//------------------------------//
// By Her Stripes, You Are D'awww'd 
// Story: Appledashery 
// by Just Essay 
//------------------------------//

	On blue, fluttering wings, Rainbow Dash descended into the heart of the Everfree Forest.  A familiar, run-down castle loomed above the steep cliffs of a gorge that ran deeply through the remote region.  Threading her way through a crack in the stonework ceiling, Rainbow Dash touched down on the rubble-strewn throne room.

There, she stood up, looking around.

"... ... ..."

Rainbow Dash blinked.

"...Zecora?"

No response.

The pegasus turned around, eyes darting every which way.

"Zecora?"

Silence.

"Noir?!"

More silence.

Flapping her wings, Rainbow Dash scaled the steps and looked around the throne itself.  There was no sign of the stallion, nor the striped mare in charge of his care.

"Zecora?!  Noir?!  Where are you guys?!"

All that returned was Rainbow's lonely echo.

She bit her lip, zipping around each pillar and gazing down each hallway.  Holding her breath, she flew down corridor after corridor, looking into each room and chamber and alcove she could find.  It was desolate and still inside every wing of the castle, and as the search carried on for five minutes... ten minutes.. fifteen... Rainbow Dash started losing hope of finding the two ponies anywhere.

"Come on, guys!  This isn't funny!"  She frowned, gliding past tapestries and cobwebbed support beams.  "Where in the heck did you guys—?!"

Rainbow skidded to a stop in mid-air, numb legs dangling.  She glanced up at the sliver of sky glimmering through the exposed roof of the throne room.

With a deep breath, she flapped her wings harder and ascended through the fissure.





Minutes later, Rainbow Dash sped her way to a tiny open patch in the trees.  Dropping down, she land before Zecora's hut, fumbling slightly on tingly hooves.

There was a light on inside the house.

Rainbow held a weak hoof up to the door, but hesitated.  She tried holding the other hoof up, only to frown.  Pivoting about, she considered lifting one of her numb rear legs—

"Is somepony there?  Say something so I can hear!"

Rainbow exhaled, smiling.  "Zecora!  Boy am I glad to hear you!"

"Rainbow Dash, my pony friend!  I've been wondering where you were!  Come on in!"

Rainbow fidgeted, ultimately clasping the door handle with her teeth and pulling it open.  She stumbled inside, catching her breath.  Across the interior, the striped mare in question could be seen looming over a cauldron of bubbling broth.

"It appears to me that you are back from your journey," Zecora said with a smile.

"Er... yeah..."  Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow.  "Why weren't you at the castle?  I thought I told you it'd be safest there—"

"Daring Do reported in," Noir said in Rainbow Dash's ear.  "She came back here right after she—"

"Gaaaah!"  Rainbow flinched, bumping into the fireplace and collapsing on her chest.  "Nnngh... guhh!"

Noir winced, his body covered in several places with bandages.  "My apologies."

"Somepony should put a bell on you!" Rainbow heaved and hyperventilated.

"I am not used to being awake at this hour," Noir said, keeping away from the windows and the light coming from outside.  "I forget how easy it is for the sounds of daytime to mask my movement."

"Yeah, well I almost just made a little movement of my own!"  Rainbow Dash struggled onto her wobbling hooves.  "Cheese and crackers, I've never jumped so hard in my life!"

Zecora chuckled and paused in stirring her broth.  "Your sarosian friend is on the mend," she said.  "Keeping him in the castle was far too much hastle.  So I brought him here where all of my tools and herbs are near."

"I wasn't aware that you were close friends with a practicing Zebraharan shaman," said Noir.

"Yeah... well..."  Rainbow cleared her throat.  "Would you brag about your pocket zebras?"

"Zecora says that she's been assisting you with an acute case of pegasus atrophy."

Rainbow gritted her teeth, the hairs on the back of her neck rising.  "Did... she now...?"

"Many bandages and a bed for Noir I've made," Zecora said in a calm voice.  "One secret for another, I think, is fair trade."

"Zecora, please, you gotta understand."  Rainbow Dash tried trotting across the hut, but had to resort to flapping her wings instead.  "I've kinda sorta turned into a freelance adventurer as of late.  It comes with its own share of danger that I didn't want any of my friends getting mixed up in!  That includes you!"  She pointed across the way.  "Noir here is living proof of what kind of nasty-nasties I'm crossing paths with."

"Oh Rainbow Dash, calm your nerves!" Zecora exclaimed.  "To think I'm angry with you would be absurd!"  She poured a few more ounces of seasoning into the broth and resumed stirring.  "However, you do have my utmost concern.  From what Noir tells me, he's not the only one who could have gotten burned!"

"Yeah, well, good thing I'm such an expert at covering my tracks!"  Rainbow said, though she winced.  "Except for when it comes to Daring Do, I suppose."

"I wouldn't take it the hard way," Noir said, stumbling across the hut.  He winced a bit from his wounds and found a thick patch of hay to lie down.  "Nnnngh... she's paid as high as she is by the Lunar Code for a reason."

"Did you realize she was such a friggin' egomaniac when you hired her?"

"Loyalty and skill come with their fair share of... eccentricities," the stallion muttered.  His slitted, amber eyes narrowed on Rainbow.  "Like a pegasus who hunts after shards while her legs threaten to give out on her..."

"Well..."

"And doesn't incorporate the other Elements of Harmony," Noir growled.  "Of whom she is an avid member, apparently."

"Look... the less ponies who get involved with this, the better!" Rainbow grunted.  She waved a numb hoof across the room.  "Back in Dredgemane, my friend Pinkie Pie and a bunch of other innocents got tangled up with me, Daring, and a buckton of baddies!  I'm lucky to have gotten out of there without Don Canter or Romulus knocking on any of my gal-pals' doors!"

"So is that what prompted the spell?"

"The... sp-spell?"

"Daring Do is no fool," Noir said.  "After the clues she discovered from the black market, she went to Dredgemane with one clear mission:  to retrieve the chaos shard that was smuggled there at all costs.  The fact that she came back can only mean that it had fallen into more capable hooves.  And—knowing your experience with the shards..."

"Yeah...?"

"Well..."  Noir stretched his bandaged, leathery wings.  "It stands to reason that you are exercising some sort of mastery over them."

"Uh huh..."  Rainbow fidgeted.

"While the turnout was most certainly convenient, I must say I'm rather concerned, Rainbow Dash."  His leafy ears twitched.  "Chaos magic is not something to be casually tampered with.  It has the power to corrupt absolutely."

"Pffft..."  Rainbow Dash hovered close to the ceiling with a smug grin.  "Do I look corrupted to you?"

"No, you look both sick and desperate," Noir said.  "Which is the easiest thing of all to corrupt."

Rainbow Dash bit her lip.

"Ms. Dash, listen to me."  Noir sighed, his fangs showing slightly.  "I am honored by how selfleslsy you have served the Lunar Code in retrieving these shards.  You've sacrificed so much of your time and well-being, and I regret that it's nearly cost the safety of your friends."  He gestured with a dark fetlock.  "I'm also very... very thankful that you and Zecora here have saved my life.  That being said, I still wonder if you know exactly what you're getting into with this hunt."

"Well... no, Noir, I don't know what I'm getting into."

"Rainbow—"

"And that's a good thing, don't you think?"  Rainbow grinned stupidly.  "Perhaps the best thing?"

Noir opened his mouth to speak, but lingered.  He leaned back in his bed of hay, exhaling a contemplative breath.

"She has a good point, dear sir," Zecora said.  "There isn't a corruptible bone in her."

"See!"  Rainbow pointed.  "I knew somepony would agree with me!"

"After all, even Zebraharan lore speaks of chaos lords and more."  The zebra stirred her broth and spoke.  "Every wielder of pain knew exactly what they would gain.  Sometimes it takes willful ignorance to maintain one's own shield of innocence."

"Uhhhh... what she said."  Rainbow grinned.  "Plus, now you have further proof that I'm a fully-employed wielder of harmony!"  She winked.  "That's about as far away from chaos as you can get!"

"Hmmmm..."  Noir clenched his jaw.  "Perhaps.  Then again... perhaps you've just been damned lucky."

"Jee..."  Rainbow's ears drooped as she glared.  "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"It's not just my vote," Noir said.  "Aside from Zecora's words of support, I have Daring Do's testimony to go by."

"What testimony?" Rainbow droned.  "I had to give that town an amnesia bomb.  Don Canter's thugs had to be thwarted and I had very little time to be delicate."

"She's a great judge of character, which probably explains why hers is so off-the-wall."  He smiled slightly.  "If Daring Do believes in you, then so do I.  Besides... I owe you that much."

"Eh... let's not get into who owes what, okay?"  Rainbow Dash waved a hoof.  "I'd say we should just concentrate on the rest of the shard-shuffling."

"Not quite so fast."

"H-huh?"

"I suggest that we lay low for a bit," he said.  "Romulus and Don Canter's ponies followed you into Dredgemane.  That, to me, is a sign that they don't have any personal knowledge of where the remaining shards are.  If you were to hone in on your skills and find more, especially so early—"

"—they could tail me again," Rainbow said, gulping.  "Yeah... I-I dunno if I have another amnesia bomb in me."

"Noir is giving some very sound advice," Zecora said.  "Besides, according to him, you've already scavenged the shards thrice."

"I wouldn't mind a break from the break-neck stress," Rainbow said with a shudder.  "So... does this mean you're chilling here for a while?"

"So long as Zecora will allow me," Noir said.  "I sent Daring Do off to bring messages to the other members of the Lunar Code.  With the lair in Fillydelphia torched, it's an extra-long distance to the next gate that leads to New Saros."

"I told him that he must stay here until he gets better," Zecora said.  "In the meantime, I am studying sarosian physiology to the letter."  Her lips curved.  "I've never been able to heal his kind before.  I feel like I've increased my knowledge for whatever health cases tomorrow has in store."

"Well... so long as you've found a silver lining in all of this, Zecchy girl," Rainbow said.  "Cuz I'm totally not proud of forcing you to have somepony crash here.  I mean... I'm sure you miss the peace and quiet of Everfree."

"Oh, don't be silly!  I'm happy with the camraderie!" Zecora exclaimed.  "Besides, this is all for a good cause, and it isn't truly putting my life on pause."

"Well... that's cool n'stuff..." Rainbow smiled.  "So, now that we got all of that clear up... uhm... I-I don't suppose I could trouble you for—?"

Zecora smiled, grasping two large wooden jugs from a nearby counter and hoofing them over to Rainbow.

The mare blinked, her eyes widening.  She tried grasping them, only to fall back on her rump, hugging the sloshing containers of potion to her fuzzy chest.  "Unnff!"  She gritted her teeth.  "Horseapples, Zecora!  Is this... are these what I think they are?"

"They should last you a while, I assume," Zecora said with a nod.  "Presuming your stomach has enough room."

"But... but..."  Rainbow grimaced.  "I-I totally still need to get the ingredients n'stuff!  Zecora, this is super-nice, b-but I can't possibly take this stuff without paying you!  I mean—"

"It is not your burden this time to pay," Zecora said.  "I do believe another pony has covered it today."

Rainbow blinked.

Zecora smirked, then jerked her head to the side.

Rainbow glanced over.  "...you?"

"The Lunar Code is in possession of much silver," he said.  "Minerals mined from New Saros itself."

"But... b-but..."

He waved a hoof.  "I can tell you're a mare who doesn't take gifts easily.  Think of it this way."  His amber eyes were firm.  "We're depending on you to find these shards.  If this quaff makes up for your physical shortcomings, then it's a small price to pay."

Rainbow blinked.  "Huh..."  She nodded, holding the jars closer.  "Yeah... okay.  Okay."  She smirked.  "Sounds like a deal."

"Good.  Now, do us all a favor," he said, frowning.  "And try not to cast any more amnesia spells."

"Heh!  What do I look like?  A witch doctor?"  Rainbow bit her lip, then glanced over at Zecora.  "N-no offense."

"Heheheh... None taken, oh fuzz forsaken."