//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Bridle Gossip (S1:E9) // Story: My Little Pony: Nine Elements Book 1 // by BlueBioWolf //------------------------------// My Little Pony: Nine Elements Written by Brandon Nell and Blake Hawkins Additional suggestions by Rachel Ravens Chapter 9: Bridle Gossip Two days after Twilight’s first slumber party, the sun was shining bright as the mess the storm made was all cleaned up. On that morning, the lavender unicorn was out for a walk, Spike happily riding on her back. “Wow,” Twilight said happily. “What a gorgeous day!” “Rainbow must’ve gotten up early for once and cleared the clouds away,” Spike commented. Twilight giggled to herself at Spike’s remark before saying, “I bet all of Ponyville will want to enjoy this beautiful day.” However, to the mare and drake’s confusion, there was no such thing happening. “Wait,” Twilight noted. “Where IS everypony?” “Is it a pony holiday?” Spike asked. “Not that I know of,” Twilight answered. “I would have at least heard of something from Pinkie Pie or somepony.” “Does my breath smell like sulfur again?” Spike asked. “Just a little, Spike,” Twilight said. “You did take the effort to brush your teeth after breakfast, though, so it’s not as strong as usual.” “Think Trixie’s back in town?” Spike considered. “Maybe,” Twilight said. “Though if she was, she probably would have written before she arrived.” “I don’t think she has her own mailing address,” Spike said. “She said so herself that she moves from town to town.” “That’s true,” Twilight said. “So, what could be the problem?” “Psst…” a familiar voice whispered. Twilight and Spike turned their attention to the voice. It was Pinkie Pie, poking her head from the top door of Sugarcube Corner, while the bottom door was closed. “Twilight… Spike…” she whispered. “Hurry and hide before she gets you!” “Before who gets us?” Twilight asked in confusion. “What’s going on?” “Just get in here!” Pinkie demandingly whispered. Twilight and Spike looked at each other before shrugging and entering Sugarcube Corner. “Okay,” Spike said. “Now, can you please explain what’s going on?” “Yes,” Twilight said. “Like, why you’re hiding alone in the dark.” “I’m not alone in the dark,” Pinkie said. Pinkie adjusted the lantern she was holding to show that she was indeed joined by others. Present were also Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, and even Apple Bloom. “Okay,” Spike said. “That still doesn’t explain why you’re all in the dark.” “We’re hidin’ from her~” Applejack said, pointing to a nearby window. They all looked out the window. Standing just a few hoofsteps away was a mysterious figure whose face was obscured by a thick brown cloak, which also covered the figure's back and most of its legs (though they could see enough to determine that the figure had only four). Said figure was digging its hoof into the ground before casting a glare in the direction of the group in Sugarcube Corner. Most of them, minus Twilight, Spike, and Apple Bloom, reacted in surprise from seeing the glare. “Okay,” Spike said as he was beginning to lose patience. “That just raises further questions.” “Like for one thing,” Twilight began to ask. “Who is she?” “Ponies ‘round here call her Zecora,” Apple Bloom said. “That’s a nice name,” Twilight said. “I haven’t seen her around Ponyville before. Does she live nearby?” “And why did you all flip out for no good reason?” Spike asked, not liking the lack of knowledge. “No good reason?!” Applejack snapped. “Ya call protectin’ yer family no good reason?!” “FROM WHAT?!” Spike demanded to know. “YOU’RE NOT EXPLAINING ANYTHING!” “You see, Spike,” Rarity said. “Zecora is mysterious.” “Sinister,” Rainbow added. “And spooooooookyyyyyy~” Pinkie added. Twilight and Spike looked out the window again with the others following shortly thereafter. The figure removed the hood of the cloak, revealing a creature with fur in alternating stripes of white and black. Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Pinkie gasped. Twilight, Spike, and Apple Bloom didn’t. Spike grew more annoyed. “Okay, will you all cut that out?! It’s getting on my nerves!” “Sorry, Spike,” Rarity said. “But, I’ve hardly ever seen a pony with those stripes.” “She’s not a pony,” Twilight said. “She’s a zebra.” “Yeah,” Spike helped to explain. “And, they’re closer related to donkeys than they are to ponies. Those stripes aren’t a fashion choice, they’re what she was born with.” He then glared at Rarity in disapproval. “And here, I thought ladies don’t disparage one for things they can’t control,” he said, venom dripping off every word. “Didn’t any of you learn about zebras in school?” Twilight asked. The other ponies shook their heads no. “What is wrong with this town’s educational system that you don’t know anything about the cultures of other sentient species?” “Well… ah guess there’s education not even Miss Cheerilee can teach,” Apple Bloom said quietly. “Or Miss Teaching,” Rarity sighed. “Well… Ponyville has only really been here fer about three generations,” Applejack admitted. “Ah guess culture o’ other species wasn’t really on the radar. ‘Sides, this here’s an earth pony-founded town. We ain’t got the same high academic standards as Canterlot. Ah was mostly homeschooled n’ ah don’t really know much ‘less it’s about apples.” “Never mind,” Twilight said, exasperated. “We really need updates to the education system. As for Zecora, most zebras in Equestria are born in Farasi, a faraway coastal region from Ponyville and Canterlot. I wonder what she’s doing here. Which brings me back to a previous question. Does she live nearby?” “That’s just it, Twi,” Applejack explained. “She lives in… The Everfree Forest!” “That’s because zebras mostly prefer to live in wild environments,” Spike said. “I’ve never been to school a day in my life, but, even I know that.” “That’s ‘cause Twilight’s a good teacher,” Apple Bloom smiled. “But, the Everfree Forest ain’t natural,” Applejack said. “We already know it’s different from the rest of Equestria, Applejack,” Spike said, trying very hard not to lose his temper. “We went through it to find the Elements of Harmony, remember?” “And all of this stuff you’re saying about Zecora,” Twilight added. “It’s all based on gossip and rumors. Now, tell me, what exactly have you seen Zecora do?” “Well, we’ve seen her come to Ponyville once a month,” Rainbow admitted. “We’ve been here for longer than a month,” Spike pointed out. “We didn’t see her until now.” “We do live a bit farther from the Everfree Forest,” Twilight said. “We must keep missing her when she does come to town.” “Then,” Rarity added. “She lurks by the stores.” “Oh, my~” Twilight said, feigning fright. Spike was growing steadily angrier. “Then, she digs her hoof at the ground,” Fluttershy added. “Good gracious~” Twilight said, again feigning fright. But, in a serious tone, she said, “I’m sorry, but, none of that sounds inherently evil.” “Did you consider that maybe she’s just coming here to visit?” Spike said through clenched teeth. “Ah did,” Apple Bloom said. “Ah’m thinkin’ she’s tryin’ ta be neighborly.” “Maybe she’s not lurking by the stores,” Twilight added. “Maybe she’s trying to go into them. To shop?” “Yeah,” Apple Bloom added. “Everyone likes ta shop. Maybe she n’ Rarity’ll become gal pals ‘cause o’ that!” “Don’t count on it,” Rarity said. Offended, Apple Bloom left the room while none of the others were looking. “Well, there’s still the digging at the ground,” Rainbow said. “Zebras do that when they’re trying to find fresh water,” Twilight said flatly. The sound of a kettle boiling started to be heard. “Uh, Pinkie? Did you put a kettle on the stovetop?” “I don’t think I did,” Pinkie said. “Wouldn’t want spooky Zecora hearing it and coming to get us.” At that point, Spike finally had enough and shouted, “I CAN’T BELIEVE WHAT I’M HEARING!” The others turned their attention towards the clearly upset drake. Spike was red in the face with fury and had smoke coming out of his nostrils. Twilight knew at once that Spike had lost his temper. “You’re all total phonies! You welcome me into town even though I’m a dragon, but, you can’t extend such hospitality to a creature that’s more like a pony than I can ever be?! Does that mean our friendship is built on lies?!” Spike ranted, an emerald glow in his mouth. The ponies, sans Twilight, considered Spike’s words and they suddenly felt guilty. “You know,” Rainbow said. “Spike’s right. We were pretty quick to judge Zecora.” “Besides digging at the ground with her hoof, has she done ANYTHING to harm ANYPONY?” Spike asked before looking Fluttershy right in the eyes. “WELL?! HAS SHE?!” Fluttershy squeaked in surprise and with tears welling in her eyes, she stammered, “N…no…” “Some Element of Kindness you are,” Spike continued. “This further proves how much like those elitists in Canterlot you are! All of you!” He began pointing at all of them. “I was glad to move here because it meant I could get away from the speciesism, but, right now, even though it’s not directed at me, it just feels like more of the same! If those welcomes you gave me when I first came here with Twilight had even an ounce of sincerity to them, you’d all stop acting like a bunch of foals and put in some semblance of effort to get to know Zecora before unfairly judging her! You could all learn a thing or two from Apple Bloom. Other than Twilight, she’s the only pony in this room who’s not acting like a foal!” They listened to Spike’s words and they all felt very guilty. Then, they smiled to themselves and Fluttershy said to Spike, “We will, Spike. We love you too much to see you get so upset about this. And you’re right. We haven’t been fair to Zecora. But, that’s going to change. We’re going to go over to her together and we’re going to welcome her with open hooves.” “Yeah,” Pinkie chirped. “In fact, I’m going to throw her a ‘We’re sorry we misjudged you and we’re willing to get to know you better from here on out’ party.” “Those had better not be empty words,” Spike said. “If they are, I’ll have something else to tell Princess Luna about in five days.” “I can assure you that these words are not empty,” Rarity said, gently rubbing his left cheek with her hoof. “Come on, you can join us and we’ll talk to Zecora right away.” Spike calmed down a bit, but, they could all see he was still upset. “I’m watching all of you,” he asserted. “Come on, Apple Bloom.” No response. Spike grew a bit more worried. “Uh, Apple Bloom?” At that point, they all noticed Apple Bloom wasn’t around. “Where could she be?!” Applejack asked in a nervous state. “Do you think she went out to meet Zecora?” Rainbow asked. “Since she’s been acting more mature than the rest of you, probably,” Spike said, emphasizing the word mature to hammer home the point that he’s upset. “Okay, Spike!” Groaned Rainbow. “We get it! Don’t keep rubbing it in!” “That’s rich coming from you, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said. “You rub things in the faces of others everyday. Therefore, you’re in no position to say that to—” “I wasn’t done!” Spike declared. “But, speaking from experience from the return of Nightmare Moon, going into the Everfree Forest for any reason is dangerous. We were lucky to make it out last time.” He then paused briefly. “Now, I’m done.” “We have to go,” Twilight said. “This will be our chance to properly meet Zecora, too. Come on, everyone!” She started out the entrance, Spike walking backwards by her side as he continued to make “I’m watching you” gestures. Unfortunately, because he was walking backwards, he didn’t realize he was approaching the wall until he bumped into it. Realizing his mistake, he walked around the door, now blushing from embarrassment instead of anger. In the Everfree Forest, Apple Bloom was doing her best to follow Zecora. Apple Bloom wasn’t used to the Everfree Forest and felt uneasy, especially as she approached a wild crop of strange blue plants. But, she knew she had to continue and give Zecora a proper welcome. “Apple Bloom!” a familiar voice called out. Apple Bloom stopped in her tracks and turned her attention towards where the voice came from. Zecora also turned to see Apple Bloom as Applejack and her friends fast approached. They were in the strange blue plants. “Y’all should know better n’ ta wander alone.” “Beware, beware, you ponyfolk,” Zecora chanted in rhyme. “Those leaves of blue are Poison Joak.” “Poison Joak?” Twilight asked. “Something tells me we should get out of this patch.” “But, wait!” Pinkie exclaimed. “What about Zecora? Weren’t we going to properly meet her?” “And does anypony else hear a tinkling noise?” Spike asked as he cupped a claw around his right ear frond. “Now that you mention it,” Fluttershy said. “I do hear something.” “Excuse me, Zecora, darling,” Rarity called. “But, what was it you were saying about this Poison Joak?” “Your dragon friend is safe from the Joak’s spell,” Zecora rhymed again. “But, come tomorrow morning, you’ll find that you won’t fare so well.” “Uh…” Rainbow said, still confused. “Thanks for the warning, I guess?” Zecora faded into the mist. “Okay, that was strange. What’s the big deal with Poison Joak anyway?” She touched one of the flowers. “They just look like regular plants to me.” “Whomping willow,” Spike fake coughed. “It looks like we’ll have ta give Zecora a chance at friendship tamorrow,” Applejack said as she placed Apple Bloom on her back. “Ah need ta get this one home n’ we need ta have a stern talkin’-ta about walkin’ inta the Everfree Forest alone.” “So, we basically came here for nothing?” Spike grumpily asked. “I’m afraid so, Spike,” Twilight said. “Please know that just because there is a slight interruption,” Rarity said. “It doesn’t mean we don’t care.” “Would it be in poor taste to say that it sounded like Zecora was about to put a curse on us?” Pinkie asked. Spike glared at her with fire in his eyes, frightening her a bit. “That answers that question.” “Everyone,” Twilight said. “We should be thinking of good things that Zecora can do. We should go over to where she lives right now and make an effort to be kind to her.” She then directed her attention to Pinkie. “And there’s no such thing as curses.” Fluttershy was about to take a step to where Zecora was going, but, she suddenly found herself very dizzy and sweating profusely. No one else noticed, though. “That’s funny coming from somepony as skilled at magic as you are, Twilight,” Rainbow commented. Twilight didn’t appreciate the insinuation. “Unicorn magic,” Twilight responded. “Is something that comes from within. Curses are just all superstitions and supernatural phenomena. It’s not real.” Spike crossed his arms. “That’s what a lot of ponies thought about the Mare in the Moon,” he pointed out. “But, you took it at face value and look how that turned out.” Twilight blushed sheepishly. “Okay, you got me there,” she admitted. Suddenly, her horn had blue spots on it. The others grew wide-eyed. “What? Is there something on my face?” “Not on yer face, sugarcube,” Applejack exclaimed. “It’s yer horn!” “What about it?” Twilight asked as her horn started to sag like a wet noodle. Rarity levitated a compact mirror to show Twilight’s reflection. Twilight gasped with fright. “What happened to my horn?!” Exclaimed Twilight. Rainbow’s wings suddenly began moving to her stomach and inverting directions. “What the–?!” She almost cussed. “What’s going on?!” “I don’t know,” Pinkie said. “But, we should figure out something fast before thumphin ehf habba!” On that last part of that sentence, Pinkie’s tongue had swollen and it gained noticeable blue spots like the ones on Twilight’s horn. “This is starting to become very concerning,” Rarity said as her mane and coat began to change. They gained matted curls like the coat of a Komondor dog. “This don’t look good,” Applejack said as she began to shrink. Spike looked at the plants and realized what was going on. “We have to get out of these plants!” “Fluttershy!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, seeing the passed out yellow pegasus. She then noticed that because Applejack was shrinking, she was getting closer to the plants. “Oh no! Looks like ah’m next!” Thinking quickly, Spike grabbed Apple Bloom and held her over his head. “Whoa~!” Apple Bloom said. “Thanks awfully, Spahk! Ya saved me!” Soon, Applejack stopped shrinking once she reached the size of a toy pony. “We best skedaddle,” the shrunken mare suggested in a high-pitched voice. “Ah gah Fuhsha~” Pinkie said, hoisting Fluttershy onto her back. The party left the patch of plants with Spike looking noticeably worried. “Did anything happen to me?” he asked. “Duzzuh luk lahkit,” Pinkie said. She coated Spike in her spittle. “Say it, don’t spray it, Spitty Pie,” Spike said. At that point, Fluttershy was stirring out of her dizzy spell. “Whoa, what happened?” she asked, in a deep masculine voice that surprised her as much as the others. “Whoa!” Spike said surprised. “With that low of a voice, you went from Fluttershy to Flutterguy!” He then looked over himself again. “Did anything happen to me? And can somepony who doesn’t have a swollen tongue answer?” “It looks like you’re the only one of us who isn’t affected,” Twilight said. “In fact, that must have been what Zecora meant with her warning.” “But, why didn’t it work on Spike?” Rainbow asked. “I mean, I can see why Apple Bloom wasn’t because she never touched those freaky plants, but, Spike was standing in them like the rest of us. What makes him so special?” “It could be because Spike has scales,” Twilight said. “We don’t.” “Well, how do we reverse this?” Applejack asked. “Maybe there’s a book in the Golden Oak Library that could help,” Apple Bloom said. “Good idea, Apple Bloom,” Spike said. “It has a lot of medical books and books about the plants in Ponyville.” “But, that Poison Joak wasn’t in Ponyville,” Rarity pointed out. “Not really the time to argue, Hairity,” Rainbow said. “The Elements of Harmony reference guide mentioned the Everfree Forest,” Twilight said. “So, if we’re lucky, we should find a book on the cure for this Poison Joak.” Nearly an hour later, none of the ponies found any leads. “Well,” Applejack said, practically walking out of a book tent. “Ya better call us three-leaved clovers, ‘cause we ain’t lucky.” “There’s still one book we haven’t checked,” Spike said. “Super Naturals–” “Spike,” Twilight said, interrupting the purple drake. “Supernaturals aren’t really going to help us. It ties into the occult and unknown.” As an argument slowly began, Apple Bloom left the library, which only Applejack noticed. The shrunken mare followed the filly. “Wait a minute,” he said. “Doesn’t it seem like you’re doing exactly what the others did to Zecora earlier? Judging a book by its cover? Literally in this case?” “I’m not in the mood to argue, Spike,” Twilight said. “Since Zecora seems to know more about Poison Joak than the rest of us, I say we go ask her ourselves. In retrospect, we probably should’ve just done that from the start.” “And this way,” Rarity said. “This will be our chance to actually get to know Zecora and fulfill our promise to Spike.” Pinkie suddenly noticed that Apple Bloom was being unusually quiet again and tried to alert the others. “Ah, gahpf?” Pinkie said, her tongue still swollen. Spike shielded the books from her spittle. “Any chance you could write what you’re trying to say, Pinkie?” Spike said. “The last thing any of us need is an earful from Twilight Flopple.” He quickly realized what he said. “Did I say that out loud?” “Ye-” Pinkie was about to say, until she started to write something on a nearby chalkboard. She wrote, “Yes, you did. And what I said before was, ‘Uh, guys?’ when trying to tell you that Apple Bloom is quiet again.” At this, they all noticed the Apple sisters were gone. “Uh-oh,” Spike said. “We better check and make sure we didn’t step or sit on Appletini!” “Wait,” Twilight said. “What if Apple Bloom went off to see Zecora again and Applejack went with her this time?” “We better go after them,” Rainbow said before glaring at Spike. “And if you call me ‘Rainbow Crash,’ you better hope those scales can protect you from my cloudkicking skills!” “Fair enough,” Spike said, slightly intimidated. So, the ponies and Spike rushed out to find the Apple sisters and see Zecora. In the Everfree Forest, Apple Bloom entered to find Zecora. She was careful to avoid the Poison Joak and other potentially dangerous vegetation. “Hold it right there, missy!” a familiar voice squeaked. Apple Bloom looked around her to see where the voice came from. “Huh?” She said in confusion. “Applejack? Izzat you?” The shrunken mare emerged from the young filly’s mane. “What’d ah tell ya ‘bout runnin’ off alone?!” Applejack shouted. “Ya said ya were goin’ ta give me a stern talkin’ ta,” Apple Bloom said. “But, ya never did.” “Well, yer gettin’ it double now!” Applejack said. “What were ya thinkin’ comin’ back in here alone?!” “Ah was thinkin’ ah should look fer Zecora, who knows more about this Poison Joak, ta see if she knows the cure,” Apple Bloom flatly explained. “Well,” Applejack said. “Ya do have a point, but, ya shoulda told somepony where ya were goin’ ‘stead o’ just walkin’ off like that.” “Why bother?” Apple Bloom retorted. “Y’all wouldn’ta listened ta me no how. ‘Sides, how can ya expect me ta grow up if y’all n’ yer overprotectiveness won’t let me learn on mah own?” Applejack began losing her temper. “Ah don’t want ya gettin’ hurt!” “Ah’m 8 years old!” Apple Bloom snapped. “Ah ain’t a foal no more!” She then put her shrunken sister on a tree branch overlooking a small crevice. “Ah’ll be back after Ah get an answer from Zecora. Bye bye, little sister.” “Ah’m still older n' ya!” snapped Applejack. “Get back here, younger sister! Big Mac is still bigger than ya n’ I’ll tell him what ya’ve done!” “Ooh~!” Apple Bloom called back sarcastically. “Ah’m so scared~!” And the bow-wearing filly pressed on towards Zecora’s home. “This ain’t really the way ta prove yer point, ya know!” Applejack called. But, by then, Apple Bloom was too far away to hear. “Ugh, this can’t be happenin’!” Meanwhile, Spike and the others entered the Everfree Forest, Rainbow crashing into everything in front of her. Spike lost patience. “Okay, Rainbow, flying obviously isn’t working right now,” he said. “Maybe instead of continuing to fly and getting brain damage, you can walk on your legs!” Rainbow groaned. “Flying is so much quicker than walking…” All the same, she reluctantly landed and began to walk. They soon found the branch where Applejack was left. “There you are!” cried Twilight. “Where’s Apple Bloom?” “Irresponsibly left me here ta wander off on her own!” snapped Applejack. “Even though ah shrunk, ah’m still older n’ her by ten years! She ain’t even listenin’ ta me!” “The way you ignore her,” Spike snarked. “I’m not surprised.” “She needs ta learn ta respect her elder siblings!” Applejack retorted. “‘Specially since we lost our parents so young n’ Granny Smith can’t do as much as she used ta.” “Why should she when her siblings don’t respect her?” Spike said. “Respect is a two-way street.” “That’s right,” Twilight added. “My brother and I have a great relationship with each other. I respect him and he respects me. So, if you want Apple Bloom to respect you, you’ll have to respect her, too. If you don’t listen to her, it’s only natural she won’t listen to you.” Applejack knew they were right, but, still felt the need to protect her sister. “Still, she wandered off ta find Zecora without tellin’ nopony!” “Wait,” Spike said. “You’re telling me that Apple Bloom had the sense to try going to ask Zecora before a bookworm like Twilight did?” “Yeah,” Fluttershy said in her bass voice. “It sounds like it.” “It wouldn’t be so bad if she just told somepony,” Applejack said. “Well, you haven’t really been listening to her, so, I can kind of see why she didn’t,” Spike said. “That doesn't explain why she didn't tell Twilight or you," Pinkie had written on a chalkboard she brought with her. "You listened to her." “Probably because Twilight and I started arguing briefly about judging books by their covers,” Spike said as Twilight rolled her eyes. “In any case,” Rarity said. “I suppose we should add, ‘Listen to Others,’ to our list of ‘Personal Aspects to Improve On.’” “Maybe we should get back to finding Apple Bloom,” Spike suggested. “Which way did you see her go?” “That way,” Applejack said, pointing at the direction Apple Bloom walked towards. “Okay,” Spike said. “Maybe we’ll see Zecora’s home. What’s it look like?” “How should we know?” Rainbow asked. “We’ve only really been in the Everfree Forest once before today and even then, we weren’t looking for Zecora.” “Everyone,” Rarity said, brushing her excess mane out of one of her eyes. “I think I found something promising.” She pointed her hoof to a tree that had a door and a window carved out of its trunk. A strange green glow was coming from the window, which quickly attracted their attention. The group peeked through the window to see what was up. “Would it be in poor taste to say the decorations look creepy?” “Yes!” Spike said through grit teeth. “They might be cultural!” “My apologies,” Rarity said timidly. They heard the bellicose voice of Zecora. She was singing to herself as she worked on the bubbling water in the cauldron. “What’s she saying?” Rarity asked. “I don’t know,” Twilight admitted. “I never really studied Farasian. I never really took any foreign language classes.” “Well,” Fluttershy said. “We better knock. Hopefully she’ll be up to helping us.” “This temperature should help those ponies, I presume,” Zecora said in her rhyming dialect. “Now, I just need the assistance of young Apple Bloom.” Twilight then took a deep breath and walked up to Zecora’s front door. She politely knocked it three times. Zecora blinked in surprise. “You’ve returned faster than anticipated,” she said before opening the door. To her further surprise, it wasn’t Apple Bloom. “Ah, apologies for that mistake I’ve stated.” She carefully observed them with her strong cyan eyes flashing briefly. “It seems you failed to heed my warning and stayed even longer, triggering the effects of the plants quicker and stronger.” “Yes,” Twilight said sheepishly. “We came here for a few reasons, one of which was hoping that you could help us with a cure for the effects of the Poison Joak. My friends and I tried to find the answer in the Golden Oak Library, but…” “Twilight shot down attempting to check the one book we didn’t look at yet,” Spike interrupted. “The occult will not cure us, Spike,” Twilight said. “Anyway, can you maybe tell us more about Poison Joak?” “Indeed I can,” Zecora answered. “In fact, you will find that the plant’s remedy was already on my mind. I brewed this water of herbs in a bath to cure the plant that just wants a laugh.” “The Tartarus does that mean?” Applejack asked. She was secretly glad Apple Bloom wasn’t there to hear her say that. “I think she’s saying that the effects of Poison Joak are little jokes played on us,” Twilight theorized. “Little jokes?!” Applejack said. “Ya tryin’ ta be clever?!” “This bath I am mixing is what will help you still,” Zecora said. “The last thing I need is an herb from Ponyville. So, to keep the townsponies from feeling gloom, I need the aid of my new friend, Apple Bloom.” Twilight looked at the open book Zecora kept on the podium, flabbergasted. “But, I checked all the books in the library and couldn’t find the cure!” “All of them?” Spike asked despite knowing the truth. “For the last time Spike, supernaturals can’t help us out here!” Twilight groaned. “You sure about that?” Spike asked. “You never let me finish reading the title.” He then closed the book to look at the cover. “Well, will you look at that? I was right. The one book in the library you didn’t check.” Twilight looked at the cover of the book and read its title aloud. “Super Naturals: Natural Cure-Alls and Remedies that are Simply Super.” Seeing this, Twilight grew very ashamed at herself. “I…. I’m so sorry, Spike. I had the answer all along. If only I had bothered to look inside. Spike, can you ever forgive me?” “That depends,” Spike said with a grin. “Do you admit you literally judged a book by its cover?” “Yes, Spike,” Twilight said sadly. “I literally judged a book by its cover. I made my mind up too soon.” “Do you acknowledge that you were basically doing to the book the same things your friends did to Zecora back at Sugarcube Corner?” Spike asked, his grin not faltering. “Well, it wasn’t as bad as judging Zerora,” Twilight snarked back. “Okay, so you’ve made your point…” grunted Spike. “But, the principle still applies.” “Okay, yes, I acknowledge it,” Twilight said. “Are you a dork?” Spike asked with a sly grin. “Well, are you?” Twilight slyly retorted back. “You always have to win these types of arguments, don’t you?” Spike grumbled. “So much for learning your lesson.” The others had ashamed looks on their faces as they remembered what they said about Zecora. So, they apologized to her. “No need to say you’re sorry,” Zecora said. “I already know you’re not bad ponies. You were misguided, of this there is no doubt. But, thanks to my special gift, I know what you’re about.” “You mean to say,” Rarity began. “You have Mystic Eyes as well?” Zecora nodded. “Three of you possess Mystic Eyes of Truth, Detail, and Submission,” she said as she respectively pointed to Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy before pointing to her own eyes. “My Mystic Eyes are that of Intuition.” “That’s incredible,” Fluttershy said. “Do your eyes hurt sometimes, too, or is it more like Rarity's case?” “My Mystic Eyes are of the passive variety,” Zecora said. “Which is quite common in my country, Farasi.” “I think I remember once reading that the Mystic Eyes of Intuition let the user see the true nature of one’s character,” Twilight said. “Is that true?” “Very true,” Zecora said with a smile. “Which is why I had my own stance, of why I was not before given a chance. I knew it was uneasy to get a new start and it took the one with a truly pure heart. One devoid of prejudice. I merely waited for one with such a heart to assist.” “Do all zebras talk in rhyme?” Rainbow asked. Zecora chuckled to herself. “Some of us do,” she answered. “My personal specialty. And you would have learned this had you got to know me.” “Really layin’ it on thick, ain’t ya?” Applejack sighed. At that moment Apple Bloom returned. “Zecora,” Apple Bloom said. “Ah brought the herb ya needed.” She noticed the others. “What’re y’all doin’ here?” “We were hoping Zecora could cure us,” Pinkie wrote on the chalkboard. “Took ya long enough ta think o’ that,” the filly giggled. “But, we got us a problem here.” “What’s the matter, Apple Bloom?” Applejack asked. “Well, yer small enough ta fit in Zecora’s cauldron,” Apple Bloom said. “But, there ain’t no way the rest o’ y’all can fit in it at once.” “So, we each go one at a time,” Rainbow said. “Zecora said that the cure don’t work after the first bath,” Apple Bloom said. “So, if one o’ y’all took the first bath, it wouldn’t work no more.” “Oh,” Rainbow said. “That is a problem.” “I think I have an idea,” Twilight said. “Rarity, you said you often soak in giant tubs at the spa sometimes, right?” “Indeed,” Rarity confirmed. “Why, their tubs are big enough to accommodate all six of us at our normal sizes at once and there’d still be room for Spike.” “Okay, but, everypony else in town still thinks Zecora’s some evil enchantress,” Rainbow said. “The term is ‘shaman,’” Zecora corrected. “And I’m an herbalist by trade. I use herbal remedies for anyone’s aid.” “A little side question,” Rainbow said. “How’d you know Spike wouldn’t be affected by Poison Joak?” “Gentle dragons inhabit the country I came from,” Zecora said. “A number of them, I proudly call chums.” Spike smiled at this seeing that Zecora had friendships with dragons. “You must know a lot about dragons,” he said. “When it comes to dragons, I know a fair bit,” Zecora said. “However, there’s still several unknown facets.” “I think I know what we should do to help the others see that you’re not bad,” Twilight said. Later in Ponyville, Twilight and her friends, both old and new, were entering Ponyville. They were approaching the Ponyville Spa. However, the townsponies saw Zecora and quickly hid. “Look, Rose!” cried Daisy. “How awful!” “The wicked enchantress has cursed them all.” Rose exclaimed. “The horror! The horror!” Lily agreed dramatically. “Run, ponies, run!” said Daisy. “What in the name of Celestia is going on?” Caramel exclaimed, trotting over to Zecora and the ponies. “Zecora’s not an evil enchantress,” Spike said. “Everypony’s just being a bunch of paranoid cowards.” “Ahem,” scoffed Caramel. “Uh… except you,” Spike sheepishly blushed. “So… what exactly happened to you girls?” asked Caramel. “And who’s Zecora again? I don’t remember seeing her before.” “Big surprise,” Rainbow quipped. “Rainbow,” grunted Applejack quietly, giving a swift kick to Rainbow in her chest. Despite her small size, Rainbow clutched her chest in pain. “Well, sweetie,” said Applejack as she jump onto his muzzle. “Turns out we were all wrong ta misjudge Zecora… n’ Apple Bloom was right ta give her a chance.” Caramel started to remember the various rumors of Zecora. “Oh… I see,” he said quietly. “Well… I’m really sorry for my own behavior, Zecora.” He looked at Applejack. “Did I hide from her? I don’t remember.” “He’s got short-term memory loss,” Applejack quietly informed Zecora. “Thanks to my Mystic Eyes, I quite understand,” Zecora said. “I can see that your patience for him is something few comprehend.” “Think ya can help us shed some light on Zecora, sugarcube?” Applejack asked Caramel. “I’ll do my best, Applejack,” said Caramel. “Thanks, sugar,” smiled Applejack. “Just say ‘we were wrong about Zecora n’ she wants ta help us.’” She then gave Caramel a ti–uh, sma–no, lit–ugh. She gave him a peck on the forehead after climbing his muzzle. Caramel goofily smiled and he went off to tell the other ponies in Ponyville. Some ponies were more reluctant than others, especially given Caramel’s memory, but, the spa ponies were the first to step in. Which was pretty lucky, too, as the spa ponies were able to help prepare the bath for the girls. Both earth pony mares looked identical aside from inverted mane/tail and coat colors. One had a light cerulean coat with a pale rose mane and tail while the other had a pale rose coat with a light cerulean mane and tail. Both had moderate azure eyes and matching pink lotus Cutie Marks. “We can’t thank you enough, Aloe and Lotus,” Rarity said. “For vun of our most valued customers,” the blue mare said in a Swedish accent. “Ve vould do anything. Ja, sister?” “Of course ve vould,” smiled the pink mare. “Hopefully the bath’s effects vill start to kick in soon.” No sooner had she said that than Twilight’s horn straightened out and lost the blue spots. “It looks like it’s kicking in already,” Spike said. The other ponies began to show signs of healing as well, though Fluttershy’s wasn’t as visible given her voice only changed. “Wait,” Apple Bloom said. “Where’s Applejack?!” The other ponies panicked. Spike, however, remained calm. “Uh, don’t you remember?” Spike said. “Caramel put her in a washtub of the solution so none of the others would accidentally squish her.” “Heh… oh yeah…” Apple Bloom remembered with a blush. “And now that ah’m the big sister again,” Applejack said, her voice back to its normal pitch as she was seen her normal size again, which was now to big for the washtub. “Ah also have ta say that ah’m a big enough pony ta realize mah mistake. Ah’m sorry Ah didn’t listen to ya before, Apple Bloom. Ah’m goin’ ta make an effort ta listen ta ya from here on out.” Apple Bloom grinned before Applejack continued. “But, like Spike said, respect is a two-way street. We both have ta start respecting each other. Deal?” “Deal,” Apple Bloom said. “N’ Ah’m goin’ ta put in the effort ta tell ya er somepony where Ah’m goin’ before Ah get there. Ah don’t want ta get hurt.” “Ooh, that’s so much better!” smiled Pinkie. “I 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!” “And Spike,” Twilight said. “I feel like drafting another report to Princess Celestia.” “I don’t know,” Spike said. “It kind of feels like you winning that argument undercuts the lesson.” “Hmm…” Twilight pondered. “Yeah, maybe… So, yeah. Would you be willing to write down the letter penned by a certified dork?” Spike gave a satisfied smirk. “It’s basically my job at this point,” he said as he pulled out a quill and parchment. “Okay, let’s get down to business, Twilight.” Twilight cleared her throat. “Dear Princess Celestia, My friends and I learned a valuable lesson this week: never judge a book by its cover. I did so literally by judging a book that I thought was about the occult, but, turns out, it was about natural remedies that are super. My friends, minus Spike and Apple Bloom, judged a book by its cover when they met a zebra named Zecora. Someone may look unusual, or funny, or scary, but, you have to look past that and realize who that individual is inside. Real friends don’t care what your cover is. It’s the contents of someone that matter. And a good friend like a good book is something that can be treasured forever. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.” Spike finished the draft, rolled up the scroll, and sent it away with his dragon fire while Zecora thoughtfully rubbed her chin. “Oh,” Spike said when he saw this. “I take it you haven’t met a dragon that could send scrolls with magical fire breath, huh?” “Dragons I’ve seen can’t do that from what I’m aware,” the zebra confessed. “Then again, for all we know, such a thing could be quite rare. I know not everything, this I do not deny. Even so, should you wish to learn more about dragons, you’re welcome to stop by.” “Thanks, Zecora,” Spike said. “And I will. Maybe Twilight can join us.” “You can count the rest of us in,” Fluttershy said, her voice back to its normal dulcet tone. “I’d like to know what other creatures live in Farasi.” “And I would love to know more about your trinkets,” Rarity said. “They could inspire a line of clothing from my boutique.” “I’d like to know how Farasians celebrate so I can throw a culturally accurate zebra party,” Pinkie added. “‘N’ if ya have any tasty recipes,” Applejack said. “Ah’d want ta know what ya like ta eat.” “We zebras are like ponies in the fact that we eat grass,” Zecora said. “Though, sadly, we cannot have Cutie Marks grace our behinds.” “‘Behinds?’” Spike said. “That doesn’t rhyme with ‘grass.’” “You don’t want to know, Spike,” muttered Twilight under her breath. Fluttershy cleared her throat. “But… if you don’t have Cutie Marks… then what’s that swirly pattern on your flank?” “We zebras cannot have Cutie Marks in the way that you ponies do,” Zecora explained. “So, instead, we decorate our flanks with tattoos.” “That’s so cool,” Rainbow said. “I bet it’s tough living with lions, your natural predators.” “Oh, we zebras have found ways,” Zecora said. “To make lions behave like kittens who love to play.” “Ooh, that I have to see!” giggled Fluttershy. “Especially when lions are cubs. They’re so cute!” “They may look pleasant, but, a word of advice,” Zecora said. “Even when facing cubs, it’s best to think twice.” “I know,” said Fluttershy. “I’m always careful with animals.” Spike smiled. “I have a feeling this’ll build bridges,” he said. “Miss Zecora,” said the blue-coated spa pony. “I simply must know ze recipe for zis bath. It is simply luxurious.” “Well, you’re in luck, Lotus,” Spike said. “The recipe’s in a book at the library. Could I use one of your spare business cards?” “Yes, you may,” answered Lotus, handing one to him. Spike scribbled the title of the book to look for. “Look for this title,” Spike said as he gave it back. “Zank you,” Lotus said. “I vill take notes of vhat I read in it. I have two veeks to return it after I check it out, ja?” “Correct,” Twilight confirmed. “Zank you,” Lotus said gratefully. “I’ll make sure to stop by ze library to pick it up.” End of chapter.