The Trancer

by Ajaxis

13. Best Intentions

Zuri sat back, on the floor of Rainbow Dash's room, intimidated by the alicorn looming before her. Twilight Sparkle had seen Rainbow's labored flying out her own window, and had immediately went for the last pony—or in this case zebra—who had been seen talking to her friend. The trancer had some idea of how bad Twilight's reaction to learning about Chrys would be, given every other ponies' reaction to her. So, she was not at all surprised that when she said the word changeling in her explanation, Twilight had acquired a very, very unhappy look on her face. Added to the fact that Twilight Sparkle was actually taller than Zuri, and the alicorn's silent anger had a withering effect on the zebra.

"To make sure I heard correctly," Twilight began slowly, her wings tensing at her sides. "Did you say that a changeling acquaintance of yours was probably the one who attacked Rainbow Dash?"

"Yes I did," Zuri answered quietly. The alicorn before her took a long, deep breath, and brought up a hoof to massage a temple.

"Ugh... I miss the days when it was easier to let out a scream of anger without an entire empire running to see what they could do to help." She growled, her wings flexing restlessly. "Just a good, primal howl, but I can't do that, because those stupid cyberguards would hear it!" She groaned, and beat her head with a hoof, the golden crown atop her head shaking a little. She turned around to direct her anger at Rainbow Dash, not so worried for her health now. "Let me get this straight, Rainbow. You let a changeling queen run around free!?"

"W-wasn't my choice..." Rainbow groaned from the bed. "I wasn't going to deal with all the ponies and zebras who wanted to set her free. She was useful, a couple times."

"You neglected to mention this little tidbit before!" Twilight snapped, this time with more panic in her voice. "When I asked if you had gotten into any trouble, this would have been the kind of thing to tell me about, Rainbow Dash! This is bad, bad, bad, bad bad bad...!" She began pacing back and forth, wings rustling and horn sparking occasionally.

"I don't know how to deal with this. Finding a changeling in a city like this would take an army. An army that'll ask where it came from, and Rainbow Dash... I can only keep you out of ESSUG's clutches for so long! I'm not a goddess!"

"The procession greeting you here didn't clear that up," Rainbow Dash muttered, wincing as Fluttershy, who was tending to her wounds, pressed a wet sponge to a bruise on her side. "Relax, Twilight! We've handled stuff like this before; hundreds of times! What's one changeling on a rebellious streak?"

"One more thing that I'd have to worry about," Twilight reminded her, pointing vehemently to the crown atop her head. "Remember? I'm the only princess on Palosol right now, that means if word gets out there's a changeling running lose, I'm going to have to be the one move all the mountains!" The young princess groaned, and rubbed a temple with a hoof. "Rainbow, I'm sorry, but do you realize how much trouble this is gonna cause? We have to look for her, but not just because she's a changeling. She hurt one of my friends."

"That's just it," Rainbow said, trying to lay on her stomach now that Fluttershy had finished dressing her wounds. "We can't, Twilight. I couldn't keep her down. Why do you think I came back looking like this?" She gestured to herself with her un-bandaged wing. "She can turn into us, Twilight. I mean you, me, all of us. She turned into Fluttershy when she was flying off."

Fluttershy gave a sharp gasp, her hooves going to her mouth. "You don't think she's going to... Hurt somepony, when disguised like me, is she?"

"I never would have thought she'd want to," Zuri answered. "Her only concern when she was with us seemed to be whether or not she was actually going to have a home when we finished in Paradise City."

"Well, that would encourage anyone to do strange things, wouldn't it?" Fluttershy answered, wearing a thoughtful expression. "If I suddenly had no home, I wouldn't know what to do! Then again, I'd know I could rely on my friends to support me for however long I needed it. Evidently, she must not think she has any friends."

"I saw us less close than that, I guess," Zuri muttered, feeling a familiar pang of guilt.

"Why are you bothering to analyze her behavior?" Rainbow asked, irritated. "Don't you remember? She's a changeling! This is what she does!"

"It's what anyone would do, Rainbow Dash, if they were frightened enough." Fluttershy countered, glaring at Rainbow Dash accusingly. Her soft voice somehow conveyed her displeasure as well as the hard look on her face. "I'm sure you'd do some outrageous things, if you were stuck in a corner. Maybe... Become captain of a band of mercenaries, and abandon your client's post in Frontier Forest, and then steal a train, and then rampage through Rock Pile?"

"Hey, Fluttershy, all of that was completely necessary!" Rainbow argued. "I was thrown in a bad spot. I had to figure out how to get out sooner than later, and Filthy Rich and Tough Love weren't exactly helping!"

"And why were you in a bad spot?" Fluttershy interrogated, glaring at her friend. Rainbow's eyes widened, and she edged away from the butter-yellow pegasus on her bed. "Yes, Rainbow, I'm using the stare on you. Now hurry and answer so I don't have to, anymore!"

Rainbow sighed, not taking her eyes away from Fluttershy's. "Fine. I got myself into it because I was stuck on Palosol, and I was bored. Oh, and Gilda showed up. Did anyone tell you that part?"

"Gilda?" Twilight interrupted, her expression going from angry to alarmed. "What was Gilda doing here?"

"Running a band of mercenaries, where do you think I got them from?"

Twilight gave a shake of her head. "This is a story I gotta hear."

Rainbow gave an exasperated look. "It's a story I don't wanna tell."

"Though it is one you said you would tell me about," Zuri reminded her.

Rainbow looked at the three of them, absentmindedly twitching her bandaged wing slightly. "... Fine. I was trying to hold off on it, but fine." She took a deep breath, and began. "I had just arrived at Palosol with the Wonderbolts on tour, still mopey because ESSUG rejected me, and I didn't want to waste my second chance at applying. We did our gig in Paradise City, and the others were already heading back to our tour ship, but I wasn't going so easily. I was applying at the ESSUG office here for a second chance, and they said I'd have to wait eight Equestrian months before I got a call back. So I wandered around still pretty pissed, when up out of nowhere, I see Moondancer running from a pack of thugs." Her tone turned prideful. "Of course, they were no match for me. I had them all on the ground before they could even fire off a shot! I asked Moondancer what she was doing playing with crowds like that, but she was all skittish. Trouble for her was, she also got nervous, and dropped Gilda's name.

"So then I got curious, started looking at public job listings. I found them easily, there was an independent mercenary group called The Featherjocks, and Gilda was the captain of the bunch! I poked around, and ended up getting dragged in by the ears to their 'secret base', which was more of a warehouse with a couple hundred separators to have a difference between bunk rooms and mess halls. Gilda looked like she had woken up on Hearth's Warming when she saw me, and went into a big rant about me crawling back to her after finally realizing my friends were all spineless dweebs, in her own words. I was able to cut her off near the end though, and used some conversational skills I picked up from Twilight here to talk myself into her gang, which it basically was. They were short on jobs, so they had fun doing small time heists on stores, with Gilda in the lead, and terrorizing the locals and changing her group's name every few days to try and hide."

"Why did you want to join her group, again?" Zuri asked, narrowing her eyes.

Rainbow squirmed a little, obviously not happy to admit this part. "Because I was being stupid and had some serious angst going on. I'm not exactly a mental grown-up. Maybe it was residual crazy from the last estrus cycle, I don't know! All I know is, I got in, and then Gilda and I immediately started bitching at each other about how to run a mercenary group. She thought she could go nuts, and still get an income. I said that only happens in the movies, and she came back with the very good argument that she was the one in charge. So, by now you can guess that I missed the Wonderbolt's tour ship. They were on a tight schedule, and couldn't wait more than a day for me. I was busy trying to talk Gilda out of shooting a colt just 'cause he came begging at their door, so I guess I must have had my head on something like the right way. I decided to take things into my own hooves, and out of Gilda's talons." She closer her eyes and took a breath. "It wasn't exactly pretty, but Gilda shouldn't be trusted with any kind of power like that."

"Wait, Rainbow," Twilight spoke up. "Did you kill her?"

"What? No I didn't!" Rainbow argued, looking insulted. She tried to fluff her wings, and winced as it strained the wrappings around one wing. "I mean, I'm not exactly a pacifist, with how many cybercops we had to drop."

"At least you told me about those." Twilight said, looking displeased again. "It's not exactly a good idea to kill a bunch of ESSUG soldiers if you ever wanted to join them. There's also the whole murder thing, y'know, it being immoral and against the law."

"Which is why I didn't kill Gilda! I just showed her who was really boss, and then told her to get lost. So she did, and that's it," Rainbow finished with a shrug. "I haven't heard from her since. So, does that clear things up between me and Chrys, Fluttershy?"

"Was just curious," Fluttershy squeaked, sounding suddenly meek and losing the assertiveness in her voice from before. "Um... Are your bandages fitting right? I might have made them a teeny-tiny bit too tight."

"Nah, nah, there fine..." Rainbow muttered, not looking at her fellow pegasus.

Twilight had begun pacing back and forth across the room, her brow furrowed in an expression of deep thought. "Why would anypony stick a changeling queen on another planet, and then send it over in an ESSUG train? You said you stole it when it was arriving an New Appleloosa, right? The only place nearby is Frontier Forest..." She went silent for a few seconds, her eyes narrowing. "Frontier Forest has ESSUG laboratories working on Terraforming solutions, but that doesn't make any sense, either. What would a bunch of botanists and geologists want with a changeling? Rainbow, on that box she was in, did it have an order form attached?"

"I would have told you if it did, Twilight. The only label on it was the one that said what was in it."

"Hm..." The young princess went quiet again, obviously attempting to put the pieces together in her head. Her wings twitched occasionally, and it was several moments before she spoke again. "This is actually a great excuse to try out the castle's library, assuming Spike's had it properly filled out. Zuri, Fluttershy, you ought to come to, and let Rainbow Das rest."

"Are you sure I didn't miss anything, Rainbow?" Fluttershy asked, eyeing the bandages she had applied to Rainbow's torso. "No other bruised bones, dislocations, anything? Don't be tough, be honest."

Rainbow sighed, obviously used to this kind of treatment from the normally soft-spoken mare. "Really, Fluttershy, I feel better already, everything just aches. Those holed hooves of Chrys' can really scratch."

"Alright..." Fluttershy said, walking away from Rainbow's bedside, and with Zuri and Twilight, out of the bedroom. They were met at the door by Uzul, who looked panicked.

"Is Rainbow Dash alright? Can I see her?" Without waiting for an answer, the arbiter slipped past them, and ran to the bed to see his marefriend.

"Well, so much for rest," Twilight chuckled. "Don't jump on the bed, or anything, Uzul, she's hurt pretty bad."

"Hey! He can jump on the bed all he wants." Rainbow shouted back, and Zuri made sure she was the first down the stairs.

Once again in the main hall, Twilight moved towards another wing of the castle. Zuri, meanwhile, sat upon a nearby marble bench, trying to figure out how Chrys had learned to fight so well, against a mare larger than her. Fluttershy sat down next to her, giving her curious looks for a few moments, before finally opening her mouth. "Twilight tells me you have very interesting animals here, on Palosol."

"Oh? What has she told?" Zuri asked, repressing the urge to ask the question she was thinking: how much do they know?

"Giant spiders, that hide in the sand, and that you eat them." said Fluttershy, nonchalantly. Zuri was surprised; given this mare's meek demeanor, she would have thought that the pegasus would be a bit more alarmed by tales of giant spiders and zebra eating bugs. Both of these things were true: zebra needed a source of several nutrients, and the desert insects usually provided that for them. Sand Spiders happened to be one of the most palatable and easiest to hunt, because they hardly moved. "Twilight said your kind may have evolved to develop a taste for insects, so they could act as a source of sustenance."

"Yes, they are called Akarne: Sand spiders." Zuri answered. "We do eat them. We are not like you ponies: we do not have everything growing outside of our houses. Only so much can grow in the desert cities."

"But don't you have marshlands on this continent, too?" Fluttershy asked, her tone of sheer curiosity.

"We call them the far marshes," Zuri explained. "There they have other plants which can sustain us, but they are called far for a reason. This city is between them and the desert cities." Zuri had always enjoyed eating sand spider—provided it was well cooked. She had expected Fluttershy, being a pony and almost exclusively a plant-eater, to not be very comfortable with this fact, but the pegasus treated it as if it were facts about how one prepared leaves.

Fluttershy must have detected Zuri's surprise at this reaction, and gave a soft chuckle. "You underestimate me, right? A lot of ponies—and I suppose zebras—really underestimate me, because I'm usually very quiet. And I used to be very shy... Though I've gotten over that, plenty! My friends have helped me overcome a lot."

"Then they must be good friends," Zuri replied, now walking idly around a little. "They all strike me as very kind."

"As well we should!" Fluttershy continued, smiling broadly at her. "You helped Rainbow Dash out of a tight spot, however much it may have been her fault in the first place. We always try to look after each other, but when we can't be there, well... It's always nice to have help. And I think it's awful how you've been treated, just awful!"

Zuri gave an appreciative nod at this. "Much of your kind deems it proper behavior towards a supposed lesser species. I only learned so long ago that there are innumerable zebras locked up in buildings to be sold as slaves."

"I know, isn't it terrible?" Fluttershy continued, looking despairing. "Princess Celestia does her best to avoid letting this happen, but there's just too many loopholes in our laws, so slavery is still legal and encouraged, so that ponies spend less money hiring servants."

Zuri sighed, pawing a hoof at the soft castle carpet. "But it isn't just zebra, is it? There are buffalo, though I've hardly seen any."

"Twilight says they apparently live on another continent, mostly, but some of their number remain here. They must have some skill at sailing. Does your kind sail?"

"On water? In a manner of speaking," Zuri held a hoof to her chest. "Sand trancers make their own winds. Our vessels obey us, not nature, though nature often attempts to wrest control."

"What can sand trancers do?" Fluttershy asked, curious. "I only know what Twilight's told me, you know, but I've heard so many awful rumors about what you do. You don't really seem like you eat ponies in stew."

"That is because I have not," Zuri affirmed. "We eat Akarne and Formannecol, but not ponies. Why would any of you think we would?"

"I think it's just come up from old rumors about Equestrian zebra," Fluttershy mused. "A lot of ponies seem think it carries over to Palosol zebra, though they treat you much worse."

"So what does make us different from Equestrian zebra?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "You would have to ask Twilight about that, but I think the main difference is that you're on a different planet." The pegasus turned, suddenly, as a pink blur came bounding towards them, holding a bottle in her mouth. Pinkie Pie bounced towards Zuri, dropping the bottle near her and continuing to bounce as she began to speak.

"HI I'm Pinkie Pie and your friend Druva asked me to bring this to you so you could try it out on yourself to help with learning your special pretty dance for the Gala!" The pink mare chirruped, almost too fast for Zuri to pick up what she was saying. Slowly, she reached for the bottle, only to have it swept up in Pinkie Pie's grasp. "Ah ah ah! You haven't told me your name yet!"

"No one else has given you my name?" She asked.

"Twilight told me your name, silly! But you haven't told me yet!" Pinkie Pie clapped her hovoes and fixed Zuri with an expectant look. "Full name, the whole shebang, come on!"

Zuri stared at the energetic mare for a second before responding, "my name is Zuri Oun-Drii Sara."

"Ooo, Twilight only told me the first part. Why d'you have such a long name? Are you somepony important? Whoopsie, you're not a somepony, you're a somezebra! That's a word now, I'll get Twilight to order it put in all the dictionaries!"

"I think that's the wrong first step in trying to get zebra equal rights, Pinkie," Fluttershy manage to get in.

Pinkie stopped mid-bounce, having been bouncing for the entire time she had been speaking, and stared at Fluttershy as if she had just said something that made no sense. "Equal rights? Well, duh! I was just gonna put the right word in dictionary! Who was talking about equal rights?"

"You were, the whole flight over from Teraphim!" Fluttershy counted, albeit quietly. "Wasn't that part of why you were working with Applejack?"

Pinkie shook her head, tsking at the pegasus. "Aw Flutters, I was just talking about proper wording! She's not a pony, is she?" Fluttershy just sighed, while the pink mare tossed the bottle towards Zuri, who caught the bottle, and held it in her hooves to look at it. It was teardrop-shaped, with a simple cork stuck in the mouth. The liquid within was pure silver, no milky or cloudy aspects to it, it was entirely a reflective metallic silver color. What had Druva decided to make now, and why had she sent this eccentric pink pony with it instead of giving it to Zuri herself? Maybe she was spending time with Big Macintosh again. Maybe Pinkie Pie got progressively more annoying the more time one spent with her, and Druva wanted to kill two birds with one stone. Zuri snapped out of her thoughts when she realized the pink mare was still talking and bouncing in place.

"I wonder what that potion does! Maybe it makes you a really good dancer, or maybe it makes your brain bigger! Do you know what it does? I wanna know what it does! Druva likes to sing like Zecora does when she's making potions, did you know that? She says you're afraid of guns, but that's okay. Guns are big and loud, and really really scary. Is that potion the right color? It's the color of mercury, and mercury is poison that makes you go crazy!"

"Druva wouldn't give me poison for no reason," Zuri muttered, turning the bottle around in her hooves to watch the silver liquid roll inside it. Pulling the stopper out with her teeth, Zuri began sniffing it—but there was no odor. She took an experimental sip, and immediately winced. It was a sour and sharp liquid, that left an awful prickling sensation all over her tongue. "Melose... Maybe she would; this brew is disgusting!"

Pinkie Pie spoke up again. "She said you have to drink all of it, and it should taste that way!"

"But she didn't say what it would do?" Zuri interrogated, glaring at the bottle of offensive liquid. The prickling sensation wouldn't go away.

"Nope! Just said it would help! Though, do you feel crazy at all?" Pinkie stopped bouncing to peer into Zuri's face, getting uncomfortably close to her in the process.

"I'd have to try more..." Zuri replied, unhappily bringing the bottle up to her lips. As quickly as she could, she downed the rest of the foul tasting liquid, and soon regretted her decision. It burned like boiling water going down her throat, and made her feel nauseous by the time she had finished it. "Whatever this brew does, it better be worth that awful ta–" She choked, suddenly, a tingling sensation spreading out from the uncomfortable burning sensation in the pit of her stomach. Her heart began beating much faster, and she realized the tightening sensation on her skin was from her blood vessels coursing faster. Her eyes burned briefly, and a strange feeling, like that of beginning a trance, washed over her whole body. It took a few seconds for Zuri to realize she had collapsed to the floor.

"Yo, Zuri!" Pinkie Pie called from somewhere above her. "Y'alright?"

"Sorry, sorry! Pinkie, let me see her!" Druva's voice came next, and Zuri could feel someone breathing on her face. "Melose... I realized I added too many Daturum leaves just as Pinkie ran out of the kitchen."

"D-daturum?" Zuri burbled, trying to blink the fog out of her vision. Daturum was a plant notable for the chemical properties of its leaves, namely, how it could strengthen trancing ten-fold. An overdose of the substance, however, could leave its user dead, or comatose, as it caused the heart to overwork itself. Another side effect was that the eyes began to glow, reflecting the Gift. Instinctively, Zuri shut her eyes tightly, ignoring the clouds that obscured her vision in favor of keeping her promise to her elder. If Pinkie Pie had seen her eyes light up like lamps...

"Zuri, open your mouth," Druva ordered, and Zuri obeyed. She felt a smooth, bland substance fall into her mouth, and she swallowed it immediately. The prickling pain spreading over her body receded at once, returning to her racing heart, which gradually calmed down. As soon as she was sure her heart wouldn't explode, Zuri sat up, opening her eyes again, to fix a withering glare at Druva.

"Why did you give me Daturum?" She interrogated the alchemist. "What was that potion for?"

"I'm sorry, Zuri," Druva began, looking despairing. "I wanted to give you something that would loosen your muscles and heighten your dexterity. I thought you'd find it useful and relaxing, for the dance!"

"And not tell me that Daturum was even in it, instead sending that blathering pink ball?" Snapped Zuri, to which Pinkie Pie stopped bouncing, looking flabbergasted. "How could something as disgusting and dangerous as that brew be relaxing?"

"If there's a proper amount of each ingredient, it's supposed to calm nerves, even though it's disgusting." Druva said, shrugging. "I'm sorry, I couldn't find anything to make it taste better that wouldn't turn it into poison. It was meant to be a little gift."

Zuri coughed a little, the taste of the potion still lingering in her mouth, giving her the urge to drink something else—something flavorless, preferably. "I can manage the Retanoga without the aid of this potion, though... will it still have effects, after that thick you stuck in my throat?"

Druva sighed, relieved that Zuri apparently had decided to let her anger cool. "That was just a quick tablet I mixed up to counteract the excess Daturum. So, you tell me."

Zuri sat a moment, paying attention less to the others around her and more to the sensations in her own body. It was true, all of her muscles, after the tingling had passed, felt more relaxed than before. "Thank you for trying, all the same," she nodded to Druva, attempting a smile with the bitter flavor stuck to her tongue.

———

Twilight later ordered a group of reporters into the castle. Though they badgered her with questions, she made it clear that she had rescheduled the Grand Galloping Gala to be on wednesday night, next week. Everypony reacted pretty much as she had predicted, and even Rarity was surprised she didn't reschedule it to an earlier date. Later than that, Zuri learned that Twilight had already checked her, Druva, Uzul, and Rainbow Dash out of the inn, and that the mercenaries would go job hunting while their captain was otherwise unavailable.

Twilight gave Zuri, Druva, and Uzul each their own rooms in the castle, and Zuri was thankful for it. For the trancer, this meant time to practice the Retanoga in private. She did not get stage-fright easily, but she was grateful that the date of the Gala had been set later than before; when she began the opening steps of the dance, she found she was very much out of practice.

“Back right step, forward step, sweep, twirl, hind bow…” She mumbled, following every move she had memorized as she spoke them. She went over the dance in her head, how it was supposed to look, how it was supposed to feel as one moved around the dance floor. Her cloak lay upon the bed, so she could move about unhindered. “Rear up, low sweep, little kickstep, melose.” She cursed as she messed up a particular step, treading on her tail and losing her balance. This would take some time. Time that she evidently didn't have, as there was a knock on the door just as Zuri got to her hooves again.

It was Ruby Nights, still red-eyed, who walked into her room without a word, and did not speak until she had sat down and rubbed her temples. "So, I didn't want to say anything in front of everyone else, but someone showed up last night at my door, when I was trying to fall unconscious due to being piss-drunk."

"Who was it?" Zuri asked.

"Shade, again." Ruby replied, giving her an apologetic look. "He's looking into you. He got curious, and he tricked me into saying how you got here."

Zuri blinked. "What? I thought you were good at dealing with him."

"What the hell gave you the impression I could be so good at it while drunk, Zuri? I got myself smashed, and he's got a silver tongue. Be happy I didn't tell him anything about what we're planning! Just... you're going to have to lay low, otherwise he's going to come seeking you out. And he can be annoying."

"I'm sure if I had to, I could avoid him." Zuri remarked. "Why should this worry me?"

"I'm getting to that. Watch yourself around Shade; he's really, really good at getting you to lower your guard, and he's got charm out the ass. He's legally obligated to prevent the exact kind of thing we're going to try, so if he gets a hint that you're at the Gala to do anything other than dance, he has to send ESSUG after you." Ruby fixed Zuri with a very firm stare. "And once ESSUG has gotten on your trail, you're already considered dead."

"So, what reason would I have for even leaving this castle, if that's the case?" Zuri queried.

Ruby's lips curled into a grim smile. "Cabin fever."

And Ruby's reasoning was absolutely correct. At first, Zuri thought she could easily kill time by practicing the Retanoga and trancing in private, and she was right, for the first day and a half. Eventually, however, listlessness began to settle in. The castle was huge, and very well insulated from the outside. While this produced a comfortable atmosphere, it also prevented any sounds from outside from reaching anyone within. Simply put, it was far too quiet for anyone to find comfortable.

Finally, Zuri decided the only option was to wander the large, brightly colored halls of the castle. It was certainly beautiful, but oftentimes reminded Zuri too much of Otoul's Oun-Drii district, and she felt herself become homesick again. She was saved from boredom when she heard a four-beat stamping of metal on stone, and looked behind her to see Rarity, black cybernetic hooves glinting in the sunlight from the large windows, running up to her.

"There you are, darling!" The cyborg unicorn called, smiling brightly. "Your dress is finished. Come on and see!"

Following Rarity back to the large dressmaking wing, Zuri found herself awestruck when she laid eyes on the mannequin standing center stage upon the platform. It was a Zuri was awestruck. Upon the closest mannequin, there was a glittering, onyx-black, violet, and blue gown, with amethyst rings on the ears. Tiny lines of diamonds went down the flank, the fringes of which ended in little beads woven into tight braids of the silky material. Sapphires, and amethysts decorated the front, and Zuri could see that Rarity had worked in her family crest, the Sara Rune, onto the chest-piece. Four black slippers, with the same glimmering quality as the rest of the outfit, were placed on each of the mannequin's hooves.

"Well, how is it, darling?" Rarity prompted. "Please don't hesitate, I hate this sort of suspense."

"It's beautiful," Zuri replied, walking towards it. Rainbow Dash had not been exaggerating; Rarity was a fantastic dressmaker. "How easily will I be able to move in it?"

Rarity looked even more excited. "Try it on, darling! If it's too tight anywhere, just let me know! Here, let me help you slip into it."

Before long, Zuri stood in front of the huge mirror, admiring how the dress fit to her every curve, yet allowed her to move as if she wasn't wearing anything. With some reluctance, she had removed the three tiny golden rings from her ears, replacing them with the amethyst ones, while Rarity had fastened the slippers on her hooves to fit comfortably.

Rarity now stood next to her, also looking in the mirror, one black metal hoof gently running over one of the short sleeves on her forelegs. "Now that is a lady who's going to make an impression!" She said encouragingly, grinning broadly. "Oh, please tell me you like it as much as I do."

Zuri stepped away from her, and experimentally began a few of the more difficult steps of the Retanoga. She spun, stretched her legs, and found that she could exercise the same fluid motion as if she weren't wearing anything. "This is perfect," Zuri announced, bringing a hoof up to admire one of the jewel-bright slippers, feeling a sense of vanity sink in. "How many more dresses have you to make?"

Rarity waved a metal hoof dismissively. "Don't you worry about that, darling. I've been in a much bigger rush than this to make the same amount, and I've had two and a half years' worth more experience since then! All the same, I'd better get to work." Her horn lit up, and she began to draw upon a tablet with a pen, working out another idea.

Zuri sat in her dress, enjoying the feeling of the soft material against her body. Rarity had done a fantastic job with the dress, from the feeling to the level of detail all over it. It was then that Zuri again looked at Rarity's blackmetal legs, and the unicorn noticed. She smiled, and let the tablet and pen hover, while she ran one hoof over another leg. "You know, it's much more polite to ask than to just stare. A lot of ponies don't know that."

"What?" Zuri looked up from the metal legs, to Rarity's calm smile. "It seemed to me when you arrived here that you got extra attention."

Rarity nodded. "These are Palosol ponies I'm talking about. They've been on this planet for three generations, instead of the thousands ponies have spent on Equestria, more used to technology being a servant, rather than a body part." She held up one forehoof, blowing the dust off of the bottom of it. "I helped invent these. Twilight, Princess Luna and I. We made artificial legs, then organs, so on and so forth. In short," she put a hoof to her chest, sitting up a little straighter. "I helped pioneer modern cybernetics and robotics."

"Wow," Zuri said, admiringly. She assumed that was the appropriate response, and Rarity seemed to appreciate it.

"Indeed, wow. Having artificial legs means my body won't expend energy and nutrients on leg muscles, and it's much easier to remain calm, as my adrenaline is rerouted to fuel the electric motors. I'll live longer and stay awake better than anypony without implants. I can also exert about three and a half times more force with my legs, which I learned the hard way, when I almost crushed my sister's spine. But anyway, a lot of ponies on Equestria don't appreciate what I've helped give them. They say my generosity overstepped the boundaries of morality.

"Well, what do you think?"

"Me?" Rarity asked, looking at Zuri as if she hadn't been asked her own opinion before. "I think I did what I do best: give. I gave ponykind the knowledge to create machines that could almost think for themselves. I gave them the power to improve their bodies far beyond anything exercise could accomplish. It's just that a lot of ponies didn't appreciate my gift at all."

There was a short silence, and Zuri looked down at the beautiful dress she wore again. "I'm assuming the price for this is high..."

"Oh, no price for this, darling." Rarity said, smiling widely. "Think of it as a gift! I already said what I do best is give, not sell. It's my element, after all."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Element? I suppose you don't really know about the elements of harmony, do you, being from a completely different culture and all." Rarity sighed, turning one of her hooves one way and another.

"I have been told a little. There are six of them, and Rainbow Dash possesses the element of loyalty, right?"

"Right! My element is, of course, generosity. Pinkie Pie is laughter, Applejack is honesty, Fluttershy is kindness, and Twilight is magic."

"Well, what do they do? I was told they are a means of defense."

Rarity laughed. "Oh, more than that, darling. The elements are the source of all the best parts of ponykind. They are the virtues which we hold the most dear. Beyond that, the elements are also the most important weapons we have. When all six are united, they can exert a magic that none of our princesses fully understand, but the elements have never failed."

"What have they done then? How often have they been used?"

"Not too many times, but their magic is greater than even Celestia's! They've removed the darkness from princess Luna's heart, and turned the god of chaos into stone, for example."

"That is certainly impressive," Zuri commented, nodding slowly.

"Now, darling, going back to the subject of your look..." Rarity said, walking up to her with her eyes on the zebra's hair. "That blue strip in your mane, how would you feel about dyeing it? I was thinking a nice shade of violet, to complement the dress."

Zuri looked back in the mirror, imagining the electric-blue strip were purple. "Yes, that sounds alright."

"Well, good! I've already got the perfect pigment in mind! You should take off the gown first, though, just to avoid getting it splattered."

———

It took very little time, and the dye had no odor, so Zuri was soon admiring the new bright violet strip in her hair, which matched the purple rings and the strips in the dress she wore again. Rarity also offered to style her mane, but Zuri thought this would be better to try the night of the Gala, and so she was saved from a rather intimidating set of brushes, combs, and scissors that the unicorn had presented. She took off the dress, but kept on the amethyst earrings, and let the dye remain in her hair. She liked how it looked, and thought a slight change in style wouldn’t hurt, at least for the Gala, but she would certainly don her trancer’s gold rings as soon as it was over, lest she misplaced them or forgot to before returning to her home and her family. She didn’t expect anyone but Agilis and Giza to really accept the change without having a conniption.

When she came out into the main hall, she was on one of the upper levels, able to look down on the entryway over the guard rail. Zuri would have moved on to her room, but she heard many sets of hooves moving below her. Peering over the side of the balcony, she froze. A group of four expensively dressed ponies had arrived, all looking like they were there for official business. Among them was none other than Shade, the Minister of Defense. He looked up, and his eyes wandered from the decorated ceiling to where Zuri stood, practically paralyzed. His expression of complete and utter surprise would have been funny in any other situation.

The group of ponies was bowing low before Twilight, who stood calmly before them. Two ESSUG guards flanked the group, both of whom were cyborgs. Their legs glinted with metallic sheen, their eye-whites were grey, and they wore large, black coats, one with large gun barrels pointing low to the ground. The one on the right, also the one armed with the heavy weapons, was a mare, with a vibrant crimson pelt, and a short-cut mane and tail of bronze. The other, a stallion, had fur of pale grey, and his black mane and tail were messy, but equally short. In perfect synchronization, both of the ESSUG cyberpolice looked up, almost mechanically, focussing their artificial eyes right on Zuri. Neither of them spoke, but they didn’t take their eyes off of Zuri, either.

One of the ponies, another stallion, looking fairly young, was addressing Twilight in what sounded like a comically exaggerated official’s voice. “Your majesty, it is an honor to welcome you to our humble planet, after all my father has said!” He said, standing up straight after bowing, and taking one of Twilight’s slippered hooves to kiss.

Twilight tittered quietly. “Sir Pants, I’m very pleased you assembled your fellows to greet me. We have much to discuss.” Zuri blinked, did she just call this stallion Sir Pants? Even for a pony, what kind of name was that?

“Indeed we do, your majesty. I have brought with me Lady Candid Camera, Minister of Media, Lord Shade, Minister of Defense, and Lord Brier Patch, Minister of Court.” Each of the ponies bowed low to Twilight as they were introduced. The two ESSUG guards still had not taken their eyes off of Zuri, and it was starting to really unnerve her.

“Come with me, please,” Twilight directed them, motioning with a wing over towards a passageway leading to a meeting room. “We can discuss the Gala in there. I would prefer to start now before the nobles become too upset.”

“I can assure you, your majesty, the nobles are always upset.” The pony referred to as Candid Camera spoke up, they all laughed, as they disappeared one by one through the door that Twilight lead them through. Shade and the guards were the last to leave, and each of them looked at Zuri one more time before exiting.

When was Twilight going to explain to these officials about Zuri and the others? Did they already know? Just how much of a problem was this going to cause, now with Shade knowing where she was? Were there more of these officials coming? Best not to be around to find out. Zuri ran for her room, past a very surprised Druva and doing her best to ignore Pinkie Pie, who, seeing the zebra dash by, decided it was a race.

Slamming her door shut a minute later, Zuri let out a breath, and tried to address things calmly. Maybe Ruby would turn out to be wrong, and Shade wouldn’t tell anyone what he knew. Or maybe he would, and those two ESSUG guards would come bursting in any second, and blow her to bits. She had to tell someone, and luckily, she wouldn’t have to find them. Druva came knocking at her door minutes later, accompanied by Pinkie Pie bouncing around behind her.

“What’s the trouble?” The alchemist asked.

Zuri took a deep breath. “I think I may have botched everything. One of the ministers of the city saw me, and we’ve talked before. He might ask what I’m doing here, in their princess’ castle.”

“Well, what difference does that make?” Druva asked, folding her hooves. “Aren’t you going to be the ‘zebra ambassador’ who was ‘sent’ to the Gala to ‘bring our to species closer together’?”

“If I remember correctly, ambassadors don’t keep company with thieves,” Zuri explained. “He met me when I was with Ruby Nights, and later brought me home after I got Chrys’ letter. He’s going to be suspicious how I suddenly leapt from sleeping in an inn in the middle of a slum to sleeping in a castle.”

“Oh,” was all Druva could say, before Rarity came up to them, smiling as though she had just gotten the perfect birthday present.

“Oh, darlings, you’ll never guess who just arrived!” She chirruped.

Zuri sighed, and replied, “four ministers of Paradise City.”

Rarity had a look of surprise a lot like Shade’s as she stared at Zuri. “Why, that’s exactly right! How did you know that?”

“I walked into the main hall right when they did. One of them saw me, and he knows me from elsewhere.” Zuri looked at her meaningfully.

Rarity cottoned on immediately. “Oh dear... This is going to throw a wrench in the works for sure…”

“Then we should pull it out!” Pinkie interjected. “I mean, duh, if you put a wrench in your work, then you have to pull–”

“Pinkie, please, I’m trying to think,” Rarity refocussed. “Which one knows you, Zuri?”

“Shade, the minister of Defense.”

Rarity’s pupils thinned, and Zuri could have sworn she saw the unicorn’s lips form a very foul word. “Then he’ll be obligated to set ESSUG on you if this isn’t explained quickly. Oh, oh dear, I’ve got to go tell Twilight.”

“Too late!” Druva squeaked, pointing with a hoof towards two ponies that Zuri recognized. Her stomach suddenly felt very heavy. The two ESSUG cybernetic guards that had been with the Ministers were walking purposefully towards the group. Even Pinkie Pie stopped bouncing at the sight of them.

“Zebra, step away from the Element bearers.” The red mare instructed, the two gun barrels on her either side aimed straight for Druva and Zuri. The two zebra stepped quickly away from Pinkie and Rarity, who did not take their eyes off of the two cyberguards. The grey stallion walked forward, glaring down at Zuri.

“You will come with me. The MoD requires your presence.” He said, in a soft, cold voice, before he directed his silver-grey eyes towards Druva. “You will go with my colleague, and if you attempt to resist, you will be killed without further warning. Do you understand?” Druva gave a sheepish nod, moving nervously over to the red mare, who kept her weapons trained on the alchemist.

“Agents, desist!” Pinkie Pie shouted, in a suddenly serious tone. “As bearer of an element of harmony and ESSUG resources representative, I order you to desist.”

“Your authority is overridden by Lord Shade, miss Pie.” Replied the red mare, her voice holding a strange kind of smugness. “We serve the ESSUG MoD of Paradise City.”

Pinkie scowled at her for a few seconds, before shrugging. “Well, it was worth a try.”

With a push of one of those cold, metal hooves, Zuri was taken back towards the main hall. She didn’t dare try to escape, despite this stallion hardly even touching her except to direct her down a hall. His synthetic eyes stared straight ahead, though Zuri kept her eyes on him. Neither of them spoke, and Zuri took the time to look a little closer at his coat.

On the right side, the side she was walking on, the coat he wore bore the ESSUG insignia, as well as a number code, and a name that, with a little difficulty, she could read as Kiloton. Despite her limited knowledge of the ponies’ written language, she knew this must be the stallion’s name, though a strange one, like all pony names. Now that she was closer, she could tell that this stallion did not look healthy. Where there was fur instead of metal, it was obvious the skin underneath was pale, and in some places around the back of his head, veins were visible. If this Kiloton did not appreciate her staring at his head and side, then he didn’t show it.

Finally, Kiloton directed her into a sitting room, where Shade stood, staring out a window at the rest of Paradise City’s noble district. Kiloton exited the room, and the door shut behind him. Shade turned around, fixing Zuri with a very stern stare.

“So, Dell Mansa,” Shade began, his voice calm, though his eyes were alight. “Mind telling me how you got from Ruby’s hideout to Princess Twilight’s private castle?”

“Providence,” Zuri replied. She would cooperate as soon as she knew Shade wasn’t going to have her and her friends executed, or something similar.

Shade’s lips twitched. “Try again.”

“A friend in high places?” Zuri offered, trying her best to sound calm, despite the fact that the knowledge that a heavily armed cyborg stallion was standing just outside the door behind her.

Shade let out a small chuckle this time. “I can be a friend in high places, you know, but only if you’re not doing something illegal.”

Zuri cocked her head to the side, decided to play along. “What defines illegal for you?”

“Well, ESSUG does have a lot of rules. Does this have anything to do with what was in that note?”

“You mean the note that is my business, not yours?” Zuri countered.

Shade gave Zuri another stern look, like an adult reasoning with a child. It made Zuri’s jaw tighten. “Look, Zuri, if I say I want to be your friend, what would I need to do to prove that?”

Zuri shrugged, translating her irritation and fear of the cyborg outside into exaggerated nonchalance. “A number of things, though I’m wondering why I would want you as a friend at all.”

“So I don’t tell ESSUG there’s a zebra hiding in Princess Twilight’s castle, maybe?” Shade said, quite conversationally. “Expose you as a friend to the Shadowmaster? I could do that, if I wanted to. But right now, what I want to know is how you got here, and why you’re here in the first place.”

Zuri scowled at him, still reluctant. "Threats aren't a great way to make friends, you know."

"Oh I know exactly how to make friends, but you have to let me try first, which you..." But Zuri did not pay attention to the rest of what the stallion was saying. Her eyes, instead, focussed on the window behind Shade. Someone was just outside the window, and at first, Zuri thought it was Chrys again, but it wasn't. Sibulla, the spirit envoy, was staring at her through the window. When Zuri met her eyes, the spirit grinned, and opened her mouth. She was mouthing words in zebric. Zäg yiss: Tell him.

Zuri balked at first, eyes wide. Sibulla suddenly vanished, just before Shade turned around to see what she was looking at. The black stallion turned back around, and asked her thus, "What were you staring at?"

"Clouds made a curious shape." Zuri said, quickly, but Shade didn't look like he believed her. She didn't care, and instead took a breath. "I am here because your Princess allows me to be. She is helping me and my friends return home."

Shade looked surprised, but said, "how? Why do you need help?"

"Rainbow Dash and I share a common enemy. Filthy Rich does not want to treat her mercenaries correctly, and has thus far hindered my attempts to get home with his locking off all exits to non-dignitaries."

"Hold on, you know Rainbow Dash?" Shade asked, incredulous.

"I have, at least once, met all the Elements of Harmony, as you call them. I am not here to cause them harm. I just want to go home. This involves going to your Gala."

Shade was already having trouble taking in everything she had suddenly divulged before, but now he looked as if someone had told him he had made his mother pregnant with his father. "What does Ruby have to do with this?"

"She's helped me find out whether Filthy Rich is going."

"Well, no shit he's going!" Shade interrupted, sounding very unsettled. "He's one of the largest names in the colonizing industry! Him going to the resident Gala is as essential as the planets turning! Why do you have to go to the Gala again?"

"With Rainbow Dash and Ruby, to confront Filthy Rich in a situation where he is not surrounded by guards. Rainbow's plan was to scare him into letting us go and to giving her her pay."

"You... Rainbow's..." Shade stammered, still trying to put the pieces of the convoluted scheme together. "Why would... ESSUG is going to... ugh!" He through his forelegs into the air in frustration, before rubbing his eyelids and staring hard at Zuri. "Let me guess, Princess Twilight Sparkle can't lift the blockade in time, and you're the wanted criminal ESSUG has been talking about?"

"Right on the first thing, but how much of a criminal am I?" Zuri asked, happy to have redirected her discomfort and anger into Shade.

"Well, let's see, I've heard a lot of stuff about a wayward zebra recently. Tell me if I got this right: you beat up several Equestrian citizens, blew up a privately-owned hovercraft, wounded several train station guards in New Appleoosa, stole an ESSUG cargo train, wrecked most of the upper Rock Pile depot, infiltrated Paradise City's noble district, attacked a couple of bouncers, a poledancer, and now here you are, in Princess Twilight's castle." Shade finished, all in one breath, and fixed another angry glare on Zuri. "That's definitely enough to make you a criminal even in my books, and I'm pretty lenient, considering."

"Well, then, what now?" Zuri asked, not at all intimidated by the stallion. "Going to arrest me? Send me off with that cyborg?"

Shade sighed, closing his eyes. He remained silent for a while, thinking over the situation. Finally, the stallion spoke again. "You're friends with Rainbow Dash, that makes you a special case... I think. You're not going to he arrested by me, but I want Princess Twilight to explain it. You can go." Shade gestured with a hoof at the door, which unlocked almost instantly. "Let her go, Kiloton." He called out, and the grey stallion waiting outside stepped out of Zuri's way, as she exited the sitting room.

Kiloton stopped Zuri just outside the room. The cyborg stared down at her with his metal eyes. When he finally spoke, it was in a very hushed voice, but still clear and low. "You are not entirely welcome here. As an ESSUG agent, it is my obligation to monitor any suspicious individuals. You fall under that category. You will be watched, and if you make an attempt on anyone's life here, you will die." There was no anger or cruelty in his tone of voice. Zuri was surprised, could this be the one pony she met who was hostile to her only because it was his job? He did not look angry or cruelly smug. There was no sadistic glint in his eyes, like there had been for Blast-Cap, Ramrod, or the stallion who had almost succeeded in taking her innocence. Kiloton was stating a fact, not threatening her. "You had better go," the cyborg said to her, raising his head to watch her walk away. Zuri shivered; she could feel him staring at her as she left, with those unsettling mechanical eyes. Maybe Rarity's work had done more harm than good.

When Zuri returned to her room, she found Sibulla again, lounging on top of her bed. The spirit was smirking, as her glowing amber-yellow eyes looked to the door behind Zuri, which shut itself and locked immediately. Zuri replied to the smirk with an impatient look. "What do you want, and why did you want me to tell Shade what he wanted to know?"

"He's got a nice face, hasn't he, little Oun-Drii?" Sibulla asked, completely ignoring her question. "And other nice things, too, like those well-toned muscles. He also has a strong mind. What he wants, he gets himself. Not just a city official who reached his position with nepotism."

"You didn't answer my question," Zuri retorted, angrily.

"I don't have to answer your questions, you silly, insolent girl." said Sibulla, with as much force, but still grinning. "But you do have to answer mine. Does he not cut an attractive figure?"

Zuri stood a little straighter. Even when lying on her belly, Sibulla was a head taller than her. "I wouldn't know. I don't look at ponies for their attractiveness."

The spirit snorted, her eyes narrowing. "That is a pathetic lie. Why do you disrespect me? Come now, I am the guardian spirit of rebellious adolescents and all their escapades. 'Tis one reason why Dancir had to have me, rather than any other."

"I am no adolescent," Zuri said, still glaring at her. "I am an adult zebra, and the last thing I'm going to do is end up with an alien."

"You're a child," Sibulla responded, her smile thinning for a mere second. "You are hardly beyond your teenage years, little Oun-Drii. You still possess an adolescent's signature naïveté. I guess your famous ancestor didn't have the heart to tell you exactly who you'd end up with."

"Viva Sara," Zuri began, "did not tell me much because she did not want to set my expectations too high."

"Well, you seem to have done that all on your own!" Sibulla laughed. "You still haven't answered my question."

Zuri's face flushed, and she said, after taking as ample a moment as ever to deliberate, "I suppose he is handsome. Shade, I mean."

Sibulla nodded, still chuckling. "It helps he has that musculature, 'tis a fine one. Probably has military background. A shame he didn't get any of those metal implants like that on his guard. I'd like to see what they can do for a stallion's ability to please." Zuri suppressed an urge to wretch.

"Or," Sibulla continued, "maybe he doesn't need any help from machines in that regard. I'll soon find out. I am going to the Gala with him."

"You're what?" Zuri gawked, and the spirit mare laughed.

"Not every day that I get to explore the ever-changing Palosol surface. 'Tis often so boring, watching everything from another plane. Don't worry, I won't mess with your plans to threaten that Filthy Rich pony."

It was Zuri's turn to narrow her eyes. "How do I know that you are not lying?"

"Because," Sibulla snickered, "I have already had many opportunities. I will be appearing to Shade as a gorgeous Oun-Drii lady who happens to know that zebra are a new addition to the Grand Galloping Gala's guest list. That is the change that alicorn girl has to make, after all. Not just you, 'ambassador', but any zebra with the entry fee, to make it look less of a one-time thing." The spirit put a hoof to her chin, the mischievous grin growing wider. "You know, Shade was eyeing you, earlier. He's going to be an awful hoofful, trying to chase after you. What I have planned won't be a long lasting relationship between us."

"Shade has taken to me?" Zuri asked, incredulous, and feeling more than a little uneasy.

"Silly girl! Haven't you ever had males look at you?" Sibulla asked, as if it were a crime to not have been.

"Plenty of times. More recently among these ponies, and apparently not just males." Zuri said, unhappily. "And not all of them were eyeing me because I'm attractive."

"Which you are," Sibulla interrupted.

"But also because of my colored stripes. A lot of zebra don't like those, as I'm sure you know." Zuri continued, her face flushing.

Sibulla laughed again. "You think Shade cares about that? To him, it probably adds to the exotic allure."

"I'd like to think this future lover of mine isn't going to be a pony," Zuri insisted.

"Again, how naïve you are!" Sibulla repeated, rolling her eyes. "Love works in strange and unpredictable ways. I ended up with the original spirit of disunity for a husband. Granted, I'm not very loyal to him, or him to me. How ironic, for me to be the one to tell you this. Who you become infatuated with isn't really your choice! 'Tis an inescapable fate, like an epic prophecy, only usually with more sex involved."

Zuri scrunched up her face in an expression of disgust. "Why does sex have to be the end goal?"

"It doesn't," Sibulla said, matter-of-factly, "but it is certainly a nice perk to having a lover."

"The last thing I'm doing is having sex with a pony before I leave this city." Zuri said, with finality.

Sibulla shook her head, looking piteously at the trancer. "You are not going to be staying here much longer then, are you?"

Groaning loudly, Zuri hid her face in her hooves. How could one of the honored spirits talk so dirtily? Time to refocus the conversation. "Why are you here again?"

"Well, I guess that goes back to your question from earlier." Sibulla stood up to her full height, walking towards Zuri and looking down at her. "I told you to tell Shade everything, because he needs to know. Viva Sara told me so. She is on good terms with the guardian of the future, Essebana, and I am not, so I do not personally know why this matters. You will just have to assume that respecting your elder is good for you. And now..." She sighed, and stretched her legs in a feline manner. "It is high time I left, giving you all this to think about, but one more thing..." Sibulla leaned her head low, whispering in Zuri's ear. "Though I may sleep with him once, Shade is all yours. I've seen his heart, and he really wants a try at winning yours. Probably other parts of you, too. Stallions never change."

Zuri turned a brilliant shade of scarlet, and with a laugh that echoed ominously through the room, Sibulla vanished instantly. The trancer crawled up onto her bed, breathing deeply. That spirit knew exactly where to push her buttons, talking about this future love, obviously trying to push her towards Shade. But she couldn't end up with a pony, especially not one like Shade, rumored to be a philandering brute. Or could she? The idea was terrifying to her. Not only because of what it would mean for her own honor and reputation, but because it seemed very likely that Shade could come calling again with this exact kind of thing in mind.

Well, it wouldn't be the first time a stallion in high standing has gone for your heart, and it doesn't happen very often, she reminded herself. But still, a pony?

...Would it really be that bad to try?

Zuri wanted to vomit. Not from disgust at herself, but out of a sheer desire to get rid of the feeling in her gut. A twisting, knotting sensation, as her mind mulled over the idea, much to her own chagrin. No, it wouldn't be that bad to try. Maybe Shade was not a philanderer, and what if he was the love Viva Sara had spoken of?

Zuri was happy to find a large bowl in her bedroom's connected bathroom. She held it between her hooves as she sat on her bed. The sensation in her stomach was not going away, and thoughts of a potential lover, something that filled the zebra with feminine glee and absolute, nauseating terror, were revolving more and more around Shade.

———

On the next day, three days from the night of the Gala, Shade returned again, with the same quartet as before. Twilight apparently was to have many meetings with the city ministers, forming plans for the near future. The ministers reacted much as could be predicted when the princess informed them that a zebra ambassador would be coming to the Gala: with a great degree of alarm. Shade, on the other hoof, seemed the least surprised, and accepted the idea the soonest.

"And," began the stallion known as Sir Pants, recovering after Twilight told the group of Ministers, "are we going to meet this ambassador, your majesty?"

It was then that Twilight had Zuri come in, wearing a fair degree of makeup, at Rarity's behest. The unicorn had helped her apply faint black lipstick, light mascara, and some form of blush that accepted the stripes on her face. Still wearing the rich violet earrings from Rarity, and the stripe in her hair dyed the same shade, the effect was almost as good as when he wore her dress, Zuri thought. The meeting room was furnished with fine cloth and polished wood, with a lit fireplace on one wall. Twilight sat at on large chair, while the ministers either stood or sat in other chairs.

She gave the group a low curtsy. "I greet you as I would an equal," she addressed the four ministers, three of whom were staring at her in a mix of unease and something similar to curiosity. "My name is Oun-Drii Sara. Among my kind, my family is one of nobles."

"It is an honor to meet you, good lady," Sir Pants greeted her, managing a kind smile in her direction. "I am Fancy Pants the second, Minister of Relations. This is–"

"I was present when you introduced your fellows," Zuri interrupted him, "though you did not see me, I saw you."

This Fancy Pants fellow was evidently very unused to be interrupted, as he stared at Zuri with wide eyes when she spoke so suddenly. Candid Camera took advantage of the silence to speak to Zuri directly. "What is your purpose in coming to Paradise City?"

"I come to see and learn," Zuri lied, promptly. "I wish to see where our cultures intersect, and where they do not."

"A lost cause, then..." mumbled Briar Patch to Shade, though no one else heard it save for Zuri, whose trained auditory sense could pick up even faint whispers. Shade responded by fixing a disapproving glare on Briar Patch. Zuri found this response to be a good thing, however unkind it may have been. The fact that this conversation was happening at all meant that Shade had not divulged the true cause for Zuri being here. He could be trusted after all, with this secret, anyway.

“My my,” remarked Candid Camera, “I’ll want to organize an interview with you, sometime soon. First noble Palosol zebra to come to an Equestrian social gathering! That will make an ideal news story for the season.”


“I would be glad to,” Zuri said, not lying this time, as she smiled at Candid, who smiled back, without any strain like Fancy Pants’.

“I’m glad you’re all warming to the idea,” Twilight spoke up, smiling at each of them. “Zuri, you did say you would be performing a solitary dance at the Gala?”

“I did,” the zebra in question responded, “the Retanoga, I thought it would be fitting entertainment.”

“You know how to dance?” Briar Patch blurted, and this time received a sharp glare from Twilight. He shrank back a little.

“I am guessing most of your dancing practices are different than ours, but I am a fast learner,” Zuri responded, confidently.

Briar Patch mouthed something Zuri couldn't lipread, and then spoke aloud. “You’d need a proper trainer, or someone to practice with. All of the dances at the Gala are paired. You will need a partner, a date.”

“As Minister of Court, it is Sir Briar Patch’s job to manage, well, this kind of thing.” Twilight explained to Zuri, “you will need to find a partner, Zuri. This is not a law, this is a rigidly upheld tradition. I cannot change something like that.”

Zuri frowned. This plan was getting more and more complicated each day. “Well, that is going to be a problem. I very much doubt many who match my class of your race will want to be my partner.”

“I can go with lady Zuri, as her partner.” Everyone in the room, minister, trancer, and Princess, turned to stare at Shade. “Er, it would work, to avoid a long, arduous process. I’m fluent in zebric, I can help her learn some of the Gala’s formalities the quickest.”

Zuri’s stomach felt like it was full of dense ice. What was Shade thinking? Sibulla may not have just been trying to bother her, after all. Steeling herself, she put on her best brave smile, and nodded gratefully to Shade. “That is very gracious of you, good sir, I accept.”

What am I accepting, exactly, Shade? Your offer to help me escape, or to try and get close to me?

Briar Patch looked like he was having trouble connecting things, much like Shade had a day ago. Twilight clapped her hooves together, obviously trying to lay down the pieces as quickly and smoothly as possible. “Then this works perfectly! Won’t this make a nice story, Candid Camera, with Paradise City’s Minister of Defense taking lady Zuri to the Gala?”

“Oh, most certainly yes!” Candid Camera responded eagerly, “it will be a fun story to write. I’ll make sure the media doesn’t spin it into another love story like the last, Shade.”

Zuri noticed Shade’s whole frame stiffen at this cryptic assurance, but he nodded curtly to the Minister of Media a few moments later. “Thank you, Candid.”

There was a brief moment of silence, before Twilight cleared her throat, “Well, Zuri, I suppose that’s all we’ll need you present for. We’ll need privacy to discuss other matters.”

Zuri nodded and, still with a stomachful of ice, departed the meeting room. So, she was going to the Gala, with Shade. Yet, Rainbow must still be expecting her to help confront Filthy Rich, and persuade him to remove the lock on all transports. On top of this, Chrys was still out and about, and Sibulla… How would she react if she learned Shade was already going with Zuri? She seemed pretty dead set on, yuck, testing him out. This is getting far too complicated. The sooner I am out of this city, the better.

———

Barxie sat back on a dingy chair on the porch of his slum house, slowly drinking a glass filled with a bitter alcohol. Skote the buffalo was also sitting back, enjoying a similar drink, and dealing another hand of cards between him, Barxie, and two other zebra. The head of the Striped Shanty had a thought, and addressed his right-hoof. “So, big guy, still no word on that Sara girl, or her merry band of misfits?”

“Nope, boss,” the buffalo rumbled, eyeing the cards he had dealt himself, and placing a bid. “Nothin’s happening worth shit these days. That big shiny gala means we won’t have to waste ‘lectricity on Wednesday, though.”

“Well, good! Can’t wait, maybe then we’ll get our Gau-Aer shipments back, if those misfits manage anything.” Barxie noticed his own glass getting empty, and clapped his forehooves together loudly. “Datroi, another round!”

Datroi stepped daintily outside and onto the porch, carrying a tray with four glasses of drink on it. She gave each of the card players a drink as quickly as possible, taking great care not to spill anything. As soon as she serve Skote’s, however, the buffalo pushed the glass over. “Go clean that up, slug.” Barxie snapped at her, still focussing on his cards.

Fetching a mostly clean rag, Datroi began mopping up the strong-smelling drink, with her back to Skote. She should have expected the sharp slap on her backside. The Scal-Re shot straight up, but did not dare cry out. Skote could do whatever he wanted, he was Barxie’s friend. The buffalo rumbled with laughter as Datroi quickly walked away.

Inside and alone again, Datroi moved to the house’s abysmal kitchen. A stack of mostly cleaned plates sat in the sink, the paint on the walls was peeling off, and the floor felt dirty and grimy underneath the servant’s hooves. Ignoring this disgusting state of affairs, Datroi moved to the pantry, where faint sobbing could be heard. She opened the wooden door, and looked down at the zebra lying there, on the floor, bound and gagged so as to make as little noise as possible.

The real Datroi’s watery eyes stared in utter uncomprehending terror, up at the carbon copy of herself. The Datroi who had just opened the door sighed, shaking her head at the miserable form of the zebra before her. She wished she didn’t have to do this, but she could sense Datroi’s feelings. She was sensitive and scared easily, and if she let the real one run free, she could ruin everything.

“Datroi!” Barxie’s voice came again from outside. “Idiot! Come pick up this cracked glass, or I’ll let Skote have you again.”

“Datroi” quickly walked outside again, and retrieved the glass. “Just wanted an excuse to come ogle me, didja?” Skote said, his breath stinking of the drink he had just finished. The impostor said nothing in response, though she turned around quickly, for fear of blowing her cover. With her temper threatening to boil over, her eyes had become a constant, emerald green.

Comments

[Ezreal]

This last chapter...

I couldn't help it. I lol'ed. You're doing very well portraying Shade, and all of the other characters are developing nicely. Can't wait to see what happens next!