Cold wind whipped past Dawn Wings’ head as she soared high above a beautiful sea of conifers, lakes and granite outcrops. All around her, thick, fluffy clouds filled the sky, creating a mosaic of beautiful light and shadows on the landscape below, as the crip, clean air of the High Sierra Nevada filled her nostrils and lungs. Banking, she dove down, weaving through limber pines and cedars, skimming the surface of rivers in their canyon canals.

‘I missed flying here so much.’ She thought to herself as she wove around another bend, savoring the beauty of the decaying granite cliffs on either side of her and all of the luscious vegetation lining the valley. Feeling an updraft coming up ahead, she prepared herself and flew into it, allowing the column of air to shoot her up into the sky and out of the canyon. Banking her body, she turned sharply and fell out of the updraft and dove back towards the river below. Pulling out of the dive, she skimmed the surface of the water, before climbing again and flying back towards the south.

‘I haven't felt this good in… weeks!” Dawn Wings croaked as she soared higher. ‘All that’s missing is…’

‘What’s missing Wings.’ A voice said from beside her. Turning her head, she spotted the familiar form of a handsome raven flying next to her.

‘Cloud Chaser!’ Dawn Wings practically cried as she banked towards him, tears of joy starting to form in her eyes ‘Oh Gaia, you have no idea how much I missed you.’

‘I have an idea…’ He said warmly. ‘Say, I found fresh jackrabbit carcass near a big patch of desert peaches to the south. How about we head over before the other birds show up and decide to take all the goodies.’

Dawn Wings’ face lit up like a sunrise.

‘Cloud Chaser, you sweet talker you. You know just how to woo a girl right, you know that!’ She said as she flew closer and brushed the tip of her wing feathers against his.

‘I try.’ He said, flashing her a cheeky look before banking off. ‘c’mon, it’s this way.’

Just as Dawn Wings adjusted her wings and began to follow, she felt a presence. Not a threatening one. Rather, a calming, ancient presence that soon filled the world with cool air and the scent of myrrh. Before her eyes, Cloud Chaser’s form faded away, as did the mountains and open, sunny sky. In their place, an ocean of navy blue clouds materialized as the sky shifted into a vast starscape, and the sun was replaced by a massive, silvery moon.

“Dawn Wings. Attend us.” A familiar voice called out from behind.

The reality of her current situation slammed into Dawn Wings like a semi-truck. She was asleep and dreaming. And that meant that…

‘Gaia’s stony crevasse and magma spewing tits, you couldn’t wait until the morning, could you, you fucking horse!? Oh no, instead of letting me have just a few minutes with my Cloud Chaser, you had to come barging in!’ Dawn Wings swore in her mind as she banked and headed towards princess Luna. ‘What the hell do you want!?’

As she approached, a black branch with silvery leaves emerged from the clouds, giving Dawn Wings a place to perch. Her irritation not abating, she landed on the limb and regarded the lunar incarna.

“Hello princess. What can I do for you?” Dawn Wings said, doing her best to keep her tone even.

“Good night, Dawn Wings. We apologize for intruding on your dreams in such a way, but we are afraid that we and our sister felt that this could not wait.” Princess Luna said, though her tone was far from apologetic.

“Well, what can I do for you? Have a problem deciphering my last report?” Dawn Wings said, “I can understand that. Corax ciphers can be hard to decode if you’re not used to them.”

“We were not involved in deciphering your message, so you need not worry about that.”

“Good to know. Delegation is important when you need something done right and its something you're not competent in.”

Luna narrowed her eyes at the corax, before pushing forward.

“Your poor attitude aside, we wish to inform you that we are going to move on the changelings tomorrow to rescue our ponies. We wanted confirmation that you will not take part in the operation.” Luna growled.

“Wait, wait, wait… hold on? You’re just going to bust in and raid the place?” Dawn Wings said with a furrowed brow.

“Indeed. Our priority is to rescue our citizens and drive the changelings out of Ponyville. We believe you have provided us with enough to do both. I trust you have no issue with this course of action.” Luna said.

“Do you want my honest opinion here moon-butt, or do you just want me to tell you what you want to hear?” Dawn Wings said with narrowed eyes. “Because, frankly, they’re about as far from the same thing as this place is from having good internet.”

“Watch your tone Dawn Wings. Our sister may have shown you leniency earlier, but that was not a permanent arrangement, particularly with us.” Luna said as she lowered her face and glared at Dawn Wings. “You will speak to us with respect, lest you incur our ire.”

Dawn Wings’ returned the princess’s glare, but she knew that there was no contest here. Luna held all of the cards, no matter what Dawn Wings would have liked. Bowing slightly, Dawn Wings replied. “Of course princess. Please, forgive me.”

Luna rose back to her full height, continuing to glare down at Dawn Wings. “Very well. Now, why do you object to our attempts to rescue our ponies?”

“Do you want my honest opinion?”

“So long as you remember your place and speak respectfully.” Luna sneered.

“Okay. Frankly, I think you’re being rash and not looking at the long term. You go in there and flush out the ticks? Great, you’ve pushed them out of Ponyville. But, you’re only benefiting yourself in the short term.” Dawn Wings replied, forcing her tone to be respectful. “If the ponies the ticks are holding will survive for a little while longer, why just cut off the tip of the snake's tail when you could cut off its head.”

“What are you getting at.” Luna cooly replied.

“Look, what happens to a snake when you cut its head off? It dies. Drive the ticks out now, and how long before they come back again? But find their queen, and take her out of the picture permanently, and what happens to the rest of them? My guess, they’re going to be much easier to deal with. Give me a little more time, and I’m sure I can figure out where she’s hiding. Then you can go in and remove her… permanently.”

Luna regarded her for a moment.

“You would suggest leaving our ponies in the hands of the changelings for longer than necessary on the chance that you might be able to find where Chrysalis is hiding?”

“With all due respect, your highness, this is a small price to pay in the short term for a potentially massive long term payoff. Please, just give me more time.”

“I’m sorry, but this is not a discussion. We will be rescuing our ponies, with or without your aid.”

Dawn Wings wanted to scream in frustration. She just couldn’t believe how impulsive the incarna were being. Especially for immortals.

“One more day. That’s all I ask.” Dawn Wings pled. “Give me one more day. You go rushing in now, and we might lose any hope of tracking Chrysalis down. But, if I can get the lead tick’s false ledger, and you can take him, you might be able to convince him to give up where Chrysalsis is hiding. Please.”

Luna regarded the corax.

“One day.” Luna said in a tone that brokered no argument. “You have one day. Once you have the ledger, deliver it to us through young Spike.”

“Thank you, your highness.” Dawn Wings said as respectfully as she could.

“Do not make us regret this decision.” Luna said, before she faded away, leaving Dawn Wings to stare off into the stary void of her dreamscape.

*****

The morning saw Dawn Wings make a quick exit from the apple farm after a her morning oath to her patron spirits and an even quicker breakfast with the apple farmers. She was on a time limit now. It wasn’t that she wasn’t used to be on them. She was. It was a rare day that she wasn’t.

But there was a difference between a time limit made by rash, impulsive, short term thinking, and because the information she had was time sensitive. She could work with the latter. But she hated the former.

Still, she wearily acknowledged that she couldn’t act right away. If she was going to maintain her cover, and keep learning the pony’s blasted language, she needed to put in face time with Vinemana. She just wished she could pick the damn language up faster, because only being able to hold a conversation with Sun-butt, Moon-butt and Angry-parfait was not feasible.

So, she found herself flying over Ponyville in the direction of the Golden Oaks Library. Compared to yesterday, the town had a markedly different feeling as dozens of guards patrolled the streets in groups of three. While the ponies were still on edge, there was considerably less tension in the air compared to before their arrival.

‘Herd animals…’ Dawn Wings thought to herself with a sigh. ‘Still, better that they’re not panicking than having them on edge.’

Minutes later, her goal came into sight, as did the familiar chill up her spine warning her of danger. Sending out a spiritual pulse, she could feel half a dozen threats all around the library.

‘Could the ticks be that foolish?’ She thought as she activated her Wyrmsight and scanned the area. To her surprise, she found no Wyrmtaint.

‘Then what am I…’ She thought, before noticing the two pegasus stallions standing in front of the library’s entrance. ‘Wait, I remember, Captain Ropeman has stealth troops. He must have them stationed around the library. You’ve got a real sister complex, don’t you rope-boy?’

Chuckling, Dawn Wings alighted some 10 feet away from the front door of the Golden Oaks Library, then trotting the rest of the way to the tree. As she approached, the guards snapped their wings to bar her path. Grumbling with irritation, Dawn Wings found herself not all that surprised by the actions. It was frustrating nonetheless.

Regarding the soldiers, she took a step back and inflated her chest!

“Hey! Star-ass! I’m here for my lessons! Tell these goons to get the fuck out of my way!” She yelled in English. Much to her satisfaction, she saw the tiniest traces of horror spread across the guard’s stoic features. Seemed that even they found the language frightening.

Much to her satisfaction, she could hear the sound of hooves approaching the front door from within. Moments later, the door slowly swung open, revealing the slightly haggard form of Vinemana Vishicta.

*****

Twilight sighed as she put the finishing touches on her lesson plan for the day. Looking over her notes once more, she had to stifle a yawn. She knew she should expect Dawn Wings soon, but she wasn't sure how much use she was going to be. The ~~pegasus~~ corax was an even earlier riser than she was, and unlike her, had probably gotten a full, proper night of sleep. She, on the other hand, had slept fitfully, the haunting images of the fake Rainbow Dash's death still occasionally forcing themselves into her mind. Giving the documents one final check, she set them down with a satisfied nod. Now she just needed some…

A horrific snarling like something from the depths of tartarus erupted from outside, making Twilight nearly jump out of her skin. At first, she thought an ursa major had been attacked by a tazylwurm and was being throttled by the neck. Putting her hoof to her chest, she took a deep breath to slow her heart, and realized that she knew those sounds.

They were Dawn Wings’ native language.

“Why is she yelling outside my front door. Especially so early.” Twilight grumbled as she made her way to the front door. Pulling it open, she had to suppress a groan, as she spotted the wings of two Silverknights blocking the entrance. She received a letter from the princess that Shining deployed a platoon to Ponyville; she just hadn’t expected them to be standing outside her front door.

“Gentlestalions, could you please let her through. I’m expecting her.” Twilight said. Moments later, the guard’s wings snapped shut and they stepped to the side.

“Thank you.”

Looking to Dawn Wings, she saw the pegasus giving her that icy glare she was so used to, almost causing her to step back in shock. It was so different from the sympathetic look and gestures that she’d used last night. Pushing it aside, Twilight ushered Dawn Wings into the front door, before giving the guards one last look, and closing the entrance.

Turning to face Dawn Wings, Twilight nearly did a double take; the pegasus’s expression had morphed into a much softer and far friendlier one as she looked at Twilight. The contrast between her earlier expression and her current one was almost like night and day.

Unsure how to respond, Twilight opted to return the friendly look, then head over to her chart. As she takes up her spot at the table, Dawn Wings likewise moves over to her desk. Meeting Twilight’s eyes, the pegasus noded and picked up her mouth pen.

*****

As noon rolled around, Twilight set down her pointer and sighed, before a large yawn forced itself out of her throat. Much to her relief, Dawn Wings was making good progress with the phonics of Equish. Her accent was still almost unbearably thick, but she was at least beginning to pronounce things right. Her mouth-writing still left a lot to be desired, yet she was starting to get the hang of it. It would be a while before Dawn Wings was writing and reading Equish.

But, progress was progress.

Looking at Dawn Wings, Twilight saw her stretch her wings out and stand. Waving a hoof, Twilight waited until she had Dawn Wings’ attention.

“Food?” Twilight said as she pointed to her mouth and took a bite out of the air.

Dawn Wings seemed to consider it for a moment, before nodding and gesturing to Twilight to lead the way. With a nod of her own, Twilight t.k.ed over her saddle bags and ushered Dawn Wings to follow her.

“Spike! We’re going out to get something to eat at Sugar Cube Corner! Do you want anything?” Twilight called up to the second floor.

“Yea. Could you grab me a cherry/chocolate cupcake?” Spike called back.

“Okay. See you in a bit.”

Turning to the door, she spotted Dawn Wings waiting for her. Her expression was inexplicably back to her resting icy one, though Twilight noted that it was now a little less frigid than before.

‘Why does she keep doing that?’ Twilight thought as she approached the door and exited, Dawn Wings following after her.

Their trek through town to Sugar Cube Corner was made in relative silence, only punctuated by the occasional hello from other ponies. Twilight’s own mood was getting better; she was still a little on edge after what happened two nights ago, but she was improving, now that the shock had worn off.

It still didn’t sit well with her that there were changelings hiding out in her town. And from what she’d been able to get out of Spike, Dawn Wings had been helping sniff out the changelings.

That was one of the biggest surprises. Twilight knew Dawn Wings was unusual, but just how little she knew about the alien mare made her head spin. She was like nothing Twilight had encountered before. She wished that she could actually talk with Dawn Wings and learn more about her, her world, what she could do… just about everything about her was such a tantalizing mystery. It was almost more frustrating than trying to figure out Pinkie’s Pinkie Sense.

But she'd have to be patient. Until Dawn Wings learned conversational Equish, all of the mysteries she had to share were locked away.

Twilight’s mind snapped back to the present when she realized that she'd been walking on autopilot and they’d arrived at Sugar Cube Corner. Looking towards Dawn Wings, she found the pegasus was looking at her with what she could only describe as side-eyed confusion. Chuckling to herself, Twilight pushed open the door to the bakery and ushered Dawn Wings in.

Shrugging, Dawn Wings walked into the building, followed by Twilight. Looking towards the front counter, Twilight was surprised to see both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy chatting with Pinkie. Despite the small panic attack she felt coming up upon seeing Rainbow Dash, Twilight did her best to hide it as she called out to her friends.

“Twilight!” Pinkie called as she materialized next to the unicorn, before scooping her up in a massive bearhug. “How are you doing? Feeling better?”

“Hi Pinkie… yea… doing better.” Twilight said as she fought for oxygen. “Can’t breathe though.”

“Pffft. Breathing’s overrated, silly.” Pinkie chirped as she released Twilight.

“We can agree to disagree on that Pinkie.” Twilight said as she took a few glorious breaths of air. Just as she stopped seeing stars, she heard a distressed squawk from behind her. Without looking, Twilight knew that Pinkie had snatched up Dawn Wings, and was currently crushing the pegasus in a similar hug to the one she’d just escaped. Glancing behind her, she saw that her suspicions were true.

Dawn Wings, for her part, simply glared at Pinkie in the clearly unexpected embrace. Her eyes never leaving the pink earth pony, she spoke in her native language, her tone somewhat annoyed, but not hostile, prompting the party pony to look up at her and let her go with a chuckle. Twilight could only chuckle herself as Dawn Wings fixed Pinkie with a stern yet friendly glare before she lifted her hoof, playfully and gently bonking the earth pony on the top of the head, earning a giggle. It was uncanny how eerily similar it was to the first time the two of them met. Minus the unexpected pony-pile she'd ended up in.

“So, Twi, you feelin’ better?” Rainbow said as she approached the other three ponies.

“Yea. I am. Thanks.” Twilight said as she regarded the pegasus. Having Rainbow this close was giving her mild flashbacks, but she managed to brush them away. This was Rainbow. The real Rainbow. She was fine. She was alive. She was okay. Twilight just needed to keep reminding herself that.

“You here for lunch or something?” Rainbow asked with a raised eyebrow, likely noticing Twilight's changed demeanor.

“Yup. Taking a break from the language lessons. What brings you here?”

“With all the guards everywhere, Flutters didn’t feel like coming to town without me, but she needed to grab something from the market.” Rainbow said, “So, we figured we’d stop here first, get something to eat, then take care of her errands.”

Twilight smiled and nodded at that, before something struck her.

“Wait? Where’s Fluttershy?”

All three of the native Equestrians realized that they were missing one member of their group. Looking around, they spotted a tuft of pink hair poking out from behind the counter. Twilight’s eyes went wide as she turned back to look at Dawn Wings, who was currently staring intensely at the spot where Fluttershy was hiding.

This… wasn't unusual for Fluttershy, if she was being honest with herself, but she couldn't figure out what set her off this time. Then, it hit her.

‘Most ponies find Dawn Wings’ language terrifying. I can’t imagine how freaked out Fluttershy must be right now.’ Twilight thought as she raised a hoof to Dawn Wings to get her attention. As the other pegasus turned to her, Twilight made a ‘wait here’ gesture with her hoof, then turned to Rainbow.

“Rainbow, could you go check on Fluttershy? I’ll grab us a table.”

“Sure, Twi.” Rainbow said as she regarded Dawn Wings with suspicious eyes, before turning to help calm down her friend.

“Are you staying for lunch, or did you just want a snack?” Pinkie chirped as she headed back behind the counter.

“Lunch please. Something savory, then sweets for dessert. And a cherry-chocolate cupcake to go for Spike.”

“You got it Twilight!”

Looking back to Dawn Wings, she gestured for the pegasus to follow her. Said pegasus gave her a slightly unamused look, but complied. Picking a table by one of the large windows, she noted Dawn Wings chose to take the seat nearest the window. Shrugging internally, she took her own seat and waited for her friends.

A few minutes later, Rainbow and Fluttershy joined them, the later sitting as far away from Dawn Wings as she could, and occasionally shooting nervous glances her way. Twilight made small talk with her friends while Dawn Wings stared out the window, watching the ponies outside. In the back of her mind, Twilight wondered just what Dawn Wings made of Ponyville and everything.

Soon, the food arrived: both Rainbow and Futtershy had vegetable and flower sandwiches, along with a couple of smoothies. For Twilight and Dawn Wings, Pinkie had brought a hayburger with fries and a large salad, respectively, both of them receiving mixed berry tarts for dessert. Pinkie had had her own plate: a massive stack of haycakes with strawberries.

"You're joining us Pinkie?" Twilight asked.

"Yup! Mrs. Cake told me to take my lunch early, so I can eat with you!" Pinkie said before she slurped up five of her haycakes in one lick. Of the five mares at the table, only Dawn Wings seemed surprised by the act. Looking at Twilight, she gave the unicorn a cock-eyed look and flicked her head in Pinkie's direction.

Twilight simply smiled and shrugged, to which Dawn Wings narrowed her eyes and looked back at Pinkie, who had already slurped down another several cakes, then back to Twilight, to Pinkie, Twilight, Pinkie, before closing her eyes and furrowing her brow, blowing a frustrated sigh out of her nostrils and starting on her own salad.

"So, Twi, any word from Princess Celestia about the whole business with the changeling?" Rainbow asked between bites of her sandwich. "There're Silverknights everywhere around town, so she's got to have some sort of plan."

Twilight thought about it for a minute.

"Well, I think she's just trying to secure the town right now." Twilight said, "She hasn't really told me anything, other than they've got someone looking into whether there're any more changelings around. But, until they're done with their investigation, the Silverknights are going to be hanging around."

"Um… do you know how long that's… going to take?" Fluttershy said softly.

"I'm afraid not." Twilight sighed. "Sorry Fluttershy."

"Oh…that's okay…"

"So are we going to get to do anything?" Pinkie chimed in, "I don't like the idea of those meanipants changelings messing around with Ponyville. Especially if they're sticking ponies in those goopy pods. I mean, playing in mud can be fun, but that changeling goo is way too nasty to be fun like mud. Maybe if they filled them with water, they'd make good waterballoons, but, yech, not that gunk."

Twilight chuckled a little at Pinkie.

"If we need to get involved, I'll let you know Pinkie. We're just going to have to wait and see."

"Okie dokie lokie." Pinkie chirped, before she cocked her head to the side before pointing at Dawn Wings, "Hang on Twilight, somethings very wrong over there."

Turning, Twilight saw Dawn Wings staring out the window, her eyes slowly panning around the street. From what Twilight could tell, she was just pony watching like she had the first time they'd gone out to eat.

"Pinkie, you know she doesn't understand us, right." Rainbow said "She's probably just bored."

"No, not that silly." Pinkie chimed in "One second."

Somehow, in the next moment, Pinkie was sitting next to Dawn Wings. Twilight looked down, and realized that she'd swapped places with Pinkie. She wisely ignored it. It was just Pinkie being Pinkie.

With a big smile on her face, Pinkie tapped the pegasus on her shoulder, breaking her out of… whatever she was doing. Turning her head to Pinkie, she cocked and eyebrow as she was greeted with the earth pony's smiling face, and the untouched fruit tart that she was holding on her upturned hoof, which she gently shook in Dawn Wings' direction.

Raising her hoof, Dawn Wings shook it back and forth a little, trying to indicate that she didn't want it. At that, Pinkie broke out her biggest, saddest, puppy-dog eyes and trembling lower lip, aiming them directly at the pegasus. Dawn Wings almost recoiled at the sight, before raising her hooves in a placating gesture, trying to get Pinkie to stop the weapons grade guilt trip.

Pinkie's expression immediately returned to her normally cheerful one, as she presented the tart to Dawn Wings, wiggling her hoof back and forth to emphasize the sugary treat. With an exaggerated sigh and a small, lopsided smile, Dawn Wings accepted the dessert, taking it on her hoof. Raising it to her muzzle, she took a small, experimental bite. A moment later, her eyes went wide and she inhaled deeply, looking down at the treat in her hoof before looking back to Pinkie.

"Heh, looks like she likes it." Fluttershy whispered to Rainbow, who nodded with a smirk.

Dawn Wings pointed at the pastry, then at Pinkie. Interpreting that to mean 'did you make this?' Pinkie nodded vigorously. A throaty chuckle escaped Dawn Wings as she smiled warmly at Pinkie, a few stray tears of joy starting to form in the pegasus's eyes. Setting the treat down, she pulled Pinkie in a gentle hug with both her forelegs and wings, causing the earth pony to beam.

"Tæk yeaq" Dawn Wings said in broken painfully Equish as she squeezed Pinkie a little tighter.

"You're welcome." Pinkie replied with a smile as she returned the hug.

Releasing Pinkie, Dawn Wings picked up the tart and continued to slowly eat her dessert, obviously trying to savor every bite, as she turned her attention back to the window and the ponies walking around outside.

"Okay, that's better." Pinkie said from her original seat.

"What's better Pinkie?" Twilight asked, now sitting next to Dawn Wings again.

"She was feeling sad." Pinkie said matter-of-factually. "And… well, I made that tart just for her. I didn't want it to go to waste. Do you know how hard it is to get huckleberries and desert peaches this time of year?"

None of the other mares at the table knew how to respond to that.

"What're desert peaches, Pinkie?" Rainbow finally asked.

"They're from peach bushes that grow wild in the Marejave desert, Dashie. What else?"

"Pinkie, that desert is thousands of miles away in Cerverica! How in Celestia's name did you…" Twilight began to ask, but cut herself off. Questioning Pinkie could only lead to madness. "Ahem. Never mind. Why did you need desert peaches for a tart?"

"Well, she really likes them, Twilight. Why else would I use them?" Pinkie said.

"You made that tart for her specifically?" Rainbow asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yupperonie!" Pinkie chirped back happily.

"That was really nice of you Pinkie." Fluttershy said. "I'm sure she appreciates it."

"But how did you know she likes those fruits specifically?" Twilight asked. Even for Pinkie, this seemed a little out there.

"I have my ways." Pinkie said conspiratorially with a wink, before shoving the last of her haycakes into her mouth and swallowing them in a single gulp. Wiping her mouth with her napkin, she rose from her seat. "Anyhow, I should get back to work. Don't forget to stop by before you go to grab Spike's cupcake on the way out."

"Of course Pinkie." Twilight said as the pink pony bounced away.

The rest of the meal was eaten in amiable silence. Once they finished and picked up Spike's treat from Pinkie, the mares parted ways, Twilight and Dawn Wings heading back to the Golden Oaks Library. Twilight couldn't help but feel warm inside at the look on Dawn Wings' face, because there was just the slightest hint of a smile forming at the corners of her mouth. It was different from the other smiles she wore when she interacted with Twilight and the others. Because, for the first time since she's met the alien pegasus, she almost looked like she was in a genuinely good mood.

Author's Note

Little bit of a break before we get back into the thick of things. Also, I don't think Luna likes Dawn all that much. Sure, the feeling's mutual on Dawn Wings' part, so, y'know…

As an FYI, the photo at the beginning of the chapter is from near the area Dawn Wings calls home, and was taken by me on a floristic surveying trip I participated in.

Also, Desert Peaches are a real thing. If you're curious, take a look here. As for how Pinkie got her hooves on enough to make a tart for Dawn… it's Pinkie. That's all that needs to be said.