One day, Ren, Jack, Kaede, Spike, Carrie, Mason, Rantaro, Nicole, Skye and I were rushing to Zecora's hut. I opened the door, "Zecora!" I cried.
"Why everyone you're in quite a hurry." Spike was breathing hard and Zecora gave him some water, "Here drink this, calm down and tell me your worry." Spike drank and said to Zecora, "Everypony's sick in Ponyville."
"There's this weird sickness going around the whole town!" Ren exclaimed.
"Everyone has these friggin red spots, sneezing and too tired to get out bed." Jack added.
"We're the only ones in Ponyville who aren't sick." Spike added. "Do you know what it is?"
"There's many illnesses that it could be,
I'll just have come and see."
"What?" Kaede cried. "But what if you get the sickness Zecora!"
"Yeah, aren't zebras just like ponies?" Spike asked.
"To tell the truth I'm not quite sure,
But an once of prevention's worth a pound of cure." Zecora stated and she put on a leaf mask and her cloak,
"My cloack and mask shall provide protection,
and help reduce the chance of infection.
Just one more thing and my outfits' complete
I'll need to quickly send a tweet."
She tweeted and a red bird came. "A Bird? How is that going to keep you from getting sick?" Spike questioned.
"Oh she'll play her part,
And now we're ready to depart." Zecora added.
In the Forest
"So everypony has this disease,
And it's spreads with a simple sneeze?" Zecora asked.
"Yeah, it spread so fast like lightning." Ren added. "And we can't find anything useful in Twilight and Sarah's books."
"It's kinda scary." Carrie said, holding onto her brother.
"Don't worry, Carrie, we'll get everyone better." Mason reassured.
"I've sent a letter to the Princess but the Canterlot Diseases Crops won't be here for days!" Spike added. "In the meantime... well see for yourself." We led her into town and everypony had red spots, moving sluggish and were sneezing like crazy.
"My goodness, it's just like you said Spike,
I've never seen the like." Zecora said. Silver Spoon was near Zecora and she sneezed, the spit went towards Zecora but the red bird got in front of the spit and blocked it. "So that's what it does?" Jack asked. "That's cool and gross... I like it."
"Sarah?" I turned and saw Mom and Shimmer coming towards us, thankfully sickness free! "Mom, Shimmer!" I hugged the two. "Thank goodness you two didn't get this sickness." Kaede said.
"Yeah, but what's the cause of it?" Mom asked us.
"We don't know but we have Zecora and we're about to start helping everypony." Ren explained. Some ponies were wearing blankets and ice packs on their head while walking through Ponyville. "Damn, how are we gonna cure them? Where do we even start?" Jack said with worry.
"For our first step in fighting this diseases, I'll need some space. Step back please." Zecora opened her bag and out popped a large tent like those for diseases on Earth. "Woah... nice Zecora." Ren commented. We looked inside and saw lots of potions and medicines as well as a large cauldron with a spoon in it "It's like a mini hospital." Kaede added.
"Yeah." Rantaro added.
"These sick ponies still need to eat,
We need to feed them before their illness we treat." Zecora rhymed.
Everyone nodded, "I'll make some broth."
"Sounds good! A simple meal will help these ponies deal." Zecora added. They all helped Sarah make her broth in the large cauldron and then we placed it on a cart to take it around Ponyville, feeding it to all the sick ponies. And Spike took down some clues from the ponies who were sick, trying to find a cause for the sickness in the first place.
"The Apples got sick too." Spike said. "If they don't get better soon the entire crop will got back before harvest can begin." Spike said.
"This fever struck the Apples down? But how? They live so far out." Zecora asked.
"I don't know maybe they caught it from somepony else." Spike suggested.
"But when we visited them earlier they were all sneezing and coughing like crazy." Ren stated.
"It's good you all didn't catch this disease, you all can go back and forth as you please." Zeocra rhymed.
"You know I always thought of myself of myself as a pony and not a dragon. Spike said. "But last motnh when I got the Sapphire Flu, I was so worried that I might give it to Twilight and I was so relieved when she said that I wouldn't. She said 'Ponies and Dragons are different.' I guess I'm lucky. I'm a pony who doesn't get sick like a pony."
Spike opened the door to the Apple house, "Aj, It's Spike and the others, we got Zecora!" Spike called. Applejack opened the top half of the door. "Howdy thpike, everypony-sniff- C'mon y'all." We entered the house and found everypony in the same condition as Applejack. "The whole Apple Family's a bit of a bug just like the reth of Ponyville." Applejack said. "Sorry we won't be much help to ya'll."
"Calm yourself, Applejack dear. That is why Spike, Sarah and all of us are here." Zecora reassured.
"Yeah, we'll get you all better." Ren added.
"Hell yeah." Jack added.
"Thank you kindly." Applejack said. We gave the broth to the Apple family and were soon on our way back to Ponyville. "Maybe Applejack's right. Maybe it is luck that we didn't catch it." Spike wondered.
"Something that Applejack said gives me pause. It's true we're not sick, but luck is not the cause." Zecora said.
"What do you mean?" Jack asked.
"Well you all are humans and a dragon, so pony ills hold no fear,
But I make my home in the forest far from here
So it's not luck that kept me safe and sound
It's just that there's no pony else around."
"Gee.. that sounds so lonely." Ren said.
"Yeah." Mason added.
"Oh please, do not mistake. I don't feel alone!
My friends have made Ponyville my home
The Line between Pony and Zebra has been blurred,
And Ponyville has made me a part of the herd,
But even though friends and acceptence I find,
I'm still only one of my kind.
No matter how much I love this place,
I'm still the only Zebra face." Zecora stated.
"I know what that's like." Spike said. "I've met other dragons before and well.. we haven't gotten along that well but it was nice not being the only dragon for once. Oh, um- being the only dragons' kind of rough because you're all alone.. and stuff." We all chuckled at his attempt to speak like Zecora. "Nice try, says I."
Then we went to Fluttershy's cottage. "Spike, everyone is that you?" Fluttershy croaked. Angel Bunny shook his head and did the 'Zip the Lip' movements. "Oh sorry Angel, I shouldn't be speaking or I'll hurt my throat."
"Don't worry about your owner, sweet bunny,
Sarah will serve her up some tea and honey." Zecora said.
Angel nodded and Sarah gave Fluttershy some tea and honey. "Thanks Sarah."
"This medicine will help you breathe easy and if you feel queasy." Sarah said.
"Nice rhyme." Ren stated. Fluttershy then gave a small sneeze... onto Zecora!
"GAH! Zecora, you've been exposed! Emergency eye wash!" Spike cried before splashing water on Zecora's face. "Where'd you get the water from?" Mason asked and then Spike literally picked her up and ran back to the tent in Ponyville. "Oh he can pick up a Zebra but not a pony?" Jack deadpanned.
I rolled my eyes and teleported all of us to the tent. "How is she?" I asked.
"She's perfectly fine!" Spike exclaimed confused.
"Really?" Mason asked. "So that means the disease is not spreading like the flu.
"That's good right?" Carrie asked.
"Have faith. I am glad that I am not sick it's not that I don't care,
But if I were then that would be...
Something ponies and zebras share."
"Oh so if you have gotten sick that would mean that you have something in common with ponies." Spike realized. Zecora nodded.
"Of course, if I were sick, I'd be unable to work,
So let's do it! And our duties not shrik." Zecora said.
"Yeah." We all said and we went over all the clues that we've gathered from the ponies that were sick, including our friends for the next few hours but we couldn't come up with a cause. "Phew I'm exhausted." Spike yawned.
"We've been working for hours on this ill,
And yet we're not close to the cures still." Zecora said.
"Is it similar to any zebra diseases?" Ren asked.
"No I'm afraid it is unfamiliar,
And also quite peculiar.
Thought I haven't been around zebras in ages. Who knows?
Perhaps their diseases books have some new pages." Zecora said, eating some of her hay.
"That's right you've traveled all over Equestria." Spike said. "But you've never seen anything like this?"
"I've studied plagues, poxes, agues diseases, and ills and all kinds of cures,
Too- potions, powders and pills
But this aliment I had yet to meet
So far we can't cure-only treat." Zecora explained.
"Well, I'm glad you're here, Zecora." Mason said.
"I'm glad too. It makes me-AH-CHOO!" Zecora sneezed. Oh no!
"Zecora? Are you alright?" Spike asked. I felt Zecora's head, "She's getting warmer."
"Well I know I'm feeling a bit purple,
As if there's something in my... rhythm." Zecora said.
"Wait.. you didn't rhyme!" Carrie cried.
"Zecora! You're sick!" Spike exclaimed.
"Jack, place her in the beanbag chair." I said. Jack nodded and lifted Zeocra before placing her gently on the bed and Mason placing a blanket over her. "Great. Now friggin what?" Jack asked.
"Zecora was the only one who could cure this." Kaede said.
"But this doesn't make sense. Flutters sneezed on her hours ago, why didn't she get sick then?" Ren asked.
"Unless that's not what got her sick? What if this whole thing isn't a disease at all?" Spike suggested.
"You mean everypony might have been exposed to something?" Mason asked. Spike nodded, "But why haven't I gotten sick. Ponies, Humans and Dragons are different."
"We're been with Zecora all day. " Spike went on. "We walked around town with her, saw the sick ponies with her, got sneezed on her but at dinner-"
"We didn't eat the same thing!" Everyone realized.
"It must be something in the hay she ate." Ren added. I took a small piece of hay and placed it under the microscope. "The hay has some fungus on it." I informed. Spike looked up and book and gasped. "I've got it!" He showed us the book that said Equestria Infectoria, a type of fungus that causes sneezing, blemishes, delirium, sore throat, exhaustion and yellow tongue."
"So that's what caused everything." Kaede said. "It was the hay!"
"Now what?" Jamie asked.
"We have to tell the poison control ponies when they get here." Sapphire said. And that's what we did. We told the Canterlot Disease Control about the fungus on the hay and they said it was easily treated and soon everyone was cured, even Zecora.
Then we found her about to enter the Everfree Forest, "Zecora!" Spike called. Zecora turned around, "You're leaving already?"
"We've fund the cure and the doctors to treat,
So I'm heading back home now that my job is complete." Zecora said.
"Well, thanks for helping us." Carrie said.
"Yeah, it's nice to know that I'm not the only one who feels lonely sometimes." Spike added.
"Indeed, I'm glad we had this chance,
To discuss how we are all transplants,
But Spike, not matter how you feel,
Please remember that your friends are quite real." Zeocra said.
"You bet." I stated.
"Hell yeah." Spike added.
Sapphire and Shimmer smiled.
"And even if you sometimes feel alone,
Remember that this place can still be called home." Zeocra finished.
"Thanks Zeocra." Spike said.
"If you ever need to take from being in Ponyville all day,
Drop by my place,
We'll have some tea,
I'm a short walk away." Zeocra offered.
"Okay Zecora." I said. "And drop by the castle the next time your in town."
"I shall,
My pal." Zeocra said with a smile. And we all went our separate ways and Spike tried to rhyme again,
"Come by the library,
It's the place to be...
Uh..
We've got books,
Something, something,
and you'll get to see me." Spike said. We all chuckled at his attempt to sound like Zecora as we walked back to Ponyville. Our home.