//------------------------------// // Bridal Gossip // Story: My Little Pony: Friendships and Magic [Season 1] // by Alpha Wolf 4500 //------------------------------// It was a partially cloudy, but still mostly Sunny day in Equestria. Bandit and Twilight were admiring the sunshine as they were headed to lunch. “Wow. What a gorgeous day.” Twilight said. “Rainbow Dash must have gotten up early for once and cleared all the could away.” Chad guessed. He and Spike were both on Bandit's back as they walked. “I bet all of Ponyville is gonna be out enjoying the sunshine.” Twilight said.  "Uh...where is everyone exactly?" Chad asked as he looked around. Bandit looked around and saw one mare closing the windows to her building before seeing a mare yank her foal back inside.  “Is it some sort of pony holiday?” Spike asked. "Ooh, tumbleweed." Chad said as he followed the bouncing tumbleweed. "Wait. Why do tumbleweeds start bouncing around the town whenever no one's around? And who the heck is letting these tumbleweeds shrivel up and die just to let them start bouncing around?" "Wait….those are dead tumbleweeds?" Spike asked. "Yeah. Wait, you don't know what a live tumbleweed looks like?" Chad asked. Spike shook his head. Chad pulled a piece of paper, drew it as photo realistic as possible and showed it to Spike. "You think anything spooked them into hiding?" Twilight asked Bandit. "I'm not too sure. For all I know, it could be zombies." Bandit joked a little. Accidentally spooking Spike. "Zombies!?" He exclaimed.  "I'm kidding Spike. The chances of there being zombies is highly unlikely." Bandit said, which gave Chad ample opportunity to scare Spike. "The chances are low, but they are never 0." Chad said to Spike in a sinister voice. Spike shoved him back. "St-stop that." He stuttered as Chad chuckled a little. Then they all heard Pinkie's voice. "Psst." Her voice said. Twilight and Spike looked around for her, as Bandit and Chad looked right at the door of Sugar Cube corner.  "Bandit! Twilight! Spike! Chad!" Pinkie whisper yelled from the door's top half opening. "Come here! Hurry! Before she gets you!” Pinkie whispered. Bandit placed Chad and Spike on Twilight's back as he turned around to watch their backs as Twilight jumped inside. Bandit waited a few seconds before going in himself.  Pinkie shined a flashlight on the four, Bandit and Chad shut their eyes until she moved it back on herself. Bandit looked around and double taked right behind them. “Who? The zombie pony?” Spike asked as he hugged Chad. Pinkie Pie brought the flashlight to her face. “Z-Zombie pony?” She said in a horrified voice. This caused Spike to tighten his hug. “Spike, there are no zombie ponies.” Twilight told him, causing him to let go of Chad and get off. “Pinkie, what are you doing here alone in the dark?” She asked her. "She's not alone." Bandit said as he turned Twilight around to look at the rest of the eight, in addition to Apple Bloom, who saw Chad and tackled him off with a smile. Twilight gasped in surprise. “Okay, then, what are you all doing in the dark?” Twilight asked. “We’re hiding from her.” Lightning  Sprint  said, pointing out the window. Apple Bloom let Chad up as He, Bandit and the rest of the group walked to the window. They all saw someone alone in the middle of town wearing a brown hooded cloak. The figure appeared to be digging for something with her hoof. The cloaked figure turned around and looked at them with yellow glowing eyes, causing most of the group to become scared. Bandit and Twilight did not look phased OR amused. My Little Pony, My Big Changeling too Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahhh… [Bandit] (My Little Pony) We used to wonder what friendship could be (My Big Changeling too) [Twilight Sparkle] Until you all shared its magic with me [Rainbow Dash] Big adventure [Pinkie Pie] Tons of fun [Rarity] A beautiful heart [Applejack] Faithful and strong [Fluttershy] Sharing kindness! [Lightning Sprint] Motivate the team [Bandit] Heroics makes it all complete You have my little ponies Do you know you're all my very best friends? “Did you see her Bandit? Did you see… Zecora?” Apple Bloom asked Bandit, climbing on Chad's back to look up at him. “Apple Bloom, I told you never to say that name.” Applejack told her, sounding fearful and agitated. "Is that name the Voldimort of Ponyville?" Chad asked. "Who?" Lightning Sprint asked before Bandit answered the question.  “Well, I saw her glance this way.” Bandit answered. “Glance e-e-evilly this way.” Pinkie Pie added. “And then a bunch of you flip out for no good reason.” Twilight told them. “No good reason?!” Applejack exclaimed. “You call protecting your kin no good reason?" Applejack asked as she pulled Apple Bloom close. "Why, as soon as my sister saw Zecora riding into town, she started shaking in her little horseshoes.” She said as she hugged Apple Bloom and started shaking her. “Did not.” Apple Bloom said otherwise. “So I swept her up and brought her here.” Applejack finished after she scooped Apple Bloom on her back. “I walked here myself.” Apple Bloom said. “For safekeeping.” Applejack told her. “Applejack, I’m not a little baby. I can take care of myself!” Apple Bloom told her. “Not from that creepy Zecora.” Applejack responded. “She’s mysterious…” Fluttershy said. “Sinister…” Rainbow Dash added. “And spooooky.” Pinkie Pie finished. All Bandit could do was roll his eyes, he looked back out the window with Twilight. The others zipped over and looked as well, shoving against them both. Zecora pulled back her cloak’s hood and revealed her face. Her coat and mane were black and white in a strip pattern, and her mane was a mohawk. She wore golden earrings and several more gold rings around her neck. The group gasped again. “Will you cut that out?” Twilight told them “Just look at those stripes. So Garish.” Rarity exclaimed. Bandit raised an eyebrow at her. "She's a zebra." Bandit said. "A what?" Everyone but Twilight, Spike and Chad asked. “A zebra.” Twilight continued for Bandit. “And her stripes aren't a fashion choice Rarity, they're what she was born with." Rarity fainted at the thought of being born with stripes. “Born where? I never seen a pony like that in these parts, except… her.” Applejack asked, quivering at the end. "Zebrica." Bandit said. Eyes fell on him. "It's a continent about 250 miles from the country of Shesepankh. Mostly occupied by Zebras, Kelpies, Abadas and Okapis. If I had to predict, those rings on her neck and hooves tell me she's from Farasi." Bandit told everyone. "Also, it's where my nickname comes from. Chad's a country in Zebrica." Chad said. "How do you know so much about this…. Zebrica place?" Lightning asked. "I've been there. Momma took me when I was ten. It's where I learned Chewa and Swahili. It's also where Chad's egg was laid, hence the reason why his nickname is one of the countries in Zebrica." Bandit answered. Chad smiled pridefully. "She's probably trying to make friends while she's away from home."  “That’s just it. She lives in… The Everfree Forest.” Applejack answered. Suddenly, there was a large crash in the kitchen. “Spike!” Twilight yelled. In the kitchen, Spike was around the pans he knocked over as he had a candy cane and a cupcake in his claws. “Uh, sorry.” Spike apologized. “The Everfree Forest just ain’t natural. The plants grow…" Applejack started. "..animals care for themselves…" Fluttershy added. "and the clouds move…" Lightning Sprint added.  "all on their own.” Applejack, Fluttershy, and Lightning  Sprint said. Rarity fainted again at the thought of living in the Everfree Forest. "All three countries of Zebrica I've been to have those quali-" Bandit tried to say.  “And that wicked enchantress Zecora lives there, doing her evil…stuff! Why, she’s so evil, I even wrote a song about her.” Pinkie Pie interrupted before she began singing. "Wait. You wrote a song about someone you never met?" Bandit asked. “Here we go.” Rainbow Dash groaned. "She's an evil enchantress She does evil dances And if you look deep in her eyes She'll put you in trances Then what will she do? She'll mix up an evil brew Then she'll gobble you up In a big tasty stew Soooo... Watch out!" Pinkie sang. During the song, Applejack was hugging Apple Bloom, who pushed her off. Bandit was, again, not amused. “Wow. Catchy.” Twilight gave her opinion of the song. “It’s a work in progress.” Pinkie said happily. "You didn't write a song about me did you?" Bandit asked. "Oh! I did!" Pinkie said before singing again. "This is our bestie Bandit No need to start a riot He may look mean and scary But he's a gentle giant He's smart, he's cool, he's sweet and kind All things I say are true. Don't be afraid, he just wants to be friends with you!" Pinkie sang. "Pinkie, hum or sing both songs to yourself until you find the irony in them." Bandit said. Pinkie saluted and began doing just that. “This is all just a lot of gossip and rumors.” Twilight said. “Yeah, it’s not like anypony actually saw her doing things evilly.” Chad said, as he took a cupcake and was about to eat it, but Twilight put it back. “This is all just a lot of gossip and rumors.” Twilight said.  "Now tell me, Golden Girl Gossip Group; what exactly have you actually seen Zecora do?" Bandit asked.  “Yeah, well…once a month, she comes into Ponyville.” Rainbow Dash said. “Ooh!” Twilight sarcastically said. “Then…she lurks by the stores.” Rarity said. “Oh, my.” Bandit sarcastically added. “And then she digs at the ground.” Fluttershy said. “Good gracious!” Twilight said sarcastically again. "Oh come on, you seriously think someone like that is up to any good?" Rainbow dash asked.  "The menacing look, the mysterious nature, the dangerously unknown behaviors. There is no way anyone like that is up to…" Rarity stopped as she and Rainbow dash turned to look at Bandit, who wasn't happy about any of this. Considering he was menacing to look at, he knows very little about his own species, and he had a lot of behaviors ponies don't do or know about. In other words, they basically insulted him too "I mean-" Rainbow dash was gonna attempt to save. "We didn't mean-" Rarity said, talking at the same time as Rainbow dash.  "Stop talking." Bandit interrupted.  "Okay." They both said. “Okay, I’m sorry, but how is any of this bad? Maybe she came to town to visit.” She said. “And she's just trying to be neighborly.” Chad said. “And maybe she’s not lurking by the stores. Maybe she’s going to them, lurk-free, to do some shopping.” Twilight said. "Hard to do when no one is in the stores." Bandit added. “Yeah. everypony likes to shop. You know what I think-” Apple Bloom tried to say. “Apple Bloom, Chad, hush and let the big ponies talk.” Applejack told them. Chad pouted and folded his hooves. "I am a big pony." Apple Bloom muttered. "Applejack, do NOT talk to my brother like that." Bandit nearly snapped, making her flinch. "All of you are fearful of someone none of you know anything about. Silencing those with common sense helps no one." “What about digging at the ground? You’ve got to admit that’s weird.” Lightning  Sprint said. Apple Bloom was walking towards the door. Chad looked out the window before walking towards Apple Bloom.  “What if she’s digging for innocent creatures?” Fluttershy added, worried. Meanwhile, Pinkie was still singing both songs to herself.  “I am sure there’s an explanation for everything Zecora does. And if anypony here were actually brave enough to approach her, she would find out the truth.” Twilight told them. "Heck, Chad and I are Changelings. Change-Lings. You guys aren't scared of us, so what's the issue?" Bandit added. Apple Bloom and Chad looked at each other and smiled. "We're brave enough." He said. The two of them snuck outside and hid behind a tree. Apple bloom peeked out. Zecora looked in her direction, making her retreat into the same spot. When she looked back, she saw Chad was replaced by a dummy. She looked back past the tree and saw a box scooting towards a box. Chad came out wearing a grey bandana and looking towards Zecora with a pair of binoculars. Apple Bloom got to him. "Psst hey!" She silently called. Chad turned to her. "Make some room for me." She said. Chad made the box bounce and flip over to the open end down, covering both of them.  Chad used his magic to pick the box up as they walked behind Zecora, who didn't turn around for the most part, so she didn't see the box. They followed her to the forest. Back in Sugar cube corner, Bandit and Twilight were still in defense of Zecora. “You ponies are being ridiculous!” Twilight continued. “Well, I heard that Zecora eats hay.” Pinkie Pie said.  “Pinkie, I eat hay. You eat hay.” Twilight pointed at her. “Yeah, but I heard it’s the e-e-vile way she eats hay.” Pinkie countered. "I literally eat meat and all of you are unbothered by that." Bandit pointed out. "I'm starting to think the only thing keeping you all from avoiding me was the fact that I arrived with Twilight." Bandit said. “Hey! Where’s Apple Bloom?” Applejack exclaimed. "Chad's gone too." Spike said as he walked around the corner, a pan on his head. Fluttershy gasped as she saw the door was open. “The door’s open.” Fluttershy pointed out fearfully. “She went outside!” Rarity cried out. “And Zecora’s still out there.” Rainbow Dash asked in fear. “That silly little filly. I told her to stay put.” Applejack said. "You also told her, 'hush and let the big ponies talk'. You didn't wanna listen so she didn't." Bandit said before turning to Spike. "Spike, you stay here in case they come back." “Will do!” Spike saluted. The group ran out. Chad and Apple Bloom made it to the entrance to the Everfree forest. Chad took the box off and teleported it back to the treehouse. He walked into the Everfree forest before turning back to look at Apple Bloom. She was scared at first, but sucked it up and hopped inside, walking beside Chad. They continued to follow Zecora, through a patch of blue flowers before their names were called. “Apple Bloom?!” Applejack called out. Apple Bloom stopped and turned her head around. “You get back here right now!” She shouted. "Chad!? Are you okay!?" Bandit called out. Chad nodded in response to him before hearing Zecora talk. “Beware! Beware, you pony folk! Those leaves of blue are not a joke!” Zecora exclaimed. Bandit looked down at the patch of flowers he was about to step into and then went around. Applejack, like the others, didn't heed the warning and walked through the patches and scooped Apple Bloom onto her head. “Y-you keep your mumbo jumbo yourself, you hear!” Applejack yelled. The others except Twilight began to shout in agreement, Pinkie was even reciting her song….well, the wrong one anyway. “Beware! Beware!” Zecora warned us before she disappeared into the mist. “Yeah! Back at you, Zecora! You and your lame curse are the ones who’d better beware!” Lightning  Sprint yelled. “And you!” Applejack why couldn’t you just listen to your big sister?” Applejack asked Apple Bloom. “I-I…” Apple Bloom tried to say something. “Who knows what kind of Nasty curse Zecora could have just put on you?” Applejack said. Bandit checked Chad for injuries, upon seeing he had none, he scooped him onto his back and looked at the others. “Just like in my song.” Pinkie Pie exclaimed before singing her song again. "Hey, guys. I don't think you should be standing in those flowers." Bandit said. "What makes you say that?" Rainbow dash asked. "I don't know, maybe the words 'beware pony folk' and 'leaves of blue not a joke'. There's something about these flowers Zecora was nice enough to warn us about." Bandit answered. "Pfft. Nice Schmice. She probably tried to put a curse on us." Lightning Sprint said. “You guys, there’s no such thing as curses.” Twilight told them. “Well, that’s interesting to hear coming from Mrs. Magic Pants herself.” Rainbow Dash said as she flew to Twilight through the blue flowers. "Mrs?" Bandit and Twilight asked, then Twilight shook her head and got back on topic. “My magic, real magic, comes from within. It’s a skill you’re born with. Curses are artificial, fake magic. It’s conjured with portions and incantations, all smoke and mirrors meant to scare. But curses have no real power. They’re just an old pony tale." Twilight said. "No Twilight, whatever the tophet Trixie does is fake magic. Curses are real, we just haven't seen one yet." Bandit told her. Twilight only rolled her eyes before Applejack spoke up. “Just you wait, Twilight. You’re gonna learn that some pony tales really are true.” Applejack said as everyone else was leaving. Bandit growled. Them judging Zecora without meeting her was bringing back some bad memories for him. Twilight saw his face and grabbed his hoof to lead him home.  Later on that night, Twilight was hearing everything replay in her head. The things her friends were saying, and what Zecora had said. "Beware! Beware!" "If you look deep in her eyes, she will put you in trances!" "Wicked, wicked zebra!" "... it's a curse." "This is our bestie Bandit!" "Just you wait, Twilight; some pony tales really are true." "Then she'll gobble you up in a big tasty stew! Soooo... Watch out!" It all ended when Zecora let out an evil laugh. Twilight Was able to sleep until morning, having a serious case of bed hair as she woke up. "Ugh... what a dream... Curses, schmurses." She said as she got out of the bed. When she looked in a mirror, she saw how her hair looked. "Whoa." She said before chuckling. "Maybe Zecora cursed my hair." Twilight used her magic to pick up her brush and brush her mane back to normal, upon doing so she gasped. "Or my horn!" Bandit walked into the main floor of the treehouse with a yawn before seeing the books all sprawled out on the floor. "What the-"  "No no no no no! None of these books have a cure! Ugh! There has to be a real reason for this!" He heard Twilight panicking. "For what?" Bandit asked.  "This!" Twilight exclaimed as she pointed to her floppy, blue polka-dotted horn. Bandit bit his own lip to keep himself from laughing. "There has to be a real reason for this! An illness? An allergy?!" Twilight asked. "A curse?" Spike said. "I said a real reason. Something that points to something real." Twilight said. “How about this one.” Spike said, showing her the book. “Supernaturals?” Twilight read the title. “Spike, the word supernatural refers to things like ghosts and spirits and zombies, which are as make-believe as curses. This book is just a bunch of hooey.” She said, pointing at the book. “But what if you’re wrong, Twilight? What if this really is a…” "A purse!" Pinkie said, her tongue large and polka dotted. “A purse? How could it be a purse?” Spike asked. "Curse." Bandit corrected Spike, which was usually Chad's thing. Chad zipped into the room at that moment. “Pinkie! What happened?” Twilight asked her. “Pee pah pah pfurse pah! Pee pah pah pfurse pah pah!” Pinkie Pie tried to say as she was spitting. Spike was standing in the spits path. “Hey, say it, don’t spray it, Pinkie!” He said. "She said, 'It was Zecora, she put a curse on me'." Chad translated. Pinkie nodded to confirm. Then the group heard thuds outside. They turned and saw Rainbow dash flying into the window. "“She’s…trying to say…ow! Zecora…oh. She slapped us all." Rainbow tries to say. "Chad already translated Pinkie, you don't have to say anything." Bandit said as Rainbow dash crashed throughout the door, and into him. Again, he didn't even move. "Zecora has to be behind this." “I’m afraid I have to agree.” Rarity was heard saying. They turned around and saw that Rarity’s mane and fur were all frizzled up and soggy, covering up her body and face. “I hate to say I told you so, you two, but I told you so!” A squeaky voice said from the back of Apple Bloom. Everyone looked and saw that Applejack was much much smaller and on the back of Apple Bloom. Bandit, Chad and Spike were trying very hard not to laugh. “It’s a curse, I tells ya!” She said. Lightning Sprint and Fluttershy were standing together and looked pretty much fine, however LS had a bed sheet wrapped around her. "But Fluttershy and Lightning Sprint seem fine." Twilight pointed out. “Yes. There doesn’t seem to be a thing wrong with them.” Rarity added. "So, no one notices the bedsheet?" Chad asked.  "Are you both okay? Are you hurt?" Twilight asked. "We're fine." Lightning Sprint answered. "Then why are you all covered up Lights?" Applejack asked. Lightning Sprint let out a defeated sigh. "You uh..... might wanna shield your eyes." Lightning Sprint said. Bandit and Chad did exactly that. She briefly opened up the bed sheet and a bright light shone from her. It seemed like her fur was extremely bright. "Gah! Turn it off! Turn it off!" Rainbow exclaimed. "It's so bright!!" Applejack exclaimed.  "My eyes!" Rarity, ironically, said. "I told you!" Lightning Sprint said as she wrapped herself back up. "She's been like that all morning." Fluttershy said in a very masculine voice. The others all stared at her in disbelief.  "I was like that when I first heard her talk too." Lightning Sprint said before seeing Rainbow Dash and Spike smirking at her. "Either of you try and swaddle me and I swear to Celestia-" Bandit broke down laughing. Chad followed suit. Spike also burst out laughing. "This is hilarious!" "Look at all of you! We got hair-ity, Rainbow Crash, Spitty Pie, Apple-tini, Flutterguy, Lightning Glint and this one's my favorite. TWILIMP FLOPPLE!" Bandit fell down laughing, Spike heard Twilight's name and dropped on his back laughing. “Ah-ha-ha-ha.” Twilight said sarcastically. “This is no joke, Bandit. Now, start looking for more books so I can find a cure.” She told him. Spike was holding his laughter as Twilight’s horn was wobbling. "I'm not done laughing." Bandit said, as he was still laughing. Although he still helped Rainbow dash to her hooves. “I think we’ll find a cure to this curse at Zecora’s place!” Rainbow Dash said while flying unbalanced. “It’s not a curse!” Twilight told her before Rainbow Dash flew into the shelf. “I agree with Dash. We’ll go to Zecora’s and force her to remove this hex.” Applejack proclaimed. “It’s not a hex either!” Twilight yelled.  "Guys, I think I know what-" Bandit started to say before everyone began to argue over one another. Apple Bloom looked at Chad. Chad made the head gesture to follow him and started to head out to the Everfree forest.  "Where do they think they're going this time?" Applejack said, too high to be heard over the shouting. She hopped towards them and dove into Apple Bloom's tail. Meanwhile, the group was still arguing. "I'm sorry but I can't agree with you. It's time to pony up and confront Zecora. Come on girls!" Rainbow Dash said. "So, none of you are aware that Chad, Apple Bloom and myself are unaffected?" Bandit pointed out. "Well look at you? Do you think anypony would try to hit you with a curse?" Rarity asked.  "I'm pretty sure I'd be the 1st creature someone would aim at if they're throwing around curses." Bandit said, very unamused. "Look, Zecora said Something along the lines of beware, leaves of blue not a joke. Considering myself, Chad, and Apple Bloom were the only ones not standing in that batch I would say those flowers had something to do with it." "Zecora could've been the one to plant those flowers there. She knew about them, so obviously she knows the cure for them. What do you think Applejack?" Rainbow dash asked before realizing Applejack was nowhere to be seen. Everyone looked towards the location Applejack was in last. "Pf-she's gone-pft!" Pinkie said. “Aah! Somepony stepped on her!” Rarity exclaimed as she checked her back hoof. Bandit checked all his hooves, making sure he of all creatures didn't step on her. “Or sat on her.” Twilight added. All mares checked their flanks. Bandit was too busy averting his eyes to do so. “Rarity’s hair!” Rainbow Dash suggested. Pinkie Pie began searching through Rarity’s hair. “Oh! Oh! Pinkie, what are you doing?” Rarity gasped. “Really, ow! Ever hear of personal space?!” “Nope.” Pinkie Pie replied, shaking her head. “Apple Bloom and Chad are gone too!” Twilight exclaimed. “I bet they went after Zecora.” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Well, we’d better go find them.” Bandit said as he began walking out. “Come on everyone. Let’s go.” Rarity tried to move, but was stopped because Pinkie Pie was stepping on her hair. “Oh, dear. Oh, this is so unseemly. Aah!”  Pinkie Finally realized that she was the one stepping on her hair and decided to let go. She began following as soon as she was free. “Hey, a little help here?” Rainbow Dash asked, flying upside down on the floor. Bandit ran back in, picked her up by the scruff and began to run back out.  Meanwhile, Chad and Apple Bloom had gotten back to the Everfree forest before hearing Applejack.  "Stop right there!" Applejack said, making both of them slide to a stop. Both of them looked in Apple Bloom's mane and saw Applejack. "You two turn around right now ya hear!?" Apple Bloom smirked at Chad before answering. "No." "No?! You can't ignore a direct order from your big sister!" "Sorry Applejack but I'm the big sister now." Apple Bloom said, picking AJ up and putting her on a branch. "And also, Bandit told you not to talk to me like that." Chad added before walking away. Apple Bloom stuck her tongue out at her. "Apple Bloom, you come back here right this instant! I'm gonna tell Big Macintosh on you!" They both kept walking. "Aw, pony feathers." The group galloped into the forest as quick as possible. “Come on, everypony. We’ve got to get to Zecora’s.” Twilight announced. Unfortunately, Rarity tripped on her loose strands of hair. “Easier said than done.” She said, after she got some leaves and dirt in her hair. Bandit continued running with Rainbow dash still being held by her scruff. He then saw Applejack on the tree branch and slid to a stop. He put Rainbow dash down and looked at Applejack. Bandit got to her and smirked. "What's the matter champ, did you get lost on the field trip?" He teased. "Very funny." She said before hopping on Rainbow dash, making a makeshift halter from a stick and vine, and placed it on Rainbow Dash’s muzzle. “I need to get to Zecora’s pronto! Giddy up pony!” She said as she got onto Rainbow Dash. “Excuse me?!” Rainbow Dash said irritated. “Yee haw!” Applejack yelled before she kicked Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash instantly started flying after that. “What the…” Bandit watched as she flew backwards. He groaned and ran back towards his friends. “No, Rainbow Dash! Other Way!” Applejack exclaimed, making Rainbow dash steer towards the hut. But the fact that she was crashing every 5 seconds very much delayed their time. Bandit followed the scent of the others in front of him. The group all arrived at the hut except for Applejack and Rainbow dash for obvious reasons. “Oh! I look horrible!” Rarity exclaimed, having leaves, twigs, and mud in her hair. Pinkie Pie lifted Rarity’s hair to see Zecora’s hut. “Plis place plooks horrible!” “Oh, my. That place really does look horrible.” Rarity said. "Actually, this place doesn't look all that bad." Lightning Sprint said as she observed it. "Could use a few more windows though, maybe a skylight." The group got to the window and looked inside. There were many tribal masks and a large cauldron in the room. “Nice decorations; if you like creepy!” Rarity said, looking at the decorations. Zecora walked in, carrying a bowl. They group quickly hid so Zecora wouldn’t see them. She poured what looked like purple beads in the and started chanting in her native language, all while Chad began to stir. “Pfhe whole my psung! She split mm mm!” Pinkie Pie spat angrily. “She stole your song?” Rarity asked. “Oh, Pinkie. It doesn’t sound anything like your song.” Twilight responded. Pinkie Pie nodded in anger at her before looking over at Fluttershy. She ran over to Fluttershy and begged her. Even going so far as using the puppy dog eyes on her. Fluttershy let out a sigh of annoyance. "She's an evil enchantress And she does evil dances And if you look deep in her eyes She will put you in trances Then what would she do? She'll mix up an evil brew Then she'll gobble you upIn a big tasty stew Soooo... Watch out."  "Pinkie. Continue to hum the song about me and the song about Zecora until you find the irony. You're not allowed to say anything else until you find out why." Bandit said. "But-" Pinkie began "Ah ah!" Bandit said. "None of the sass."  Pinkie pouted, blew a raspberry at him, but hummed the songs. "You saw those terrible things. Now do you believe us Bandit?" Rarity asked. "N-O-P-E. Nope." Bandit answered. "Chad is in there helping her with the cauldron literally as we speak. If she was as dangerous as you guys say she is, he wouldn't be standing there." "Yeah, well...what if she's making him prepare to throw himself in the stew?" Rarity asked. "He's young. Not stupid." Bandit responded. "Mmm! The perfect temperature for ponies, I presume. Now, where is that little Apple Bloom?" Zecora asked, looking around. The group gasped. "Or maybe she's making Chad turn Apple Bloom into soup!" Rarity said. Bandit was about to object, but everyone began to scream. Making him cover his ears as the loud scream began to disorient him. Twilight ran over to help with his ears. Chad's ears twitched as he turned to the door. His shell then shook. "Hit the deck!" Chad told Zecora. He dove down and covered his head. Zecora did the same right as Rainbow Dash crashed through the door. Rainbow Dash was crashing into almost everything. Zecora was speaking in her native tongue as she quickly grabbed Chad to protect him. However, in doing so, it made her look like she was trying to keep him away from the others. A gesture even Twilight fell for. "Hey! Let him go right now!" Rarity exclaimed to her. Chad was trying to say something, but her protection ended up covering his mouth. Which made it look like she was trying to foalnap him even more. In turn, Applejack lassoed her ear and began to wrestle it. Twilight ran in right as Rainbow dash  knocked over the cauldron. "Put! Him! Down!" Twilight said. Zecora put Chad down and placed him behind her to protect him. “We’re onto you, Zacora. I didn’t want to believe that you cursed us, but the evidence is overwhelming.” Twilight told her. “You made me look ridiculous.” Rarity accused. “You made me sound ridiculous!” Fluttershy accused.  There was a brief silence as Pinkie was still humming both of the songs to herself. "You made Pinkie speak ridiculous!" Lightning said for her. “You ruined my horn!” Twilight accused. “How dare you! You destroy my home, destroy my work, then rudely accuse me of being a jerk?!” Zecora defended in anger. “You put this curse on us, now you’re gonna un-curse us!” Rainbow Dash demanded.  "It is unwise to venture down this road. Your actions will make my anger explode!" Zecora said. Twilight stepped forward and was head to head with Zecora, both pushing against each other. "Now step away from Chad and tell us what you did to Apple Bloom." Twilight said aggressively.  Chad got between them both. "She didn't do any of that." Chad defended before Apple Bloom walked in. “Zecora, I think I found all the things you asked for.” Apple Bloom was heard saying as she came in the front door and noticed the situation. “What in Ponyville is going on here?” She asked. Applejack gasped. “Apple Bloom! You’re okay!” She exclaimed, still holding onto Zecora’s ear. “Why wouldn’t I be?” Apple Bloom asked smiling. “Because Zecora is an evil enchantress who cursed us and was gonna cook you up into soup.” Twilight said after she grabbed Chad and jumped in front of Apple Bloom. Chad, Apple Bloom and Zecora all started laughing at the ridiculous accusation. “Oh, Twilight. Did those silly fillies get in your head? You know there’s no such thing as a curse.” Apple Bloom said. "Oh no, there is Apple Bloom. This just isn't one." Chad said. “Apple Bloom, sweetie. You can’t just stand there and tell me this isn’t a curse.” Twilight said, gesturing to our changes. "Then I'll tell you. This isn’t a curse.” Chad said as he wriggled out of Twilight's protective grip. "Remember when she said the whole, Leaves of Blue are not a joke schtick that all of you assumed was a curse, but then I pointed out how it had something to do with a batch of flowers and you guys still dismissed it? Guess what?" Bandit started. "You were right?" Twilight asked in an annoyed tone. "I was right." Bandit said with a smirk. "He was right." Chad and Apple Bloom said. "That plant was called Poison joke." Chad further explained.  “That plant is much like poison oak, but its results are like a joke.” Zecora added. “What in the hay does that mean?” Applejack asked, still standing on Zecora’s head. “It means this plant does not breed wrath. Instead, this plant just wants a laugh.” Zecora tried to explain. Applejack paused for a moment, trying to understand what Zecora just said. “Will somepony please talk normal?” She said. “I think what she’s saying is that when we ran in to save Apple Bloom, we ran into the poison joke. All our problems are just little jokes it played on us.” Twilight responded. “Little joke?! Very funny.” Applejack said sarcastically. “Okay. Fine. But what about the cauldron?” Rainbow Dash asked. “And the Chanting?” Fluttershy asked. “And the creepy decor?” Rarity asked. “Treasures of the native land where I am from.” Zecora said as she looked over at a couple of masks leaning against the wall. “This one speaks hello, and this welcome.”  "Hey, I remember this one." Bandit said as he pointed to the one that represented welcome. "One of the Zebra's I roomed with had this on his wall. What was his name? Zane, Zeb, Zen- ZEN! Zen, That was his name. We were best friends for like the entire 3 days I was there." “Not welcome at all, if you ask me.” Rarity said, looking at another tribal mask. “The words I chanted were from olden times. Something you call a nursery rhyme.” Zecora explained. “But the cauldron, the Apple Bloom soup?” Twilight questioned. “Looky here, Twilight, that pot of water wasn’t for me. It was for all of these herbal ingredients. The cure for poison joke is a simple old natural remedy.” Apple Bloom explained as Twilight walked over to the book Apple Bloom gestured to. “You just got to take a bubble bath.” Apple Bloom finished as she picked Applejack up with her hoof. “But I tried to find a cure in all my books and couldn’t find anything. What book has this natural remedy?” Twilight asked. "In this book Twi." Chad said as she showed the exact book she shunned when Spike gave it to her. "We have this book in the library don't we?" Twilight realized this and looked disappointed. “We do. But I didn’t look inside because the title was so…weird.” Zecora opened the book again, showing Twilight a page. “Supernaturals: Natural remedies and cure-alls that are simply super.” Twilight read out loud. “I…I… I’m so sorry, Zecora. I had the answer the whole time, if only I’d bothered to look inside.” Twilight admitted. "So you mean to tell me this entire thing would have been prevented had you guys not judged the book by its cover?" Chad asked in the most condescending, monotonous tone. Zecora laughed. “Maybe next time you will take a second look and not judge the cover of the book.” Zecora told them, making them feel disappointed for their behavior. "Zecora, would you be kind enough to mix up another batch of the herbal bath?" Bandit asked her. “Mix it up, I certainly will. Yes I am missing an herb from Ponyville.” Zecora said. “But whenever Zecora comes to town, all the shops are mysteriously closed.” Apple Bloom explained.  "We can fix that I'm sure." Bandit said with a smirk and a nudge. The mane 8 plus Chad and Apple Bloom walked back into town. They ponies in town saw her and began to panic. "Look Rose! How awful!" Daisy exclaimed. "The wicked enchantress has cursed them all." Roseluck exclaimed. "The horror, the horror!" Lily exclaimed as she started running. Other ponies began running and panicking as well. "Run, ponies! Run!" Daisy exclaimed. Twilight walked up to the flower shop and knocked on the door. The door opened up slightly showing Daisy, one of the owners. “Daisy, we need to talk.” Twilight said. In the Ponyville Spa, Rarity and Fluttershy were sitting in, relaxed. Twilight dunked her head under the water and came back up. Her horn back to normal as Pinkie cannonballed into the water. Apple Bloom, Chad and Zecora poured the herbs into the water. "Dear Princess Celestia, My friends and I all learned an important lesson this week: Never judge a book by its cover. Someone may look unusual, or funny, or scary. But you have to look past that and learn who they are inside. Real friends don't care what your "cover" is; it's the "contents" of a pony creature that count. And a good friend, like a good book, is something that will last forever. Your son Bandit is a walking example of that. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle." Twilight said as she wrote the letter. “Miss Zecora, I would love to get the recipe for this bath. It’s simply luxurious.” Lotus requested. “Applejack! Hey! Where’s Applejack?!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. Everyone began to look for her in a panic. "Over here." Bandit said as he helped her out of the cup. "I ain’t tiny no more.” Applejack announced with a smile.  “Oh! I have never felt so lovely in all my life.” Rarity said. Pinkie hopped out and landed next to Bandit. "Bandit, I found the irony in those songs! Pinkie started. "The song that I made about you was all about how we shouldn't judge you based on how you look because deep down you're really a nice stallion with a heart of gold. Meanwhile the song I made about Zecora was literally just me judging her based on how she looked without getting to know you." "You hit the nail right on the head." Bandit said as he ruffled her mane. "I also never realized how horrible it is not to be able to talk. I mean, I love talking so much, and when I couldn't talk anymore, my tongue was all 'ehhhh'! It was the worst! Don't you agree, Fluttershy?" Pinkie asked. There was a small pause before a quiet answer. ".... Yes." She answered. The group laughed.