//------------------------------// // Chapter 3.5: Side-Chapter: Consequences, First Meeting, and Probably More. // Story: The Pony With The Forbidden Magic // by Hekkar //------------------------------// After the curse was done, and the spell etched into the body of Prince Blueblood for three days, the voodoo stallion Velvet Spectre, went back inside of his hut as he puts the picture into a small red box for safe keeping. As he got dressed he started to cough as he groans "Damn... thought I had more time" he says as he quickly gets to bed. He lays down to rest as he tries to go to sleep. Every pony pays a price for something when it comes to voodoo spells and hexes. For a spell of lesions, the cost was he would be weaker to disease as he came down with a fever and cold. When the first day came of his sickness, to say the stallion looked like crap was a understatement. He had a red nose, coughing, sneezing, and really light headed. He was in his bed as he was eating cabbage soup he had somehow made without spilling it on him as he was covered in a blanket to rest and relax. He knew the price for doing it, but it was so worth it to make him suffer for his crimes. As the stallion was getting up to get more soup, he heard a knock at his door. He looks over as he calls out "We're closed" he says. Now normally, the deep voice of the stallion was replaced with a nasally voice as the knocking continues. He yells out "We're closed!" as he coughs and gets more soup. As he goes back to his bed, he hears the door open as he looks and finds the only mare not afraid of the woods. She was a bit taller then him, of at a height of five foot eight and a half, but had rather unique form to her.... well unique from Ponyville. Her body was of a two-tone grey form, some parts of her a darker grey as he could see. Her right arm had about five golden rings on it that jingle as she moves. Her attire was a simple black and white tubetop, but with some jeans that hugged her curves, but spread out near her ankles and lead to a pair of sandles on her hooves. Looking back up, she had a pair of light blue eyes, five more golden rings around her neck and two large golden hoops around her ears. Her hair was styled in a grey and white Mohawk, that kinda leaned to the left from his position. Spectre moves back to the bed "Ever heard of waiting for someone to answer the door?" he asks as he coughs. He feels a hand on his back and lead him to the bed as he sits down. She goes to the kitchen and nods "Of course I have heard, but then again your speech is slurred" she says in her Zebrafican accent. Spectre looks at her as his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, this mare was definitely his neighbor Zecora. He remembers the first day he came to Everfree about three weeks ago, it was raining hard enough to be like a storm that could flood Everfree, but he didn't care. The rain was to him, a friend that helped calm him from the problems he would face. As he walked through the woods, he hears a door opens as he turns to see a pony who opened her door to a small hut. She seemed a bit surprised as she asks "What you doing out here? Are you some kind of sightseer?" she asks as she pulls him inside. The hut looked quite nice, almost like home in New Foaleans... except this hut had masks looking at him. The place looked to be leaking as well with all the pans and pots around as Spectre looks at the pony, a zebra specifically, as she runs around trying to keep her house from getting wet. Each time Spectre tried to talk to her, she just run by as he sighs a bit. His horn glows as he makes a barrier around the inside of the house to keep the rain out. He sees her look at him as he sighs "Well... I do appreciate the gesture of taking me out of the rain, but I must be continuing if I am to set up my home" he says. He goes for the door as she stops him "A traveler you are, you must of traveled quite far. Please rest here in my home, so that you are not wet and sick when you roam." she says speaking in rhyme. Spectre simply raises a eyebrow as he hears her rhyme, He just shakes his head as he looks at her. He simply nods as he speaks "While I do appreciate the offer miss.... I am sorry, I never got your name" he says. She chuckles softly "Zecora is the name of this mare, and I think knowing your name would be fair" she says. He simply nods as he smiles "My name is Velvet Spectre, a simple stallion who wishes to lay himself away from the ponies who think of my... talent as dangerous" he says. She simply nods as she walks over to the cauldron "I like to hear more of this stallion tale, perhaps some tea before it goes stale?" she asks. The stallion smiles "It has been way too long for me to have tea. It helps soothe the mind and of course would be quite nice to be a introduction of a neighbor" he says. With that, the mare had brew some tea and sat at a table as they drank the tea and he regale her with a tale of the voodoo stallion. Growing up in New Foaleans to the medic Earth pony mother and voodoo stallion of New Foaleans within the forest called The Forsaken Forest. He retold tales of him running for he was weaker then bullies, how he acquired his mark and of course his travels all that seem to interest her. The two had exchanged stories for what felt like hours as after a minute of silence, they had finally heard the rain stop as Luna's moon was out. Spectre puts his cup up as he smiles at her "I thank you Zecora for allowing this stallion to stay here from the rain" he says. As he was at the door, he simply bowed down a bit as he held her hand and kissed it. If his hat wasn't blocking his view, he would see the zebra's cheek flush with a shade of pink as he walked to the location of his home. Back to modern time, he was laying in his bed as Zecora walked over and sat down next to him. She held the soup as she smiled "I wish to see you back to your best, for now you must rest" she says. She was just a neighbor to him, but now she was here to help him get better, despite already knowing of what a hex can do to him and not to mention what he did since it was hard to not hear the chanting. She helps feed him soup "I know using medicine would be in vain, but it would at least ease the pain" she says referring to his sickness from the hex. He simply smiles as he nods "Thank you. You didn't have to do this Zecora, but still... thank you" he says. As she helped him care for the shop and simply talk, the two had a few... problems arose. One such problem as when Zecora went to go and get more soup, Spectre felt his eyes.... wander. As if something was enticing the sick stallion towards where Zecora was as he gulps and saw one thing. Her flank was swaying with each step and it was somehow... mesmerizing to him as he blushed when he felt himself staring. He looks up as she was coming back as she seems curious "Why are your cheeks red, are you a bit cold in bed?" she asks. He shakes his head "J-Just the fever is all Zecora" he says as he looks away from her. That happened on the first day as he nods "I thank you Zecora for this, all this. The help, the assistance of a sick neighbor" he says. He smiles a bit "I would kiss your hand, but... rather not risk getting you sick if it is contagious" he says. She chuckles a bit as she stands "I will return tomorrow, so don't worry about soup on the morrow" she says. Just as she said, she returned the next day, but with a peculiar green salve that she said would help ease the fever a bit. Problem was he had to lay down shirtless and after a bit of reluctance nods and does so. She starts to apply the salve as Velvet's eyes shot open as he groans in joy. She wasn't just rubbing the salve in, but massaging the salve into the body "It works at it's best, when it is applied to the chest" she says. His face was looking at the ceiling as he barely see Zecora blush a bit. She knows of how Unicorns are not as big or strong in body as Earth ponies, but he was big with broad chest and is a bit toned . It must of come from having a bit of Earth pony in his blood. The salve was already rubbed into his body, yet... her hands didn't stop. Spectre blushes "Um... Zecora" he says. She snaps out of it as she turns away "S-Sorry" was all she said as she went to help make some food for them. Needless to say, the two didn't speak since they were a bit embarrassed of how the last two days went. Needless to say, the third day was a bit easier. The curse on Blueblood was nearly done as it only led to Spectre being more healthy then the last two days. A knock is heard as he was in his usual ensemble, but still looked a bit pale as he had a fever still. He opened the door, but to Zecora with some sandwhiches. He raises a eyebrow "Zecora? What are you doing here? You don't need to help me anymore, after tonight I'll be fine" he says. She simple nods "Yes, this I know. I just wish to help you take it slow" she says. He nods as he smiles a bit 'I thank you for the assistance and for that I owe you" he says. She entered as she sets them down and sits not near, but on the edge of the bed, Spectre looks at her as she looks away a bit "Something wrong?" he asks as he sits down next to her. Zecora nods "I am fine mister Spectre, just had a bit of self-made nectar" she says as he chuckles a bit. He looks over as his stomach growls out for something more then damn soup as he takes a sandwhich and eats it. He smiles as the two simply ate in silence for what felt like a good few minutes as his hand feels something... soft. He looks over as he blushes and takes back his hand as he was touching her hand "S-Sorry" he says. She broke the sandwich as she hands half to him. Spectre eats as he looks over "I thank you for the company miss Zecora and wish to spend more days like this" he says. She nods as he escorts her to the door. He smiles as he leans down to kiss her hand as she looks at him. She stops him "No" she just says. She helps him rise as she kisses his cheek that makes his cheeks flush red with a blush and eyes to pinpricks of the kiss. She smiles as she says "Perhaps next we meet, I will have a sweet treat" she says. She leaves as she closes the door, leaving him standing there as he blinks at what just happened. He falls back as he faints on the floor and simply passes out from what had happened. He sits up a few hours later as it was night time as he is better and goes to get the picture to end the curse, his mind still a bit cloudy of the kiss. He chuckles a bit as he now knows. Zecora has quite a soft pair of lips.