Author's Note

I had a whole heap of fun writing this story. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.
Oh, and if you want more gay zebra lovin' with a splash of anthro, my collab with Deergenerate may appeal to you.

Chapter 1: Sweating

It was mid-afternoon. The sun was beginning to dip in the east, but still shone brilliantly in an ocean of blue, not a single wisp of cloud in the sky. The striped residents went about their day, flashing communal smiles to one another; not at all fazed by the sun beating down on the backs of their necks. Young striped colts and fillies chased one another around, playing tag or some variant thereof, running between the gaps of buildings and fellow zebras, full of energy despite the heat. However, amongst the striped denizens, there was one who was noticeably stripe-less, horned and carrying a reserved expression upon his face. He had been there long enough to no longer catch their attention now, having lived amongst the villagers now for about a month. At most, he would earn a nod of familiarity and perhaps a warm, courteous smile. That was typically the extent of his relations with most of the residents of the places he visited. Conversation and curious interrogation. He would remember their names to write down, the approximate detail of their face in his memory but never more. The unicorn could not risk becoming friends with them, not when he could come to leave them so soon.

But speaking of, the unicorn's name was Luster, and he, at that present, had ventured further south than any pony before him. His purpose for being there was literary, unsurprising, considering the mark upon his flank – a red feathered quill scratching down words upon a page. He intended to cover the lesser-known sights of the world, and his travels had taken him from the badlands to the snowy mountain ranges of the yaks, from Vanhoover in the West all the way to Griffonstone in the East. However, it was now time for Equestria's most mysterious neighbour, the Zebras. His deep sapphire eyes offered deeply curious glances to the locale, and no matter how many times he scanned the same building twice, saw the same stallion or mare, or eat the same food, his fascination for the isolated tribe never wavered. They were completely alone from the rest of their kind, and most except the oldest of them had never seen a pony before, yet despite their social isolation, they welcomed him into their community with open arms. The same could not be said of the environment, however. Specks of sand clung with determination to his light grey fetlocks, and if his mane were not already snow-white he was sure it would have been bleached so by now by the harshness of the Zebrican sun.

The sun, in fact, was his reason for leaving his lodgings. Even though he appreciated warmth in modest amounts, he found that it was becoming more and more unbearable the longer he stayed here. Not even the ample shade and plentiful water could assuage him. So, with a measure of reluctance in his steps, he made his way towards the town's shaman. He was not too well acquainted with her, having only learned her name in passing - Gamna. Apparently, she spoke in rhyme. He was intently curious about that. How did it function? What if she was forced to say 'orange'? He was almost tempted to bring it up if not for the worry it might cause offence. However, his reservations were not for the healer herself, he was ecstatic about meeting the reclusive mare. Rather, it was her apprentice that slowed his steps somewhat. The zebra under her tutelage was a... curious example of his kind. Quite literally. He seemed almost as enthusiastic in his inquisitiveness about ponies as the unicorn was about the zebras. While his first couple of days in the village was met with constant questioning about the outside world by the locals, their interest faded after a while, content with what they now knew. All except one. Malaa.

The young zebra was keen on the outside world. Luster was all too happy to indulge his questioning, at first. The apprentice would accompany him from place to place, and eventually, the unicorn had something of a rapport with the striped stallion. He would ask about something local, get an answer, then he would answer one of the zebra's myriad questions. The zebra's enthusiasm was inspiring. It pleased Luster that he had found somepony as curious about the world as he was. Such an intense curiosity was a trait he thought unique to himself. However, after a while, even the questions became less and less about the world and just about him, Luster still was happy to answer each and every single one, even learning a little about Malaa in the process. He went on about himself to the striped stallion, telling him of everything. From his six years alone on the road to his exploits whilst on it. In fact, he was so enthralled in their conversations, that he didn't remember the sun being quite so intense during them. He had come to view the young zebra as a friend… until Malaa ruined everything.

Soft.

He approached the shaman's dwelling at the edge of town wearing neither, however, skirting past a mare and stallion yapping at one another by the door. Luster thought he heard mention of an ‘aid’ but he didn't stand there to eavesdrop. The unicorn entered, the lights low but the air thankfully cool, stopping mid-step to take a breath in such refreshing conditions. The hut was aired out from strategic placements of the windows, however, the unicorn's nose pricked at the earthy smell. He scanned the room, noting a large number of roots and mundane ingredients hanging from various racks and hooks around the place. There didn't seem to be any discernible organisation to the way the ingredients were placed, although he made a mental note to ask about it eventually. In the room's middle there was a large round table piled high with books and bottles; most empty with the exception of one vial filled with a rich amber liquid. However, before Luster could absorb any more his eyes drifted to the only other occupant of the room. A striped stallion standing beside a large boiling pot, eyes deep in a thick book...

Malaa.

The lithe zebra stood with his back to the door, his hooves reaching up to occasionally flip through the pages. He appeared lost in the great tome, his eyes absorbing the words like one would a meal. Luster drank in the sight of the familiar zebra - his toned, firm body very telling of a healthy and ascetic lifestyle, one which the unicorn would feel envy or admiration if not for the sour thoughts the zebra blossomed in his mind. Although his staring lasted perhaps overly long without a word. Malaa suddenly took a bored glance towards him, then the book again before shooting them to the door once more; his cheek tugging into a grin, recognition glinting in his eye.

"Luster!" he greeted, beaming at the unicorn with a smile to rival the harshness of the sun; a joyful twinkle in his scarlet eyes.

"Hello, Malaa..." Luster replied formally, his voice strained as he tried to put on a facade of politeness. "Where's the shaman?"

“And here I thought you came to see me. Master Gamna has taken a small pilgrimage into the jungle,” he promptly. If Luster knew one thing about the zebra, it was that the striped stallion would not give up the opportunity to slip in a coy remark, no matter the context. And already, Malaa erased the space between himself and the unicorn. Luster remained rooted, even as the zebra left only half a foot of space between their muzzles. He knew no matter how many steps back he took the zebra would take another to stay close to him. “She just used up the last of the Maca root on a huge batch of remedies. The potion it’s used for requires only the most potent essence of the strongest aphrodisi-”

“Right, right,” Luster spoke, interrupting the zebra mid-speech, preemptively nodding. The irritation of both the heat and the zebra’s insistent proximity making him impatient. “I’m here because I wanted something from Gamna.”

“Oh, and I thought it was me that you desired,” Malaa quipped with a coy smile. “I was wondering when you would have a change of heart.”

“No,” Luster replied, bored. “I need something to help me with this damnable heat. I could barely walk here without collapsing.”

“Hmph,” Malaa turned his back on the unicorn, striding back over to his tome with a noticeable sway in his walk – one the unicorn suspected was intentional. “Our village is next to a river. Take a dip,” he suggested flippantly, plopping his rear upon the thatched floor. “I didn’t expect an author such as yourself to be so dim.”

“I was hoping for something a little longer lasting than a quick splash,” the unicorn replied, his tone flat. “A potion, remedy, or lotion perhaps?”

“Are you asking if I can make sun cream?” Malaa looked back at him, brow raised and mouth grinning in amusement.

“In a manner of speaking...” Luster answered. There was a pause, pregnant and quiet. Malaa sat unmoving, simply staring. Luster gave a slight roll of his eyes. “Please? I would appreciate it. Really.”

After yet another brief moment of quiet Malaa sighed through his nostrils, rising to his hooves before trotting over to the large boiling cauldron. He reached above it, yanking down a clove of something unknown to the unicorn, then a stringy purple root, and finally, a bright yellow blossom attached to a cut stalk. Luster stepped closer to bear witness to the novice alchemy of the zebra. He crushed the clover between his hooves, shredding the root with teeth before chewing up the flower and spitting it into the boiling water. Luster then observed with visible fascination as Malaa spoke in a tongue still foreign to the unicorn’s ears. The zebra gestured with several slow movements, summoning magic that only his eyes could see. After a few minutes, the process was over. He grabbed a vial and dunked it into the waters, his hoof not scalded when he pulled it out. Inside the vial was a thick, orange juice that was quickly contained with a cork top. Luster was drawn in, fascinated by the entire process of exoticism and new magic.

“A common remedy for elders or foals who cannot handle our strong summers,” Malaa informed idly, striding past Luster to place the closed vial on the table. “Perfect for an outlander such as yourself.”

“And what do I do with it?” Luster inquired, approaching the table.

“Treat it like sun cream. Rub it into your coat. Focus on covering as much area as possible. It could be quite difficult actually. I would be all too happy to lend a hoof,” the zebra purred, glancing over his shoulder with a sultry look, his tail flicking.

“No thank you,” Luster replied passively, barely meeting the zebra’s gaze.

“Suit yourself,” he replied, shrugging before sitting back down before the open book.

Luster’s horn sparked as he looked at the table, ready to take leave with the solution to the heat, although it quickly fizzled as a question interrupted the flow of magic. “Tch,” he tutted. He looked Malaa, whose back was still towards him. “How do you know what sun cream is?”

The zebra spoke without looking up from his book. “You told me, remember? You ran out of it in your first week,” he finished with a quiet smirk, flipping the page.

Luster blinked, struggling to remember the conversation but he eventually did. It was so long ago and so small a topic Luster was impressed by the zebra’s recollection. “How do you remember that?”

“I’ve never forgotten a moment of our time together...” he replied, devoid of the zebra’s usual spunk and playfulness. He still didn’t look away from the tome.

Luster said nothing, unsure on how to follow-up such a statement. He looked at the deep orange vial placed next to the mysterious amber concoction from before. Luster then stole a glance at the zebra, again, battling with whether or not to say anything else. His horn glowed a deep blue, enveloping his remedy, bringing it close to his chest and leaving without thinking; his eyes never leaving the zebra until he was well and truly out the door.

When Luster reached his room back at the lodge, he wasted no more of his time to the unrelenting heat. Uncorking the vial, he immediately smeared the amber liquid over his coat, using both hooves and magic to aid him in this process. He covered his muzzle, torso, each of his limbs; the thin gelatinous potion already doing wonders for the piercing temperature. He could feel the blood quicken in flow throughout his body, exfoliating and soothing. His form sagged to the floor with relief as the warm Zebrican heat no longer smouldered him quite as harshly. In such a state, he sought only one thing in his dwelling – his bed.

He threw himself onto the primitive mattress, nuzzling into his feather-stuffed pillow like a lover as he fell gradually to sleep. It had been weeks since he could find true comfort in the bed, the clammy warmth not the most comfortable of blankets. However, as his breathing softened and slowed, his body rising and falling, finding sweet solace in his newfound respite. A part of him did remain warm, a small dancing flame. The longer he dwelled in his dreamless sleep, the stronger that fire grew, eventually becoming a roaring blaze...