttershy nodded and smiled brightly once more. “I think that sounds wonderful. Don’t forget about the party at Sugarcube Corner tonight, though. We can head home together, but you need to help remind me, Applejack wanted to talk about the rest of the applebucking season. Oh, and Rarity said something about… um, I forget, actually, but I know she said something.”

“Heh, there’s gonna be a lot of something going on, isn’t there?” Dash mused. She downed the last of her hot chocolate. A particularly strong gust of wind blew through the garden, the tablecloth flapping wildly.

Fluttershy didn’t ask what Dash meant. She just nodded as though she understood in its entirety, and where Dash might have once taken that for granted, now she paused for a second to enjoy that knowledge. The two pegasi stared at each other, smiling and saying nothing until another stray thought tumbled into Dash’s head.

“That’s tonight, though.”

“Mhm.”

“I thinking of sneaking in some trick flying before then. I’m thinking of it now, anyway,” Dash corrected herself. “I don’t know if I can even do regular stunts any more. We’ve been flying distance or pulling chariots all the time. Wanna come with me and see if I’ve still got it?”

“Oh. I have to finish cleaning the pantry, and I need to place an order for birdseed,” Fluttershy said, her ears splayed. She sighed. “I would love to come watch you, but I need to take care of this first, I really do.”

Rainbow Dash smirked. “Watch? Sure, or you can come fly with me, you know, but hey, that’s your call. How about I help you out, and then we both go flying?”

Fluttershy giggled and nodded. “Okay, I think that sounds lovely, and I’d really appreciate the help once we’re done with lunch. It won’t take long, I promise.”

“Cool.”

The sat together for a few minutes more, Fluttershy keeping the animals that bounced around them in check without putting any effort into it, a wing scooping up a few birds here, a hoof nudging apart two quarrelling hedgehogs there while she finished her drink. The area around the cottage was as alive as it had ever been, and Rainbow Dash had seen more ponies on the way here than she had seen for months before today, yet—

“It’s a little strange without Rarity,” said Fluttershy, completing Dash’s thoughts. Her eyes were on Ponyville. Earlier that summer, Dash would have said that Ponyville was a fair distance away from Fluttershy’s cottage, and now it felt so close Dash imagined she could cross the distance in one single beat of her wings.

“Yeah,” said Dash. Her wings itched pleasantly as though they were electric.

“Do you want to go see if she wants to help, too?” Fluttershy asked, perking up. “Maybe she needs help at the Boutique.”

“And after we’re done at the cottage, she can come watch us fly. Or fly with us if she likes. She can do the body magic spell even if she just wants to watch,” Dash added, already standing up. “Let’s go!”

Rainbow Dash did not know what she dreamt. There was no monster, no fight, no nightmare. Perhaps, she thought, she had only just begun to dream when she became aware of the dreaming. If she had just fallen asleep, then that explained why everything before, everything outside the dream felt so close.

She remembered the heat of Fluttershy’s body on one side, a fireplace near the other. She remembered feeling warm and pleasant, fading out while draped in Fluttershy’s feathers with a wing-bone scratching her neck. She remembered Fluttershy apologising to Twilight for ruining the book she had borrowed, and Twilight telling her she had anticipated that, ordering a new copy before they left.

Twilight picking Rarity’s brains about the new forms of magic she had learned. Pinkie Pie losing horrendously at Vossos’ Vaunted Protocols against Applejack because she got too excited at the idea of all the peryton coming to visit. Applejack commiserating with Fluttershy who only now realised that she didn’t get to say goodbye to her little bird friend, Scarlett.

Dash remembered that she had meant to bring up the idea of a jousting tournament, to teach the others what Ephydoeran jousting was like, but the intent didn’t make it to her mouth before she dozed off. Tomorrow, then.

The day had been a blur, and now, at the end of the day, all Dash could think was that in the same way she had gotten closer not just with Fluttershy, but with Rarity, too, she had no reason to believe it would stop there. She had only spent two days reunited with the rest of her friends, and she felt their presence in her mind as keenly in sleep as she did when awake.

And now that she thought of presences—

“Should I be worried?” asked Princess Luna. “Usually when I find you, you are a blur of action. This dream has not yet been given shape.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head and looked up to find Luna standing in front of her. The rest of the world was grey. Not an utterdark void, but indistinct, shifting and morphing behind the princess, and even Luna herself didn’t seem quite as rigid as usual, standing at ease.

“Nah, I was just thinking.” She smiled at the princess. “What’s up?”

Luna smiled and looked around at the formless grey with apparent interest while she spoke. “I’ve come to ask what plans you have for Hearth’s Warming Eve this year.”

“You mean all of us,” Dash said more than she asked, continuing when Luna nodded. “I don’t know. We just got back, and it’s a long time until Hearth’s Warming. We usually have a get-together in the library before we visit our families. Breakfast at the Corner. That sort of stuff. Why?”

“Then you may ask all of our friends if they mind if I come visit for that ‘get-together’,” said Luna, her wings shifting on her back. “Sister also expressed that she would like to join, to see you informally. I get the sense that she may already have asked, however.” She frowned, just a touch.

“She has?” Dash asked, scrunching her snout. “Don’t get me wrong, that’s super cool—everyone’s gonna love it if you come visit—but Princess Celestia hasn’t asked me. How would she?”

“I do not know. Perhaps not you, specifically. Call it a sister’s intuition, but never mind that.” Luna shook her head from side to side with a bemused smile. “We wish to see you all in Canterlot sooner rather than later to hear of your travels in detail, and we may arrange the details then. Royal spare time is scarce enough that I did not wish to start planning this without knowing you were free, that is all.” She shrugged. “Perhaps this is needless. A letter might have done the same as this visit. After all, with you safely back, we no longer have need for these meetings in the dreamlands.”

Dash tilted her head. “You said you’d come visit, though. And hey, you owe me a cool fight with some monsters! Besides, this is way cooler than some musty old letters,” she added, sticking out her tongue.

Luna laughed, a soft and melodious chuckle. “I did say that, and I will make good on all those promises. Unfortunately, I am busy tonight. I suppose part of me wished to thank you again for your help, and to confirm that you were well, even though I know it is true.”

“Hay yeah we’re ‘well’,” said Dash, flashing a grin. “I still don’t get what you’re thanking us for. I guess we completed the mission you gave us, but I’m the one who should be thanking you. This has been the best trip ever.”

Luna’s shook her head. She smiled wryly, letting out her breath, and walked slowly off to the side, charting a path into the unshaped dream. “I think you misunderstand. While sister and I are grateful to you all, I meant that I thank you, Rainbow Dash. It was… soothing to walk some old memories and events with someone else, something that perhaps you can relate to.” Her dark eyes gleamed with those last words, and she turned, dipping her head slightly.

“Don’t let my thoughts distract you. I am making a note, perhaps mostly for myself, but this has been your task, and thus is your success. This has been the journey of you and your friends. Your story.”

Rainbow Dash scratched her snout. “Eh. Sure, but since you’re talking about peryton and stories, their stories kinda don’t belong to anyone. Or… they belong to everyone? It’s the same thing.” She shook her head. The entire discussion had started running away from her ever since they stopped talking about Hearth’s Warming, if she had to be honest. “I don’t know if that’s what you meant.”

Princess Luna blinked, frozen for an instant, then broke into a smile. “I had not meant to venture into philosophy, I only meant to say that the day belongs to you. However, if you wish to think of it like the stories the peryton tell today, and from what you have told me… then perhaps the prevailing wisdom is that the story belongs not just to those who live it, but also to its teller and its listener.”

“Sure,” said Dash, laughing. “I have no idea. I don’t tell stories, I just, y’know, do stuff. I’m gonna teach the rest of the gang how to joust tomorrow.”

Author's Note

That’s a wrap, dear reader. Do you want to read a really long author’s notes? Well, I’m no cop, but if you’re on the fence, please consider at least scrolling to the bottom for the acknowledgements section. It would mean a lot to me.

But yes, we’re done for now. I don’t know how many people read this story, but you, dear reader, are likely just one person. The first thing I want to say is: I wonder how you read this story.

There is always a gap between any two individuals’ understanding of the same thing. Sometimes it’s a small stream or a river, sometimes it’s a vast gulf that separates interpretations. Me being the author makes it extra impossible to predict how anyone receives it, be it an individual or the great and fickle kinda-consensus of the internet. Besides that, each and every reader is unique. Every one of you hoof-ful of heroes who chewed through this brick.

Among other things, To Perytonia was written to be about stories. About what a story is, or can be, and how the progress from event to past—to memory, or to story—is not obvious. In that sense, it’s metafiction. Metafiction doesn’t have to engage with fic popularity trends or break the fourth wall with silly callouts. I believe that a story can talk about stories without ceasing to be a story itself.

Was that the primary “goal” of this story? I have many ways to say “no”. No, because I would never tell anyone what the “point” of a story is. No, because I didn’t write one idea for half a million words. No, because the contents of this story are too broad and matter too much to me to cheapen it by summarising, a courtesy I extend to anything I read or write, long or short.

It just makes for a nice opening to this author’s note, that’s all. You know, talking about stories. I’ve always loved fables and the mythical, and anyone who knows me well might guess that the peryton way of thinking is not a random construct. Their way of thinking includes ideas that are important to me.

Speaking of which, I predict a fair amount of people will have been frustrated with the ponies. Or perhaps frustrated with the Peryton. Perhaps even both. Again, I don’t wish to talk too much about the “intent” of the story. I’m not here to make excuses, nor am I really interested in critique. You decide on that for yourself.

I will say, however, that in meeting with each other, neither the peryton nor the ponies have the knowledge of cultural relativism that the average human reader will possess. Even as I decided on the story’s general design over a year ago, I must have understood on some level that certain readers would not enjoy the persistence of these foibles and failures, but I wrote it exactly how I meant to write it—just like how I am a deliberate, iterative writer who delights in foreshadowing and reinforcing points and themes.

That’s enough of me talking about what I say I don’t want to talk about! This story, though. This story.

I should tell you now that I’ve written four separate attempts at an Author’s Note, together totalling many a page. This section, where I talk about how the story came about, was mostly removed because venting does not make for good reading.

You see, I go through phases of writing. Often I try to say that I write “for” me. In fact, I return to this idea every time I finish a story, asserting that writing is something I do for myself. Sometimes that’s an ideal, sometimes that’s truth. Most—myself included—assume this stands in opposition to writing for you, the reader. The natural assumption is that those are the only options.

I have come to believe otherwise. I think now that I write for the sake of the story that is told, and all its inhabitants who come alive through the telling. This is not the same as writing because the story needs to be told. It is not just a pathological need to write, to talk, to “get it out”. I do it for the sake of the story as a separate entity.

In this sense, I have done the story a disservice by trying to explain even one small part of it, however briefly. I’ve already acknowledged that you will experience this story differently from me, and the entire story, as I read it, is also in part about that. Consider these Author's Note paragraphs the one and only concession to the tattered ego of an author who would really rather not be remembered. I’d rather you think of the story. These are the notes wherein I exist, and once they are done, I will cease to be. If you ever reread this story, skip these notes.

Two more things before I go though. First: Acknowledgements!

Kits, Adrian and Still Waters, three titans, and treasured friends of mine.

The words don’t exist that adequately describe how thankful I am. How grateful I am. How lucky I am to have you as friends. You know better than anyone what a mess my head is, and how stupid I can be when I write. I don’t mean in terms of my stories, but in how I relate to their writing. You keep up with me, you survive my idiocy, wait out my moods, and deliver useful critique as well as much-needed encouragement.

You also know the measure of my stubbornness, and that’s why I don’t want to lie and say “this story wouldn’t be possible without—”.

Sure it would. I would have written this story without you, but I doubt I would desire to ever write another. I would’ve written this story if I were locked in a room alone and had to scratch it into the walls—but it would be far lesser.

Each of you bring a different perspective to what you read, and your combined powers are tremendous. You push me on, only as much as I want to be pushed, and you are crucial to my enjoyment of this both for your feedback and for your friendships.

Carabas, Shutterflyyay and Themaskedferret:

Carabas holds the current record for speed reading the story. Thank you for your thoughts on the chapters as you went along. You were a great help! It was immensely comforting to be able to run some very big questions through someone who came into this fresh. Bless your soul for your efforts.

Shutterfly was the spelling/syntax/that-sort-of-stuff sniffer, and chopped embarrassing mistakes in half before publishing. I like to think that perhaps we both learned a little, but I won’t pretend this was an equal trade. Many a derp was given the boot. Thank you ever so much for your efforts!

Ferret did something in between what these two did, but had to drop out part way through. I don’t know whether this was because you got busy or if the story was no longer to your taste, but for as long as you read, your input was appreciated, and your comments provided a sorely needed morale boost. Thank you!

Finally, while I recognise this may be monstrously presumptuous, I mention this because this has been a problem in the past: if anyone does fanart, fan music, fan anything, please tell me! For goodness sake, it is endlessly frustrating to stumble over someone making something awesome but not telling me. I want to give you proper dues, links, and thanks! Looking at you, Thyrai.

Okay. We’re donesies for realsies. In an ideal world, there will be a post-fic blog post sometime in the near future. I have maps, I have dramatis personae and glossaries. I have art I’ve done and art that others have done. I have further thoughts on the fic’s creation for those curious, as well as potential future plans, but we’ll see where that all lands.

Here’s the truth, and I’m addressing you, reader. You’re already reading a type of story that isn’t as popular as some, and of those, you are the extreme minority. You’ve read through an Author’s Notes that is longer than some fics, so let me drop a tiny bit of frankness: I usually close out my fics with “thanks for reading, I read and reply to all comments and mails received at [my mail address]”.

It’s not that I’m not glad if you found this story worth reading ‘till the end. It’s not that I don’t like this story, either. Fact is, I think it is my best one yet by a country league, and it will be in my head until the day I pass from this world. All the same, this time, I think I’ll settle for “thanks for reading”. I can't be counted on to reply, at least not for a while, and if you review this story, you do so for the benefit of others. I mean no offence, but unless you are a close friend, do not feel like you have to tell me.

Prologue

“Now, because the original journal is kept in Canterlot, I’ve written you each a copy of the most important points of Red Sun Runner’s report. If you don’t remember, or if you didn’t pay attention,” said Twilight, looking straight at Rainbow Dash for a moment, “she’s the explorer who met with the Perytonians.”

The unicorn hovered three identical sheafs of paper in front of her, and Dash noted that they were mercifully small. They couldn’t be more than a couple of pages each.

“To conserve space, I kept my writing as neat as possible, and I wrote on both sides,” Twilight added, beaming while Dash’s ears wilted. “It covers all she wrote about her royal task of meeting with one of the peryton, and how they together set up this meeting for us.”

“I don’t wish to discredit your work, or the importance of our task, but I still wish we could all go,” Rarity said. “Though, of course, I appreciate getting to bring my creations to a new audience,” she added with a small smile.

“We’re still in this together,” Twilight replied, though she didn’t sound perfectly content either. She put one copy of her notes in front of Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity each. “The rest of us are doing the same thing as you three, even if we’re not going in the same direction.”

“Or at the exact same time!” Pinkie Pie piped. “Or to visit the same people! So, almost the same, if almost means ‘not at all, but kind of’?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged and looked past her friends. “We’ll be fine,” she said. Words in response to doubt, like wings would spread in the wind. Through the large windows of their shared hotel room, she could see Las Pegasus come alive in defiance of the setting sun. Bright, magically illuminated signs with infinite cheerful colours all vying for attention.

“Of course we will,” Pinkie said. She lay on her back at the foot of the bed, idly playing with Fluttershy’s mane. “But you know what’s better than being fine with friends? Being fine with more friends, that’s what!”

“I really think it would be a lot better if we could all go together too,” said Fluttershy, nodding her head and smiling as Pinkie Pie tied a huge, loose bow-tie with her mane, “especially when it’s so far.”

“I don’t disagree, but the Princesses wouldn’t ask us to split up and act as ambassadors if it wasn’t important,” Twilight retorted. Her eyes grew wide with wonder as she went on, “but as excited as I am about our own journey, I wish I could join you three in Perytonia too. It sounds like such a fascinating place!” She clopped her hooves together, her smile fading a touch. “Well, from what little we know of it, anyway. I’ve never even seen one of their kind, and I don’t think many others have, either—do you know how long it’s been since the last time a Perytonian delegation visited Equestria? Over a millennium! It predates our current calendar!”

Dash yawned, and unlike Applejack, she didn’t try to conceal it. She could hear Twilight’s brain spooling up for another lecture on some fascinating fact about their destination. She quickly stood up, bounced off the bed and flicked the mane out of her face.

“Hey, so, since we’re leaving town early tomorrow, I’m going to head out for a bit and have some fun. Who’s with me?”

Twilight frowned, forestalled. “Now? Shouldn’t you prepare? You three are the ones leaving early tomorrow. The rest of us don’t leave for another few days.”

“We’ve been ready forever,” Dash said. “You’ve had time to read books on Perytonia, and make us notes even though you’re not even going there. I’ve had plenty of time to pack.” Twilight didn’t need to know that most of her packing had been a two-minute rush job yesterday morning.

“While you both have excellent points, and we are very grateful for Twilight’s help—” Rarity said, shooting a sharp look at Rainbow Dash, as though she knew the pegasus toyed with the idea of ‘forgetting’ the report when they left tomorrow, “—I think I am going to go over my fabrics one last time, just in case I’ve forgotten anything, so I won’t be leaving the hotel.”

Applejack shook her head as well. She cast a look out the window and it was obvious she didn’t see the same things Dash had seen. “And I think I’ve about had my fill of Las Pegasus for the moment. Sorry R.D., but I’m sitting this one out.”

“No one wants to come along?” Dash asked, her eyes flitting from friend to friend. “Seriously?”

“Sorry! I promised Twilight I’d help make paper cranes out of some of her books,” Pinkie said.

“I asked you to help me with my packing logistics,” Twilight said in a voice that suggested disagreement.

“Yep!” Pinkie chimed in a tone that suggested the opposite, glancing around at the room that, thanks to Twilight’s presence, answered to ‘library’ as well as ‘hotel bedroom’.

“Oh, come on,” Dash said, puffing out her cheeks. As much fun as Las Pegasus was—and as boring as it was listening to Twilight read out loud from her history books—she had no desire to go by herself. She turned to Fluttershy on reflex. The quiet pegasus seemed content under Pinkie’s ministrations, but she looked back up at Rainbow Dash. She hadn’t said anything, but the fact that she met Dash’s eyes told her everything she needed to know. She wouldn’t have to leave the hotel alone.

“Fluttershy, let’s go!” said Dash, smiling at her. “You and me!”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Fluttershy said, ducking under her own mane. “There are ever so many ponies out there now. I just don’t think—”

“Sure you do,” Dash said, trotting over to the bed and prodding her upright with a snout to her flank. “Come on, it’ll be fun!”

“But—” Fluttershy tried as Dash marched her towards the door. She glanced back at all their other friends.

“See ya later!” said Dash, giving Fluttershy one final push through the door and stepping out into the hotel hallway herself. “If any of you want to join us, we’ll be down Proudmane Lane!”

“I, um, I guess we will. Bye, girls?” Fluttershy said, finally walking without Rainbow Dash’s insistence. Pinkie Pie waved enthusiastically, and the rest of them said their goodbyes. Twilight disappeared behind a book, and Pinkie Pie set to work on Applejack’s mane instead.

“Proudmane Lane? The lovers’ walk?” Rainbow Dash heard Rarity say, their friends’ voices fading as they set off towards the stair room at the end of the hall. Fluttershy gave her a questioning look, one brow arched.

“I saw someone setting up a bucking competition in a small market square just off Proudmane when we were heading to the hotel this morning,” Dash explained, hopping from each landing to glide to the next before waiting for her friend. She couldn’t keep the excitement out of her voice. “I’ve seen those before, it’s all about kicking the hardest you can. It’s gonna be awesome! Hey, d’you want to grab something to eat too?”

“Sure,” Fluttershy said, smiling back at her. “I know the Princesses are paying for the hotel and everything, but I feel a little bad for using the room service.”

“If they’re going to send us to the other side of the world, I’ll take the room service,” Dash replied, grinning, “but right now, I just really want hayfries. I guess that’s why you wanted to come along too?”

“I didn’t really—” Fluttershy began, pausing to wave at the porter as they passed through the luxurious hotel lobby, and interrupted again when the door closed on the tip of her tail. Dash gave the door a push. “I mean, hayfries would be nice,” Fluttershy finally said, yanking her tail away with a thank-you to Dash.

Rainbow Dash had already decided she would win. The two pegasi trotted down the bright avenue, and though her eyes stung from all the gaudy signs that tried to sell them on luxurious dinners, jewellery, trinkets, and whatever “magical experiences” were, her attention was glued to the bucking post poking up over the crowd of ponies.

The gathering around the wooden pole was probably small by Las Pegasus standards, but soon, they would all be cheering for her. Dash grinned with giddy anticipation, stretching her wings out.

“Eep, excuse me,” Fluttershy said when one of Dash’s wingtips got in her face. She nearly lost the hayfries she carried in the nook of a wing.

“Sorry,” Dash said, bursting out laughing. She kicked off, launching into a quick vertical loop, barely leaving the ground. “This is gonna be awesome!”

“Oh, I’m sure it will,” Fluttershy said, smiling back at her while shielding their snacks with her other wing.

Dash beckoned Fluttershy to follow, leading the way through the crowd as it changed from the fast flow of the streets to the syrup around the square ahead. A few excuse-mes and nudges later, the two pegasi stood at the front, given free view to the small plaza’s main attraction.

Attached to a padded pole on a metal base stood a mechanical contraption of some sort, half dials, half shiny steel. Inside the ring of spectators moved a unicorn mare and an earth pony stallion who were both dressed up in bright colours, hats and ties. Signs advertising some nearby casino or other were all over the place.

“Is anyone else thinking we’ll never see anyone beat the record set earlier today?” the mare asked, trotting along the edge of the crowd. Her horn glowed, no doubt with some spell to strengthen her voice.

“None here brave enough to risk complete humiliation for the chance at no prize at all?” the stallion yelled from over by the pole to a smattering of laughter. A moment later, a mare stumbled into the ring, pushed out of the crowd by her friends, but she hid amongst the others again before the prowling unicorn saw her.

“I can take a running start, right?”

A few heads turned at Dash’s question, and when the unicorn mare beckoned her forth, she had everyone’s attention. Dash grinned at Fluttershy and received a tentative smile in return.

“Of course, colourful little madam!” the unicorn said with a genial smile, stepping up to Dash with a torrent of words, “though in the spirit of fairness, and in trying to keep things safe, keep your legs on the ground, will you? One try per person! Now give it your best shot, don’t be shy, and when you don’t measure up, don’t mind the laughter!”

“Sure,” Rainbow Dash said, her voice lost in the giggles and chatter of the crowd. She couldn’t keep the smug smirk from her face. She was going to be the one laughing. She only had about ten strides of runway to work with, but that was enough.

All around her, the crowd murmured in anticipation. By and large, they were city ponies, and even though a few of the mares and stallions were well built, she didn’t see any Apple family ponies in the crowd.

“The record is twenty-four points on the buck-o-meter, girl,” the stallion said, pointing to the mechanical device at the base of the pole. “Think you can—?”

Dash didn’t think. She did. She went from a low crouch to a gallop before he finished his sentence, flapping her wings twice to add to her speed. Dash nearly overshot, flipping and turning on the spot to bring her hindlegs to bear at the pole. The pegasus didn’t have Applejack’s technique or strength, but she had speed on her side. A lot of it. Her hooves impacted against the padding with a solid thwack.

Rainbow Dash narrowly avoided falling, overbalanced, but she recovered in time to rear up for style points, keeping her back to the pole as it wobbled. Cool mares didn’t need to look at the results. At the edge of her vision she saw the stallion reach out to steady the target and peer at the little device as the crowd grew quiet.

“Twenty-six point eight! That’s a new record!” the stallion roared, and the ponies all around cheered, stomping their hooves in delight. “What is your name, miss?” he yelled over the noise.

“Name’s Rainbow Dash!” she said, puffing out her chest, but any hopes that the crowd would take her name up as a chant barely had time to form. Already the cheers faded, and the drum of hooves petered out. The stallion scrawled her name and score on a piece of paper and put it on a board Dash hadn’t noticed before. The unicorn trotted along the edge of the crowd once more, egging ponies on, daring them to take on Rainbow Dash’s new score. Any of you think you’ve got what it takes to beat this filly? No? Maybe you’ll have better luck at the Lucky Lasso Casino!

Dash made her way back towards Fluttershy, letting the disappointment slide right off her. Winning never got old, but it was no Equestria’s Best Young Fliers, nor had she saved the world. It had been a nice thrill, and little more. It felt good to see Fluttershy’s face when she found her friend again, though.

As nice as the cheer of the masses was, Fluttershy’s small but sincere smile was just as important, if not more. It was hard to tell if Fluttershy was happy for her win, or if she was glad Rainbow Dash was back to save her from being squished by the surrounding ponies. Probably both, and that was fine. Dash was glad she hadn’t come alone regardless.

“That was very impressive, I’m really happy for you,” Fluttershy said, her wings half spread—as much as the ponies around her allowed for it. Dash nudged one of her neighbours aside to make room for herself, grabbing a few hayfries from Fluttershy when proffered. “I almost thought you’d miss the pole,” Fluttershy added.

“Pff, as if,” Dash said. Sure, she could have missed, but she didn’t. She grabbed another mouthful of fries and watched as a large unicorn stallion ran up to the pole. He kicked out as hard as he could, but he barely hit it, misjudging the distance. Dash couldn’t hold back a snicker once she was sure the stallion hadn’t hurt himself. “I don’t think anyone’s gonna beat that record today,” she said.

“I’m sure you’re right,” said Fluttershy. “Applejack would’ve loved to try this too,” she mused, nibbling at the fries.

Rainbow Dash frowned. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Applejack would probably beat her. That was part of why she hadn’t tried to get a rise out of her and get Applejack to come along. Butting heads with her was always fun, but she had to concede hind leg strength almost in the same way Applejack had to default on flying.

Another pegasus mare ran up and kicked the pole. A decent kick, but nothing to write home about. Applejack could likely kick the pole apart, really. She imagined the powerful earth pony mare running up to the thing, the horrified looks on the attendants’ faces. The image was good for a giggle or two. Fluttershy gave her a questioning look, but before she could explain herself, Dash imagined Fluttershy giving it a go instead.

She expected to laugh twice as hard at the notion. Fluttershy would run up and kick at it to no effect at all, but it just didn’t strike her as funny. Nor did the idea of the crowd chanting Fluttershy’s name if she did well. It was all some shade of crazy, maybe, but it didn’t make her laugh. She wanted to see it.

“Hey, you should give it a go!” Dash said. Sure, she wouldn’t beat Dash’s score, but maybe the crowd would appreciate her trying, at least. Her wing joints itched. They’d better. She would be peeved if they didn’t.

Fluttershy’s wings snapped to her side, and the hayfries spilled everywhere. She looked around frantically. “Me?” she asked, looking around as though she hadn’t noticed the crowd before now.

“Yeah!” Dash said, tapping Fluttershy on the rump with one of her wings, trying to prompt her forwards.

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” said Fluttershy, unmoving.

“Come on, what’s the worst that could happen? Just give it a try!” Dash pushed lightly against her with her wing again.

“I’d really rather not, no,” Fluttershy said, taking a half-step back against Dash’s wing. She wore no expression at all, her eyes on the centre of the plaza.

Dash furled her wing in a second and without a word. That oddly pervasive image of Fluttershy trying her hoof at this silly competition nearly made Dash push harder, nearly had Rainbow Dash plant her head to Fluttershy’s flank and scoot her into the plaza—but she didn’t.

Though she didn’t protest further, Fluttershy’s jaw was set. There was no discussion to be had, and it took Rainbow Dash exactly zero time at all to drop her budding frown and shrug. She brushed at Fluttershy’s mane to shake loose some errant fries instead. “Alright, that’s cool,” said Dash. “Let’s go get some more fries. I don’t wanna head back just yet.”

“Okay,” Fluttershy said, her wings given a little more slack. “I guess we could do that.” Her chest heaved with a deep breath.

Rainbow Dash grinned and led the way through the throng, making a walkable path for Fluttershy too, and the other pegasus kept close. “We should go see if there are any other contests that need a touch of awesome too!”

“I don’t know,” Fluttershy said. “It’s getting a little late, and we’re leaving early tomorrow.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t even have time to insist. She looked back at Fluttershy with her most winning smile. The yellow mare shook out her wings one by one once they were through the crowd, letting out a little sigh of relief.

“But okay. I guess we could do that, too. It is our last day in Equestria for a while.” She smiled.

Dash whooped, hooking Fluttershy’s neck with the nook of one of her wings to up their speed a little. “Come on, I think I saw some games just down the street!”

Chapter 9

These peryton clearly do not mind sleeping in the cold, and if there is any form of heating in the Autumn Hymn, it does not extend to our room. I do not want to be uncharitable, however. I simply need to make a brief note for myself: I will need to pick up more white thread before we leave tomorrow, as I have just used the last of it.

Who knows if tonight’s efforts will be recognised? It is always better when one’s work is appreciated, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that two unmitigated fashion disasters in two separate cities has rattled me.

Now to see if I can get abed. Rainbow Dash’s sleeping acrobatics are quite something else, and Fluttershy’s response is apparently to lie so close Rainbow Dash can’t kick her. They meant to leave a spot for me, but I think I may have to wake Fluttershy and ask her to make room.

-R

“You did not get to see the ring-markets,” said Mirossa. “You would have enjoyed it. They trade for the most curious and expensive things.”

“We’re sorry,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her. “I’m sure it’s very nice, but we really do have to leave today if we don’t want to get caught outside in this storm.”

“This really weird storm that’s supposed to happen at some point in a week,” Dash added. “What gives? Anyway, sorry kiddo.”

Mirossa shrugged and sped up, walking a short distance ahead of the ponies. “The loss is yours, not mine. Stagrum has many more secrets, and it is impossible to see all it has to offer in two suns.”

“Even what we were able to see was all very impressive,” said Rarity. “You have every reason to be proud, dear. It was a lovely little island of culture.”

Clusters of houses passed them by to the left and right as they walked the road that led west out of Stagrum, and never mind that Stagrum itself technically stood upon many small islands: Dash already knew that before the end of the day, all traces of Stagrum would be gone from sight.

Sure, there were long, empty stretches of road between all of Equestria’s cities too, but when you left Ponyville for any other city, you didn’t feel like you left it all behind, like an island passing into the distance. They hadn’t seen anything reminding them of Orto since they left its valley, either. Stagrum absolutely was an island itself.

Rainbow Dash flicked her ears. Rarity had a way with words. Sometimes she found the exact right word to describe a thing. Other times, she could say something, and three days later you would hear something unrelated and suddenly be made to think about how you were some kind of bossy jerk making your friends do things they didn’t really want to do.

Mirossa unfurled her wings and left them half spread, walking backwards in front of the three ponies. “You say it, but you do not know it. You have not seen the trade fleet coming home for the last time in late fall, sails decked with Ilyra’s colours, or the lights that run from roof to roof at Wintersdepth to ward off the gloom—you even missed the Wandering.”

“Maybe we’ll come visit again,” said Dash with a shrug and a grin. She glanced back at the cart she pulled, wherein lay all their packed food. Naressa said she’d added extra sauce to the sour grass-balls. That was more than good enough reason to come back.

“You must,” said Mirossa, nodding. “I love my city and all within it, but I have already seen it myself. I would want more to come visit.”

Rainbow Dash frowned. All the while, despite her words, Mirossa hadn’t sounded half as excited as her words made her sound, and Dash liked to think she’d met enough peryton to tell by now. Only at the prospect of the ponies visiting again did the doe perk up at all. Mirossa turned to walk at their side, and for a while, there was only the steady roll of wooden cartwheels on packed dirt.

“Maybe you’ll come visit us instead,” Dash said, casting her a sidelong glance. The doe had already made clear what she really wanted. To travel.

“I may,” said Mirossa, her eyes lighting up, her wings spreading a little more. “May I? Do you really think I could visit your city? It must be very far, but would it be possible?”

“Why wouldn’t it?” asked Fluttershy, smiling bright. “It would be wonderful to have you visit Ponyville sometime. You could sleep on my couch if you don’t mind Angel.”

Mirossa nodded, glowing now. “I think I would like this. Meeting you has been strange. I did not know what to think, but now I do. Most other travellers do not care to say much more than hello, but if I were to travel, if there was a way, I would be different from them.” She hopped along the road more than she walked. “I would want to greet people and learn more about them, too! I have not asked you many questions about your city, but I would like to see it. Seeing is better than speaking.”

“If Equestria and Perytonia establish friendly relations, maybe there’ll be passenger boats,” said Rarity, smiling at the exuberant peryton. “Granted, that may take a while, but I’m sure there are other ways. Us being here is proof of that.”

Mirossa slowed down a little, looking around. Her energy evaporated in an instant. “You are, and yes, some day, but… not soon, and it is not certain,” she said, slumping. “I wish you could have stayed longer and shared more stories. These are idle dreams, I think. I have no way to go beyond our demesne. I should turn around and go back now.”

Rainbow Dash slowed down as well, bringing the cart and the group to a complete stop. The buildings around them had become increasingly sparse along the riverlets.

What had been obvious on their approach was even more apparent now: Stagrum’s river delta was no valley. Whatever lay further north, Dash couldn’t tell from ground level, but up ahead, the road crossed over the last of the river branches near where they all met until it joined the southern side of the full width of the river Meronna, heading west inland over flat and forested terrain.

“We can still see the city,” said Dash with a smirk. It was obvious to her that the peryton wanted to go on. “Come on, where’s your sense of adventure? There’s a forest’s right up ahead.”

“I’ve been to the forest’s edge before,” Mirossa said with indignant snort. “I dragged Rohast by his tail all the way.” Even so, the young peryton made herself as tall as she could, her head raised as though she could see beyond the forest when she stood on the tips of her hooves. “To the forest, just not beyond it, never south of the crest or north of the mines.”

“Why not?” Dash asked, grinning still. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

Mirossa huffed. “I do not know how to stay safe or to travel alone. Even you travel together as three.”

“Rainbow Dash, please stop trying to filly-nap our new friends,” Rarity said, though she smiled even as she rolled her eyes.

“Yeah yeah,” said Dash, but she couldn’t quite laugh. “It’s the whole Bent Feathers thing again, isn’t it? It comes back to that. They could help you, teach you or take you along or whatever.”

Mirossa nodded her assent. “And it would make mama feel better. If I am rash enough to fill an ohron with kelp and run into the forest, she will worry. If I join the Bent Feathers, I am not alone. I suppose she may still wish I had joined a House—but, these are words we have already said.” Mirossa smiled with the corners of her mouth only. “We should say our goodbyes if you are in a hurry.”

“I really hope that they change their minds and let you join them some other time,” said Fluttershy, dipping her head and smiling back at Mirossa. “Maybe you can find a House or something else to do that makes you happy until then.”

“It is not time,” said Mirossa, giving Fluttershy an odd look. “Time does not open any door.”

“Then what do they want?” asked Dash, scowling. “You said something about that yesterday, didn’t you? Showing what, ‘desire and ability’?”

Mirossa shrugged. “If you wish to join a House, you must show your sincerity. Part of this, you show in the caps and jewels in your antlers, part you show with a suitable gift. The Bent Feathers are no House, they do not ask for tribute, but still they wish for me to prove that I am sincere.”

“I guess that means giving you a bunch of gems is right out, huh?” Dash asked, snorting.

Fluttershy frowned. “You were the one who got angry that the Wonderbolts were thinking of selling honorary memberships.”

“Exactly!” said Dash.

“And besides, I don’t imagine Mirossa would accept a lavish gift such as that,” said Rarity, stepping over to the cart and rooting around in it. Dash cocked a brow, but the unicorn offered no explanation.

Mirossa nodded at that, looking to Dash. “I do not think this is a problem solved by gemstones, and Rarity is right. I will let you pay for our dinner, but I will not take a fortune. I have told you, I do not ignore Phostos’ stories.”

Dash groaned. “Ugh, I get it, but they’re asking you to show that you want to travel, right? They want you to ‘prove’ that you really want to travel, or that you’re cut out for this, but how? You can’t prove something to them if they don’t give you a chance!”

The doe looked away at that, letting out a soft snort. “I have thought of this, too. It is the beach and the tide.”

“The—wait, the what?” Dash asked.

“The beach and the tide,” Mirossa repeated, shrugging. “Is the beach the harvest of the tide’s efforts, or is the tide the result of the beach.”

“The chicken and the egg,” Fluttershy said, nodding quickly. Dash blinked.

“Okay? Uh. I don’t—that’s fine okay, whatever, I just think it’s stupid,” said Dash. She tapped the ground with a hoof.

“I’m sorry, Mirossa,” said Fluttershy, her ears splayed. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. I don’t know if there’s anything we can do to help, but—”

“Oh no, there is absolutely something we can do,” said Rarity, placing her saddlebags on top of the cart. The unicorn smiled wide. “You say they ask for sincerity. Darling, they want ability or desire, so you hardly have to travel across the world for that. Certainly, maybe you could travel across the world to pluck some rare flower that only grows who-knows-where or some equally fanciful drivel, but you’ve already met us.”

“She’s what-now?” Dash asked.

“It’s a matter of convincing these Bent Feathers,” said Rarity. “Consider that in a city of thousands of peryton, you’re the one who made friends with ponies travelling from very far away. That has to count for something. You have our friendship, and you people always go on about stories—well, now you have one. That isn’t nothing.”

“I… had not thought of it like this,” said Mirossa, her brows knit.

“How do you prove that?” Dash asked, frowning.

“Maybe it’s the thought that counts?” said Fluttershy. “I don’t know why they would think she’s lying, though, but I’m sure we could give her something.”

“Oh of course, if they want something more tangible, I am sure that could be arranged.” Rarity’s voice turned soft, almost breezy. “I imagine just about anything would do, really. Anything sufficiently strange and outlandish would do, something beyond the capacity for peryton to really understand.” She raised a brow, feigning surprise as her own magic levitated out a bundle of grey, white and green cloth from her saddlebags. Dash squinted.

“You stayed up all night and made another dress,” said Fluttershy, her tone a mixture of awe and concern. Mirossa stared unblinking as the bundle hovered in front of her.

“I do not… I—” she tried.

“Hush, and take it,” said Rarity, waving a hoof. “In fact, better if you do not tell me what you think of it. You’re the first peryton I’ve met who has even attempted to understand or appreciate anything I’ve made, and I wish to pretend that you like it. Just take it. Maybe Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy would like to give you something as well?”

“What?” asked Dash. She loosened the harness with two quick tugs with her teeth and rounded on their cart. “All we have is a bunch of travel junk. I didn’t pack friendship bracelet making stuff or anything lame like that. You made her a whole dress.”

Mirossa held up a hoof. “Please, I—wait, do not trouble yourselves—”

Rarity shook her head slowly at Dash. “I may have gone a little overboard, but I think just about anything that is strange to them will work—if I am right in my suspicions. Initially I meant to give her one of my measuring tapes, since they don’t use hooves and quarter-hooves here as their small units of measurement. You don’t, do you?”

Mirossa’s face was exquisitely blank.

“The point is, you have the story to go with it. You’ve met ponies travelling all the way from Equestria. Not everyone can claim that,” Rarity concluded.

“I suppose not,” said Mirossa. Finally, she took the dress, levitating the bundle of cloth in front of her, unfolding it a little bit. “But—”

“Hey, Fluttershy,” said Dash. “Pluck one of my feathers.”

“Oh. Oh no, I—I couldn’t,” said Fluttershy, aghast. “You already lost some yesterday, and I just couldn’t—”

“Oh. Yeah, okay. Let’s give her one of yours!”

Fluttershy shrank back, her eyes wide for a second. “What? That’s not what I meant!”

“Come on, it’s a great idea! If you have a pegasus feather, everyone knows you’ve met a pegasus!” said Dash.

Fluttershy sighed, but she found her steel a second later. “Okay, I guess it is a nice gesture,” she said, pouting. She craned her neck around and plucked one of her feathers with a little ow, and Rarity graciously accepted the feather from her, putting it in a little bag she’d procured.

“And a piece of my mane!” said Dash, grinning. “If all the colours confuse them so much, it’ll be great. They don’t even have manes. Don’t take the front bangs, just grab some from the back.”

“Perfect,” said Rarity, smiling. She levitated her scissors out and snipped a lock of Dash’s mane, making sure to get as many colours as possible, and as an afterthought, she snapped up a measuring tape from her own supply chest with a grin. The bag with the collected items hovered in front of a stunned Mirossa.

“There you are, dear,” Rarity declared. “I would loathe to repay your mother’s kindness by taking you away from her, but this way, perhaps you stand a better chance at convincing these peryton you are meant to ‘spread your wings’, as it were, if that is truly what you wish to do. If they don’t believe you’d make a wonderful traveller, explorer or whatever it is they are, then that is their loss, but you’ve certainly made three friends of us.”

“And it’s something to remember us by, too,” said Fluttershy, smiling.

“Actually,” said Dash, grinning. “I want that piece of my mane back when you’re done with it, so you better come by Ponyville.”

Mirossa put the dress on top of her back and accepted the cloth bag too, holding it to her chest. She looked at each of the ponies in turn, tilted her head forward to lay her muzzle flat along her neck and closed her eyes.

“You are very strange people, and I hope you find success with your journey.” She opened her eyes again and grinned wide showing all her teeth. “And if the world has more creatures half as strange as you, maybe I will have stories of my own to share when I come visit.”

“They called it what, Khosta Woods?” asked Dash. Their slightly late start this morning, plus the time it took to cross the delta plains lengthwise, all meant that the sun neared its peak when they finally entered the forest proper. Many of the tall, thin trees had multiple trunks weaving about each other in clusters, and their leaves were too small and too tightly clustered. It looked like somepony had stuck a bunch of warped brooms in the ground. Brooms in strange new shades of yellow, green and even blues, and though the leaves were bushy, the canopy wasn’t nearly dense enough to fully shield them from the sun.

At least the road stayed normal and maintained its roadyness: the grass and the other undergrowth flanking them went up to their bellies in places. Walking without a road would be tough.

“I believe they just called it the Khosta,” said Rarity with a backwards glance. “And this Ephydoera place should be inside it, isn’t that right, Fluttershy?”

“That is what the map said, yes,” said Fluttershy. “The forest is very big, and this is as close as it ever gets to the coast. We’ll be in the forest-marked area until we get there, wherever it is. Khaird said we would find Ephydoera here, but the map doesn’t actually show a city.” She looked around, her eyes low to the ground rather than up at the trees, smiling as she added. “This place is a lot more fertile than the south was. It’s nice.”

“What’s nice,” said Rainbow Dash, adjusting the harness as she walked. “Is that we don’t have to keep these dumb water jugs full as we move.” She cast a glance at the river that ran parallel to the road at their right. The Meronna was huge, a proper river rather than a brook or any other kind of pretend-river, though its waters didn’t flow very fast. “I guess we can probably bathe in it, too,” said Dash.

“It certainly is a boon for hygiene,” Rarity said, though she sounded unconvinced. She cast another look behind them, but Stagrum upon the delta had already been lost behind the trees as the road made tiny adjustments to follow the river. “It’s almost a shame to leave, I have to say. For all the confusion and the disappointing lack of ships for hire, Stagrum turned out quite well.”

“It was alright,” Rainbow Dash said. “I hope stuff works out for Mirossa.”

Fluttershy nodded her agreement while Rarity moved to walk right next to the cart. “I’m sure she’ll be fine, and all the others, too. It was a nice place.”

“Absolutely,” said Rarity with a sigh as she turned her eyes ahead. “Now, to the road.”

The theatrical sigh, Dash had expected. She wasn’t keen on a week on the road, either: Even ignoring the extra burden of the cart, the heat felt even worse right now somehow. Regardless, there was a note of frustration in Rarity’s voice making her sound weary beyond the annoyance of walking.

“You alright, Rarity?” asked Dash. They’d taken a break before they reached the forest’s edge, but she could go for another break to have a drink from the river, herself.

“Oh, I will be,” said Rarity. With a small burst of magic, she opened the chest on the cart while she walked alongside, levitating out some of the sketches she’d worked on during breakfast this morning. “I will find a design that appeals to the peryton, I am sure of it.”

“Yeah, no, I didn’t mean the fashion stuff,” Dash said, rolling her eyes and laughing.

Rarity frowned. “You mean the walking. Yes, well, there’s nothing to be done about that, I suppose, but I don’t think it’s too early to start thinking about an approach for this next place.” She squinted at the sun and packed her things away again, shaking her head at her sketches and shutting the chest with a bang. “I’m floundering, directionless. If they all have their own local non-fashions, their own way of expressing themselves that have nothing to do with clothes as I know them, what am I to do? That is my problem.”

“I understand that it’s important to you,” said Fluttershy, offering her a smile. “But you haven’t had a lot of time to work on your dresses. The ones you’ve made have been lovely, but hopefully we’ll have a little more time to sit down and think about this in Ephydoera. You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.”

“I haven’t had time? But I have, dear,” said Rarity. “Every day spent on the road, I could have been working on ideas while we walked, and before we bed down, why, that’s the perfect time to try out some concepts! Clearly I need to step up my efforts.”

“Before we go to bed?” Dash laughed. “Rarity, you’re barely awake before bed most days. On our way to Stagrum, you fell asleep while we walked at least two times!”

“I am well aware that I’ve lagged behind a little during our last stretch,” said Rarity. She flushed faintly through a scowl. Dash had expected some scathing but funny reply to her little stab, but Rarity said nothing, facing ahead.

“Come on, if it matters that much to you, I’m sure you’ll sweep the peryton off their hooves somehow,” Dash said, smiling at her, but Rarity said nothing more. Dash flicked her ears in annoyance.

“Maybe we should take a little break, though,” said Fluttershy, clearing her throat. She gestured at the river. “I’m very thirsty, actually, and it’s getting really hot.”

Finally someone who wasn’t Rainbow Dash suggested it. Dash didn’t even bother answering. She turned the cart a sharp right and cut in front of her friends, creating a furrow through the grass heading for the river.

The grass must be very happy with the trees, Rainbow Dash thought. The grass grew thick not only near the river’s edge, but all around. Fluttershy had suggested that the lack of a dense canopy let the forest floor’s flora flourish, and that bit was easy to appreciate. Colourful flowers clustered around the base of the trees. Every time Dash looked, there was a new type of tree or flower.

Fluttershy was probably right, but while it was cool of the trees to share the sun the grass and the flowers, Dash really could have done without the extra sunlight. Every time she wanted to ask one of her friends to take a turn with the cart—a cart that became heavier by the moment despite the fact that Dash knew it was wrong—she noticed her friends were flagging and decided against it.

Fluttershy’s head drooped, and Dash held her own head high in defiance simply because somepony had to. They had taken an extra break—or maybe two? It was getting harder and harder to think, but she knew she would’ve liked two breaks. Better to keep moving than think, Dash figured.

Well, she figured it, or she said it. She probably said it out loud, actually, before or after she’d nearly tripped over a rock. She couldn’t quite tell how long ago that had been. There were a lot of rocks, and the sun kept climbing higher and higher, rising out of the soup of mundane yet confusing events Dash honestly had a hard time keeping track of. She put her left forefoot forward two times in a row forgetting the right, stumbling a little, blinking heavily.

If she just kept moving, Dash imagined that she could outpace the bright orb, but despite her best efforts, the sun stuck around, making all the greens too green. There was a word for it, a word for the sun hitting the top of the sky, but she couldn’t remember. Dash knew that if she stopped, the sun would probably never go away. She walked into something again. Someone, actually. Somepony. Fluttershy, it took her all too long to realise.

“Rainbow Dash, we really have to stop,” said Fluttershy.

Dash took a step back and rubbed at her snout. “Yeah, sure, just, uh.” She looked up at the taller pegasus, squinting. “No, we can’t stop, it’s just mid-day, are you crazy? We can go faster, probably!” Her throat was dry, raw.

Fluttershy didn’t move. Dash considered just going around her, but Fluttershy stood very close—almost chest to chest with her, as though she had expected it. Had Fluttershy stepped even closer, all in the space of what Rainbow Dash thought was just a long blink? The touch was uncomfortably hot.

Thinking about it, Dash was pretty sure Fluttershy didn’t just expect Rainbow Dash to walk past her. She vaguely recalled she had stepped around her before, some time ago. Behind her, Dash saw Rarity sat at the cart’s side, her eyes closed even though it had been less than ten minutes since the last time they’d stopped. Or maybe an hour. Hard to tell with time being soupy.

“Exactly,” said Fluttershy, bringing Dash back to the present. “It’s the middle of the day, and it’s really, really hot,” she said. Now that they were standing still, Dash found it was a little easier to pay attention. And to breathe. That was nice. Sweat trickled down Fluttershy’s face, while Dash herself noticed that she barely sweated at all. Idly she wondered if that might mean something.

“This is stupid,” said Dash, but it came out a mutter, a croak. “We walked all day on the way to Stagrum.”

“Yes, but it was windier at the coast,” said Fluttershy. She leaned forwards a tiny bit, resting her muzzle on top of Rainbow Dash’s head, imploring. “It was a little bit colder, and I don’t know about you, but I thought it was very, very hard. If we’re going to travel for even longer this time, and it’s even warmer, I don’t know that we can take it. This is dangerous.”

Rainbow Dash sighed. “Yeah I guess.”

“And do you remember?” Fluttershy went on. “We walked past a few peryton resting by the wayside on the way from Orto, too. Maybe they always rest during mid day? We should probably do the same. We can just walk a little faster in the morning and evening if we really have to.”

Dash nodded again. Fluttershy made a lot of sense, and she didn’t really have any counterarguments. She knew she had protested this the last time Fluttershy had argued with her about it, but she didn’t know what she had said. Waiting was her least favourite thing, though. At least in her top five.

“Maybe we can just walk really slow, instead,” said Dash. “I—”

“No,” said Fluttershy, taking a step back and away from Dash. She locked Rainbow Dash with a firm look. “We need to stop. Please.”

There was no actual pleading in that ‘please’. Fluttershy’s gaze was unyielding, and Dash held up a hoof in surrender. “Right, sure,” said Dash. “Okay. We’re stopping. Fine.”

She’d no sooner agreed than Fluttershy started working the straps to get Dash out of the harness. Fluttershy moved the cart to the side of the road by a large multi-trunked tree, roused Rarity to move her to the shade, and was on her way to fetch water from the river before Dash really knew what was going on. Dash sat down by Rarity’s side, keeping as much of her body as she could in what shade they had.

There was a difference between telling her no, and saying no, Dash thought. Fluttershy used to tell her no. She didn’t often say no. There had been no ambiguity in what Fluttershy had just said just now.

Well, that wasn’t the full truth of it. Fluttershy could say no just like anypony else, but the way she had blocked Dash’s way a minute ago was—what was it? Cool? Probably the coolest thing Dash had seen in a good while. Fluttershy being cool, though—Dash shrugged. That wasn’t really news, actually. This particular expression of coolness was new, that was all. She stretched her wings to stop them from itching.

“In her defence, not that I wish to take anything away from her coolness,” said Rarity. “She has been pleading with you to stop no less than four times since the last time we had a proper break—and do keep your wings out my face, thank you.”

Dash blinked. “What?”

“Fluttershy,” said Rarity, pushing her wing away.

“Oh. Yeah, was I talking just now?”

“You were.”

“It’s really hot.”

“Yes it is, dear. This is no joke. For all we know we might be heading for heat stroke.”

Fluttershy returned with a bowl between her wings filled with water. She meticulously placed it on the ground in front of Rainbow Dash, grabbed it in her mouth instead, and in one swift motion, splashed it in Dash’s face. Dash sat still for a long while, not even shocked. She said nothing, still contemplating the way the water turned warm even as it dripped from her muzzle when Fluttershy returned with a full bowl again, placing this one in front of Rarity and Rainbow Dash before taking a seat and closing her eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell me to stop sooner?” asked Dash. She leaned forwards for a drink at the same time as Rarity levitated up the bowl for herself, and pulled back to let the unicorn have the first go. Rarity smiled and took a few small sips.

“Thank you, dear. And, that’s what I’ve been telling you. Fluttershy has been trying, but you’ve been insisting we keep moving.”

“I don’t remember that,” Dash admitted. She looked at Fluttershy, but the other pegasus sat unmoving, breathing slowly with her head against the cart.

That realisation was really unpleasant. Scary, almost, but she decided against being scared. Tried to, at least. She took a deep draught and let Rarity have the water bowl again. The first swallow of water hurt a bit.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Dash asked.

Rarity breathed out slowly through her nose. “Would two voices yelling at a wall helped?”

“That’s not what I asked,” said Dash, frowning, but Rarity didn’t say anything more. The unicorn stared resolutely at the water bowl, her face blank. It was too hot to get into an argument, anyway. Rainbow Dash folded her ears and leaned back. “Fine. Never mind. I’m sorry. I said I don’t even remember it.”

Rarity covered her face with the nook of a foreleg and sighed deeply. “You did say that, yes, and I believe you. I’m sorry, Rainbow, dear. That was unfair of me, too.”

"It’s fine,” Dash muttered. She reached out to touch a wing to Rarity’s side. “Just yell at me really loud if I tell you I think we should keep going when it’s this hot ever again. This stinks.”

Keeping with Fluttershy’s suggestion helped. The three ponies moved as soon as the sun relented a little, and they reminded each other to drink often, leading to as many breaks for drinks as they took steps forward, Dash felt, but there was no helping it. Closer to the evening, when it got pleasantly cool by comparison, Dash managed to convince her friends to trot for a little while. Rarity looked like she wanted to protest, and Dash had expected as much—except Rarity didn’t say a word. She simply nodded and went along with it.

When the unicorn finally started flagging, Dash gave the cart over to Fluttershy, and they slowed down again. Dash had to admit she was tired, too. Soon after, the sun fully set, and Rarity lit her horn against a dark more absolute in the forest than it had ever been on the coastal road.

With the darkness, the sounds of the forest grew. Rainbow Dash hadn’t given much thought to how quiet the forest had been before, not until the occasional tweets and chirps of birds flying overhead grew and grew, new voices added every moment. When they spotted the familiar stone visage and sheltering wings of a Selyrian statue, they walked under the sparse canopy accompanied by constant song.

“Where’s it all coming from?” Dash asked, parking the cart by the statue. "I can’t see a single bird.” She looked over at Fluttershy to find the other pegasus already under assault from a tiny red bird.

“The birds here are a little wary, that’s all,” said Fluttershy, giggling when the little bird pecked at one of her ears and chirped. “That’s what little Scarlett says, anyway. Most of the peryton who travel here don’t want to share their food and shoo them away—at least the Red Wibblers like her. Maybe we could offer them some of the bread Naressa gave us?”

“If we keep up the pace and make it to Ephydoera when we’re supposed to, I think we have some extra food,” said Dash with a shrug. “And we have a lot of tastier stuff than just the boring chunks of bread, so I don’t mind. What do you think, Rarity?” she asked, shedding the harness. The fire pit and the wheel- hoof- and claw-marks all suggested this statue was a busy one, but clearly they were alone for tonight. She ducked her head inside the statue just to make sure.

“Yeah, nobody here,” she said to herself, then a little louder, “Rarity? D’you hear what I said? Do you think—”

“I think I’m trying my best to keep up,” replied Rarity, her voice tight. She sat very still on the ground next to the cart, eyes shut. “I’m sure we’ll make it in time.”

“I’m not worried about the time or whatever,” said Dash, tilting her head. “I asked about the food. Fluttershy’s wondering if we can give the birds some bread or something.”

“Oh. That,” said Rarity, breathing out slowly through her nose. “My mistake. Yes, by all means. She gave us more food than we could possibly eat, I don’t see the harm.”

“Alright. Cool,” said Dash. She rooted around their cart until she found one of the small loaves of coarse bread they’d been given. Grabbing it in her mouth, she tossed it over to Fluttershy who yelped and hopped back a step from the leavened missile. The little bird took off and flew in circles around Fluttershy, chirping loudly in protest.

“I guess… dinner is served?” Fluttershy said. She’d barely finished the sentence before two, five, fifteen—more birds than Rainbow Dash could count came flying down from wherever they had been hiding. Some of them were the tiny balls of fluff Fluttershy had called Red Wibblers, but there were entirely too many other kinds to make out. Rainbow Dash laughed, and Rarity smiled, watching Fluttershy’s delight as the pegasus lay down next to the besieged loaf to watch and listen.

“I thought you were taking issue with my pace,” said Rarity. It took Dash a moment to realise she’d been talking to her. She moved a little closer to better hear her over all the bird noises.

“What?” asked Dash.

“Just now. I thought you were worried we wouldn’t make it to Ephydoera in time. I’m aware I’m slowing us down,” said Rarity. She didn’t look up at Dash.

“Okay? Well, I wasn’t,” Dash replied, because she really wasn’t worried. If Rarity was slowing them down, it wasn’t by much. Fluttershy didn’t do much better, and and as much as she didn’t want to admit it, the heat did a number on her too. Rarity went through a lot more water than they did, though, and she’d barely taken a turn with the cart today at all.

“I’m trying my best, you know,” Rarity said when the feeding frenzy petered out. Fluttershy rose to stand and whispered a few parting words to some of the birds. A few didn’t seem ready to leave just yet, resting on top of her head or on her back.

“Well, um, we know pegasi handle cold better than other ponies, but I think maybe we do better in the heat too, at least a little bit?” Fluttershy suggested. “I don’t think it’s a problem, if that’s what you’re afraid of.”

“If you say so, dear,” said Rarity, sighing. She stood and made for the shelter of the stone wings. “Maybe Twilight has a spell that lets her cool off. I suspect she must. Remind me to learn it when we get back home, will you? For now, I think I will see if I have some ideas for new designs before I sleep.”

Fluttershy’s smile faltered a little, but she nodded, and Dash watched Rarity go until she disappeared into the cover of the Selyrian statue.

“At least it doesn’t seem to get as cold, or cold as quickly,” said Fluttershy. She grabbed the blanket from their cart, her movements as slow as possible, probably so as to not startle her feathered little passengers. Four birds perched between her ears.

It didn’t get quite as cold, but Rainbow Dash decided she’d happily trade the small difference in temperature for a little quiet. Even after Rarity and Dash had convinced Fluttershy to hush the birds that stayed inside the shelter with them, the birdsong outside kept going. Whenever there was a lull, some insects provided a constant, albeit distant song of their own. Rarity fell asleep quickly enough regardless, face down on her sketches, and Fluttershy followed soon after, leaving Rainbow Dash as the last one awake.

Rainbow Dash was moments away from sleep when a sharp snap jolted her awake. For a few seconds, the birdsong halted, but it didn’t last. Whatever it was—some large animal stepping on a branch?—it was a brief interruption before everything carried on as before.

Dash kicked out with her hindlegs, hitting two of the changelings straight in their jaws. They hissed loudly as they fell, long, forked tongues sticking out of their muzzles, flapping in the wind. The fact that Dash had time to observe their tongue-flapping was a little odd. Even more odd was the fact that she had time to think about herself thinking about it. By the time she finished that thought, the changelings’ falls were completely arrested mid-air.

Rainbow Dash turned around on the spot and saw four more of the creatures frozen mid-pounce behind her. She wasn’t quite sure whether she was annoyed or grateful for the assist. She could’ve taken them anyway.

“I was fine,” said Dash out loud. There were changelings everywhere. Hundreds. Thousands. No, infinite changelings, and they had pet beasts, too. Was that a dragon in their back ranks? Surrounding the battle were jagged mountains. She thought they were mountains, at least, but their shape was too regular. They had been cut, not… grown? How were mountains made, anyway? It didn’t matter. These were not her mountains, but she was glad she had them. They were borrowed, and she did not know how she knew.

“I did not mean to interrupt.”

With the familiar voice drifting from nowhere, a section of the sky darkened, from deep blue to black to something darker still, and from it bled a shadow that coalesced into the shape of Princess Luna. One moment, she stepped out of the sky, head raised high and horn glowing bright. No time later, she stood right at Rainbow Dash’s side.

“Yeah, yeah, you said that last time,” said Dash, but she bowed low right after. “Uh, I mean, Princess.”

“Do not be alarmed. You are dreaming,” said Princess Luna. She raised her muzzle a tiny bit, peering over the rim of her snout at the forces arrayed around them, all walking, charging, flying towards them, frozen in time. After she’d done a full sweep, she turned back to Rainbow Dash and gave a start, her brow quirked in very un-princess-like confusion. “Would you repeat that?”

Rainbow Dash blinked. “Repeat what? I just said I know it’s a dream. You said the exact same stuff last time.”

“Last time,” Luna echoed. She turned around and took a step back, facing Rainbow Dash in full. “You remember?”

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I?” Dash asked. She frowned, recalling that Luna had told her that she wouldn’t remember their last meeting. “Did you try to make me forget? Are you doing some weird magic right now?”

Luna looked taken aback, her poise broken. “Absolutely not! I would never do such a thing, and the idea offends me. Most ponies simply tend to forget. The bridge between the waking and dreaming worlds is not easily crossed by most, especially not when I try not to take part, but never mind that. I should have understood you would remember. Your dreams are possessed of an—ah, let us say… impressive consistency and repetition. Not that I mean to pry.”

Rainbow Dash got the distinct impression she had been insulted, but she couldn’t pinpoint exactly how. She shrugged. “They’re cool dreams. You don’t change a winning team.”

Luna nodded, her sternly neutral look back in place. She looked past Dash to the wedge-shaped mountains in the difference. “There is some wisdom in that, perhaps. Well, I suppose any attempt at subtlety from my side of things is ruined, then. That is annoying.”

“Why?” asked Dash.

“That is a very big question. Why what, Rainbow Dash?” Luna folded her wings meticulously.

Rainbow Dash thought about that for a second. “Why… I don’t know, why anything? Are you spying on me? What’s going on?”

Luna took a deep breath and let it out through her snout. “Why would I ‘spy’ on you?”

“I dunno, but you asked how we were doing,” said Rainbow Dash. She remembered that part. She didn’t remember exactly what she had said, and trying to think about it, trying to remember how she was doing, was tough. She grit her teeth trying to get at it. Where were they? Where was she sleeping? What had they done today? She felt a hoof on her chest, and her concentration scattered under Luna’s touch. Either Luna did some magic without her horn or, more likely, the distraction was enough to ruin her tenuous grasp on the not-dream.

“We—my sister and I—are the ones who sent you to Perytonia. When you return, we will expect to hear how your efforts went. I cannot spy on you by definition,” said Luna, giving her a blank look. “I am asking because I am curious.”

Rainbow Dash stared at her. If Luna thought Dash was stupid enough to believe she’d visit her dreams or whatever was going on, just to say hi, Dash would need to ask Twilight what she wrote about her friends in all those letters to Celestia.

“I am curious,” Luna continued, as though perhaps she sensed the skepticism. Or maybe she saw Dash’s flat look. “And part of me finds satisfaction in checking up on you and your friends. Will you believe that? Sister would rather we did not, because she—likely correctly—assumes you are capable enough to handle this without our assistance. That is why we asked your help, after all.

“But still I feel compelled. We have sent you afar, and you have been kind enough to accept these charges. My intent was simply to ensure you were doing well without causing undue distress to you, or frustrating Sister. Hence the subterfuge. I will not make a habit of this, and I do not mean to intrude.”

Dash nodded right away. “Alright. That’s cool, then,” she said.

Luna tilted her head ever so slightly. “Indeed? You are satisfied?”

“Yeah, sure. We got this handled, probably. I don’t remember exactly what we’re up to, but I think we’re fine. You don’t have to check up on us. Can you put the dream back on, please? I got a lot of changeling butt to kick!” Dash grinned.

Luna nodded swiftly and took a single step back, spreading her wings, but she neither left nor let the dream continue. She visibly hesitated. The Princess was a lot more animated in Dash’s dreams than she was in the real world—or so Dash thought. She couldn’t bring up any specific memories of having talked to Princess Luna. Again trying to think of the real world resisted her efforts, like trying to chew a sponge.

“Well, actually, I say that is the truth of it, but it is half of it. I alluded to the other half earlier,” said Luna.

“Alright?” asked Dash. She walked up to one of the frozen changelings and poked at it. It felt just as weird as touching the frozen manticore in her earlier dream. Strangely, she remembered this perfectly well, but she had no idea where she slept. Memory was weird.

“You dream the same dreams every night?” Luna asked.

“Pretty much? Not exactly? If you’re the Princess of dreams, you know that, don’t you?” replied Dash.

“Because I do not, in fact, spy,” retorted Luna with a brief, dour smile. “I note that there are similarities, that your dreams move in the same ways most nights, distant but unchanging like a fixed star in a star-pool. I never suspected until now… you are always in battle during the night?”

“Uh, not always,” said Dash. “But usually?” She felt the tips of her ears heat up a little. Was that weird? Her friends sometimes shared their dreams with her, usually silly ones, and sure, she had funny dreams on occasion as well. Sometimes. She just usually preferred having a good fight or a race or something. She’d never have worried that this might be strange before. Amazing what royal scrutiny could do.

“Do you always fight alone? Is the tragedy of a doomed and lonely battle part of the draw, Rainbow Dash?”

Dash drew a blank. “I… what?”

“Is this a battle you must fight alone?” asked Luna again. “Do you live the battles of your past, and do you seek catharsis through annihilation never given?”

The good news was that Dash was no longer even the slightest bit embarrassed. She was just thoroughly confused. “Probably… not?” she tried. “I don’t even know what half of that means, so no? I… I don’t even have any battles of the ‘past’ unless you count—what? I just have fun kicking flank and winning! I have no idea why you’re—”

“Good!” declared Luna. Her horn flashed so bright Dash had to shield her eyes with a wing. A series of metallic clanging noises and a thrum made the ground shake and set Dash’s teeth rattling. When Rainbow Dash peered over the rim of her wing-feathers, Princess Luna stood clad horn to hoof in armour of gleaming silver, and an umbral orb of magic made manifest hovered at her side.

“With your permission, we would join you in battle, Rainbow Dash!” Luna’s voice boomed across the time-frozen field, and the orb of un-light swirled about her, leaving a trail of stars in its wake. “Say you will let us fight with you, child!”

Dash stared, gaping until the visor of Luna’s helmet slid open with a clack, and the Princess’ voice added, a touch less metallic.

“I understand all is well with you and your friends, and you still carry the dragonfire in case of emergency?”

It took Rainbow Dash a moment to decide, thinking hard at the question until she gave a confident nod. “Yeah, we’re fine, and uh, sure, you can… join?”

“Good. We have a half-hour until I must ready to join Sister for a morning meal.” Her horn gave a weak pulse, and the innumerable changelings stirred. The wind picked up in an instant, howling in Dash’s ears. “Steel yourself, pegasus. They come!”

The horde rushed in.

Chapter 33

We went to Town Hall today, and I think Rainbow Dash noticed I lost my nerve on the way. She really, really wanted me to sign up for the Summer Sun Celebration, and she was very… loud about it, and then Applejack heard, and

Today has been disaster. I’m going to go to bed early.

Good night, Diary,

-Fluttershy

“Five bits on that butt-for-brains Koltares carrying… I’m gonna say two bowls of water on a small tray,” said Rainbow Dash, perking an ear at the still-distant steps echoing down the hall.

“Five on him carrying one this time,” said Rarity, stretching her neck languidly. “It’s plain he’s portioning up the food and water to make all these inane little trips just to keep an eye on us.”

“At least it means we get cold water all day,” said Fluttershy with a sigh. Her efforts to give their frequent visitor the benefit of the doubt were showing cracks. “I wouldn’t mind a little privacy, though.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Dash grumped. The entire morning and the day so far had been marked by a dozen and a half visits. Instead of Velysra, it was Koltares every time, here with a few fruits, later with another bowl of water—always with openly suspicious looks at Rainbow Dash and the others, at the chains, the door, and everything else, as though he suspected the ponies would… well. Do what they planned to do, really. Escape. That got a grin out of Dash, despite the creepy stalker stag.

“Velysra?” said Fluttershy, the pegasus perking up and rising to stand.

And that was good for another smile. “Hey,” said Dash. “Didn’t think you’d come around any more.” Rainbow Dash didn’t know exactly how happy she was to see her, but it was a step up from Koltares any way you shook it.

“If everything quite alright?” asked Rarity, the unicorn stepping up to the bars, and now Rainbow Dash had to wonder, too. The doe stopped outside the doorway and peered over her own back, looking down the hall twice in each direction before she entered.

“What’s up?” Dash tried again.

“This seems excessive,” said Velysra in reply. She strode all the way up to the bars, confident, but clearly distracted. She stopped by the spot where Dash’s chain was tethered to one of the iron bars.

“That’s what we thought,” said Fluttershy with a sigh. “You didn’t know?”

“I was told, but hearing and knowing—let us say that I am surprised even now,” said Velysra, shaking her head. She looked over at the ponies as if she hadn’t noticed them before. “How are you?”

“In prison,” said Dash with a shrug.

“We’re holding up well enough,” said Rarity. “It’s safe to say that we preferred your visits to the alternative.”

“I’m sure Koltares is trying his best,” said Fluttershy, shuffling her wings. “But, um, he’s really nosey, and not nice at all. I’m sorry to say that, I know you like him.”

Dash raised a brow at the harsh words coming from Fluttershy, but Velysra did not protest. She nodded.

“My opinion of him is not what it was a few days ago, I will say this.” Again she glanced at the doorway. “Can I do anything for you?”

“Well—” Dash began.

“She’s not going to let us out, Rainbow, dear,” said Rarity with a deadpan stare.

Velysra smiled and shook her head. “I can not help you with locks or chains. I have been told to stay away, and only relieve Koltares when he absolutely must leave.”

“Because you’re starting to understand that your ‘Guide’ is bad news?” Dash asked, tilting her head.

The doe rolled her jaw and took a deep breath, letting it out again with painful slowness.

“We’ve talked to her,” said Fluttershy, scratching at one of her own forelegs. “I… we could probably tell you what she told us. I don’t think it matters any more.”

“She has told me what you will tell me, I think,” said Velysra, shaking her head. “She is not so stupid as to try to hide words from me when I am one of those few who can ask you myself—and I am not so dense as to believe all I hear.”

The three ponies all exchanged looks. Rarity and Fluttershy smiled at that, looking downright hopeful, but Dash wasn’t quite so sure herself.

“Does this mean you’re taking our side?” asked Rarity. “You know that Caldesseia doesn’t have a leg to stand on, so to speak, and you know our imprisonment is unjust—”

“I do not believe all I hear, from her, or from you,” said Velysra, her gaze hard for a moment. “I am sorry. I have known her all my life. You cannot both be correct in all things, and while I do not trust the other creatures she guests here in our home, I must trust that there is truth in some of what she says, too.”

“Of course,” said Dash. She closed her eyes and leaned forward until her head hit the bars with a muted thunk. She heard Fluttershy sigh.

“As a soothe-prong, however,” Velysra went on. “I object to your treatment. Is there anything I can do for you? Within reason, of course.”

“I think perhaps there is,” said Rarity, smiling brightly. “Would you mind fetching our bags?”

Velysra tilted her head, one brow arched.

“I don’t expect you to give us all our things,” Rarity said. “There’s just one thing I’d like from my bags, purely ornamental, you see. You can check for yourself, it’s honestly just a lump of rock, a statue with sentimental value.”

The doe remained rather skeptical, walking over to where the saddlebags lay. “I do not suppose you carry keys and crash-powder in your bags. A statue?”

“Yes, in the bags with the three diamonds—no, the other one, those are butterflies, dear—”

“Oh, um, actually, could you just open that one? The one with the butterflies? I don’t need anything from it, I just want to make sure everything is okay.”

Dash scratched an itch on her chest, watching with interest. She had no idea what Fluttershy was on about, but if Rarity could convince Velysra to give them the statue, that was good thinking. She had no intentions of ruining that plan.

“This?” Velysra asked, opening Fluttershy’s saddlebags. Some cloth, packed food, and the tips of the unwieldy antlers poked out. Fluttershy nodded and smiled her thanks.

“That’s all I wanted to know. Thank you,” said Fluttershy, letting out a sigh of relief.

“If I can ease your minds this simply, I do it with pleasure,” said Velysra, shaking her head slightly. She opened Rarity’s saddlebags and shifted some things around. “A statue, you say—it must be this?”

“That one exactly. It should help spruce up this prison. You should know, aesthetics are of prime importance to ponies. Why, I feel better already,” said Rarity, smiling wide.

“There is no harm, I expect,” Velysra said, taking exactly one step towards the bars before she stopped, the statue hovering in front of her. She froze, her eyes jumping from the statue to the ponies and back again.

“Is something wrong?” asked Fluttershy, licking her lips.

“Yes,” said Velysra. She turned the statue around so the ponies could see it—as if they hadn’t seen it before. Now that Rainbow Dash knew the link between Selyria and Luna, it was impossible to think of the statue as just a peryton. There was definitely a princess pony in there, Luna shining through with properly sized forelegs rather than dainty peryton ones. She had no idea how she didn’t see it sooner. Velysra apparently noticed right away. “I find this strange,” she added.

“And why might that be?” Rarity asked, clearing her throat. Subtle as nothing else.

“Because I do not understand it,” said the doe. “But even if I do not understand what I now see—how this image of Selyria wears your guise, or you hers—I care less about it than I care that Caldesseia did not see fit to take this.”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “What, why’d she want it? You guys aren’t exactly buddies with Selyria.”

“Exactly. Then, why would she not take or destroy this foul thing?” asked Velysra, frowning. “She looked through your bags, and she did not care?”

“Maybe she doesn’t care about the Aspects as much as you think she does,” suggested Fluttershy, seeking Velysra’s eyes.

“But of course, she would have told you to expect us to tell you that,” said Rarity with an affable smile. “She will have told you that we’ll say she doesn’t truly care about this quarrel about the Aspects. You can draw your own conclusions. May we still have it?”

Velysra shrugged. “I have told you before, I do not care about this madness of Aspects as much as some. I care about Caldesseia’s well-being. I think perhaps I must speak to her again, though she rapidly tires of all my visits.” She stepped up to the bars and put the little statue down on the other side without even looking at it any more. “I will bring you some food and water, then leave you to find Caldesseia. Koltares should be back tonight, and you will not see me again for a while. I am not allowed here anymore, not while he is present.” She gave a helpless shrug. “I hope this statue brings you comfort, even though I do not see how Selyria’s visage can be a good omen to anyone.”

Rainbow Dash stared at the unpainted yet intricate statue, a creature somewhere between an alicorn pony and a peryton rearing up on its clawed hindlegs. She didn’t know about omens, but she sure hoped it would do the trick.

“What are you going to do if you see her?” Fluttershy asked.

“I don’t know,” said Dash with a shrug. “I guess Princess Luna should have an idea. Send an airship to tell the Perytonians? Send the entire Royal Guard?”

“Getting word out is a good start regardless,” said Rarity, frowning at that last bit.

“Yep”, said Dash. The grey stone statue stood in front of her, between her and the wall. She couldn’t remember ever feeling the looming threat of performance anxiety when it came to sleeping. Then again, if she was the best at sleeping, why wouldn’t she treat it like a competition?

“Just remember, if it doesn’t work, that’s okay, too,” said Fluttershy, smiling at her in the faint light.

“And if it does work,” said Rarity, “do tell us all about it. I still don’t understand exactly how this works.”

“Me neither, really,” said Dash with a snort. “Ask Luna yourself, I guess.”

“I mean this whole… controlling your dreams thing,” said Rarity, shaking her head.

“Oh, that. I dunno how it doesn’t work. Or, it used to—ugh,” Dash rolled her eyes. “Can we just go back to trying to sleep?”

“Sorry,” whispered Fluttershy.

“Good night, you two,” said Rarity.

“Good night,” said Fluttershy.

“Night,” said Dash, closing her eyes.

It was hot, though. Too hot, and for the first time, Rainbow Dash noticed that the blanket underneath her itched at her belly. She shifted a little, trying to get comfortable, but there was just no way. She wanted a breeze blowing through the room, but the air was still, as though it, too, was chained and tethered.

Hot, uncomfortable, and clammy. Had it been this uncomfortable yesterday night, too? Maybe. Yesterday night, their plans for an escape didn’t ride on Dash having a dream, though. If only she could fall asleep. She had no idea how she could go to sleep like this: the cloud itched under her hooves, and the breeze blew her mane in her face. Oh well. It’d all feel better once Fluttershy punched through the center of the cloud.

“But, um, I can’t see,” said Fluttershy. She reached up to lift her blindfold slightly, peering over the rim of the cloud and squinting at the thundercloud down at ground level. From all the way up here, it was just a speck.

“Exactly,” said Rainbow Dash, grinning. “That’s the cool part. You dive until you get enough speed that you won’t have to think about punching through the storm cloud. The speed does it for you! And when you hear the thunder go off, that’s your cue to pull up! You don’t have to look. A blindfolded dive! How awesome is that?”

“And if I don’t hit the thundercloud?” asked Fluttershy.

“Well, I guess you crash really hard and hurt yourself a bunch,” said Dash, waving a hoof in dismissal. “It’ll be fine. All you have to do is not miss! Listen to the crowd, they’re crazy for you!”

And they were. All around them, the coliseum was packed to the brim, with hundreds of wild clouds pulled in by pegasi who couldn’t get spots in the stands. When Fluttershy put the blindfold back over her eyes, the roaring cheers blasted Dash’s ears, and she couldn’t help but laugh along. They would love it. They’d see Fluttershy like they’d never seen her before, and they would know how awesome she could be. How awesome she was.

“Oh, Rainbow Dash, I don’t know,” said Fluttershy. Her ears were flat to her head, and her wings pressed so hard against her body that the feathers were indistinct against her coat. Her tail drooped, and Rainbow Dash knew that behind the cloth of the blindfold, her pupils were reduced to pinpricks. Fluttershy scratched at one hindleg with the other.

Something was weird. It began as a strange taste in Dash’s mouth, but one blink later, the sunlight was too sharp, and the itching returned. Her smile faded, and now she wondered why she had smiled in the first place.

Dash looked around in bewilderment; at the thousands of pegasi she didn’t know who already cheered like they wanted their voices gone and; at the tiny cloud far below, the instrument of a stunt she’d cooked up during an idle moment this summer. A stunt she herself had never tried.

“Wait,” she said, frowning. She brought a hoof up to cover her eyes from the merciless sun. “This is all wrong. Wrong and stupid.” Fluttershy lay down now, hugging the cloud tight and still peering over its edge as though she could see through the blindfold, her blind eyes on the target, one long and daring dive beneath them. Fluttershy shook.

“If you really want me to try,” Fluttershy squeaked, clenching her eyes shut. She tried to spread her wings, and they trembled twice as much as her body. It was a miracle that her feathers didn’t fly off by themselves.

“But… I don’t?” said Dash. “What if I don’t?” she repeated. Why had she said all those things earlier? “I don’t want this at all. This is dumb! Let’s go home!”

“I guess I can try,” said Fluttershy. She swallowed and trained her sightless face on Rainbow Dash. Slowly, she stood. She spread her wings with painstaking effort, unfurling them a little, closing them half as much again, and then spreading them until they were on full display.

“How about no?” said Dash. She stepped in front of Fluttershy and put a hoof to her chest. “Jeez, just... calm down, okay? I don’t want you to do this, I didn’t ask—”

Fluttershy puffed out her cheeks and nodded. “You’re right. Even if I don’t want to, I really should try my best.”

“Fluttershy! Are you listening?!” Dash snapped. “I’m saying don’t do it! Stop!”

Fluttershy leapt. How she got past Rainbow Dash, Dash didn’t know, but one moment she smiled, the next she jumped off the cloud, tumbling, falling. Her wings shifted and flapped madly as she tried to control her fall.

The crowd cheered. Rainbow Dash didn’t think it was possible, but they were even louder now. Cheering for Fluttershy. This was what Rainbow Dash had wanted, wasn’t it? Could she pretend that she hadn’t wanted Fluttershy to jump? Could she honestly say that she hadn’t wanted to see it? Could she put a hoof to her chest and swear that this wasn’t her fault?

“You do know,” said Rarity. “You can be a little pushy.”

Rainbow Dash jumped after her, but she didn’t fly. She fell. She knew her wings were gone even before she leapt off the cloud, but what else could she do? She plummeted, faster than she’d ever fallen before, marvelling that she didn’t set off a cascade of sonic rainbooms in the process, but she couldn’t see Fluttershy any more. She tried to orientate herself, but when she looked to the horizon, she found that there was no such thing.

The sky and the ground, usually distinct, had become one, and without a point of reference, nothing made sense. Without anything to tell them apart, they were the same. She fell, and could she be sure she was Rainbow Dash? She was Fluttershy, and she fell screaming, having never wanted this.

And Rainbow Dash had no wings.

The bed itched, and the sun was in her eyes. Though a cool breeze blew through her cloud-home, she still felt awful.

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes. She thought they had been open. Or had she closed them twice, first? Whatever the case, she lay on her own bed, in her own bedroom. The faded Wonderbolts covers were rumpled, the nightstand drawer lay upended on the floor, and a hairband lay discarded at the edge of her carpet—the absurd little detail stuck out to her. Everything looked just the way it had the day she left for the train to Las Pegasus, except for a weird stone statue on her dresser by the door. She didn’t remember seeing it before, but then, she had tons of trophies and junk she didn’t think about much.

For a fleeting moment, she thought she really was back home. That now she was truly awake, back from a dream turned nightmare. She’d dreamt that she’d gone to a place called “Perytonia”, and now it was time to wake up. The entire day lay at her hooves. She’d just overslept.

Except everything was wrong. The sun was too sharp, and stabbed at her through the open window. The covers itched, and the bed poked at her with lumps that shouldn’t be there. It was her bedroom, Rainbow Dash’s bedroom for one pony, but the place felt desolate in a way nothing ever had before, as if emptiness could create an echo of feeling like a shout would create an echo of sound.

Rainbow Dash checked her sides, and found that her wings were where they were supposed to be. Her feathers were the same soft blue they had always been, but Fluttershy had fallen. Dash didn’t feel like spreading her wings. She didn’t feel like flying. She slipped off the bed and walked over to the nearest window, finding to her complete lack of surprise that there was nothing outside except open, empty sky. Usually, clear blue skies were the best possible view, but there was no ground, no horizon, no dividing line between above and below.

Idly, she wondered if Fluttershy had ever landed, but the fear had left her. She felt calm now, maybe because she was slowly coming around to the idea that this was a dream. Or, this, too, was a dream. There’d been more than one dream, but she didn’t know much about whatever existed outside the dream. This, too, she realised was normal. Strange, but normal. Just like the feeling of loneliness.

She lived here by herself. She always had, but right now, Fluttershy’s absence was the largest thing in the room.

She’d fallen. Why did Fluttershy jump? Or was the question “why did Fluttershy let Dash push her”? Why were they still friends? Were they still friends? She would never ask for fear that Fluttershy would say no—but what was the difference? Things had changed so much. Again she looked to the endless sky, the dizzying nothingness and everythingness blending together.

“Do not be alarmed,” said a familiar voice. Rainbow Dash went stiff, whirling around with her ears flat. Where the door to her hallway should be stood Princess Luna, darkening the entire section of the room. The dark-coated alicorn pony regarded her with apparent impassivity, but Dash had met her a few times in her dreams now. Though she couldn’t hear any apprehension in the Princess’ voice, Luna hadn’t made a fancy entrance, either. Maybe that meant something.

“You know, if you don’t want to ‘alarm’ ponies, sneaking up on them is pretty much the opposite of how you do it,” said Dash, letting out her breath again and smoothing out her mane. “And yeah. I know. Yadda yadda it’s a dream.”

Princess Luna walked to the centre of the room, her wings half-spread. Rainbow Dash waited and watched. It was soothing to watch the Princess move so unhurried, and the darkness she carried with her was balm to Dash’s eyes after the sharp sunlight.

“Seriously though,” said Dash, a little more quietly. “Just because you don’t say ‘boo’ or anything doesn’t—”

“We wondered,” said Luna, cutting her off. She turned on the spot, facing Rainbow Dash. “Before the last time we spoke, a scrap of paper materialised in sister’s study. It took us entirely too long to realise it was you who tried to use the dragonfire, but we received no letter with words of your location.”

“Yeah, I meant to tell you,” said Dash, flicking an ear. “I forgot. We dropped it.”

Luna raised a brow a smidge. “Those bottles were not made to break upon being dropped.”

“Dropped, rammed against a fortress in the middle of a storm, same thing,” said Dash, sticking out her tongue. “Listen—” she tried, but Luna went on.

“When we realised, sister and I discussed what to do. I spoke to her on the possibility of simply speaking through your dreams, but communicating with your friends would have been difficult. They would remember little upon waking without using more force than we wish, and you?” Luna paused, smiling at Rainbow Dash. It was an honest, sympathetic smile, the likes of which Rainbow Dash had seen in many ponies, but never before in Luna. “You,” said the Princess, “had important dreaming to do, and I was loath to interrupt.”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “What the hay does that mean? Important dreaming?”

Luna’s smile faded a little, and she walked over to the window where Rainbow Dash stood peering out at the empty sky beyond. There weren’t even any clouds. Just blue. “Do you mind if I change our scenery?” she asked, almost down to a regular speaking voice now. “I respect that this is of your making, but it is a little bright.”

“Knock yourself out,” said Dash, shrugging. The moment she’d spoken, Luna’s horn pulsed silver, and Dash yelped out in surprise when the world around them packed itself away, folding impossibly and disappearing. She nearly fell over, but realised just in time that the ground—of which there was none—was still solid. The next time she blinked, they stood in a darkened stone room.

Dark and simple stone contained a burning fireplace and windows beyond which a winter storm blew, and if there was a floor, all traces of it hid underneath carpets and pillows in muted colours. It all felt pleasantly cool, a temperature that came as a rare relief, though Dash did not know why, just like she couldn’t place why the stone walls bothered her.

“What I meant is what I said,” Luna continued, gesturing to a nearby table with a wing. She led the way, and sat on a mound of pillows, waiting until Dash did the same. “It is one thing to intrude upon a dream dreamt for pleasant nonsense or entertainment, inconsequential memories or repetition. Even less of an issue, I feel, to… visit the rare lucid dreamer whose mind is idle. It is another thing to disturb upon a pony who tries to process their private troubles before it is clear they need and wish my help.”

Rainbow Dash studiously avoided the Princess’ eyes, staring at the table instead. “Well, you’re here now, and I think we could all use your help,” she said.

Luna exhaled through her nose. “You are being willfully obtuse. I will say this: I have not peered into your dreams yet, and never would I without consent or obvious need, but I think you know you dream of unhappy things. We may leave it for now if you do not wish to speak of it.”

“Yeah, we have more important stuff to talk about,” said Dash, even though she didn’t know if that was strictly true. The dream she’d just had felt real. It felt now, much more so than the things that were not the dream—this fleeting sense of urgency she couldn’t explain, the vague idea that she needed to tell Luna something. “So, uh—”

Luna shook her head. “I am not done. I am explaining to you what has happened.”

“Right, okay,” said Dash, clearing her throat and tapping her forehooves against the pillows.

“The day came when in my curiosity, my desire to ensure the wellbeing of you three, and sister’s own concerns, were stronger than my own discretion,” said the Princess.

“Obviously. You’re here,” said Dash, tilting her head. “And that’s good, ‘cause—”

“This was days ago,” said Luna, her brow creased. “This time, it was I who sought you out. No more… whatever old magic it is that worked upon us before.” Her frown deepened and became a scowl. “But I could not find you.”

“Yeah?” Dash asked. Clearly Luna wasn’t going to listen until she was done talking, and besides, she suspected the ponies had issues finding themselves, so she sympathised—but Luna looked at her as though there was more meaning behind this. The Princess’ unblinking eyes bored into her. Forget all the creepy or weird peryton, Rainbow Dash had forgotten what it was like to have one of the royal sisters’ full attention. Her ears bent of their own accord, her heart beating a little faster.

“I should not be able to fail to find you, Rainbow Dash,” said Luna, her every word precise, as though this was Dash’s fault. Dash swallowed and nodded.

“Okay? I… I—heh, I don’t know what that means,” Dash admitted. She let out a helpless sound uncomfortably wedged somewhere between a snort and a laugh.

Princess Luna folded her wings and raised a hoof, the leg bent. For a moment, that was all she did, staring at her own hoof. “If the moon touches it, I see it,” she said. “If it is dreamt, I know it. I asked sister, and she agreed. We were both blind to you. I sought you out, and I could not find you. It was as though a great churning sea lay between us.”

“Uh, there is a sea between us,” said Dash, tilting her head. “Dunno if it’s ‘churning’, whatever that means.”

Luna sighed, giving her a flat look. “There are no seas of water in the realm of dreams, Rainbow Dash. This was different, but I think I may know why—yet tonight, as I drifted between the realms, guided by those who need me in their sleep, somehow I found you. It is as if though you are weighed down by an anchor. The disturbance is still here, but I have found you despite it. Even now, I sense that Fluttershy and Rarity are near you, your location worn into the fabric of dreams like a groove.”

“I think I know why that is,” said Rainbow Dash, trying to remember. The words, the explanation, it was all there, somewhere nearby, but she couldn’t reach it. She ground her teeth in rapidly mounting frustration. “I think we’re in trouble, actually—no, I know we are.”

Luna nodded slightly. “You may find that it is hard to separate the dream from your waking self, even moreso when you are… upset.”

“I’m not upset,” Dash said, though she knew it was a blank-faced lie. The harder she thought about the waking world stuff, the more the knowledge of what was wrong fled away from her. She traded one set of thoughts for another, forgetting whatever she just forgot, and remembering more and more of what she needed to remember. “We’re… stuck?”

The Princess rose to stand, walking around the table to stand over Rainbow Dash. The larger pony loomed, her expression severe.

“You are in true distress.”

“I think so, yeah,” said Dash, feeling a stab of apprehension. “Didn’t I use to be able to remember more of the other stuff? The awake stuff?”

“Like I said, it may be difficult when your dreams have a purpose,” said Luna. “Beyond that, you are an Element of Harmony who is also a lucid dreamer, and—if I may presume—a friend of the Princess of Dreams who visits. There are many factors, and the dreaming world is mercurial even at the best of times. Without the aid of the halls we trod the last few times we met, you have no help in bridging the gap between the sleeping and waking selves.”

“Can’t you help with that, since you’re the Princess of Dreams and all?” Dash asked. Help. The word stuck to her brain. She remembered that word. “I’m supposed to get help,” she said, scratching her head.

“Then we do what we must,” said Luna with a little sigh and a faint smile. “Celestia will be very disappointed if she learns of this. Let us keep it as our little secret.” With a complete lack of ceremony, her horn lit up in a shifting mass of blue and silver, and she leaned down to touch it to Dash’s forehead.

Rainbow Dash remembered everything. All at once, every thought and idea she’d had, all she knew mere hours ago returned. The memories didn’t rush back so much as they slapped the back of her head and were suddenly present again.

“We’re in prison,” Dash blurted. “We didn’t do anything—we got ambushed by a bunch of crazy peryton, and they got us all holed up in some cave! We tried sending for help but we have no idea if it’s gonna work, and we’re trying to get out but uhh—” she frowned as she thought. “I, uh. I dunno what else, but yeah, we could really use some help. I don’t know what you’ve got.”

Luna’s eyebrows rose, an open look of surprise on her face.

“Oh, and the whole dreaming thing!” Dash said, hopping up to stand on all fours. “That’s because of all the Selyrian statues.” She looked up and around, expecting to find some sign of a stone statue somewhere. “Thinking about it, they’ve always been around. Oh jeez, I get it now, Rarity’s right! Do you remember the first dreams? I thought the sky was weird, all stony, and that’s because the statues’ wings… I think the statues were always there. Am I supposed to remember the dreams I had like… a month ago? I—”

“Wait,” said Luna, her head jerking to the side.

“What?” said Dash, but Luna did not reply right away. Again her horn took on an odd sheen, a mixture of liquid silver and blues of all hues, and a moment later, she touched it to Dash’s forehead again, flashing impossibly bright without light at all, or eating the light without taking it away, un-bright and impossible. Dash’s eyes hurt though they had seen nothing. She felt cold, and her head throbbed as though she’d had too much ice cream.

“What?” Dash repeated, clutching her head. “Ow! What the hay did you do that for?!”

“You are waking up. I have bought us more time,” Luna replied.

“I just went to bed!” Dash retorted. “That’s not fair!”

The Princess shook her head briskly, clear and careful speech eschewed, words coming fast. “Time is not as it may seem here. Morning comes, but you are not awakening, you are being woken up. I have slowed it down—or rather, sped up this dream. The pain you feel is the cost. Tell me where—no, I know where you are. You are in the mountains near Perytonia.”

Rainbow Dash blinked, still rubbing at her temples. “We think so, yeah. How do you—”

“The mountain range near the coast on that continent and its denizens are known to me. I do not know why or how you are there, but I understand—”

“‘Denizens?’ You know the peryton in the mountains?” Dash interjected.

“No, not they and not now, but focus!” Luna said, frowning. “We do not have much time. You say you speak to me through some statue? A relic of… what? Will you be able to do this again?”

“A statue of Selyria. That’s you! Uh, or the Aspect that’s you,” said Dash, her head spinning. “I don’t know if I can keep the statue. Most of them are super afraid of you. Of Selyria. Whatever. I guess I’ll try to hide the statue or something?”

“They are afraid of me. Of course,” said Luna. Her face fell, and she exhaled softly. A moment later, the walls around them shook ever so slightly. “We are running out of time. I have never heard of ‘Selyria’, but if you are beyond the mountains, then this may be the only chance we have to speak. If you are in distress, you must tell me what you need, now.”

“That’s—ugh, this hurts,” said Dash, grimacing. Her headache got worse by the second, and now the floor shook as well. “That’s easy. We need to get out of the prison.”

“I do not know where you are,” Luna said, her voice coming out a hiss. She began pacing near the table, impossibly unaffected by the way the walls and the floor moved. “I cannot free you from a prison I cannot see. I need details—no, details will not help. I need an area. I can send someone to start looking—”

Rainbow Dash clenched her eyes shut. Her head felt like it would split apart. “Forget that,” she managed to say, raising her voice against the building roar of the violent tremors. “That’ll take forever! You can do anything, right?”

Luna snorted. “I can do much, but I cannot act upon a place I do not know unless you wish me to level all mountains in the world at once!”

“Right!” said Dash. A large crack appeared in the far wall. The fireplace collapsed. “We just need you to buy us some time or keep their attention while we get out, we can handle the rest. They got some freaky ideas about you and Princess Celestia. Can you like… give them a sign or something? They’ll go crazy.”

“A sign,” Luna repeated, her snout frumpled. “You say they fear me, I do not relish this—but they hold you hostage?” A section of the wall fell away entirely.

“Yeah! They think we’re working with you to do really bad stuff, but I’m telling you, we’ve got this! We just need a distraction!” Dash yelled. Nearby, the floor split apart, colourful pillows falling through into a pitch black abyss. She meant to take off, to hover, but she couldn’t. Her wings were green, and they were bound in iron.

“I don’t know what I can do without doing too much again!” Luna repeated. Now she, too, had to shout to be heard. “This is why we sent you!”

“What?” Dash snapped “What do you mean again?!”

“But,” said Luna, her voice drowning out the roar of the darkness as it reached its crescendo, “if they threaten you, on my word, a distraction you shall have.”

“Cool! How about to… night?” Dash said, her voice trailing off as she saw only darkness. Luna had gone. She blinked, and realised she had it all wrong. It wasn’t dark. Her eyes had been closed. At her side, Rarity and Fluttershy stirred, and on the other side of the bars, Koltares stood a safe distance away, the small stone statue in his magical grip.

“Where did you get this vile thing?” he asked, scowling with disgust as he turned it around, over and over, but he shook his head before Dash count mount a reply. “Don’t answer. Don’t talk. I can imagine. I will take this to the Guide. Someone will answer for this, but now is the Sunup Dance. I will return with water later.”

“What is going on?” Rarity asked, covering her mouth with a hoof as he yawned.

“Was that Koltares?” Fluttershy asked, blinking heavily while the stag’s tail-feathers disappeared around the corner.

“Yeah,” said Dash. “Who else?” The sunlight that spilled in through the shafts was sharp morning light. She got up, the chains rustling as they dragged along the floor. She stopped herself before she pushed and strained against them. And know that you’re never alone, she muttered to herself, trying to think of the song from yesterday to calm herself.The last thing she needed was to sprain her wings for no gain at all.

“Well?” said Rarity, slowly rising to stand, yawning again. She made for the last remaining bowl of water they had, taking a diplomatic two sips before she stepped aside.

“They took the statue,” said Fluttershy, frowning deeply

“It’s fine,” said Dash, waving a foreleg. “I got in touch with Princess Luna.” Even as she said it, even recalling all the confusion and the chaos around the dream with all the unpleasantness and the unanswered questions, she couldn’t help but grin. The mission was a success. Kind of.

“Oh, you did?” asked Fluttershy, breaking into a smile. “That’s wonderful news!”

“If you’re sure this wasn’t just a normal dream,” said Rarity, dipping her head in a nod.

“Nah, she’ll help,” Dash said. “I mean, I didn’t really get a chance to ask about getting home,” she admitted, her smile fading a touch. “But I guess we can deal with that later.”

Fluttershy and Rarity both nodded. “I think getting out of here is our primary concern,” said Rarity while Fluttershy turned to look over her own shoulder, apparently distracted by something.

“Twi’s gonna lose her mind,” said Dash, chuckling. “If this isn’t awesome planning, I don’t know what is. Anyway, yeah, I told her we needed a distraction or something, just like we said—”

Now Rarity turned as well, both she and Fluttershy staring at the light spilling from the shafts.

“—so we can bust out of here without them coming running, and okay, we didn’t… we, uh,” said Dash, her words faltering, fading along with the light from the shafts. At first she’d thought it was just a cloud passing in front of the sun, but now everything fell into shadow. “We, um, didn’t really talk about when we needed a distraction, ‘cause we were in a rush,” Dash finished with a sinking feeling.

The sunlight disappeared. Swallowed, as though somepony held a hoof in front of a tiny lamp, plunging their cell into near complete darkness, Fluttershy and Rarity reduced to outlines and the barest hint of light reflected in their eyes.

“And,” Dash went on, her ears wilting, “and we kinda still don’t know exactly how to get out, ‘cause we were still working on that, or waiting on that. So… that’s a problem.”

Fluttershy’s eyes were the size of dinner plates, staring, unblinking. Drifting in through the shafts or down the hall—she couldn’t tell—Dash heard faint yelling and screaming.

“You do realise,” said Rarity, her voice brittle, “we won’t get a second chance at this. Whatever is going on out there right now, they must realise it has to do with us. And they took the statue.”

Rainbow Dash swallowed.

“So, um... Is… your magic back?” asked Fluttershy, pawing at the stone floor. “Because… because I think we have to hurry. Probably. Hurry very badly, really.”

Rarity’s horn sputtered in response. The unicorn moved over to the bars with haste, and those innocent few steps, quickened by budding panic, set Rainbow Dash’s heart racing. Finally, the urgency of the situation hit her. In the sporadic light offered by sparks and random flashes of magic, Dash saw the unicorn’s teeth clenched, and she heard a hiss of pain. Once, a faint outline of blue started to form around one of the bags, but Rarity sighed and slumped a second later.

“Nn—ugh, no, I’m sorry. My magic really is recovering faster, but magical range does not come easy. I have a little—I can make light and such, but I can’t reach!”

“Okay, what do we do?” asked Fluttershy. A simple enough question. “What do we do?” she asked again, louder.

“Rainbow Dash, the door!” said Rarity.

“I can’t reach it,” said Dash. She moved as quickly as she could towards the metal door, yanking at the chain that tethered the iron links around her body to the bars. When she turned around, she could just barely touch the last vertical bar before the door-frame with an outstretched hindleg.

“Maybe you can try your magic again?” Fluttershy asked.

“It’s no use!” Rarity said. “Magic, yes, range no! Can you try the door?”

“I—I don’t know, I don’t think I’m strong enough to kick down an iron door—”

“We have to try something,” Rarity retorted. “It’s that, or give up and pretend we have nothing to do with this!”

Fluttershy licked her lips as though genuinely considering that option. The momentum and the flailing panic in the room halted. Rarity’s muzzle hung open, her brow knit in thought.

“No!” said Rainbow Dash, growling, and the force of that word set all eyes on her.

Sure, she’d had some bad dreams lately, and yeah, her relationship with Fluttershy was a little confusing and brittle at the moment, but Rarity was right: there would be no second chance. This was it. Now or never.

If that meant yelling, arguing and barking orders, if that meant shoving, pushing and kicking, then so be it. Whether she was any good at it didn’t matter: she was in chains, trapped, and she didn’t have anything else to offer, and Rarity and Fluttershy were Rarity and Fluttershy. Maybe that meant a lot more to Rainbow Dash than it did to them, but so be it. They were so much more than they thought, and if Dash had to be her absolute best or worst, her most disastrous or amazing to kick them into gear, then she would.

“Try again!” said Dash. She backed up and took aim for the lock securing her chain to the bars. She kicked out as hard as she could, wincing at the impact. The lock rattled uselessly. Rarity stared at her, as did Fluttershy.

“Come on! Try your magic!” Rainbow Dash said, aiming for another kick.

“I did try—”

“Then try again!” Dash interrupted her. “We only get one shot at this!”

Rarity rolled her eyes and her horn sputtered again. Dash’s kick did nothing. The lock and the chains were too loose, dangling in place.

“Fluttershy, can you hold the lock?” Dash asked. “Any animals around? Metal-eating termites?”

“No,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head quickly as she trotted over. “Um, I don’t know how… maybe if I hold it like this?”

“No, I’ll just hit you,” said Dash, growling in frustration. “This won’t work—”

“And this isn’t working either,” Rarity cried from the other side of the cell. “It’s useless!”

“No it’s not!” Dash shot back. “Try something else!”

“Do you want me to knit a way out of here!?” Rarity hissed.

“Try a different spell, maybe?” Fluttershy asked, still fiddling with the lock. It wasn’t about strength, Dash just couldn’t get a good shot at it, and Fluttershy couldn’t find a good angle either.

“I don’t have any other spells that can help, I’ve told you!” Rarity sighed and leaned against the bars.

“No, no, that’s it!” said Dash. She put her hindleg back down, giving up on the impossible lock. “Forget unicorn magic. Do the peryton spell!”

Fluttershy nodded quickly. “The peryton didn’t seem to be hurt by the magical stones. Maybe that helps? But we really do need to hurry,” she said, glancing up at the ceiling. Still all was dark, but it had also gone eerily quiet outside of their increasingly frantic quips.

“Body magic? I fail to see how that’ll help us,” Rarity said, frowning. “And besides, I’ve never successfully managed to cast that spell on myself, remember? I can’t—”

“You can! If you can’t cast it on yourself, then cast it on someone else!” Dash said, pawing at the ground. “C’mon, just try it on me and I’ll kick—”

“—open the door you can’t reach?” Rarity finished for her.

“Fluttershy, then!” Dash groaned, waving a leg in the air. “It doesn’t matter! Come on, hurry. Just use the body magic spell on Fluttershy, and she can kick the door open!”

“Again, I have never managed to cast it!” Rarity retorted.

“Um, and I don’t know if I can kick down that door, even with some spell,” said Fluttershy, licking her lips. “I’m not very good at … I mean, we don’t know...”

Rarity hesitated, shifting her stance a little, and Fluttershy shied away, backing up a step, glancing between Rarity and Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash’s breath came faster and faster, and in her friends’ eyes she saw the same panic that bubbled in her chest.

They just didn’t have time for this. And her friends were dead wrong.

“It doesn’t matter!” Dash snapped. “We’re out of time, and yes, yes you can, you can do it, both of you! Rarity, you always do your best work when you’re doing stuff for others, because you’re amazing like that, and I’m telling you, you can do this! Khyrast said that there was nothing stopping you except yourself, so just try. We need your best if we’re gonna make it out!”

Rarity took a deep breath, and stood a little straighter. Rainbow Dash rounded on Fluttershy, who backed up another step, her ears flat against her head. Dash tried to lower her voice a touch, to speak a little softer, but it came out a yell anyway.

“And Fluttershy, you always come through when we need you. Always! I need your wings right now—and your hooves. I need you to step up. We both do. You can help! You can make a difference!”

Fluttershy swallowed loudly enough to almost echo in the deafening silence that followed. She gave a nod, a tiny, tiny nod, but that would have to do. Rainbow Dash nodded back at her and nudged her towards Rarity.

“I can’t do anything from here. Come on, come on!” said Dash.

Rarity wasted no more time. She took two quick breaths and closed her eyes, holding out a foreleg, gesturing for Fluttershy to step close, and the pegasus did, letting Rarity hook a leg around her neck.

“Okay, let’s see,” Rarity murmured, while Rainbow Dash held her breath. “Let’s just… pretend I’m going to share a light spell, or use my own coat-brushing magic—”

The unicorn’s horn took on a light unlike her usual glow. The entire horn all the way down to her forehead shimmered with a wilder light than Dash was used to. Though it was faint, it reminded Dash of naked, flickering flames where Rarity’s usual light was the glow of a lantern.

Fluttershy nervously glanced over at Rainbow Dash. Dash said nothing. Her heart raced as she waited. This was their only shot. This had to work. No, this would work. Because Rarity was amazing. Because Fluttershy was awesome. She didn’t have room in her mind for doubt now.

“Alright… I have something,” said Rarity in a low whisper. A soft glow enveloped her hooves, winking in and out of existence at random. “Mm no, not for me,” she continued, her eyes clenched tightly shut. “If I just do this—”

Fluttershy blinked. Her hooves started glowing a faint but steady blue.

“That won’t do,” Rarity murmured. She bared her teeth and her horn glowed brighter, as though somepony had tossed kindling on the bonfire. “Come now, Rarity. Is that all you have? You can do much better.”

“Um,” said Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat as softly as she could. Should she say something? Should she interrupt?

“You can do much, much more, Rarity, dear,” the unicorn growled. The room lit up, first with a soft glow like moonlight, but rapidly heading towards bright daylight, and none of it came from the dead and dark air-shafts. The light around Fluttershy’s hooves grew as Rarity’s horn thrummed with light. Now it enveloped Fluttershy’s wings as well.

“Yo! Rarity! I think that’s enough!” Dash called. “Easy!”

Rarity’s eyes popped open, and she sucked in breath loudly. The light from her horn disappeared in an instant. She held a hoof to her head.

“Ack!” said Rarity. “I am alright! I am alright—and I don’t think I wish to repeat that, but… oh. Well, that’s quite something,” said the unicorn, stepping back, away from Fluttershy.

Where the bright light from Rarity’s horn had disappeared, the glow around Fluttershy’s hooves and wings remained. Not nearly as bright, but sheathed in a blue luminescence that glittered and gave the room an easy light. Fluttershy herself stood stock still, staring at her forelegs.

“It doesn’t match your coat at all,” said Rarity, her brow furrowed. “It’s the wrong shade. It needs much more green, closer to turquoise.”

“We’re not trying to be fashionable, we’re trying to escape,” said Dash, frowning at her.

“Yes, yes,” said Rarity. “But surely there must be a way to make it more opaque. The see-through does you no favours either—I appreciate the sequins, or glitter, if you prefer, but—”

“Fluttershy! You feeling okay?” Dash asked.

“I… think so?” said Fluttershy, raising a foreleg off the ground, waving it back and forth. The light left trails in its wake. “It feels a little strange, to be honest, but I think I’m fine.”

“Okay, cool,” said Dash, nodding briskly, “because we’re kinda still on the clock, remember! Can you get the door?”

“I’ll try,” said Fluttershy, all but galloping the few strides over to the door, pausing in front to stare at it.

“Just turn around and buck it as hard as you can, come on!” said Dash. She moved as close as the chain would let her.

“I… okay,” Fluttershy repeated. She turned her back to the door and kicked out with her hindlegs. Her legs moved absurdly fast, a blur as they impacted against the metal door with a loud crash that echoed down the hall. The door remained. Fluttershy gasped.

“If they didn’t know what we were doing before, anyone nearby can’t have missed that,” said Rarity, grimacing. “Let’s hurry now, dear.”

“I… I didn’t mean to kick so hard,” Fluttershy said, her eyes wide.

“Well, that’s kinda the point,” Dash retorted. “Go again! Harder!”

And so Fluttershy did. She kicked out, hitting the bars on the next kick, then the door again, each kick loud, each kick fast, but the door not budging.

“Come on Fluttershy! I can kick that hard without any magic or whatever. You gotta kick as hard as you can!” Dash said.

“I am!” said Fluttershy, her breathing laboured. Rarity stood next to the door, glancing at the portal leading out of the room every few seconds, and Dash was starting to feel nervous now, too. Any moment, they could be out of time.

“You’re not!” Dash retorted. “I know you can do better than that! Take a running start, just like Applejack does!”

“But what if—”

“You’re not gonna miss,” Dash said, staring straight at her. “You’re not gonna miss, you’re not gonna fall, and you’re gonna give it your all. You can take this door down. Trust me. You’re gonna kick it down and save our butts!”

Fluttershy backed up as much as she could. She’d barely get twice her length’s worth of run-up.

“And put your wings into it!” Dash added. “Remember what I did way back in Las Pegasus? Do a run-up, wings for speed, spin around and kick! Try that! You’re gonna need every last bit!”

Fluttershy didn’t use words. Her protest came in the form of a look that said but. But it’s too hard. But I don’t know how to do that. But everything. Dash didn’t quarrel, she just held Fluttershy’s gaze, waiting. Fluttershy spread her wings, strange, sparkling blue light-trails in each feather’s wake.

“Alright!” said Dash. “You—”

Fluttershy slammed against the door. Before Rainbow Dash could even finish her sentence, a yellow-blue blur rocketed ahead, one single wing-beat, a twist around, and the trail of a hoof swinging around. The metal door slammed open with enough force to throw it halfway off its hinges, the roar the the crash hurting Dash’s ears. Rarity yelped and backed away, a reaction so absurdly delayed that she seemed like she jumped in fright from the desultory creak of metal while the broken door settled halfway through a return swing, never to be shut again.

Rainbow Dash didn’t even bother fighting her laughter. She had goosebumps all over and her heart fluttered—until she realised she didn’t know what came next. The electric sensation that built up, coursing through her entire body, the jittery feeling from her friends’ successes—from her girlfriend kicking flank—everything reached a sudden and full stop.

“Okay, uh, so,” said Dash. She was still in chains. They didn’t know where the keys were, and they didn’t know where they themselves were, either. What now?

“Okay! Okay… so, let’s find Rainbow Dash’s keys,” said Fluttershy, quickly stepping out of the cell.

Rarity nodded briskly. “We’ll have to do that next. While we do that, Rainbow Dash, dear—can you make sure that we have all our things?” The two of them had all their saddlebags and the ohron within easy reach of Rainbow Dash before Dash could even react.

While Fluttershy’s ears bespoke her nervousness, she didn’t waste another second on fear. She barely acknowledged what she’d done, and both she and Rarity held their heads high. The door was down, and now they moved of their own accord, given momentum. Rolling. Flying.

“Swiftly now,” said Rarity, trotting over to the doorway. “We’ll be back in a moment, dear. Hopefully with the keys.”

“You’ll be okay, won’t you?” asked Fluttershy, nibbling on her lower lip, pausing by the exit.

“Just hurry,” said Dash, grinning. Just like that, the goosebumps were back. Fluttershy smiled and nodded quickly, disappearing out the door with Rarity, the two of them as amazing as Dash knew they could be, leaving Rainbow Dash grinning like an idiot, her body warm all over. She shook her head and nosed open the first saddlebag, trying to focus on the task in front of her.

Saddlebag full of clothing? Check. Sigil? Check. That one’s probably important.

Even in the darkness, it only took her a few minutes to make sure everything was there, right down to the old harness from their broken cart. By that point, she wondered if Rarity and Fluttershy shouldn’t have been back yet. Still no sounds from outside. She shouldn’t be surprised, of course—they couldn’t usually hear anything, but now, without her friends, the quiet seemed eerie, and sitting inside a cell when the door was open felt really dumb. She shrugged and opened the next set of saddlebags.

Weird antlers, weirder candy, jewellery and Fluttershy’s book, nothing was missing except the statue Koltares carried off—they’d even left the shessa-bread, which seemed no worse off. It surprised Dash until she realised they’d only been in here for a few days. Three days? It felt like forever. No more, anyway. She only had one bag left to check, one of her own. Yep, there was the rest of the water, some of Rarity’s dresses—and something else.

Dash squinted, pushing aside the winter scarves that had occupied the bottom of her saddlebags for most of the journey. Something lay beneath, and when Rainbow Dash saw it, she wondered if she hadn’t always known.

She’d packed her bags—or thrown the contents of her nightstand drawer into them, really—so long ago it seemed part of a different reality, but she’d never checked to see what actually went into them. Despite, part of her definitely always knew.

At the very bottom of her saddlebags, next to a calcified sandwich, a crumpled, dirty bandana and a broken-off quill with a tiny feather lay a thick, bright blue tailband. The tailband Fluttershy had given to her the week before the Summer Sun Celebration that brought the six friends together. A potent reminder of yet another disaster, another day where Dash had acted like an ass and hurt Fluttershy. Fluttershy’d probably made it for her as an apology, like she could apologise for Rainbow Dash mucking up. Because Fluttershy did that sort of stuff.

Dash put the scarves back on top. She heard hoofsteps galloping hard. No time for this anyway. She knew there’d be hay to pay for this later, but right now? Escaping. Not thinking. Pushing. Neither thinking about the consequences, nor about how good it felt to see Fluttershy pushing herself to the limit. She strapped the saddlebags shut just as Rarity rounded the corner, flagging. The unicorn came to a dead stop and leaned forward, catching her breath.

“What—where’s Fluttershy?” Dash asked, up on all fours in a second, heart hammering in her chest.

“She’ll be here,” said Rarity. “She’ll be here in a moment, she’s—she’s fine,” the unicorn said, hurrying into the cell and speaking between breaths. “We can’t find the keys. Koltares—Koltares must have them, but there’s no one anywhere inside this place. We looked everywhere.”

“Okay?” Dash asked, blinking, trying to calm down. “Okay. That’s good, isn’t it?”

“Yes and no,” said Rarity, shaking her head. “It’s not good if we want to get you free. Fluttershy had a plan, but she told us to see if we can manage without it. Are all our things there? The sigil? My jewellery and the masks?”

Rainbow Dash nodded quickly. “Yeah, it’s all there. Just missing the statue. Did you find it?”

“I didn’t see it, but we weren’t really looking for it,” Rarity admitted, opening her saddlebags. She fished out a small metal pin, frowned critically at it, and picked up a larger one.

“Right. That stinks,” said Dash. “We need it if we’re gonna get in touch with Luna up here.”

Rarity arched a brow, trotting over to Rainbow Dash and seizing the lock in her magical grip. She stuck the pin in and started twisting, rooting around as though it were a key. “How come?” she finally asked.

“I dunno,” Dash admitted. It was hard trying to keep still. No keys. “She said something about not being able to find us in our dreams, which is weird. This place is apparently really freaky.”

“I can attest as to that,” Rarity murmured. “Let’s see if we can’t get you free so you can appreciate the veracity of that particular fact for yourself.”

“The what?” Dash asked.

“We stuck our heads outside. It’s very, very ‘freaky’,” Rarity repeated, growling at the lock. She let out a cry of frustration when her pin snapped, levitating over her saddlebags to find another, slightly larger one.

“Hey, so, I believe you now,” said Dash, smilight slightly.

Rarity said nothing, staring intently at the lock. Again the pin broke.

Dash snickered. “No way you’ve escaped jail before if you can’t pick a lock.”

Rarity stared at her, blank-faced for a moment before she let out a burst of laughter uncomfortably close to Dash’s face. The unicorn covered her muzzle with a hoof and giggled. “I’m sorry,” she said, turning her snout up. “But I’ll have you know I am sure I could pick this lock if I had a bigger pin. You’re certainly taking this well, anyhow.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged and breathed deep. “Yeah, well, you don’t have to be Pinkie Pie to realise it’s better to laugh than, uh, well. Whatever else.”

“Mm, I don’t know that I find this situation particularly funny, though,” said Rarity, sighing. She let go of the lock. “I can’t do anything about this. If whatever Fluttershy’s planning doesn’t work, maybe it’s time we start considering what we’ll do if we can’t—”

“No,” Dash snapped. “Don’t even say it. Give it one more try, and if this doesn’t work, you two get out of here.”

“Mm, no, that’s not going to happen,” Rarity replied breezily, holding up a few more pins, none of them half as large as the one she’d just broken. “You’re wasting your breath. Neither Fluttershy nor I are going anywhere.”

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes for a second. She didn’t know whether she was grateful or angry, but she knew she Rarity was right. She knew that these stupid peryton were right too: nothing would make the ponies split up. Leaving a friend behind just wasn’t going to happen. When she again looked, Rarity stared at the doorway with ears perked, and now Dash heard it too.

Hoofsteps, but only two of them—a half-set like peryton hooves. Was that a peryton? Dash tensed up. Had they finally run out of time? There were no claw noises in between the hooves. What the hay made that particular noise? Those two legs sure were moving fast.

Neither of them had time to speculate or worry. Mere moments later, a particularly dark and angry cloud squeezed through the doorway, followed by Fluttershy who pushed it along with her magically glowing forelegs. The cloud rumbled ominously, and Fluttershy wiped her brow, the pegasus soaked with both rain and sweat, breathing hard.

“What in the name of all things good is this for?” asked Rarity.

Rainbow Dash blinked. She would’ve settled for the first word of that sentence.

“Lightning,” said Fluttershy, leaning against the wall to catch her breath, but she was moving again a second later, shoving the cloud through the shattered doorway of their cell.

“Lightning,” Rainbow Dash repeated.

“Yes,” said Fluttershy, nodding once. “A lightning bolt should take the lock off.”

Rarity gasped. “That sounds dangerous, dear!”

“It is,” said Fluttershy—because it was. “It’s very dangerous. Can you hold the lock?”

“It’s more than just dangerous, it’s crazy,” said Dash, nodding matter-of-factly, but more than being afraid or worried, she wanted to laugh. Laugh not because it was ridiculous, but because it was amazing. If she didn’t zap Dash’s wings off or set her on fire, it could work. “Where the hay did you get all these clouds? Did you pack this one yourself?”

Fluttershy nodded quickly. “I grabbed all the clouds I could see nearby. I was lucky. There were some low clouds right outside, but we have to hurry! I think they might have seen me, and I don’t know if I did everything right—”

“Close up the side there,” said Dash, pointing. “Take it closer, I’ll help. We just need to poke a small hole in the bottom. Rarity! Is your magic back at all?” She flung open her saddlebags, grabbing their winter scarves and some other cloth-stuff. “Can you get these under the chains to protect my wings? Oh, and if they catch fire, can you… make them not be on fire?”

Setting everything up took less than a minute. Fluttershy more than pulled her weight and helped as she and Dash packed the cloud even tighter, making it the tiniest, angriest cloud Dash had ever seen. The pitch-black little thing was barely bigger than Dash herself, and so heavy it started to leak, needing a push to stay aloft even before it began to rain. It didn’t rumble, it roared.

Rainbow Dash poked at the bottom of the cloud. Just a tiny poke to give the energy a way out. Immediately it started pouring out water. Rarity held the padlock as far away from Dash’s body as she could. She had to stand right next to Rainbow Dash, her horn sputtering and crackling with the effort of even that. The unicorn’s face was set in a perpetual wince.

“Hit it!” said Dash. They’d been out of time for a long while now. She swore she could hear sounds down the hall—but then, she’d told herself that many times now already.

Fluttershy took a deep breath. She hovered with perfect precision inside the cell, her wings leaving trails of light whenever they flapped. Now she hesitated.

“Fluttershy, come on!” said Rainbow Dash. She’d set this in motion, she’d given them all a great big shove, and she refused to believe that Fluttershy would choose this moment to falter.

“I know, I know, I just, um,” Fluttershy hung in the air, reluctant, given a moment to think. “I don’t want to hurt you if this goes wrong, but—”

“I need you,” said Dash, locking eyes with her.

That did the trick. No words could have more effectively kicked Fluttershy back into action, and Fluttershy herself kicked, too. Her hindleg struck out, connecting with the cloud.

Everything went white, searing Dash’s eyes, and then everything turned black, blotting out all in existence. All sound disappeared, stolen away not by any one noise, but by a pain in Dash’s ears, a great ringing and throbbing in her skull. Her side felt uncomfortably hot, and then a great weight fell away. Even before she could see again, she knew what this meant. Rainbow Dash spread her wings, feeling her primaries meet at the top, her feathers forming a halo around her body.

The absurdity and the awesomeness, the wonder and the madness of Fluttershy’s plan, and of everything Fluttershy and Rarity had pulled off so far all magnified the sheer pleasure of spreading her wings. For a dazed few seconds, her friends and her wings were all that was real, and in that moment, nothing could be better. Vaguely, she noticed Rarity stomping to put some fire out while also re-packing her saddlebags, a lighter, more familiar weight settling on Dash’s back a second later. Somepony slung an ohron about her neck. Fluttershy waved and pointed, her muzzle moving, but no sound came out.

The thundercloud scattered, spent. Dash kicked the chains for good measure, the chain between her body and the bars now useless, now only attached to the links around her body which fell away. She stepped away from all the iron chains and bars, past the broken door. In strange, ear-pounding silence, she followed her friends at a swift canter. With their hoof-steps muffled, they might as well have been floating. The simple stone hallway seemed absurd after so many days of seeing nothing but their little room. Unpolished stone and a single torch. A key on a hook, just like Rarity had suspected—unneeded now.

On their left, they passed another room just like theirs, but this one was no prison. In their neighbouring room were stacks upon stacks of barrels and crates of some bright type of wood. An open barrel by the doorway showed their contents: dried fruit. They’d been imprisoned in a storage house of some kind. Next room, same thing. Food.

Finally they left the hallway behind, entering a room with furniture that looked out of place. Two simple cots rested alongside a wall, and a table, a desk, and various other knick-knacks were scattered more than arranged. Opposite of where they entered waited a doorless opening through which spilled an odd, muted light that was neither daylight nor moonlight, but Rainbow Dash could see sky. The outside. And in that opening, two peryton who seemed just as surprised to see them.

One turned and yelled something over his back—or so Dash assumed. She couldn’t hear him. The other pointed to the ponies. Maybe she said something, too. It didn’t matter. Dash didn’t recognise either of the peryton, and she had her wings back. It was Dash’s turn.

Rainbow Dash soared towards them, upsetting the flimsy desk in the center of the room with the sheer force of her passing. The peryton barely had time to react before Dash arrested her movement half a stride in front of them. She braked hard, bringing the wind under her wings full-force against them. Her feathers were eager to do something, to do anything, and so the third wingbeat Rainbow Dash had taken in days sent the peryton tumbling out the door with a blast of air. Dash waved Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash on.

“Let’s go!” she shouted, but she could barely hear herself. Rarity and Fluttershy put their heads down and galloped for the door, and Dash paused only to make sure her saddlebags would stay well out of the way of her wings before she stepped outside.

Perhaps it was only owing to their captivity that the light didn’t scare Rainbow Dash. After being stuck in a cave where the difference between day and night was vague at best, the muted sunlight was merely weird. High in the sky, the sun hung just past its zenith, nearly perfectly covered by a blackened orb. The moon blotted out the sun, and only a thin circle of light escaped its cover, a luminescence that seemed to belong to neither moon nor sun. Dash couldn’t tell whether it was light or dark out, but what light there was fell upon a strange scene.

They stood at the top of a small hill, and all around was a forest the like of which Rainbow Dash had never seen. Broad-leafed and dark trees with tall, segmented trunks that should never carry the weight of their crowns, humongous ferns and a staggering variety of colours and shapes all blended together and covered the world. To their sides, and in the distance, everywhere around them were the cliff-faces of mountains. When she looked at the gray rock, she could see nothing else, and it was a wonder that the sun and the moon could find them here at all. They stood at the foot of, and amongst the giant mountains of the Bow, all steeped in a light that was not light, a darkness that was not dark.

Everything was jungle, and everything was mountains. The sheer scale of it confused Dash at first. She thought they’d come from a cave dug into a mountaintop, but the storehouse was set in a pebble of a rock. The little stony thing jutted out from the top of the hill like the stones stuck in the Perytonian roads. Compared to the nearest mountain walls, it didn’t even register.

They weren’t even in the jungle, either. Down a dark soil path studded with logs in place of steps were sturdy wooden houses half-hidden by the canopy of the jungle, all shadowed by great leaves. From what she could see, their little hill stood in the middle of the Morrowsworn village. She could kick a rock and hit one of the wooden houses built between the trees, all sturdy, some small and some large, and a few of them painted with muted colours made darker still in the twilight. The two peryton she’d blasted out the door ran down the path as fast as they could, heading for a clearing a small ways off, past the nearest buildings.

A clearing. With all the rock and jungle around, Dash had a hard time believing a truly clear space could exist even as she looked at it, but there it was. A plaza of sorts, dominated by a large stone orb on a pedestal. It seemed that the entire Morrowsworn village was in attendance. Rainbow Dash couldn’t see a single peryton anywhere else.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t tell exactly what was going on. Rather than gather around the orb at its center, the peryton crowd made two large groups, surrounding, shouting, arguing and pointing at someone in their midsts. In the center of one of the groups, Dash caught the golden glint of something about the neck of a familiar stocky peryton. Caldesseia. In the other group, three tall, two-legged birds with long necks and longer legs were surrounded. More peryton yelled, pointing at the sky and the faint ring of colourless light stuck at the top of the sky.

“We should probably go,” said Fluttershy. Both her and Rarity’s eyes were on the same chaos.

“Absolutely, but where?” asked Rarity.

“Right,” said Dash, her right foreleg sticking out towards what her snout told her was something west-ish. It didn’t matter. Jungle everywhere. They just had to get away. “We’re going to the right, because—”

“You’re going nowhere!”

She hadn’t even finished her sentence, didn’t even get a chance to explain how going to the right always worked out before Koltares came running along a small path circling the craggy rock that topped their hill. Behind him were five other peryton, and Dash recognised most of them as peryton who’d guarded them when they were taken out of the cell for relief.

“If before I had doubts, I have none now,” Koltares declared. The other peryton slowly spread out, circling around them in the meager tree-less space around the entrance. “You are a menace. I will see you back inside—Atrys, be on guard for this one!”

“Really?” Dash asked taking a step forward. “You really wanna do this?”

“I have no more cause to fear you,” Koltares retorted. He didn’t step up to match Dash, but he stood his ground, gesturing to the sky. “I see now what you are. You bring the darkness. The guide was right in what she first said, but she has been too lax, too kind!”

Dash grinned. “I don’t care if you ‘fear’ me or not. If you think I’m all you have to worry about, you’re dead wrong. C’mon, back me up here, guys!” She glanced over at Rarity and Fluttershy, the former of which frowned, the latter with her ears drooping.

“Rainbow Dash is quite right. Thank you for your hospitality, truly, but we don’t wish to avail ourselves of it any more,” said Rarity, her eyes half-lidded with dismissal.

“It would be very nice if you could let us go, really,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head. “We’re going to leave anyway. I don’t think we’re going back in there no matter how nicely you ask, I’m sorry.”

Dash sighed. “Yeah, okay, we’re gonna have to work on the delivery, team, but we’re outta here anyway. Move.”

Koltares didn’t move. He spread his wings, still neither backing away nor moving any closer, he and the others forming a loose pen around them. One of them was in the air, flying in great big circles, and now Dash understood why they didn’t move in. Down by the plaza, a huge number of peryton were taking wing, flying towards them and closing fast with great big strokes of their powerful wings. Distant shouts became not-so-distant shouts.

“They’re playing for time!” Dash said, unfurling her own wings with a rustle and a snap. “No time for talking, we’re going now.”

“How—” Rarity began to say, but she spoke to an empty space that no longer contained Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash shot towards the nearest peryton, banking right at the last moment. She flapped her wings frantically, turning tight circles until the wind followed and obeyed, setting off a twister. With a kick, she sent the tiny tornado—with its screaming peryton passenger—down the path. Another peryton flew towards her with forelegs outstretched, and Dash hovered in place, pretending not to notice until the last minute.

She packed her wings and let herself fall for a half-second, ducking under and dropping closer to the ground, out of reach, forcing the clumsy peryton to make a long turn to come around again. She was too busy congratulating herself with the clever move to notice the peryton below her with antlers glowing. One of Dash’s wings seized up, grabbed in a sheath of magic. She nearly lost her saddlebags as she overbalanced, but before Dash fell, the glow scattered and Rainbow Dash was free again.

“Don’t touch her, you scoundrel,” Rarity snarled, her horn not only glowing, but crackling menacingly, a singularly bright point in the unreal twilight, and a second later, Fluttershy zoomed past Dash, Rarity’s magic upon her body leaving glittering trails like star-stuff in her wake. She swooped around the nearby trees, and the peryton chasing her lost his nerve, crash-landing softly into some ferns.

“Hey, watch out!” Dash called. Already the peryton who’d tried her magic on Dash advanced on Rarity instead. Rainbow Dash soared over her head, dragging as much air with her as she could, sending the peryton sprawling. She landed at Rarity’s side at the same time as Fluttershy returned to her side as well.

“Awesome work, guys!” Rainbow Dash shouted, grinning. Dash could’ve never done this alone. And she didn’t have to. She knew that, but every so often she needed to be reminded, learn that anew. Rarity’s horn lit up, scattering another attempt at magic from an encroaching peryton.

“Don’t waste my time,” said Rarity with a huff. “Your magic is woefully inelegant, you should know.”

“So, um, speaking of time, we’re all out,” said Fluttershy, pointing down the road, and Dash saw what she meant right away. By Dash’s own count they should’ve already dealt with all the peryton, but the first reinforcements had already arrived, and more came running up the path or soaring in from above by the second.

“Okay, enough fooling around,” Dash said. “Follow me!”

There were too many peryton in the air to fly over the cordon. Dozens of wings passed by overhead, dark shapes against the twilit sky. If there was no way out, they’d just have to make one, and the path Koltares and his cronies had followed was the least guarded by far. Only Koltares himself blocked their way now, his wings spread and his stance wide. Even now, another three ran to support him. Their window was closing, and fast. They’d have to be faster. No stopping. No breaking. No thinking. Going. Doing!

Rainbow Dash didn’t look back to see if the others followed. She knew they would. She ran, then took to the air flying as low as she could, ducking when an airborne peryton nearly clipped her. She put herself on a collision course with the grumpy stag, flying straight towards him. “Hey, Koltares! Let’s play chicken!” she shouted.

Koltares’ antlers glowed in response. They barely had time to brighten, magic still forming when a flash of light from Rarity somewhere behind Rainbow Dash signalled the end of that tactic. His antlers went dead and his eyes narrowed, his grimace sourer than ever. Rainbow Dash sped up. Closer and closer, faster and faster. He’d have to move or get a hoof to the chest. Dash grit her teeth, flipping mid-air to soar hindleg-first. Don’t make me do this. Don’t make—oh snap, don’t do that either!

Rainbow Dash arrested her momentum, whipping up wind as she braked. Koltares presented his antlers. His large, pointy, all too sharp and hurty antlers. Dash barely managed to stop in time, Koltares lowering his head further and digging his claws in to weather the blast of wind.

When Dash tried to move around him, Koltares shifted to match. When she went left, so did he. She tried to run past him on the right or get around him, he moved to follow, and his reinforcements closed fast. One of them leaped a fallen log, their steps thundering on approach, and Koltares denied them passage. They were down to seconds, with no way through—until another shape hammered into the peryton stag from the side.

Fluttershy was reduced to a green blur, Rarity’s magic and her own coat blending together. Only the trail from her wings described the impossible turn she’d made, absurdly sharp to avoid the peryton above and suddenly come zooming in from the side. Koltares tumbled talons over head, rolling away from Fluttershy who hovered where he had stood a second ago, rubbing her sparkling forehooves together and wincing—probably on his behalf more than her own. Rainbow Dash wasted no time, pointing past the fallen peryton, raising her voice.

“Keep going!” Dash shouted. She didn’t have time to explain, and she didn’t need to. Fluttershy would know what to do. Dash turned on the three peryton who finally came to Koltares’ aid, and before they could get in the way, Rainbow Dash whipped up a small, quick and dirty twister, kicking it off towards them.

Fluttershy soared past Dash, flying low with Rarity on her back, but Dash stayed put for a moment longer. One of the peryton dodged the twister, running over to Koltares who was beginning to get up. Rainbow Dash growled. Behind them came more peryton, five for every one already dazed and fallen. It seemed the whole village closed in on them, but Koltares and this one lone peryton were close enough that they could be a problem.

“Go,” said Velysra, planting a talon on Koltares’ antlers before he could get up, pinning the stag to the ground.

Or not. Rainbow Dash briefly locked eyes with their erstwhile jailer, but she had no idea what went on beyond those small, dark eyes—or any idea what was going on in general now, really. Only now did she notice that not all the approaching peryton were in a mad dash after them. Some slowed down. Some held back others. Some pointed to the sky and stared at the ponies with open mouths.

“Go now,” Velysra repeated, shouting over the growing din of yelling, fighting, and Koltares’ strained grunts as he tried to stand.

And so Rainbow Dash went. Her wings spread anew, she soared off and away without a backwards look. The path near the rock face circled a quarter of the way around, then dove down the hill, and Rainbow Dash set off after Fluttershy.

She didn’t check to see if they were being followed. She couldn’t spare the quarter of a second it’d take. Either she’d gotten rusty from her time chained up, or Fluttershy had gotten faster. Rainbow Dash worked her wings hard as she chased a faint trail of blue down a dark soil path. The ohron slapped against her chest every now and then, the strap too loose.

The path flattened out. Buildings passed by on either side in a blur. Plants, walls, stalls, wider roads—everything zoomed past and below, blurred by tears brought on by the sheer speed, but still she only caught glimpses of Fluttershy ahead. The other pegasus’ flight was graceful and meticulous to Dash’s own frenzied wingbeats, but still carried her along with amazing speed as they flew low above empty streets.

They passed through a large, open gate and tall wooden palisades. Out of the town. Town or village? It couldn’t be very large. Now, Dash caught up bit by bit, chasing Fluttershy’s passenger rather than Fluttershy herself. Rarity’s faint and flickering horn-glow acted as the guiding light through a jungle suddenly darker and denser than the Khosta at its worst, and in shadow as though it were night. Darker, denser, and nothing like it.

Rainbow Dash dodged thick vines and punched through broad, soft leaves that hung like clothes out to dry, roots awkwardly far off the ground, branches precipitously low, trading places and mingling to the point where they couldn’t be told apart. Where Fluttershy picked her path deliberately, Dash folded her wings to shoot through narrow openings if she saw a chance. Finally, Dash drew level with her. The light changed, suddenly a little less dark. Maybe the sun was back. This deep in the jungle, in the haste of it all, Dash couldn’t tell for sure, but she thought she saw sunlight. Rarity kept her horn lit anyway, and Dash was glad of it.

No signs of pursuit, but they kept going. None of them spoke for the longest time. At some point, they were no longer fleeing, they were simply flying, and Rainbow Dash didn’t want to say anything. Time stretched, morphed, like a ball of rubber bands stepped upon. Finally they came to a small river, and it made sense to stop: it was the first thing that had happened in however long they’d been flying, the only thing that felt real enough to serve as a marker. Fluttershy sailed over the slow-flowing, gently clucking waters, overgrown and rife with some form of lily pads, and Dash landed next to her. The two pegasi touched down by the water, kicking up moist soil as they came to a stop.

Rainbow Dash had barely landed before she hovered up again, punching the air.

“Take that, you hay-brains,” she shouted, turning back to the river and sticking out her tongue. She grinned wide, relishing the sweet ache from her wings, the way her legs protested even when she landed.

“Darling, to use Velysra’s own words, we fought bakers and toymakers,” Rarity retorted, sliding off Fluttershy’s back. She stretched out her legs and tapped her own horn, frowning at it as though it had misbehaved. “I’d hardly call that a great victory.”

“Yeah? Well, I—” Dash said, her words hitching. She sighed. “You gotta take the fun out of everything, don’t you?” She shook her head, loosening her saddlebags a little. They were uncomfortably tight on her body, and she was pretty sure she’d clipped a branch at some point. “Hey, Flutter—whoa, Fluttershy!”

The other pegasus had stood still ever since they landed, her head hanging low, and Dash figured she was just tired, but now she swayed with her eyes closed. Rainbow Dash trotted over to her just in time to catch her as she fell. The yellow mare toppled onto her side as the last vestiges of the magic sheathing her body fell away, and Rainbow Dash lay down to catch her, softening her fall.

“Darling! Are you okay?” Rarity cried, rushing over to sit at Fluttershy’s side. She had one of their water-bags out in a flash, holding it with her still unsteady magic. Rainbow Dash gently let Fluttershy down to the ground and reached out to hold a hoof to her side, leaning in close.

“I’m fine, I’m sorry,” Fluttershy croaked. “I didn’t mean to worry you, I’m just a little tired.” She drank as best as she could when Rarity held the water-bag to her muzzle, most of the water spilling onto the ground.

“A little tired?” Dash asked, incredulous. “You fell over!”

“Okay, very tired,” said Fluttershy, forcing a smile, pushing the water away.

“And no wonder,” said Rarity, scowling. “You’ve absolutely over-exerted yourself. You flew like a phoenix, dear, I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“You did,” said Dash, frowning at that. “You flew like crazy, with Rarity on your back, and nearly all of our stuff, too! What the hay gives?” She knew Fluttershy could fly, but she hadn’t—or rather, shouldn’t—expect Fluttershy to fly like that. She simply hadn’t considered it in the heat of the moment. “Was that your magic?” she asked, turning to Rarity.

“Well, I imagine some of it was,” said Rarity, her scowl fading, morphing into concern. “I—I never knew… It was supposed to strengthen the body, but I never expected it to be quite so drastic!”

“It’s not your fault,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head with a little more energy. “And I’m fine, honest. I just feel tired. Like I really want a nap. And… maybe some food. Do you think I could have—”

“I’m on it,” said Dash, working the straps of Fluttershy’s saddlebags before she could even finish the sentence. She tugged Fluttershy’s bags off her body, gently rubbing her side with one hoof while she dug out some of their shessa-bread with the other.

“Well, I still feel awful,” Rarity muttered. “I suspect I may have overdone it.”

“Forgive you for what? For helping us save our butts?” Dash asked, snorting. Now that she was sure Fluttershy was going to be okay, she couldn’t get quite so worked up about it. She broke off some bread and put it on the ground in front of Fluttershy, grinning. “You were awesome. Both of you. If anyone’s to blame, it’s Khyrast. He should’ve told you about this!”

“Do you know, I think I agree,” Rarity said with nod. “That is simply not acceptable. This could’ve been dangerous.”

Fluttershy chewed and swallowed, frowning at Rarity and Rainbow Dash both. She spread her one free wing experimentally and closed it again “I don’t think that’s fair. I’m fine, and he never told you it could be used on others. Or what he thought it would do to a non-peryton. He was very nice in teaching you that spell—but, um… I think I’d be okay with not doing that again anytime soon.”

“Absolutely agreed on that, at least,” Rarity muttered.

“I hear you,” Dash agreed with a snort. She put her own saddlebags next to Fluttershy’s, and helped Rarity out of hers, the three sitting close together while Fluttershy ate and drank, sharing the water and refilling the bag in the river to drink again.

“At least the sun is back,” said Rarity at length. Over the river, the canopy broke and gave a clear view of the sky. The sun shone as bright as ever, and now that the adrenaline left her body, Dash felt the heat settle over her in full. Again. Hotter and wetter than ever. She’d probably started dripping the moment they began flying, but only now did she notice.

“I’m so happy I could melt,” said Dash, deadpan. At least the sun was normal. She hadn’t been sure earlier, but now she had decided: whatever the weird peryton here seemed to think, the freaky twilight wasn’t scary.

“You know, I don’t think escaping while the sun and the moon went all strange helps us look like we’re good ponies,” Fluttershy mused out loud. She still hadn’t moved since she lay down, resting on her side.

“I don’t care about our case. They can think whatever they want,” Dash said, her snout frumpled. “I care about getting out of here.”

Which meant doing stupid stuff. Which meant doing reckless, scary and dangerous stuff, and pushing themselves to the limit, apparently. Rainbow Dash simply didn’t have the luxury of thinking about how much of a disaster this was, right now—of thinking about good it felt to not think about that.

Dash reached out to touch Fluttershy’s withers while she dug around her own saddlebags to see if she could find something edible there, carefully avoiding looking at the tailband that lay at the bottom. Fluttershy smiled back at her with all the brightness in the world, nuzzling her hoof despite her tiredness.