"Well, tonight has been quite the interesting turn of events." spoke Twilight
"I guess so." replied Fluttershy
"So far, we've seen the release of a powerful evil pony spirit, been given a Guard escort, had our bodies switched around, and forced to go on a trek to find ingredients for some ancient pony brew."
"Yes." spoke Fluttershy
Twilight didn't know what else to say. Fluttershy was already nervous as it were because she couldn't fly anymore, and being in Everfree forest at night made it worse. Figuring talking would make the trip go faster, that's what she was trying to do. Of course, her short answers weren't helping the situation.
"Well, I think we're near your house. Then it's just a small walk to my library and then back to Zecora's."
They came to a clearing, and in the center stood a timber wolf, ready to attack. Fluttershy hid behind Twilight as she charged her horns magic, preparing for the worst. Nothing happened.. Curious, Twilight walked closer to it as Fluttershy stayed behind. As she neared it, the clouds above Everfree cleared the moon and the light shined upon it.
"It's stone!" called out Twilight, "A stone statue!"
Fluttershy removed a hoof to see and saw Twilight standing by it, looking it over. Picking herself up, she walked over to it and sure enough, it was stone.
"Now who would make a Timber wolf statue in the middle of the Everfree forest?" asked Twilight
"As a warning?" shuddered Fluttershy looking around
"Well, I don't hear any more. Hmm..."
She gazed into the statues eyes and could swear they were looking back at her, frozen in anger, but showing a certain fear at it's fate. Images flashed in her mind to a few months ago when she herself walked through Everfree and was turned to stone. A pit formed in her stomach as she looked around quickly and then ducked low.
"It's not a statue! It's a real Timber wolf!" she cried
"Then who could do this?"
"A cockatrice!"
"I thought I told that nasty creature to never return here!"
"There's more than one Cockatrice in the world Fluttershy! Come on! we need to hurry before it returns!"
The two galloped out of the clearing and back into the forest. Their heightened senses made the fear all the more real. Everything seemed to be starring at them, waiting for the slightest sign of weakness to just reach out and grab them. Even as they seemed to think they were safe and started to slow down to catch their breaths, something behind them snapped a branch. Scared for their lives, the two bolted, running as fast as they could, but whatever was chasing them was closing in as more branches broke. The flapping of it's wings could be heard as it closed in. One look was all it would take, and then it would all be over. Twilight rounded a corner when her life flashed before her eyes, or her image did. Was this her image? The colors were all correct, the purple and pink highlights, the mane was messed up though, and a little short for her tastes.
"Any particular reason you're running at top speed there Twilight?"
And the voice belonged to Rainbow Dash, wait, this was Rainbow Dash! Twilight slammed on her hooves and skidded to a stop, Fluttershy bumping up behind her.
"Rainbow Dash? What are you?"
"We got our leaves, and were on our way to Zecora's when we stopped you."
"We?" came Fluttershy
The tree branches snapped again before Pinkie Pie came tumbling out of them and smashed into the ground, this time managing to keep her hooves on the ground. From behind her stepped Rarity and Applejack, Rarity carrying "her" hat on her back full of stones.
"Good gravy! You guys ran like Y'all saw a ghost!"
"No, we saw much much worse!" spoke Twilight
"What?"
"A cockatrice!" spoke Fluttershy
The others huddled up close next to the two in fear and looked around. The idea of one of those monsters lurking around her in Everfree was not the most settling.
"Maybe we should wait until morning. Cockatrice's are nocturnal right?" asked Applejack
"I think so." said Fluttershy, "I never raised one myself, so I wouldn't know."
"Twilight, you have anything to add?" came Rarity
"Most ponies who tried to study a cockatrice were turned to stone. So, no."
"I say we wait at Zecora's." motioned Pinkie Pie
"Agreed." came the universal answer
As they went to make their way back to the zebra's house, they came face to face with a evil set of eyes starring at them.
"COCKATRICE!" yelled Pinkie Pie
At that, several more eyes appeared, dozens of them hundreds even. All starring at them, ready to pounce. As the ponies looked on in fear, Twilight's fear grew greater as she recognized what those eyes exactly belonged to. Lighting her horn, she shined a light at them, revealing them to be what they really were: Shadow Ponies.
"RUN!" yelled Rarity
The 6 broke and ran, outnumbered and vulnerable in their mixed up states, they ran towards where they figured Zecora's hut to be. Thankfully, their assumption was correct as they saw the lights of her hut sitting right in the middle of Everfree forest.
"Zecora! We have incoming!" yelled Twilight bursting in the front door
Zecora barley had time to look up before a blast overtook the door to her hut. Outside, the Shadow ponies laughed wickedly as they closed in on the zebra and the mixed up mares.
"We have most of the ingredients." said Rarity giving her the stones while Pinkie Pie handed her the leaves."
"We still need dragon scales and chicken feathers for the brew, just these simply will not do!"
"Then we'll fight them off until we can get the rest!"
As two shadow ponies appeared inside Zecoras hut, the Zebra grabbed a staff she kept in the back just for such an occasion. Turning around and swinging at them, a powder flew out of it, hitting both before each shadow pony was turned into helpless frogs. They hopped away in fear as the Zebra witch doctor aimed her staff at several others, who quickly bolted. With the Mane 6 formed up around her door, and the Witch Doctor inside, the army of Shadow Ponies prepared for a fight worthy of legend. Instead, they got a hiccup.
"*hic* Now, wash*hic*wash goins ons heresh?*hic*"
From the side of the would soon to be battlefield, David wobbled in, barely able to stand, let alone keep his armor on. He tripped his way up to the hut and looked them over.
"*hic*You*hic*you*hic* you have no idea*hic* wash it tooksh me*hic* to finds thish place!*hic*"
"What are you doing here?" asked Rainbow Dash, still eyeing the shadow ponies surrounding them
"*hic* Deliver*hic* deliveri*hic deliver*hic* deliver*hic* deliver*hic*:
"Delivering?" helped Pinkie Pie
"Uh huh!*hic* I deshided*hic* to deliver*hic* the Elements of*hic Ponies*hic* to the Harmonic sixsh.*hic* Or whatever*hic* you*hic* call yourself."
"Mah ah ask why?" came Applejack
"*hic* In *hic in*hic incashe *hic* Zecorafella *hic* didn't haves*hic* a cure. She*hic* elementsssh *hic* could *hic* fixsh it!"
"We'll keep that in mind." said Twilight
He smiled as stupidly as a pony could smile, and nearly fell over.
"Sir, are you, drunk?" asked Rarity
"I'm'sa*hic* Sersheant! *hic* Nosh a *hic* nosh a *hic* nosh a *hic* Offisherer! Don't *hic* calls me*hic* a sh*hic*sh*hic*shir!"
"Well are you?" replied Rarity
"*hic* Are you wash?*hic*"
"Are you drunk Sergeant?" came Twilight
"*hic*...*hic* No, I ain'ts drunk!*hic* Nots allow*hic*allowed to*hic* be drunk!" he told her nearly falling over when he did.
He stood back up, this time facing the army of Shadow Ponies that had been attacking the hut before he arrived.
"Whash *hic* are you *hic* all looking ash?"
The shadow ponies looked at themselves, not exactly believing this Guard to be real. He stumbled into the center of the would be battlefield with a disgruntled look on his face.
"At least he coherent enough to know who the bad guys are." uttered Applejack
"How'd he get that drunk?" came Rarity, "The only substance I would know would be Applejack's cider!"
"Impossible! We ran out months ago!" remarked Applejack
"You sure you don't have any lying around you forgot about? This guy seems pretty far gone!" said Rainbow Dash on the brink of laughter
"The only cider close to mah family's is that Flim Flam bilge." answered Applejack
"Thash*hic* some good*hic Shtuff!" yelled David
"Sergeant!" yelled a alarmed Twilight, "How much did you drink?"
"I don'ts*hic* remember.*hic* Now then*hic*, you's Shhhhadow thingys*hic* better *hic*get out of here*hic* before I*hic* before I*hic* whip out out my cock*hic*"
Everypony's mouth dropped upon hearing those words. David, barley coherent enough to understand what he just said, snarled at the Shadow ponies and did just what he was said, and whipped out the cockatrice he had hidden under his wing. With one cluck, a shadow pony was instantly petrified into stone. With another cluck, another statue appeared right next to it. The rest of the Shadow ponies charged and attacked the drunken Guard, only for a vast majority of the first dozen to be instantly be turned to stone in one cluck from the cockatrice. A few managed to escape the drunkards weapon and made a bee line for the other ponies. Those few mere met head on by Rainbow Dash and Applejack, who tackled them to the ground while Twilight fired at any who got too close. Pinkie Pie and Rarity, outside their normal elements, bucked and kicked any they could while Zecora used her staff to good effect. Lastly was Fluttershy , who was using her hooves to cover her eyes and avoid the fighting. Unable to fly away into cover, she watched as three Shadow Ponies emerged, laughing at the little insignificant pony. Images of Iron Will's training flashed in her mind as she stood up angrily and looked at them. The Shadow ponies looked at her in fear as her rage grew before she swung at them, taking two and just missing the third. With every pony fighting them, the Shadow ponies were losing ground. Any stragglers were turned to stone, while the rest were beaten to a shadowy pulp. Seeing how this wasn't working, the shadow ponies looked at each other and opted for plan two. transforming into almost snake like beings, and started to form together in a large cliche enemy. It towered over them, and looked down with large evil eyes.
"Ah*hic* thash nuthin!*hic*" sputtered David, "I'll jusht*hic* turns ya*hic* to shtone!*hic*"
He aimed up his cockatrice, but kept on aiming up and up until he was on his hind legs, and even then kept on raising his aim. He spread his wings to balance himself, but he kept on going and soon fell over.
"Well that was anti-climatic." said Rainbow Dash
As the Shadow Beast took form, Zecora stepped out and threw her staff at it. The powder inside landed all over the beast, and in seconds hundreds of croaking frogs landed where the beast once was.
"Oh how the mighty has fallen!" she laughed, "Of course, you decided to mess with a Zebra shaw woman!"
The scared little frogs croaked and hopped away as the others looked on amazed, and kind of horrified.
"That was awesome!" cheered Rainbow Dash
Zecora smiled proudly and returned to her hut and began to add the ingredients to the brew. The others watched as the zebra began to work her own special kind of magic.
"Birch leaves and river stones, all we need now is a bag of bones!" she chanted
Adding in the brew, Twilight suddenly realized that they didn't have all the ingredients. Zecora however didn't seem worried.
"Now for the final part of this potions piece, the scales and feathers of a cockatrice."
"What?" came Rainbow Dash
"The potion required such both of those items as a part, but since finding a monster is dangerous I thought using those other items as substitute would make this brew start."
Twilight looked back to see David trying to stand, but still wasted enough to not know what leg was what. The cockatrice was still clutched in his wing, too wore out and tired from being used as a weapon to try and run away. Twilight quickly snatched it from his wing, David not even noticing. She held the creature over the brew as Zecora used a fork to remove some feathers and scales. As soon as those items hit the cauldron, it simmered and exploded in a festival of lights before settling back down in a bright blue liquid.
"Drink up my friends!" said Zecora, "For this, your problem, it will mend!"
Although nervous, each one drank from it, and felt the world spin around them. When it finally stopped, Applejack was starring at rarity, Pinkie Pie fell onto Fluttershy's wings, and Rainbow dash was hugging her rainbow tail.
"Thank you Zecora."
"Any time Twilight!" she replied, "Just don't bring your shadow friends alright?"
Twilight happily nodded.
"You knows?*hic* You rhyme a lot!*hic*"
"I do?" asked Zecora
"Uh huh*hic*" answered David, "You're *hic* alsho kind*hic of attract*hic attractive in shome*hic* wierd way.*hic*"
Zecora looked around uncomfortable at this remark. The others looked at the drunken guard and he chuckled to himself a little.
"*hic BUT!*hic I'ms married!*hic* I feel shorry for you*hic*"
"Come on Sergeant." said Twilight pushing David out the door.
"Bye Zecora!" waved Pinkie Pie
Zecora waved goodbye, unable to make sense of what just happened when she noticed the cockatrice laying there.
"Hello there, my aren't you a mess. Quite tired I asses."
The cockatrice barely had the energy to look up at the Zebra. After seeing what this mare was capable of, it was shaking in fear.
"Awe, do not fret! I always wanted a pet!"