//------------------------------// // A Sign Of Aggression // Story: Fortune Favors The Bold // by TheEquestrianWing //------------------------------// The four friends finished breakfast at approximately 7:45. Spike was due to arrive in about fifteen minutes, so Twilight Sparkle and Bronze Star planned to go directly to the train station after that. Since they had nothing going on that morning, Applejack and Rarity decided to accompany them. Once the table was cleared and the dishes were washed and put away, the three mares and the stallion left Golden Oaks Library. Straightaway, they noticed the change in weather. A torrential downpour for the entirety of the previous night, and now there was not a cloud in the sky. A few other ponies were already outside. They seemed rather glad that the storm was over. Every now and then, one of them passed by Bronze Star, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Rarity. Whenever this happened, the four stallions bade that pony a good morning, and he or she greeted them the same way. The streets were still mostly empty, so the mares were able to address Bronze Star by his actual name as long as they talked quietly. "So, you girls have anything planned for today?" Bronze Star queried. "Well, due to the strength of last night's storm, I'll be busy inspectin' my orchards," Applejack conjectured, "Gotta make sure none of 'em got flooded and such." "Yesterday morning, I received a huge order from a couple of wealthy clients," Rarity disclosed, "So I'm expecting to spend the day with some fabrics and a sewing machine." "I don't have much in mind," Twilight Sparkle thought aloud, "I know I'm going to get some more studying in at some point. I'm also going to talk with Spike about Canterlot; he and I have some catching up to do." "I know how you feel," Bronze Star remarked. He smirked and declared "I'll probably go hunting in the Everfree Forest. With a certain friend of mine." Twilight Sparkle knew what he meant. She smiled and asked rhetorically "Looking forward to seeing him, Bronze?" "You bet I am, Twilight," Bronze Star affirmed, "Although I've been thinking about him all week, I didn't realize until now just how much I miss him." Applejack and Rarity looked at each other in interest. Then Rarity noted "I must say, Bronze Star; you seem even more eager to see Spike than Twilight." "I'm not talking about Spike, Rarity," Bronze Star revealed, "I'm talking about my pet hawk." Rarity raised an eyebrow and queried "You have a pet hawk?" "Yeah, he mentioned that when we first met him," Applejack reminded the white mare, "Don't you remember that?" Rarity lightly shrugged and stated "It must have slipped my mind." "It's not your fault for forgetting, Rarity," Bronze Star assured her, "I don't expect you to remember everything about our first meeting. Aside from that, I was only really talking to Fluttershy at the time. She was the one who asked me if I had a pet, after all." "Now that I do recall," Rarity commented. After a brief pause, Rarity said to the gold stallion "So, where is your pet hawk, Bronze?" "Up until a few hours ago, he was in my bedroom in Canterlot Castle," Bronze Star expounded, "I haven't seen him since we left the capital city. Originally, I considered bringing him with us, but I didn't know how long we'd be away at the time. Now that our stay in Ponyville is a long-term one, I decided to have Arthur move here with me." "His name is Arthur?" Rarity presumed. "Yeah, his full name is Arthur D. Hawkins," Bronze Star informed her, "Or Colonel Arthur D. Hawkins, if you want to be official. You see, I like to think of him as one of the soldiers in the Equestrian military who work under my command. He certainly has the faithfulness, gallantry, and ferocity of a soldier." "Is he flying here, or is somepony bringing him to Ponyville?" Applejack queried. "The latter," Twilight Sparkle answered this time, "Bronze and I asked Spike to pick up a few of our things for us before he came back to Ponyville. For me, I asked him to get some of my books, clothes, and personal belongings." "I asked him to get pretty much the same stuff," Bronze Star stated, "Only difference was that I also asked him to transport Arthur here. Hopefully, he won't have any problems with that." "What do you mean?" Rarity inquired, "Are you concerned that Spike might forget?" "No, I'm not doubting Spike's ability; he's very reliable," Bronze Star clarified, "It's just that… well, Arthur is a tough beast. SIG Sauer and I are perhaps the only people he feels completely comfortable around. Whenever he's around somepony he doesn't know, he tends to be more than a little mistrustful of them." "I can vouch for that," Twilight Sparkle coincided, "It took him a couple years to get used to me. Every time I come by your room, I'm still half-expecting him to swoop down at me." Rarity seemed a little concerned at that. "Arthur isn't… violent, is he?" "Oh no, certainly not," Bronze Star asserted, "Hawks are fierce creatures, but they do not attack unless provoked. Since Arthur's a trained hawk, he has total control over his own actions. He isn't aggressive or vicious. However, he tends to be a little protective of me." "Protective in what way?" Applejack queried. "Well, one time, I took him to Canterlot Castle's annual garden party," Bronze Star reminisced, "At one point, one of the attendees made a few very rude and hostile remarks about my involvement in the military, as well as my apparel and my taste in animals. In response, Arthur let the guy feel his wings. And his beak. And his talons. Several dozen times. He damn near pecked the stallion's eye out." "Ouch," the mares simultaneously muttered in displeasure. "Needless to say, that was the last time I took Arthur near the Canterlot elite," Bronze Star recounted, "But as long as nopony threatens or bothers me or him, he's generally well-behaved." "Do you think he and Winona would get along?" Applejack queried. "They might," Bronze Star speculated, "Hawks and dogs have several similar features. They're both great trackers, excellent hunters, intelligent and tactical beings, and they are both very loyal to their masters." "Maybe the four of us could get together and go critter hunting or something," Applejack proposed. "Actually, that's not a bad idea," Bronze Star thought aloud, "However, I'd like to give Arthur some time to get accustomed to Ponyville first. Once he's as comfortable here as I am, we can talk about that." "Sounds like a nice plan to me," Applejack agreed. The three mares and the stallion then continued trotting in silence until they reached the train depot. The eight o'clock from Canterlot was due to arrive in less than five minutes. Sure enough, the ponies soon heard the sound of a train whistle in the distance. At first it was faint, but it gradually got louder as the train got closer. About two minutes later, the train was parked in the depot. Once it had completely stopped, the conductor announced "Ponyville, watch your step!" and the cars' doors slid open. Bronze Star, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Rarity kept their eyes open for Spike as the passengers disembarked. Thirty seconds later, Applejack pointed to a car near the front of the locomotive and pronounced "There he is!" The others turned in that direction. They could clearly see the baby dragon amidst the crowd of ponies. He was pulling a trolley loaded with suitcases in tow. There were four suitcases and a tall, wide object covered with a sheet. The four ponies quickly made their way over to Spike. Bronze Star got his attention by calling out "Hey, Spike." The baby dragon swiftly turned around in response. When he saw the three mares and the stallion, he lightly smiled and uttered softly "Oh, hi, guys. Good to see you all." "Glad you're back, Spike," Twilight Sparkle told her assistant, "It hasn't been the same without you." "Thanks, Twi," Spike said gratefully. There was a brief pause, and then he gestured to the trolley and stated "So, I, uh… I got the stuff you asked for. It's all right here." Bronze Star and Twilight Sparkle noted that Spike appeared to be a little agitated. Concerned, the gold stallion queried "Is something the matter?" "Well, um…" the baby dragon began tentatively. He paused for a minute as he thought about how to continue. Then he slowly and nervously looked up at Bronze Star, as if he was worried that what he had to say would have a negative effect on the young prince. Ultimately, Spike sighed and declared "I think you should see for yourself." He then turned back to the trolley, reached up to the top of the pile of luggage, and gradually removed the sheet. Once the sheet was removed, the object underneath it was revealed to be a birdcage. Bronze Star recognized it as Arthur's birdcage. He stepped forward and peered into the cage. His pet hawk was inside, lying flat on his back and moaning in despair. Bronze Star gasped in shock and exclaimed worriedly "Oh, my… Arthur!" He picked up the cage and held it close to his head. He lightly tapped the side of it, hoping to get some reaction out of the bird. Initially, Arthur appeared to be unresponsive. With difficulty, he managed to turn his head towards Bronze Star and look up at him. He was able to recognize his master, and he screeched in mild contentment. Bronze Star was glad that his pet hawk had responded to him. He turned to the baby dragon and practically demanded "What happened?" "It wasn't me," Spike hastily proclaimed, shaking his claws, "I swear, I didn't do anything to him!" "Nopony's accusing you, Spike," Twilight Sparkle assured the baby dragon, "We know you wouldn't harm a thing." Spike eased down at that. Bronze Star was still quite phased, though. He reiterated his previous statement "Can you please tell me what happened to Arthur? Is he ill? Was he in an accident?" "I actually have no idea," Spike apprised him, "I didn't see him until yesterday. Yesterday afternoon, I stopped by your room to get your stuff, and I found him like this. He was sprawled out in the center of the floor." "Why didn't you take him to a veterinarian?" Twilight Sparkle enquired. "I thought about that, but I decided against it," Spike answered her, "You see, even with Arthur in his weakened state, it was a real challenge to get him into his cage. He put up quite a struggle until he was inside. So I doubted he'd be any more willing to have a pet doctor place his hooves all over him. I hope I didn't make the wrong call." "No, you made the right choice, Spike," Bronze Star professed, as he was aware of his pet hawk's mistrustful tendency, "Arthur has a strong dislike for veterinarians. If you took him to one without me, he probably would have just stirred up some trouble. Still, he doesn't seem to be doing too good. We have to take him to somepony who can find out what's wrong with him." "Well, in that case, we should go to Fluttershy's cottage," Rarity suggested. "You think Fluttershy would be able to help?" Bronze Star presumed. "Oh, most definitely," Applejack muttered in approval, "She's got her own private animal center established at her house. Her doors are open to all types of animals, and she cares for all them equally. If anypony can find the problem with Arthur, it'd have to be her." Bronze Star was quickly convinced to go ahead with this recommendation. Before they went anywhere, the four ponies and the dragon unloaded the luggage from the trolley. Twilight Sparkle used her magic to levitate the suitcases into the air and carry them alongside her. Bronze Star attached Arthur's birdcage to his back so that he had all four hooves free. After this, the group of five departed from the depot and headed towards the outskirts of town. Applejack and Rarity led the way, as they knew the most direct route to Fluttershy's cottage. They arrived within the next ten minutes. The yellow Pegasus was sitting outside having a picnic breakfast with her pet bunny Angel, some mice, some rats, a ferret, a porcupine, and several other creatures. Fluttershy and most of the animals were engrossed in the meal, but Angel noticed the group of ponies and the dragon approaching them. He hopped over to his mistress and rapidly tapped his foot against her side. She looked down at him an asked sweetly "Yes, Angel?" The bunny pointed out that they had company. When Fluttershy saw five of her friends nearing the house, she got to her hooves, smiled at them, and welcomed them "Good morning, everypony." "Hello, Fluttershy," the four ponies and the dragon cordially returned "Is there anything I can do for you?" Fluttershy inquired positively. "As a matter of fact, yes," Bronze Star responded, "You're not busy, are you?" "No, my animal friends and I were just eating breakfast," Fluttershy apprised him, "We're almost finished." "Good, then if it's not too much to ask, I have a favor to ask of you," Bronze Star disclosed. He approached the wildlife preserver, removed the birdcage from his back, and held it up for Fluttershy to see. As soon as she saw the injured bird inside the cage, Fluttershy recoiled in alarm. However, her surprise was quickly replaced with concern. She looked up at the gold stallion and asked him "Who is this?" "This is my pet hawk, Arthur D. Hawkins," Bronze Star informed her, "Spike brought him here from Canterlot this morning. He found him in this condition. We don't know what's wrong with him, but he's in a lot of pain. Applejack and Rarity recommended that I come to you, since you're an expert on animals. Do you suppose you could take a look at him?" Fluttershy did not even hesitate to respond. She grinned gently and said "Why, of course I will." Bronze Star smiled and told her appreciatively "Thank you so much." She just nodded her head and trotted over to the front door of her cottage. She pushed the entrance open and beckoned the young prince "Bring him inside." Bronze Star quickly followed the timid mare into the small building. Applejack, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike figured that not all of them had to be directly present for this, so they decided to remain outside. Fluttershy led Bronze Star over to a table at the far end of the room. She instructed him "Place him down here." Bronze Star complied and carefully set Arthur's birdcage down in front of her. Fluttershy then reached under the table and pulled out a large first aid kit. As she opened the lid, she removed some supplies and requested "Could you take him out?" "Sure," Bronze Star replied. There was a small door on the side of the birdcage. The latch had been fastened, but only because Spike had put Arthur inside the cage. Had Bronze Star been the only who put Arthur inside, he would have left the latch hanging, as he trusted Arthur not to fly off. At any rate, Bronze Star slowly reached inside the cage and gently took ahold of his pet hawk. Then he carefully pulled him out, being sure not to make any sudden movements. When Arthur was out of the cage, Fluttershy held out her front hooves and asked "May I see him?" "Alright, but be careful," Bronze Star advised her, "He has a particular disdain for strangers. If you hold him too roughly or too uncomfortably, he might attack." "I understand," the timid mare boldly declared, "Don't worry, Bronze. I promise you that I know what I'm doing." "Very well then," Bronze Star said in acknowledgment. He extended his front legs so that his pet hawk was within reach of Fluttershy. She prepared to receive Arthur into her own front legs. However, as his master moved him closer to Fluttershy, Arthur eyed her suspiciously. Before the yellow mare could take him, he waved his talons and shrieked threateningly. "Arthur, shape up!" Bronze Star sternly ordered his pet. "No, no, no, it's alright," Fluttershy spoke calmly and easily to the hawk, "I can tell that you're in pain. Please, let me do something to repair the damage. I'm not going to hurt you even more. I only want to help you get better." Normally, Arthur would have simply hissed and tried to swipe at Fluttershy again. However, there was something about her voice and demeanor that stuck out to him. Her words and actions had a rather soothing effect on him. Usually, it was belligerence that he respected, not empathy. However, Fluttershy's comforting approach made him feel safe and secure, and he decided to trust her. Arthur did not put up any more resistance. He allowed his master to transfer him to the yellow mare's front legs. He did not fidget or squeal at all. Bronze Star was rather impressed by Fluttershy's success in keeping the hawk calm. "Amazing," he remarked, smirking, "You must be the first person Arthur has ever immediately taken a liking to." "Animals just tend to become attached to me like that," Fluttershy mentioned. She carefully set Arthur on the table and thought aloud "Now, let's see if we can find the problem." She spent the next few minutes examining the wounded bird. She was very gentle, very soft, and very thorough. Bronze Star stood idly by and watched her work. He anxiously waited to hear her diagnosis. Eventually, Fluttershy set Arthur down and turned back to his master. She notified him "It looks as though his wing is broken. And I do not mean it's simply been 'clipped.' It's been bent straight backwards. The bone is just a few strands of cartilage away from being snapped in half." "How could that have happened?" Bronze Star queried. "I can think of a few possibilities," Fluttershy commented, "But that's not what I'm worried about. He needs to be treated straightaway. It's a good thing you brought him here when you did. A few hours more and he would have lost his wing." "So he won't lose it, right?" Bronze Star presumed hopefully. "No, I should be able to fix it," Fluttershy guaranteed the gold stallion, "He'll need a few days to heal, though. If you leave Arthur here with me, I can have his wing repaired by the end of the week. It'll still a couple of months before he'll be able to fly properly again, but he won't be in anguish anymore." A wide grin came across Bronze Star's face when he heard this. He hugged the yellow mare firmly and told her "Thank you so much, Fluttershy." She grinned back and returned the embrace, saying "I'm just happy to help. I love caring for animals." "Well, I should still compensate you for your troubles," Bronze Star decided, "How much is your standard fee? I'll bring you the money for the bill later." "Oh, no charge, Bronze," Fluttershy replied candidly, "You said you needed a favor, and friends are supposed to do favors for each other. You don't have to pay me. And before you ask, yes, I'm sure. My services are free." "Okay, if you insist," Bronze Star coincided. After a short pause, he added in "If he gives you any problems, just swing by the embassy. I won't mind coming by and straightening him out." "That probably won't be necessary," Fluttershy pronounced, "But I'll keep that in mind. Is there anything else about him I should know?" "Yeah, there are a few things," he informed her, "Firstly, his eating habits. While he's willing to consume pretty much anything, he has a fondness for fresh meat. His favorites are mice and rats. Do you have any of either?" At that, Bronze Star thought he heard a bunch of high-pitched squeaks from the other side of the room. He looked over his shoulder and noticed a small family of white mice running into a hole in the wall, as well as a small family of rats scampering out the door. "Yes…" Fluttershy answered awkwardly, "But none dead." "I understand," Bronze Star stated, "Well, he likes fish almost as much. Anything wrong with fish?" "No, I'm fine with giving him fish," Fluttershy stated. "Excellent," Bronze Star commented, "He also needs plenty of water. He's normally a very active bird, so he needs to remain hydrated. Although he won't be using his wings for a while, he should be able to exercise his legs. As soon as his wing's patched up and he's strong enough to walk, he'll probably be going for a jog at least twice a day. I've got no problem with that, just make sure he doesn't hurt himself. Oh, and most importantly, he likes to be addressed as 'Colonel.'" Fluttershy lightly scoffed and repeated "'Colonel?'" "Yeah, I gave him that nickname when I was younger," Bronze Star clarified, "He has a thing for formality much like I do. You got all that?" "Fish, water, jogging, 'Colonel,'" Fluttershy mumbled quietly, "I've got it all." Bronze Star smirked again and patted the yellow mare on the shoulder. He remarked "I can't tell you how grateful I am, Fluttershy." "It's my pleasure, Bronze," she assured him, resting her front hoof on his, "I'll keep you informed of the progress of Arthur's recovery. You can pick him up and take him home as soon as his wing's been mended." "Then I eagerly await to hear from you," Bronze Star wryly decreed. After this, Bronze Star trotted out of Fluttershy's cottage. Applejack, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike were still standing outside. The lavender mare asked eagerly "So, how did it go?" "Turns out he had a broken wing," Bronze Star apprised them, "His limb was almost literally hanging by a thread. Fortunately, Fluttershy believes she can nurse him back to health." "Well, that's good," Applejack commented. The others mumbled in agreement. "Now that we know Arthur will be alright, let's head back into town and leave Fluttershy to her work," Twilight suggested. Nopony protested this idea. They returned to Ponyville together, but they went their separate ways at the border of the town. Applejack trotted over to Sweet Apple Acres and Rarity galloped over to Carousel Boutique. Twilight Sparkle was still using her magic to carry the four suitcases that Spike had brought from Canterlot. Before she and Spike parted ways with Bronze Star, she gave two of suitcases to the gold stallion. Then Twilight and Spike made their way to Golden Oaks Library, and Bronze Star headed to the embassy. The next few days in Ponyville were relatively quiet and uneventful. Although Bronze Star and Twilight Sparkle had come to the conclusion that there was never a dull moment in Ponyville, they found themselves with surprisingly little to do in the days following the slumber party. Twilight managed to keep herself entertained by doing some additional studying, reading, and reorganizing her bookshelves. Bronze Star, on the other hoof, had much less going on. He had planned to spend a lot of time bonding with Arthur whenever his pet hawk got in from Canterlot. But since Arthur was under Fluttershy's care, that plan had quickly gone down the drain. Other than exercising, window shopping, and another meeting with Mayor Mare and City Council, he was unable to find something particularly interested to keep him occupied. Eventually, Bronze Star became so bored that it got to the point where he was willing to try out just about anything to have a little excitement. So he went from door-to-door in Ponyville, asking his friends and neighbors if they needed some assistance with anything. The vast majority of them either had nothing of the sort going on, or they politely refused his offer. Luckily, when he got to Sweet Apple Acres, he received neither of those responses. Applejack happily accepted his offer to assist with harvesting the orchards. Bronze Star was glad that she had not turned him down for three reasons. One, he would be able to get some more fresh air and sunlight. Two, he remembered the last time he had helped Applejack buck the trees, and he had had a great deal of enjoyment at the time. Three… it gave him an excuse to be with the mare he liked. Currently, nopony other than Twilight Sparkle and Rarity knew that Bronze Star and Applejack had developed strong feelings for each other. The two Unicorns had promised not to mention this matter to anypony. The gold stallion and the orange mare were grateful for this, as they still wanted to keep quiet about their feelings for now. Of course, if their relationship ever escalated beyond that of very close friends, they knew they would not be able to keep it a secret forever. So for now, they chose to simply remain very close friends. Once they started bucking the trees, Bronze Star easily quelled his boredom. One notable thing he and Applejack had in common was that they both seemed to derive more pleasure from working than pretty much anything else. There was just something about vigorously using the mind and the body in a productive manner that they both found quite appealing. Working together was even better. They were able to talk about recent events and share amusing stories while they bucked the trees. Every now and then, one of the apples rolled down a hill. Whenever that happened, one of them would retrieve the rogue fruit and play a brief game of catch with it. For three days, the orange mare and the gold stallion spent much of the late morning, afternoon, and early evening gathering fruit. It was rewarding both in the physical sense and the romantic sense. On the third day, they waited until the middle of the evening to quit. Applejack was almost late for supper with her family. She asked Bronze Star if he wanted to stay, but he said he was not hungry just yet. He was used to waiting until eight or nine o'clock to have dinner. Still, he was grateful for the farmer's proposal. "We still need to decide when I should come over for dinner," Bronze Star reminded her. "I'll talk it over with my family at the table tonight," Applejack informed him, "I'll get back to you on this tomorrow morning." "Sounds good," Bronze Star stated, "Should I get here at the usual time?" "Nah, we're way ahead of schedule, so we can take a day off," Applejack declared, "How about I come to you instead?" "Sure," Bronze Star affirmed, "Would nine o'clock at the embassy do for you?" "You betcha," she giddily replied, "I'll see ya then, sugar cube." Bronze Star bade the orange mare good night and made his way back to the embassy. He wondered what Applejack's family was like. He had already met her older brother Big McIntosh, and he seemed like a pleasant individual. He was not certain that he had ever seen her grandmother Granny Smith or her younger sister Apple Bloom. But if they were anything like Applejack, Bronze Star was confident that he was going to like them. The next morning, Bronze Star got up at seven o'clock like he always did. He showered, made and ate breakfast, and washed the dishes like he normally did. By the time he was done, it was approximately 8:15. He still had forty-five minutes until Applejack was due to arrive. He decided to pass the time the way Twilight would have; he read a book. That certainly kept his mind occupied, but he still preferred Applejack's company. An entire hour had passed before Bronze Star checked the time. It was approximately 9:15 and Applejack had not arrived yet. He found this rather odd. Applejack was very punctual and reliable; she would not be this late unless something had come up. Bronze Star decided to wait for another fifteen minutes. When Applejack still did not show, he chose to swing by Sweet Apple Acres and see if everything was alright. When he stepped outside, Bronze Star immediately noted that the weather was absolutely lovely. There was not a cloud in the sky, and the Sun was shining brightly all over Ponyville. This was the type of day where everypony would be outside to enjoy the clear skies. However, this was not the case. Bronze Star also noticed something rather peculiar: The streets were completely deserted. It was as though the entire town had been evacuated. Of course, had that been the case, he would have been the first to know about it. Something else was going on. After wandering through the town by himself for about five minutes, Bronze Star encountered Twilight Sparkle and Spike. The baby dragon was sitting on the lavender mare's back. "Good morning, Bronze," Spike greeted the young prince. "Hey, guys," the gold stallion returned. "Have you seen Applejack this morning?" "Nope, we haven't seen her," Twilight informed him, "Then again, we just came outside a minute ago. We haven't seen anypony yet today." "Same here," Bronze Star remarked. He decided to hang out with the two of them for a little bit. As he and Twilight trotted through the streets, Bronze Star thought aloud "Beautiful weather we're having, huh?" "I'll say," Twilight concurred. She looked around the area and commented "Wow, what a gorgeous day!" "Rainbow Dash must have gotten up early for once and cleared all the clouds away," Spike theorized. "Could be," Bronze Star admitted, "Then again, Rainbow does like sleeping in." "True," Spike stated in agreement, "I'm still glad we stepped out of the library this early." "I bet all of Ponyville is going to be out enjoying the sunshine," Twilight conjectured. "That's what I thought at first, too" Bronze Star contradicted, "But apparently, that's not the case." The two of them continued walking for a bit, and then Twilight abruptly stopped. She had just realized that nopony else was around. She asked in worry "What? Where is everypony?" They heard what sounded like a bald eagle's call. They noticed that a window was open on the second floor of a house. Shoeshine momentarily appeared at that window, and she quickly closed the shutters. After this, a tumbleweed rolled through the area. On the other side of the street, Ruby Pinch was standing in the doorframe of her house's front entrance. She was smiling at Bronze Star, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike. Ruby looked as though she was going to come outside, but her mother intervened. Berry Punch grabbed her daughter by the tail, pulled her back inside, and slammed the door shut. "Is it some sort of pony holiday?" Spike inquired. "Not that I know of," Twilight replied. "If it was, the mayor would have told me," Bronze Star claimed. "Does my breath stink?" Spike hypothesized. He belched loudly so that his friends could get a whiff. "Not more than usual," Twilight remarked. "Yeah, still smells like flank," Bronze Star wittily stated. "Is it... zombies?!" Spike asked worriedly. Twilight narrowed her eyes and bluntly answered "Uh... not very likely." "Not likely... but possible?" Spike supposed fretfully. "I highly doubt it, Spike," Bronze Star assured the baby dragon, "You've just been reading too many of those The Trotting Dead comics." A moment later, they heard a "Psst!" They turned in the direction of the sound. It was coming from Sugarcube Corner. The lower half of the main entrance was closed, but the upper half was still open. Pinkie Pie briefly appeared at it three times, and she quietly called out "Twilight! Spike! Bronze!" The two ponies and the baby dragon were intrigued by the pink mare's behavior. "Come here!" Pinkie implored them, "Come! Here! Hurry! Before she gets you!" Twilight Sparkle groaned in slight annoyance, but she, Spike, and Bronze Star went along with Pinkie Pie's request and made their way over to her. Interestingly, all the lights were off in the sweet shop. Once they were all inside, Spike asked nervously "Who?! The zombie pony?" "Z-Zombie pony?!" Pinkie anxiously repeated "Spike! There are no zombie ponies." Twilight insisted. She then looked over at the pink mare and queried "Pinkie, what are you doing here alone in the dark?" "I'm not alone in the dark," Pinkie Pie revealed, gesturing over her shoulder. It was then that the others realized that Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and a young filly were assembled there, as well. Twilight Sparkle gasped in alarm at this sudden discovery, but she quickly eased down and stated "Okay then, what are you all doing here in the dark?" "We're hidin' from her!" Applejack timorously responded, pointing out the window. Curious as to what the orange mare was talking about, Bronze Star, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike approached the window and gazed outside. The other six ponies in the room gathered behind them and peered outside, as well. Outside the shop, a figure clad in a cloak and hood was prowling through the streets. Based on her stature, the figure seemed to be a mare. However, she had a very unusual coat pattern. Part of her hooves and muzzle were visible, and she seemed to be covered in shades of white and black. She was focused on the ground in front of her, and she slowly dug at it with her front hooves. A few seconds later, she cocked her head upward, as if she could sense that she was being watched. Then she turned directly towards Sugarcube Corner. In response, everypony except Bronze Star, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike gasped in alarm and ducked down to hide themselves. Twilight Sparkle and Spike were confused by their actions. However, Bronze Star could somewhat understand them. The cloak that the figure was wearing was nearly identical to the one Noble Edict's agents had found in the Everfree Forest during the marehunt for Hazy Wisp. In addition to that, Hazy Wisp also had a black coat, and the figure outside had a frame very similar to hers. He quickly developed a very unpleasant theory as to who that mare was. If his theory turned out to be correct, then the others had every reason to be afraid. "It couldn't be…" he muttered in shock, "Is that Hazy Wisp?" "Who?" the filly inquired. "He's talkin' about one of the people responsible for that Nightmare Moon incident," Applejack enlightened her. She then turned to the gold stallion and told him "And don't worry; that's not her. But the person out there is almost as bad." Bronze Star was relieved that the head of the Nightmare Moon cult had not returned to Ponyville. But he was curious as to who could possibly be anywhere nearly as awful as Hazy Wisp. The filly had approached the lavender mare and asked her "Did you see her Twilight? Did you see... Zecora?" Applejack glared down at the filly and sternly remarked "Apple Bloom! I told you never to say that name." Bronze Star quickly gathered that the filly was Applejack's sister. Apple Bloom had a yellow coat, a red mane, and orange irises. She also had a large pink bow in her mane. Interestingly, she also had no cutie mark. Twilight answered Apple Bloom's question with "Well, I saw her glance this way..." "Glance evilly this way," Pinkie dramatically interrupted her. Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes, and then she continued with "... And then a bunch of you flip out for no good reason." "No good reason?" Applejack snappily retorted. She placed her front hoof on Apple Bloom's shoulder and proclaimed "You call protectin' yer kin no good reason? Why, as soon as my sister saw Zecora ridin' into town, she started shakin' in her lil' horseshoes." She then started shaking Apple Bloom unsteadily. As she did this, the yellow filly stammered "Did not!" Applejack then released her sister and stated "So I swept her up and brought her here." "I walked here myself!" Apple Bloom countered. Applejack stared down at her and added in "For safe keepin'." "Applejack, I'm not a baby!" Apple Bloom defensively declared, "I can take care of myself!" "Not from that creepy Zecora," Applejack insisted. "She's mysterious," Fluttershy muttered edgily. "Sinister," Rainbow Dash whispered hauntingly. "And spoooooky!" Pinkie Pie murmured disturbingly. Spike seemed a little bothered by these remarks. Twilight Sparkle groaned in annoyance again. Bronze Star was relatively indifferent; he was used to dealing with threats to public safety. He looked over at Applejack and commented slyly "Well, at least I know why you didn't show up this morning." "Yeah, sorry 'bout that," Applejack sincerely told him, "I was gonna come to the embassy just as soon as I dropped Apple Bloom off at school. I was actually on my way when Zecora showed up. When that happened, we ran for shelther like everypony else." "Since you were just being protective, I understand," Bronze Star assured her. Apple Bloom paid close attention to their dialogue. When they were finished, she looked up at her sister and inquired "Is this him, Applejack?" "Yeah, this is the stallion I told you about," the orange mare replied. Apple Bloom turned to Bronze Star, smiled kindly, and held out her front hoof to him. She said candidly "It's pleasure to meet ya, Mr. Gold Streak." Obviously, Applejack had not revealed Bronze Star's identity to her family. He was glad for that. He took the filly's hoof in his and shook it. Her hoof was a lot smaller than his, so he was gentle with her. When he released her hoof, he smiled back and avowed "Nice to meet you, as well, my dear." Apple Bloom lightly blushed at being addressed like that. After the red tint vanished from her cheeks, she stated "Applejack told me all about how you saved her life a few weeks ago." "Saved her life?" Bronze Star stated in minor perplexity. He briefly thought back through the events of the last few weeks. It did not take him long to realize what Apple Bloom was referring to. He pronounced "Oh, you mean when she passed out during Applebuck Season and I used CPR to revive her?" "Yeah, that's the one," Apple Bloom affirmed. She approached the gold stallion and embraced his front leg. Then she looked up at him again and mentioned "Can't tell ya how thankful I am for that." Bronze Star smiled and patted Apple Bloom on her shoulder. He told her "Don't mention it. I'm just glad I was able to help. I did what I did not just for Applejack, but also for myself, as well. Your sister means a lot to me." "I can tell," Apple Bloom wittily professed, "You wanna know something funny? When you gave Applejack mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, that was the first time she ever got a stallion to put his lips on hers!" Apple Bloom then burst into a small fit of giggles. So did Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash. Out of respect for their friends, Rarity and Twilight Sparkle remained silent. Bronze Star and Applejack both blushed deeply, and the latter casually asked the former "Is that so?" "Yeah, it's true," Applejack bluntly admitted, "But now's not the time to talk about this stuff." "She's right," Rainbow Dash concurred, "Let's take another look outside. Maybe Zecora's already gone." The eight ponies and the baby dragon gradually approached the window again. It turned out that Zecora was still out in the street. She seemed to have gotten closer to Sugarcube Corner. Everypony except Bronze Star and Twilight Sparkle gasped in fright and backed away. Twilight Sparkle mumbled agitatedly "Will you cut that out?" "I don't see what the whole dilemma is," Bronze Star noted, "Her façade may imply that she's mysterious, but vagueness is not sufficient enough to entail enmity." A few of the others could comprehend what Bronze Star was saying, but the others were just baffled by his wording. "What did he say?" Rainbow Dash asked inquisitively "No clue," Pinkie Pie drily responded. Bronze Star sighed and muttered under his breath "I gotta learn to speak more informally." "Good idea," Applejack coincided. There was a brief interval of silence. Then Rarity pointed out the window towards Zecora and announced to the others "Just look at those stripes! So garish!" "She's a zebra," Twilight Sparkle disclosed. "A what!?" Everypony except Bronze Star shouted. "A zebra," the lavender mare illuminated, "and her stripes aren't a fashion choice, Rarity. They're what she was born with. Rarity closed her eyes, whimpered, and fainted. "Born where?" Applejack enquired "I've never seen a pony like that in these parts, 'cept... her!" "Well, she's probably not from here, and she's not a pony," Twilight informed the others, "My books say that zebras come from a far away land. But I've never seen her in Ponyville. Where does she live?" "That's just it," Applejack nervously replied, "She lives in... the Everfree Forest!" Out of nowhere, there was a huge crash that sounded like a thunderclap. The ponies shuddered in surprise and turned towards the source. They quicklly calmed down when they discovered that the cause of the noise was just Spike messing around with some pots. "Spike!" Twilight rebuked her assistant. "Uh, sorry," the baby dragon apologized. "The Everfree Forest just ain't natural," Applejack proclaimed, "The plants grow..." "Animals care for themselves..." Fluttershy continued. "And the clouds move..." Rainbow Dash uttered. The three of them fretfully finished at once "All on their own!" By this point, Rarity had gotten back up. But after hearing this, she let out a cry and fainted again. "And that wicked enchantress Zecora lives there doing her evil... stuff!" Pinkie Pie yelled energetically "She's so evil I even wrote a song about her!" "Oh, boy," Bronze Star thought aloud. Rainbow Dash knew what he meant. She rolled her eyes and mumbled with a sigh "Here we go..." Unsurprisingly, Pinkie Pie then broke into song. Over the next twenty seconds, she jumped around the room and chanted the following lyrics: "She's an evil enchantress She does evil dances And if you look deep in her eyes She'll put you in trances Then what will she do? She'll mix up an evil brew Then she'll gobble you up In a big tasty stew Soooo... Watch out!" When she was finished, Pinkie Pie was standing on her hind legs and panting deeply. Most of the others were speechless. "Wow." Twilight commented, "Catchy." "It's a work in progress," Pinkie declared proudly. Despite the intimidating nature of Pinkie's song, it was not enough to convince Twilight Sparkle or Bronze Star that Zecora was a malevolent being. "This is all just a lot of gossip and rumors," Twilight pointed out, "Now tell me; what exactly have you actually seen Zecora do?" "Well..." Rainbow Dash began, "Once a month, she comes into Ponyville." "Oooooh." Twilight muttered dramatically. "Then, she lurks by the stores," Rarity went on. "Oh, my," Twilight spoke in an equally dramatic manner. "And then, she digs at the ground," Fluttershy revealed. "Good gracious!" Twilight mentioned dramatically once more. Evidently, she was mocking the others. Then she stated in her normal tone of voice "Okay, I'm sorry. But how is any of this bad? Maybe she comes to town to visit?" "Yeah!" Apple Bloom mentioned in agreement, "Maybe she's just tryin' to be neighborly." "And maybe she's not lurking by the stores," Twilight speculated, "Maybe she's going to them, lurk free, to do some shopping?" "Yeah!" Apple Bloom conceded, "Everypony likes to shop. You know what I think?" Before she had a chance to express her opinion, Applejack interceded and sharply told her "Apple Bloom! Hush and let the big ponies talk." Apple Bloom scowled angrily and mumbled under her breath "I am a big pony!" "W-what about digging at the ground?" Rainbow Dash pointed out, "You've got to admit that's weird." "What if she's digging for innocent creatures?" Fluttershy guessed. "I don't think so," Bronze Star countered, scoffing, "The only creatures she'd find in the ground would be earthworms and beetles. You may as well accuse her of planting landmines." In the background, Pinkie Pie had started singing her "Evil Enchantress" song again. "I am sure there is an explanation for everything Zecora does," Twilight insisted, "And if anypony here were actually brave enough to approach her, she would find out the truth." "Well, I'm brave enough," Apple Bloom quietly spoke, "I'm gonna find out myself." Although the others were gathered around the building's front entrance, nopony was lingering near the back entrance. Apple Bloom silently made her way to the back of the shop and slipped outside. She spotted Zecora and eyed her closely. At one point, the zebra turned in the direction of the yellow filly. Apple Bloom gasped and hid to avoid being seen. Zecora soon looked away and sauntered towards the Everfree Forest. Apple Bloom noiselessly and cautiously followed her. Inside Sugarcube Corner, Bronze Star and Twilight Sparkle were still trying to find a way to explain Zecora's actions and assure the others that their accusations were unfounded. "So, nopony in this town has even TRIED to approach her?" Bronze Star presumed in disbelief. "That's right," Rainbow Dash confirmed. "I find that very difficult to believe," Bronze Star disputed, "Sure, I'm the one who represents Valor, but the rest of you are hardly what I would regard as cowards. I mean, the five of you didn't hesitate to assist me and Twilight when we went searching for the Elements of Harmony. You stood up to Nightmare Moon and defeated her without a hint of fear. So how is it you're this afraid of a single zebra?" "He makes an excellent point," Twilight Sparkle noted. "Yes, he does," Rarity asserted, "Still, you mustn't forget that we had the Elements of Harmony at the time. Now we don't have anything but our hooves to defend ourselves with." "That's true," Fluttershy debated, "Besides, as powerful and dangerous as Nightmare Moon was, at least we all knew what she was capable of. We haven't the slightest idea as to what Zecora could do to us." "If her presence is enough to generate a disturbance of the peace, that would theoretically be enough to have her banned from town," Bronze Star speculated, "Only theoretically, mind you. Has anypony considered that?" "Actually, yes," Rainbow Dash revealed, "A lot of people have asked Noble Edict to bar Zecora from Ponyville. However, she's never accepted any of those requests. Noble claims that she cannot legally prevent anypony from setting hoof in this town unless the perpetrator has committed a serious crime or felony against the townspeople." "That's a very reasonable policy," Bronze Star commented in approval, "On that note, has Noble ever tried speaking to Zecora? As the town's chief of security, she must have the courage to go near her." "You're right about that," Applejack disclosed, "As it turns out, Noble is probably the only person in Ponyville who doesn't fear Zecora. Whenever that zebra showed her face around her before, Noble was able to get rid of her." "What would she do?" Twilight enquired. "She would just approach Zecora and calmly ask her to do whatever business she had to do in town and leave when she was done," Pinkie Pie recalled, "It never failed. Zecora was always gone within five minutes." "Well, that's good," Bronze Star declared, "That implies that Zecora is a rational being; one capable of accepting requests and listening to reason." "Maybe, but we still don't know about her," Fluttershy remarked timidly, "I really wish Noble Edict was here right now. She'd be able to help us." "Well, there has to be somepony in this town who's willing to give Zecora a chance," Bronze Star assumed hopefully. "Not likely," Rainbow Dash straightforwardly said in response. "You ponies are being ridiculous!" Twilight barked. "Well, I heard that Zecora eats hay," Pinkie Pie uttered menacingly. Twilight retorted in astonishment "Pinkie, I eat hay; you eat hay!" "Yeah, but I heard it's the evil way she eats hay," Pinkie proclaimed. "Hey! Where's Apple Bloom?" Applejack yelled in worry. The others looked around the room, but the filly was nowhere to be seen. Fluttershy looked to the back room and informed the others "The door's open." "She went outside!" Rarity declared. "And Zecora's still out there," Rainbow Dash pointed out. Applejack sighed and muttered fretfully "That silly lil' filly! I told her to stay put!" "Well, let's go after her!" Bronze Star hurriedly proposed. Nopony protested this idea. The others quickly ran outside. Twilight Sparkle was the last one to leave. Before she left, she turned to her assistant and ordered him "Spike, you stay here in case Apple Bloom comes back." "Will do!" the baby dragon acknowledged. As soon as the seven ponies were gone, Spike kept himself busy by cleaning up the mess he had made with the pots. At this time, about a mile away, Apple Bloom was on Zecora's trail. The zebra was very nimble and stealthy, and she constantly looked over her shoulder. Despite this, Apple Bloom managed to avoid detection. At one point, Zecora halted in her pace altogether, and she turned around entirely. Apple Bloom gulped in nervousness and took a step back. Just then, she heard a familiar voice call out behind her "Apple Bloom?" Apple Bloom gasped in surprise and turned around. She discovered that her sister and her friends were less than five meters away from her. Applejack was at the front of the group. She grimaced angrily and demanded "You get back here right now!" Before Apple Bloom could move in either direction, Zecora spoke for the first time. She announced in a menacing tone "Beware! Beware, you pony folk! Those leaves of blue are not a joke!" It was worth mentioning that at this time, Applejack and the others were standing in a large patch of blue leaves. Bronze Star was intrigued by Zecora's words. They sounded like a warning. Even if it was, he was the only one who even paid any heed to it. Applejack snapped back "Y-you keep your creepy mumbo-jumbo to yourself, ya hear?" After this, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity spoke over each other against Zecora. They threw various insults and threats her way. Twilight Sparkle sighed and murmured "Oh brother." "Beware! Beware!" Zecora repeated as she backed into a cloud of fog and vanished from their sight. "Yeah, back at ya, Zecora!" Rainbow Dash shot back, "You and your lame curse are the ones who better beware!" By now, the zebra was no longer in the area. Applejack turned to her younger sister and furiously told her "And you! Why couldn't you just listen to yer big sister?" "I...I..." Apple Bloom sputtered anxiously. "Who knows what kind of nasty curse Zecora could have just put on you?" Applejack hypothesized. "Just like in my song!" Pinkie Pie shouted. She started singing a shorter version of "Evil Enchantress." "You guys, there's no such thing as curses!" Twilight Sparkle maintained. "Well, that's interesting to hear coming from Miss Magic Pants herself," Rainbow Dash snappily retorted, gesturing to Twilight's horn. "My magic, real magic, comes from within," Twilight Sparkle explained, "It's a skill you're born with. Curses are artificial, fake magic. It's conjured with potions and incantations; all smoke and mirrors meant to scare. But curses have no real power, they're just an old pony tale." Twilight made a very compelling argument, but it was not enough to sway the minds of most of the others. As the eight ponies started trotting back towards Ponyville, Applejack stated darkly "Just you wait, Twilight. You're gonna learn that some pony tales really are true." "Well, let's just get the Tartarus out of here before we get attacked by a haunted tree or something," Bronze Star sardonically advised.