It was a quiet day, Zecora thought. Perhaps a little too quiet. "Quiet" was not typically a word that could be used to describe her current location. The Everfree Forest was typically not the quietest place in the world, what with all the wild animals running about. She preferred it that way though; the ambient sounds of the beasts in action acted as white noise that helped her to relax. Even when she was working on her concoctions, the sounds of the forest made for good background noise. Without that, the silence was overbearing.
She couldn't let the strange silence keep her from her work, though. Zecora was very diligent with her work; she allowed herself plenty of time to relax, but when she needed to work on her potion-making, she would let nothing get in the way. Even loud growls and roars from the beasts of the Everfree would not shake her; a little bit of peculiar silence had no chance of doing what those things could not.
The zebra smiled as she poured her latest concoction into a vial. Most of her potion-making time was spent mixing potions whose effects were known already. Every once in a while, though, she would simply mix ingredients together in a mostly-random fashion, with no guidelines except for ones that would keep her from creating something explosive. Some of her greatest concoctions had spawned from these alchemical jam sessions, and she was hoping for this one to end up ranking right up there with the best. From its deep blue coloration, Zecora could tell that it was likely to be a transmutation potion. Transmutation potions tended to have deeper colorations, from her experience.
Zecora set her newest potion carefully on a small shelf by the window. She had found a while back that a lot of potions benefitted from a bit of warming in the bright sunlight. Even if they did not benefit, it very rarely hurt to do so. Sunlight was rather scarce through the thick canopy of the forest, but one window in Zecora's hut happened to catch the sun just right for about an hour or so each day. She would allow this potion some time to warm, then test it on herself, as she often did. Doing so was sometimes a bit scary, as she typically had no clue what would happen. She preferred it to testing it on others, though, and if there were any complications, she would be in a contained area with easy access to antidotes. The zebra smiled; as much as she enjoyed her work, relaxing while waiting for a potion to warm was quite welcome.
Zecora had just gotten herself comfortable when she heard her door open. She glanced up from the book she was reading, her curiosity piqued. It was very rare for her to have visitors, especially unannounced visitors who didn't even bother to knock first. Or perhaps they had knocked and she was too invested in what she was doing to notice? She couldn't be sure, but either way, she wasn't expecting somepony.
"Hey Zecora!" came Rainbow Dash's cheerful voice as she entered the hut, her tail flipping out and closing the door behind her. Before Zecora could even respond, Rainbow had zipped up next to the couch that she'd chosen as her resting place. Zecora offered a warm smile to the pegasus; they weren't close friends by any means, and at times she admittedly found Rainbow to be a bit too brash for her tastes, but she was still a welcome guest.
"Good afternoon, Rainbow Dash," Zecora said, setting her book down. "My apologies for not answering the door in a flash."
"It's cool!" Rainbow replied. "I didn't knock anyway. I'm just kinda used to walking into my friends' homes. Though I guess most of them live in a place of business, so it's a little different."
Zecora nodded politely, expecting Rainbow to follow this up with an apology. When it became apparent that no such thing would be happening, she hummed quietly. The few experiences she'd had with Rainbow should have made her realize that such a thing wasn't in the cards. Rainbow was a good pony, but she was also arrogant and loud.
"Knocking is indeed a polite measure," Zecora said. "But I digress; to what do I owe this pleasure?" The zebra raised a brow, observing as Rainbow's face briefly contorted in confusion. She had figured it was a simple enough question, not one that needed much thought.
"Uhh..." Rainbow began, tilting her head and looking up towards the ceiling. "I...just thought it'd be fun to hang out! I mean, we're friends and all, but we never hang out! Friends hang out, you know?" The pegasus smiled awkwardly. Zecora, for her part, was a bit confused by her behavior, but she gave her visitor a warm smile. She knew already how Rainbow would react when she told her what she was doing. Even with her limited experience around her, Zecora knew that sitting and studying wasn't Rainbow's idea of fun. She prepared herself for the groan that would surely come.
"I was researching the properties of manticore fang," Zecora said. "But I do believe I have time to hang." Rainbow snickered at the sound of Zecora using a colloquialism that was so strange to her. Zecora just rolled her eyes in response, offering her couch up for her guest. Rainbow, however, seemed to have no immediate plans to sit down, as she'd already started to inspect her surroundings.
"Whoa," Rainbow said as she looked over Zecora's decor. "This stuff is pretty cool! I never really got the chance to look at it when I was flying around like a madmare last time I was here!" A cyan hoof reached out to feel the decorative mask in front of it, but was stopped by a gray one.
"I do not wish to demand too much, but I do insist that you do not touch," Zecora chided gently. Rainbow, in what seemed to be turning into a chronic thing for her, didn't respond immediately. It wasn't until Zecora removed her hoof from hers that Rainbow finally spoke.
"Right. No touching. Gotcha!" the pegasus said. "I won't touch a thing! Good old Rainbow 'Not Touching Anything' Dash, that's me!"
"The touching shall end, my rainbow friend," Zecora said with a grin.
"Unless you want me to," Rainbow said quickly.
"Hm?" Zecora asked.
"Nothing," Rainbow answered with a cough. She silently cursed her overactive mouth, issuing mental threats to cut off its food supply if it wouldn't behave. Convinced that her verbal problems were over, Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief and flopped against the closest wall.
Rainbow wondered to herself why Zecora had suddenly gone into a panic. She always seemed like a rather calm zebra, not prone to random bouts of unexplained distress. It was only a moment later that she felt a slightly-warm liquid douse her, followed by the thud of a glass vial landing on her head.
"Bluh!" Rainbow exclaimed, lifting a foreleg and staring at the deep blue liquid dripping off of it. "What the hay is this stuff?"
Whatever Zecora was going to say in response was lost as Rainbow began to glow softly. The pegasus gasped, trying in vain to rub the goop and the glow off of her coat. Her worry grew when it seemed like her actions were only serving to make the glow brighter. Rainbow looked at Zecora with an unsure gaze, something the zebra wasnt used to seeing from her.
"Z-Zecora?" Rainbow asked quietly. Suddenly, there was a burst of white light that enveloped Rainbow and staggered Zecora. The stunned zebra shielded her eyes with a hoof, waiting nervously for the light to fade. The potion was very unlikely to cause any harm to Rainbow Dash, but she never liked the idea of an untested potion being used on another pony. She had no clue what its effects would be in general, let alone on a pony whose physiology she was not accustomed to.
The light finally began to wane, and Zecora slowly removed her hoof from her eyes. As her eyes refocused, she had to ru them again to make sure they were doing so correctly. Standing in front of her was Rainbow Dash...or, at least, very close to Rainbow Dash. She still had the same rainbow tail and mane, although both seemed a little shorter and spikier. Her wings, however, were noticeably missing in action, and her cyan coat was covered in darker blue stripes.
Rainbow looked over herself at the same time as Zecora did, and her shock was even greater. She tried to flap her wings, and went into a panic when she realized they were gone.
"My wings!" Rainbow cried out. "Where the hay are my wings?" She then took note of the stripes on her coat. It took her a few moments to put things together.
"...I'm a zebra?"
"Now now, Rainbow Dash, let's not act rash," Zecora said, grinning lightly. "Though I must confess, you put yourself in this mess."
"Well how was I supposed to know you had this crazy make-into-a-zebra juice up on that's shelf?" Rainbow shot back. Zecora smiled in spite of her friend's predicament. There was something oddly cute about how frustrated Rainbow was getting. She wanted to fix this problem for her, but at the same time, she had to admit that Rainbow made a rather pretty zebra.
"The powers of the potion on the shelf, I did not know myself," Zecora told her. "But I do know for sure that we can find this cure."
"We?" the newly-minted zebra sighed. "That sounds way too much like studying." Zecora rolled her eyes, grinning slightly. The strange thing was that this behavior was typical of Rainbow Dash (or at least from what she knew of her), and yet it somehow didn't seem as annoying as she'd expected. She was certain that it would irritate her to no end to see somepony looking down on one of her favorite leisure activities like so, but the way Rainbow said it somehow possessed a certain charm that she couldn't place her hoof on.
"Oh, just sit down," Zecora said with a smile, patting the space next to her on the couch with her tail. Rainbow just stared at her, a look of shock on her face.
"...Where's the rhyme?" a baffled Rainbow asked.
"It is true that I like to rhyme, but I don't have to do it all the time," Zecora said with a wink. The playful nature of Zecora's actions seemed to put the transformed mare's nerves at ease, and she sat down next to Zecora. Her ease didn't last long, as she began to fidget.
"Ugh...I really can't stand not having wings..." Rainbow moaned. "I don't get how you ponies...uh, and zebras...do it."
"Though losing them might make you pout, it's easier to deal with when you're born without," Zecora answered, flipping through pages. Rainbow hummed lightly to herself, a thoughtful look on her face. Zecora glanced sideways at her. It was strange to see such a contemplative look on her face. In fact, it was strange to see her sit still for this long. Patience was not a virtue that Rainbow Dash usually upheld, and Zecora held a sense of pride in the fact that she was able to get Equestria's fastest flier to calm down.
Zecora's gaze lingered a bit longer than she'd intended, and it met Rainbow's as she looked in her direction. Zecora let out a small cough and turned back to her book, a light blush on her face. She couldn't help herself; Rainbow Dash made a very attractive zebra. She felt a bit bad for getting such personal enjoyment out of Rainbow's predicament, but this situation was helping her to see a side of Rainbow that she'd never seen before. She was much more capable of calm, relaxed behavior than she'd expected. Even her typical behavior seemed acceptable, perhaps even charming.
Zecora came to a sudden realization; she was falling for Rainbow Dash. Or at least Rainbow Dash in zebra form. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about this revelation, though. On one hoof, it was nice to have a little crush. Romance wasn't something that she got to deal with often. On the other hoof, it worried her that this attraction had only sprung up now,when Rainbow was a zebra. There was no way she could just leave Rainbow like this just to satisfy her own needs. The poor mare was upset enough about the transformation as it was, and even if that wasn't the case, she just wouldn't feel right about not changing her back. She just had to hope that the attraction would carry over once Rainbow was a pony again.
Zecora snapped out of her train of thought. She gave another quick glance towards the zebrafied Rainbow. If she had to change her back, she could at least enjoy the situation while it lasted.
"You know, another pair of eyes could help us quickly find our prize," Zecora said, motioning with her head for Rainbow to come closer. Rainbow nodded and shifted closer, and Zecora blushed as their sides made contact. Zecora fought the urge to rest her head against Rainbow's as the two read quietly over the book. The more she allowed herself to enjoy this situation, the worse it would be when she had to give it up.
"Uh...not like I know anything about these things," Rainbow said. "But could that be the thing we're looking for?" Zecora's eyes spotted the antidote at about the same time as Rainbow, and both hooves reached towards it, making contact over their goal. The two blushed and retracted their hooves, a light chuckle escaping both zebras' lips.
"I am glad I asked you to help me read," Zecora said, giving Rainbow a smile. "For you have found the antidote that we need. Now come, we have no time to waste. We must brew this concoction, post-haste!"
"Hah!" Rainbow laughed. "See? I ain't so bad at this researching thing, am I?" Zecora just shook her head with a smile.
~~~~~~~~~~
Rainbow Dash stayed by Zecora's side throughout the entire potion-making process, surprising her naturally-zebra friend with how interested she was in the process. Not that Zecora minded much; she was more than happy to have her close by her side. Every moment that her eyes did not need to be focused on the brew, they were taking sideways glances at Rainbow, taking in the sight of her lovely zebra form as much as she could before it was gone. She had grown rather fond of Rainbow, and to realize that it was only due to her zebra form would be terrible. She never thought herself to be shallow, but the truth was that Rainbow had, for the most part, acted just like she usually did while she was under the effects of the potion. The behaviors that she had previously found to be bothersome seemed oddly endearing, and she didn't want it to just be because of how she looked.
Zecora watched as Rainbow poured the antidote over herself. Once again, she found herself glowing, and then another bright white light filled the room. When the light cleared, Zecora looked eagerly at the pony in front of her.
Rainbow Dash gave herself a quick look-over. Her stripes were gone, and her wings--her wonderful, wonderful wings--had returned. The overjoyed pegasus let out a cheer and splayed her wings out in a marvelous display.
Zecora beamed. It was a lovely display that stood before her eyes.
"Thanks so much, Zecora!" Rainbow shouted, throwing her forelegs around her. A deep red blush permeated the stripes on her cheeks as she returned the hug. Rainbow visiting had made today so much better than she had planned. As she thought about this, though, she was reminded of one question that remained on her mind.
"I am very happy to help, my friend," Zecora said. "So tell me; you were visiting, but to what end? It isn't every day you come out this way. I'd like you to come more, but what was today's visit for?"
Rainbow pulled a bit away from the hug, her own cheeks now red.
"Well," the pegasus said, letting go and rubbing the back of her mane with a hoof. "You see...I kinda thought that it'd be cool if we, like, hung out more often. And maybe...uh..."
Zecora gave her a curious look, although a knowing smile was starting to cross her face.
"Ya know..." Rainbow continued awkwardly. "Cause you're...like...pretty cool...and pretty and stuff..."
Zecora decided to show the clearly-struggling pegasus some mercy, and placed a hoof on her shoulder to quiet her.
"I think I have a hunch," Zecora said. "Would you like to stay for lunch?" She suppressed a giggle as she watched Rainbow's face light up.
"That sounds great!" Rainbow exclaimed. "It's a date!" The pegasus then facehooved. "Darn it, now you've got me rhyming!" Zecora laughed and gave Rainbow's shoulder another pat before heading towards her kitchen. She still had work to do, and typically didn't let anything get in the way of her potion-making, but she figured this was a worthwhile distraction.