Evidences
Everfree Forest held a spooky peace about it. The fog gently rolled over the grass and downed trees and branches. Moonlight filtered in from the canopy of trees above, littering the atmosphere with a dull, glowing lightshow.
A single pony walked deeper and deeper into the danger filled wilderness. He walked briskly, hurrying to get away from the outskirts of the forest as possible. Dead leaves crunched under his sore hooves. Daylight paused to take a look around. "I'm still not deep enough. Charcoal, it'll be midnight by the time I get far enough from Ponyville", he said bitterly, "I should've left earlier!" He growled, picked up his hooves and moved faster, trying to keep low so he didn't attract any unwanted attention. He stumbled over a log and flipped over on his back, luckily, on a patch of soft moss. From somewhere deeper in the forest, something roared. He felt his heart stop dead. Eventually he shook his head. "I have to keep moving."
The walk he took with Rime was only to discover how thick the forest was. Now he was on an excursion to see if its depth suited his needs. Fortunately, it was so far so good. He pushed his way through more branches, keeping a watchful eye on the bright, full moon. "Is this far enough?" he wondered. A quick sniff told him that he hadn't gone much further. "I can still smell Ponyville. Not far enough." He took another step, right into a giant paw print in the ground. He ignored it. It was weeks old from what he could tell. He kept moving until he came to a large grove of blue flowers. He was just about to enter the sea of blue, but a voice called out to him, making him freeze.
Zecora's midnight stroll was cut short when a yellow pony tore past her path so fast that the tailwind ruffled her cloak. Wondering just what in the hay had happened, she followed and observed him run at a distance. He was fast for somepony his size, leaving her to run her best just to keep him in view.
She trailed him through the forest, eventually wondering if he was ever going to stop. It looked like he was fleeing from something, but it was evident he wasn't when he slowed to a walk. He kept going deeper into the forest. It didn't look like he knew where he was going. She watched him stumble and trip, stopping right before rolling into a patch of poison joke. He stood, sniffed the air, mumbled to himself, and was just about to go on until she yelled, "You there, beware!"
Day turned to see a hooded mare making her way to him. He looked up. The moon was a quarter of the way into the sky. It's getting later, I don't have time for this!
"Those who step hoof in the flowers of blue will soon find heinous jokes will come true", Zecora told him.
"Poison joke", Day muttered. He had his share of those, and couldn't believe he almost stepped in another patch of it. A slight chill ran down his back at the thoughts of what happened to him and Rime when they walked through a field of the stuff. It took a week for his fur to stop changing colors, and even longer another time when his hooves became as heavy cinderblocks.
"You are a stranger to these parts, for everypony knows that this place strikes fear into all hearts."
"I'm exploring", Day lied. "Trying to find the deepest part."
There was something very wrong with this pony, but Zecora couldn't tell what. The zebra lowered her hood. She stared right into the colt's eyes. She gave the air near him a sniff, and the foulest of all odors made her recoil with terror. "You are…"
"Don't say it", Day nearly ordered, "I know what I am. I don't want to be reminded."
"Come with me." She turned in the direction of her home. "There is much I would like to see."
Finally, maybe I'll get some help, he thought hopefully. He wasn't surprised that this zebra knew what he was. He was well aware that their strange magic and knowledge led to many advances in detecting supernatural anomalies. He decided to follow her since zebras in the past had treated him with kindness despite his curse. He still made sure that he was going to leave before it got too late. She led him through the trees to a small hut. The inside was lit by a fire, radiating much unneeded warmth. Day sighed.
Zecora guided him to a small table in the back. A crystal ball sat on top. "Please, have a seat. Is there anything you'd like to eat?"
He shook his head. "Why did you bring me here?"
"Whether or not you believe me, Daylight, I have been awaiting this very night."
He nodded. "I believe it." He kept his voice emotionless. He couldn't reveal anything about himself. Not even his personality.
"Do not worry with that frown, I am not among those who wish to hunt you down."
"I figured."
She cleared her throat. "You are a very unique pony, to have hidden your mark so well, may I take a looksee?"
He held out his right hoof, knowing that it wouldn't do any good to resist. Zecora took his hoof and erased the yellow dye he stained it with. A small scar bored into the middle. It was in the shape of a cat eye. "This mark is clearly defined, how have you coped with such a sign?"
"By fighting it my whole life", he replied, taking his hoof back and holding it close. "I'm starting to control it. Every time it comes, I can delay it a little longer. I've been able to keep it from hurting anything, but it still has bloodlust."
"An admirable act, though even you know controlling it isn't a fact."
"I know."
"How long have you been running, for it takes a very stubborn pony to battle something so cunning."
Daylight stood, no longer wishing to discuss his past. "If you want to help, you already know you can't. Unless you—"
"Have a cure? I am sorry, but there are none, that I am sure."
"Then why are you keeping me in here?"
"A cure there is not, but if you want to reverse it, you definitely have a shot." Zecora placed her hooves on the ball.
She officially had Daylight hooked. He was now leaning halfway across the table. "How? Tell me!"
"Patience, my friend, soon you will know what it takes for your curse to end." She rubbed her ball, and it started glowing. "In my family we have seen this problem a lot, and a way to stop it has been given much thought."
Day settled down into the chair and listened intently. He relaxed a little too. The light from the ball got brighter, but he didn't look into it. That was her job to see the future. He wasn't about to risk seeing something he didn't want to see.
"We have come to find, that the way is to find purity for one's heart and mind."
"How? No pony can be pure." The colt was beginning to get skeptical. What she was saying didn't make any sense.
"It is hard to achieve, yes it's true, but before you tire, you must first find your deepest desire."
Deepest desire? "The only thing I want in this world is to be cured and go back to my old life", Day snapped.
Zecora ignored his reasonable outburst. "But this desire is not all you need. You have to accept it and let it grow like a seed."
When she didn't say anything else, Day stood to leave. He hardly thought she was helpful, but thought it might do him some good to keep it in mind for later. "Thanks…I have to go, I've wasted enough time."
The zebra waved him goodbye. If only he would have looked into the crystal ball. "That colt thinks have told a lie…" She gazed into the ball, where she saw a pony asleep in bed. "But that is not true is it, Fluttershy?"
Outside, Day frantically sprinted through the forest. He jumped over low vines and slid under fallen trees to make up for the lost time. He kept running faster and faster until finally he came to a clearing. "I…can't smell Ponyville anymore. This is far enough", he panted. He looked up. The moon was directly overhead. "Time to get back. I'll be lucky to get any sleep tonight."
He turned on his hooves and walked straight back. He traced his scent through the trees. Now he had a game plan. He had found someplace to lay low. "I still can't risk staying here", he said sadly. "No matter what, I have to move on eventually." A brisk picture of Fluttershy flashed in his mind. "She'll have to find a new helping hoof when that time comes."
Since he didn't have the energy to do anything beyond walking, he figured it would be dawn by the time he got back to Fluttershy's. He would have to deal with working through the day on no sleep. He walked on, ignoring the many spooky and dangerous sounding creatures Everfree Forest had to offer. He no longer kept his eyes on the moon, just on the path ahead. Eventually, Celestia's sun took over the sky, dimly illuminating the sky with a dull gray.
Fluttershy awoke with the crack of dawn. She didn't hesitate in rolling out of bed and quickly starting the day off. There was much to do now that Day and Rime were living in her guest bedroom. "First, I'll make them breakfast", she said cheerfully on her way down to the kitchen. "Then, we can make the duty schedule."
The new help relieved so much stress she had brought down upon herself. Ever since she agreed to become Ponyville's chief pet sitter, tons of animals had arrived at least once a day. Day and Rime alone had already taken care of many of the things she hadn't been able to get to, and she decided they deserved a real, warm Ponyville welcome.
Angel had already made it to the table when she got there, and was impatiently tapping his paw against the hard wood. Needless to say he wasn't very happy with how she was two minutes late. Fluttershy offered him a meek smile before fetching him a carrot to hold him over until breakfast. "I'm so sorry Angel, I hope you aren't too mad at me."
The rabbit forgave her after a bite of the orange vegetable. He happily munched away as she gather the necessary materials for Rime and Day's breakfast. She was sure they would like to wake up to breakfast in bed, so she grabbed two trays so they could do just that. Angel watched her behind his chewing and wondered what had gotten into the yellow Pegasus. She was never that excited or giddy when she was making him breakfast. He saw nothing special about the two arrivals and was starting to wonder what was going on.
To save time, Fluttershy made small breakfast of orange juice, assorted berries, and flowers she picked from her tulip garden. She made her jealous pet his favorite meal of a Variety Salad, consisting of carrots, blueberries, cherries, assorted leafy vegetables, and whipped cream. The sun was barely up when she climbed the stairs to deliver the trays to the boys. She balanced the trays carefully on her back to free her hooves and wings. She wished she had something baked for Rime, but her trip to Sugarcube Corner had been delayed this week. She would have to just surprise him at lunch time. For now, she focused on feeding Day and Rime.
Day lay awake in the bed Fluttershy generously allowed him to use until he got a hotel room. He had just climbed back through the window of the two story room from the long walk back from Everfree forest. He rubbed his hooves together. They briefly stung before the sensitivity eased. In order to get back earlier, he walked through a large patch of thorns. The scratches rose from the bottom of his hooves to as far as his shoulders. A sigh escaped his mouth. He sure was going to have a blast coming up with an explanation for them.
"Why?" he asked himself, examining his scratches. "Why does this have to happen?" He blinked away the tears that threatened to flow down his face. "Come on, Day. You don't cry anymore."
"ZZZzzzZZZcccaaaackckck!" Rime snored loudly. He was curled up into a tight ball on one of the pillows.
Day smiled and gently closed the kitsune's drooling mouth. "I guess there is still something I do all this for." He stretched.
Just as he yawned, a soft knock came through the door. Day panicked and hurriedly climbed under the blanket, ignoring the friction on his scrapes. He cleared his throat. "Come in", he called groggily.
The door opened just enough for Fluttershy to poke her head through. "I didn't wake you up, did I?"
He shook his head. "I was about to get up anyway."
"I'm sorry", Fluttershy apologized, "I woke up early and I wanted to bring you and Rime breakfast. You don't have to eat it right now if you aren't awake…"
Daylight stared at her. She was treating them like royalty. He knew it wasn't right and had to put a stop to it. "Umm…you don't have to do all of these special favors for us. We only work for you, we're not exactly—"
"Oh, I don't mind", Fluttershy interrupted. She frowned. "But if it bothers you, I can stop." She looked away, in Day's opinion, shamefully. She walked in a little further, revealing that she was carrying two trays on her back.
What's going on? Why does she get so sad so fast? "It's okay, Fluttershy. It's just that I don't think that we deserve it."
"Of course you do", Fluttershy responded. "You and Rime are the hardest workers I have ever seen!"
Day blushed. Scratching the back of his head, he modestly said, "Not really…we just do what we're paid too."
Fluttershy almost dropped the trays in shock. "I-I'm so sorry, Day, I forgot to pay you yesterday!"
"It's fine, Fluttershy." He used his mouth to pull the blanket closer to his face. "I can wait on the bits."
Apparently she didn't hear him. She set the trays down on the bed and quickly left without saying a word.
Day almost chased after her to calm her down, but forced himself to stay. "Don't get attached, Day", he told himself. "Doesn't make it any easier to leave."
"We're still leaving?"
Day emerged from the blanket to see Rime standing over his face. He nodded. "Sorry, Rime. You know the rules."
"Ugh, this smells like you after a week!" Rime shouted.
"You say that every time", Day pointed out. He sat up.
The kitsune huffed. He bounced across the bed to one of the trays. "Fluttershy's real nice."
Day didn't comment. The last thing he wanted to do was agree and move the bet into Rime's favor. Instead, he yanked the blanket, sending Rime into the air.
"Aaaah!" he screamed on the trip up and back down. He hit the bed with a small yelp. He looked up to see the Earth Pony almost cracking a half smile. He growled in irritation. "You did that on purpose!"
"Of course I did", Day replied with a hint of "duh" in his voice.
Rime stood up and held out his paws. "Yuki-dama!" Nothing happened. "Oh, come on! Yuki-dama!"
"Next time try pelting me with a snowball when you're not tired." Day gave Rime a smug pat on the head.
"I'm not tired, I'm hungry!"
"That doesn't surprise me."
Rime ignored him and rushed the trays again. He managed to get to them this time since Day decided not to flip him into the air again. He first went for the blueberries. He shoved five in at a time and ate noisily to annoy Day. The yellow pony rolled his eyes. He got down from the bed and rummaged through his saddle bag he had set in a chair in the corner of the room. From one of the bigger pockets, he withdrew a container of yellow dye. It was the exact same shade as his coat. He popped the lid and dabbed his left hoof into the half empty jar of paste. In stroking motions, he applied a thin layer to the surface of his right hoof. The red cat eye disappeared.
Rime, who was watching him, asked, "What's with all the scratches?"
"Thorns", Day replied. "But they're already starting to heal."
"What're you gonna tell Fluttershy?"
"I went for a walk and tripped."
"Not even I believe that." Rime swallowed the now semi-digested berries.
"It'll work", Day sighed.
"You need a backup plan."
"You need to stop talking with your mouth full."
"Oh, my mouth's not full." Rime stuffed his face with as much food as he could. "Noh iths fol!"
Day snapped the lid back on the jar. "Good luck swallowing all that." He put the jar back in the bag, unaware that some dripped onto the floor. He turned back to the bed to see that Rime had already devoured his breakfast and was eying the food on the other tray. "Don't even think about it furball. I'm still starving."
"Awww, but you'll live!" Rime rubbed his stomach. "I'm skinny and malnourished!"
Day looked down at him. "I'll make you a deal."
"What?"
"If you don't eat my breakfast, I'll buy you a cake for dinner."
"Cake for dinner?!" Rime repeated ecstatically. He narrowed his eyes. "Wait, this isn't a trick is it?"
Day shook his head. "I mean it."
"Woohoo!"
Day sat next to the celebrating kitsune to eat. Upon the first bite, the Earth Pony had a feeling that the day ahead was going to be a good one.
Nearly in tears, Fluttershy frenetically searched around her room for her emergency stash of bits. The First Bank of Ponyville wasn't open yet and the guilt of forgetting to pay Day was eating at the poor mare's conscience. It had been so long since she had last needed to use the reserve cash, so the whereabouts were practically unknown. She ran from one wall to another, knocking books from her tables and nearly trampling Angel, who managed to hop out of her path just as her hoof clopped to the ground where he was watching her rummage around. She opened her closet. At the very top in plain view sat a large sack of bits. She sighed in relief and brought it down to the floor. She opened it and dished out the right amount into a small bag she flew around the room with in her mouth.
Fluttershy calmed down when the last bit landed in the pile. She turned to see her destroyed room. "Oh, my…Was that me?"
Angel nodded. He hopped to Fluttershy's back now that she wasn't running around like a madmare. She put the bigger bag of bits back in its original place. Making a mental note to clean up her room later, she carried Angel to the living room. She dropped the bag of bits for Day on the table. Pacing followed as she began to wonder whether or not day would want to work for her anymore. Or even talk to her anymore.
She only managed to put a shallow rut in the floor before Day and Rime came down for the day. She immediately snatched the bits from the table and thrust them into his hooves, causing him to drop the two trays he carried from the bedroom.
"I'm sorry, Day!" she cried. "I'll pay you on time for now on I promise!"
The Earth Pony stared at her. "I told you, Fluttershy: We can wait. I know you will pay us."
"Yeah! You're acting crazy!" Rime added, which earned him a well-earned smack in the head. "Hey! What was that for!?"
"Manners", Day growled in response.
Fluttershy blinked. She WAS acting crazy. Looking back, decimating her room and taking bits from her stash that was for emergencies only wasn't like her at all. So…why did she do it? She knew she had to apologize before trying to figure that out. "I'm sorry, Day. I don't know what happened…"
There she goes with the apologies again…Day mentally facehoofed. "It's fine, Fluttershy."
"What are we doing today?!" Rime asked off-topically.
Fluttershy regained her composure. "First we're going to make a duty chart, so that everypony has something specific to do during the day. I think it's the best way we can do it."
"Works for me", Day said indifferently.
"I wanna feed the chickens!" Rime shouted.
Fluttershy giggled at his silliness. Unfortunately, Angel saw Day jump at the slight sound. The rabbit smiled smugly. He bounced away, unnoticed.
"Okay, Day, would you and Rime mind taking care of the morning feedings? If you do, then I can take care of cleaning up the morning messes and clean the inside burrows and nests."
"After that?" Day asked.
"When you finish feeding the animals", Fluttershy said, "I should be done inside. Then I can come out to help you clean the pens."
"Then lunchtime!" Rime added.
"Yes, Rime, then we can have lunch." Fluttershy turned to Day. "After that we'll check on the rest of the animal and make sure they are all doing well."
"Let's get to it then", Day said as soon as she finished. He placed the bits on the table. And picked up the trays. From the corner of his mouth, he said, "I'll go ahead and get these in the kitchen." With Rime now on his back, he left the room. Fluttershy's tour the day before was extremely helpful. He already had the pattern he wanted to use for his chores picked out. He left the trays on the kitchen table on his way out the back door. From there he and Rime got a healthy wave of warm air. It wasn't as hot as the day before, so Rime didn't need ice to chew on.
From the kitchen door, Day made his way to the chickens. Rime hopped down and bounced ahead. He hopped the small gate. Day followed, grabbing a pail from the post near the feed storage. He filled his bucket and began his chore. The chickens swarmed the area around him. He swayed from side to side, making sure to spill the corn evenly so the birds didn't fight over piles.
Fluttershy had just finished making her bed when she noticed that she had knocked one of Twilight's books to the floor. She inspected it to find that there wasn't any damage. The page she left off on was still marked. The night before, she fell asleep reading the chapter about evidence collecting and suspicious behavior. Thoughts about raiding Day's room for anything to point out what his and Rime's bet was about passed in and out of her head. She respected ponies' privacies and wouldn't dream about entering their personal space like that. The bad thing was she couldn't even dream up what their bet was about. The two thoughts battled it out in her head.
Once Fluttershy was done with her room, she moved onto the living room. The only work to be done was fluffing the pillows on her couch. She was about to skip over the chore, but then noticed Day's sack of bits still on the table. Knowing that it couldn't stay there, she grabbed it up and flew it upstairs. The Pegasus was a bit surprised when she opened the door to that the hard workers she hired were a bit lazy. The bed was a mess! The blankets and sheets were in total disarray and one of the pillows was MIA.
Knowing that Day and Rime would be working outside all day, she decided to make their bed for them. She set the bits down on the dresser near the door. She stripped the queen size and started from the beginning by replacing the sheets. Next was a poufy blanket she found was very comfortable if laid underneath a third sheet. Fluttershy stretched the final fitted sheet over the bed. Once it was tucked in, she moved on to the blanket. She took both ends of the long side and flew over the bed. She pulled the blanket from the foot of the bed and gently smoothed it over the top. She found the pillow that was missing beside the bed on the opposite side.
She picked it up, but stopped after noticing something odd on the floor. A small drop of yellow liquid shone in the light. Fluttershy curiously scooped it up. It left a smear trail behind her hoof. It didn't have a smell. When she rubbed her hooves together, she found it stained her fur a richer yellow. Attempts to rub it away were futile. Whatever it was, it was going to be staying for a while. "Why is this on the floor in the first place?" she asked herself. It was strange; there was no sign of the yellow substance anywhere else in the room. The smear on the floor gave her an idea. She remembered in one of her mystery books that the main detective had found something he couldn't identify, so he collected it for lab testing.
In a rush of excitement, Fluttershy flew down to the cupboard next to her staircase. She grabbed the most professional-looking cup she had. It wasn't a test tube, but she could still have somepony analyze it. That thought made her tingle. She was just like Inspector Lestrein! Knowing that the bigger the sample she had the easier it was to identify it, she brought a rubber spatula and a dropper back to Day's room. She carefully scraped it into a small puddle and soaked it up with the dropper. She kept making puddles of what the dropper didn't suck up until there wasn't a molecule of the stuff left. When she finished, only the bottom of her cup had been barely covered. "This still should be enough", she hypothesized. "Inspector Lestrein usually found less…"
With her supplies in hoof, Fluttershy left the now-fully-tidy bedroom. The spatula and dropper settled in the sink, but the cup found a home atop Fluttershy's refrigerator. "I'll get you to the lab as soon as I can", she said with a huge smile. It felt so neat to be a detective!
The kitchen wasn't very messy with the exception the breakfast dishes. Those could wait until lunch when there would be a need, so she simply set the trays in the sink. Most of the animals were outside enjoying the day, leaving the house virtually empty. A few mice scampered about in games of tag and hide-and-seek. She checked around for any nests that needed to be cleaned up. One or two nests here and there needed a couple twig replacements, but other than that, they were all clean.
Fluttershy felt a bit guilty that she sent Day and Rime out in the heat while she did the little work in the cool cottage. She left the room for the backyard, where she would hopefully find the two. She made her way to the chicken pen to discover that they were pecking at the few remaining kernels Day and Rime had scattered around for them. The feeding pail swayed on its nail in the breeze.
Taking to the sky, Fluttershy set out in search for the duo. She didn't have to look for long; Day and Rime were feeding the fish in the stream. Day supervised Rime as the kitsune sprinkled the flakes of food into the water. They both watched the flakes disappear with every peck from the salmon and trout. She landed a few feet behind them. The two were talking about something, so she crept closer to eavesdrop.
"Fish are cool!" Rime shouted.
Day didn't respond. He rubbed his hooves together. The scratches on his hooves were nearly gone, leaving only the memory of the painful scrapes. His ear twitched. Somepony was behind them. They were upwind of whomever it was, but Day didn't need a scent to know who. "Sorry, Fluttershy, we got a little behind looking for the fish food."
The mare jumped. How did he know she was there? To avoid being suspicious, she replied as clearly as she could, "It's okay, Day. I was just coming out to help you."
"The only thing left to do is clean the pens", Day stated. He finally turned around.
"You already fed all of the animals?" she asked in disbelief.
He nodded. "We don't like to waste time", he reminded her, "We also checked the burrows and nests around the yards. Everything seemed—"
"A-Okay!" Rime finished loudly.
If Fluttershy was impressed yesterday, there were no words to describe her amazement. In just one hour, they had done nearly everything it took her to do in a day! She stared at them, lost for words.
Daylight found that she was mainly staring at him. Nervousness crept in through the backdoor of his mind and made itself at home across his nose in the form of a blush. He cleared his throat in an attempt to make it go away. "Let's get the pens cleaned now. Umm…how do you usually do that?"
Her voice finally returning, she said, "There is a water hose I use to spray the pens out next to the pigs. It's long enough to reach all the way around the house."
"We'll get started on it."
"Day!" Rime whined, "You're working way too hard! Take a break, go slower, stop dragging me with you!"
The colt sighed. "We're almost done, Rime."
"If it's okay", Fluttershy interjected, "Rime can come with me to gather the chicken eggs before we clean it."
"Fine by me."
"Yay! Eggs!"
Day left the two for the backyard. The separation was an instant relaxer for his nerves. Between Rime and the work, he was easily worked up on the inside. He could now focus on calming down and not exploding in a fiery rage of venting his anger. As he walked by the fence of the pen, the pigs gathered up to follow him, hoping he was bringing more food for them. Taking a look at them he saw that they were crusty with drying mud. Their puddle of mud looked more like a shallow bowl of dust. Day spotted the hose coiled near a small shed he assumed held the well.
He grabbed the brass head and wedged it in the fence aimed at where the mud used to be. With a swift kick to the handle, the faucet unleashed a thin torrent of water. The force dislodged the hose from fence. Like a snake it whipped back and forth, spraying water in all directions. Day decided to cut the water after his third failed attempt to catch the runaway rubber gardening tool and getting blasted in the face by freezing water. He shook himself dry.
The pigs squealed in delight at their revived mud hole. They were no longer interested in Day now that they were wallowing in the cool mud. He watched them for a few seconds before coiling the hose back into its original place. The last few inches of it fell into place in exactly the same place he found it. Except now it was yellow. He looked around to see yellow hoof prints staining the ground. He growled. The water washed away the dye! He checked his hoof. The cat eye was still covered. He blew on the wet dye. Once it was dry he dragged his left hoof across grass. The dye faded with every pass. He left once it was all smeared into the ground.
"Here's one, Fluttershy!" Rime grabbed the egg he found in the nest situated against the far wall.
"Good job, Rime!" she congratulated. He opened his jaws and released the egg into her basket. "Is that the last one?"
He nodded vigorously. "Yup!"
She set the basket on top of the chicken coop. "Now we have to move the nests so that the chickens won't have to build them again."
"Got it!"
Fluttershy left Rime to collect Day and the water hose. She could hear her pigs squealing in the backyard. It sounded like they were splashing in the mud. Day must have already cleaned out their pen. She looked around for him, but he had since left. She found the hose tightly wound up next to the shed. She reached for it, but stopped. There was that yellow stuff again. The sun had dried it to a crust on the brass nozzle. "I definitely need to get that sample to the lab." Her insides cheered.
"Fluttershy! Fluttershy!"
She turned to see Rime bouncing up to her. "I got the nests moved! We can clean the coop now!"
Fluttershy picked up the hose and draped it over her shoulder. "Let's go get it cleaned up."
"Alright! Operation chicken coop cleanup is a go!"
"Rime, you're so silly!"
"No, I'm cool!" He blew a small puff of crystalized vapor into the air. "Oh, yeah!"
She giggled. Instead of leading her back to the chicken coop, Rime climbed to the top of her head. "Hey, Fluttershy, your mane is like a waterfall!" He hid in the curve. "It's so cool!"
"Thank you, Rime."
"Welcome!"
They went back to the chicken coop. The chickens scratching around paid the two no mind as they scratched around for worms and crickets. Rime had gathered the nests and put them all on the top of the henhouse. The vacant inside was ready for a thorough spraying. Fluttershy had forgotten one thing, though. With a blush, Fluttershy asked, "Rime, could you go turn the water on for me?"
"You betcha!" In a flash, Rime was running atop the hose on his way back.
He giggled everytime he fell off the rubber tube. He bounced along the green hose until he found where it stopped. It took a little muscle, but he managed to push the handle loose. The water whined as it snaked its way through the hose. "Woo! I did it!" The kitsune screamed to the sky.
He was just about to leave when something caught his attention.
"Psst!"
Rime's head shot around. He didn't see anything. That was, until a white rabbit poked his head out from his hiding spot behind the shed. "Pssss-sst!" He waved him over.
"Oh, hey, you're that rabbit!" He playfully frolicked over.
Angel withdrew a few feet to give Rime enough room to hide with him. The rabbit didn't hesitate. Before Rime could compliment the excellent place to hang out, Angel opened his mouth first. "You're friend…I know what he is!"
The kitsune stared in the face of a ghost. "W-what?"