Author's note: this chapter picks up after the events of "Outland" which runs in parallel to the events of "A Herd of my Own." You don't have to have read Outland to understand all the nuances of this chapter, but it won't hurt, either!
Zecora watched the slow movement of Shad's barrel as he breathed. Alarmingly fast and shallow at the height of his fever, it had slowed as the medicines administered by the doctors took effect. Poisoned by infectious claws of a basilisk, the colt would not likely have survived without the ice bath in which he spent the first hours of his stay at Ponyville General Hospital.
Zecora considered her luck since moving to Equestria. She had never counted herself a very social equine, and the suspicion she’d met when she’d first visited Ponyville had only firmed her resolve to avoid entanglements. But if she hadn’t responded to Twilight’s offer of friendship, and in particular agreed to teach Applebloom alchemy, nopony would have noticed or cared about her disappearance. Under the mere suspicion that she might be in need of aid, not only these good friends but many others she barely knew in Ponyville had volunteered to risk life and limb in order search the dangerous Everfree! She had no doubt that Shad would have died in that cave if all those ponies hadn’t come. The mere thought made her heart ache!
Zecora moved her chair closer to the hospital bed in which Shad lay. He looked so heartbreakingly tiny on the adult sized mattress. She clutched his forehoof in her own bandaged one. The movement drew her eyes to the mirror over the room's sink on the other side of the bed. Her reflection showed more white gauze than striped fur. Her head, withers, right foreleg, barrel, and flank all sported expertly applied dressings. Unable to recall half of the wounds they covered, she tisked seeing the image.
Your eyes have finally healed, but what a sight they have revealed! Not a friendly zebra mare, but an equine zombie scare!
“Zecora...”
Her heart skipped a beat at the whispered call. Shad's small limbs struggled feebly to move closer. The whites of his eyes showed fear as his gaze whipped back and forth over the unfamiliar room and its contents, all of which was no doubt very alien and distressing to the youngster. She rose on her hind legs to enable her to embrace him in her forelegs. His struggles only ceased when he finally lay snug against her body.
“Hush, Shad,” she cooed. “I’m here, and I will remain for as long as you need me.” She lay a foreleg over the foal’s trembling body. “Namshukuru Muumba...” she crooned into his ear. Shad’s small limbs relaxed as she sang.
“Is that a Zebra spell you’re casting over the foal?” a voice spoke from the doorway.
Zecora looked up. A light green unicorn stallion with a pale mane stood there. She smiled in his direction. “This is but a lullaby, sung by mothers in my land. It seems to sooth our young friend Shad, even though he cannot understand.”
“I’m sure that’s very comforting to the lad, but you yourself appear to be undergoing medical treatment.” The voice kept a neutral tone as stallion entered, followed close behind by a tan coated mare sporting a wide brown braid and a cutie mark in the shape of a baby bottle. Zecora recalled seeing her with her son on market days.
“I am indeed a patient, as is this young foal here. Forgive me that I do not rise but help him feel secure”.
The stallion looked annoyed. “Well, actually that’s why I’ve come. Your assistance with this young orphaned pony is no longer needed.” The eyes of the mare behind him grew wide.
Zecora took a good look at the stallion. The starched collar and tie positively reeked of Equestrian bureaucracy. “Young Shad is indeed an orphan, and he’s already in my care, the fact of which I hope my have words have made you now aware.”
The stallion’s eyes closed to mere slits. “Be that as it may, you however, are not a pony, as this foal most certainly is. He is being placed with Mrs. Mash, a mare of his own kind.” He took a step forward. “Now move away from the bed, or I’ll call security and have you forcibly ejected.”
Zecora’s eyes narrowed and she flapped an ear. “On the contrary, it is you who must leave this room. My patience is now running thin, so you had better make it soon!”
The stallion took another step towards the bed. When he put a hoof on her shoulder she raised her head and called out calmly, but loudly. “Code White! Code White! Stat!!”
The stallion looked confused for a moment. Then, gritting his teeth, he began trying to pull Zecora away from the bed. He obviously had not considered that Zebras might be as muscular as earth ponies. He grunted as he pulled ineffectively at her.
Two orderlies in white hospital smocks galloped into the room and stopped just short of the scene at the foal’s bed.
The stallion leered at them in triumph. “Ah, good, it’s hospital security!” He took a step back and gestured to Zecora. “Take this aggressive Zebra away from this poor young pony!”
The orderlies looked at each other. Then one shoved an iron damping ring over the stallion’s horn while the other picked him up in his horn field and briskly levitated him out of the room.
The remaining orderly nodded to Zecora, then trotted out after his partner and his charge, leaving the mare standing embarrassedly next to the door.
Twilight popped into existence near the high ceiling of the hospital ward in proximity to Shad’s room. The hospital corridors had been designed to allow room for Pegasi emergency response technicians to quickly get to any point in the hospital with minimum delay. They were also kept clear of non-emergency traffic, so Twilight had decided to risk the teleport.
Her hovering skills, on the other wing, were not the best. She almost landed on top of the two orderlies struggling with a light-green stallion. The latter was squirming in a straight jacket and horn restraint ring.
“This is an outrage!” he shouted. “I...” A red ball flew through the air and lodged itself in his mouth, effectively silencing him.
“Sorry,” said the unicorn orderly. “I forgot to gag him earlier.”
Twilight glared at Pince Nez. “What is it, this time?” she intoned severely. Her horn glowed and the gag flew out of Pince Nez’s mouth.
“These goons attacked me! That’s what!” he snarled. “I came here to place this orphaned pony under proper pony care, and when that zebra resisted, instead of restraining her they physically assaulted me!” The magic restraint ring flew from his horn.
“You came in here and tried to force Zecora away from Shad’s bed,” said Twilight, deadpan.
“Exactly. And instead of helping me, these two ruffians, who are now former employees of this hospital I assure you, deliberately pounce on me and commit indignities on my person! What kind of hospital is this?” As he spoke the buckles on the straight jacket flew open and he extracted himself from the garment.
Twilight rolled her eyes. She glanced at the orderlies. “Code White?” she said laconically.
They nodded. “He grabbed Practitioner Zecora and tried to pull her away from her patient.”
Twilight’s smile had more predation than friendship in it. She looked Pince Nez in the eye. “You do realize that in touching Zecora you were materially interfering with the medical staff of this hospital?”
Pince Nez’s expression grew confused. “What do you mean. She’s just some zebra patient here. She shouldn’t even be in this room!”
Twilight glared. “Zecora is a consulting Alchemist for this hospital, and as such is a member of its staff. She is a medical practitioner who was entirely in her rights, and in fact following procedure, by calling a code white when you entered here. You have no authority over the medical practitioners of this facility and you had better think twice before trying to interfere with them again!”
Pince Nez pursed his lips and a document floated out of an inner pocket. “I may have overstepped my bounds in coming into the hospital room. Nevertheless, I have a declaration from the Canterlot Office of Social Services that this foal is to be placed into the care of a suitable pony immediately!”
“Shad is already in Zecora’s care, and that’s the way it will be until I say different!” growled Twilight.
Pince Nez smiled crookedly. “But just like me in this hospital, you do not have jurisdiction on a foal found in the Everfree, which is not part of your kingdom, your Majesty! See!”
A paper unfurled itself in front of Twilight’s face. She read it quickly.
Pince Nez leered. “The foal named Shad is to be fostered by a suitable pony. Not a zebra. The declaration is clear. When he leaves this hospital, Shad will be placed with Mrs. Mash!”
“Ahem.” Twilight cleared her throat. “I have nothing against Mrs. Mash, but tell me, Pince Nez, how was it that she, a resident of this kingdom, was chosen to foster a foreign foal?”
“I recently assisted the Prime Minister in signing joint services agreement between various departments of our and the Equestrian governments, including Social Services. I received the declaration asking me to appoint a suitable pony. Mrs. Mash was on the list of authorized foster parents from when this kingdom was merely a municipality.”
“This list is at City Hall?”
Pince Nez sniffed. “If you mean the Royal Administrative Center, then, yes, indeed.”
Twilight’s horn glowed. She spoke through thin lips. “Then, I assure you, if you consult the list now you will see Zecora’s name has been added.” She floated the scroll back in front of Pince Nez. A pen floated over from the pocket of the unicorn orderly. “You can either write Zecora’s name into the declaration now, or I can have the order sent down from Princess Celestia herself! Which do you prefer?”
Pince Nez ground his teeth quite audibly. Finally, his horn field grabbed the pen and he scratched out Mrs. E. Mash and wrote in Miss Zecora. He glared at Twilight as he hoofed over the paper.
“You know, there are consequences to the crown running rough-shod over the ponies who work tirelessly in on its behalf! Good day, your highness.” In a huff, he pivoted and trotted stiffly down the corridor.
When he out of sight, Twilight made her way towards Shad’s room.
“Zecora! I’m so sorry!” said Mrs. Mash, ears low. “I had no idea this is what Pince Nez had in mind when he asked me to foster a foal. I mean, everypony in town has heard about the colt you found in the Everfree! I should have connected the dots.”
Zecora chuckled. “My dear Mrs. Mash, you should not worry! But who exactly is this Pince Nez pony?”
Mrs. Mash blushed. “He’s the pony Canterlot sent to help Mayor Mare – I mean Prime Minister Mare – help set up the administration for the Friendship Rainbow Kingdom. He’s kind of uptight if you hadn’t noticed.” She came closer, raised a hoof to her mouth and whispered. “Pretty much everypony in Ponyville thinks he’s a real pain in the flank!”
Zecora snorted. “What does the princess have to say about him?”
The mare shrugged. “Not much so far that I’ve heard of. But she’s been busy with your disappearance.”
“Zecora!” a new female voice called out. “Are you okay?”
They both turned to see Princess Twilight Sparkle Sparkle enter the room in a rush. Eyes wide at first, she calmed down as she saw that everypony in the room seemed quite happy to see her, except the tan mare, who gulped and then bowed low.
“I came as soon as I heard there had been a commotion at the hospital.”
Twilight stared at his departing from, her brow deeply furrowed. “Well,” she declared resignedly. “I haven’t been very successful in turning that stallion into a friend!”
She moved closer to Shad’s bed and draped a hoof over the Zecora’s withers. “I’m so sorry, Zecora. This isn’t the welcome I’d hoped you’d receive coming back home after such a harrowing experience.”
Twilight’s ears drooped low. “I came as soon as Mayor... I mean Prime Minister Mare told me she’d seen Pince Nez heading off to the hospital with Mrs. Mash and that edict in hoof.” She shifted her gaze from the zebra to the tan mare, and smiling said: “No offense, Mrs. Mash!”
“None was taken, your highness!” she replied, looking relieved.
“Please, just call me Twilight! I’ve been meaning to invite you over for coffee. Spike says such nice things about you and your son! He’s over at your house all the time to play console games. I do hope he isn’t a bother?”
“Oh, not at all. He’s so polite! A real gentlecolt, er, gentledrake, I mean! And an awesome cook, too! He’s a real credit to how you’ve been raising him. Oh, and you can call me Elaina, Twilight.”
Twilight’s eyes grew big at the sudden compliment. Impulsively, she approached and nuzzled the mare.
“It’s very kind of you to say that, Elaina! Your Button, by the way, is cute as a button!” She smiled sheepishly. “And I’ve yet to beat him in any game we’ve played, the rascal, Elaina. You know, that’s a pretty and rather unusual name. I’d love to hear the story behind it! How about you and Button come by the castle tomorrow at three? I’m sure Spike would love a visit.”
Mrs. Mash’s eyes were almost as wide as her smile. “I’d be honored, Twilight!” She looked up at the clock hanging above the bed. “Omigosh! I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow!” She bowed and trotted out the door.
Zecora watched her go. Her expression grew serious. “You are always there when we need you, for which I am grateful! But the future of young Shad is what has me most fearful, for strange as I seem to some ponies in Ponyville, these ponies are to this young foal far stranger still.”
Twilight sighed. “Omigosh! He’s a near feral foal! I hadn’t considered all the implications yet!” She came to the side of the bed. “He seems so fragile,” she observed, “sleeping like a little angel.”
Zecora sighed. “This littlest of ponies fought and outwitted a basilisk full grown. But I worry for him when wakes up so far from home.”
Together, they just looked on with concern as the little foal trembled and moaned in his fevered sleep.