During the nine mares' quest, Ponyville continues to suffer from pollution in the air and water, the crops wilted and died, and nothing was left.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders had never felt this sick before, nopony had, but the Chemical fire had now killed all of Equestria's sources.
"Where's Rainbow Dash when you need her?" asked Scootaloo. The Crusaders remembered that Rainbow Dash went out at sea with her friends and princesses to find a cure for the chemicals, but they have not returned for days, what if something terrible happened?
Sweete belle got to her hooves, but she was weak, along with friends and families, had became very hungry, thirsty, and gasping for clean air. Ever since the princesses left to find the cure of this problem. The Residents groaned from their daily struggles, have the princesses abandoned them?
No, that can't be, the princesses would never leave just because they think their kingdom is doomed, never in a million years would they do that. But Applebloom was thinking that her older sister was enjoying a new sight, that has not been polluted along with everything else.
"Let's go find somepony that can help us, you know, like a new pony in town, very rich, has his own water system." said a local pony. The Residents hope to find somepony not sick, weak, tired, hungry, thirsty, or breathing polluted air. But no luck.
Nopony is sure where the princesses are, but they still hope for their return, with a cure at the very least, but their main focus is survival until the alicorns come back with a magic plant or herb, or something.
In fact, the pollution was so bad that maybe a herb wasn't strong enough, or, at least, the way they thought about it.
In the Everfree forest where Zecora lives, the pollution never affected it, and Zecora never knew about it, thinking about the chemical fire and it's nightmare, but thinking the fire was quickly taken care and there were no problems, she stayed at her hut, unaware of the ponies' struggles, until...
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK
"Come in, and don't be scared, for I will not harm you, for I care." Zecora answered, thinking a newcomer had came to see her. But when she saw that it was the Cutie Mark Crusaders, she paused, wandering why their condition was very bad. "Why do you seek me, little fillys, and why are you not your regular self sillys?"
"That darn fire burnt the chemical place real bad." "Yeah, and the fire caused the land to be polluted, we have no food or water, not even lean air." "We came here to ask if you could help us in our struggle to survive. Please." The fillys cried pleas like the adults did.
"I can see the fire itself had been worse than Princess Twilight's image of Nightmare Moon, but even I can't undo this soon. But I can try something mysterious to me, maybe Equestria's fate along with yours would change you see." Zecora then revealed a bottle of liquid unknown to them, but it was like the one Twilight drank to see the past. But this was different, this was a green liquid. "Give this to the Princesses, so they can each have a drink, it would make them powerful enough to stop this spreading like ink." Zecora instructed the fillys to do when the Princesses see them.
The fillys thanked Zecora and said that they will never forget what role Zecora played to stop the chemicals from infecting the land anymore, now it was time to wait for the Mares' return.
The wait begins now.