//------------------------------// // Workin' Hard to Get My Fill // Story: Don't Stop Believing // by Mitslits //------------------------------// Chary was about to dive when Celestia's sun began rising over the horizon. She gasped. Gray. Everywhere. Caramel held Ditzy, gently stroking her mane. "Sh, it's okay. I'm sure they'll come back." Dawn's Glow's tears left a trail for Indigo Moon to follow. And follow he did. He paced doggedly after her, determined to find her and apologize. For him, the colors were still there. They hadn't left. It was the same for Dawn. The Doctor was pacing nearby. "Oh, this is very bad. This is extremely very not good." He cast his wide, blue eyes to the sky. "River, where are you?" The tan pegasus landed softly behind him. "Doctor, do you know what this means?" "Yes, River, I do. I need you to fix it", the Doctor told her. "Hurry." River Song took off, flapping her wings, searching for Dawn's Glow. Spotting the cream unicorn, she slowly let herself descend, keeping her in her sights. She landed lightly a few feet in front of the dejected Dawn's Glow, letting her have a few more seconds to herself. Then she leaped out in front of her, glaring. Dawn jerked backwards, stumbling and falling onto her rump. "Wh-what do you want?" She stood up, gazing warily at the newcomer. River crouched down, wings out, low and menacing. "I never said you could leave my hotel. New doors are heavy you know. I need help, and you seem like the perfect candidate." With that, the tan pegasus jumped forwards, knocking Dawn's hooves from under her with one foreleg. Dawn's Glow magically halted River Song by holding her in a matrix of white magic. She got to her feet again, breathing heavily. Then she swung the pegasus into the side of a building, the matrix fading. Shaking her head to orient herself, River smacked Dawn's Glow's face, hearing a satisfactory gasp of pain. Then she rapped one hoof between the younger pony's eyes. The unicorn spun away from the pegasus, whipping her with her tail as she did so. Hefting a crate over her head with the use of her magic, she threw it at River Song with all her strength. River opened her wings as quickly as she could, zipping into the air with a second to spare. The crate slammed into the wall behind her, bursting into hundreds of pieces. Thinking quickly, River swooped low, landing in the midst of the debris. Flaring her wings, she pumped them up and down quickly. Wood chips flew everywhere, scattered by the air currents. Dawn shielded her muzzle with her front hoof, wincing as her coat was pierced by many small wood chips. Crouching low, she stopped a few midflight with a simple spell. Then she sent them back towards the pegasus at lightning speed. The tan pegasus leaped upwards, flapping her wings, avoiding most of the projectiles. A couple found their target, burying deep into River's flank and hooves. Barrel rolling, she landed right on Dawn's back, dumping her onto the ground for the third time in as many minutes. Dawn's Glow reacted quickly. She let herself go limp momentarily, then surged upwards, throwing River off. She bucked backwards, allowing herself a small grin when she felt her back hooves meet solid bone. River Song had just a moment before the buck. She spread her wings and hovered a little off the ground to decrease the impact. She was hurled backwards through the air until she crash-landed near a barrel of apples. Instantly, she was on her hooves, apples cradled in her arms. River took to the air, hurling apples at the now cowering unicorn. The cream unicorn dodged apples, prancing left and then right. She caught a few and returned them, throwing them with all her might. One clipped River's wing. River let go of the apples as her wing dipped down. Righting herself she noticed many of the fruits hurtling through the air towards her. Now it was her turn to dodge apples, and she did, spinning through the air on delicate wings. She managed to catch a few and send them winging down at Dawn. Dawn was now fighting just to avoid apples, let alone return any. She skipped left-straight into the path of a particularly fast fruit. It whacked her squarely between the eyes, and she went down like a sack of potatoes. Panting heavily, River landed, dropping her few remaining apples. She flew nearby to a rope that had been used to secure the lid of the apple crate. The pegasus bound Dawn's legs together and roped her muzzle shut. Indigo's own tears began to mingle with his lovers. Still, he kept on, telling himself that he had to apologize. That was when he heard the commotion. Looking up, he noticed apples flying through the air, and heard several screams. "Dawn!" Leaping forwards, the blue unicorn raced faster than he had ever done before, screaming Dawn's name. River's head jerked up. "Who could that be?" That was when Indy struck. Without knowing quite what happened, River found herself pinned to the ground and bound with the same rope that had been holding Dawn just a moment ago. Dawn's eyes fluttered open to see Indigo Moon's concerned face hovering over hers. "Indy? What happened?" The blue unicorn helped her to her feet. "That's just what I was going to ask you." He glared at River. "Or maybe you'd like to explain", he spat. Smiling, the tan pegasus shook her head, and bit through the ropes. Without another word, she was in the air, winking down at the two of them. With that, she zipped away. "Are you okay?" Indy asked, turning to Dawn's Glow. She nodded. "Yes. But I might not have been if you didn't rescue me. Thank you." She kissed him lightly on the lips. "Now, I think we might be late for work. And we'll have to work hard to get our fill." Indigo nodded, and the couple walked side by side back towards the town. Chary winced as the sun blazed brightly. She squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them the trees were a vibrant green, the sky a brilliant blue. She sighed in relief and then her eyes spotted the bright splash of red down below. Her work was far from over. Caramel's eyes opened wide as he saw his girlfriend's hair take on it's dull yellow hue. "Ditzy! Ditzy, open your eyes!" Reluctantly, the pegasus peeked through one eyelid. She gasped. "Dinky! Caramel! The colors are back!" And, like a little foal, the mailmare pranced throughout the house, singing an old nursery rhyme about the colors of the earth. Dinky joined her mom, dancing and laughing with her. Caramel himself, let out a hearty laugh, and watched his two favorite mares dance around their house. The Doctor heaved a huge sigh of relief as the colors returned to him too. At the sound of wingbeats, he closed his eyes. "Thank you, River", he whispered. "Thank you for saving the world."