The train came roaring into the Ponyville station with a peel of screeching brakes, blasts of smoke, and the thunderous chugging of coal fueled wheels. The massive gears ground their way to a slow halt, the brakes screaming their progress across the platform as the several hundred ton beast finally came to a rest. Gilda watched the steam blast out over the wood planks of the Ponyville train depot, obscuring ponies and creatures alike.

She frowned, but the expression wasn't because she was unhappy. She and Gabby had picked the most empty car they could find as evening struck, tuckered out from their ordeal in the caboose, and curled up together like old times. It had been wonderful, and Gabby had expressed her comfort in the action by snuggling up as close as Gilda was comfortable with.

Gilda had shrugged the nasty event off and told her that if she ever needed to vent, Gilda would be there for her any time. She needed to make sure Gabby knew she wasn't alone anymore. For several moments after she'd woken up to the train's whistles in the early morning before dawn, Gilda had peered under her wing and watched Gabby sleep. Nestled with her head under a wing, scooted as deeply into Gilda's side fur as she could be.

Gilda had purred heavily at the sight. Seeing Gabby so safe and comfortable, especially after learning of her past trauma, it made her chest warm with joy. She wanted to see this more, needed to. She wanted to wake up each morning to this and preen the smaller hen until she was a giggling mess of feathers and laughter. Gabby had to learn how much she was appreciated, how much she was loved.

Sadly, the train had not arrived on time. Something had happened over night while the passengers slept, and the train had been forced to stop for a repair or three in a nearby depot. This ended up taking almost an entire day, wherein Gabby and Gilda slept soundly through it all, unawares to the going ons of the train and it's occupants. Instead of waking up to streaming daylight and a loudly filled station, or arriving at a reasonable hour, Gilda and Gabby were arriving at four am to a completely deserted platform.

This was where Gilda found herself with a slight problem. She had to wake up her friend at this ungodly hour. Anyone who had ever had the bad luck of being told to wake up a griffon would say that it's not fun, no recommended, and not worth the trouble. They liked their sleep and they hated being disturbed.

Some(in Gilda's case) woke almost violently so.

The train finally came to a stop and Gilda clicked her beak. "Tch, gotta get this over with...Gabby...Hey, we're here sleepy hen." She gently lifted her wing off Gabby's back, watching as the hen murmured, shivered, and immediately moaned and started reaching her claws out to look for her 'blanket'.

It was adorable.

"N-no...five more minutes...I swear I won't...be late..." Gabby murmured, curling closer to Gilda's side. Gilda smirked and pet Gabby's neck fluff gently. Her beak clicked gently next to Gabby's ear with a gentle voice.

"You already are late, Gabs."

It took a second...Gabby's eyes fluttered open, looked blearily up at her friend, and then Gilda's words clicked in her head and the hen's eyes and body exploded into wakefulness.

"Oh gods I'm LATE!?" She screeched. The hen stood, lost her balance, flailed, smacked Gilda in the side with her good wing, and then promptly fell off the small foldable bed the train provided, and kissed the floor with her face.

"Mmmpgohopdersher!" Gabby muffled through the carpet while trying to stand.

Gilda started laughing, even as Gabby stood back up and rubbed her beak. " I'mma go hop in the shower! I gotta... hey...Wh-what's so funny, Gilda? I'm late for...work?" She then found her bearings and looked around. "This isn't...Griffonstone...where...oh."

Sheepishly she rubbed the back of her neck fluff and chuckled. "Oh...ha ha...very funny Gilda." She hissed at her friend as Gilda laughed harder.

"Y-you really do get some wild expressions on your face when you think you've slept in, ya know that Gabby?" Gilda snickered into her claws. Gabby answered by batting at her with her wing.

"Oh hardy har har. S'not my fault my boss is a stickler f-for timeliness." Gabby yawned and looked out the window with a confused expression. "Why are we up anyway, the sun isn't even up. Is the train that late?"

"Yup." Gilda stretched and yawned nice and wide, prompting Gabby to yawn again and then do a similar stretch. Neither one noticed how their tail tips gently touched as the two hens arched their rumps high into the air.

"Apparently something on the train busted on the way here and they had to stop for almost a whole day. We slept through most of it."

Gilda hopped off the bed and reset the bed. "Fricken griffons and our sixteen hour sleep cycle or some shit..."

Gabby chuckled and started collecting their bag of board games. "I think it's our cat side honestly, have you seen how lazy those things are?"

Gilda nodded. "Only a lot, we have a ton of strays in town, always hanging out in the backyard near the dumpster. Either eating, fighting, or fucking."

Both hens stopped at the realization that it wasn't that far off from what griffons did either. They shared a collective "huh." Gabby looked out the window and pointed. "Not even any ponies out and about right now either, and it doesn't look like anyone has gotten off the train yet. You think we have time for a shower?"

Gilda blinked owlishly and looked back at her friend with surprise in her tone. "The trains have showers?"

Gabby nodded while rolling her shoulders. "Some do," Her injured one popped and she cooed in relief. "I don't know if this line of them does, but we can check. Worse case scenario we go to the spa and pay to use theirs. They know me there, so I might be able to get us in for free."

Gilda held out her claws. "Lets see, in one talon we've got a train shower. Dubiously clean soap, shitty water pressure, and has probably been used by multiple ponies already so there goes any hot water. Then we have the spa showers. Great water pressure, massagers built into the walls, soaps and shampoos so luxurious they charge an arm and a wing for a single dollop, constant hot water and you could potentially get us in for free?"

She looked at Gabby with a raised brow, and Gabby smirked and shrugged. "Okay so it's not that hard of a decision to make, I was just stating our options."

Gilda passed by Gabby and poked her in the beak gently, enjoying how the hen went screwy eyed as she stared down her face at the offending digit, before opening the door to the outside. "One was a terrible choice, the other was the right choice, it wasn't an option to begin with."

Gabby rubbed at her beak and giggled. "Yes, ma'am."

They exited out onto the platform, gently being buffeted by the steam and chilly morning wind of Ponyville in it's winter conditions. It was still a lot warmer than Griffonstone though. Looking around, they found the area basically empty.

A single unicorn night guard was posted by the ticket booth. HIs spear in one hoof and a collapsible shield on his back. Despite him probably spending the entire night out there, he wasn't shivering and his eyes were keen and crisp. He nodded stoically to the two hens. "Morning to you two." He stated. They merely nodded and walked into town, angling towards the city center.

The town was dead quiet at this hour. All the ponies were asleep save for a few thestral guards who either flew over head silently, or who sat atop roofs eyeing the two late comers. A pair of them even patrolled the streets below. Gilda always found them to be interesting, as they were the only ponies with any predatory traits.

Apparently they were some how part bat? She didn't know. The rumor mill said many things about them. They were part dragon, part bat, some were vampires or demons from Tartarus, others were made via dark magic eons ago when Luna had her hissy fit, bla bla bla, rumor, rumor, rumor. The list grew longer than she had years to live.

Still, they were pretty cool. One of them broke off from her partner on the ground and approached the pair as they reached the town hall. A mare with silver hair and golden glowing eyes. a set of fangs peeked out of her mouth ever so slightly. She smiled politely at them, the fangs flashing in the remaining moonlight. "Morning, ladies, anything your looking for at this hour?"

Gabby chirped out a greeting and pointed behind them. "We arrived on the train a few moments ago, it had some trouble along the way so it was several hours late while they repaired it. We are headed to the spa to see if we can borrow their showers, and then we are going to see Zecora the zebra for some personal work."

The mare rubbed her chin with a hoof, thinking it over. "I see, that explains why it is way off schedule. I'll have a couple guards make sure they have all they need for the return trip. Alright, don't get up to any trouble, try to keep your voices down, and we'll be watching if you need any help, take care ladies." She trotted past them to rejoin with her partner who had silently made it all the way around the hens with neither one seemingly aware, and the two disappeared down the street.

Gilda and Gabby continued on. When they arrived at the spa front, the lights were all off and the door was locked. Gabby didn't seem perturbed by this though and had Gilda follow her around the side of the building. She made it to the back door and firmly wrapped her claws on the door in a particular pattern. She then stood back and waited.

When nothing happened for a few minutes, Gilda spoke. "They are probably not in there Gabby. Why don't we--"

Gabby held up a claw. "Wait. they are here, I know their schedule." She reached a claw out and again knocked the same pattern into the door. Another five minutes of waiting and Gilda frowned.

"Gabby..."

"Trust me, they are slow to rise, but they are in there."

Sure enough, a few moments later, Aloe, one of the spa mares opened the back door and peered out. Her hair was done up in a towel, and she was wearing a clean bathrobe. Water dripped from her chin as she stood there. It looked like she had just gotten out of the shower herself. She looked at Gabby and Gilda in surprise.

"Ah! Gabby, what a surprise! We did not expect you to show up so early! Come in come in!" She stepped aside and opened the door fully to allow the two hens past. Once inside Gilda's eyes adjusted to the gentle darkness of the hallway. It was the back end of a storage room. Boxes of salon supplies and special equipment were everywhere. A clear cut pathway was made from end to end, lit by warm orange lights. Oddly, the first thing she noticed they had the most stock of, was toilet paper...and a lot of it.

Aloe nuzzled Gabby's cheeks and then patted Gilda's shoulder politely. "What brings you and your friend here so early? Last I checked we don't have a shipment for another week or two."

Gabby patted Gilda's shoulder. "Aloe, this is Gilda, my closest friend, and we were on a late train here. We were going to use the showers on the train to freshen up, but then I remembered you said I could come here if I really needed to instead...and well, here I am!"

Aloe giggled into a hoof. "I see, well no worries then. The train has a shower but it is a bucket of cold water compared to our establishment. You know where everything is, I'm going to go finish my shower, and you two can use the large set built for the yaks, on the far right side, okay?"

Once Gabby had thanked her and they'd collected a few amenities to borrow, Gilda nudged her as they exited the hall. "This spa has showers for yaks? That's pretty cool, I have to admit."

Gabby gushed with happiness. "oh my gosh you haven't lived until you've soaked under one of these showers. I used one a couple months back when a rather nasty storm came through Ponyville. I was cold and drenched to the bone, muddy and an absolute wreck. Aloe and Vera took one look at me and shoved me into the yak shower."

Gabby put her claw to her chin as they walked, thinking. "I'm pretty sure I almost fell asleep under the hot water and full body massager. Aloe had to keep me awake so I wouldn't drown!"

Gilda rolled her eyes as they entered the bathing area for the females. "Uh huh, I'm sure it wasn't as grand as you say. It's just a hot shower and a couple of rollers for our muscles, can't be that great of an experience."

"Is she okay?"

"I don't know, even you didn't act this relaxed when you tried it, Gabby."

"W-well I tried to warn her! She didn't believe me!"

"She's so heavy as dead weight, it took all three of us to drag her out of there!"

Another pony spoke up. Their voice was laced with a bitter tone. "Ew...she ah...Gabby, she kinda of orgasmed ...a lot... in the shower."

Gabby spoke next. "Oh my gosh I'm so sorry! I'll take care of that! I didn't know she's never--"

"Wait, she's saying something! Gilda can you hear us?"

Gilda blearily opened her eyes and rolled them lazily around in their sockets. The gelatinous orbs seemed to not be working properly. A colorful mare was fading in and out of her perception range, floating in from the left and then floating out to her right. Why the fuck were these stupid ponies in her face, she was in heaven! HEAVEN! And these pastel little shits tore her out of it. She tried lifting a claw but her muscles refused to respond. Strange, they felt soooo good.

"Puu me bath in..." She mumbled. Her beak and tongue weren't working, odd. Didn't matter, she'd felt the bliss of those heavenly showers and the touch of a god. Her body was ready to succumb.

The ponies stared at her. "I think we broke her..."

Gabby appeared, gently nuzzling her cheek. "Gilda? You should've told me you've never experienced a spa! We would've used a different shower!"

Gabby tried to speak further but Gilda (with sheer will power) managed to lift her arm and flopped her claws onto Gabby's beak, silencing her. She giggled, and noted how Gabby's expression went from confused to worried.

"Shhhh no more talky talky...puth me bath in the heaven soup...." Gilda flopped her head back to the floor. "I'm ready to die again."

Gilda glared lasers of embarrassment at the ground as Gabby snickered into her claws next to her. She said nothing as they left the spa, said nothing as Gabby eventually retold her what happened at the spa.

"You stepped in and just sort of went silent for a second or two. At first I thought you were adjusting to the temperature but nope! AAHAHAH! You started moaning and purring so loudly that I had to stop my shower just to try and shut you up! Then you started thrusting your hips into the wall spigot and it wasn't doing you any favors--"

Gilda groaned and walked faster. She hoped Gabby would take the hint and let her die alone in shame, but no, Gabby sped up. The hen practically hopped next to her, tip toeing from claw to claw.

"S-So I tried to get your attention by grabbing your tail, bad idea really, eheheh, and then, you suddenly screeched, blasted the wall with your ah...well you know...and collapsed to the floor! I though you'd had some sort of seizure, but then I leaned in and you were mumbling something about heaven, and dying happy and you were gone after that! AHAHAH! W-we had to drag you out of there and even then it took five or six minutes for you to come to your senses!"

Gilda stopped and kept staring at the ground as Gabby came up next to her. She was still giggling. "You um...Ehehehe, you need a minute, Gilda?" Gabby snickered. " What'd that doctor tom say at the hospital? M-maybe a couple-MMPH!?"

Gilda's claws had whipped out and gripped Gabby's beak and clamped it shut. She breathed in slowly... and then out even slower, and then glared at Gabby. Her wings were flared, her neck fluff was out to it's fullest, and her cheeks could rival most tomatoes with how red they were.

"Next time we go do something like that...warn me harder!" She snarled. She let go of Gabby's beak and tromped away growling. "We never will speak of this to anyone back home, got it!?" She shouted back.

Gabby kept chuckling. "Well...Gallus kind of lives in Canterlot now so does he count?"

"I SWEAR TO GROVER I WILL PLUCK YOU IF HE FINDS OUT!" Gilda shouted from down the road.

Gabby found it even more hilarious that two thestrals immediately told her to be quiet or she'd get a ticket.

The walk to Zecora's was postponed slightly when the two hens were blocked from entering the trail that led to their mutual zebra friend. The two threstral guards posted at the entrance informed them that no one was allowed to enter the woods until a certain time of the morning. The wildlife was far more active and dangerous during the dusk and dawn hours, so they were instead directed away towards a nearby park to wait.

Gilda had since cooled down, and the two hens were amiable again. Gilda would never live down the embarrassment, and Gabby would always have something to black mail Gilda with from then on. Even so, Gilda found herself chuckling along as Gabby regaled her with their attempts to pull her from 'Deaths sweet embrace.'

She'd apparently named Death 'Sirgei, The Sauvé Swan of Death.' She'd haphazardly flailed as they attempted to remove her from the shower and take her away from 'her Sirgei'.

Spa's, Gilda found out, were deadly to a griffon who had a reputation of coolness to uphold. She was so thankful that Rainbow Dash was on tour with the Wonderbolts when it took place. She vowed that next time they used their services, she would be calmer and cooler.

Because there would be a next time.

An upside to the whole situation was that her heat had thoroughly been sated. Gilda never said it out loud, but she'd honestly never felt so good in her life...and subsequently...she'd never climaxed so many times in her life.

She would take that secret to her grave. Only Sirgei will know....She thought with a blush.

They decided to nap in the park near a fountain that was sculpted to look like a pony explorer rearing up. Water shot in an arc from one of their outstretched hooves to the glittering pond below. Gold bits glinted underneath the crystal clear water. wishes from foals and parents alike.

Under the trees, the two sat together quietly, doing some personal preening on feathers and fur that the showers had mussed up. Gabby was rather excited to go see Zecora, and Gilda noticed how...touchy Gabby had seemed after the showers. She kept rubbing against Gilda's side and purring. She'd then flop onto her side and groan. Rubbing her beak into the grass. on top of this, Gabby's scent was becoming increasingly potent.

Any hen knew those signs.

Gilda scrunched her beak nares shut as another wave of pheromones' wafted to her. "You uh...you sure you're gonna be okay until we meet with Zecora, Gabby?" Gilda asked, gently smacking Gabby's side as the hen nuzzled her wing feathers. Gabby chirped and groaned.

"I hope so! This heat is driving me nuts!! It doesn't help that you blasted me with your scent in the showers, it was everywhere!" Gabby flailed her arms before rolling over and rubbing her back into the grass again. "S-sorry...I'm just...itchy! Very very itchy!"

Gilda nodded, her eyes tracking down Gabby's sides to her teats. the little nips were perky and hard. She licked her lips, kneading her claws into the grass underneath.

Oooh if I could just get one of those in my beak---no! Gilda blinked rapidly and looked away. She'd been blatantly staring right at Gabby's body! To her dismay, Gabby had noticed and she rolled over, staring at Gilda with a little worry. Her wings shuffled lightly at her sides.

"You um... were you just staring at my teats?"

Gilda groaned and shook out her feathers. "Y-yeah maybe I was! You're not the only hen in heat here!" She blushed and scratched her neck feathers, trying and failing to smooth em out. "Doesn't help that my mystery writer is a hen either..." Her eyes angled back to Gabby to see she was blushing too.

Gilda nodded her beak to Gabby's teats. "Besides, your teats are...they're nice..." She mumbled.

Gabby's beak went slack jawed. Her good wing flared open and she stared at Gilda. Gilda furrowed her brow and waved an arm at Gabby.

"Oh come on! you know I was looking I wasn't just gonna leave it at that!"

Gabby stared harder. Her neck feathers and chest fluff were expanding rapidly. Gilda kept talking, trying to dig herself out of the hole.

It wasn't helping.

"I mean, think about it! I have a hen who is writing to me romantically! S-so teats should be...ya know...attractive or...something! W-which they are! Don't get me wrong! I just...at least I wasn't under you trying to get a close up viewing or anything!" Gilda stood up and started pacing.

"I mean, you are an attractive hen, Gabby, very attractive, but like, you and me! We know each other, there isn't anything weird about this!" She growled as Gabby simply sat there wide eyed and red. Bushy, floofed, and shocked.

"Argh! Say something will you!?" Gilda whined. Gilda failed to notice Gabby's tail thrashed behind her as her body twitched in earnest need. "I know you've looked at mine!" She sat and lifted her arms, opening her belly fur wide for all to see. "See!? their right there! Whoop dee fucking doo! I have teats, I like hens, and so do--"

Gabby tackled her.

"OOF!" Gilda had the breath knocked out of her as Gabby landed atop of her, the hen was growling. She growled back, intent of showing that upstart of a hen who was in charge--

Gabby clamped her claws over Gilda's beak and snarled. "WILL YOU SHUT IT!"

Gilda ignored the look of terror on her friends face, she hissed and slammed her hind paws into Gabby's stomach, flinging her off. Gabby thankfully landed on her paws and not her side. She swiped an arm through the air in front of her. "Gilda are you daft?! You seriously have no tact at all!" Gabby paced back and forth as Gilda huffed and patted herself off. "You just openly told the whole damn park you're into females and what if somepony--"

"WHO CARES!?" Gilda roared clenching her claws at her sides.

Her wings flung themselves open in a territorial display that made Gabby back up. She stamped her paws into the dirt behind her as she came beak to beak with Gabby. The smaller hen growled weakly but stood her ground. Her eyes darted back and forth between Gilda's. Gilda ground her beak assertively against Gabby's, and they both blushed.

"Who fucking cares what they see, or what they think!? They don't have my heart beating in their chests do they?! Ya know what that means? I decide who I like, who I love, or how I do so!" Her eyes darted down to Gabby's beak and a spark of inspiration came over her. "but I think I need to show you there's nothing wrong with that..." She growled. In a flurry of movement Gilda grabbed Gabby by the beak and locked mouths with her.

Gabby chirped into Gilda's mouth surprise as Gilda kissed her. She went rigid for a moment, and then slowly went limp. Gilda compensated by wrapping her arms around the smaller hen and lowering them to the ground. Gilda lay most of her weight onto Gabby's chest and deepened the kiss. Their tongues lashed at one another and Gabby moaned underneath her. Her claws wrapped around Gilda's neck and dug into her scruff.

The kiss lasted a couple seconds more before they broke apart. Panting, they gazed at one another in silence. Gabby fluttered her eyes and Gilda felt her friends hind legs slowly spread open beneath her. Gabby chirped up at her, and Gilda growled.

She leaned in for another kiss, her hips lowering.

"EXCUSE ME, LADIES!?"

Both hens screeched in surprise as a pony came flying down from the branches of a nearby tree. It was one of the thestral guards. He looked...well miffed was an accurate term.

Gilda and Gabby separated immediately. Gilda leaped off her friend and Gabby lunged up into a sitting position. Both hens covered themselves with their wings and looked embarrassingly in opposite directions. He didn't care in the slightest. Landing atop the highest point of the sculpture with a flourish of his wings, he glared down at them.

"Not only are you two being very loud, again." He leveled his ire on Gilda who looked sourly at the ground. "But now I find you two engaging in some rather intimate and illicit actions that are not under the expected activities of park recreation, nor are they meant for public eyes."

He pointed to the woods. "If you two are going to be a further noise issue I will have to politely ask you leave on the next train, or-now that it is open- you see to your private couples affairs in the woods-not a park- or go see your zebra friend and then leave."

He hissed at both of them. "Do I make myself clear, ladies."

"Yes sir." They grumbled.

He kept his glare on them a moment longer and then nodded. "Good. I'll be watching you two from now on to make sure you don't cause any more trouble. Ponies are sleeping after all." He then leapt off the statue and disappeared into the tree of the forest.

Silence made itself quite comfortable between the two hens for a while. Neither Gilda nor Gabby wanted to talk first, so they played the game of trying to speak, then refusing. Glancing at one another, and then immediately looking away when they realized the other was also looking. A lot of 'um..' 'we should ah...' 'that was uh...' and other mutterings could be heard if one got close enough.

Eventually It was Gilda who broke the silence. She stood and started walking down the trail. "So...Z-Zecora's...we should ah...yeah we should go...do that..."

Gabby merely nodded, not making eye contact. The two left, with a rather large space between them. The trail to her house was also quiet. Gabby looked left, and Gilda looked right. At one point they both sort of meandered into bumping shoulders and the pair flinched away. Gilda winced.

"S-sorry..."

Gabby looked away blushing hotly. "N-no no, it's fine."

More silence.

The tree that marked Zecora's home couldn't appear fast enough, and when it did, Gilda picked up the pace and was thusly the first to arrive. She clenched her fist and wrapped on it several times. After a couple seconds of silence, she wrapped again.

Nothing. "Come on come on where are you?" Gilda hissed. Behind her, Gabby sat and curled her tail around her paws n claws, her wings covered herself.

Gilda went to wrap again and the door swung open almost violently, to reveal a very tired and frustrated looking zebra mare. Her mane was frazzled, her fur was matted and she looked like she'd been in a deep sleep. Drool was still on her chin.

"What and who is making such a racket!?" She glared at Gilda and then Gabby. For a second, she merely stared, and then she sighed, rolled her eyes, and swung the door open. "Come in, come in, no more sleep shall I get, until I fix your issues within."

Gilda wilted under the glares she kept getting. "Er, sorry but it's an emergency...Like, a big one."

Gilda entered, and then Gabby did so too, but she stayed far away from Gilda. Gilda did likewise. Zecora went to her cauldron, peered inside and grimaced. She pointed to Gilda. "Toss this out into the wilds, do not get it on your claws, lest they need be immediately filed."

Gilda very carefully hefted the cumbersome cauldron and took it out the door. After walking a few yards from the house she poured it into the bushes...which immediately died, withered up, and turned bright neon red, in that order. She backed away from it and returned the cauldron to it's resting place.

Zecora was waiting with several potions and herbs. She yawned, peered into the pot, shrugged, and started pouring water into it from a large gourd.

"Charge you extra I will for such an untimely call." She said the first part while glaring at Gilda. Then she leveled the stare at Gabby who warbled nervously. "This issue of yours, you must learn to fix or it will be your fall."

Gilda frowned. "Well, I mean it's our heat, we can't just get rid of it like that."

Zecora waved a hoof at her and scowled. "Bah! Your eyes are not blind, so use them and see, the answer to both your problems lies right in front of thee!" she slowly pointed from Gilda to Gabby. "Secrets and mysteries are all well and good, but hide too long from the simple truth, and it will end up doing what it should."

She poured the last potion in and began stirring. "Whether you like it or not." She grumbled.

Gabby lifted a claw in confusion. "Um, that didn't rym--

Zecora flung an empty gourd at the hen who ducked and chirped in surprise as it flew out the window. "I am an old tired mare, who right now, reeeeeally doesn't care."

Gabby and Gilda dared glance at one another before Gilda shrugged and they watched.

The first time they came to her hut, Zecora had gotten rather invasive under their tails for the purpose of the beads. This time she surprised them. After about ten minutes of silence and brewing, the concoction she'd crafted turned into a clear, almost water like substance. Zecora poured a small dose of it into little cups and hoofed one to each of them.

"Now. drink." Zecora said with frustration.

Gabby and Gilda looked from the cup to each other. Gilda pointed. "Uh...will this activate the beads or something?"

Zecora merely blinked at her. Gilda wilted. "Okay, okay, I'm drinking...jeez."

Together they sipped the potion, gagging in kind as it hit their taste buds. Gabby set her cup down first and stuck her tongue out.

"Oh that was absolutely horrid, Zecora. Why do all your potions taste like shit?"

Gilda's eyes widened as Gabby clapped a mouth over her beak in shock. Gilda laughed. "W-wow Gabby! I never expected you to sound so rude, that was kinda hot!"

Her own claws clapped over her beak in shock. Why did I say that!?

Zecora smiled, placed her hooves under her chin and sighed. "Now, what is going to be said and heard in front of me, is not going to ever leave this tree." She pointed to the two hens. "What are the secrets that you've both sown, that you don't want the other to know?"

Suddenly both Gilda and Gabby spoke at the same time.

"I know you're the mystery writer and my secret lover!"

"I love you and I always have!"

Zecora smiled and stood, already thinking of her still warm bedding upstairs. "Now, was that so hard to--"

Both hens started screaming.

Author's Note

In my defense...

...floof.

Again if you see any errors, point em out and I'll fix em asap.