//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: DragonFeather // by Senyu //------------------------------// Fast asleep in the hospital bed, Rainbow Dash softly whined, and her restless legs moved beneath the covers. The fabric felt warm and stifling, and she furrowed her brow at the sensation. Her movements became erratic as she tossed about in the bed, pushing and kicking the covers away from her until they were eventually thrown onto the floor. However, despite now lying bare in bed, her body still moved, seeking relief from the warmth that was building. She clenched her jaw as sweat trickled down her coat. “No… I gotta’… Too hot,” she mumbled, still asleep. Her breathing quickened as she twisted and turned, and her perspiration dampened the bed. “Can’t… I gotta’… Gotta’ fly… Faster…” Then, as the dream rose to its peak and her body began to convulse, she at last opened her eyes with a frantic cry. “Gaaah!” Flinging herself upright, Rainbow Dash sat while taking deep gasps of air. She looked around herself in panicked confusion, her mind reeled at the sudden shift from burning light to cool darkness. But as she began to recognize the familiar hospital room, Rainbow Dash shuddered in relief, and the dream faded from mind. She took deep breaths, relishing the comfortable humidity of the air. Her other solace was the moisture she felt in her mouth. However, the sharp points of her new fangs threatened her fragile composure, and so she did her best to ignore them for now. After having spent some moments more collecting herself, Rainbow Dash turned her focus back to her surroundings. She saw the blanket piled on the floor beside the bed, the dim glow of the moon shining through the window that lit only half the room, and the faint light of the hallway peeking beneath the door to the hallway. For the first time in her life, Rainbow Dash was relieved to be inside a hospital. Without further thought, she reached her hoof towards one of the glasses of water that were prepared beside her, and she downed its contents with two gulps. Water had never been so quenching before, and she immediately went for a second one. This time she practically bit at the water, downing it more quickly than the last. Afterwards, she let out a refreshed sigh and placed the two empty glasses aside. “Dream…,” she whispered. “It’s just a dream.” After another deep breath, she leaned back into bed, only to arch her back from having touched the damp cloth. “Ugh,” she groaned, looking behind herself at the soaked fabric. The stains were easy to make out on the white sheets, and she let out an irritated snort. Geeze, it’s almost like I had done two flying shows. Her annoyance was momentary, however, as her eyes soon shifted from the bed stains towards her scaled wings, and her expression quickly fell into a scowl. She warily flexed her wings, noting how they felt in the waking world, where they didn’t wrap themselves around her with a mind of their own. She moved them once, then twice. But regardless of how they obeyed her now, she still felt hesitation towards them. Eventually, she let out a surly snort and turned her head forward. “Almost a dream...:” Rainbow Dash brought a hoof to her cheek and sighed. No way I’m going back to sleep. Looking to her right, she read 3:50 on the clock beside her bed, and she groaned. Sun’s not even up for another hour or two. She tapped her legs in annoyance, and after a few flicks of her tail, she realized how restless she felt. Even her wings begged for flapping, the notion of which brought a sickening feeling in her chest, a first for her. But she shoved the discomfort aside and stared out the window. She needed to move, and despite knowing the trouble she could get in later, she hopped off the bed anyways. Following her first instinct, she moved towards the window, but she paused after a few feet when she realized that escape route would require flying. “Ugh,” she grumbled, and she went for the door instead. Once beside the door, she cocked her head to listen for anypony on the other side, and after hearing no hoofsteps, she quietly opened it. The hallway light flooded her vision, but she adjusted quickly as she squinted outside of her room. The hallway was empty. To her left was the edge of the nurses desk that wrapped around to other hallways, and to the right was a red colored door marking the fire escape stairwell. Guess another hospital bill’s going on my tab, she thought with a halfhearted smile. And with that, she quickly but quietly escaped to the stairwell and made her downwards. It was in retrospect that she could finally appreciate Ponyville’s hospital for not having the usual magical alarms like they had in Canterlot. Making her way as swiftly and quietly as possible down the stairwell, she reached the ground level exit door and eagerly threw it open. At once the brisk night air washed over her body, and she took in sweet lungfuls of it. Even as she shivered and bundled her legs together at the sudden chill, she let out a happy sigh at the wonderful sensation. Feeling more herself after breathing in the night air, Rainbow Dash looked to her surroundings. The moon had nearly set, and the sun’s light had yet to peek over the horizon, but the various street lights of Ponyville provided enough illumination for her to see the roads around her. Without further pause Rainbow Dash casually walked towards the route that would lead her to Ponyville’s park, deciding to take her sweet time in order to appreciate the cool night. Although, as she leisurely walked along Ponyville’s paths, her steps became quieter, and her awareness sharpened with each bend in the road. Eventually, she realized that her carefree movements had shifted into something akin to cautious tiptoeing, and she let out a ‘tsk as she relaxed her posture, returning to her casual stride from before. It’s not like it’d be a big deal if anybody saw me, right? I mean, the whole town’s probably already heard about what happened. She thought about the faces ponies might have made after hearing the news about her. Her imagined reactions were initially mild, a surprised faced or a sudden gasp. But the faces soon grew more exaggerated and panicked as she thought longer on the matter. Before her imagination could cause her further concern, she remembered the helpful advice she had been given only yesterday evening. Rainbow Dash stopped along the path. So this is what Twilight must have felt like when she came back. Rainbow Dash looked towards a quiet house that stood beside the path, and she imagined the family that slept inside it. She wondered how they would have reacted to her if they were the first ponies to find her, how they would have stared in surprise at her most noticeable changes with more curiosity than concern. After all, I just got scaly wings, right? But soon she began to fear how imagined ponies might think when they saw her fangs, or if they thought about her scaled appendages a little more. Rainbow Dash wasn’t a regular pony anymore, and not in the way she had always hoped to be. Cutting through her thoughts before they became too erratic, she shook her head side to side and began walking again. No wonder Twilight was so worried about coming back. Rainbow Dash tried to imagine herself in Twilight’s hooves the night she had come back to Ponyville after leaving Fillydelphia. Walking past ponies’ homes at night, wondering how they might react towards her. Yet, despite Twilight’s fears, she was welcomed rather than feared, and while Rainbow Dash didn’t feel too worried about how ponies might react to her, she nonetheless clung a little tighter to Twilight’s reassurances that everything would be fine. At least I don’t have to drink blood. Got that goin’ for me. Rainbow Dash passed another bend in the road, and then stopped. At least, I don’t think I do. Lifting her foreleg, Rainbow Dash gave a tentative sniff. Huh, nothing. Guess I don’t need to. With that she continued on her way, only half aware that she was lightly grinding her teeth together. By the time Rainbow Dash reached the edge of the park, a soft brightness was appearing on the horizon. Figuring that Celestia had begun the sun’s slow ascent into the sky, Rainbow Dash walked to the wooden bridge that lay in the center of the park for a better view. The gentle creek rolled beneath the wooden planks as her hooves echoed across them, and she moved to the middle of the bridge’s rail so that she could face the rising sun. After propping her forelegs onto the railing and resting her head on them, Rainbow Dash let out a heavy sigh. I guess I’ll be all the rage next Nightmare Night. Maybe next year I’ll see some copycat costumes. The wind rustled her mane and played across the leathery membrane of her wings. Rainbow Dash didn’t react to the strange feeling the wind made passing over tough skin instead of feathers, and to her annoyance, she was beginning to become accustomed to the sensation. She narrowed her eyes as she idled over the notion, but the ire soon faded away, and Rainbow Dash dropped her wings so that they hung limp at her sides. Relief passed over her at finally letting her sore back muscles relax from rigidly holding her wings up for such a long time. As she let herself simply lean against the wooden rail, the first rays of sunlight peeked over the hill-covered horizon, and Rainbow Dash felt its warm rays pierce the morning air across her coat. Slowly, the world around her began to brighten as if the world itself was coming alive. Yet, Rainbow Dash remained lethargically still, her face devoid of any excitement or energy. Even her wings brushing against her hind legs did nothing to stir her emotions. Like the dusty morning she had in the forest, Rainbow Dash felt exhausted, and she simply rested against the wooden bridge while the sun slowly rose over the horizon. After some minutes, Rainbow Dash’s ears flicked at the sound of a door opening and shutting in the distance. Moments later, another faraway door loudly slammed, and then another. Rainbow Dash’s attention soon focused on the sources of noise, the sounds of Ponyville’s residents starting their day. Guess everypony is getting stuff started. Her ears twisted to catch the faint noises of ponies’ voices or the creaking of wagons beginning to move. Everything’s going as it always does, huh? Except for me, of course… That last thought, however, didn’t bring a feeling of animosity that Rainbow Dash had been expecting. Except for me, of course, she repeated to herself, and… nothing happened. She furrowed her brow ever so slightly as she contemplated that fact, and while she did, she kept an ear out on her surroundings. Everypony is going about their day, huh? Just like any other day, she thought to herself again. And that’s fine, right? A faint aroma passed Rainbow Dash’s nose, and she imagined the bread baking in Ponyville’s various bakeries and confection stands. It’s okay for everything else to be fine. So… what should I do? Just be alright with what happened, too? No answer came to mind, and when she felt as if she was simply going in circles in her head, Rainbow Dash let out a snort and returned her focus on her surroundings. She found it strange how comforting it was, focusing on a sunrise that she would have slept through or ignored any other day. And so, she decided to spend some time simply taking it all in. Which is why it was all more surprising when Rainbow Dash heard a gentle cough only a few feet away from her. “Here you are,” Twilight’s voice said a moment later. Rainbow Dash flinched, but she kept her head pointing forward, idly wondering why she kept forgetting how quiet Twilight was. Twilight came up beside her and joined Rainbow Dash in watching the sun rise. “How are you feeling?” she asked. Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I was planning on being with you when you woke up, but it looks like you got up earlier than I expected.” “Couldn’t sleep,” Rainbow Dash mumbled, expecting Twilight to scold her at any moment. “So I was told,” Twilight merely replied. Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at that, and she glanced at Twilight out of the corner of her eye. She noticed Twilight’s wide sun hat was resting on the ground instead of atop Twilight’s head. “Luna,” Twilight explained. “She said that she worried about what she saw in your-” “Okay, okay, I get it,” Rainbow Dash quickly said, adding a hoof wave for good measure. A notable pause passed before Twilight cleared her throat. “S-Sleeping was weird for awhile for me, too. Although, Luna wasn’t able to help me much given my condition.” “Right,” Rainbow Dash replied, her voice sounding surly. Twilight rubbed a hoof against her leg as she nervously continued, “Speaking about sleeping, if you’d like you can sleep at my place tonight. I was going to ask you at some point today that, if you felt well enough to leave the hospital, that if you’d live at the library for awhile. I’d like it if you were nearby so I can help you adjust while also learning what we can about your transformation.” “Sure,” Rainbow Dash merely replied. Despite not hearing any aggression in Rainbow Dash’s voice, Twilight nibbled at her lip, and then made a point to make it audibly noticeable that she took a step back. “I’m sorry, I’m probably being a little insensitive right now. I understand if you want to take some time.” “No, it’s not that,” Rainbow Dash responded while lifting her head. Removing her hooves from the railing, she turned to Twilight. “I want to start right away and figure out whatever we can from this. As much as I don’t wanna deal with it, I know it not going to go away.” Rainbow Dash then glanced sideways towards the sun. “I think I’m just gonna… I’m gonna be off for a bit. This is really, really weird, even for me.” “It’s a lot to take in,” Twilight gently replied. “It’s going to be hard, and it will take awhile, but it won’t be like this forever.” Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight, noting how her posture straightened as she continued to speak. “You’re going to get through this, Rainbow Dash. And I’m going to be right here alongside you. Whatever might happen, you’re going to get through this.” Seeing Twilight’s demeanor suddenly shift into something of determination and confidence caught Rainbow Dash by surprise, and she found herself at a loss for words. Seconds passed as Rainbow Dash simply stared back, and as they did, Twilight’s composed and confident expression began to crack. Rainbow Dash smirked at that, and she let out a small laugh. “Funny, seeing you give some hard motivational advice. I never thought you’d be the type.” Twilight’s cheeks reddened slightly. “Well, after facing some difficulties, I think my attitude has changed a bit as well. But I also figured it’d be the best way to communicate to you through all of this.” She gently smiled towards Rainbow Dash. ”After analyzing your soul as much as I have since this started, I’ve really started to understand just what kind of a pony you are.” Rainbow Dash brought a hoof to her chest while raising an eyebrow. “Yeah? Like what?” “Well, a ponies soul doesn’t reveal their exact thoughts, but I can see how their soul is built and learn how they might react to things, or piece together what some of their deepest desires might be.” A familiar twinkle of excitement and enthusiasm appeared in Twilight’s eyes as she talked further on the matter. “It’s really fascinating learning that your feelings, as well as the history of your mental and emotional growth, your ‘everything’ that makes you ‘you’ is made from the very fiber of your being.” Twilight then giggled. “It’s so much to take in at times that I often forget some of the details. But you can be sure that I won’t forget how strong-willed you really are, Rainbow Dash. I still remember seeing your soul for the first time, back when we were on the airship from Dusktown.” Twilight’s eyes slightly drifted down as she recalled the event. “You’ve been through hard things before, and in the end you manage to always overcome them no matter how much they might scar you. I’m not going to say that you’re going to get through this easily, but I do know that you will eventually. It’s just the type of pony that you are.” “... Thanks, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash quietly replied, and a small smile crept up her lips. Twilight beamed Rainbow Dash a proud smile, appearing noticeably happier that her advice was well received. Then Twilight’s ear flicked, and she subtly shifted her head while rigidly keeping her smile as if nothing had happened. Rainbow Dash, however, saw right through the motion. “What?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Hm?” Twilight replied, still smiling. “You know what.” “What do you mean?” “Come on, tell me. What’d she say?” “W-Who?” “Duh, Ruby, of course.” “Oh! She said the same thing.” “Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said, finding her lethargy vanishing. “What did Ruby say?” Twilight’s smile buckled, and she rubbed her foreleg against the other nervously. “S-She was just making a silly joke. It’s not something I’d repeat.” “Twilight?” Rainbow Dash said with annoyance this time. “Well, she just… Wanted to say that as long as you’re being a brave pony in all of this, that you shouldn’t, uh… forget to pamper yourself from time to time.” Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight questioningly. “Ruby and I kinda… saw the more dainty part of your soul.” Rainbow Dash stared with a dumbfounded expression, but soon the meaning behind Twilight’s words began to click, and Rainbow Dash’s eyes became wide. At once Rainbow Dash’s cheeks puffed up and became a flustered red, and she snapped her wings shut at her sides as her entire body became rigid. A noise that one would have expected to come from Fluttershy escaped Rainbow Dash’s clenched lips. It was the kind of sound that would come from the sudden and horrifically unwelcoming feeling of having dragon wings firmly folded at her sides, which, in turn, paled in comparison to the shock of having a dark secret revealed. Twilight’s face was torn between surprised and worry as she looked back and forth between Rainbow Dash’s petrified demeanor and her folded wings. Then, with one fluid move, Rainbow Dash did an about face, and began to walk away. “Wait, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight cried. “It’s okay! Every pony deserves to be pampered at places like the salon! You can be honest with me! I get it! It’s not weird that you want to feel like a… a... a polished gem that’s carefully taken care of? Does that sound right? It’s hard to describe that part of you with words.” A shrill whine escaped Rainbow Dash’s clenched jaw, and she quickened her steps. Unfortunately for her, Twilight was all too easily able to keep pace as she chased after her on the dew-laden grass, her sun hat magically trailing behind her. “I’m sorry! That’s not what I meant. What I meant was that- No, Ruby, I am not saying that. Rainbow Dash! What I was trying to say is that it’s perfectly normal if you want to feel like you are a strong pony that sometimes needs to be delicately handled when comforted. In fact, it’s probably why you like sleeping in clouds all the time. It’s because they have the softest edges that gently envelope you, right? Or it’s like getting a fancy massage where you’re treated as if you were really a fragile pony even though you aren’t, or like having your hooves painted!” Rainbow Dash began to panically laugh as she fell into a trot. “Okay! I get it! You can stop, Twilight!” “Oh! Sorry! I was just- Sorry!” Twilight sheepishly replied. “Hah, hah!” Rainbow Dash nervously yelled. “Can this day get any better?” “Rainbow Dash?” Twilight and Rainbow Dash skidded to a halt, and turned to see Willow Shade and Cloud Shadow standing a short distance away. Willow Shade swished her silver bang as she stepped forward. “You got released from the hospital already? We were on our way to see how you were doing and, uh...” Willow Shade paused when she took notice of Rainbow Dash’s new wings, and a look of disbelief appeared on her face. “Woah! You have wings like us now! Is that what everypony meant by a small change?” “Small!?” Rainbow Dash’s voice cracked in reply. Willow Shade chuckled and ruffled her short back mane. “Sorry, not trying to be funny here. We really did come to see how you were feeling. We would have been here yesterday, but the Princess thought you needed some space.” “At recommendations from the doctor,” Twilight corrected as she joined Rainbow Dash. “But one that I agreed with. I’m sorry I asked you girls to wait another day. I just wanted to make sure Rainbow Dash had time to collect herself from the initial shock.” “It’s fine, we understand,” Willow Shade replied. “We’re just glad to see you up and about. Right, Cloud Shadow?” Cloud Shadow didn’t reply. Her gaze was locked onto Rainbow Dash’s wings. In fact, even as she began to move towards Rainbow Dash to everypony’s sudden surprise, her gaze was unwavering. With swift and sure steps that caused Rainbow Dash to shy away in confusion, Cloud Shadow closed the distance between them. Her bouncing ponytail trailed behind as stopped just beside Rainbow Dash’s wings, and she raised a hoof out towards them. Stopping only a few inches away from physical contact, Cloud Shadow whispered, “Can I touch them?” “I… guess?” Rainbow Dash hesitantly answered. Cloud Shadow placed a hoof on the scaled forearm that was Rainbow Dash’s wing, and a smile crept to the far edges of her face. “How do I get a pair?” Rainbow Dash stepped back and looked at Cloud Shadow with a glaring and incredulous expression. “I better not find you touching me when I wake up tomorrow.” “Girls,” Twilight said with a low voice. Willow Shade gave a loud, anxious laugh. “Hah, it’s a joke! She’s joking! Sorry, Princess. I guess the shock is just a bit much.” She quickly rushed to Cloud Shadow side and firmly grabbed her tail with her teeth. “Com’ on, Clouds! Letsh go!” A pleading expression appeared on Cloud Shadow’s face as she raised a hoof towards Rainbow Dash’s wings, but she was silenced by Twilight’s glare, and so she reluctantly allowed Willow Shade to drag her off. All while keeping a crestfallen gaze on Rainbow Dash’s new features. Twilight brought a hoof to her face and sighed. “I’m sorry, I should have realized that her… fascination with reptiles and dragons might have caused an issue.” “It’s okay,” Rainbow Dash said. She eyed Willow Shade and Cloud Shadow’s departure warily, but after they left her sight, she couldn’t help but give a small chuckle. “Actually, it didn’t bug me too much. She’s probably the first pony that didn’t freak out in worry after seeing me.” Twilight gave Rainbow Dash a questioning expression, then softened her gaze. “I suppose it can feel nice when somepony admires something new about you when nopony else does.” Twilight’s face, however, fell into a deadpan expression a moment later. “Make sure you change your locks when you do move back home.” Rainbow Dash blinked in surprise. “Really?” “I’ve had to design new magical wards specifically for her when I leave Spike alone at the library.” A concerned expression appeared on Rainbow Dash’s face. “What does she do to him?” “Nothing that he doesn’t mind,” Twilight replied. “It’s more of a way for me to keep an eye on them so that they don’t do something dangerous. The last time I left them unsupervised they had packed a traveling bag for the nearest volcano so Spike could show her how dragons swim in lava.” Twilight then cocked her head as she rubbed a hoof against her chin. “To be honest, despite her forthcoming behavior, she’s fairly adept at learning the nature of dragons and their biology. If I wasn’t so worried about the dangers they could get themselves in, I wouldn’t have to keep devising new kinds of magical wards.” Twilight suddenly paused as a new thought crossed her mind, and then gave Rainbow Dash a scrutinizing gaze. Rainbow Dash nervously averted her eyes. With an unsurprised and monotone voice, Twilight asked, “You didn’t check yourself out of the hospital, did you?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pinkie Pie’s ears twitched at the chime of the bell on Sugarcube Corner’s front door, and she eagerly turned to face her morning customers. “Rainbow Dash! Twilight!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Hey, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash said with a waved hoof. Pinkie Pie leapt over the counter and threw her arms around Rainbow Dash. “You’re out of the hospital! Why didn’t you tell me? I could have baked you a ‘Congratulations on getting out of the hospital’ cake!” Rainbow Dash chuckled while extricating herself from Pinkie Pie. “I think some muffins are gonna’ be enough.” “We figured after properly checking her out of the hospital,” Twilight said with a disapproving tone, “that it would be best that she got some food in her.” “What can I say?” Rainbow Dash replied. “The bakeries were smelling really good this morning.” Twilight’s expression shifted into surprise. “You could smell them from the park?” “Uh, yeah,” Rainbow Dash replied as she moved towards the counter. “Why wouldn’t I be able to?” Pinkie Pie hopped her way back behind the counter. “I can smell cupcakes from there, too! Isn’t it the bestest spot in the whole world when you're hungry?” “I’m beginning to find out,” Rainbow Dash replied before laughing. “What do you got for me?” “I got cherry cupcakes, banana muffins, apple pie, velvet cake, ice-cream cake, cherry cake, fruit cake!” One after another Pinkie Pie drew forth a dish of the named delicacy, quickly covering every inch of space on the countertop. “ChimiCherryChanga, pear slices, peach pie, chocolate muffins, chocolate cake, vanilla cake, vanilla-” “Okay, okay, I get it!” Rainbow Dash nearly shouted. “Just gimme, um… how about… uh, those!” Rainbow Dash pointed her hoof to a plate of cupcakes decorated with shining sprinkles behind the counter glass. Pinkie Pie craned her neck past the counter until she could see the treats Rainbow Dash pointed at, and then promptly laughed. “You can’t eat those, silly.” “Why not?” “Beeeeeecaaaaaauuuuuuuseeeeeee,” Pinkie Pie said as knelt behind the counter to pull them out. “They’re fake!” Pinkie Pie rotated the plate for Rainbow Dash and Twilight to see. “They’re covered in gems! Ponies can’t eat gems, sillyhead!” Pinkie Pie gave a smug smile towards them, but then her smile fell as she looked more closely at the cupcakes . “Or can they?” Twilight gave the cupcakes a questioning glance. “Why would the Cakes want jeweled cupcakes in their display case?” “It’s a promotional event that Rarity convinced them to do,” Pinkie Pie said as she examined the cupcakes with renewed interest. “Something about making the treats in the store look more fancy for the customers. If you ask me, they’re delicious looking enough already!” Rainbow Dash also looked over the cupcakes with further interest. “It kinda looks like rock candy to me.” “Huh,” Pinkie Pie replied. “Maybe that’s why my secret stash of best-sister’s-present-ever-from-Maud of candy rock went missing.” Pinkie Pie suddenly looked to the stairs and yelled, “Gummy! I’m sorry! I should have believed in you!” “Pinkie,” Twilight said, now also looking at the cupcakes more closely. “I don’t think these are sprinkled with rock candy. It looks more like they are actual-” Before Twilight could finish Pinkie Pie grabbed one of the cupcakes, gave it one aroma testing sniff, and then took a bite from it. Rainbow Dash and Twilight watched as Pinkie Pie’s eyes shifted while she chewed on the cupcake, and after a few moments, Pinkie Pie shut her eyes and beamed them a frosting-covered smile of approval. “Alright!” Rainbow Dash said, and she immediately grabbed a cupcake. After taking the first bite Rainbow Dash made a happy and cupcake-muffled noise. “Thish ish good!” “Twilight!” Pinkie Pie said as she held the plate of cupcakes before Twilight. “Whant shum?” “Uh, no, thank you. I already drank this morning,” Twilight politely replied while gently pushing the plate away. Then, Twilight’s ear twitched, and she quickly turned to face the door. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash watched idly as they continued munching on their cupcakes. “In here!” Twilight shouted, and moments later a guard came rushing into the store. “Ah, there you are, Princess,” the Canterlot Guard said. He stepped towards Twilight and formally bowed. “We received news about Gale, your highness.” A hard expression appeared on Twilight’s face, and Rainbow Dash unceremoniously shoved the cupcake back onto the plate as she came up to Twilight’s side. Twilight briefly glanced at Rainbow Dash before motioning for the guard to continue. “Reports confirmed that after Gale visited Dodge City he headed north-east to Baltimare. Fortunately, it seems he avoided the town, and he was last seen crossing the ocean while maintaining his northern course. It’s expected that he will eventually cross into the gryphon territories.” “What have Celestia and Luna decided?” Twilight asked. “The Princesses have already sent word to the Gryphon Kingdoms, and preparations for an expedition have begun.” Twilight narrowed her eyes. “They’re going after him?” “Correct, your highness. Two letters arrived and are waiting for you at the library. One is personally addressed to you.” Twilight nodded. “I’ll see to it immediately. What was the other one?” “A new report regarding Gale’s actions across Equestria. This is just the report summary, the rest of the details are awaiting your review at the library.” Reaching into his pouch, the guard magically brought forth a scroll and passed it to Twilight. He then turned to look at Rainbow Dash. “It seems, Miss Rainbow Dash, that you aren’t the only pony who was transformed.” Rainbow Dash and Twilight’s head shot up from the scroll, and they looked at the guard and then to each other with incredulous expressions. “Let’s go,” Twilight stated, and Rainbow Dash wordlessly nodded as the two of them ran out of the bakery. The guard kept a passive expression as he watched the two mares rush out of the room, and after a few seconds more, he let out a relieved sigh. “By Celestia, I hate being the one picked to the deliver dire news every time.” Pinkie Pie simply smiled at the matter, and then offered the plate to the guard. “Cupcake?” “Oh, don’t mind if I do,” he replied, looking quite pleased at receiving a serendipitous reward for completing the stressful report. Without another thought, the guard happily plopped a cupcake into his mouth, chewed once, paused, and then spat it back out onto his hoof with a look of pained confusion. “Hey! What’s the big idea?” Pinkie Pie said as she placed a protective arm around the plate of remaining cupcakes. “I’m sorry, it’s just that… there were gems in it!” the guard said. He rubbed his jaw as he looked at the cupcakes in confusion. “I nearly broke my teeth biting into them.” “Oh,” Pinkie Pie merely said. “Could’a fooled me.” And with that, Pinkie Pie plopped another cupcake into her mouth and ate it like it was just another pastry in the bakery. The guard watched in disbelief as Pinkie Pie chewed on it without issue, swallowed, and then turned her head to the stairs. “Gummy! You’re on the hook again for eating my rock candy stash!”