//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Sleeping Pony // Story: The Wackiness of Unofficial Life // by edward18 //------------------------------// Chapter 5: Sleeping Pony A glass shattered. The alicorn's magic had faltered for a moment. There'd been something in the air. A foul presence that brought the royal one's attention. The drink she'd been having was of little loss in comparison to the disturbance she felt. As calmly as possible she walked over to the far side of the room and looked out the window to the Everfree Forest far below. Something was going on down there. Something that she had felt only once before. Evil. Pure, undiluted evil. "It can't be happening again..." Princess Celestia tried to assure herself. --- "Get back here!" Applejack yelled. It'd been a few minutes now and she still hadn't been able to catch the little thief. "I'm warnin' ya!" she threatened. Effortlessly the squirrel whizzed over and under the various sticks and stones that littered the ground across the outskirts of Ponyville. There was no way it'd be giving up its prize so easily. It was almost legend to make off with apples from the Apple Family without the ponies noticing. "You little varmint!" Applejack growled. Feeling that she had it where she wanted it, the Earth Pony made a leap. All she ended up with though was a face full of dirt. Coughing up a few rocks, she started the chase once more, the squirrel now far in the lead. But she knew where it was going. Where any animal would go and feel safe out there. "Angel, come on, you have to eat..." Fluttershy begged. The bunny just irritably threw the carrot back at Fluttershy's face. Suddenly they heard a slam and looked towards the front door. A squirrel with a rather sizable apple was standing there and panting heavily. And it was soon followed by Applejack. "GOTCHA!" she exclaimed wrapping her hooves as tight as possible around the rodent. It squeaked and squirmed, but nothing allowed it to come free. "What do we have here?" Fluttershy wondered. "This here rat was making off with one of our apples!" Applejack accused. Fluttershy tilted her head. "Don't you normally have apples stolen by animals anyway?..." she asked. Applejack blushed. "Yeah, but we never see it happen!" she argued, "This time I caught a fiend red handed! Now gimme back that there apple!" With no other course of action left available, the squirrel threw it over to Angel. The bunny just looked at it for a second and kicked it back. Greedily, Applejack scooped it away before the squirrel could touch it again. Defeated, it shot a glare at the bunny who simply rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, Mr. Chubbycheeks here is going to get a stern talking to," Fluttershy told the farmer. "Eh, don't worry none," Applejack chuckled, "I just got a bit...worked up. Chased the thing all over the...the fields and..an...I don't...feel...that...great..." With a thud Applejack fell over startling Fluttershy. "Applejack!" she cried, "Angel! Get my medical bag! We got a patient!" --- The clopping continued to echo through what seemed to be the infinite land of nothingness. She didn't know how long she'd been walking. It could have been days or months or years. Even seconds. Time was of no consequence in such a void. All that existed was her. Twilight. But she didn't feel threatened. Though nothing was around her, the void felt calm. Its atmosphere was that of nothing. No fear or joy or hate. Just...nothing. "Hello?" she called, "Hello hello hello hello hello..." The echoes didn't even seem to creep her out. They just became one with the setting. "Spike?" she said, "Pinkie Pie? Rainbow Dash? Applejack? Fluttershy? Rarity? Derpy? Bon Bon? Anyone?..." "Will you keep it down?" her voice suddenly called back from off to the side. Twilight's eyes came to rest on the figure that the voice had come from. What she was looking at was herself, only...she was wearing glasses in this new version of her. "I'm trying to study," the duplicate muttered as it turned its attention back to the book below it. Curious of the subject that it was indulging itself in, Twilight trotted over and looked down. What she saw was blankness. With an odd expression she looked between it and the clone a few times. "...there's nothing there..." she told it. "Maybe not to you," it replied flipping the page, "I however don't always look with just my eyes." Twilight's face scrunched up a bit at the response and looked back at the book. She tried as best she could to make out anything on the page, but it remained as bare as Apple Bloom's flank. Figuring that looking at the page would avail to nothing, she decided instead to use her other senses. And that was when things changed. The moment she sniffed the air she could smell pastries. "What's that?" she asked the duplicate. But it was gone, along with the book. Instead when she looked to the side she saw Pinkie Pie stuffing cake after cookie into her mouth. "It's yummy is what it is!" she happily spat food back at her. Feeling generous, the crazed pony offered the visitor a cupcake. "It'll make ya feel better!" she told her stuffing the item in Twilight's mouth without question. Instinctively she started chewing despite the annoyance at the treatment. And it did actually taste pretty good. "Mmm, what is this?" she asked. "Big Mac flavor!" Pinkie Pie giggled. --- "Come on Twilight, wake up!" Spike shook the dozing unicorn. No matter what he did she just wouldn't get out of bed. He'd tried tickling, making silly noises, waving a feather across her nose, playing various instruments. Everything that he could think of...well...anything that wouldn't cause bodily harm that is. Just out of curiosity the dragon's head turned around looking for an object he could use as a weapon. "NO!" a miniature him with a halo appeared on his shoulder, "You can't do something to hurt your best friend. The pony you've lived with your whole life! Especially not now that she's your girlfriend!" "But-" "Eh go ahead," a devil version said from the other shoulder, "I mean you know the hell she puts you through on a daily basis even without the adventures you guys get wrapped up in. You deserve to let loose and wreck things up a bit every now and then." "Oh aren't you the role model," the angel scoffed, "I bet you enjoyed when he became that huge monster from being greedy." "Deliciously," the devil nodded. "Not everything can be solved through violence you know. Just think of what the girl's relationship would be afterwards." "And I give a damn because?" the devil shrugged, "She deserves it. Besides, the dolt goes by a book, a fucking book! If the book gets a bit rewritten by some purple claws she'd never leave ol' studmaster here alone! In fact, that's what we should do next. You got any idea where she hides that thing?" "And where is the morality in this?" the angel asked. "Dude, I don't know if you've noticed the horns but I'm sorta bad," the devil replied pulling out a pair of sunglasses and putting them on. "Yeah, I get it. Like a boss," the angel rolled his eyes, "Glad that meme's outta the way." "Uh...guys...I think I know what I'm gonna do," Spike told the yin and yang. "Whatever you do I know will be the right path," the angel told him before disappearing into a puff of smoke. "Well I need to beat it anyhow, got a date with a little filly conscience," the devil excused himself. With the two bickering sides of himself out of the way, Spike walked down the stairs and into Twilight's underground laboratory. It didn't take long for him to find a metal pipe that hadn't been built into anything yet. Though hesitant about his decision, the dragon crept back up to Twilight's bed and crouched over her. "Just know that I'm only doing this cause I love you and you're my best friend," he whispered into her ear. Slowly he lifted the pipe above his head and closed his eyes. --- "Oh no, not this time," Pinkie Pie growled. Had any resident of Ponyville seen her, even they would have thought the pink pony had gone nuts. For whatever unexplained reason she'd taped her ears around her head, straightened out her tail and superglued it so that it would weigh down too much to even move, and pinned her eyelids open. "Oh you know why I'm doing this..." she hissed. Whoever she was talking to couldn't be seen th- "Of course you can't be seen dumbass," she continued, breaking the rule of starting a new paragraph each time a character spoke. Why exactly she was doing any of this- "To stop you from abusing my Pinkie Sense anymore than it's ever been used. But fine, I'll get going to meet up with some of the others. Just know that I have you beat for once!" With those words the pins suddenly popped off her eyelids, the superglue melted out of her tail, and her ears snapped back to normal. "GOD DAMNIT!" --- "You like it?" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly. Twilight was crouched over a trashcan with her eyes rather dark underneath. "I still feel it at the back of my throat..." she moaned unpleasantly. She couldn't believe that a cupcake of any sort could taste that vile after the initial impact. Normally Pinkie Pie made such delectable treats, especially for living in the place that she did. Hell, it'd take effort to make a cupcake so bad!...for anyone! What had she put in it! "Pinkie...wait...before I ridicule you about that horrifying thing, do you know just what's going on? Where are we?" Twilight asked hoping she had some answers. "Why Sugarcube Corner silly," the pink one danced around happily. As she did so though, something odd started to happen. The bottom of her hooves stuck to the floor and ripped off revealing purple legs beneath, the rest of the cover shaking off with each bounce. Twilight's jaw dropped a bit as the final pieces fell from the excited pony's corpse revealing...well...herself. It did not change the expression though. This new Twilight was just as excited as Pinkie Pie normally was! "Alright that's it, tell me what the hell's going on!" Twilight yelled pinning the duplicate against the wall. "Whatcha mean?" her voice asked from her side. Surprised, she turned to see the clone next to her. Upon looking back at where she had pinned it there was nothing but air. "Wha...but...you...I..." "You're silly," the new Twilight giggled ruffling her hair, "How's about we have some fun with Spike?" "Spike's here?" Twilight asked not knowing whether to be relieved or afraid at how the world might have changed him. "Well of course," the new clone shrugged, "Wasn't Pinkie Pie here?" "That was you," Twilight said flatly, "Er, I mean...me...I think...are you me?..." "Of course I'm you," it laughed, "I'm Twilight! But you should keep better track of Pinkie Pie." Twilight opened her mouth to argue but decided against it. She could see where the discussion might lead. Endless circles of annoyance. "Maybe you should head to the library," it suggested with a slasher-like grin, "I bet Spike would love to see you. After all, another us is already there. She gots the glasses!" Twilight slowly backed away. The hectic version of her was starting to remind her of how she was when she'd panicked over not reporting to Celestia about friendship enough. She had to admit...it was rather scary now that she got a good look at her eye-twitching face. "Right..." she chuckled nervously. --- "What the bloody hell were you thinking!" the angel cried while the devil remained rolling head over heels on the bed sheets with laughter. Spike bit his lower lip. Despite his efforts Twilight still had not woken up. "Well you know...I was worried..." he mumbled. "So you beat her over the head with a pipe!" the devil gagged through his laughs, "CLASSIC!" "I thought it'd be enough to wake her up!" Spike reasoned. The angel put a hand to his forehead. "Oh don't you facepalm me!" Spike growled. "You beat your girlfriend over the head with a metal pipe!" the angel yelled back. Spike looked down at Twilight's snoring figure again and rubbed his arm. "...alright facepalm me," Spike allowed the gesture without consequence. "Oh this ain't no time for facepalmin'!" the devil Spike exclaimed handing the angel and the real Spike two bottles of some sort of alcoholic beverage, "This is party time! Our dragon's finally growing up wing-boy!" Spike just cringed and knelt down against Twilight. "What do I do now!" he cried, "I've tried everything! She isn't waking up!" The Spikes jumped a bit at the yawn Twilight gave. "Well...who do we know that can fix-" "Fluttershy!" Spike happily cut off the angel. Without a moment more, he hoisted the pony over his shoulder and ran out the front door. "Really?" the devil asked, "I was thinking more along the lines of Zecora." "Me too," the angel agreed, "I mean they've been pestering the poor girl for the past three chapters it seems." "Eh, just chalk it up to an unimaginative author," the devil muttered, "Now, where's that book..." "You know we can't do anything without Spike," the angel folded his arms over his chest. "...damnit..." --- "Come on Sweetie Belle, we can't do this crap without ya!" Scootaloo hollered up to the window. The young white unicorn gave a sad look to her friends below. "I already told you guys that I'm grounded!" she replied. "Yeah, by your SISTER," Scootaloo reminded. "Yeah, YOUR sister," Apple Bloom emphasized. Sweetie Belle bit her lip and stole a glance back at the door to her room. Nothing seemed all that risky about just stepping downstairs to talk to her friends for a minute. "Alright fine, I'll be down in a sec," she told them. It took a bit of courage to make her way to the door and place her hoof on it. Even more to turn the nob and open it. Sweetie Belle cringed upon hearing the creak that accompanied its swinging. Rarity was sure to have heard! It was only a split second that she stuck her head out. From what she saw there was no pony anywhere in the boutique other than her. With her luck Rarity was still in bed or busy with a loud sewing machine! With a renewed confidence Sweetie Belle flew down the staircase and threw the front door open. "So what's the plan?" she asked. "I figured we'd probably swing by Zecora's," Scootaloo receited the idea she'd been going over in her head since she'd woken up that morning, "She seemed to know at least something about that statue's neck thingy from all that hocus pocus she was spouting. Then with whatever we come up with at her place we work with from there." Sweetie Belle gave a smile and a nod and stepped out of the Boutique. "And just what are you three bothering Zecora for?" Rarity's voice sounded from behind her. Sweetie Belle gulped and turned around. There stood her sister glaring down at her. "If you two didn't know, Sweetie Belle is grounded today. And SHE certainly knows that. Now upstairs. Chop chop," Rarity commanded. Sweetie Belle began to step back into the building but two hooves stopped her. "We need to go to Zecora's," Scootaloo said sternly, lowering her hoof with a glare of her own on her face. "And I have yet to hear just why you three need to," Rarity told them. "None o your business," Apple Bloom answered lowering her's, "Cutie Mark stuff." "Then it'll have to wait," Rarity figured, "Now come on Sweetie." "Guys, just go without me," she sighed. Again Sweetie was halted from her trek back in. Apple Bloom had grabbed ahold of her flank and pulled back. "Cutie Mark Crusader's stick together, now run!" Scootaloo ordered kicking up a cloud of dust from the ground in Rarity's face. "AH! Why you little-it'll take hours to get this crap outta my hair!" she coughed and hacked as the fillies took off towards the Everfree Forest. It didn't take long for the unicorn that the pegasus had assaulted to take chase after them. "Great job at getting me grounded for life," Sweetie Belle thanked sarcastically. "SWEETIE BELLE! YOU GET YOUR FLANK BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" she could hear her sister scream. "Relax," Scootaloo smirked, "We'll just lose her in the Forest." The vegetation certainly was coming pretty fast. "How come anyone can just done get to Zecora's if they're going there no matter where they enter this here Forest?" Apple Bloom wondered. "Plot convenience," Sweetie Belle guessed. --- "Alright, so what's all this ruckus?" Applejack grumbled. Ever since she'd fallen at Fluttershy's house she'd woken to a rather...different Ponyville. The settings were the same, but there was something off about it all. Added to that, she'd come in contact with at least three different ponies that looked and talked exactly like her. "Well dontcha know stranger?" another her asked leaping down next to her. She groaned at its entrance. She knew she wasn't the worst pony in the world, but having too many of anyone would get pretty annoying. "Well o course I don't," she grumbled, "otherwise I wouldn't have asked that there. Can you explain all this horseapples to me?" "Why sure as sunshine sugah," the new her laughed, "You're dreamin'." "I'm wah?" Applejack said in disbelief. The clone nodded at her. "Just try thinkin' o something oh great one," it proposed. Mainly out of curiosity she did as suggested and thought of the first thing that came to her mind. Instantly an apple materialized out of thin air and fell the ground in front of her. "Why shoot, that be one darn good apple if ever I saw one!" the clone happily munched it to pieces. "...what's goin-" "Here, I'll show ya around," it offered. Figuring it was better than nothing, Applejack followed herself into the distorted Ponyville. --- "Alright, so we've had two segments end with someone saying damnit...gotta find some way to top that by the end of this one..." Rainbow Dash rubbed her chin. "Um who are you talking to?" Fluttershy asked. "No one," Rainbow muttered, "So you tried everything?" "YES!" Fluttershy yelped grabbing Rainbow Dash and shaking her, "I've done everything that I know of how to cure animals that have been afflicted with diseases, even Ebola!" "Scary," Rainbow Dash said breaking free from the yellow pegasus' grip, "Well, guess we're screwed." "But that's what I'm supposed to think!" tears began to form in Fluttershy's eyes, "You're supposed to be "oh let's go get em everypony! Doesn't matter if we get killed or anything! If there's a way to win I-er-I mean WE are going to find it!"! You don't just give up! You're Rainbow Dash, the team's quote unquote best player!" "Alright alright," Rainbow Dash grumbled at the invisible quote marks, "It's just that the thing is that I'm no doctor or nothing. That's you or Twilight's field if anyone's in the group. I really do got nothin' on this crap." Fluttershy looked at Applejack worriedly she didn't seem all that bad other than the fact that she wouldn't wake up...and she did seem to look like she was turning a bit gray...even the mouse had toppled over soon after her was. "Guys!" Spike's sudden entrance almost rocketed Fluttershy through the roof. If the scares didn't stop she was bound to have a heart attack one of these days. "Oh..." he said spotting the farmer on the bed nearby, "Guess you already know what's goin' on..." "I wish!" Fluttershy whimpered, "I'm guessing you and Twilight do?" "If she would wake up," Spike said lying her on the ground and admittedly a bit relieved that he no longer needed to carry her. Both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash's eyes expanded at the sight of the snoozing magic expert. She too was getting a bit dark colored. "Well this is just great, the only other pony besides me that can do anything physically and the nerd genius down and out," Rainbow Dash muttered. Fluttershy began to pace around the room frantically. "No no no...this can't be happening," she cried more to herself than the other two, "I'm supposed to know how to tend wounds and ease pains and stuff!" As the words entered his head, the gears in Spikes mind began to churn. Wounds...ease pains...stuff... "Zecora!" Spike exclaimed. Both the conscious ponies gave him their attention. "That must of been who the angel was talking about!" "Uh...what angel?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Oh Angel, did you help Spike out?" Fluttershy asked nuzzling her nose against his smaller body. The bunny just looked at the inhabitants of the cottage and shrugged. "Well either way, she has solved a ton of our problems before," Rainbow reasoned, "Alright, I'll carry AJ, Spike you get Twilight-" "Yipee..." "And Flu-" "Alright, let's just get this over with," Pinkie Pie grumbled as she entered. Everyone aside from her was baffled by the flapping eared and blinking pony's intrusion. How she even knew that any of them were there was a mysterious, but then again they had to keep in mind who it was that had appeared out of thin air. "Uh...alright..." Spike said slowly, "Why are you-" "The faster we get this done the closer I'll be to this stupid ass author messing with my Pinkie Sense!" she fumed. "...Pinkie Pie, you're so-" "Random," Fluttershy and Spike finished Rainbow Dash's sentence. "...*censored* you guys." --- "So what are you guys exactly?" Twilight asked. "You haven't figured it out by now?" her glasses wearing clone asked. The unicorn just shook her head. "Well some good I've done you," it sighed, "Considering you use me the most." That's when Twilight realized. "Oh no. No no no! Not one of those stupid episodes!" Twilight refused the notion, "I mean it's such an overdone thing! Teen Titans, Jimmy Neutron, practically any cartoon that has a shot at lasting a long time does this crap!" "Well if it's any consolation, we're just you exploring your inner mind instead of being full fledged emotion-based split personalities of yourself that leak into the real world like how it is with most cases," the glasses wearing one informed, "And besides, you haven't even met all of us. Doubt you ever will get the chance to." "Why's that?" "Cause you're dying." Twilight looked at the duplicate of herself for a while before the words finally hit her. "I'm sorry, what?" she said confused. "You Are Dying," the other her repeated turning her attention away from her book. Twilight's jaw hung a bit. She had to admit that she certainly hadn't been feeling the best ever since entering the odd world within her mind; but dying? That certainly wasn't what she'd expected. "What can I do to-" "You can't," her other self told her. "Then how will I-" "Friendship got you this far," it said turning back to her, "Friendship will get you out of this. You know that. Spike won't just leave you lying in bed all day long. He's not THAT stupid. One of your friends will either know a way to get you out of this situation or know someone that they theorize might and take you to them. They will not give up on you no matter what, nor would you for them. You are very lucky to have come to Ponyville." Twilight opened her mouth to speak again but couldn't. She was still processing what all she'd just heard. "But...say I do die..." she eventually suggested. "Then I suggest you do anything you've always wanted to here in this world," it told her, "After all, it is your mind. You write the rules." Twilight blinked. She hadn't thought about that before. "So I could've erased that crazy me that was disguised as Pinke at Sugarcube Corner?" she inquired. "If you wanted to erase any moment of insanity of any sort that you've ever had thus altering all emotions in your makeup. Not that wise of a move I'd say." Twilight scratched her head. She really did think more than she thought she did now that she saw her analytical self at work. But more importantly, what did she want to do if she was dying?...what was there that she hadn't experienced. With the thought that popped into her head Spike appeared next to her. "I'll let you two have some time alone," the personality said teleporting out of the library. Spike just looked up at Twilight who now had a grin plastered on her face. "Whatcha doing?" Spike asked. "We are going to sleep," she told him hoisting him onto her back and trotting towards her bed, "I've read ahead in an "advanced" edition of the boyfriend book." --- "Come on! How in Equestria haven't we lost her yet!" Scootaloo yelled. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Apple Bloom duck under a lifted tree root in the path she was running. No matter what way they swerved or skidded through the Everfree Forest, Rarity just wouldn't let up. Scootaloo was sure that the dirt and mud and leaves and other such messy qualities would've had at least some effect on the fussy nitpicky unicorn, but she just kept coming. Even through things that only things as small as fillies could get through she somehow managed to make it past! "Rarity! You're going the wrong way! We went to the left at that last tree!" Sweetie Belle hollered back. "How stupid do you think I am!" she yelled. "Adequately," Scootaloo muttered under her breath, "Girls! Just focus on getting to Zecora's! We're almost there! Once we're inside she'll defend us some way! Those riddles of hers'll drive your sister up the wall!" Continuing on their way, the fleeing ponies didn't have much time to notice their surroundings. The deeper they got into the Everfree Forest things started getting grayer and darker with each passing moment. As they neared Zecora's dwelling there was hardly any life at all, but still they were too preoccupied. Rarity was still hot on their hooves. They did take note and stopped though once they did finally pop into the clearing that the foreign home stood in. More wildlife than they'd ever seen was surrounding it! "Um...what is this?..." Rarity said quietly having stopped too and forgotten about the whole reason why she was chasing the Cutie Mark Crusaders in the first place. It was as though every animal that could had decided to congregate at the house, the only piece of land so deep in the Everfree Forest with all of its color still intact. "Only one way to find out," Scootaloo muttered starting up the journey once more to the house, Rarity now in league with their curiosity. Had she known that such a strange scene would have befallen the younger ponies she'd certainly had never let them anywhere near the forest, but now that she herself had seen the strangeness there was no way to turn back no matter how much her mind begged her to. "Hey Ze-out of my way you stupid Manticorn! Zecora! You home?" Scootaloo barked leading the ponies forcefully through the crowd of strange creatures that had congregated about the residence. Apple Bloom made sure to turn away from the Cockatrice she spotted. It seemed too preoccupied with fear though to want to turn anyone to stone that day however. "Zecora!" Apple Bloom was the one to ask now. "Hush child! I am in here!" the deeper female voice called from the building, "Get out of my place you frantic deer!" The animal leapt out of the door giving the ponies a way to enter. Rarity was rather surprised upon finding who all was inside. "Fluttershy? Rainbow Dash? Spike? Pinkie Pie...what are you all doing here?" she asked. A look at Twilight and Applejack was all that was needed. "...what's going on?..." she said slowly. "Something only your group can mend," Zecora answered before tipping a vial of liquid that she had prepared into Twilight's mouth. --- "Well shoot howdy, I didn't know I had a lying side!" Applejack exclaimed. "You don't!" the other her tried to say otherwise, "Rainbow Dash loves not having wings!" Applejack stiffled a laugh at that claim. She certainly hadn't thought that a whole world would've existed inside her own head. How or why she'd gotten there though she had no idea. "This here side of you was only used once," the one that had been guiding her explained, "I believe you remember the mish-mash of creatures that warped you and your friends." Applejack's eyes lowered at the memory. Though it was pretty darn funny seeing ol' granny smiss tap dancing around the farm that day. A rumble shook her from her thoughts though. All across the land as far as she could see the setting began to crack and structures collapsed to the ground. "Wh-what's g-g-going on!" her voice vibrated from the vicious tremor. "It's trying to keep you in this state," cracks began to form along the other her's body. The lying personality had already shattered into a mess on the floor. "Your friends are trying to evict it. It doesn't want to leave," as it finished its sentence the avatar cracked and collapsed to a pile of shards. What happened next Applejack doubted she'd ever forget. From out of a pile of cracks in front of her erupted a mountain of flames, its sheer sight searing the land around it. But it wasn't uncontrolled. There was a presence to it. A dark vile soul which's eyes peered through areas that the flames wouldn't touch, the sides of the form shaping into horns at its head. Applejack was paralyzed with fear. She'd never such an image. She knew it was just her mind, but she still felt the thing. It didn't belong. It's what had brought her into this world. Seeming desperate to cling to her conscienceness for as long any moment more, the being reared back and flung itself at her. Applejack closed her eyes to brace for the lethal impact. --- "AH!" the Earth pony cried. Sweat trickled down her face as she awoke. Her chest heaved heavily with each breath she took. It took a while for her to comprehend what had happened. Whatever it was that was in her mind had not killed her. She'd woken up. Whether it was the smell or air or simply the change infeel, she knew she was awake. Looking around now she could tell that she was in Zecora's little hut for some reason, as were her friends. Twilight seemed in a rather similar state when compared to herself. "What in tarnation..." she said under her breath. "TWILIGHT!" Spike flung the unicorn back with the hug he gave her. "H...hey Spike..." Twilight gave a half hearted smile nuzzling her snout into his forehead, "Guess this isn't my mind anymore." "It most certainly is not," Zecora declared, "Now come, let us make this stop." Applejack and Twilight looked at each other. "Say, anyone know why we were apparently sawing logs?" the more country-accustomed pony asked to the group. "Zecora here told us that the Everfree Forest's been causing all sortsa strange things ever since a few days ago," Rainbow Dash explained, "Either of you two been around it at all since then?" "Well, I did chase that darn squirrel through the outskirts of it," Applejack recollected from earlier that day. "And while Spike was out looking for-" "-a frisbee!" Rainbow Dash cleverly covered up the search for Tank causing all attention to draw to her blushing form. "...a frisbee...I did go to pick some flowers for research around here," Twilight finished and thought for a second, "Hold on, Zecora, why aren't you affected?" "Dear child, you know of my ways," Zecora laughed, "I simply cast a potion to protect me for days. My home is that a sanctuary for all who draw near. But we must put a stop to the source of this fear." Scootaloo just covered her ears at the rhyming. "Tell me when she shuts up." "We've all had some of that potion that woke you guys up," Rainbow Dash told them, "So we'll all be immune from the effects. Now lets go take care of that statue's necklace!" "Wait, how'd you know about it?" Apple Bloom asked. "The author had a discussion between all of us offscreen," the pegasus replied nonchalantly, "Now let's go!" Nodding in agreement, even if Fluttershy's one was a bit...shaky, the group of ponies and one zebra tore out the door and into the Everfree Forest. It didn't take long before dead and sleeping animals started to litter the ground. It took all of Rarity's effort to keep the crying Fluttershy from stopping at each one. "We are drawing near," Zecora informed, her collection of medicinal equipment jangling with each fall of her hooves, "The moment of fate is practically here!" The group skidded to a halt as they came to the clearing that the statue was supposed to be in. The Cutie Mark Crusaders gasped. It was gone. "Well well well," a familiar voice laughed lightly from the tree its owner was lounging in above, "Looks like my fanclub has come to greet my newly freed body." "You have a fanclub?" Pinkie Pie asked. "More than you'd know," Discord grinned.