//------------------------------// // Chapter 41 // Story: Joe // by JMDARE //------------------------------// Rarity forced a smile onto her face as she heard the door of the Carousel Boutique open. She would normally be pleased at so many visitors to her shop but normally they’d be there to buy or make orders, not to simply gawp at her. Eventually Twilight would come up with a cure and the other residents of Ponyville would not find it so surprising to not see Applejack here, or perhaps by then they would all have already visited to see her at work. She had genuinely forgiven Twilight for the spell and Joe for the accidental sabotage of the cure but the longer this went on the wobblier that forgiveness became. Then the professional smile shifted subtly to a genuine one as she saw who was entering. “Rainbow, how delightful to see you. Don’t tell me you need another dress?” Rarity winked. “Or have you come for the outer layers of the other one, and have decided to take the advice of wearing only that?” “Hah!” Rainbow Dash replied. “I don’t need that help to break Joe out of a mood.” “I am not sure I want to know the details,” admitted Rarity, “strange as that might seem coming from me.” “I posed seductively,” Rainbow Dash grinned, “and then, once he’d noticed the pose, I asked if he had thought of having foals.” “Oh my! That would… get the attention… of most males after a grand total of one date. Though as amusing as it is to imagine the reaction…” “Or to see it.” “That doesn’t answer why you are here.” “I’ve come to pick up one of Joe’s shirts for him…” “Rainbow!” Rarity exclaimed. “How domestic of you!” “What? No!” “You’ve talked about foals,” Rarity continued, turning and walking towards the more private areas of the boutique, “and now he’s sending you to get his clothes for him…” “I volunteered,” spluttered Rainbow Dash, walking after her, “and he doesn’t like the idea of sending me places…” “And yet here you are,” Rarity pointed out, turning and giving her friend an arch look. Then she smiled. “But I suppose you’d both rather get chores out of the way as soon as possible so you can do other things?” “Yes, but it’s not like that.” “Oh?” “He was trying to hide the fact that Princess Celestia had spoken to him last night…” Rainbow Dash began, going on to explain how she’d sent a letter rather than return with Spike, how the Princess had teleported Joe to the Golden Oaks Library, what the Princess had said to them there, and how she’d caused Joe’s armour to vanish to make him huggable. “That does sound more huggable,” agreed Rarity, “though I don’t know why you are here rather than Joe. Teasing about domesticity aside if he’s at the library then that is not a long walk. Or has his skin gone a funny colour? Or is he still trying to hide his shape?” “That’s what we asked, but… you remember those three stallions in Cloudsdale? That bullied me when they were colts?” “And who admired my temporary wings, and who you had the pleasure of snubbing. Yes.” “Seems there are similar human males, and one thing they like is showing off by wearing a vest or no shirt. Joe was quite grumpy about how it was fine to not wear much on the beach, even if that was just a banana hammock…” “Banana ha… oh my,” Rarity twinkled, connecting shape and the focus of Joe’s strange nudity taboo, “well I suppose that gives you some idea Rainbow.” “Er, yes,” blushed Rainbow Dash, lightly. “Or did you already have some idea?” Rainbow Dash looked at her friend for a moment. “Anyway, Joe admitted it could just be the weather was warm rather than showing off, and claimed it wasn’t that he wanted to avoid showing off, but he’d just rather not wander through town without a shirt…” “Which is strange.” “And I am not being domestic.” “Never thought you were, darling,” Rarity replied, turning away again and entering the backroom. Rainbow Dash reluctantly followed, looking as if she was expecting ambush, and looked around. Inside were piles of cloth and shelves of thread and at one end of a counter were two neat stacks of folded cloth and a saggy large bag. Noticing that there were some scraps of loose light fabric laid out she considered whether to fly rather than walk to the counter and say ‘oops’ at blowing things awry after the teasing, but did just walk. “Now as you can see, dear, Joe did carry rather a large bag, and I am sure he’d be happy to show off for you, if not for the rest of Ponyville, if you need something bulky carried…” “And I can tease him that here he’s the pack horse,” Rainbow Dash grinned. “But,” continued Rarity, returning a smile, “it is a little bulky for you, so let’s find ourselves a smaller bag and put only two or three shirts and a pair of trousers or two in it.” “He only needs the one shirt at the moment,” Rainbow Dash pointed out, a little puzzled. “Oh, I know, but…” == Twilight Sparkle paced as she thought. Princess Celestia’s letter had been very useful and, even if she was sure much had been simplified, she had a better idea of why things had spread beyond her friends. Starswirl the Bearded’s intent did seem to be to affect a Pony’s Cutie Mark, perhaps to allow them to choose a different path in life without it feeling wrong, and to only affect that Pony ‘singled out alone fulfilled’. However that wouldn’t work as it would take a lot of magical power and that power would be linked to the destiny of the Unicorn casting it, so you’d be trying to affect destiny with destiny. Here though the spell had worked through the Elements of Harmony and had drawn tiny fractions of power from all the other Ponies. That had been enough to leave those Ponies subtly affected and, when concentrated in them through their Elements, enough to alter her friends more strongly. However despite that apparent ‘success’ it had still not worked as intended. A sort of ‘tension’ remained between the Element Holders and the other Ponies as they continued to affect each other. The spell had ended when she’d finished casting it but the links still existed. Which was where Joe had spoiled things. Whoever had reminded them of their destinies and helped them reject the influence of the spell the power concentrated in her friends would have been released. Had their Elements been around their necks though that power would have been released back through those links, reversing the subtle influence on the other Ponies and then rebounding back as the links faded to finish curing her friends. Rather than simply being purged from them and leaving the subtle effects untouched and her friends only partially cured. Twilight Sparkle glanced at Joe as Spike took advantage of him being there to start on sorting some books from a high shelf. She had something to ask Zecora, once she’d altered the checklist since Spike was doing that job out of order and once Rainbow Dash returned. == A streak of colours hurtled low through the Ponyville streets, linking the Carousel Boutique and the Golden Oaks Library for an instant before it faded and Rainbow Dash slipped inside the latter. She’d not wanted anypony to see what she was carrying and had to control a grin of anticipation as Twilight Sparkle stopped pacing and Joe turned and gave her a smile before passing down the last couple of books to Spike. That done he wandered across the library to go down on one knee and give his marefriend a quick kiss between the eyes. Before he could rise Rainbow Dash popped a forehoof onto the knee that was not on the floor and gave him an equally quick kiss on the lips. “Hey! Watch it,” Spike warned, “Baby Dragons present.” “And he has been present,” smiled Joe, as Rainbow Dash withdrew her hoof and he could stand, “for three out of the five ‘proper’ kisses.” “You’re counting them?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking at him askance. “They’ve been memorable.” Rainbow Dash left him hanging for a moment before winking. “I suppose so.” “You were a bit longer than we thought you be…” Twilight Sparkle began, eager to get to Zecora. “You know how Rarity talks, and she was kind,” interrupted Rainbow Dash, not quite hiding her amusement, “she gave me more than one shirt and lent us a bag for Joe to carry the others and some trousers in.” With that Rainbow Dash turned and Joe finally saw the details of the bag she was carrying. Like the Mare carrying it this was well shaped and looked strong but, also like her, it was very colourful in places. Carrying a bag with a floral design through Canterlot and hordes of incredibly well-dressed Ponies had been something Joe had managed to cope with. Without either being embarrassed by it or, to his surprise, being tempted to think the incongruity of that bag with that suit was what had drawn eyes to him rather than his shape. This bag would have been far more challenging as gemstones glittered, their multicoloured flashes demanding attention be paid to them and the intricate patterns they’d been attached in. Hoping his hesitation had not been too noticeable and his expression was not too revealing Joe smiled and bent slightly to slide the strap free and take the bag from Rainbow Dash. “Thank you, dear. I’ll have to thank her as well when I return this bag and pick up the rest.” “Those aren’t quite ready yet,” Rainbow Dash smoothly fibbed, “but tomorrow morning should be fine.” “Tomorrow morning then,” nodded Joe. Rainbow Dash managed to keep the giggles in, though it was hard as she noticed Joe’s wince at the news that he couldn’t just take the bag straight back to Rarity and collect the rest and his own bag. He was going to have to carry it out of Ponyville and then carry it back again the next day. “So, are we ready to go?” Twilight Sparkle asked, levitating her panniers onto her back. “Once Joe gets his shirt on?” “Sure,” replied Joe, putting the bag on a table and pulling out a shirt at random. He shrugged and buttoned this on, leaving it untucked and leaving the vest on, and before Rainbow Dash could remind him had picked up the bag again. They made their farewells to Spike and Owlowiscious and set out. Seeing the pleasant weather Joe wondered if he should say thank you to Rainbow Dash, yesterday had reinforced how much control the Ponies had over this, though he still wasn’t sure how many of the ‘normal’ systems still existed. Everyone else seemed to be taking this pleasantness for granted though, just as they’d been so horrified about the unpleasantness, so it seemed something to not make a big deal of. Alternatively something that should be made a big deal of. Joe decided that he might have to talk to Pinkie Pie about a party for Rainbow Dash to show appreciation of the good weather and her efforts. Or for her and the rest of the weather team, even if none of her team had stepped up when Rarity was having trouble. There wasn’t much doubt in Joe’s mind that Pinkie Pie would think Rainbow Dash and her team deserved a party, but there was a small chance that good weather was so normal as to be too little excuse even for Pinkie Pie to party. A more important doubt was whether planning a party would be a welcome distraction for Pinkie Pie from the urgings of her Cutie Mark or if it would be better to wait until they were cured. “There he is snookums!” “Huh?” Joe wondered looking around. A slightly familiar looking Mare was waving a forehoof towards him and approaching was a rather angry looking Earth Pony Stallion. Joe had a suspicion what this was about, though Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle seemed puzzled as they’d not been with him at that point yesterday. The suspicion was confirmed as the Stallion stopped, drew himself up to his full quadrupedal height, stuck out his chest and spoke. “I understand you were rude to my wife yesterday!” “And your wife was being rude to Rarity,” Joe replied, trying to stay relaxed and non-confrontational. He nodded to the watching Mare. “I hope you managed to get to your Spa appointment?” “Er… I did.” “I don’t appreciate rudeness to my wife,” the Stallion said, trying to regain Joe’s full attention. “And I don’t appreciate rudeness to my friends,” nodded Joe, a thought occurring and having to be suppressed. Laughter would not be appropriate right now. “I will concede that your wife thought the weather was Rarity’s job and that she had a right to complain, but her tone was as unjustifiable as mine.” “So apologise to her, if it was unjustifiable!” “Has your wife apologised to Rarity?” The Stallion looked at Joe for a moment. Why was this ‘human’ not backing down when he was so much smaller and so wobbly with only having two legs? The problem would be to not kill him with the lightest tap of a hoof rather than to be able to beat him up. Rumour had it that humans ate meat, though this one had given it up, but surely that would only be things like mice and rats? “Snookums, people are looking.” “You’re the one that…” the Stallion began, glancing back towards his wife. “I know.” “Thank you, Madame,” Joe said, taking the possible chance to end this now the Mare seemed to be having second thoughts. “My apologies for my blunt dismissal of you and your complaints yesterday.” “I… ah… accepted.” “Ahem?” Rainbow Dash coughed. The Mare looked across and saw the glares Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash were giving her. She took the hint. “Er. Come on snookums, I should visit the Carousel Boutique.” “What?” the Stallion asked, then he also got the idea that one apology needed another. “Yes, right.” The couple left and Joe twitched slightly but managed to hold things in until they were out of earshot. Only then did he start laughing. As this continued Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash exchanged puzzled looks until finally Rainbow Dash took off to look Joe in the face and prod him in the shoulder, hard. “Joe! What are you laughing for? He was about an eyelash from trying to kick you to Canterlot!” “I know!” Joe agreed, unable to not laugh a little more before he could explain. “And that would have been my first fight since school, leaving aside the Canterlot debacle, and my first fight over saying something rude to someone’s partner.” “I don’t get it,” admitted Rainbow Dash, exchanging glances with Twilight Sparkle who seemed equally puzzled. Joe smiled to her. “Sometimes that difference between my world and this one still troubles me, so it just struck me as funny that I nearly had more violence here than I’d had back there.” “Right,” Rainbow Dash nodded, elongating the word and her eyes narrowing as she wondered if she had an insane special somehuman, or if they were all this bad. == From the weight of it Joe could tell what he was going to find but he still slid the low flat chest out from under his bed, on the end of which Rainbow Dash had again arranged herself neatly. Twilight Sparkle meanwhile was taking the opportunity of her first time inside Joe’s hut to snoop and, being the Pony she was, had homed in on the shelf where he kept his sketches and notes. To Joe’s lack of surprise the chest was empty and Rainbow Dash gave him a sympathetic smile as she craned her neck a little to also look down into it. “Ah well,” Joe commented, shutting the chest, “might be by my spear instead.” “Where is your spear?” asked Twilight Sparkle, unrolling a map and wincing at it. “We got a little way towards the Everfree before… you know” Joe said, sliding the chest back under the bed and making a wave with his hand that he hoped would convey ‘all the rest’. “So it might be where I left it when I was sitting and trying to figure out a first draft.” “Where he dropped it so he could kiss my hoof in worship when I offered to get Spike,” corrected Rainbow Dash. “Gratitude.” “Worship.” “Not working this time, I’ll say affectionate gratitude.” “Worship.” Joe smiled to Rainbow Dash and looked at Twilight and the maps and notes surrounding her, and the expression on her face. “And all right Twilight, I know those aren’t very accurate. I was just doing it for fun.” “How can it be fun to get things wrong?” Twilight Sparkle asked, a look of mild horror on her face. “It’s not fun to get things wrong, but it’s not fun… for me… to measure the same place a few different ways and several times rather than spend the time on seeing a new place. Those are good enough to keep track of where I’ve been and if I need accuracy I can just use the better maps that already exist.” Twilight Sparkle looked at Joe for a second or three. The idea of deliberately accepting a larger margin of error seemed so strange to her, but she had to admit this was one of the ‘strange’ things about Joe that wasn’t just a human trait. Most Ponies wouldn’t have kept records that were even this accurate. Then again most Ponies wouldn’t have been going into the Everfree for ‘fun’ so if they had gone in they’d have been wanting to make the best measurements and records they could to justify the danger and not have to go back again. Rainbow Dash sat up, stretched, and shifted position to look at what Twilight Sparkle was holding in her magic. “Hmm,” she commented, a very slight tone of admiration in her voice, “looks like you’ve been to quite a few places.” “Sometimes a free afternoon on days I do chores at Sweet Apple Acres,” Joe replied as he stood, “and three free days a week even with that and visiting Zecora… which come to think of it we’d better do. I was late when Dash prodded me into motion and we’ve had to jog…” He smiled. “Or canter or fly back from Ponyville so we’re further behind time.” “Yeah, and we don’t want Twi to think she’s being tardy again,” grinned Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow!” Joe glanced between the two of them, and decided there was a story there but that he shouldn’t ask. Whatever it was it had been embarrassing enough for Twilight Sparkle to busy herself putting the things back on the shelf rather than meeting his or Rainbow Dash’s eyes. As the purple glow of her magic released the last piece of paper Joe smiled to himself a little, things had been quite organised but now corners were lined up and stacks were completely straight and she’d not just neatened the things she’d looked at. “Let’s check for my spear then?” Joe asked. “Sure,” nodded Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle just nodding. The short walk was peaceful and Joe felt a moment of hope as he saw a lump by the side of the road. Then he realised there was only the lump of his backpack beside his spear with his belt laid neatly beside those, and that everything that had been on his belt was still there except one thing. Joe looked down at these things for a moment before he crouched and began adjusting his backpack straps to fit over a shirt rather than armour. “I’m not sure how to take this,” Joe admitted, “does look like Her Majesty didn’t just forget to return my armour, she even kept the helmet that had been hanging on that…” He waved at the belt. “Maybe she thought you shouldn’t be putting yourself in a position where you’d need armour?” suggested Twilight Sparkle. “Which seems odd. With how little trouble I caused while I was exploring the Everfree alone…” “You think I’d let you go back to doing that?” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “I enjoy your company more than I enjoyed the exploring,” replied Joe, swivelling to face her, “but it would be my decision whether to continue the hobby.” He shook his head and looked back at his depleted equipment. “Though the decision seems to have been made…” “I’m not sure Rainbow meant she was forbidding you to do it,” Twilight Sparkle said, giving Rainbow Dash a warning glance before her friend could protest that was exactly what she meant. “More that she didn’t think you should be doing it alone.” “Didn’t work out so well the first time I had company, and let them pick the place,” chuckled Joe, looking at the belt and starting to unload it. “Though I expect the Crocodile and the Manticore would have regretted it more had Dash been there.” “Or if the Cutie Mark Crusaders hadn’t been there,” Rainbow Dash pointed out, trying to remind Joe that he might have killed both of the predators if not for the fillies’ help and then their request. Joe shrugged. “Maybe, but excuse me.” “Excuse me?” Twilight Sparkle began to ask, but then Joe unbuttoned and dropped his trousers a little. “Oh.” “Exposing yourself to Mares on an isolated road?” teased Rainbow Dash. “Ye… ee… yeah,” Joe said, looking embarrassed. “More like wanting to feed this belt through the loops and take the chance to tuck my shirt in.” “Only more like rather than entirely like?” pressed Rainbow Dash. “Closer to entirely like than with you and if you were forbidding me the mapping hobby,” Joe winked, finishing with the belt loops. “Ah, what have I got myself into,” he continued with false tragedy, “bullied and battered and now being told I have to give things up… oof.” “Get dressed,” ordered Rainbow Dash, having taken advantage of Joe’s attention being on the shirt tucking to move a step or two closer and prod. Joe shrugged again, pulled his trousers up, fastened them and his belt, and started hanging things back on the belt. This felt strange. There had been some good things about the last fortnight, and not just the kissing of the last week, but it did feel like he’d caused enough problems that Princess Celestia would not hamper him from going back to his previous habits. Unless… “I wonder if I am going to get some new armour,” mused Joe, finishing with his belt and picking up his backpack. “As you said, seems the decision has been made,” Twilight Sparkle pointed out, “if Princess Celestia has taken your armour then buying a new suit would be going against her decision.” “That much I get,” smiled Joe, shrugging his backpack up and on, “and I’ll not trouble the Ponyville Smith. I was wondering if Her Majesty was going to supply me new and better armour so I don’t have to worry as much about being chewed on while exploring or working for Zecora…” “Who we still haven’t got to,” Rainbow Dash commented. “And it’s getting on for late enough in the day I’d have been able to do it a couple of days ago rather than talk at the school…” “And been able to impress your marefriend with your knowledge the night before?” Rainbow Dash teased. “Alas,” nodded Joe, giving Twilight Sparkle a smile as he got moving, “a chance to shine and instead I had to join the ladies in admiring the knowledge of a well prepared Dragon.” == The walk to Zecora’s hut had been uneventful and once Joe had his list he and Rainbow Dash had left to gather. Now Zecora and Twilight Sparkle looked over the notes they had made, which were extensive, well organised, neat, and almost entirely in the latter’s writing as she had gladly accepted that task rather than the messier ones of nursing “I think that I begin to see, why you have come to talk to me, there may yet be some source of power, to help you in your need this hour.” “Maybe not this hour,” Twilight Sparkle corrected, “it will need some more research, can it be channelled and is there enough?” “Then testing you will have to do, and recheck results anew, seems it does we did fine work, and gave him some extra perk.” Twilight Sparkle nodded. “And what we can do once we can do again…” “Ah,” Zecora interrupted, “a caution I feel that I must say, that replicating the deeds of that day, is something of which we’re unsure, so in that thought there is that flaw. If enough there is to be of use, then also it would be abuse, to not warn friend of the fear, that he’d become more normal here.” Twilight Sparkle nodded again. She didn’t trust Discord’s claim but there was even a chance that they’d not even be able to repeat their work that well. They might leave their friend normal for where he came from instead of normal for here, so warning him of that was also something to do. == The predator slowly descended from the treetops towards her prey, her wings making no sound as she approached and prepared to strike at his undefended back, and then a squeak escaping her as she suddenly had to dodge backwards from the sweep of a razor sharp spearhead. “Sh…” Joe said, looking up at the equally wide-eyed Rainbow Dash. He’d been crouching and cutting some samples from a bush when he’d felt something approaching and had whirled to strike. “Er, sorry… on edge as I’m only in cloth…” “You’re not that fast,” winked Rainbow Dash, regaining her composure Joe looked at her and then nodded and went back to getting the last bits he needed from that bush. Rainbow Dash looked at this and then looked around for any dangers, rotating in the air like a Blue Pegasus version of a Guardian Angel. She’d hoped to cheer Joe up with a sudden tickle but now he seemed to be wishing she’d not been here for him to almost accidentally hurt. There was still something going on with him so best try to find out what. “You think you should go back to hiding?” “What?” Joe asked. “You were surprised that Princess Celestia had taken your armour so you couldn’t go off alone, and you said you thought you’d caused less trouble…” “Well, I had.” “There’s more to it though,” Rainbow Dash frowned. “Why are you thinking you need to avoid us?” “If I’d been exploring in here yesterday,” replied Joe, rising and looking at his annotated ‘shopping’ list, “then Twilight would have cured you.” “Yes, but that still doesn’t explain it. Why do you keep thinking things would be better without you there?” Joe sighed and began walking, Rainbow Dash holding position slightly above him while she still had enough airspace. She decided to give him a few moments to make the right decision and reply before she had to prod him with a forehoof and demand. To her pleasure Joe justified that faith and spoke. “Do you know what my full name is?” “Full name?” Rainbow Dash asked, puzzled at the relevance. “Do you mean you’re like Pinkie where she’s actually Pinkiemena Diane Pie?” “Not that bad, though I do have a second name,” smiled Joe, “but ‘Joe’ is the short version of my first, and most humans would assume it’s short for Joseph.” “So what is it short for then?” “There was a man, he was told by God to go and preach but was afraid he would be killed by the people of those cities, so he took ship for foreign lands. So God sent a great storm against that ship, which only abated when the man was thrown overboard to be carried by a great sea creature to where he was supposed to be.” “Weird. And?” “That man’s name, especially amongst sailors, became one shorthand for someone whose presence brings bad luck,” Joe sighed. “So why my dear old Mum called me that name of Jonah I don’t know. And here I am in a world where people’s names can absolutely reflect their true natures and the roles they play in other’s lives…” “Ouch.” == Twilight Sparkle and Zecora had finished their discussion of business and moved onto more general gossip. As much time as the former spent in the Golden Oaks Library she managed to hear a few things, or hear them via Spike, and after so losing touch with Shining Armour before his wedding she had been as careful to send him a letter a week as she’d used to be with Princess Celestia. It was all very relaxed to sit and have a drink and talk of nothing in particular rather than having to be the wise guru or the representative of the crown. There were official channels and sometimes Twilight Sparkle wished Ponies would use them instead of asking, always in the nicest possible way, if she would mention something to Princess Celestia. Then again that seemed fair since Princess Celestia had used her to mention things to the people of Ponyville and it seemed her being treated as a conduit did work both ways. It was still nice however to relax for the short time and talk about something she’d noticed before her last visit, but not mentioned with the talk of potions and testing. “So you think that Cheerilee, in Big Mac something does see, that despite love poison blunder, she and he might still wonder?” “I’m not sure,” Twilight Sparkle replied, taking another sip before continuing, “they both seem happy as they are…” “How much was them and how much was it, in those feelings where was the split? Take it calm and take it slow, and see whatever else might grow.” Twilight Sparkle nodded. “Cheerilee hadn’t been looking for a special somepony, and you know Big Macintosh…” “Calm he seems upon his farm, though many Mares he could charm, rippling muscles and heart that’s true, I quite like him… don’t you?” “Er, he’s the brother of one of my best friends, of the first of them I met when I arrived in Ponyville. Discounting Pinkie Pie's gasp and run.” “And spoken of by Cheerilee, alas that is for you and me…” To Twilight Sparkle’s relief there was a knock on the door. “Come in!” she called before Zecora could continue. “Hello you two,” Joe said, stooping slightly to enter, “sorry we were so long, something had eaten all the berries on a bush I went to.” “Oh was that what caused delay? Why quite slow you were today?” smiled Zecora, nodding slightly to Rainbow Dash as she entered and forcing the next rhyme a touch. “And not delightful company, that slowed your progress on your way?” “What are you…” Rainbow Dash began. “The Everfree is not exactly romantic,” shrugged Joe, moving across to the table, “or we might have spent some time acting out the taunt of small children. ‘Someone and Someone sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!’ and been a while longer. Though be easier for Dash to get up and down.” “How much easier?” Twilight Sparkle asked. “What?” asked Joe. “Oh, er, a lot easier.” Seeing she didn’t seem satisfied with that answer Joe continued. “Can grip with hands, but unlike other Apes can’t grip with feet as they’re for walking. And no prehensile tail like a lot of Monkeys.” Joe began unloading the various samples and cuttings and pouches of different things. Meanwhile Rainbow Dash wondered if she should have tested Joe’s climbing abilities and seen how the promise of a kiss compared with a charging giant crocodile as motivation. She’d circled up overhead a few times and had seen a few taller trees that could have made safe perches with the scenery of looking down on the Everfree canopy. “Your debt to me has now been paid, for the potions I have made,” Zecora said, looking as Joe tried to arrange things in an organised manner, “so no more to me you owe, though welcome still of course you’re Joe.” “What a funny coincidence,” said Joe, turning and looking at her, “I lose my armour and later the same day I finish repaying this.” “I don’t know why you would suspect, that there is something to connect, armour loss and end of debt, but my words please accept.” “I think I will,” smiled Joe, “not like I was looking forward to either doing this with no armour or annoying Princess Celestia by getting new stuff, if she doesn’t give my old stuff or a new set back. But if I do get some armour…” “Then you’d still not be doing it alone,” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “Yes, dear.”