Dusk Shine in pursuit of Happiness

by bigsnusnu

Chapter 44 - Internal changes

Internal changes

It was early in the morning and the birds were already singing, announcing the new day. With a big yawn, Dusk raised with a lot of slack from his bed, stretched each of his muscles, and got out of bed to go to the bathroom to start the day. After all, there were plenty of things to do that day: answer Princess Celestia's letter, study the flower he had brought from the Everfree Forest, and of course, the highest priority of all, to solve his friends' problem of getting back to being the pretty and tender mares they had always been.

"At least their memories were altered too... I can't imagine how disturbed the girls would had been if they had awakened overnight with another genre..." Dusk thought while walking with a zombie-like trance to the bathroom, so sleepy that he could barely open his eyes to see in front of him.

"Good morning Spike... Cough! Cough!" Dusk said when he saw Spike move in his little basket, coughing a little when he noticed that his voice had sounded a little strange, probably because he had just woken up.

With all the noise Dusk made, Spike gave a big yawn and looked at Dusk when he said good morning. little dragon almost forget that he hadn't yet made peace with his brother, however, Spike forgot about everything and just didn't greet him back by the impact of seeing THAT pony walking there in front of him.

"W-Who are you...?" Spike asked slowly, totally pale and with his mouth and eyes wide open. Having a slight suspicion of knowing who that pony might be, but it was so far-fetched that it needed confirmation.

"What are you talking about? And what’s with the face? It looks like you've seen a ghost, Cough! Cough! Gosh! What's wrong with my voice today?" Dusk replied, smiling a little when he saw the funny face that Spike had, then continued his way to the bathroom.

Once he reached the bathroom, Dusk washed his face, and for the first time that day, he looked at himself in the mirror. Seeing his reflection, he stayed longer than usual looking at it. There was definitely something strange… His mane had grown! And not as it had grown last time, before the princess cut it when she sent him to Ponyville. This time his mane had grown long and smooth, as he had always wanted to have it, to resemble his older brother's long and beautiful mane a little more.

Seeing his new mane, Dusk put on a satisfied smile. But instantly, it was a smile that slowly faded when he noticed that not only his mane had grown... It was only then that Dusk noticed that his muzzle had shrunk a little, being thinner what it was. His eyes now stood out, being slightly bigger, with longer and defined lashes. All that made his terror of looking more feminine begin to take hold of him.

"What happened to me!?" Dusk thought to himself as he looked at his reflection and put a hoof on his face.

Then Dusk noticed that his coat felt softer... also he was slightly shorter than before... and it wasn't that his voice had morning problems, it was his new voice, sharper and feminine...

Terrified, and completely pale, Dusk slowly lowered his head to look down at his groin. Where all his fears were confirmed.

"WHERE IS MINI-DUSK!!" Dusk screamed in his mind, discovering that his greatest male trait was missing. Which was the straw that broke the camel's back, and the reality bomb finally exploded.

"WAAAAAHHHH!!" Dusk yelled hysterically in front of the mirror, then running out of the bathroom with a crazy look as he sprinted in circles around the room, screaming desperately and throwing everything in his path.

While Dusk ran as a hysteric around the room, Spike stared frozen like that strange but familiar mare ran uncontrollably. After seeing that mare run in such horror, Spike's doubts about that mare's identity were dispelled.

"Dusk?" Spike asked, looking confused at the mare.

At that moment Dusk stopped running and looked at Spike. Dusk's heart seemed like it could barely bear everything it felt in that instant. Fear of not knowing what had happened and why, anger to see that his greatest fear of looking 'feminine' had come true, confusion to not know what to do or how to react, and now, that even his little brother questioned his identity, it was more than his heart could bear.

Normally Dusk tried to save his feelings and analyze them slowly one by one, but this time it was different. He hadn't only changed on the outside, he felt different and thought different... For the first time he felt that now his feelings were priority before thinking logically. And it was then that Dusk's eyes began to tear up and he dropped to the floor from this collapse of new sensations and emotions.

"Spike... Of course it's me!" Dusk said crying on the floor as he tried in vain to calm his emotions and reactions. "What happened to me!?"

Spike was surprised to see that mare cry, even more so knowing now that she was indeed Dusk Shine. Then the baby dragon slowly got up and walked fearfully to where Dusk was, putting a claw on his shoulder.

"E-Easy... everything is going to be fine..." Spike said cautiously, thinking about what the best way would be to comfort Dusk in that moment.

Feeling Spike's claw, Dusk looked up and saw his little brother smile nervously at him, making a great effort to try to comfort him. It was then that Dusk remembered that he hadn't seen him smile like that since Spike had gotten mad at him, and for the first time they were close again, looking into each other's eyes. And again, Dusk's new sentimental priorities brought guilt feelings to him, stronger than ever.

"Spike!! I… I'm so sorry!" Dusk said starting to cry harder as he looked at Spike. "I should have told you about the kiss with Rarity immediately. It wasn't something I planned, it just happened, and... and I don't regret it. My feelings were so confused, and they still are! B-But above all things, I want you to know that I never thought of betraying your affection, I just... I was afraid to tell you; I didn't want to see you suffer! You are my dear little brother, and I… I love you!" Dusk finished still weeping, but with internal relief, as if for the first time he had been able to get all his feelings out.

While Dusk looked at Spike, the little dragon was somewhat shocked to hear Dusk's sincere apology, especially when he saw him cry and notice how sorry he was. Furthermore, in Spike's mind, it was still difficult for him to accept that this mare was his brother, a young mare who was hugging him, seeing him with watery eyes and blushed cheeks...

"O-Okay, Dusk... I-I forgive you." Spike finally said, looking away and blushing slightly.

"R-Really!?" Dusk asked, smiling a little and wiping his tears away.

"Yeah... I know you didn't do it on purpose. Also… I can't be mad if Rarity chose to kiss you. I don’t own her or her choices." Spike said looking away again and putting a sad look. "That just means I'll have to give even more of myself for her to notice me."

"Spike!" Dusk said smiling, hugging Spike tightly for having forgiven him.

"T-There, there..." Spike said blushing at the mare's embrace. Instantly separating from the hug so that his brother didn't see him blushing. "Anyway, I still owe you a good blow as punishment. I'll give it to you… you get back to being yourself."

"Myself?" Dusk said confused, as his brain took a few seconds before remembering what that meant. Then Dusk opened his eyes and mouth wide as he remembered his new status as a mare, ready to scream hysterically again.

"No! Enough screaming!" Spike yelled, covering Dusk's mouth, anticipating his cry. “No matter how you look, you are still Dusk Shine. And my brother would never go screaming hysterically around the room."

Hearing Spike's words, Dusk's breathing began to calm slowly. Then Dusk closed his eyes for a few seconds as he calmed down and thought that his brother was right. Noticing Dusk was finally calmer, Spike pulled his claws out of his mouth.

"Thank you... I needed to calm down." Dusk said, speaking more calmly, looking at Spike with a grateful smile.

"All right. Now… What the heck happened to you!?" Spike asked almost in a scream, this time reversing the roles and being the one who was now hysterical for a second.

"I-I don't know... Whatever it is, the same thing happened to me that happened to the girls." Dusk replied, looking at himself and shaking his head in denial. "Wait... that's it! Why did this happen to me a day after the girls!?"

"Besides, you can remember who you are, the girls couldn't." Spike added thoughtfully. "It's as if what affected them had had a late effect on you, and it seems that it also had less effect."

"Late effect... less effectiveness... it seems the indications of a medication." Dusk thought curiously. It was then that he widened his eyes when he realized something.

"The potion! Two days ago, you made me drink the potion that cured Rainbow Dash of her broken wings!" Dusk said surprised. "Maybe that's why, whatever caused this, affected the girls yesterday and not me, until today."

"T-That means that if you don't solve this today, you... Maybe tomorrow you’ll also forget who you are?" Spike asked fearfully.

At that moment Dusk imagined himself, living a life as a mare, wearing dresses and singing happily in a field of roses. Which made him scream with panic in his mind.

"That will not happen!" Dusk yelled scared.

"Well then... what caused this?" Spike asked.

Dusk was thoughtful for a second, analyzing all the information he had so far to try to put together this difficult puzzle. However, a piece was still missing, and although Dusk didn't have that piece, he did know where to get it.

"I must go to the Everfree Forest. Whether or not this was the doing of that mysterious hooded pony, we need to track them down." Dusk said with a look of determination.

Suddenly the ears of both became alert when hearing noises coming from the main room. Then both brothers looked at each other confused and headed towards the stairs to see who had entered the library.

Going down the stairs and seeing the main hall, Dusk and Spike were surprised to see their five mare friends, now, their five colt friends, as the five mares were still the same five colts that had been the day before. The five colts were all muttering and chuckling as they stared at a magazine that Rainbow Blitz was holding. Then the blue pegasus turned the magazine, causing one of the pages to extend downward, causing the faces of the five colts to blush and smile even more awkwardly. It was then that Dusk was able to read the cover of the magazine, which said: 'Playpony'.

"Hey! You can't bring those dirty magazines to the library!" Dusk said annoyed, quickly going down the stairs, also blushing when he saw the erotic magazine that those five colts had brought.

The five colts jumped from the scare, then they passed the magazine to each other until it reached Butterscotch's hooves, who just blushed and hid it quickly behind him while the other four colts looked away, whistling absentmindedly.

"W-What magazine...?" Butterscotch said blushing, with a clumsy look of guilt.

"The magazine you hid behind you." Dusk replied with an obvious face, since he could still clearly see the magazine the pegasus was holding behind him.

"Sorry, it's just that yesterday I told the guys the library was missing one of these." Bubble Berry replied with a nervous smile. "You know... a more... stimulating reading, hehe."

"By the way, who are you?" AJ said suddenly, noticing that the mare that was standing in front of them was familiar, but he didn't recognize her.

"Uh!?" Dusk said surprised, only then remembering that he was no longer 'he', but 'she'.

"Yeah... because of how upset you were, for a second I thought you were Dusk Shine... you look a lot like him..." Elusive said, looking carefully at the mare in front of him.

Before the attentive gaze of the five colts, Dusk Shine closed his lips tight and began to perspire, totally nervous. With everything that had happened the day before, he had understood that the jokes between colts were heavier, and if those colts found out that he had changed his gender, he would be the focus of their teasing forever!

"I-I... I'm..." Dusk finally said, stuttering nervously.

"S-She is Twilight Sparkle!" Spike said quickly with a nervous smile, helping his brother seeing him so nervous. "She is our sister... Dusk's twin sister!"

"Twilight Sparkle!? Why did you choose such a ridiculous name!?" Dusk thought nervously, understanding that his brother had chosen that name as it was the feminine equivalent of his own name.

"Y-Yes! I-I'm the sister of Dusk and Spike. M-My name is… Twilight." Dusk added quickly, blushing as he admitted his new female name.

The five colts looked curiously at Dusk, as if they still had their doubts about what they were being told.

“You’re Dusk's twin sister? Then how come Dusk hadn't mentioned you before?" AJ asked narrowing his eyes.

Dusk and Spike looked at each other, both trying to think of how to make their false story more credible. Then Spike came up with a brilliant idea, and as he turned to see the colts again, without anyone seeing him, he pinched Dusk's side hard and fast.

"Ouch!" Dusk screeched, closing his eyes in pain at Spike's surprising pinch. Making a face of pain and letting out a small tear.

As soon as Dusk screeched, Spike took two quick steps forward to approach the colts and moved his claw to bring their ears close to him.

"Don't say Dusk hasn't told you about his sister! Twilight is very sensitive about it!" Spike said whispering to the five colts. "Dusk doesn't like to mention Twilight because he doesn't like that they’re so similar, and you know what Dusk dislikes being told that he looks feminine. That's why he is not here today, he was visiting Canterlot when he found out that Twilight would visit us today."

Hearing Spike's story, the five colts gave surprised looks, and then looked at 'Twilight', this time not with suspicion, but with some pity, believing it was a shame Dusk tried to hide from his sister. Meanwhile, Spike looked askance at Dusk and gave him a proud smile when he saw that everyone had completely believed his false story.

"Sorry, I didn't know that Dusk was so shy not to tell us about his sister." Elusive said with a sad smile, thinking that 'Twilight' had cried upon found out that her brother was ashamed of her.

"Uh… yes. I'm- Dusk! Dusk is very shy, hehe…" Dusk replied, smiling nervously, not knowing what Spike had said, but it seemed that all the doubts about his false identity had been cleared.

"Do you live in Canterlot? What brings you here?" Butterscotch asked, blushing slightly when talking to a mare.

"Yeah... uh, I... I was coming to visit Dusk Shine." 'Twilight' answered, accepting that SHE would have to accept her new identity, at least until she solved that problem. It was then that Twilight came up with an idea to quickly solve both her problem and that of her friends. "I wanted to go see the Everfree Forest! I wanted Dusk to take me on a tour of that mysterious place. But now that he is not here... Would you be so kind as to accompany me there?"

At Twilight's request, the five colts gave surprised looks. Going to the Everfree Forest was no game, and everyone preferred to avoid it unless absolutely necessary, and taking a mare, especially one that looked as delicate and feminine as Twilight, for a walk in that gloomy forest, was not a priority at all. Still, they couldn't look weak or fearful in front of a mare, that went against the colt code.

"Bros talk." Rainbow Blitz said, making all the boys hug each other and form a circle to talk to each other.

Then the six ponies looked at each other, ready to agree whether to go to the forest or not. Until they realized that there should be only five ponies, not six, so the five ponies stared at Twilight, who had joined the hug without being asked.

"Sorry, we said 'BROS talk'." Elusive said, looking confused at Twilight.

"Uh?" Twilight said confused, since he, now her, had done that the day before with no problems, so she thought that was the right thing to do. It was then that Twilight is looked at herself and blushed to understand that now 'she' was not part of the group of 'bros'. "Oh! Yeah… sorry." Twilight added blushing, stepping out of the circle.

Then the five colts started talking to each other for a minute, whispering and occasionally raising their heads to give Twilight a quick look. Finally, the five colts broke apart and smiled at Twilight.

"Okay, we'll accompany you." AJ said looking at Twilight, putting on a huge smile.

"Really!?" Twilight asked excitedly.

"Of course, as the gentlecolts that we are, we couldn't abandon a beautiful damsel who asks for our help." Elusive said, blushing slightly as he put on a huge smile, the same gesture the other five ponies made.

"Uh... sure… thank you." Twilight replied, uncomfortable to be called 'beautiful damsel', but more uncomfortable to notice those peculiar smiles, without having the knowledge or experience to understand what it meant when a colt smiled at a mare that way.

---

The six ponies and the baby dragon were walking through the streets of the village in direction to the Everfree Forest. Although Twilight asked Spike not to accompany them because of the potential danger, the dragon insisted on wanting to go, determined to help his new sister, and especially, to try to find a cure for his beloved Rarity soon.

As Twilight led the group, she realized that her new appearance seemed to matter little to the other ponies in the town. In fact, since there were many more mares in the town than colts, it seemed that the five colts received the most attention, since now Twilight realized that the mares that passed near them looked with peculiar glances at her five friends.

"They are definitely flirting with their eyes..." Twilight thought, looking curiously at the mares that passed near them. Then, she was surprised to realize that now she seemed to be more perceptive about certain details than before. "This is strange, it seems that not only have I changed on the outside... It's like what I felt this morning, the feelings in the mares are very intense... This very morning when I saw myself in the mirror and felt overwhelmed by so many feelings at the same time. But looking at it on the positive side, feeling my most intense feelings, now I feel that I can even identify them better than before... Right now, I feel fear about what we'll find in the forest, concern about whether we'll find a solution to our problem, joy about knowing that Spike forgave me, annoyance about not understanding what is happening... And satisfaction! Because I can finally put my thoughts in order... And I can do that because I understand better how I feel."

"What if Rarity can't get back to normal!?" Suddenly muttered Spike, who was walking next to Twilight and who, like her, seemed to be thinking of other things as they headed towards the forest.

"Don't worry, I promise you that soon everything will return to normal." Twilight said, smiling affectionately to her brother. And seeing that sweet and tender smile from his new older sister, Spike did indeed calm down, though he also had to look away while blushing slightly.

After talking to Spike, Twilight glanced at the five ponies walking behind them, who were talking and whispering among them, what made Twilight wonder about what they were talking so secretly.

"Are they talking about me? Or maybe they just chat about some silly macho joke…” Twilight thought a little nervously as she recalled the talks they had had the day before. "Also, why don't they walk beside me like they always do…? Colts like to be leaders by nature. Why would a colt want to walk behind a mare? Standing behind a mare, all he would see would be her-"

It was then that Twilight blushed with embarrassment and looked quickly back, causing the five colts to quickly look away from what they were seeing, which only confirmed Twilight's suspicions. So the mare jumped to turn around, and thus move away the back of her body from the eyes of those perverted five colts.

"All of you! From now on you'll walk in front of me, not behind me!" Twilight yelled in her high-pitched voice, glaring at the colts.

At Twilight's scream, the five colts opened their mouths to try to say something, but upon seeing Twilight's furious and blushed face, they understood that she had surprised them by seeing her 'back charms', so finally they just lowered their heads in shame and they walked to stand in front of Twilight, just as she had been instructed.

"I can't believe they were looking at my... Ugh!" Twilight thought embarrassed, not wanting to even think about the word 'butt'. And blushing even more at the thought that although he always tried to avoid it, sometimes he also looked with lust on the bodies of his friends, which made him even more embarrassed. "Gosh... It's fortunate that mares don't see colts that way..."

It was then that Twilight looked up at the five colts, who were now walking in front of her, and as she saw their flanks, Twilight blushed and shook her head sharply.

"No! My friends don't see me that way... do they?" Twilight thought with many doubts, blushing at the thought that perhaps the mares were more similar to colts than she thought, and that perhaps her friends could also see her masculine form in a more lustful way and that she hadn't realized it. "No... They don't see me like that, They... They don't like me physically..." Twilight hesitated with her own insecurities, but increasingly questioning what she believed about her friends.

Finally, the group reached the entrance to the Everfree Forest and little by little they entered it, always following the main path.

As they walked, Twilight couldn't help but think that this adventure was very similar to the one she and her mare friends had had two days ago, the only differences were that Spike was now going, and of course, that the six ponies had changed their gender. Otherwise, the route was the same, as was the mood of that time, since like that time, none of the ponies mentioned any words, but now it wasn't that the mares were upset with Dusk, now it was Twilight who was angry at the five colts.

“Hey… We can't just keep going all the way in silence. Someone should apologize to Twilight." AJ said, whispering his friends.

Then the five ponies looked sideways back, where Twilight walked with Spike. Then Twilight noticed that she was being watched and glared at the colts, causing the five colts to quickly look away and duck their heads in fear.

"I don’t know... Mares are really scary when they get angry." Rainbow Blitz whispered with a shiver.

"Then... who will ask Twilight for forgiveness?" Butterscotch whispered looking at his friends. And it was then that to his horror, the yellow pegasus noticed that his four friends were staring at him and smiling maliciously.

As Twilight walked, she suddenly stopped when she saw the five ponies wrestling with each other for a few seconds, and then, Butterscotch was thrown out of the melee they made, falling right in front of Twilight.

"Sorry Butterscotch, one of us had to be sacrificed..." The other four colts thought with false tears, looking up at the sky, as if Butterscotch had died.

Then the four colts were whistling, pretending nothing bad was happening while Butterscotch looked at them reproachfully. Then the yellow Pegasus turned to see Twilight, who just stared at him in surprise, not understanding what those five ponies were up to.

"T-Twilight... I... I-I wanted to a-apologize..." Butterscotch said looking down at the ground shyly and then raising his head to see Twilight, who was very close to him, so his face almost collided with Twilight’s head. Then Butterscotch saw Twilight stare at him with her huge, beautiful purple eyes. And with the face of a mare so close to him, Butterscotch turned completely red and all his ideas got tangled up. "Y-You... we walked without seeing... sorry because... butt... pretty eyes..."

With each word Butterscotch said, he grew redder and lower his head ever lower. Then he stood up, turned quickly, and ran back to where the colts were, leaving a very confused Twilight, who only looked at Spike and noticed that the dragon hadn't understood anything of what had happened either.

"Gosh… how can he get so nervous just talking to a girl…?" Twilight thought confused, and then she blushed too as she remembered that she had also acted like that many times.

"Sweet Celestia! That was the worst apology in the world!" Rainbow Blitz said annoyed, hitting his face after Butterscotch returned to them.

"Huff... I guess there is no other option, I'll have to go." Elusive said shaking his mane and making a handsome face. "You don't understand the heart of a mare."

Elusive looked around, took a small yellow flower that was growing there, and approached with a gallant gaze to where Twilight was.

"This little flower doesn't compare at all with your beauty, my sweet damsel." Elusive said looking coquettishly at Twilight, which completely stunned her. "But I hope you can take it as sign of our-"

"Not interested." Twilight said glaring at Elusive.

"Uh?" Elusive said surprised at Twilight's reaction.

Twilight didn't answer, she just kept glaring at Elusive, who erased his silly gallant gaze from his face and only backed away slowly, completely defeated, not realizing that he had made the situation even worse, since, for the male mind of Dusk, who was still struggling to maintain his own gender, the fact that they offered her flowers and said 'sweet damsel' was the last thing she wanted to hear at the time.

"Damn it! They're only making it worse!" Rainbow Blitz yelled in frustration, taking a few steps forward and looking seriously at Twilight. "Listen Twilight, you shouldn't be mad because we were watching you. If you have a good body, you shouldn't mind showing it-Mmpph!" Rainbow Blitz was unable to continue her macho speech, as AJ jumped up and covered his mouth so he wouldn't ruin the situation any further.

"Excuse my friend, Twilight. He doesn't know what he’s saying, hehe." AJ said quickly while struggling with Rainbow Blitz. "Sometimes listening to Blitz is as painful as get kicked in the balls, haha. Although you don't understand it, of course, hehe."

At AJ's comment, Twilight made a weary face and an annoyed look. Not only because she perfectly understood the metaphor of get kicked in the balls, but also because it had been Applejack herself who had kicked him in the sensitive area a while back.

"Sput! Stop pretending you're always the most mature of the group!" Rainbow Blitz said once he managed to spit out the hooves AJ had in his mouth. Looking annoyed at the orange colt. "You also said back there that Twilight had a good body!"

"Well, to avoid misunderstandings, I was the first to say that." Bubble Berry suddenly said, lifting his hoof. "So, you know. I saw Twilight first."

"That's not true! I saw her first!" Elusive said, entering the discussion.

Then the five colts got into a fight. Jumping over each other, nibbling over there, and head butting over here... all before the astonished gaze of Twilight and Spike, who were still trying to figure out what was happening.

"I don't get it... Were they apologizing or flirting with me?" Twilight said confused, thinking aloud.

"Were they flirting with you!?" Spike asked in amazement.

"I think so..." Twilight replied, still confused.

"I don't know... not counting the fight, I think they were acting like they always do." Spike said confused, scratching his head.

"Did they act the same as always?" Twilight whispered, thinking of the implications that might have, making her blush. "If that were true, then..."

Suddenly a scream brought Twilight out of her thoughts, which was given by Elusive when Bubble Berry bit his ear.

"I can't take it... They are so stupid!" Twilight thought annoyed, changing her mood radically when she saw that those five ponies were still fighting.

"Spike, when they stop fighting, tell them I got mad and went back to the library." Twilight said whispering to Spike. "I'll continue on my own."

Then Twilight used her magic and teleported a little further down the road, away from the colts' bustle.

"I should have done this from the beginning... It's safer and simpler to go alone." Twilight said, sighing in frustration, continuing her solo path, searching for the mysterious hooded pony.

Twilight finally reached the part of the forest where she was to leave the main path and go deeper into the forest, heading for her small private garden.

"This is where I need to move to the right... where Rainbow Dash said she saw a shadow." Twilight thought once she reached the part where Rainbow Dash had fallen twice, on whose left side, under the hill, Twilight could see the field of blue flowers that she was still unable to study.

Within a few steps of advancing, a dense mist began to appear in the forest, making it even more difficult to advance. And the further Twilight moved, the thicker the mist became.

"This mist is not natural... This confirms it! There is definitely someone here trying to hide!" Twilight thought, immediately lighting up her horn as a sign of defense.

With the magic light from her horn, Twilight could see a little more clearly what was in front of her, but then another concern came to her.

"This mist isn’t magic… it's not an illusion either… So what is causing it?" Twilight thought confused, since she couldn't think of anything else that could be causing the mist if it wasn't magic.

"What a surprise that a mare appears here in my home..." Suddenly said a dark female voice, that boomed all over the place.

The voice made Twilight stop dead in her tracks, with a mixture of fear and surprise. Then she looked everywhere, trying in vain to find where that voice came from through the dense mist, aiming in turn with her lighted horn, ready to strike down any threat that appeared.

"Or maybe I was wrong, and there really is a colt behind that pretty skin..." The mysterious voice added, with a tone of voice that made it seem that it seemed funny.

"She knows who I really am!" Twilight thought in surprise at the new revelation. "That confirms my theory… She is the one who did this to us!"

"I came here to take away this curse that you put on me!" Twilight said, screaming angrily.

After Twilight screamed, the mysterious voice fell silent completely, leaving an awkward and dark silence.

"No." The mysterious voice finally answered, leaving Twiligh paralyzed. "Now go away." The voice added, this time angrier.

Twilight instinctively raised one of her hind legs to back away. This went beyond what she had predicted. All this time Twilight had been trying different spells to clear the mist, but none of them worked. And if she was facing a different power that could overcome a magic, then she was in real danger. However, just as Twilight recoiled one of her hooves, the images of her five mare friends came to her mind, and then she remembered that she was not alone for her, but for her friends, and if she could not find a cure, her friends, her true and dear mare friends! They would never return. Then Twilight instantly put her hoof back where it was and stood firmly, with a determined look.

"I'll not run away." Twilight said full of determination, ceasing to light her horn, as a sign that she was completely helpless. "I just want to talk to you."

"Hahaha! So, you won’t run away with your tail between your legs… hehe, I like that…" The voice laughed loudly, making Twilight tremble inside, but on the outside she kept her gaze steady. "Then we'll make a little game..."

"A game?" Twilight repeated, surprised and confused by the proposal the voice was making.

"I'll tell you three riddles. If you get even one answer before the end, I'll agree to talk to you." The mysterious voice said.

"What if I don't answer them?" Twilight asked, understanding that this could be a risky game.

"Hehehe... well, if you fail, I'll show you the answer myself..." The voice answered laughing evilly, leaving Twilight confused, not understanding what she meant by that. "Are you ready?"

"Ready." Twilight said without hesitation, looking seriously ahead, thinking that the consequences didn't matter, the only thing that mattered was that she couldn't fail.

"First riddle: Not animal, mineral or vegetable, but can it grow, dance and die. If you feed it, it lives; if you give it drink, it dies." The sinister voice said in the mist.

"What!? How can something grow and die if it's not alive!? By definition, only animals and plants are alive…" Twilight thought quickly, remembering her biology classes and using all her logical reasoning to eliminate millions of alternatives before being absolutely sure that her answer was correct. "Maybe it's a metaphor, and it's not really alive. If so, there are many things in nature that may be alive, and-"

"Time." The voice finally said, after a few seconds.

"What!? You didn't say there was a time limit… You only gave me a few seconds!" Twilight said claiming against the voice.

"My game, my rules." The voice said seriously. "Also, someone know or don't know the answer... Someone don't need to think that hard."

Then a sudden flame appeared a few steps in front of Twilight, where a small fire was created that lit up and scattered a bit of the mist, much to the mare's surprise.

"Fire! Fire dances and grows when you ‘feed’ it fuel and will die when it ‘drinks’ water." Twilight thought, frustrated in acknowledging that she had already come to think that she was an element of nature, but that she had been too slow to come up with the answer. After all, in the ponies' towns and cities, fire was little used as lighting, as most were illuminated with magic.

It was then that Twilight understood something else: what the voice had told her about that she would show her the answer if she was wrong. For that reason, that fire had appeared, she was showing her the correct answer.

"Second riddle." The mysterious voice said, taking Twilight by surprise, who was still analyzing what had happened. "Red and hot as a flame. If you want to see me, get me out of my home, but be careful what you wish for, without me you'll not live."

"Red and hot... Wait! Fire is a distraction, it's not fire." Twilight thought frustrated at having so little time to think. "Something red that is inside something, that's what it means by its home... But it can't come out... No! She said it was dangerous for it to go out, not that it couldn't go out… Ugh! Why is it so hard for me to get the answer!?" Twilight thought desperately, remembering that she had many times played riddles with the princess, but it had never been so difficult for her to find an answer.

"Time." Sentenced the mysterious voice after Twilight again didn't give an answer.

Twilight lowered her head, annoyed with herself for not knowing the answer, but then she raised her head confused, since unlike the previous riddle, this time nothing appeared before her.

"So, what was the answer?" Twilight asked, still unable to come up with an answer.

Suddenly Twilight heard a low whistle, like something moving swiftly through the mist, until suddenly something brushed against her cheek at high speed, causing Twilight to jump.

What brushed Twilight had been a spear, which had been nailed into a tree behind Twilight. After the impact, Twilight felt something warm on her cheek, and with fear, she put a hoof on her cheek and saw the answer.

"Blood..." Twilight whispered fearfully, running her hoof back over her cheek to notice the small but clean cut on it that had drawn a few drops of blood.

Suddenly Twilight widened her eyes in surprise as she realized she couldn't be intimidated and needed to stay focused. Then Twilight couldn't help but glance at the spear that had stuck behind her and that could have cost her life.

"Last riddle." The voice said, which sounded more intimidating this time. “I am powerful and respected, but everyone avoids me. I am always close, but you never see me. I reach everyone without running, I find everyone without searching. Rejoice in your luck if I come to see you later, because I have no end, and your end is me."

In the face of such a riddle, the first thing Twilight thought was that the voice was referring to itself, but that would be cheating, since the answer must be something that Twilight knew.

"Fire, blood, things that all ponies know, but we avoid thinking about because... Because we fear them! That must be the answer! Something we are afraid of." Twilight thought quickly, though she knew she was running out of time. "Come on! Think! If I don't respond, this can be dangerous… If I don't respond she could-"

Twilight raised her head in amazement, understanding that the answer was equal to her punishment. Then she opened her mouth to say the answer.

"Time." The mysterious voice said just before the sound left Twilight's lips.

"Death... that's the answer." Twilight said breathing heavily in fear, knowing she had answered late.

"That's right... but you didn't respond in time." The voice said ominously.

Long, eternal seconds passed, in which Twilight froze, and the mysterious voice fell completely silent.

"W-Will you show me the answer?" Twilight said trying to smile, but she couldn't help shaking knowing what was to come.

"If you know I'll show you the answer, why don't you run away?" The mysterious voice asked curiously. "Tell me, Dusk Shine, do you fear death?"

At another time, Twilight would have been surprised to know that the mysterious voice even knew her real name. But at that moment, she needed all her concentration to not show emotions, just keep her gaze determined, because although everything seemed against her, she had found a small light of hope.

"Of course I fear death. But there are things that I'm even more afraid of, like never seeing my beloved friends again." Twilight replied with a small smile, as she decided to take a chance and play her ace up her sleeve. "And before you show me what death is, I'd like to see you even once… After all, I've never seen a zebra up close before."

After Twilight's words, the thick mist began to slowly disappear, until Twilight could see that a few steps in front of her there was a mysterious hooded figure, who when noticing that Twilight saw her, took off her hood, thus revealing to a mare with light gray coat with dark gray stripes, her manestyle was a white and dark gray Mohican, but her most distinctive feature was her large gold earrings and hoops that she wore around her neck.

"How did you find out I was a zebra?" The mysterious hooded asked, looking with mild amazement at Twilight.

"This mist is not something created with magic, but even so, it's not natural. It took me a while to think that perhaps it could be done by some kind of chemical alchemy, known as witchcraft in the Eastern lands, where they are experts in this science..." Twilight replied with a small smile of pride. "Also, the spear you used has some tribal engravings, typical of the desert tribes that live there... And finally, I remembered that my friend had said that years ago she had seen two strange mares with their bodies full of scars. It was then that I thought, what if they weren't scars but stripes? After all, normal ponies have rarely seen or even know that zebras exist."

"Hahaha!" The zebra laughed loudly at Twilight's brilliant deduction. "You really are interesting..."

Then the zebra slowly approached Twilight, who just stood still, wishing her instinct wasn't wrong. Then the zebra pulled out a bottle of liquid and rubbed a little on Twilight's cheek. Instantly, Twilight felt a comforting warmth on her cheek, causing her to touch her cheek and realize that the scratch she had had until a second ago had completely disappeared.

"Done." The zebra said as she tucked her vial into her cloak. Then she took the spear that had been nailed to the tree behind Twilight, turned and walked slowly away.

"W-Wait!" Twilight yelled, surprised to notice that the zebra was just leaving. "W-What is your name?"

"My name is Zecora." The zebra replied without stopping or looking at Twilight, just following her path through the forest.

"P-Please, wait!" Twilight said running after Zecora, but unable to reach her given the thick forest. "Take this curse from us!" Twilight screamed as she almost lost sight of Zecora.

"No." Zecora replied, turning around behind a tree and losing sight of Twilight.

Knowing that this was her only chance, Twilight struggled against the branches to hasten her path, until she reached a strange and huge tree, from which smoke was coming out of one of its holes. It was then that Twilight understood that this must be Zecora's home.

Twilight walked around the big tree, noticing strange tribal masks around her, until she was finally able to find a door and entered the tree. There, Twilight was surprised to see many more tribal masks, some much stranger and more chilling, and there were even skulls and bones of different creatures, which made Twilight tremble.

"I don't know all the manners of ponies, but in my culture, it's impolite to enter someone else's home without being invited." Zecora said without taking her eyes off what appeared to be a huge cauldron, in which she stirred what appeared to be a potion of some kind.

"Don't talk to me of being rude when you have a pony skull here!" Twilight shouted frightened, unable to keep from screaming at the recognition that one of the skulls there was undoubtedly of an equine.

Zecora saw what Twilight was seeing and then looked at her seriously.

"That is my mother's skull, and I would beg you not to scream in front of her." Zecora said calmly.

Twilight took a scared step to the side, away from the creepy skull, and then looked at Zecora in terror. Applejack had definitely been right when she had warned them that there were dark beings who worshiped death... Her appreciation of Zecora had been wrong, she was dangerous! But she couldn't run away, not until she and the five colts could return to normal.

"T-That spear you threw at me... I-It's also made of bones." Twilight said, making an effort to carry on a conversation despite her fear.

"That's right. I told you I would show you death, and there it was." Zecora replied staring at Twilight.

"You... do you worship death?" Twilight asked, thinking that despite how dangerous Zecora appeared to be, she was chatting quietly, not disturbed in the least despite the sinister conversation.

"I don't worship death, but I'm not afraid of it either." Zecora replied. "Here in Equestria, the ponies fear death and all that it brings with it. That is why you have cemeteries far from the cities, all of you prefer to get as far away as possible from those who have already left. But in my culture, death is well received when it comes, many times it's a rest for the suffering lived."

"And you keep the skulls of your families?" Twilight asked with fear and a little disgust.

"Only when it's necessary to purify a place." Zecora said approaching to the skull that Twilight had seen, taking it and smiling affectionately. "Zebras believe in the cycle of life... Nothing really ends, it only transforms. After her death and purification, each part of my mother's body became a tool for me, as our religion dictates. And her skull is here so that her soul can visit me when I require her advice and she know where to go from the great meadows where she rests…"

"That... that's perverse." Twilight said without being able to avoid saying what she felt.

"For your race it is, just as for me it is perverse to think that you only throw the bodies of your dead into a pit, waiting for them to rot." Zecora said looking seriously at Twilight.

Twilight blinked in amazement at what Zecora told her. She had never thought of it that way, the way Zecora explained what the ponies did to their dead, made it sound truly appalling, and still, it was true. Then Twilight began to calm down a bit and to understand that she shouldn't judge something so quickly just for being different, after all, that the ponies believed in something and had a certain culture, it didn't mean that they were right and that their culture was the correct one.

"You said you kept your dead because that dictates your religion... I didn't know there were still species that believed in religion." Twilight said curiously.

"Religion is just a word to name the acts with which we connect with the gods and their astral plane." Zecora replied with a smile, reluctantly thinking that she was enjoying the conversation with that pony more than she had planned, as she had never seen a pony interested in her culture. "I suppose that believing in a connection with the spiritual and with nature is difficult for you, who only believe in magic, science, and your ruling goddess."

"Ruling goddess? You mean the princess? She isn't a goddess, not even a queen, so she only uses the title of princess." Twilight said with a somewhat mocking smile.

"And yet the ponies do ceremonies in her honor and revere her like a god." Zecora said, this time being the one who smiled, leaving Twilight speechless, given that the zebra's arguments were very solid. "A god doesn't make mistakes, and believe me, your princess has committed many."

Apart from Zecora, Twilight had only met one other pony who saw the princess's work so critical, and who also agreed that she shouldn't be revered. That pony was Princess Celestia herself, who had intimately told Dusk Shine of her fears and regrets.

"What Zecora says goes against what all of us think… But still, talking to her is fascinating." Twilight thought, seeing Zecora in the eyes for the first time, and then feeling a sensation very similar to the one she felt when she looked at Princess Celestia, as if both locked up wisdom and were eager to share it. "They'd probably both get along..."

"You can't take this curse away from me, because it wasn't you who threw a curse at us, wasn't it?" Twilight asked suddenly, finally realizing the truth.

"That's right." Zecora said, nodding slowly, pleased to see that Twilight was no longer accusing her unfairly. "What happened to you and your friends was the product of pollen from a very peculiar plant. A blue flower called a 'Poison Joke'."

"Blue flower?" Dusk said confused, and then opening big eyes and striking her forehead to the relate everything that happened since the fall of Rainbow Dash in the field of blue flowers, to flower had the side of her bed. "How did I not notice it!?"

"Seeing your surprise and confusion, I now offer you a potion." Zecora said, pointing at the cauldron behind her, and then, realizing something, blushed slightly. "Forgive me on that rhyme. In my village, shamans usually talk like this, but it's a habit that I abandoned when my mother died."

"Can you heal me right now!?" Twilight shouted excitedly, wishing she could return to normal right now.

"Unfortunately not, the potion takes a night's sleep to take effect. Also, I am still missing an ingredient for the potion." Zecora said with a thoughtful look. "I used the last of that flower in the potion I left in front of your home to heal your friend of her crippled wings."

"Let's go for more!" Twilight said impatiently.

"It's not that easy. That flower doesn't grow here, so deep inside the Everfree Forest. It's near the town where you live." Zecora replied with a somewhat worried look.

"But then it's so much easier!" Twilight said excitedly. "Let's go to town and-"

"I can't leave my home. I have a mission to accomplish." Zecora said looking seriously at Twilight.

"A mission?" Twilight asked confused.

"Stop the draconequus, an ancient being who has sworn to bring chaos to our world." Zecora said with a serious look. "Years ago, my mother prophesied that its prison would be released here, in this forest of ancient magic. And I have to fulfill her mission."

"Draconequus? I've never heard of any of that." Twilight said trying in vain to remember something of that peculiar creature that Zecora mentioned. "Maybe it's just an old legend."

"Yes. The legend has it that thousands of years ago the alicorn sisters used the Elements of Harmony to enclose it in stone." Zecora said staring at Twilight. "It's not the first time that your princess hides her past from you, is it not?"

Twilight bit her lip as she recalled that until that year's Summer Sun Celebration, Princess Celestia had never mentioned her past or her relationship with Nightmare Moon, who eventually turned out to be her younger sister.

"If what you say is true, the Elements of Harmony will re-enclose that creature if it is released." Twilight said, still not sure whether to believe about that strange creature Zecora mentioned.

"I thought so, but a few months ago the Elements of Harmony were extracted from the old castle." Zecora said narrowing her eyes. "The balance was broken. The princess allowed the Elements to leave the castle, weakening the magical barrier that prevented chaos from growing in this forest... And she gave the most powerful magical elements in the world, to six irrelevant little ponies." Zecora added staring Twilight in the eye.

"Irrelevant? Do you think the princess made a mistake in giving me and my friends the elements of harmony?" Twilight asked slowly, noticing Zecora's resentment.

"I can't deny that I have noticed that you are special, Dusk Shine." Zecora said, as she took some purple powders from one of her vases, and threw them upwards, where they made different silhouettes and drawings in the air. "You have a magical aura that even I can feel, plus an enormous thirst for knowledge, courage and resolution. But living beings are changing, like the flow of the river, and I don't know if in the future, you'll not give in to power or fear, against the great challenges that await you... or your friends..."

Twilight listened carefully to what Zecora said and fully understood what she meant.

"You’ve tested me, and you think me worthy of carrying an Element of Harmony, but not so to my friends." Twilight said looking seriously at Zecora.

"To trust the hearts of six ponies to carry the Elements means to abandon Equestria to its fate." Zecora said, reaffirming her stance. "It's better to return them to the Forest and that nature, always fair and impartial, take care of the harmony of this world."

Twilight realized that Zecora's posture was very closed, and her arguments were valid, although of course, that was because she didn't know the true value of the heart of her dear friends; but anyway, the best thing was not to continue arguing about that topic, at least for the moment. It was then that Twilight realized something else she had overlooked while they were talking.

"You said you didn't leave your home for your mission here in the forest, but still, you went to town to leave me the potion that healed my friend's wings." Twilight said with a thoughtful look, to Zecora's surprise. "Tell me... Is there no other reason why you don't want to go to town?"

Then Zecora looked away for a second, after she looked back at Twilight, this time with a slight look of fear on her.

"In the past, I tried to visit the town... But I wasn't well received." Zecora said with a sad look. "As soon as I appeared, everyone would run away from me, without even giving me an opportunity to speak. As time went by, I stopped going."

Instantly Twilight understood the enormous loneliness Zecora must have lived in that forest after her mother died, surely she tried to meet someone in the town, but she was feared because of her appearance.

"For that reason, Zecora couldn't help but smile when, despite my fear, I stayed and talked to her..." Twilight thought, seeing herself reflected in the lonely zebra. "It's even greater than the loneliness I felt before meeting my friends..."

"Zecora, now it's my turn to ask you a riddle." Twilight suddenly said, surprising Zecora a little. "I'll follow your same rules. If you fail, you'll accompany me to town to find the missing ingredient."

Zecora stared at Twilight for a few seconds, looking through Twilight and thinking that there might be some trick if she accepted her proposal.

"What if I get it right?" Zecora replied with a confident smile, as her loneliness had made her an expert in riddles, so she definitely couldn't lose.

"I'll give you the Elements of Harmony." Twilight replied with a confident smile, then looked seriously at Zecora to say her riddle. "A pony without magic, or wings, or tools, only with a strong tie. How can you move a stone five times heavier than you?"

Zecora narrowed her eyes and smiled confidently, believing she knew what Twilight was thinking.

"She believes that I have lived totally isolated, but it's not so. I have observed from a distance and learned what is happening in the town. I know that Dusk Shine is the student of the princess, and that he is a logical and mathematical pony... There is the solution!" Zecora thought as she thought of a solution like a pulley or something related.

"Time." Twilight suddenly said, to Zecora's surprise, who stared in surprise at Twilight. "I told you I would use the same rules." Twilight added with an arrogant smile.

"Hahaha! You've caught me." Zecora laughed loudly, realizing her mistake. "So? What was the answer? Did you use the same or trick that I used? Something I knew but didn't see commonly."

"Something like that... If you can't move a stone by yourself, there is only one tie strong enough to help you: friendship. If you can't do something alone, and you don't have the power, skills, or tools to help you, you can always count on your friends." Twilight replied with a tender smile. "And since you failed, just as you showed me the correct answer to the riddles, I'll show you the answer to my riddle."

As Twilight smiled at Zecora, the zebra stared straight into her eyes, where she could see a spark in those big purple eyes full of hope.

"So this is the Element of Magic..." Zecora thought, finally smiling and accepting the invitation of Twilight. "It really is interesting... "

---

For the first time in years, Zecora was in broad daylight on the edge of the Everfree Forest, from where the entrance to the small town called Ponyville could be seen not far away. As Twilight walked alongside the zebra, just before putting a hoof on the edge of the forest, Zecora stopped dead.

"I still believe it's not a good idea." Zecora said with a serious look, pulling her hood up to hide her face.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen." Twilight replied with a smile as she used her magic to pull the hood down again. Then she saw through Zecora's serious gaze and understood that what the zebra really felt was fear.

"The ponies are very prejudiced." Zecora said looking away as she remembered her last appearances in town. "They fear what is different."

"That was years ago. Now the ponies are different." Twilight said, giggling a little to reassure her. "What do you think? What some pony will jump to attack you as soon as it sees you? Hahaha…"

Suddenly a rainbow lightning bolt came down from the sky and hit Zecora directly, knocking her to the ground, before Twilight's puzzled gaze. That rainbow lightning had been none other than Rainbow Blitz, who was now standing on top of Zecora, with a threatening look, while Zecora was on her back, with a confused look.

Quickly understanding that his friend's act could spoil her entire strategy with Zecora, Twilight immediately used her magic to surround Rainbow Blitz and levitate him to free Zecora.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Twilight asked annoyed, as she kept her magic to hold Rainbow Blitz up in the air.

"I was saving you from... from her!" Rainbow Blitz said pointing at Zecora and regarding her suspiciously. "She looks suspicious... No pony with so many tattoos can be good."

"She is not dangerous, and she has no tattoos, they are stripes! She’s a zebra!" Twilight said pointing to Zecora for the pegasus to see her better. "She... she’s my potions teacher." Twilight added to make Rainbow Blitz more quickly trust Zecora was not a danger.

Rainbow Blitz stared at Zecora, with his eyes trying to find a hint of danger in her. But as much as he looked at her, the only thing strange about that zebra was her appearance.

"I... I'm sorry, I think I exaggerated a little." Rainbow Blitz finally said sorry, so Twilight finally released him from her magic. "Anyway, now that I have a good look at you... Your manestyle is awesome!" Rainbow Blitz added as he fell to the ground and looked closely at Zecora and her particular mane.

"By the way, what were you doing here?" Twilight asked, looking curiously at the colt.

"I-I was just passing by and I saw you." Rainbow Blitz said looking away and blushing slightly.

"I don't think that's true." Zecora suddenly said, bringing her nose closer to Rainbow Blitz and sniffing him closely. “I can smell the forest on you… It seems like you've been waiting a long time here at the entrance to the forest."

At Zecora's comment, Rainbow Blitz blushed completely.

"W-Well... yeah, I-I just stood here waiting..." Rainbow Blitz said nervously and blushed, glancing at Twilight. "After me and the guys argued with each other and you disappeared, Spike told us that you returned to the library, and we all returned. So I quickly flew to the library and couldn't find you, and I thought maybe you had gone to the forest on your own… I wasn't sure, but I still felt responsible, so I just stood here waiting to see if you would show up."

After listening to Rainbow Blitz, Twilight was surprised and then smiled warmly as she recognized that that colt still had the loyal soul of her friend Rainbow Dash. She would never abandon a friend if she suspected that it needed her.

And Twilight wasn't the only one who noticed that. Zecora also noted the responsibility and loyalty that pegasus showed towards Twilight. Not only in his words, just by looking into Rainbow Blitz's eyes, Zecora's perceptive and trained eyes, who could see beyond the obvious, noticed the strength in his soul and determination to never abandon anyone who needed him.

"Also, you dropped this when you left." Rainbow Blitz suddenly added, handing Twilight a flower, which she immediately recognized as the flower Elusive had previously given her. "I know it's just a dumb flower, b-but it's still a way to apologize for what happened this morning."

Twilight took the flower carefully and blushed slightly at Rainbow Blitz's eyes.

"He’s different when he is alone… He’s still the sincere, rough but sweet Rainbow Dash." Twilight thought, blushing at Rainbow Blitz's gesture and words, and also surprised to discover something she hadn't understood when the girls had told her. "Now I understand! When I gave the flowers to my friends as a sign of asking for forgiveness... They didn't forgive me for the flowers themselves, but for what they represented! That I had been worried all morning thinking about them and a way of asking for forgiveness."

"This is!" Zecora yelled suddenly, taking the flower that Twilight was holding, much to the mare's surprise. "This flower doesn't grow deep in the forest, it's fortunate that there was one so close to the edge of the forest… This is the missing ingredient!"

Then the zebra opened her cloak, showing that she carried several small jars. After, Zecora opened one of the jars and put a flower petal in the potion, causing the liquid in the jar to change color.

"Drink it." Zecora said directly, stretching her hoof for Rainbow Blitz to take the jar she offered.

"W-What is that?" Rainbow Blitz asked, looking suspiciously at the jar and then at Zecora, whom it no longer considered to be a danger, but still he didn't trust her.

"Trust me. You need to drink this for your own good." Twilight said, looking warmly at Rainbow Blitz, who also stared at her.

"Woah, weird... her gaze conveys the same confidence as Dusk Shine... Eh, probably has something to do with them being siblings." Rainbow Blitz thought, finally accepting the bottle and drinking its contents in one gulp.

"Thanks for trusting me." Twilight said with a big smile.

“Y-Yeah, well… since you're fine and all that. I think I'll leave now." Rainbow Blitz said looking away and blushing. "Bye." The pegasus added before spreading his wings and flying away from there.

"Well, one less. If we're lucky, tomorrow they'll wake up and they shouldn't remember any of this." Twilight said, smiling at Zecora.

"I think so. Since the flower affected their memories, I suppose the potion will do the same.” Zecora said opening her cloak again to take out five jars and offer them to Twilight. "Take them, now that we have the last ingredient, I no longer need to accompany you."

Twilight was surprised by Zecora's words, then she smiled and stretched her hoof towards the jars, but instead of taking them, she pushed Zecora's hooves so that she put the jars back.

"I want you to accompany me." Twilight said smiling. "I told you that I would show you what friendship is, and our journey is not over yet."

---

"We're almost there." Twilight said as they walked through a beautiful woodland, very different from Zecora's dark forest home. Almost reaching Fluttershy's house.

"Are you sure you don't want to drink the potion?" Zecora asked curiously.

"I'll drink it only when all my friends have drunk it." Twilight replied smiling as she walked.

"You really do care a lot about your friends. You have a kind soul, Twilight Shine." Zecora said smiling.

"That's not my name, it's Twilight Sparkle, I mean! Dusk Shine... Although now... you know what, it doesn't matter." Twilight said putting a face of frustration, thinking something uncomfortable that she was hardly paying any attention to the fact that her current identity was not her true identity.

Finally, Zecora and Twilight could see Fluttershy's house. Not far from there, was Butterscotch who was feeding some bunnies, except for the little bunny Angel, who weeping inconsolably.

"How curious. Angel is always very authoritative with Fluttershy, but it seems that it affected him more than anyone that his beloved caretaker was replaced by a colt." Twilight said smiling at the situation.

"Is he... the bearer of the Element of Kindness?" Zecora asked, looking curiously at Butterscotch.

"Yes. By the way, did you bring your spear or something sharp by chance?" Twilight asked casually.

Zecora was a little surprised, then she opened her cloak and pulled out a small rock that had a sharp edge on both sides.

"I use this flint to set fire. What do you need it for?" Zecora asked confused, handing the stone to Twilight.

"Don't worry. Trust me." Twilight said with an affectionate smile, and then smiling a little more sinisterly. "I just need you to see something. Oh! And sorry in advance… AAAHHH…!"

With a loud scream, for Butterscotch to hear them, Twilight levitated the stone Zecora passed her and scratched the cheek of the zebra, a swift and clean cut, but deep enough to draw a few drops of blood. Then Twilight lunged at Zecora, leaving her on her back and standing on top of her, all before Zecora's stunned gaze, who didn't understand what was happening. On any other occasion, Zecora would have reacted to protect herself, but seeing Twilight's eyes, she could see that there was no evil in her gaze, and finally, she just decided to trust Twilight and play along.

"Butterscotch! Over here!" Twilight yelled, pretending to be scared as she subdued Zecora.

Hearing the scream and seeing Twilight attacking that stranger, Butterscotch immediately ran to the scene, with a scared face. Upon arriving at the scene, Butterscotch gave Twilight a quick glance, and then Zecora, who stood motionless under Twilight's pressure, trusting the unicorn but still very confused by what was happening.

"Twilight! What did you do!?" Butterscotch said scared, moving Twilight to get off Zecora.

Then Butterscotch, always keeping his face in fear, helped lift Zecora and then touched her cheek fondly, under Zecora's stunned gaze.

"Are you okay? Don't be afraid." Butterscotch said, looking worriedly at Zecora, then looking annoyed at Twilight. "Why did you attack her!? Can't you see how scared and confused she is?"

"B-But she's so weird... Look at the clothes she's wearing! And... And her stripes!" Twilight said pretending to be scared, then looking sideways at Zecora and smiling at her without Butterscotch noticing.

"I-I have a first aid kit in my house. Maybe we can-" Butterscotch said, looking fearfully at the small scratch Zecora had on her cheek.

"No need." Zecora interrupted, opening her cloak and pulling out a small vial. "It's just a scratch. With a little bit of this ointment, it'll heal in seconds."

Butterscotch quickly opened the bottle, put some of the ointment on his hoof, and gently rubbed it on Zecora's cheek. Meanwhile, Zecora was stoic, not taking her eyes off Butterscotch for a second.

"Aren't you afraid of me?" Zecora asked as she let Butterscotch finish applying the ointment.

"I... I'm terrified. I've never seen a pony as scary as you before." Butterscotch replied shyly, gulping and then smiling a little less nervously. "But more important than my fear is knowing that you are well. No one deserves to be hurt without warning or provocation… N-No matter how scary they look."

At that moment Zecora looked askance at Twilight, who was smiling with satisfaction, which made Zecora also sigh with a small smile when she understood what Twilight had done and what she had wanted to show her: the kindness of that shy pony.

"A-are you alright?" Butterscotch finally asked, stuttering a bit.

"Yes, I am." Zecora said with a nod.

As soon as Butterscotch heard Zecora's statement, he jumped back a step and stood between Twilight and Zecora, staring at Zecora and stretching a hoof to protect Twilight behind him.

"I-I don't know what brings you close to my house, b-but I'll protect Twilight if you... i-if you are evil." Butterscotch said shaking and stuttering, determined to protect Twilight from any retaliation from that strange tattooed pony.

Seeing Butterscotch's back, trembling but determined to protect her, Twilight recalled how Fluttershy and Dusk had met in a similar situation, and just like on that occasion, the mare blushed when she saw that despite her fears, the colt in front of her took risks to protect her.

"W-Wait Butterscotch, it's just a misunderstanding." Twilight said quickly, still a little blushed at what she had thought.

Twilight quickly invented again that Zecora was her potions teacher and that they had planned that little prank.

After finishing her story, Zecora approached Butterscotch and offered him one of her jars with the cure. And just like what happened with Rainbow Blitz, Butterscotch looked suspiciously at the jar, but finally he drank the potion when Twilight told him to trust her.

"Two less... Three more to go." Twilight thought with a hopeful smile as they said goodbye to Butterscotch and headed for the next target, which was left at Sweet Apple Acres.

---

"So, this other pony doesn't live in town either... Maybe that makes him as receptive as the pony of the Element of Kindness." Zecora said, obviously more optimistic after the Butterscotch visit.

"Yes, Applejack lives on this farm with her family." Twilight said a little anxious since they had been in the huge Apple family orchard for a while, and she still didn't see AJ or anyone in his family. "Maybe we should go to the house to ask where-"

Twilight suddenly fell silent at the sound of a rumble, a sound she knew well from her dear friend when she worked. Then Twilight and Zecora ran following the sound until they finally found AJ, who was hitting an apple tree that looked like it hadn't dropped all its leaves.

Seeing her friend, Twilight set out to call him, however, for some reason, she stared at him for a moment. As AJ hit the tree hard, stressing his now-masculine muscles, sweating, and smiling manly as he worked, they unwittingly made the hormones in Twilight's female body react.

"AJ has…a really nice body. A lot more muscular than my normal body. All those years working on the farm has really done wonders! So…strong." Twilight thought, blushing, both from her body's reaction, and how embarrassed she was to admit that AJ could be more masculine than Dusk Shine.

"Shall we get closer to him?" Zecora asked suddenly, seeing that Twilight had remained motionless looking at the orange colt from afar.

"Y-Yes..." Twilight said completely blushed, shaking her head to clear her ideas. "We need to fix this as soon as possible..." She added in a whisper.

As They got closer to AJ, Twilight began to think about the changes between her feelings and sensations in just three days. She still couldn't find the answer she was looking for, but for the first time the pieces of the puzzle were slowly beginning to fit together.

"Oh, wow! Hi Twilight!" AJ said with a big smile, then looking curiously behind Twilight noticing that someone was coming with her. "Who's your friend-"

Seeing Zecora, AJ's face turned pale, as if he had seen a ghost.

"Hi AJ! I just wanted to show Zecora what the farm was like and-" Twilight started to speak smiling but stopped when she noticed that AJ seemed to be paying no attention to her. It was as if he had froze upon seeing Zecora. "Uhh... AJ, are you okay?" Twilight added, touching AJ's side.

"UH!? I-I... yes, yes. I'm fine." AJ said coming out of his trance as soon as Twilight touched him. Then AJ shook his head abruptly, as if he wanted to erase something from his head. "Sorry, it's just that... when I saw your... guest, it reminded me of a strange nightmare that... I can't quite remember."

"Well, little Applejack, you may not remember it, but we've seen each other before." Zecora suddenly said in a solemn voice, shocking AJ and Twilight.

At Zecora's words, AJ stared at her. His breathing began to shake rapidly, and his face grew more and more terrified as his brain refused to remember anything, but the feelings of terror that those repressed memories involved did appear.

"Wait! Don't go!" Twilight yelled in concern when she saw that AJ had stepped back and he was about to run away. Then AJ looked at Twilight as she smiled warmly at him to trust her. "Please, just listen to me."

At Twilight's words, AJ closed his eyes and slowly calmed down, until he finally opened them and nodded slowly, still with a look of fear, but now calmer.

"Zecora, it's your turn to speak." Twilight said, looking suddenly at Zecora, to the zebra's surprise.

"Wouldn't it be better if you asked him?" Zecora asked a little worried, since with the previous two colts, they had only agreed to drink the potion after Twilight asked them to.

"Just be totally honest." Twilight replied smiling.

Finally, Zecora just sighed and looked AJ directly in the eyes, while he made an effort to calm down and also look her in the eyes.

"You have a rare condition that has affected you without your knowing it. You have been the victim of a strange magical flower called a 'Poison Joke'. Not only has it changed you physically, but it has also altered your memories." Zecora said seriously, following what Twilight asked about being openly honest. Then Zecora took out one of her potion jars and offered it to AJ. "You have to drink this. It's the cure."

When Zecora finished speaking, she kept her eyes on AJ, who just kept looking at her just as she did, without moving a muscle or saying anything.

"I knew it, telling him the truth was not the best thing." Zecora thought at that moment. "The truth is that everything sounds crazy, it would have been better to lie or omit certain details like Twilight did with the other ponies so that -"

At that moment Zecora stopped her train of thought as AJ quickly took the jar she offered him, and drank the entire potion in one gulp, without saying or asking anything.

"I still don't know why I'm so scared to see your face." AJ said after drinking the potion. "But your eyes are honest, there is not a shred of lies in what you said... Although it sounds crazy."

Hearing AJ, Zecora looked at him in surprise, then she put on a small smile as she finally recognized the bearer of the Element of Honesty.

"Well, it's time to go, or it'll get dark before I’m able to show Zecora around Ponyville." Twilight said, saying goodbye to AJ and heading towards the town with Zecora.

"AJ's fear is the same fear that Applejack showed when she talked about 'dark beings' living in the Everfree Forest." Twilight thought as she walked, glancing at Zecora. "There's definitely a hidden story there... But I'd rather have Applejack tell it to me when she gets back to normal and think the time is right."

---

The next colt on Twilight's list had been Bubble Berry, so they had headed straight for Sugarcube Corner, however, as soon as Twilight and Zecora got there, they were frustrated at not finding him. And the worst thing was that now they would have to go through the same thing that had happened when they entered the town.

As soon as Zecora had set hooves in Ponyville, the town ponies ran desperate and hid in their homes when they saw the dark and singular appearance of that strange tattooed mare, without anyone knowing what a zebra was. It didn't help that Twilight tried to scream and explain, Zecora seemed to have been right all along, and the ponies only saw appearances to judge others.

"As soon as we get out of Sugarcube Corner, the ponies will hide and run in fear again…" Twilight thought, glancing sideways at Zecora, who seemed indifferent to everything that had happened, but her new acquired ‘sixth sense’ that the time being a mare gave her told Twilight that in truth it did hurt to see so many ponies run away from her. "We have no choice. We'll go with Elusive and then I'll have to go out alone in search of Bubble Berry."

Saying goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Cake, who had hardly received Twilight and her private guest, Twilight and Zecora headed to Carousel Boutique, obtaining on the way the same result they had obtained when going to Sugarcube Corner.

KNOCK-KNOCK!

Opening the door, Elusive smiled gallantly as he saw his muse Twilight Sparkle return to his hooves, however his smile instantly faded when he saw who was accompanying the mare. Elusive immediately tried to close the door, but Twilight put her hoof up, and with a friendly smile, asked him to let them through.

"So... you are a zebra." Elusive said, after Twilight talked him into talking with Zecora. "And... what is a zebra?"

"We are an equine race, like ponies, but our connection with magic and nature differ much besides our culture and religion... In addition to our stripes, of course." Zecora replied calmly, realizing that this colt was more talkative than the other colts, and that even after the initial fear, he seemed to be interested in his breed. "Our stripes show our different families, it's like carrying a family tree on our skin... to our ancestors."

"Fascinating! Stripes on the fur… I think I just came up with a brilliant idea for my next winter outfit!" Elusive said excitedly looking at Zecora.

"Elusive, now that you know who Zecora is, could you drink this potion for us?" Twilight said, offering Elusive one of Zecora's jars. "I can't tell you why, but it's very important that you drink it." Twilight added, thinking that although Elusive was more open to accepting new things, he would definitely be defensive if she told that the potion would change him in any way.

"Okay, sweetie. I'll do it for you." Elusive said smiling and trusting Twilight's sweet smile, identical to that of his dear friend Dusk Shine. Then Elusive drained the contents of his potion into a cup of tea, and drank it slowly, like a gentlecolt.

"All right! Now, would you happen to know where Bubble Berry went to?" Twilight said getting up from her chair, excited to think that only one of her friends was left to cure.

"Bubble Berry is so unpredictable, he could be anywhere." Elusive said after finishing his tea. "It would be best if the three of us went out to look for him."

"Uh? W-Well… I actually thought that maybe you could stay to talk with Zecora." Twilight said a little nervously. "The town ponies got a little crazy when they saw Zecora on the way here. Maybe it would be better if she didn't go out this time." Twilight admitted somewhat sadly, knowing that what she had said about the ponies of this generation being less prejudiced had resulted in complete failure.

It was then that a Twilight came up with a brilliant idea.

"The ponies are scared to see Zecora with her hood up, but when she is without a hood, they’re scared to see her stripes and believe they are dozens of tattoos." Twilight said with a thoughtful look as Zecora lowered her somewhat sad gaze, anticipating what Twilight would ask of her. "Maybe if she goes without her hood and we cover up some of her stripes, the other ponies might-"

"Don't even think about it! It's ridiculous." Elusive said suddenly, cutting Twilight off and looking slightly offended. "Listen to me Twilight, from what Zecora told me, those stripes are part of her lineage! You can't hide that! She must be proud of her lineage and her ethnicity! The problem is not Zecora, nor is it the prejudice that ponies feel. It's ignorance! It's because they don't know what a zebra is."

At Elusive's words, Zecora couldn't help but smile slightly, as Twilight lowered her head in embarrassment. What the white unicorn said was correct, and without realizing it, she had made Zecora feel bad about her origins and family.

"Elusive is right... but how do we get the ponies to know if they don't even want to get close to Zecora?" Twilight asked concerned.

"Hmm... I think I have an idea. Come with me." Elusive said, taking Twilight to accompany him to a mirror, where both stood together and Elusive smiled. "Look at that. Don't we make a nice couple?" Elusive said with a flirtatious look as he saw the reflection of both in the mirror.

Twilight was surprised at Elusive's abrupt change of topic, but seeing the reflection of both, the mare couldn't help blushing when realizing that it was true. Elusive was quite attractive as a colt, and next to him was the beautiful and stylized mare figure of her, a beautiful couple of unicorns in love.

"W-Why do you say that!?" Twilight asked blushing, annoyed at what she had thought and Elusive's abrupt change of topic.

"I just wanted to see our reflection together before my plan." Elusive said smiling and winking at Twilight.

Ten minutes later, the two ponies and the zebra left Carousel Boutique in search of Bubble Berry. And just like when Twilight and Zecora had first entered the town, the town ponies' first reaction was astonishment, however, this time, no one fled.

The big difference in this new walk, was Elusive, who had painted some stripes on his white fur, in addition, he had cut part of his mane, leaving a wild and somewhat ridiculous manestyle.

"You... Why are you going out on the street looking like this!? Hahaha!" Suddenly said a colt from the town, slowly approaching next to two mares towards where Elusive and the others were.

"Oh! This? It's just a crazy idea that occurred to me after seeing my fellow zebra." Elusive said smiling a little nervously, since although getting that reaction was part of his plan, he still felt uncomfortable knowing that the others would be making fun of his appearance.

"What’s a zebra?" The colt asked, making a curious face, just like the mares that had come alongside him.

Then Elusive took aim at Zecora and repeated what he had learned about the zebras, leaving the ponies who had approached very surprised and curious about the new equine that was before them.

Meanwhile, the ponies that had come closer, were not the only ones to be surprised, as Twilight was also amazed at the simple but ingenious idea of ​​Elusive. He had painted stripes so that the other ponies could associate him with Zecora, but that alone was not enough, he had made a ridiculous and funny manestyle to compensate for the dark initial appearance of Zecora, and so the other ponies came to ask.

Elusive and the others continued walking through the town and continually repeating the process, gradually getting more ponies to come closer and start asking about the stripes and what a zebra was about. Even Elusive stopped talking in a moment, so that Zecora herself was the one explaining to others about her species.

"That was a very clever idea..." Zecora whispered to Twilight as Elusive giggled with fillies who had come over to see his silly manestyle.

"Yes, but beyond that, he’s giving you this little gift while sacrificing himself." Twilight said looking at Zecora, who didn't understand what she meant. "Both Elusive and Rarity live by and for their appearance. They are fashion designers. Being seen in public wearing a ridiculous manestyle hurts them more than anyone, because damaging their image is damaging their business and their reputation. So that's why he keeps smiling nervously at the teasing, he knows the consequences, and still he's doing it for you." Twilight finished with a loving smile, while Zecora was surprised at what she had just discovered.

"Generosity..." Zecora whispered as she looked at Elusive and realized his sacrifice.

"Hey, ladies!" Elusive said suddenly after finishing talking to the fillies who had come to laugh at his manestyle. "These fillies say they know where Bubble Berry is."

Then Twilight's group followed the fillies until they reached the park outside Ponyville, where Bubble Berry indeed was, surrounded by a dozen foals and fillies. It seemed that Bubble Berry was doing a little show for the young ponies, inflating various balloons and making different animals with them.

"He looks so cute... I think he would be a good dad." Twilight thought, smiling as she watched the pink colt play with the foals and imagined her and him as parents. But then Twilight turned blue with terror at what she had just thought. "We must end this now! I'm thinking more and more like a mare!"

As they approached where Bubble Berry was, the fillies who had guided Twilight there called out to their friends, and then they all cast amazed glances at Elusive, laughing at his crazy appearance.

"Look! Now there is a clown!" A small filly said innocently upon seeing Elusive.

"Why are your fur scratched?" Other filly asked, looking curiously at Elusive's stripes. "Are they tattoos?"

"Hahaha! Of course they’re not tattoos! How ridiculous you look! Hahaha!" Bubble Berry suddenly laughed as he recognized his unicorn friend, pointing it at him as Elusive blushed. "Little foals, don't panic, that's just paint, nothing more."

Then Bubble Berry turned his gaze to Zecora, and stared at her in surprise for a few seconds.

"Oh... But her stripes aren't painted..." Bubble Berry said, putting on a scary voice and raising his front hooves towards the foals while mimicking a ghost. "That mare is not a pony... It's a strange creature from a distant land... where they wear terrifying masks and use spears bones..."

As Bubble Berry scared the foals, the mood of the environment changed immediately, and the foals' curiosity towards Zecora changed to fear, causing the foals and fillies to slowly drift away from Zecora.

"Bubble Berry! Don't say those things!" Twilight said, concerned to see that all of Elusive and Zecora's work was being wasted. "You're going to make everyone scared of Zecora again!"

"Hmm? Why would they be afraid of her?" Bubble Berry asked naively, who had just scared the foals for fun. "Look at her! She’s completely striped! It's as if she was wearing her pajamas all day! Hahaha! Hahaha!" Bubble Berry started to laugh out loud.

Everyone was surprised at the joke that the pink colt had told Zecora, leaving everyone stunned and silent, because no one knew how Zecora would react. However, the first to laugh was Zecora, who couldn't help but laugh at the silly joke of that pony, even more because, as much as she tried to remember, no one had ever played a joke on her.

As soon as Zecora started laughing, the mood relaxed completely, and the foals also burst out laughing. It was then that the foals and fillies approached Zecora and began to touch her and asking a lot of questions, they weren't only curious about her for being a zebra, but they were interested in approaching her because it was funny and nice to see her laugh at herself.

"My uncle had told me stories about zebras... I never thought they were real." Bubble Berry asked, after calming his laughter. "Is it true that you throw big parties by the fire, where all of you dance and tell stories?"

"That's right... We have many parties where we thank Mother Nature and- Ouch!" Zecora replied with a big smile, while foals climbed on her and a young filly was pulling her earring curiously.

Seeing Zecora smiling like that, Twilight also smiled when she saw that thanks to Bubble Berry's laughter, Zecora had finally felt part of the town, because Twilight had not realized that it was not only necessary for the town to accept Zecora, it was also necessary for Zecora to put aside her fears and accept others as well. And just like the mysterious Pinkie Pie, Twilight would never know if Bubble Berry had noticed this and did it on purpose, or if it had just been a happy accident.

"Laughter can change everything." Twilight murmured with a smile as she looked at Bubble Berry. A murmur that Zecora managed to hear, which made the zebra also see the pink pony with an attentive look and a small smile.

Twilight finally asked Bubble Berry to drink the potion, which the pink colt drank avidly, thinking it was some strange new drink from the distant lands Zercora came from. At that moment, the Sun was beginning to go down, and the parents of the foals and fillies came to the park to look for their little children, where they also took advantage of joining the laughter and conversation about the amazing guest coming from distant lands. It was then that Bubble Berry gathered all the ponies that he could and began to make a huge musical number about how bad prejudice and discrimination were.

"Yeah... uh, I think it's time to go." Twilight whispered, seeing how Zecora watched with fear as the ponies were adding to the musical number. "I think joining a song would be too much for today, isn't it?" Twilight added, touching Zecora's shoulder.

"One step at a time." Zecora said with a smile of relief, thanking that Twilight didn't force her to participate in a musical number, in which several ponies already made a pyramid and sang about the good of being different.

Taking advantage of the hustle and bustle, Twilight and Zecora slowly retreated and made their way to the edge of the Everfree Forest, where Zecora had to take the path to return home.

"What do you think of my friends now? The bearers of the Elements of Harmony." Twilight asked smiling as they walked.

"From the beginning you planned this, didn't you? Show me the bearers to change my mind about where the Elements of Harmony should be." Zecora replied with a mischievous smile. "I suppose I have to admit that your friends are as interesting as you... but only time will tell if the princess did the right thing or not by giving you six the elements of harmony..."

"I believe now I understand what their princess wanted to do by giving the Elements of Harmony to simple ponies." Zecora thought, pondering what she had concluded after seeing the beares. "With the Elements out of the forest, their bearers can spread the values ​​they represent much easier, perhaps throughout Equestria! But in contrast… the magic of chaos grows faster in the forest, and that, sooner or later, will awaken the beast… It is a risky bet that you decided to play, Princess of the Sun."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay here in town?" Twilight asked, knowing it was time to say goodbye to the zebra.

"I can't leave my home. Also, I have a mission to accomplish." Zecora replied, smiling. "But it won't be the last time we see each other, after all, thanks to you and your friends, now I can appear in town without the others running away from me."

"I'm glad to hear that." Twilight said with a friendly laugh. "Besides, I also think I'll come visit you a few times." Twilight added, putting on a more mischievous smile, to Zecora's surprise.

"Do you plan to visit me at my home? I thought you were terrified of going in there." Zecora said a little confused.

"Yes, but now I understand that not because something is different, it has to be bad." Twilight replied a little embarrassed by her previous attitude. "Also, I told the others that you were my potions teacher, and well... I wouldn't like to lie to them about that, hehe... There are many things that I would like you to teach me, things that I know I'll not learn elsewhere."

At Twilight's words, Zecora looked down thoughtfully, as if she still had doubts about something.

"Indeed, there are many things that I can teach you. But some of those teachings… don't follow Celestia's ways." Zecora said with a somewhat somber look.

"I get it..." Twilight replied slowly, understanding what Zecora was referring to, about learning knowledge that could be forbidden in Equestria, and then remembering her beloved teacher and her love for her, and contrasting it. "But still, I think you shouldn't be afraid of knowledge. Although my teacher said-" Twilight added.

"You should... Knowledge is not bad, but it can be used to do good, as well as to do evil." Zecora replied looking worriedly into the forest, inadvertently saying the same thing the princess had said to Dusk Shine many times. "There are very dark powers in this world, and that star on your side, it's destined to face all of them." Zecora added, pointing towards Twilight's cutie mark.

"Uh? What do you mean?" Twilight asked confused.

"Heh... I think one day you will understand... Maybe we'll talk about it in your first lesson." Zecora said smiling, accepting that from that day on she would have a disciple. "By the way, don't forget this."

Then Zecora took the last potion jar she had and handed it to Twilight.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Twilight Sparkle. But I think I'd rather have the young Dusk Shine as a student." Zecora said smiling.

"Me too." Twilight said also smiling. Finally drinking the potion knowing that all her friends had already done so.

"Well, now is the time to go." Zecora said, touching her hood to cover her head, but then realizing that was no longer necessary.

"I told you I'd show it to you... What friendship was." Twilight said with a confident smile, stretching one of her hooves to offer it to Zecora.

Looking at Twilight's hoof, only then did Zecora realize what the unicorn was referring to. All that afternoon, Zecora had believed that by telling her 'I'll show you what friendship is', Twilight had meant to show her the friendship she had with her friends. However, with that Twilight gesture, the unicorn was showing her the correct answer. Twilight never wanted to show her the friendship she had with her friends, but during the day, with everything she had lived through, she and Zecora had finally become friends.

"Heh... You really are interesting." Zecora laughed, stretching her hoof to greet Twilight's, and thus bid her new student and friend goodbye.

After saying goodbye, the night finally fell, and Twilight headed home. Once there, she took the blue flower that was next to her bed and hid it in a book, which in turn kept it as far away from her bed as possible, since the last thing she wanted was to wake up another morning with some other crazy change in her body. Then Twilight threw herself onto her bed and fell asleep immediately after the exhausted day she'd had.

---

"IT’S BACK!! MINI-DUSK IS BACK!" Dusk Shine screamed with joy, waking up and discovering that his masculinity, and all the attributes that it included, had returned to his body.

"What!?" Spike said confused, waking up startled at Dusk's scream. Then he saw his brother and stared at him for a few seconds. "Oh... I see..." Spike said slightly blushed, with a pouty face, realizing that it hadn't been so bad having a sister.

Suddenly a noise was heard in the main hall, where there seemed to be several voices. Fearing the worst, Dusk and Spike slowly made their way to the bedroom door to go downstairs.

"Perhaps it's the same as yesterday and the five colts are watching yesterday's erotic magazine!" Spike said scared.

"Of course not, the potion must have cured them... I hope so. Also, you got rid that vulgar magazine. Right?" Dusk said worried.

"Uh... yes, I... I got rid that dirty magazine..." Spike said blushing, hiding the fact that he hadn't wanted to throw away the magazine that the colts had brought the day before.

Going down a couple of steps on the ladder, Spike and Dusk timidly poked their heads to see who was in the library. At the moment, their hearts leapt with joy recognizing their dear five mare friends, who conversed calmly among themselves, as if nothing strange had happened in those two days.

"RARITY!" Spike cried tears of joy running down the stairs to jump and hug to his beloved muse.

"Spike! What happened? It looks like you haven't seen me in days." Rarity said smiling, surprised at the embrace of her dear Spikey-Wikey.

Seeing his dear friends laughing tenderly at Spike's strange attitude, Dusk also smiled fondly, blushing and feeling great relief at having his friends back.

"Now everything is back to normal... Or so I would like to say..." Dusk thought, looking away and grimacing as he settled on the wall.

On the outside, the girls and Dusk had returned to normal, but on the inside, Dusk knew that something had changed in him. During those three days, Dusk had experienced many different feelings and sensations regarding his friends, both in their feminine and masculine forms. Dusk already knew the strong friendship that he and his friends had, but then he had also known what it was to have a strong brotherhood between only colts. Then he had experienced what it was like for someone to feel mere physical attraction to his body, and had finally felt that he, in his feminine form, had also felt feelings towards the masculine forms of his friends. However, now Dusk realized that what he felt for his friends was still different from everything he had experienced.

"Affection..." Dusk whispered, drawing a purple dot in the air with his magic. Remembering how his friendship with his friends had begun, how everyone's joy and sympathy had fit together to form a group full of fellowship, the basis of their friendship.

"Passion..." Dusk whispered again, drawing another point. Thinking that the closer he got to his friends, the more beautiful and attractive they seemed to him, admitting that his desires towards the female body of his friends were on the rise.

"Past..." Dusk whispered, drawing a third dot in midair. Thinking that the more stories they had lived, the stronger that bond with his friends had become, so much so that now it was difficult for him to imagine his life without them.

Dusk again analyzed his relationships with his friends on those two days, added to how he had started his relationship with them when he arrived in Ponyville. At all those times, Dusk noted that he had felt one or two of those points he had mentioned, but never all three at the same time. Then Dusk again used his magic and joined the three points forming a triangle... only one of all the relationships he had experienced, he had felt those three sensations at the same time... It was at that precise moment, the new feeling that he finally recognized and that had been slowly growing in him as he shared more with his friends.

"Love..." Dusk whispered wistfully, putting a dot in the center of the triangle.

Finally, he had discovered it, the strange feeling that he hadn't been able to recognize, or perhaps, he hadn't wanted to recognize. A new feeling that went beyond friendship.

At that moment, Dusk thought he should be happy and relieved to finally acknowledge what he felt. Even happier still, since love supposedly generated enormous happiness in those who knew it. But that joy of knowing that he was in love was overshadowed by another feeling: concern.

"What do I do now...?" Dusk whispered with a fearful look, looking from the top of the stairs at his beautiful friends, at his FIVE dear friends, who, alike, had captured his heart.

End of chapter 44

Author's Note:

Thanks to 'Scribe of the Nightwings' for his help ;)

Comments

[FirewaspRambo]

Hey, your pic isn't showing.

[bigsnusnu]

10240976
hm? Do you mean the pictures of the chapter? they do appear. At least I see them without problem.

[FirewaspRambo]

10241000
Must be my internet then. Nevermind.

[Ponyninja88]

10240976
10241000
I am having the same problems.

[cornholio4]

Sorry to say the pics aren’t showing up here as well

[Greenhorn]

Pic not showing.

[DavisSentoV5]

While everyone is complaining about the pics "not showing" (I DO see them), may I say you captured Dusk's reaction of him becoming Twilight Sparkle perfectly! Speaking of reaction, seeing the boys fighting, flirting & bonding over Twilight was hilarious & pure gold!

Speaking of bonding as well, the way Twilight (Dusk) earn & won the trust & friendship of Zecora was a powerful moment between them, including the part of Zecora sneakily warning both the good & bad about Dusk's destiny, you truly builded a better character development for her than the show than did.... But most importantly....

"What do I do now...?" Dusk whispered with a fearful look, looking from the top of the stairs at his beautiful friends, at his FIVE dear friends, who, alike, had captured his heart.

Hallelujah, he's finally figured it out!!! Now the question is, who does his heart desired the most? That's the million dollar question!

[BrawnyBold]

Glad this arc came to a satisfying end. Can’t wait for more!

[Pensive]

Is it me or does the cover art make Twilight's face look like a weirdly shaped stallion?

[bigsnusnu]

10240976
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10241098
I don't know what the problem may be, I see it well. And I tried incognito mode, with another computer, with my phone, in chrome, firefox, internet explorer, and I have no problems with the images.
Anyway, I leave the link so you can see the images on another page
pic 1
pic 2
Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter :)

[cornholio4]

10241629
I see them now thanks, it might have been because earlier I was reading on a phone or maybe it was an error that has been fixed

[bigsnusnu]

10241207
I'm glad you liked my version of Zecora :)
And about Dusk, yeah, he already discovered his feelings, now it's time to face the most difficult part, facing them
thanks for comment

[bigsnusnu]

10241262
I'm glad you liked it :)
soon more chapters

[bigsnusnu]

10241297
hahaha maybe it's the custom haha, but no, it's definitely Twilight's face haha ​​maybe it's for the rare expression she makes, typical of Dusk haha
thanks for comment :)

[DavisSentoV5]

10241637
I know that, but he's officially realized the truth about his feelings, so things are gonna more interesting & awkward from here on out. Also, you're welcome for the comment & glorious job on the chapter, I hope you have a great & safe day.

[Garuda IV]

Well, now that Dusk understands not only how mares feel, but his own feelings as well, he's now faced with perhaps the most difficult thing he's ever had to do...

… tell/show them how he feels.

[Scribe of the Nightwings]

Well, I suppose that about wraps up the R63 shenanigans. (for now, at least)

This was a pretty great chapter overall. I especially enjoyed how you handled Zecora's character by establishing a stronger connection to her culture, and it was really smart how you were able to get her more settled in the community of Ponyville. I definitely look forward to when she pops up in the story again in the future.

So now Dusk finally realizes that he might be in love with the mares. That will most definitely lead to some hilariously awkward interactions with the mares. The only question is now is how his heart will be able to choose somepony...or someponies?

Very excited to see what comes next and thanks again for letting me help!

[bigsnusnu]

10241774
I'm glad you liked my version of Zecora, and yes, she'll definitely appear again sometime.
And about Dusk, of course, he already discovered what he felt, now we'll see how he face it :)
As always thank you very much for your help =D
I'm not even starting to write the next chapter yet, but I'll definitely let you know when I do ;)
regards

[bigsnusnu]

10241697
It'll definitely be difficult for him, and perhaps entertaining for us, haha
thanks for comment

[Ponyninja88]

10241629
Well i just got back on and it looks like they are working now.

[Mallory S Nocturne]

... I wonder how Dusk reacts when Discord brainwashes all the girls...

Just a passing thought as I saw the mini-comic.

Also, KISS KISS FALL IN LOVE!!! XP

[bigsnusnu]

10243486
Yes, it'll be curious to see what Discord does in this reality, and see if he is the same or his attitude is also different.
thanks for comment :)

[Angel cat Author]

10241207
"Now the question is, who does his heart desired the most?"
None. His heart distributes love to all 5 mares equally. Communist form of Love.

[howard035]

Those scenes between Zecora and the mane 6 were incredible! You've really managed to expand early episodes of the show while staying true to its themes.

[-Boshwa-]

Spent the last couple of days binge reading this fic. Probably the best Dusk Shine fic I've read!

And the fact that this has been going on since 2016? Can't wait to lose more hours of sleep reading the chapters!!

[bigsnusnu]

10246328
"Communist form of Love."
haha Maybe Dusk is a communist
haha thanks for comment :)

[bigsnusnu]

10246432
Thank you very much, I'm glad you liked the chapter
thanks for comment

[bigsnusnu]

10246797
I'm really glad that you took the time to read my story and that you liked it
more chapters coming soon
thanks for comment

[Kit Wolfkat]

I really like these Dusk Shine stories, more especially yours. And the drawings makes it even better!
You did an awesome job!
Keep up the great work!

[bigsnusnu]

10277812
thank you very much I'm really glad you like my story :)
more chapters coming soon
thanks for commenting

[Cloud Dreamer]

You absolute tease. Never have I wanted something so bad untill I received it. Now I need to find a story like these past few chapter. F you and keep up the great work

[Doctor_Den]

I really like your version of Zecora. It seemed to me that she is a much more tragic and severe character than in the original (I just like this type of character).
But I do not quite understand because of the language barrier, does she speak rhyme or not?
I saw some interpretations where instead of rhyme she constantly speaks in riddles and hints.
P.S. reading this chapter, for some reason I remembered a meme with a girl on the couch surrounded by 5 guys and the inscription "I saw a video that started exactly the same."

[bigsnusnu]

10284777
I'm sorry & I'm glad you like the story

[bigsnusnu]

10285766
I'm glad you liked my version of Zecora :)
here she doesn't talk in rhymes, she just says one rhyme, then she says: "In my village, shamans usually talk like this, but it's a habit that I abandoned when my mother died."
thanks for comment ;)

[New Rebellion]

Heh, that was...weird. But big-time kudos for the idea of poison joke being used like that!!

[bigsnusnu]

10454530
thanks as always, I based on episodes of the show, but with a personal touch so that new and unexpected things happen
thanks for comment

[Super Ponyman]

"WHERE IS MINI-DUSK!!" Dusk screamed in his mind, discovering that his greatest male trait was missing. Which was the straw that broke the camel's back, and the reality bomb finally exploded.

Noooooo!

"IT’S BACK!! MINI-DUSK IS BACK!" Dusk Shine screamed with joy, waking up and discovering that his masculinity, and all the attributes that it included, had returned to his body.

Hallelujah!

[bigsnusnu]

11269345
haha yes, Dusk had to shout exactly that when it returned 'his masculinity' haha

[f0st3r21]

"WHERE IS MINI-DUSK!!" Dusk screamed in his mind, discovering that his greatest male trait was missing.

Don’t say it like that! You’re selling yourself short, Dusk. Five mares won’t chase you for a mini.

Speaking of the Five, wow they are THIRSTY no matter what plumbing they have.
***
Dear Ms. Heartstrings,

Wunderbar! Keep’m comin’!

-Anonymous Fan
***
Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I learned that I can be pretty and some other things that I am not proud of and which are very confusing.

-Dusk Shine
***
Celestia: I need to spend more time with that telescope.