Are You Ready?

by Dirty Bit

Chapter 15

Another day flew by as Dr. Facilier completed his stack of books. Now he has enough medical and botanical knowledge to get himself a reserved spot at Ponyville Clinic. It was a thought, seeing as how it was sure to help him blend in and make some money for himself, but he missed fixing problems for others while at the same time making them worse. He closes his last medical book as he joined Fluttershy for a small breakfast consisting of oatmeal and juice in a box. While he was enjoying his warm meal, he looked over at Fluttershy and felt his heart twitch when he saw her sipping her juice box while holding it with her hooves 'Is this normal?'.

When he finished his meal, he went to go clean the dishes for Fluttershy, until he heard a knock on the door, the timid mare hopping from her seat and trotting to the front "Coming!" She called as she reached the front door and opened it to reveal Twilight Sparkle, who was happy to see Fluttershy "Hi, Fluttershy! Is Dr. Facilier home? I wanted to talk to him." Fluttershy nods to her question and responds "He's inside taking care of the dishes. Come on in, maybe we can talk over some tea...If you want to, I mean..." Twilight could only chuckle "Actually, knowing the doctor, he'll probably make a trip to the library after he's done. That's why I'm here, actually. I wanted to invite him over to my house if he was free, so I could possibly learn more about his life and his methods of magic. With how long he's been here and what he's been up to, he really has me curious about him." Fluttershy looked down "Oh...I see...W-Well, I'll ask him if he wants to. Wait right here, please." Twilight nodded and did what she was asked as Fluttershy trotted back into the kitchen to see the Shadowcolt using his magic to clean the dishes at a breakneck pace. When he was finished, he noticed the timid mare approach him, and wondered why he noticed Twilight at the door.

"Hey, Fluttershy, what's Twilight want?
She got more nifty books to flaunt?"

Fluttershy looked away, not happy with the doctor's assumption with more books getting in the way of their friendship, but looked back to him to explain the real reason "Um...Actually, Twilight wanted to know if you could come back with her to her library so you two could talk...D-Do you want to??" The Shadowcolt rubbed his chin, and felt it best to oblige to a cordial offer back to Twilight's library for a little chat. He was already finished with his newest pile of books and could use more tasty info to give himself a better look on Equestria and what it has to offer other than its plants and inhabitants. He looked at Fluttershy and nodded.

"Yeah, I'll go, I got nothin' better to do.
But I wanna hear an opinion from you..."

Fluttershy didn't expect Dr. Facilier to ask so much as her own opinion on the matter of him leaving her home again "W-Well, umm...Normally, I wouldn't stop you...You should do whatever makes you happy...A-And if you're happy, then so am I..." she looked up at the doctor with a smile, but on the inside, she wanted to say no. She really enjoyed Dr. Facilier's company, and felt compelled to ask him a certain question once the timing felt right. She saw the doctor nod in understanding, then began to trot his way out to the frotn door, levitating Fluttershy's saddlebags to his back and filling the bags with the books he borrowed. He approached Twilight with a grin on his face.

"How's it goin', my lavender girlie?
What say we head on to your home a bit early?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow with a smile "You trying too hard to impress me, Doc, but I'd be delighted. Let's go!" she said as the two began trotting to the library. Fluttershy watched them leave, and could only sigh at how she couldn't find the courage to ask him her question sooner. She turned to her furry companion Angel and ask him a question "Angel, do you think I'm thinking too hard on asking him early?" Angel could only facepaw and hop back into his home out of Fluttershy's sight, fed up with her naivete pertaining to Dr. Facilier and his villainous behavior. The timid mare drooped her ears and took a step back with a hoof up at this gesture 'Is he mad at me for using 'The Stare' yesterday?'.

The Shadowcolt and the lavender bookworm finally touched base at the library and went inside as the doctor returned his books in a proper fashion, making Twilight a happy mare at this action. She then called to her assistant "Spike! Can you get some tea ready for us? We have company!" Spike walked into the library from the kitchen, holding a tray consisting of a steaming teapot, some teacups, and a bowl of sugarcubes for sweetening said tea, while donning a smug expression "One step ahead of you!" He really enjoyed working hard for his de facto older sister, and takes pride in his skill when her pet owl Owliscious chooses not to step in. He sets the tea tray on a table and then goes back upstairs to enjoy some hard-earned 'Him time'. Twilight then motions for Dr. Facilier to take a seat as the two made themselves comfortable and began their pleasantries as Twilight levitated the teapot with her magic and poured some tea in both glasses "Dr. Facilier, let me be the first to say that I've never been more thrilled to have met another pony who shares the same love for books as I do. And a stallion, to boot! I could just thank you for reminding other ponies that you should take some time to actually give literature a chance and explore what it has to offer! Speaking of, I remembered you checking out some books on medicine and plants. Were you trying to refresh your memory, or perhaps search for new things to try?" The Shadowcolt, though not really in the mood for answering questions that could compromise his hidden visage, decided to humor Twilight by answering to the start of her little interview.

"Yeah, I was lookin' for somethin' new.
I really should be thankin' you."

Twilight giggled as she sipped her tea "Think nothing of it, Doctor. I'm only doing my job as a librarian! But I also wonder how you've come to enjoy Ponyville so far. Are you having a good time living with Fluttershy?" Dr. Facilier nodded, admitting that Fluttershy's company was more than bearable, although it began to make him a softy with how she projected her kindness at a frequent rate.

"It's all good with me an' her.
Though the days we've spent have been a blur."

Twilight tilted her head in a quizzical fashion as the Shadowcolt sipped his tea, and could tell he enjoyed it after giving the cup a surprised gaze. She wondered if he was actually good around Fluttershy with how he put his answer. The lavender mare decided to move on to another topic to see if she'll find out more stuff about him "Soooo, Dr. Facilier...What was life like before Ponyville??" Dr. Facilier almost spat out his tea, gulping it down hard as Twilight asked him that question. What exactly could he say to this one without giving away his past life of magical debauchery that went up in flames because of a certain animal? He looked down make it seem like he was lost in thought in terms on where to begin with the question, but was having trouble on how to make another lie. Didn't Twilight mention something about a country called Zebrica a few days back? Before he could try and derive his lie from that topic, there was a loud crash that could've been heard from inside the library, knocking down a few books in the process. At first, the Shadowcolt thought Spike made some kind of mistake, but then noticed that a window on the upper floor of the library was opened. He then heard Twilight groan in annoyance as she trotted over to the book pile "Every time...EVERY time..." She muttered in an irritated tone as she reached the pile and levitated some books with her magic, revealing a dazed Rainbow Dash snapping out of her dizziness and noticing Twilight staring at her with indignation. Rainbow Dash went to speak, but was interrupted by the lavender mare "Let me guess...new trick?" Dash chuckled in embarrassment while scratching the back of her head and averting her eyes from Twilight, only to notice Dr. Facilier sitting on a chair staring in confusion. She then got up and trotted over to him with a smile "Hey, Doc! How's it going? You and Twilight having a tea party or something?" Twilight turned to Rainbow and sighed "We were having a conversation until you barged into my library...AGAIN." Rainbow held her head down and folded her ears as she spoke the last part in a heavier tone, but then perked up to talk to the Shadowcolt some more "So how are you and Fluttershy doing? I never really thought about talking with you guys cuz you know how me and AJ are sometimes." She chuckled, leaving the doctor to grimace at the dirty images trying to cloud his mind "I'll bet she's jealous about you seeing Twilight more often!" this made Twilight blush in embarrassment to Rainbow's words "Rainbow Dash, cut it out already! We were only talking and nothing more than that!" Rainbow waved a hoof "Calm down, egghead! I know what you were doing." She then turned to Twilight "I heard this guy met Zecora a couple of days ago. It would be wierd to hear two zebras speaking in rhymes." She flinched and turned to Dr. Facilier "No offense..." The doctor waved a dismissive hoof.

"None taken, deary, you didn't hurt me at all...
But could you mind tellin' me where you sell your dolls?"

The mentioning of Zecora made the faint flicker of revenge course through his mind. He learned to keep it at as a distant thought so he wouldn't have to hear that awful song, and buried it with a successful load of curiousity. Little did he know that his answer came in the form of laughing from the prismatic pegasus, replying to the bemused Shadowcolt after her fit of laughter "Aren't you a little too OLD to be playing with dolls, Doc? I mean, what could you possibly want with one!?" She fell on her back and continued laughing, unaware that Dr. Facilier was glaring at her and trying to hold back his anger at the same time. Now he'll make a mental note to buy TWO dolls for himself, but then he looked up to see Twilight curious about the Shadowcolt's question "What would you want with a doll, Dr. Facilier? Do you collect them perhaps? If so, it's nice to know that you have a good hobby to keep you occupied!" He shifted his eyes awkwardly, and then smiled as he decided to build a lie off of Twilight's questions.

"Why yes, my dear, I collect me some toys,
Though it alienated me from the other boys.
I buy me dolls that are naked in base.
So I may decorate them with some clothes and a face..."

Twilight smiled at his words with fascination "So not only do you collect dolls, you make other ponies from them also? You really astound me with your talents, Dr. Facilier! There's a shop a few blocks down from the library, and they have exactly what you're looking for!" She said with confidence in the doctor's abilities, and the Shadowcolt grinned with the info.

"Thank ya kindly for the info, girl.
I'm so happy I could jus' twirl!
But instead, I'll borrow another grimoire,
And make my talents go very far!"

Twilight looked down in disappointment that she wouldn't be able to find out more about Dr. Facilier, but looked up with a smile "Okay, Doctor. Feel free to look around while I get this mess up." She called to the stairs "Spike! I need you again!" Spike was found walking down the stairs and rubbing his eyes, leading the group of ponies to believe he was taking a nap, then widened his eyes to see a pile of books on the floor, then noticed Rainbow Dash and looked annoyed "You practice too many tricks, Rainbow..." he muttered as he cracked his back and went to work.

After borrowing another book on magic to place in his saddlebag, he waved goodbye to his 'friends' and trotted out of the library for his next destination. As he trotted, however, he remembered something of dire importance that was even needed back in his time.

...Money...

He could just kick himself for wandering around town without to coins to feel in his hooves, and decided to wing it as he looked around for somepony to 'borrow' some money from. The Shadowcolt kept watchful eyes, and then beamed as he noticed a pair of ponies travelling together. One of them was a mint-colored unicorn with a lyre as a cutie mark, while the other was a cream-colored mare with a blue and purple tail and mane carrying an open sack of gold coins that he knew was what he needed for his current objective. He signalled his shadow to swoop over and carefully scoop an amount of bits from her sack without her looking, and quickly flew back and poured the small haul of cash in a vacant saddlebag. He grinned and brohoofed his shady partner and made his way towards the doll shop that came into view.

After being lucky enough to make a purchase for one base pony-shaped doll, he noticed that the salespony was raising an eyebrow at the Shadowcolt in question "Aren't you a little too OLD to be playing with dolls?" Everypony just wanted to try his patience today, but all he could do was charm this one like he did with almost all the other mares without effort.

"Age is only a state o' mind...
Also, this is for a friend o' mine."

The salespony looked moved "Awwww~! Well tell your friend I said hi. Have a nice day!" He made his way out as he levitated his doll and gave a low chuckle after he tipped his hat to the mare and walked out of the shop. When he came out, however, he was met with a shout "Look! There he is!!" He darted his head left and right, wondering who could be expecting the Shadowcolt on a day like this, and then noticed a familiar set of fillies racing towards him. He noticed Scootaloo riding on a scooter with a helmet, pulling a wagon that held Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, who wore helmets as well. The orange pegasus skidded to a halt in front of Dr. Facilier, who almost thought he was about to get ran over, and noticed her grinnign widely at him "Thank Celestia I found you! We were just looking for you after we were done with school! Do you think maybe we could talk later?" She sounded as if she drank her first cup of coffee. Sweetie Belle noticed the doll in Dr. Facilier's saddlebag and asked "Is that a doll? Aren't you a little too OLD to be playing with dolls?" Oh, a nickel (or in this case 'bit') for every time he heard that one, he thought, as he rolled his eyes, but then noticed that Applebloom was staring intently at him, as if she were expecting the doctor to do something out of the ordinary. Wanting to avoid the group of children in his sights, he tried to approach them in a calm and collective manner.

"It's nice to see you girls today,
But I'm a busy colt, and should be on my way."

Applebloom finally spoke "For what? Do y'all have somethin' special planned fer you and Fluttershy?" This kind of got annoying to him now. Does everypony in Ponyville think that the Shadowcolt and the timid mare were in some sort of relationship? If anything, he wouldn't mind for a little one-night stand if he felt up to it, but if anything this only provoked the thought of finding a vacant building in town and make it his new home so he could properly isolate himself from the public. Applebloom continued speaking to the doctor "Zecora said y'all are a shady colt with what ya say an' do...So why don't ya tell us why you bought that there doll?" She asked in a tone similar to a cop interrogating a criminal. This one had nerve to think she was in control here, but he didn't want to get on Applejack's bad side. He decided to grin at the fillies and dissuade them with his silver tongue.

"The doll's jus' a hobby of mine, you see...
I'd expect more understanding from you three.
I have a hoof in crafting these things,
and unrivaled joy to me it brings."

Sweetie Belle smiled at how he projected his words "So that's why you bought it? That sounds nice! Do you plan to give it to somepony you know and love?" Scootaloo felt bored and ignored with the conversation leaning towards dolls, and cut in with her own question "Hey, Dr. Faci-...Fa-silly-...Doc! Do you know any way of making Rainbow Dash like me at all? Did you run into her by any chance?" He sighed, and wondered why he didn't buy two dolls, but digressed as he tried throwing off the orange filly with more words.

"Yeah, I saw her. She is really nice.
That girl, like you, is full o' spice...
But as much as I'd love to speak with y'all,
I should head back to Fluttershy's before nightfall."

Scootaloo felt brushed off as she counter "But it's only 3 in the afternoon! We have plenty of time to talk!" Applebloom added with a suspicious tone "Yeah...So why doncha talk with us, Dr. Fa-cee-lee-ae?" Sweetie Belle smiled "Could you maybe teach us how to dance like you?" He felt like he was being cornered by a bunch of children, but then he heard a familiar sound "Applebloom!" He looked behind the fillies to see Applejack trotting over to the group with a ster look on her face "Applebloom, y'all were supposed to help me back at th' farm! Why're you choosin' to forget about yer chores?" Applebloom flinched, remembering she had work to do after she was done with school, and felt defeated, knowing she had to leave Dr. Facilier alone in the process. She sighed "Sorry, sis. I jus' wanted to talk to Dr. Fa-cee-lee-ae is all..." She turned to see the Shadowcolt look as if he were forced in a corner, but then grinned at her when they made eye contact. Applejack tipped her hat as she apologized to him "Sorry if these three were botherin' ya, Doc. Ya know how curious kids can be, right?" She chuckled as Dr. Facilier joined with a forced chuckle of his own.

"Yeah, I know what you mean, AJ.
But now I'd best be on my way."

Applejack nodded "Alrighty then. Happy trails to ya, Doc!" she waved as she noticed him gallop away as if he were being chased. She tilted her head as she asked "What is with that zebra?" The three fillies pouted, knowing that they were denied a chance to learn from Dr. Facilier. The orange cowpony looked down at the three "Aww, don't get all saddlesore, young'uns. Y'all know that everypony has a busy schedule! Why doncha join me an' Applebloom on the farm, and maybe we could treat ya to some snacks?" The three perked up to the thought and cheered as they followed Applejack back to Sweet Apple Acres.

As nightfall hit Fluttershy's cottage, chuckling was heard as Dr. Facilier stared at his nearly completed invention with dark glee, grinning widely at his success. He decorated the doll he made with rings and painted stripes, and blue buttons for the eyes as he made a doll resembling Zecora. But something was missing, as he brooded about the flaw in his plan.

In order to make a good voodoo doll...he needed the hair of the victim.