A Bit of Mojo

by StormDancer

05 - Greenstick

Waking up from one of Mojo's concoctions was always an interesting experience, and for as long as he'd known the zebra, that singular fact seemed destined to test him with new and more creative sensations every time. Usually, it was vertigo and a bit of lightheadedness. Occasionally it included aching joints or muscles for good measure. Sometimes it just left a bad taste in his mouth, but whatever his friend had dosed him with last night had left him with a migraine to likes of which Celestia herself may struggle to best.

Clamping his eyes shut once more, Storm Dancer moaned in agony against the marauding savages that some spiteful pony must have released behind his eyes. The throbbing nightmare in his horn threatened to split his skull through sheer tenacity while the daggers of icy nausea that every faint noise created seemed to leap down his neck and settle somewhere above his stomach. The roiling ocean of bile promised woeful destruction should he upset it through even the thought of steady motion.

Yep. He must be fine if he felt this miserable.

Steeling himself against the onslaught of sensations, he weakly cracked an eye open, hoping to catch sight of his friend. Instead, a wondrous glimmer of hope caught his attention resting upon a short stool nearby: a pitcher of water and a small scrap of cloth piled high with what looked like dried currants. Summoning his not-quite-promising-at-the-moment willpower, the unicorn struggled to a sitting position and reached for the pitcher with a shaking hoof. If there was one thing he had learned about Mojo's medicine over the years it was that the worse you felt waking up from them, the more you had needed it.

The second most valuable thing was what he was in the process of addressing: the more you needed it, the more you would need food and water once awake.

Battling back the nausea and furious ocean of bile in his stomach, he took long slow swallows of the water, choking down the reflex to vomit with silent promises of a return to normalcy.

After a few moments to settle himself, he gently returned the pitcher to the stool and scooped up a few of the currants hoping that they would help to calm the pounding in his temples.

Storm Dancer had suffered with countless injuries and ailments for years, all results of exposure to the elements or misguided ponies who sought to 'protect' their families. He could shrug off most 'accidents' and was no stranger to the occasional impact from a tree limb or short fall, but despite all the practice, he simply could never grow used to the migraines which tended to follow particularly large surges of magic.

From what Mojo had explained, they were the result of the nerves and glands which helped him use magic being injured... the pain was simply his body's way of warning that something was wrong. It was a wonderful system in theory... if injured, induce pain - if pain is felt, stop doing the thing that causes the pain. Simple really.

Unfortunately, his horn never really shut off ever since getting his cutie mark so many years ago. Apparently, being struck by lightning when you weren't a pegasus could be a bad thing. Who knew.

According to the doctors his dad had brought him to over the years, something was fused or burned out... either way, the treatment would require surgery. Problematically, that same surgery would require highly conductive devices such as scalpels wielded by highly trained, but no less conductive, ponies. Said ponies tended to be reluctant to expose themselves to violent surges of magic and rogue weather conditions that ignored pegasi. His current migraine reminded him that, to date, no such medical treatment had been performed.

With a flinch and a reserved sigh, the unicorn resumed his previous laying position, determined to slowly ease back into feeling better as he let his body recover. It wasn't so bad really, laying down in Mojo's place. It was quiet, it was dry, and the lightning rod his friend had installed in the wall meant that most of his accidental discharges would go off before they built up to problematic levels.

Closing his eyes once more, he shovelled a few more of the currants into his mouth and just let them sit there, the flavor mild enough not to be painful but defined enough to challenge the tinny flavor of ozone that tended to dominate after unpleasant discharges.

Yep... definitely a good day to take things easy.

He had just settled back into a near doze when the tingling began. It was a chill sensation at first, almost like a cold sweat forming on his brow that caused his skin to prickle with goosebumps. Then the clenching of his brow as the remnants of the migraine transformed the chill into a painful throb that coursed the full length of his horn and clamped onto his skull. The final push came when the nearby door slammed open, a worried looking Mojo bursting through only to dive aside as the arc of blue-white lightning hissed across the room and lanced down the hallway leaving firey pinkish after images in its wake.

The crack of thunder indoors sent Storm Dancer to his back in a wail of pain as his skull felt to be splitting open.

Mojo, with a startled and unnerved glance down the hallway, wasted little time before closing the distance and apologizing before stabbing his friend with a shriveled gray-green plant.

"My friend, truly am I sorry to, but ri-now, we cunna wait fer you." Pulling the spiky plant back, he slapped a dirty looking compress over the shallow wound and broke a tiny glass capsule with his hoof. A sizzling liquid reacted with something in the compress causing the wound to sear even more painfully.

With a howl, Storm Dancer writhed upon the floor, his horn sputtering out erraticly as unformed magic spewed across the room. Thankfully, the recent discharge had lessened the impact, reducing the damage to a few hurled objects before he passed out again.

Mojo held the compress to his friend for a few more moments before pulling it away from the ugly gash. Wrinkling his nose, the zebra balled up the compress and tossed it into the small fire pit that provided the soft lighting for the room before properly bandaging his unconscious friend.

"I am sorry I could not wait fer you, yer injuries wrath to eschew. I pray you will forgive my act, but we must be gone b'fore dey come back."

Pausing only long enough to cinch the scrap of cloth with the remaining currants and to offer a final glance towards the smoldering compress in the fire pit, he levered his friend across his back and started weaving their way out through the labyrinthine tunnels of his home.

Apropos was a practical character in his own mind. He knew his place in the world and he didn't aspire to rise above it. Far from it actually, he rather liked drifting from town to town, sliding into roles as needed and drifting back out again as things settled down. He was a skeleton key... just the right fit for any occasion.

He enjoyed his freedom and was never without the means to indulge whenever the notion took him, having a skill set that ranged from filing paperwork to opening locked doors without a key had taught him just how remarkably appropriate his cutie mark was. After all, a toolbox with a green check mark just about screamed 'trustworthy' in a town like Manehatten.

Here, in Ponyville, he could have run for mayor and nopony would have even considered a background check.

There was a downside to his talent however, one that only rarely made itself evident, he had trouble putting down roots. For one reason or another, somepony would eventually get jealous, nervous, or suspicious and things would start to unravel. He could be working as a legitimate business stallion or a drug running snitch, it wouldn't matter... given a few months, he'd either be moving on or being run out of town.

Then again, partly because of his unique employment history, he had managed to build (and maintain) a rather sizable network of contacts and ponies that owed him favors over the years. It wasn't a 401k plan to be certain, but it had offered him security in the knowledge that if push came to shove, he was well established and had hooves in the right places.

He smiled as he checked the fancy Istallion pocket watch his latest employer had gifted him for a job well done. The crafting was a work of art - cogs and springs spinning and whirring along inside the device, filigree decorating the glass-work with threads of float copper acting as a foundation for the inlaid silver and gold. The shell itself was marvelous, but what had caught his eye, and his employer's attention, were the intricate patterns on the hands themselves which had cleverly concealed their previous owner's safe combination.

Said owner no longer had need for a combination, safe, or pocket watch.

In thanks for helping to make 'negotiations' considerably faster, the watch had been given to him as partial payment for a 'splendidly entertaining evening on the town' which had ended at the stickball stadium where nopony would question a number of 'fans' toting stickball bats around during a pennant game.

Apropos smiled as he inspected the silver clam shell body for scuffs once more before closing and pocketing the watch, looking around for his latest employer. He smiled at the few ponies he saw roaming around as he rested on one of the many benches in the quiet town of Ponyville. The last time he had been through here, he could have sworn the place was more lively... there had been a thriving market and even a bit of nightlife from the townsfolk who commuted to nearby Canterlot. It was strange, but not unheard of, for a prospering little town to fall off the map... he just hadn't expected something like that to happen to the newest Princess' adopted home town.

Shrugging at the irony, he stood up, preparing to signal his employer when the town's bell tower next started to toll the hour. He watched as the minute hand crept slowly towards 12 and prepared his spell, levitating his watch back up in front of him once more.

If anypony noticed the light green stallion with the mop of dark mane channeling a spell, they would likely have thought he was simply winding his expensive looking pocket watch. He was, after all, dressed well enough to pass for a successful business pony on a trip, but he smiled as the first note of the bell echoed across the little town, muffling his whispered words.

"I'm here and the Element of Kindness just flew out of here like a," he snickered, "bat out of Tartarus."

Without waiting for a reply, he calmly strode towards the town center, ignoring the lack of townsfolk who had been leaving for the past two hours.

"We will be closing in five minutes due to a sanctioned evacuation. If you cannot complete your obligations, please start closing procedures and offer a line ticket for when Town Hall opens again" came Mayor Mare's voice over the intercom as the half-dozen clerks glanced quickly at the time-clock. Most of the younger clerks had already left for the day, either at the shift change or upon hearing the evacuation clearance, but the remaining six had either been coming on shift or had, like Mayor Mare, just decided to eek out a few extra bits as they saw to citizens last concerns before evacuating themselves.

The perpetually young (and don't let anyone in town tell you otherwise!) Thorough Audit, smiled as she ushered her guest back out into the town proper. "Now, we understand your concerns about the rabbit population growing at such a rate miss Top, but perhaps this can be addressed at committee? I would hate to think it wasn't given enough exposure to warrant a public vote on the matter, and as you know, while Mayor Mare does have executive authority, the power to act is limited by policy which must be set in committee."

Patently ignoring Carrot Top's brief sound, Miss Audit smiled tightly and, gently as a velvet covered steamroller, directed her charge out the door. "Do please come back on Thursday next and I'm sure the committee would be happy to field your concerns. Good Day miss Top!"

Thorough Audit smiled at another job well done... there simply wasn't anything that couldn't be accomplished if the proper routes were taken and forms filled out. It was a shame that so few of the populace took the time to appreciate the complexities and nuances of the legal and social forums. Ah well, at least she had been able to par it down for that Carrot Mare... another citizen helped and another fulfilling day's work.

She was just turning back to flip the sign to 'CLOSED' when a stallion tapped on the door... with the knocker?

"I'm terribly sorry miss, " he began the moment she opened it, "I seem to be in a bit of a time crunch. Could you see to this Request For Release of Information Form 215c-4-sub K form?"

The light green unicorn stallion turned his head for a moment, withdrawing a clipped... no a properly clipped and tabbed 215c-4-sub K form packet, and presented it to the shocked mare.

"W-We will be closing in t-three minutes and" she quickly glanced at the time-clock next to the door frame, "forty seven seconds." She blinked again as she glanced at the form. That beautiful, clipped, tabbed, and, she nearly melted, stamped and notarized, form. "B-but I think I can fit you in."

The stallion smiled warmly around the form packet as she ushered him in, glancing outside and flipping the sign before trotting back to her counter.

"Now mister...." she glanced up from quickly flipping through the form, noting the relevant portions and marking a completion tab on her desk.

"Apropos, Mister Apropos." His smile was infectious.

"Yes, mister Apropos. It looks like everything is in order. What can I help you with?" Sweet Celestia it must be 90 degrees in here.

"Ah yes, well, as it states on page 14, I need a copy of the land rights to the land surrounding Ponyville proper, updated to within the last 48 hours at a range of 4 miles, if possible." He leaned forward just a bit, steepling his hooves as his gaze washed over the suddenly blushing clerk.

"Oh, um, yes. Silly me. Let me just fetch those for you." She cleared her throat and turned, a spring in her step as she trotted, the long way, past the register line towards records, doing her best to show her good side. The other clerks had already left after all.

Apropos continued smiling until the mare disappeared around a corner, before he nearly groaned. Of all the mares in this backwater town that he had to swoon, that uptight, paper pushing, ... swayback was simply not his type. Rubbing his eyes for a moment, he tried to mentally wash the image of her bouncing, dimpled, flanks from his minds eye.... that was simply a picture that would give him nightmares. Ug.... if it weren't for the pay, he would have already bedded the young clerk he saw leaving an hour ago and simply stolen the documents, but nooooooo, his employer's instructions were exceptionally clear. He had to wait until the last moment to request the files, turn on the charm, and leave just a minute or two after the Town Hall closed for some stupid, probably pointless, reason that he hadn't been important enough to get an explanation for. Idly, he scribbled upon a small slip of paper from his pocket and slid it under the tape dispenser on the desk, leaving just a tiny wedge visible.

He was just about to sigh when the faint clip-clop of hooves shook him back to his senses... just enough time to snap his most charming facade back over his face and flick a thin strand of mane over his forehead. They always loved that for some reason.

"Ah, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting Mister Apropos, " the mare said as she trotted out once more, bouncing along the way with what he was sure was her most apologetic smile. "The files were updated yesterday so I had to make copies."

"Oh, no trouble at all Mrs..." he made a show of searching the desk for a name-plate he knew wouldn't exist, "um... well, isn't this embarrassing, I seem to have forgotten your name." The faux embarrassment on his face sold the image... it always did.

Blushing suddenly, the clerk smiled again. "Oh no. That's my fault, I was in such a hurry I never introduced myself. I'm miss Audit. It is a pleasure."

He nodded pleasantly before taking the freshly minted documents which smelled... he suppressed a shudder... slightly of the chamomile-mint perfume that suddenly seemed to be following miss Audit in a cloud. Some mares... "Ah, well then, miss Audit. Thank you, it would have been terribly embarrassing if I hadn't been able to get these in time." He stashed the documents in an inside pocket before turning back and smiling at the furiously blushing mare before him. Gagging inwardly, he leaned across the counter and gently kissed her left hoof, "Thank you very much for your assistance."

Her stunned grin told him that she wasn't likely to move anytime in the next few seconds so he turned slowly, making sure to flick his tail juuuuust enough to tease before ambling slowly out of the Town Hall lobby. If that didn't give the old nag a heart attack, he was positive the slip of paper with 'his' contact information on it would. Either way, he would never have to worry about that creature's eyes roaming over him again. Well, at least he hoped not. Bureaucrats were notorious for their capacity to survive until the proper forms were filed.

Other ponies thought working in a bank was awesome. Being in a place that was literally surrounded by bits tended to cause eyes to bug out and mouths to drool. It didn't matter who it was really, the simple fact was that money changed how a pony thought. If you didn't have it, you wanted it. If you had it, you didn't want to lose it. And, on the rare occasion somepony didn't want it, there was usually something else going on in the background. There really weren't too many exceptions when it came to bits in large numbers.

One such exception was when you worked with bits on a daily basis, for hours on end, for days and weeks and years. Bits.... just didn't much matter after a few hundred thousand passed through your hooves, at least, that's what she kept telling herself every week as she counted out and logged the days exchanges.

Copper Scales sighed as she penned yet another weight into the register, totaling up a deposit amount that she wouldn't be able to make on her salary in half a year, yet smiled as she looked up to the somewhat antsy stallion in a smart blue suit who was 'dropping off' the days sales.

"Well, everything seems to be in order mister Rich" her voice nearly sang as she tore off the register copy and slid it across the counter to him. "Can I help you with anything else today?"

Quickly pocketing the note, Mister Rich, glanced at the clock before shaking his head and leaning forward. "No, but I would strongly advise closing shop quickly. There's some kind of monster on the loose and the Princess authorized an evacuation of the town." He pulled his head back and cleared his throat, "Er.... in case you hadn't heard."

Without waiting for a response, he trotted as quickly as would seem appropriate towards the exit, leaving a suddenly nervous pegasus clerk to drop the bank's copy of the register note into the drop box under the counter and the bits into the register chute.

Taking a moment to look around, Copper Scales realized that the lobby did, indeed, seem oddly lacking the normal evening customers. Instead of being the busiest part of the day when the market exchanges were secured, there were only a few impatient ponies at the counters... not even enough to form proper lines. Raising her alert token and securing her register, she flagged Miss Bond and waited as the prim mare completed her own transaction before trotting over.

"Yes Miss Scales?" the eggshell earth pony asked as she approached, taking a moment to reset the alert token.

"Miss Bond, Mister Rich just informed me that Princess Twilight authorized an evacuation of the town. Shall I set the sign and prepare the vault?"

If she were startled, Miss Bond did not show it. Instead, she looked up at the clock above the door, quickly pulled out a tally book, and penciled in a note before nodding her head and walking down the register line, setting a lock timer on each as she went. Each teller took note and cleared their final transactions before smiling and imploring their customers to 'please come again.'

Taking her cue, Miss Scales reached over to close her register just as a stallion sat down and put his hoof over the lock.

"I'm sorry sir we are closing for an emerge- emergen- e- em..." she started but the odd stallion's warm smile seemed to derail her thoughts. Everything was fuzzy, a little too warm and just a tiny bit too bright. It was like that time at the salt lick when her sister took her out for a night on the town... the one where she woke up sore the next morning and couldn't remember much... but... kind of....warm and fuzzy....

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience, but this will only take a moment of your time."

With a slight blush, Copper Scales re-opened her register as she tried her best to remain professional. "Luna save me, I really wish I had kept that vest on" she thought as she tried to stay focused on his words and keep her wings from flaring at the same time.

He was the most, incredibly, beautiful light green she had ever seen, and his horn.... it positively glistened in the candlelight she couldn't remember being there a moment before...

Rainbow Dash would normally have loved having a reason to be flying around and using all of her considerable skill to show everypony just how awesome she was. She would have thrilled in the hairpin turns and reveled in the blasts of wind as she dove through patches of cloud. Normally she would have been ecstatic for the chance to scream along at breakneck speeds only a few hooflengths above the ground. Normally.

At current, however, she was searching for a monster, a potential deli-god or whatever Twilight called it. She was scouring the fields and edge of the forest outside of Ponyville for any clue as to where the thing had run off to. She was running on instinct since the sun was down and carrying a lantern would have been both annoying and potentially hazardous given her speeds. Beyond that, she reasoned that if a lantern could help her see, it would definitely help somepony else see her.

As such, she was not having a good time at all. That thing had threatened her friends. It had attacked Ponyville for no reason, it had made her look bad, and the worst thing was that it had looked so cool that she felt kind of lame just being rainbow colored by comparison. That, in and of itself, was just .... she snorted in frustration.

Well, there would be enough time for kicking flank as soon as she found it. Him. Whatever. That unicorn-storm-zombie-furry-thing: Storm Dancer. As soon as she got her hooves on him, *BAM*... that's how it was gonna go. She could just see his face as he looked up from below at her towering above him, his hooves tucked up protectively on his chest as her friends cheered her victory.

Yep, that is exactly what's gonna happen, she smirked.

At just that moment, Rainbow Dash flew solidly into a branch, knocking her from the sky. The world around her danced and swayed as she struggled to her hooves, trying to shake off the impact that left her teeth aching and a deep bruise on her ego.

"Rainbow?" came the tentative voice from overhead as blue feathers, tinted black by the night, continued to slowly flutter down from her impact above.

Wincing as she turned her head to look, a dazed Rainbow Dash searched the sky for a few moments before a bit of movement caught her attention. The muffled sound of hooves on grass jerked her from her stupor once more as the soft yellowish glow of a firefly lantern blossomed nearby.

Fluttershy lowered the lantern to the ground before looking at her friend with a worried expression. "Rainbow Dash... what are you doing out here this late? You could get hurt!" her friend exclaimed in a soft voice.

Rainbow blinked again, finding it harder to stay focused by the moment. "Yheah hey I just... Fluttershy, it's night ou... I... I don't feel so good." She staggered a moment as her knees seemed to waver unexpectedly. Before she could fall, a pair of butter yellow limbs caught, and steadied, her suddenly heavy body.

"You don't look good at all Rainbow. Come on, let's get you back to my house and into bed while I go get the others."

Whatever else Fluttershy may have said was lost on the dozing pegasus as she was carried away into the night.

Left alone in the open, a yard long branch with blue feathers scattered around it, lay far from any tree.

Pinkie bounced dutifully along, head whipping side to side as she carried on after her gentle friend. So what if Rarity didn't like 'getting icky', this was Fluttershy they were talking about. No amount of Ick (or for that matter, y) was too much to get if it meant finding and helping her bestestest of bestestest friends. Any of the 5 of them. Oh! And Spike, so 6... and Celestia and Luna, so really more like 8, double OH! And the Cakes! So, really really more like 12! And Cranky and Mu....oh, she was just being silly. That's why everypony was her friend.

She'd go to the ends of Equestria and beyond to help any of them.

But, she understood Rarity didn't like to get sticky or gummy or muddy or really anything that ended in 'y' unless she absolutely had to. Absolutely ended in 'y'... so it had to be a last resort by default. She could understand that... principles and all.

Yeppers, Rarity could help in her own ways. They just weren't always as fun or obvious!

Like, she could offer support or advice, or she'd go out of her way to make sure something worked even if it wasn't something she understood, and Rarity could always be counted on to look out for her and her friends. But she did like ordering those six double creme, chocolate dipped, fried eclairs every Tuesday when the Cakes were at the market and no one else was in the shop that she was absotutely-lutely not supposed to tell anypony about ever... so she could also understand why running around wasn't her favorite thing.

Silly eclairs. If Rarity just stuck to cakes and pies and cookies, and cupcakes, and donuts, and candy like she did, there wouldn't have been any problem running around. Pinkie smiled to herself while bouncing along. But Rarity was Rarity, and she couldn't just eat any old treat... she had to go for the one made with enough sugar, butter, and heavy cream to make a block of fudge blush.

Wait a second! 'RARITY' ended in 'y'... hmmm... maybe she'd have to reevaluate her theory... or add cream... whichever worked better. Probably the cream.

Pinkie continued along at a happy pace while the world around seemed oblivious to her, all the while watching for any sign of Fluttershy, but when she reached the outskirts of town without so much as a feather, she paused to consider her options.

Sure, she could keep going, zipping around looking for her quiet friend in the wide wide world, but then even if she ended up finding Fluttershy, she would have to go find her friends (who by then would have likely gone looking for her). On the other hoof, if she doubled back, she could check another batch of streets in case Fluttershy had done something silly like ... oh... turn left. That was the kind of silly things her friends did a lot, even if they didn't like to admit it. Heh... turning left. Three rights were sooooo much better - she could see at least 5 more blocks that way!

Pinky paused to think. It was a real conundrum, or maybe a pickle. Pickundrum? Conunickle? Whatever it was, it was a puzzle, and Twilight was good at puzzles. Maybe Twilight should be out on the edge of town, bouncing along and trying to solve this puzickledrum. Well... maybe not. Twilight was almost as against long runs as Rarity, but at least she could do her flashy Pop-snap-teleport thing. Twilight was, most definitely, not out of shape... with her eating habits and general exercise routine 'slightly curvy' or 'rounded' counted as a shape. Then again... if she kept up her whole 'saving Equestria' thing, she might start being not in shape what with her running around so much more often.

Pinky was still deep in thought, her imaginary mini-Pinkies darting around and playing a game of improvised hide-n-seek-freeze-tag-red-light-green-light-house-rules-parcheesi, when they all simultaneously tripped, knocking Pinky out of her thoughts with a gasp.

As they all picked themselves up, they turned to stare at Her-Bouncy-Bigginess, Pinkie Pie, as she came to her most certainly brilliant of brillianter conclusions: Just ask Fluttershy where she had flown off to. After all, she'd learned to trust her friends and not just guess at what they were doing or thinking.... Madam la-Flour had never let her live that one down and Rocky, well he had just been rolling with m-earth for weeks afterwards.

With the support of her tiny legion of imaginary-mini-Pinkies, she spun on her hoof and started to happily trot to Fluttershy's cottage. After all, when she couldn't find her friends in town, the scene usually changed to show her where they were just long enough for her to show up. Twilight still believed in doing things the long way (like walking and going to a bunch of places, before showing up...silly princess), but Twilight wasn't the expert at being Pinky.

Besides, Twilight still said silly things like "It's always in the last place you look." When she'd asked one time why Twilight would keep looking after finding 'it'... Twilight had blinked and stood still for almost 3 whole minutes. Twilight was silly like that. She was so smarty smarty smart smart, but she couldn't just be happy with some things. It's like she actually thought that everything had to be checked and re-checked. Twilight wanted to understand EVERYTHING about the world. Twilight wanted an encyclopedic knowledge of things.

Silly Twilight, Pinky thought with a cheerful smile, sometimes you just need the cliffnotes.

Again with the ribbon, Applejack thought, rolling her eyes as Rarity continued on about the damage to her scarf. I know it's important to her, but it's just a scrap of cloth for Pete's sake. Shaking her head as she tried to politely ignore the ongoing drama of Rarity's most certainly horrid whatever-it-was-this-time, Applejack trotted on at a pace that was just short of a proper trot and far from the speed she really wanted to be traveling at.

It wasn't that she and Rarity didn't get along, their slumber party at Twilight's a frequent reminder of how much they actually cared about one another, but more a fundamental difference in how they each viewed (and responded to) the world at large. While Rarity spent countless hours preening and primping, making a show and crafting flowery things to say, Applejack and her family took things a little simpler ... and quite a bit more direct. There was no embellishment to their exchanges, no fluffy compliments or fuzzy, half-heard promises. For the Apples, their word was their bond, promise, and respect. They didn't waste time or energy on making mountains out of molehills and they most certainly didn't fret over a torn curtain... which was about what Rarity's 'scarf' resembled at that point.

With a final grumble about how she would have to recreate her entire spring line to accommodate the loss of her scarf, Rarity finally seemed to realize that the pair had arrived at the edge of town. They stood, looking out into the surrounding darkness of night as they listened for any sign of their missing friends or the strange unicorn from earlier in the day, light from the few lit streetlamps not even reaching past the nearest signpost.

"Ya don't suppose they'll be coming back in the next few minutes do yah Rares?"

Rarity watched quietly for a few moments before frowning, the slight pause making her seem all the more frustrated. "No, Applejack, I daresay something is wrong." She wrinkled her nose as her makeshift 'hatband' fluttered briefly in the evening breeze. "Well, something else is wrong I suppose I should say."

Applejack remained quiet, staring off into the night while she thought. It wasn't a normal occurrence that her friends were cautious of the night in Ponyville, and it left her feeling uneasy. Caution near the Everfree... sure... caution in a strange place or while chasing some mean ol' critter through the streets of Canterlot or facing down a swarm a' changelings... you betcha... but it somehow felt different when she was standing in Ponyville - in her hometown. It felt like when Trixie had sealed them all in, when they'd been made powerless and forced to play her little lackeys. It felt dirty and wrong on an entirely different level.

It felt like a violation.

Applejack was still thinking quietly when Rarity turned to look at her unmoving companion. "Applejack?" she asked with a worried expression as she took a tentative step forward.

The farmer sniffed harshly, before glancing quickly at the white unicorn beside her, effectively freezing the action. "Sorry Rarity, s'just... I don't like feeling like this. That fury or whatever it is just, it just makes me feel.." she stomped the cobblestones with clear frustration, " I don't know! It's like I ain't even home anymore, like I'm in some kinda trap 'er game. S'like when Discord just started playin' around with us." She glared at the darkened fields for a moment before turning her eyes to her friend, a clear frown on her face, "I don't like feeling helpless in my own home."

Rarity watched with concern as Appljack came clean in a rare moment of personal revelation. Her friend was the Element of Honesty, true, but she was also stubborn, self-sufficient, and a bit prideful. She didn't ask for help unless she really needed it and Rarity could count the number of times she had expressed vulnerability on one hoof.

It wasn't her place to judge or critique her friend, but she could certainly offer support and companionship. She listened, nodding slowly as Applejack vented, flinching at the stomp but holding her ground. Finally, when Applejack seemed to settle a bit and turned to look at her properly, Rarity gave a tight lipped smile and stepped over to offer her friend a light hug. "Nopony likes to feel helpless Applejack."

The two stood for a few moments, Rarity silently supporting her friend while Applejack glared out over the outlying fields, waiting for any sign of Pinkie or Fluttershy. Finally Applejack broke the embrace by taking a hesitant step forward causing Rarity to stumble. "A-applejack? What is it?"

Applejack's voice was quiet, but no less steely for its volume as she whispered back without taking her eyes from the night, "There's somethin' out there Rares... over by where the yellow clovers pop up."

"Are you sure? It is rather dark after all."

"Yheah, I'm sure. Somethin's moving out there at the edge of the field near the treeline." She paused a moment, squinting in the dark, before frowning, "It's goin' in and out between the trees... like it's tryin' t'hide or something."

Rarity followed her friend's gaze out across the empty fields towards the dark edge of the Everfree. In the darkness, she couldn't really make anything out definitively but, then again, she hadn't been staring into the darkness as long as Applejack and her eyes weren't quite as well adjusted yet. "Applejack, I know it's important that we find Fluttershy and Pinkie but perhaps we should head back given the day's events?"

Applejack remained silent for a few more moments before her frown turned into a solid scowl. "Dangit," she huffed before risking a quick glance to her friend, "I hate to admit it, but you're right. Let's head back. He's watchin' us."

Rarity looked out towards the treeline momentarily before turning back with a concerned expression, "He who?"

"That skull-faced zebra 'at Zecora don't like's who." Applejack turned on her hoof before flipping her mane back to gesture, "just saw his coat in the moonlight. Let's go find Twilight before anything else happens."

Twilight and Zecora were anxiously waiting at the Town Square. Rainbow Dash hadn't returned yet and Fluttershy was still missing. Applejack and Rarity could potentially still be alerting the residents, but when Twilight had flown up above the roofs, she hadn't seen either of her absent friends. Pinkie could be anywhere at anytime as it was (which was normal), but the simple fact that her tidy little troupe had suddenly disappeared was causing the youngest princess of Equestria no end of concern.

Concern that a rhyming zebra was having a difficult time dispelling.

"Princess, please, come down and see, the grounds are clear and the night is free. Do not fret or panic here or if we need you, you may yet be trapped in fear." Zecora's call was punctuated by a firm stomp of her good hoof upon the smooth cobblestones of the square.

High above, Twilight Sparkle turned slowly, casting out a small field of glowing orbs, lighting the unusually dim town. She knew that the evacuation had been a good idea, the notion of protecting her friends and neighbors didn't even bring a moment of question to her mind, but seeing the town at night with so few lights was distressing in a way she hadn't imagined. It was as if the comfort and security of the little village had left and been replaced with an echoing hollow - as if some core quality of the entire place had become, curiously and indefinably, absent.

It made her feel vulnerable.

Throwing out one last field of lights, Twilight began the slow decent to the street below, the square now bathed in the amber lamps of Town Hall mixed with the mottled magenta glow of her magic above. Zecora watched as she descended, a curious expression on her face that Twilight wasn't quite able to puzzle out.

"The night is quiet for my cheerless hosts, but it would be unwise to jump at unreal ghosts." Zecora's rich voice offering a touch of comfort, though not as much as she would have liked.

"I know Zecora, I know, but it's just so .... strange. It's like everypony's missing when it looks like they should all still be here." Twilight gestured at the quiet village around them, the windows dark and the streets lit almost exclusively by the glow of her magic, "I know I asked them to evacuate, and I know this is exactly what I was hoping for, but without a big fight or monsters rampaging or a wild spell or ... SOMETHING... it just looks like the whole town's ..." Twilight turned her hoof slowly, trying to find the right word to express her discomfort.

"Empty?" came a soft voice with a southern twang barely audible from beside the princess.

The startled squawk that escaped Twilight was quickly followed by the panicked flapping of her wings as she settled back to the ground, a few hairs of her mane sprung like broken piano wire. "Applejack! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Zecora and Rarity both hid their smiles behind a hoof while Applejack chuckled openly. "Sorry about that Twi, didn't mean to spook ya there." Applejack smirked again slightly, "Then again, I wasn't really sneakin' anyway. You were just kind'a going on and we walked up."

Rarity and Zecora both gave small nods while Twilight tried to gather the stray hairs back into a tidy mane. After a few moments though, Zecora's smile faltered as she leaned towards Twilight, looking at her critically.

Despite the comfort of suddenly having two more of her friends nearby, the zebra's focus was a bit unnerving, especially given the near glare she seemed to be aiming at her face. Twilight leaned her head back a bit before addressing her shaman friend, "Zecora?"

The zebra studied her for a few moments more before she slowly stepped forward. "I do not wish to worry you, but the doctors may pay a visit shortly...," she gave a tiny nod,"...true."

Without a flick of warning, Zecora's bandaged hoof shot out, snapping next to Twilight's head so quickly and close that she felt a few hairs torn from her mane and could smell the faint fragrance of the zebra's coat conditioner. Flinching and yelping in surprise, Twilight snapped off a barrier spell that sent her friends all tumbling a few yards away while scuttling back a step or two herself. When she looked up, she noticed the confused and worried expressions on both Rarity and Applejack as they got back to their hooves, but of Zecora, there was no sign.

"What in the hay was that about?!?" Applejack's voice cut through the adrenaline pounding in Twilight's veins, causing her to look at the farmer who was now glancing around as if expecting an attack at any moment.

Rarity, for her own part, had levitated a number of small stones and was keeping them in a slow orbit around her, likewise looking around.

Though unsure what had just happened, Twilight started to take stock of their surroundings. The square was still lit up so there was no disruption to the town systems. The lines to her makeshift capacitor still all looked to be untouched, so it was not likely that there was a saboteur. There were no cackles or echoing laughs, so it was unlikely that a greater evil from Equestria's dark and mostly forgotten past was preparing a followup attack. There was no monologueing so Trixie must have evacuated when she'd seen her earlier. And, most importantly, no one seemed to be injured.

So what had happened a moment ago?

Twilight thought back quickly, critically examining the last minute in her memory. She and Zecora had been talking when Applejack and Rarity had (stealthily) walked up (most certainly not because she had been too distracted to notice them). Applejack had started to apologize when Zecora had suddenly stopped smiling and looked at her... STARED at her actually, now that she thought about it. She had begun to get her mane back in order when the zebra had begun to lean in, looking like she wanted a fight.

Just, out of nowhere, looking for a fight.

That wasn't the Zecora she knew.

Twilight noticed a worried feeling starting to form in the back of her head somewhere. Zecora had been the only one to respond to Manilla, to know how to respond to Manilla. She had taken instant action and saved the mare, even though it had clearly injured her. She knew what was happening, what to do, and how to do it. Zecora was their first, and only, line of defense against those things.

But what scared Twilight more than the unknown danger posed by that black ribbon thing was that the first sign that something was wrong with Manilla had been her acting strangely.

Zecora had changed within seconds and, without warning, had attacked.

What was even worse was that without Zecora, she couldn't even see those things to try to figure them out.

"Girls, you need to come over here now... I think Zecora's been infected by one of those things." Twilight's voice was little more than a hissed whisper as she tried to be heard without being loud enough to be overheard.

Applejack and Rarity both looked back to her before slowly backing in her direction, scanning the darkened buildings as they went. When Applejack bumped up against Twilight's barrier, the princess carefully lowered it to allow them in before raising it again.

The three stood silent in the town square, shielded in a bright magenta bubble while a number of small stones orbited in a faint blue glow, sentinel against a missing friend.

It was a number of moments before Twilight started to realize her mistake.

Applejack began to waver, though she shook her head and snorted to snap back to alertness. Rarity trembled with the act of remaining focused, though a stone outside the barrier toppled from her magical grip before wobbling back up into a progressively unsteady orbit. Twilight blinked as she suddenly noticed her barrier losing cohesion before redoubling her efforts.

How could she be so foolish? How could she have forgotten that the zebra was a shamaness... a purveyor of potions and drugs? The attack hadn't missed by some fluke... she had done something to her... to disable them! She was probably watching them right now as the drug or spell or whatever was slowly sapping their strength and weakening them. She was probably laughing to herself at this very moment.

"Girls, stay focused... I think she drugged us. Just... stay awake and stay close."

Applejack nodded, though it took a moment before Rarity dropped her stones and looked back, nodding with weary eyes.

Twilight frowned in concentration as she mentally hunkered down. This wasn't uncommon after all... a long night studying would often leave her tired and a little unfocused, something she knew she could push through with an effort of willpower. It was just another lesson. Another thing to learn about and from. If she could read a dozen books over a weekend and write efficient summaries while using proper diction and grammar then she should be perfectly capable of-

"Twi?" came Applejack's voice, startling Twilight back into the here and now.

"Mmmm?"

"You just dropped your shield thing."

"Crud."

And then the town became dark as three ponies slumped to the ground with soft exhales and closed eyes, the magenta glow of magic flickering out to be replaced with the cool amber of the few remaining streetlamps.

It was unusually quiet in Fluttershy's cottage. Where normally even her more quiet residents would create the soft snufflings of countless tiny lungs or the muted scampering of feet across and through the floors, walls, and rafters, today there were only three present to break the silence.

Fluttershy was quietly humming while she worked, a cheerful little tune that wordlessly helped to keep the second calm. Angel bunny, meanwhile was doing his level best to understand what was happening and why his normally submissive 'master' had come home with an unconscious wreck across her back, only to glare daggers at him when he tried to politely kick it's head back into consciousness. Angel, after all, was rather used to being the one in charge when it came to the household. Not that it didn't happen that, on rare occasion, Fluttershy would put her hoof down, but that as a normal course of events, he could almost always get his way with just a hard stare or an impatient tapping of his foot. That Fluttershy had glared at him was confusing... and more than a little disturbing... especially when her eyes had taken on that red color again, if only for a moment.

Angel had decided to allow the wreck to rest and simply watch to make sure that it didn't wake up and hurt his Fluttershy. It was, after all, the same pony who had crashed through windows, into walls, destroyed the orange one's big red thing, and even blown up the sky on a number of occasions... but, given that his Fluttershy was acting protective, he felt that he could simply watch... from a safe distance.

For her own part, Rainbow Dash lay on her back, under a heavy blanket upon one of Fluttershy's larger cushions. Her wings had been carefully preened and refolded before being tightly secured to her sides with a long length of bandages. Her coat, while carefully cleaned and picked free of the random junk that Rainbow tended to ignore from flying, was matted with fever sweats and would certainly need to be brushed out once she was on her hooves again. Her mane, what could be seen of it, was pulled back and artfully tacked down by an extra wrapping of bandages to help keep it from getting into the gash across her forehead which Fluttershy was currently attending to.

The butter pegasus carefully dabbed the injury with a cotton swab, removing the last bits of bark before applying a dab of a greasy ointment with a spiky pepper leaf, something she was grateful that her friend was not awake to feel. Normally the leaf would sting painfully enough to bring fresh tears to ones eyes, but the chemicals in its oils acted as a disinfectant and helped to prevent scarring, something that Fluttershy knew Rainbow would be thankful for later on.

Waiting a few moments to give the oils a chance to penetrate, she drew back the leaf and disposed of it, careful to wash her hooves to keep from getting the oil in her eyes later. She looked around at the assortment of medical supplies she had used, briefly wondering why she had brought some of them out, before setting to the task of repacking them. Gauze and bandages, unguents and salves, along with a number of dried berries, a few roots, and a collection of dried herbs and flowers all found their ways back into the little veterinarian's cabinets and bags.

Finally, she took a fine needle and length of fresh spun spider silk thread, and ran it through a swab soaked in alcohol before starting the task of stitching her friend's wound closed. While Rarity might have been a seamstress of not inconsiderable reputation, Fluttershy's work went largely without notice, primarily because so few ponies ever realized who or what she had patched up. Despite what many thought, not all of her little friends always got along, and it was only her knowledge of veterinary medicine coupled with her skill with a needle and thread that kept the vast majority of them happy and healthy.

Within two minutes, Fluttershy was leaning down over her friend, snipping the thread with her teeth, for all the world looking like a gentle kiss on the forehead. She critically examined her work, taking the needle and gently lifting individual hairs to make sure none were caught in the wound and that they laid naturally over the injury. With a satisfied nod, she dropped the needle and remaining thread in a small dish to be cleaned before using the alcohol swab to wipe away the excess ointment and clean the surrounding fur, leaving an unblemished Rainbow Dash.

Finally, after nearly half an hour's work, Fluttershy collected the bloodied supplies and walked off to finish up, leaving Rainbow to rest. Angel watched silently from his couch, curious but unwilling to interrupt his Fluttershy while she worked. It was strange to see her treating that one with so much care when she had unceremoniously dumped it onto the cushion earlier. It didn't make sense to his little mind. His Fluttershy was caring and timid yes but, to see her acting a bit confused with some of her own supplies didn't make sense. He supposed that if she were forced to improvise something, she may have paused momentarily, but his Fluttershy had had to study the herbs and bottles, smelling some and even tasting others before she had used them. He had even had to stop her from trying one of the evil-evil-sick-stomach berries before he had lost his nerve at her expression. His Fluttershy was clearly there but there was clearly something wrong with her. He didn't want to admit it but he needed one of their help.

Twilight Sparkle blinked her eyes slowly, not certain what to make of the figures drifting before them. Everything seemed muted: colors were less vibrant, sounds were muffled and indistinct, her body felt numb, and even her nose seemed reluctant to identify the odors that the non-place she was in seemed to have. Even her sense of taste only reluctantly relayed the bitterness of morning breath somehow less intensely than she knew it must be.

She lay for she knew not how long, dazedly staring up at the unfocused shades and hues, not able to string together enough pieces to construct a formal thought. Blobs of color drifted and merged while others separated or dissolved altogether in a confusing tapestry of chaos that she found infinitely enthralling, though no less perplexing, something she felt drawn to observe until ... until something.

Vaguely she knew that she was supposed to do something after observation, something that had been engrained so deeply in her psyche that even in her muddled state she knew it was there even without knowing precisely what it was that she knew. There was something she knew, just out of reach, that observation led to.

After pondering for a few moments, or hours, or pudding, she relaxed, certain that the something-I-know would come to her in due time, and returned to experiencing the strangeness that was her existence.

Searing pain plunged through the gentle chaos of her world, sending her curiosity into a headlong retreat as panic and self-defense asserted themselves simultaneously. Her fuzzy world of unfocused light and muted senses collapsed under the assault of hurt. The iron clad hoof of misery crushed down upon her chest, pressing the air from lungs she had all but forgotten existed to supply her with precious air. The grindstone of suffering scraped across her hooves as she drew them protectively before her chest. The bellowing roar of agony pierced her sensitive eardrums, attacking her brain with the myriad howls and screeches of the lost plane of merciless torture before the foul destruction of her tongue and nose alerted her to the fetid will of what must surely be the rot of ten thousand mortal years of decay.

Unformed magic sputtered and leapt from her horn as she struggled against a failing reality, desperately trying to dismiss the sensations tormenting her very experience of the world. Traceries of white and magenta flashes whipped around her as the scent of ozone and burning hair joined the massacre of her comfortable confusion.

A sudden thrum echoed through the desolation of peace, arresting the carnage before her as the soothing tone caught upon some vague memory dancing above the mutilated corpse of befuddlement. Lower C. Why that particular sound had brought that particular title to mind, she did not know, but with it came a bastion of stability. For the first time in as long as she could remember, there was something solid within the chaos.

Lower C.

And then it came again. A ribbon of order echoing across the wasteland of blurry, hateful senses, shearing away great swaths of murk and muck. Again, Lower C reverberated across the field, changing everything it touched as things began to resolve around her.

The panic was gone, in its place a growing sense of confused curiosity.

Slowly, as the note (and that was what it was, she realized), repeated, she climbed from the depths of unfocused musings and back into the world of the waking.

Some minutes passed before the figure before her suddenly made sense. Where moments ago, the browns and grays, mottled with shifting yellows and stable blacks had meant nothing more than color, Twilight Sparkle suddenly recognized a figure above her.

Until that point, she had never personally experienced a paradigm shift.

Within the blink of an eye, her magic snapped taunt and had pinned the zebra shamaness against the ceiling as Twilight blinked away the confusion from her waking mind. Struggling to put her world back together, she was shocked when a new sound crushed into her mind.

"TWILIGHT SPARKLE, YOU PUT HER DOWN THIS INSTANT YA'HEAR!"

Flinching at the unexpected roar, and curling up instinctively, she cowered behind her wings as she continued to desperately put her world back together. Somehow she had angered something... something big if the voice was anything to go by... and she didn't know what to do. She was all alone. If only she had her frie...

Twilight blinked. Her friends. If only she had her friends to ... that was Appljack's voice!

The dull thump near her still caused an involuntary flinch when she heard the zebra land but at least it didn't sound too painful. Slowly, Twilight peeked out from under her wings, blinking in the soft light of candles before she saw Rarity checking on Zecora with a stern, but not angry, Applejack standing between the two and her. Applejack's coat was covered in a light sheen of sweat and had a few dark patches apparently splattered across it. One particularly curious dark spot continued to resolve as Twilight focused upon it, finally clarifying into what looked like a finely detailed tattoo of a sweeping flowered bush of some sort, all done in a slightly darker orange that came almost close enough to be red.

With horror, Twilight's mind connected the broken memories and her current state, as she recognized the type of pattern as the blossom of broken capillaries that sometimes could be observed after a lightning strike. Oh sweet Celestia, I didn't do that to her did I? she thought as tears began to form.

Applejack's expression quickly softened as she noted the change in her friend. "Ah, come on Sugarcube, I know ya didn't mean it." The farmer took a few steps forward, still tentatively, before gently reaching out a hoof to comfort her friend.

The next few minutes were a blur as the three settled each others nerves and Zecora sat back to watch.

Eventually, the soft cough of the shamaness drew their attention and snapped a fragmented memory back into place for Twilight Sparkle.

"You!" the alicorn snapped, raising a barrier before thinking.

Zecora watched with a cool expression, before slowly raising an eyebrow.

"Y-yyou.... um...." Twilight's anger faltered. It didn't add up. If Zecora had been taken over, she could have done anything to them while they were passed out. She knew how long it must have taken her to wake up fully... the memories alone suggested at least minutes, though even trying to examine them was difficult due to their lack of any cohesive elements.

While Twilight's mind chugged along, fitting pieces together and trying to reason out events, Rarity rolled her eyes and finally broke the princess's focus.

"Twilight, dear, Zecora wasn't the one ... um... infected sweetie..."

Applejack softly draped a foreleg over her shoulder. "Yheah... Zecora was tryin' to help us... remember?"

Twilight's thoughts ground to a halt.

Rapid change of behavior. No knowledge of the event itself. Unaccustomed feelings associated with delusion. She blinked quickly, illusory pages flipping in her mind as entries of possession and mind control spilled through into the present, her theories applying themselves to the situation and finally coming to a very uncomfortable conclusion.

Her barrier dropped, along with her head.

"I'm ... I'm sorry girls." She looked up at the slowly smiling zebra. "I'm sorry Zecora. I didn't mean to-"

Applejack's good-natured chuckle broke off her apology as she shoved her friend towards the zebra.

"T'ain't nothin' Twi... but I think you owe somepony a personal apology."

Twilight looked up at her mohawked friend in misery. "I'm sorry Zecora. I never... I didn't mean... " she sniffled and nearly broke into tears as she imagined the events that might have happened.

But before she could even start to spiral out of control, she felt the warm legs of her exotic friend wrap themselves around her as she comfortingly hugged her close.

"Do not yourself blame for this state, those tiny things are, to your anger, bait. Twas not your good sense that you used, but senses that they teased and abused."

For a few more moments, the four simply comforted each other before finally breaking the embrace.

Carefully, Zecora pulled an old glass bottle, dark with age and grime, from near one of the candles that illuminated her hut. Inside, for the first time, Twilight saw the shifting black ribbon as it slid and twisted at the barrier... without having to lean over the zebra's shoulder.