//------------------------------//
// Day 3 Part 1 
// Story: A Venomous Queen & A Poisoned Princess 
// by Flikaline 
//------------------------------//


Day 3 Part 1


‘Is she still alive?’ Twilight Sparkle asked Celestia hurriedly.

‘Yes,’ Celestia replied grimly, ‘but she’s in about double the pain.’

‘We’ll be back as soon as we can,’ Twilight Sparkle promised, ‘you can count on us.’

The group hurried to the railway station and boarded the train that was about to leave. Most of the group seemed reasonably relaxed, especially considering the situation, but Twilight Sparkle was having trouble not showing in how much of a panic she was in. 

They had no idea how long Cadence had to live. She might be dead within a few hours, a few minutes, a matter of seconds! She might, Twilight Sparkle felt sick, already be dead! Maybe they should have run faster yesterday, or got more ponies to help them, perhaps they should have left for Ponyville last night, or got up earlier in the morning? Her memories of Cadence foalsitting her that kept coming to the front of her mind were only making things worse and making her feel more guilty. When they at last arrived in Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle was the first pony to get off the train.

By early evening, having as much success as in Canterlot for finding a cure, Twilight Sparkle’s panic was really beginning to show. The whole group felt pretty miserable. No-pony was saying anything, Fluttershy was hunched up almost in a ball, Rainbow Dash was no longer flying and Pinkie Pie’s hair was slightly flatter than usual.

As Twilight Sparkle went through her memories of that day and the previous one, she suddenly remembered Zecora’s odd behavior. Zecora! Of course! Why hadn’t she thought of it before? If anypony had a copy of that book she would! And even if she didn’t, she might well know of a cure! 

Twilight Sparkle realized as they all headed for the Everfree Forest that this would also solve their other potential problem of creating the cure once they found a correct copy of the book.

When they reached Zecora’s hut, they knocked at the door, but no-pony answered. Fluttershy timidly leaned her head against the door.

‘It – it sounds like somepony’s crying in there,’ Fluttershy told the others softly. Twilight Sparkle slowly pushed the door open. She slowly approached Zecora who was sitting, facing away from them, hunched up in the corner of her hut. The others followed carefully at a short distance.

‘Zecora?’ said Twilight Sparkle quietly. Zecora jumped and the piece of paper she had been holding flew from her grasp and fell at Twilight Sparkle’s feet. She looked down. It was the missing page from the potions book.


Twilight Sparkle stared. She stared at the page, then at Zecora. The others looked over Twilight Sparkle’s shoulder at the page.

‘Z-Z-Zecora, how, how could you?’ said Twilight Sparkle in a shocked tone.

‘You, you made that poison, didn’t you!’ demanded Pinkie Pie, ‘She’s an evil enchantress . . !’

‘Pinkie!’ interrupted Twilight Sparkle before looking back at Zecora who looked very ashamed of herself. ‘Why did you do it, Zecora?’ Zecora looked over at the picture on the wall of her and her little niece. Twilight Sparkle looked over too. ‘Who’s that with you?’ she asked.

‘My – my n-niece, Zig-Zag,’ Zecora replied weakly, ‘she came to live with me a short time ago . . .’

‘Where, where is she now?’ Twilight Sparkle inquired. A tear ran down Zecora’s cheek.

‘They, she took her, Queen Chrysalis took her . . .’ Zecora responded.

‘Who?’ asked Twilight Sparkle.

‘The queen of the changelings,’ Zecora answered, ‘They were going to hurt Zig-Zag unless I made the potion, and – and then C-Chrysalis took her to ensure I wouldn’t make the cure.’

‘Do you know where they took her?’ said Twilight Sparkle.

‘Vaguely,’ Zecora replied. Twilight Sparkle nodded.

‘If we could rescue Zig-Zag,’ asked Twilight Sparkle, ‘would you make the cure?’

‘Of course,’ Zecora responded. Twilight Sparkle hesitated before asking.

‘How long does Cadence have to live?’

‘Until dawn.’