//------------------------------// // Chapter 18: Zecora, The Mysterious Witch Doctor // Story: My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Stallion Edition // by SuperPinkBrony12 //------------------------------// "Ah, what a glorious day." Shining Armor said to himself, marveling at the fine weather that been around since shortly after the sun rose. "Rainbow Dash must've gotten up early for once and cleared all the clouds away." Spike commented. "Wouldn't surprise me in the least if she did so because the rest of the weather team kept yaking her ear off about it." Shining Armor chuckled "It's incredible how much time she spends sleeping. And when she's not sleeping she's usually attempting some daredevil stunt. If I ever start acting like her please smack me in the face, hard if you have to." "Relax, that would NEVER happen." Spike reassured Shining Armor "You're smart enough to not be reckless." "Thanks for the vote of confidence Spike." Shining Amor said kindly "I sure have missed having you by my side." "Hey, what are friends for?" Spike asked "Guys like us have to stick together." "Except for when I catch you making goggly eyes at Rarity." Shining Armor teased "You know, if you have a crush on her you can just admit it." "I do not have a crush on Rarity!" Spike huffed "I just, can't stop looking at her, that's all." "It's nothing to embarassed about Spike." Shining Armor replied. "Easy for you to say, you don't have a mare that consumes your waking thoughts." Spike said crossly. "Well actually, I do." Shining Armor admitted "But it's been so long since I've seen her." "Who are you talking about?" Spike asked. "Princess Cadence." Shining Armor explained "She use to be Twilight's foalsitter, and let me tell you, she was absolutely gorgeous. Not to mention, she was the adopted niece of Princess Celestia. And she was much nicer then that royal pain, Prince Blueblood. But ever since I've moved to Ponyville I haven't had the chance to see her. It wouldn't surprise me if she's moved on, and found someone else." "Considering the fact that, Twilight told me how often you two liked to make out, I doubt Cadence has forgotten about you." Spike reasured Shining Armor. "I hope you're right Spike." Shining Armor sighed "Because as bad as your crush is I think mine is even worse. I've even had dreams about the two of us getting married and living in a crystal castle." "Wow, I guess that is pretty bad." Spike admitted. "Yeah." Shining Armor said. Then he began to notice something. Despite the beautiful weather, nopony seemed to be out and about. In fact, if Shining Armor didn't know any better, he would've thought he had somehow stumbled into a ghost town of some sort. "Where is everypony?" he asked. "Beats me." Spike shrugged. "There must be a reason." Shining Armor pondered "But what?" "Is it some sort of holiday?" Spike asked. "Probably not." Shining Armor stated "Considering how hyper-organized Twilight is I dobut we would miss such an important date." "Does my breath stink?" Spike asked, belching slightly. "No more than usual." Shining Armor said "And did you really need to do that?" "Sorry." Spike apologized. "It's alright. Just, don't do that again without a warning." Shining Armor said firmly. "Got it." Spike replied. "I still don't have an answer for my question." Shining Armor went on "What could it be?" "Maybe it's, zombies!" Spike said nervously. "Zombies? Get serious Spike!" Shining Armor retorted "Everyone knows zombies don't exist." Suddenly, from out of the blue a voice called out to Shining Armor. "Psst. Shining Armor, over here. Quickly." To Shining Armor the voice sounded like Pinkie Pie, expect much softer. "Did you hear that Spike?" Shining Armor asked nervously. "Hear what?" Spike asked. "Psst. Shining Armor, come here. Quickly!" the voice called out again. "Okay, I know I heard that." Shining Armor said, looking all around. "Shining Armor! In here, quickly! Before she sees you!" the voice called yet again. This time it was accompanied by the appearance of Pinkie Pie, who was standing at the doorway of Sugarcube Corner. What reason could she have for getting Shining Armor's attention? Determined to find out just what was going on, Shining Armor trotted over to Sugarcube Corner, and was suddenly pulled inside. For some reason, all of the lights were off. "Oh, thank goodness I found you in time." Pinkie Pie said, a hint of relief in her voice. "Pinkie?! What's going on here? And what are you doing all alone in the dark?" Shining Armor asked. "I'm not all alone in the dark silly." Pinkie Pie replied. "What do you mean?" Shining Armor asked. "Ahem." a familiar voice said. Shining Armor looked around, and found himself surrounded by all of his friends, as well as Apple Bloom. "Guys?" Shining Armor asked. "Hello." Braeburn replied. "What in the world of Equestria is going on here?!" Shining Armor asked, completely confused. "Zecora, that's what." Soarin explained. Shining Armor was still confused "Who or what is this Zecora? And what does it have to do with all of this?" he asked. "Take a look for yourself, if you dare." Big Macintosh said, pulling back the curtains on one of the windows. Shining Armor looked out, and in the distance he saw a strange figure. Whether it was a he or a she Shining Armor couldn't tell, the figure's face was obscured by a brown hood of some sort. Suddenly, the figure stopped pawing at the ground and glared directly at Shining Armor. All of his friends, as well as Pinkie Pie, Spike, and Apple Bloom, flinched at the sight. When the figure was certain no one was looking, it removed its hood. Revealing a head of white fur covered in black stripes. Judging from the appearance, the figure appeared to be female. But what was a female zebra doing in Ponyville? "Well." Fancy Pants encouraged, breaking the silence. "Well what?" Shining Armor asked. "Surely you saw why everyone is so terrified of her." Fancy Pants explained. "I can't say I do." Shining Armor said honestly "I see nothing that makes her look like a threat." "But those stripes, they aren't natural. Nopony would ever wear such clashing colors." Fancy Pants commented. "That's because she isn't a pony." Shining Armor explained "She's a zebra, and those stripes are anything but a fashion choice. As a matter of fact, she's born with them." "How do you know what a zebra is?" Big Macintosh asked. "I've seen them in some of the books Twily reads." Shining Armor explained "The only thing I'm really curious about is, if she's been living in Ponyville all this time, why haven't I seen her around before?" "That's the thing." Braeburn gulped "She doesn't live in Ponyville." Shining Armor was confused "But if she doesn't live in Ponyville, then where does she live?" "She lives in The Everfree Forest." Big Macintosh stated, looking rather nervous. "What?!" Shining Armor gasped "Impossible!" "No, it's true. Several ponies can easily confirm that." Soarin said "Heck, I've even see her enter and exit that forest several times." "I guess that explains the hood." Shining Armor stated "But then, if she lives in The Everfree Forest, why does she come down here?" "Hay if I know." Braeburn confessed. "None of you know anything about her?" Shining Armor asked his friends. "Can you blame us?" Fancy Pants asked "Her living place, it just isn't natural." "Clouds move." Soarin comented. "Plants grow." Big Macintosh continued. "And animals thrive." Thunderlane stated. "All on their own!" Soarin, Big Macintosh, and Thunderlane finished all at the same time. Fancy Pants looked about ready to faint. "And that creepy enchantress Zecora lives there doing her, creepy voodoo stuff." Braeburn went on "Why, she's so wicked I even made up a song about her." "Ahem." Pinkie Pie said, casting a faint glare in Braeburn's direction. "With some help from Pinkie Pie of course." Braeburn acknowledged. "And this is how it goes." "Oh joy." Shining Armor replied sarcastically, as Braeburn began to sing: She's an evil enchantress, and she does evil dances. And if you look deep in her eyes, she'll put you into trances. Then what will she do? She'll mix up an evil brew. And then she'll gobble you up, in a big tasty stew. SOOOOOOOO WATCH OUT!!! Braeburn concluded his little 'song' by standing on one of the tables, his front hooves rised up high. He was panting wildly. "Wow, that's....catchy." Shining Armor complimented, unsure of what else to say. "Thanks, it's a work in progress." Braeburn explained. "It sounds ridiculous if you ask me." Apple Bloom commented "For all we know Zecora could actually be nice." "I'd like to believe that myself Apple Bloom." Big Macintosh replied "But she ain't exactly making herself look good by doing of all this stuff." "Well I agree with Apple Bloom." Shining Armor stated "Unless there's something about this I don't understand. So why don't you all tell me just what it is you've actually seen Zecora DO?" "Well, at least once a month she comes down here from The Everfree Forest." Soarin explained. "You don't say." Shining Armor replied sarcastically. "Then, she approaches the shops." Fancy Pants continued. "Oh no, not the shops!" Shining Armor replied in an obviously fake dramatiac tone. "And then, she just kind of, digs at the ground." Thunderlane concluded. "Good gracious!" Shining Armor replied, in the same tone as before "I'm sorry, but none of that is actually incriminating. It all sounds like you're just scared of her because she's different." "That's not true!" Soarin snapped. "Well maybe if somepony were brave enough to actually approach Zecora, we would know the truth!" Shining Armor suggested. Unheard by anyone Apple Bloom said "I'm brave." Deciding that Shining Armor was right she slipped away from Sugarcube Corner while no one was looking. "She's completely creepy." Braeburn said "I've heard someponies say she eats hay." "Braeburn, you do realize that you and I eat hay as well, right?" Shining Armor asked. "Of course, I was referring to the evil way Zecora eats hay." Braeburn explained. "There IS no way to eat hay evily!" Shining Armor said crossly "Now you're just making stuff up." "But what about the digging? Surely that must be proof enough that she's up to something." Soarin suggested. "Maybe she's just looking for innocent creatures?" Thunderlane suggested. "And why would she be doing that in the middle of Ponyville?" Big Macintosh asked. "It was just a suggestion." Thunderlane said sheepishly. "A very poor one if you ask me." Big Macintosh said "Right Apple Bloom?" There was no reply. "Apple Bloom?" Big Macintosh called. Again, there was no reply. "She's gone!" Big Macintosh exclaimed. "What?!" everyone else gasped. "You mean, she's out there with, Zecora?" Thunderlane gulped. "Probably." Big Macintosh nodded "Oh man, Applejack is gonna kill me when she finds out about this!" "There's no time to waste!" Shining Armor said firmly, taking charge of the situation "We must find Apple Bloom at once! Spike, you and Pinkie Pie stay here, in case Apple Bloom returns!" "Can do!" Spike replied. "Yes sir boss!" Pinkie Pie replied happily. "Good." Shining Armor said "The rest of you, come with me! Apple Bloom couldn't have gotten far!" Meanwhile, Apple Bloom was trying to do exactly what Shining Armor had suggested. Follow Zecora. But although she thought that most of the other ponies were being too paranoid about Zecora, she was still nervous. She tailed the zebra at a distance, extremly worried about what might happen if she was discovered. Maybe Zecora wasn't an evil enchantress, but chances were she still didn't like being stalked like some wild animal. The fact that she lived in The Everfree Forest of all places made it all the more obvious she prefered to be alone. "This is the craziest thing I've ever done." Apple Bloom thought to herself "I just hope Big Mac and the others aren't right about Zecora. Cause if they are, well, I don't even wanna think about what might happen." Eventually, Zecora approached the edge of The Everfree Forest, and ventured into it. Reluctantly, despite repeated warnings from her family, Apple Bloom entered the forest. It didn't take long for her to spot Zecora. Before Apple Bloom could go any further however, a familiar voice called out "And just where do you think you're going young mare?!" Apple Bloom gasped. "You get back here this instant!" Big Macintosh shouted "Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you could've gotten yourself into?!" Zecora, aware of the comotion, stopped right in her tracks. The ponies couldn't see her face, as she had pulled up her hood the moment she entered the forest. But they heard her loud and clear as she shouted out "Beware! Beware, you pony folk! For those leaves of blue are not a joke!" "Was that suppose to scare us?" Soarin taunted "Cause it didn't work." "You keep that cryptic nonsense to yourself, you hear me?!" Big Macintosh shouted. Zecora didn't seem to care what Soarin and Big Macintosh had just said, as once again she said "Beware! Beware I say!" and she slowly disappeared into a rising mist. "It's you and your lame curses that better beware!" Soarin snapped back. "Will you guys knock it off?! She's already gone!" Apple Bloom shouted. "Apple Bloom, you and I need to have a little talk!" Big Macintosh said crossly "Just what do you mean by running off on me like that?! You could've gotten yourself killed!" "I'm sorry I just" Apple Bloom began. "Sorry doesn't fix it!" Big Macintosh snapped "Just wait til Granny Smith hears about this! You'll be in big trouble!" "I'm just glad that Zecora didn't place some kind of nasty curse on her." Fancy Pants commented. "You guys, I told you before!" Shining Armor said crossly "There's no such thing as curses! They're just a bunch of nonsense!" "Big words coming from a guy like you!" Soarin stated. "Oh come on, you can NOT be this thickheaded!" Shining Armor said, face hoofing "There's a difference between curses and the magic of unicorns. Unicorn magic is real, it's a talent. It's something you're born with for crying out loud! Curses are the exact opposite. They're smoke and mirrors. Illusions. They're meant to decieve and scare! Curses have no real power. They're just conjured up by potions and incantations, and they're nothing more than urban legend!" "Well, I don't know about you, but I've come to learn that there are some things in life that have no explanation." Big Macintosh stated "So just you wait Shining Armor. I get the feeling you're going to learn that urban legends just might be true. And when that happens, don't come crying to me. Now, I'd better get Apple Bloom home before she wanders off on me again." "Curses, as if." Shining Armor said mockingly. But deep down, a part of him wasn't so sure curses were made up. What if curses actually were true? That was a thought that tormented him to no end. And as a result, when he finally fell asleep, he was treated to a dream unlike any other. The next day dawned as bright and as sunny as the previous day. Hardly a sign of things to come. Shining Armor stumbled awake, feeling very groggy. He had not slept very well last night, and his mane easily reflected just how out of it he really was. "Boy, that was some dream." Shining Armor said to himself, yawning slightly. Troting over to his bedroom mirror, Shining Armor quickly got a good look at his mane, and how messy it was. Remebering the dream, and the events from yesterday, he chuckled to himself "Maybe Zecora cursed my hair." He proceeded to light up his horn, only to find that, for some reason, it wouldn't spark. Something was not right. Shining Armor's horn had never failed to light up since he completed magic kindergarten. Pulling back his mane a bit, Shining Armor gasped when he discovered the source of his problem. His horn now lay limp, felt extremly soft to the touch, and was covered in the most fillyish pink spots. Now, Shining Armor was normally a very calm and collected pony, who rarely lost his cool. Even when he had been subjected to some of the harshest training imaginable (when he volunteered for the royal guard), he had managed to keep his emotions in check. But a situation like this, which defied all logic explanation, was too much for him to take. He screamed at the top of his lungs. He was really gald the only one's who heard him were Spike, and his sister Twilight. If somepony like Rainbow Dash heard him shriek, he would never live it down. "What's wrong B.B.B.F.F?" Twilight asked "Are you hurt?" "My horn!" Shining Armor complained "Just look at it!" "I'd rather not, it looks pretty messed up." Spike said, trying, and failing to hold back a laugh. "It's not funny Spike!" Shining Armor said furiously "My horn was perfectly fine when I went to bed, and when I woke up it was like this. Someone, or something, is responsbile for this! And I want to know what!" "There's got to be a book in the library that has the answers." Twilight suggested "Why don't you come downstairs and we'll see what we can find?" "Well, it's not like there's anything else I can do in this state." Shining Armor said, slowly regaining his composure "Let's get to work!" Several minutes passed, but Shining Armor and Twilight failed to find anything that could explain what had happened to Shining Armor's horn, or how to cure it (if a cure was possible). "Arrgh! This is ridiculous!" Twilight groaned "There's got to be a logic explanation for this, but none of the books I've read have the answer!" "Well what about this one?" Spike asked, holding up a book. The title was Super Naturals. "Spike! 'Super Naturals' refers to things like curses and hexes, and voodoo stuff like that!" Twilight said angrily "That's not going to tell us what we need to know!" "I don't know Twilight, I think Spike might be on to something," Shining Armor suggested "As I recall, Sherlock Hooves once famously said 'When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.' I don't want to believe that we're actually dealing with curses. But if we can't find anything else then curses is pretty much the only explanation left." "Well, I guess you're right." Twilight said reluctantly "But something tells me this ISN'T a curse! I just wish I knew what it actually was!" "It's ah pfurse!" Braeburn shouted, having arrived at the library just a moment ago. "Uh, what was that?" Spike asked. Shining Armor quickly noticed the problem. Braeburn's tonuge appeared to a bit larger than usual, and was covered in all sorts of sickly green spots. "Braeburn? How did this happen to you?" "It's pee pah Zthecora! Sthe put a cursthe on me!" Braeburn complained, spewing spit everywhere. "Hey, say it, don't spray it!" Spike protested. "Sothy." Braeburn apologized. "Ow! What he's trying to say-ow! Is that someone-ow! Put a curse on us-ow!" Soarin explained, as he kept smacking into the outside walls with a series of audiable thuds "And I'll give you three gueses as to who's responsible-ow!" A moment later, Soarin crashed through the library door. "Are you alright Soarin?" Shining Armor asked. "Barely." Soarin groaned "For some reason, the moment I woke up this morning my wings started flaping upside down. And because of that, every five seconds I'm crashing into something. And it's all thanks to that lousy zebra and her curse." "I'm afraid I have to agree with Soarin." Fancy Pants said reluctantly "Just look at my hair." He proceeded to blow his hair, which had become incredibly shaggy, out of his face. Spike screamed. Shining Armor tried not to laugh. "Well, I hate to say I told you so Shining Armor, but I told you so!" Big Macintosh said in a high pitched voice. The reason for this quickly became obvious. Big Macintosh had literally shrunk in size, to the point where he now had to stand on Apple Bloom's back just to be seen. "Big Macintosh?" Shining Armor asked. "More like Little Macintosh if you ask me." Spike chuckled. "I don't like to state the obvious, but I'm pretty sure we all know who's behind this!" Big Macintosh said crossly "And this is no laughing matter! We've all been cursed!" "Not all of us." Shining Armor pointed out "Thunderlane over here seems to be perfectly fine." "Indeed, he doesn't seem to be cursed." Fancy Pants acknowledged "Or perhaps he has been cursed, but he hasn't told us yet." "Thunderlane? Are you okay?" Shining Armor asked. Thunderlane nervously shook his head, but said nothing. Shining Armor suspected something was up, but he didn't know what "Is there something wrong with you?" he asked. Thunderlane nodded his head nervously. "Would you care to tell us what it is? I mean, we can't help you if we don't know what's troubling you." Shining Armor explained. Thunderlane's only response was another shake of his head. Shining Armor was confused "So you're not gonna tell us at all?" Thunderlane nodded his head again. "Yes you're not gonna tell us? Or yes you are gonna tell us? Come on, give me a sign!" Shining Armor replied. Big Macintosh lost patience "For crying out loud, spit it out!" he said sternly "What's wrong with ya?!" Thunderlane sighed, and said "I really don't wanna talk about it." in an incredibly high pitched girly voice. Spike couldn't help himself, and burst into a fit of laughter. "This is hillarious, I mean look at yourselves! We've got to come up with some good names for all of you. Let's see, how about: Hairy Pants, Crashin, Tounge Tied, Little Mac, Thundergirl, and...uh...I got nothin'. I mean seriously, how am I suppose to work with a name like Shining Armor?" "Oh hardy har har." Shining Armor said sarcastically "Joke all you want Spike, but this is serious. Something happened to us, and we need to find out what. And the more you sit around joking the more you test the patience of my friends and I. So get back to looking before you make someone say or do something they'll regret." "Okay, okay, don't be such a nag." Spike groaned, and went back to searching. "Well, since it's obvious who planted this curse on us, I think it's obvious who we need to find to undo it." Soarin groaned. "Soarin, If I've told you once I've told a hundred times. There's no such thing as curses!" Shining Armor said crossly "I hate to sound iike a broken record, but they don't exist! They're just made up!" "Well I agree with Soarin!" Big Macintosh spoke up "I don't wanna believe Zecora would do something like this to us, but there's only one way to find out! We head into that forest, and find out whether or not that zebra is responsible for all of this!" "Yeah! Even if we have to force her to remove this hex!" Fancy Pants chimed in. "Hexes aren't real either!" Shining Armor complained. This led to a barrage of complaints and criticisms from everyone except Spike (who was too busy trying to come up with a good joke name for Shining Armor), and Apple Bloom. "This is all my fault." Apple Bloom thought to herself "If I'd never followed Zecora into The Everfree Forest in the first place, none of this would've happened. I've got find a way to fix things, and I think I know who can help me." Once again, while no one was looking, Apple Bloom slipped away. This time however, Apple Bloom wasn't able to escape completely unnoticed. "Now just where does that filly think she's wandering off to this time?" Big Macintosh asked himself, and slipped into Apple Bloom's mane. Apple Bloom didn't notice. "Look, I don't care what you say Shining Armor!" Soarin stated "The time's come for us to pony up and confort Zecora directly! Who's with me?!" "Ah am!" Braeburn shouted. "And so am I." Fancy Pants replied. "Uh, I don't know. I mean, it's awfully dangerous in that forest." Thunderlane said nervously. Spike let out a chuckle. "And what about you Big Macintosh?" Soarin asked, there was no reply "Big Macintosh?" "He's gone!" Braeburn exclaimed. Fancy Pants screamed "Somepony must've stepped on him!" Everyone began checking their hooves, looking for a red smear. They found nothing. Then an awful thought struck Shining Armor "Or maybe sat on him?" he suggested. Everyone now began checking their rears, but they still din't find anything. "He must be inside Fancy Pant's shaggy hair!" Soarin suggested "Someone check!" "Oh! Ow! Watch the hair!" Fancy Pants complained, as Braeburn searched his shaggy mane for any sign of Big Macintosh "Haven't you ever heard of personal space Braeburn?" "Am sorry." Braeburn apologized, but continued his search. He found nothing. "Apple Bloom's gone too!" Twilight exclaimed. "I'll bet you anything they went to find Zecora!" Soarin said firmly. "Well in any case, we should probably go looking for them before they get into trouble." Shining Armor suggested "There's no time to waste! Come on men, let's move out!" "Slow down!" Fancy Pants complained "I can barely see where I'm going with my hair like this!" Soarin groaned. His earlier crash landing entrance had left him pinned beneath a ladder "A little help here please!" he said as kindly one pinned beneath a ladder could sound. "Oops! Sorry." Thunderlane apologized "Come on Braeburn." With Braeburn's help, Thunderlane was able to free Soarin. Soarin was still having trouble controling his wings. "Uh, aren't you coming too Spike?" Thunderlane asked. "Spike isn't going anywhere until he's found the cure." Twilight explained "Right Spike?" "Huh? Oh yes, of course." Spike replied, but in secret he was still trying to come up with a good joke name for Shining Armor. "Now if I were a zebra living in the middle of a creepy forest where would I be?" Apple Bloom asked herself. "You're not going to find out!" Big Macintosh shouted, poking out from his hiding place in Apple Bloom's mane "You've gone far enough! Now turn around and march that little flank of yours out of this forest right now! You hear me?!" "No!" Apple Bloom said defiently. "No?! You can't ignore a direct order from your big brother!" Big Macintosh said crossly "Now do what I say!" Apple Bloom didn't respond. She mearly scooped Big Macintosh up with her mouth, and placed him on a nearby leaf. "Sorry Big Macintosh, but you ain't my big brother anymore." she said teasingly. "Don't be that type of pony right now!" Big Macintosh said angrily. "Oh, I am so gonna be that type of pony right now!" Apple Bloom replied, and began to walk away. "Hey! You can't just leave me here all alone!" Big Macintosh shouted. "Relax. Once I've found the cure for your sudden shrink problem I'll come back for you." Apple Bloom reasured Big Macintosh "That is, if I don't forget where you are." And she ran off laughing. "That's not funny Apple Bloom!" Big Macintosh said crossly. Apple Bloom didn't reply. "Apple Bloom, you come back here right this instance or so help me I'll give you the grounding of a life time!" Apple Bloom still didn't reply. "Don't make me tell Granny Smith about this, she won't be as easy on you as I'm being!" But it was no use, Apple Bloom had already left. "Aw pony feathers, looks like I'm stuck here." Big Macintosh sighed to himself. "Come on guys, we've got to find Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh!" Shining Armor shouted. "Why oh why did they have to go into The Everfree Forest?" Fancy Pants complained. "Hurry! Time is of the escence!" Shining Armor ordered. "Easier said than done." Fancy Pants commented, as he tried to keep a decent line of vision. "Hey, wait for me!" Soarin shouted, struggling to keep up with the rest of the group. Suddenly, his wings caused him to make a sharp left turn. "Soarin! Oh thank Celestia you're here!" Big Macintosh said happily, emerging from Soarin's mouth "I don't have time to explain, I've got to find Apple Bloom, stat!" "Well what do you want me to do?" Soarin asked. "Just do what you've always been doing." Big Macintosh explained, tieing a makeshift lasso around Soarin's snout "Giddyup!" "Hey, I didn't agree to this!" Soarin protested. "I don't like it either but time's a wasting." Big Macintosh retorted "So quit talkin and start flyin." "Alright, alright." Soarin said crossly. "YEEE-HAW!" Big Macintosh shouted, as Soarin took off. However, he soon noticed that Soarin was flying in the wrong direction "Other way Soarin!" he shouted. "Sorry, but my wings have a mind of their own right now." Soarin apologized. Meanwhile, Shining Armor, Fancy Pants, Thunderlane, and Braeburn had reached a mysterious (not to mention creepy looking) hut that seemed to lay smack dab in the middle of nowhere. "So THIS is where Zecora lives." Shining Armor commented. "Plis place plooks horrible!" Braeburn pointed out. "Oh my, you're right Braeburn." Fancy Pants acknowledged "Nice decorations, if you're into creepy voodoo stuff." "Not this again. Do I even have to say it?" Shining Armor complained. Before the ponies had a chance to react, they were suddenly interrupted by the sound of Zecora. Through an open window they could hear the zebra chanting something, while looking over some sort of bubbling pot. The chant sounded familiar, at least to Braeburn. "Sthe sthtole my sthong! Shthe shtole mm mm!" Braeburn complained. "You're saying she stole your song?" Fancy Pants asked. Braeburn nodded. "Oh Braeburn, that doesn't sound at all like your song." Shining Armor stated. Braeburn tried to prove his point by singing the song again, but he quickly realized that his current "afflication" made that impossible. Reluctantly, he turned to Thunderlane, and begged him to sing the song instead. Thunderlane sighed, and began to sing while Braeburn provided accompanying visuals: "She's an evil enchantress, and she does evil dances. And if you look deep in her eyes, she'll put you into trances. Then what will she do? She'll mix up an evil brew. And then she'll gobble you up, in a big tasty stew. SOOOOOOOO WATCH OUT! "Admit it Shining Armor. Your eyes don't decieve you." Fancy Pants said firmly "You must admit, that everything you see here, is proof that Zecora is evil!" "I really don't want to believe it." Shining Armor sighed "I can't deny that what I've seen makes Zecora look pretty guilty. But what if we're wrong? Who knows, maybe she's just making soup?" "Mmm! Ah yes, the perfect temperature for ponies, I presume." Zecora said suddenly, unaware of the fact that she was being watched "Now then, where is that little Apple Bloom?" "Oh she's making soup alright!" Fancy Pants gasped "She's making Apple Bloom soup!" "What?! That's ridicuolous!" Shining Armor exclaimed "Zecora isn't doing that! Right?" "Are you sure of that?" Thunderlane asked. "Well... no." Shining Armor admitted "I don't know. As a matter of fact I don't know what to do. But I can tell you all what we're NOT going to do! We're not going to start screaming like a bunch of chickens with our heads cut off!" His statement fell on deaf ears, as Fancy Pants, Thunderlane, and Braeburn, all started screaming. "Hey!" Shining Armor snapped "I thought I said we WEREN'T going to panic?!" Big Macintosh and Soarin were hovering overhead and heard the screaming. "Hold on guys, help is on the way!" Big Macintosh shouted, and whipped the lasso, thus instructing Soarin to make a nosedive. Which he did. The two of them crashed straight through the front door of Zecora's hut, creating quite the comotion. Zecora began shouting various phrases in a language that no one could understand. Big Macintosh, meanwhile, was trying to control Soarin as best he could. "Whoa there Soarin! Slow down!" he shouted. "I'm trying to!" Soarin shouted back. "Leave to it Soarin to create a problem." Shining Armor thought to himself, as he reluctantly entered the hut with his friends "What are you up to Zecora?!" Shining Armor asked. "Ponies!" Zecora gasped "What is this you..." Suddenly, Soarin crashed into her pot, spilling its contents onto the floor. Zecora was extremtly upset "No!" she shouted "You ponies know not what you do! Now you've gone and spilled my precious brew!" "Answer my question Zecora!" Shining Armor shouted "What are you up to?! I don't want to believe you've cursed us all, but your actions and statements are making you look pretty guilty!" "You made me look ridiculous." Fancy Pants complained. "You made me sound ridiculous." Thunderlane added. "And you made me speak ridiculous." Braeburn wanted to add, but he couldn't, thanks to his tounge. "How dare you!" Zecora snapped "You invade my home, ruin my work! And yet you dare to accuse me of being a jerk?!" "No one's calling you a jerk, yet." Shining Armor tried to explain "But please, you have to tell me what's going on! Did you or did you not put a curse on us?!" "She obviously did!" Soarin said crossly "And now she's gonna uncurse us!" "Ponies, it is very unwise to venture down this road." Zecora threatened "Your words and actions will make my anger explode!" "Tell me! What's going on, and where's Apple Bloom?!" Shining Armor asked "Tell me now, before I lose what little sense of reason I have left!" "Hey Zecora, I'm back." Apple Bloom called "I've got all the ingredients you sent me out to get. What in Equestria is going on in here?" "Apple Bloom!" Big Macintosh gasped "You're okay!" "Of course I'm okay, why wouldn't I be?" Apple Bloom asked. "Because Zecora cursed us, and was gonna cook you up for lunch." Big Macintosh explained. "You've got it all wrong, Zecora's friendly." Apple Bloom explained. "So,this isn't a curse?" Shining Armor asked. "Nope." Apple Bloom nodded "It's all just a big misunderstanding." "What do you mean?" Fancy Pants asked. "If you will all remember back, the words I spoke yesterday were quite exact." Zecora explained. "What are you taliking abo- of course!" Shining Armor realized "It was a warning. But what were you trying to warn us about?" "About a blue plant, goes by the name of poison joke." Apple Bloom explained "A bunch of that stuff grows not too far from the forest entrance." "The plant is a lot like poison oak." Zecora explained "Except the results are like a practical joke." "And what in the hay does THAT mean?" Big Macintosh asked. "It means that this plant does not wish to breed wrath. All it wants to do is cause a laugh." Zecora explained. "Can someone please talk normally, because I can't understand what she's trying to say when she speaks in rhyme all the time." Big Macintosh asked. "I think what she's trying to say is that yesterday, when we ran into the forest to save Apple Bloom, we ran into the poison joke." Shining Armor explained "And that's what caused all of our little problems." "Little problems? Very funny Shining Armor." Big Macintosh said crossly. "But what about the caludron?" Soarin asked. "And the chanting?" Thunderlane asked. "And the creepy decor?" Fancy Pants asked. "They are treasures of the native land where I am from." Zecora explained "This one here speaks 'hello', and this one speaks 'welcome'." "Not very welcoming if you ask me." Fancy Pants commented. "And those words I chanted were from olden time." Zecora explained "Something you ponies call a 'nursery rhyme'." "But I heard you say something about how the caludron was at the perfect temperature for ponies." Shining Armor stated "What could you possibly have meant by that?" "That was a pot of boiling water, and it wasn't intended for me." Apple Bloom explained "It's for all these herbal ingredients Zecora sent me out to collect. The cure for poison joke is actually pretty simple. You just gotta take a bubble bath with the ingredients mixed into it." "Strange, none of the books I looked in had any information about either the plant or the cure." Shining Armor explained. "Well here is the book that contains the remedy." Zecora said, closing the book and revealing the title to be Supernaturals: Natural Remedies and Cure-alls That Are Simply Super "A shame you lack it in your local library." "How could I have been so stupid? The answer was under my nose the whole time." Shining Armor groaned "I should've taken a closer look at that book instead of having Spike look through it. And to think I could've saved us all this bother." "Well, look on the bright side. Your oversight allowed us to discover that Zecora was friendly." Soarin said honestly "So in a way, everything worked out for the better." "I guess, but I still feel pretty stupid for making such a mistake." Shining Armor said bluntly. "It's alright, we all make mistakes." Big Macintosh stated "And I think all of us made a mistake by jumping to conclusions about Zecora." "Uh-huh." Soarin, Fancy Pants, Thunderlane, and Braeburn replied. "Zecora, I'm terribly sorry for letting things esclate so far." Shining Armor apologized "And, even though we probably don't deserve it now, would you be willing to mix up another batch of that herbal cure for my friends and I?" Zecora smiled "Mix it up I certainly will. Yet I am missing an herb from Ponyville." she explained. "And whenever Zecora comes into town to pick it up, all the stores and shops are 'mysteriously' closed." Apple Bloom reminded them. "Well, I think we can fix that. Right guys?" Shining Armor asked. His friends all nodded. Thanks to the help of Shining Armor, Fancy Pants, Big Macintosh, Braeburn, Soarin, and Thunderlane, the ponies of Ponyville quickly began to learn the truth about Zecora. The Mayor even awarded her honorary citizenship, which Zecora turned down. She prefered to remain in The Everfree Forest, practicing her craft, and lending her skills as a witch doctor free of charge. As for Shining Armor and his friends, they were soon cured of the poison joke's effects. And because of what they had been through, Twilight wrote a report to Princess Celestia about not judging someone based on how they looked. Zecora still comes to Ponyville only to pick up various herbs and plants for her brews. But the ponies of Ponyville now know, that Zecora isn't an evil enchantress trying to curse them, she's an admirable enchantress, willing to offer her assistance whenever it is needed. She is never lonely, for Shining Armor, Twilight, and Apple Bloom, stop by frequently for tea and tell her all the news. And sometimes, Fluttershy seeks Zecora's help when dealing with the various creatures that live in The Everfree Forest. As for Spike, he quickly learned his lesson about cracking jokes at inopportune moments when he was forced to reshelve all the books in the Golden Oaks Library all by himself.