At last Spike came to the edge of Ponyville, near the forest he was so anxious about, but much more importantly, he was near the cottage where hopefully, two of his pony friends resided. Upon coming within sight of the place, Spike noticed the ensemble of animals this pony friend kept, and for a moment he wondered if the spell Twilight had cast on him was having any effect on them, for they all appeared to sitting silent, simply eying the dragon with faint suspicion that he imagined wouldn't be there if he wasn't under the spell's influence.
Stepping up to the door, and giving a sharp knock, Spike was slightly alarmed when it flew open much more swiftly then he was used to. And the pony that had opened it was not the pony he wanted to see, but rather the pony that resided there: Fluttershy. But then Spike had to remind himself that it was most likely that the pony resident would open the door, yet inside he had a nagging little feeling that the pony he sought had already gone and left.
"Spike!" Fluttershy exclaimed in joy. "Spike, welcome! What's brings you here?"
"Hey Fluttershy." Spike said, slightly surprised by her forthcoming attitude but considering his interactions today, he was slowly getting used to it.
She allowed him entrance into her cottage without waiting for a reply. Spike then had another thought concerning the spell, and whether it had some kind of range.
"Please, Spike, do tell me what brings you here, it obviously can't be because of little old me." She announced.
"Well no." Spike admitted.
"Of course, of course." Fluttershy assured herself. "Not that I don't mind, you see. It's not like I'm the most popular pony in town, hey I don't really live in town y'know."
"Yeah." Spike replied trying to appear as formal as possible. "I don't suppose you've seen..." He was about to ask.
"Wait a minute, I think I know what this is about." She discerned. "You are obviously after my most recent visitor yes."
"Yes. Have you seen her?" Spike asked eagerly.
"Well of course I've seen her, silly, how else would I have been able to deduct that you are clearly interested in seeing her today." The pony informed him. "But don't you want to know what we had to talk about first, before I divulge her fate."
"Fine, whatever." Spike groaned, while finding the term "fate" a little strange.
"Well now." Fluttershy began. "I'm afraid to say that we had quite the, how you say, argument, regrettably. You see, she came round here not two hours ago, on some kind of quest for a particular gemstone of a kind, and for some reason had this nagging feeling that the Everfree Forest would hold something to suit her liking."
"Uh-huh." Spike uttered, taking it all in. "Go on."
"Well, needless to say, she came to me hoping that I would have some kind of guide or indication as to the location of such a stone." Fluttershy informed him, still in that formal tone that was very unlike her. "But, sad to say, we got into quite the argument regarding our own preferences. I was of the impression that she would be partial to listening to my advice, considering my experiences with the forest, and we did collide regarding our opinions. You understand?"
"Umm, I think so." Spike replied.
"Needless to say, we had quite the conflict, she said some rather brash things, and I did some rather nasty things. In fact, if she wasn't dead, it'd be very hard to mend our relationship."
"Yes." Spike replied, before properly digesting what she had said. "Umm, what?"
"Yes." Fluttershy said. "It would be very hard to repair out relationship."
"No, no no. What was the part before that?" Spike pleaded in panic.
"Oh, you mean the fact that she's dead." The pony said in a very formal manner. "Yes, it's quite regrettably, but the deed's been done, I'm afraid."
"What… how… why?" The little dragon was now spurting in sheer terror.
"Yes, one minute she's angrily arguing and yelling her mouth off. And the next she's lying on the floor looking pretty unresponsive, I really don't know why this is so hard on you." Fluttershy explained, still ignorant of what she was saying.
"But, how did she die?" Spike managed to get out in his state.
"I don't see how that's relevant." She replied. "But on another note, in order to bury her, I've had to remove the chicken coup in order to make room."
"Oh that's… that's… horrible." Spike uttered, not wanting to hear any more.
"Yes it is horrible. Or at least it would be… if it were true." Fluttershy chuckled to herself.
"What?" Spike responded, a different feeling about him now.
Fluttershy gave another chuckle, which turned into a contained laugh.
"Heh heh, oh I'm sorry, Spike. I've been joking with you." She confessed, bringing some feeling back into the terrified little dragon.
"You've been… joking?" He cried out.
"Yes yes, I do apologise for my… macabre sense of humour, I really don't know what came over me." She explained, chuckling again.
"Oh, that's…" Spike began but the relief was too much for him.
"I didn't have to remove the chicken coup to bury her." Fluttershy added.
"What!" Spike shouted.
She simply laughed again, enjoying the effect she was having a little too much.
"Just another little joke there, little Spike." She explained, Spike feeling relieved all over again. "But if you really are concerned with her whereabouts, you needn't worry. She simply took a little trip into the Everfree Forest to our certain zebra friend."
"Thanks." Spike said in a little of an understatement.
"Anyway, you'd better be of then." Fluttershy announced to the dragon. "If you still want to find her, don't let me impede you."
Spike agreed, he felt a longing to get out now, lest Fluttershy rely any more of her little jokes on him. Taking his leave, Spike noticed as he left that that she was still chuckling to herself, not a very reassuring sight, but now he had a new destination to head to, hoping that the pony he sought was there for sure this time.
Even before he was told to go there, Spike had a strange foreboding sense that he would eventually have to delve into the Everfree Forest, and he was understandable nervous, especially considering the way Fluttershy had her little joke with him. Still, it was not of him to back down to a challenge when there was sufficient reward waiting for him at the end, and this included both delicious gemstones and a chance to speak with the pony of his dreams. And Spike couldn't quite place the fact that he knew exactly what kind of zebra he had been directed to even though he never recalled any previous meetings with her, perhaps a result of the spell making him more then familiar with all Ponyville residents' names.
His trail of thought was brought to an abrupt end yet again, something he was gradually getting used to, when a tree off the pathway he was walking suddenly came crashing down, narrowly missing the little dragon, who was understandably taken aback. As he was recovering from his shock, he noticed a small shape hop onto the tree, and it was face he recognised. It was the little filly sister of one of his earth pony friends; only she looked like she was missing a key component of her.
"Dang it, dang it, dang it, dang it, dang it! Where is it?" She shouted a little more then Spike was comfortable, considering their surroundings.
"Hey Apple Bloom." Spike attempted to calm her down.
"Don't you dang Apple Bloom me, yah little dang dragon, I have lost my dang precious bow." She snapped irritably, rushing past Spike to continue her search.
That must have been what Spike felt was off about her, he couldn't recall any instances where she wasn't wearing that big red bow. His thoughts were interrupted when she buck kicked another tree, sending it crashing to the ground in one fell swoop, stunning Spike, who had never seen a filly exhibit so much strength before.
"Dang it, why isn't it here, how could I leave that dang thing behind like that." She said bitterly.
Now Spike was overcome with another strange feeling, he couldn't be sure, but there was something in him that could tell where her missing bow was, his head turning to the left direction, as if there was something calling to him from beyond. Heedless of the worrisome filly, Spike turned to investigate the feeling that was coaxing him there, and found another tree, and from its base he could tell that there was something trapped there, some kind of accessory buried in the soil.
"Hey Apple Bloom!" He called to her, her attention turning to him for the faintest moment. "Why don't you try under this tree."
The distraught little filly came over.
"Well I don't see why dang not, but if this is some dang joke, you're gonna be so dang sorry." She added cautiously before laying her assault upon the tree, causing it to crash to the ground.
Underneath all the soil and roots it had left behind, sure enough was the dirty tattered little red bow Apple Bloom sought, and upon the sight of it, she immediately burst into joy, bouncing up and down in the air. Spike simply stood proud of his discovery abilities, until he noticed something else buried with the bow. It was a small diamond, shining bright and powerful despite it's earthly surroundings, and Spike was overcome with an immense impression about him. Maybe it was that that he was drawn to uncover instead of the bow.
"You ain't such a bad little dang dragon after." Apple Bloom remarked, before retrieving her bow, brushing it off and fixing it on the back of her little head. "What's this dang thing?" She suddenly had noticed the diamond, but didn't seem half as impressed as Spike was.
"It's a diamond." He informed her, deciding to pick it up thinking it looked lonely and out of place buried there.
"Dang diamonds, what's the dang use for them?" Apple Bloom remarked disappointingly, heedless of Spike's fascination with the little stone.
Spike didn't have an answer for her, as he simply held it with quite awe.
"Well, your dang self better get on then." Apple Bloom informed him with a hint of wisdom to her voice despite it's juvenile sound.
"Umm yeah thanks." Spike simply uttered in response.
Before he could properly ask the little filly a coherent question about her presence there, she had already taken off for the forest exit, muttering something about "dang poison joke."
It was then that Spike remembered that he had seen her before in a group of three other fillies, one of which he noted was Sweetie Belle, and was overcome with puzzlement.
When Spike knocked on the door of Zecora's hut, he sincerely hoped that this would signal fruition in his quest, but despite such a positive feeling, there were still nagging feelings that suggested that the pony he sought had already left. Knocking on the door quite boldly considering his surroundings, the little dragon felt that the spell he was under the influence of would no doubt protect him from appearing immodest or intrusive, though he suddenly remembered that Zecora was no pony, but and zebra, and he wondered if that would have any bearings on their conversation. He received no reply from within, but inside the door simply swung open, and Spike practically waltzed in, not waiting to see if it was the right thing to do.
Inside he got a good sense of the type of zebra that Zecora was, he barely had memories of the last time he was here, but he was in a very different state at the time and had no fond memories of the time. He was pulled from thought when he noticed the zebra in question learning over a large cauldron in the middle of the room, not paying him any attention until he was closer, and then she turned around at an alarming rate, frightening him and making him wonder if the spell had no effect on zebras.
But when she opened her mouth, that thought was quickly dashed.
"Lo little dragon, have you think of me, as a novice in the art of alchemy?" She posed to Spike, ignoring any formalities that usually come with a stranger appearing uninvited in her home.
"Alche-what?" He asked her in return.
"Absolutely not in alchemy!" She exclaimed to herself. "I am a master in the art, see?"
"Yeah you sure are." Spike reasoned, going along with whatever she was going on about.
"Just gaze upon this concoction." She gestured for him to look upon what was brewing in the cauldron. "I shall name it an agent of… reduction."
"Is that a proper rhyme?" Spike pointed out.
Just then, the creation brewing in the cauldron emitted a bubble, which promptly burst in front of the two filling Spike with a strange unpleasant intoxicating sensation that quickly dispersed.
Zecora dipped her head just above the mixture and took a quick taste. That was enough to make he stumble about on the spot before she turned to Spike, looking suddenly grief-stricken.
"I am relic, little dragon. I got a wonky tongue. I am a bloody foreigner." She recited in a tone that definitely did not suit her. "They got more howitzers in the great emerald empire then they got the likes of me."
Spike made a noted to stay away from whatever Zecora had brewed, for it didn't seem all too appetizing, but he the remembered his business here, and made an attempt to get information out of the zebra.
"Say do you anything about this?" He asked her showing her the diamond he had found.
"Great Scott!" Zecora shouted, snapped out of her stupor. "This could very well be the same stone she sought."
Spike made a guess as to who "she" was and pressed on.
"Do you know where she is?" He asked eagerly.
"Aye that I do." Zecora responded. "What do you take me for, some kind of… fool."
"Right."
"She was right here, just a few moments ago." The zebra explained. "Looking for a way to make it so."
"Make what so?" Spike asked.
"Something to do with gemstones, perhaps seeking something she could loan." Zecora went on. "I was just about to suggest an escort, when all of a sudden she did… teleport!" She finished in a hushed tone.
"Teleport?" Spike repeated starting to worry.
"Yes, disappear into thin air she did, completely wiped off the grid." She went on.
"Well, do you know where she could have gone to?" The worried dragon asked.
"To whence she departed I have no clue. Perhaps the deed was done… by a friend of you." She posed.
"What, you mean Twilight?" Spike said.
"Could be, could be, it wouldn't be the first time, see." Zecora replied.
"Oh, well thanks for the heads up I guess." Spike reasoned.
"Now be off with you, least the same thing happen… to you." The zebra exclaimed, and Spike decided that his business there was concluded, so bidding her a farewell he made his exit, hoping the end of his little quest was in sight.
As he as he had closed the door behind him, Zecora turned back to the mixture in the cauldron. Without further prompting, she took a gracious mouthful of it. As soon as she raised her head, the surroundings of her hut darkened and a strong mist erupted from the cauldron.
"So! Have at you, you bloody little dandies!" She yelled at the mist, apparitions forming in front of her, of great wars and alicorns.
"So superior, so arrogant, prancing about with your speech full of coherency. Come and get me, I say, I am waiting, yah blighters!" She went on in her trance. " I'm a grin bloody parable with the unhappiest of endings!"
As soon as she was done, the apparitions erupted all around, and the room lightened up again, the cauldron returning to normal.
"Ha ha ha ha!" Zecora laughed at her concoction. "Look's like they'll be stiching you back together… IN TARTARUS!"