• Published 5th Apr 2014
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Fortune Favors The Bold - TheEquestrianWing



A member of the Canterlot Royalty relocates to Ponyville and aides the Mane 6 in many endeavors to protect Equestria from various dangers.

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The Truth Comes To Light

When the group got back to Ponyville, they found that the town's other inhabitants were all out and about. The eight ponies travelled together until they reached the town square, and then they went their separate ways. School started late that morning, so Applejack managed to get Apple Bloom there just before her first class began.

After dropping her sister off, Applejack thought about going back to Sweet Apple Acres. However, she had not forgotten about her original plan to meet with Bronze Star at the embassy. She still wanted to talk with him before she went back to Sweet Apple Acres.

When she arrived at the embassy, Bronze Star welcomed her inside. He had just made some green tea, and he offered her a glass, which she happily accepted. As much as she loved apples, every now and then she enjoyed having something to drink other than apple juice, apple cider, and water.

Once their tea was ready, they went to the study and got comfortably settled. Then they began talking about various things, such as an ideal date for Bronze Star to come by for dinner. They spent a while considering several different days when both of them would be available, and they ultimately decided on the following Saturday.

During their conversation, Applejack noticed that the gold stallion seemed somewhat bothered. Curious as to why, she asked him in concern "Are you okay, Bronze?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he assured her, "It's just that… this whole Zecora affair is a little disquieting."

"I hear ya there," Applejack claimed, raising her glass, "Every time she shows up, I get the chills."

"It's not Zecora who troubles me," Bronze Star disclosed.

"Oh?" Applejack remarked in interest, "Then who?"

"Well…" Bronze Star needed a moment to compile his response. After about twenty second, he sighed and elucidated "I have to say that I'm astounded by the way you and the others treated her."

Applejack was stunned by this response. She asked in perplexity "What are you sayin'? Are you sidin' with her?"

"You could say I'm siding with her," Bronze Star freely professed, "But I'm siding with you, too. I'm on everypony's side in this matter. I would ask that you try to view this matter in perspective. What has Zecora ever done to warrant all this negative reception? Do you have any firm evidence that she is out to do harm to anypony?"

"Well, not really," Applejack admitted, shrugging lightly, "But sometimes you don't need evidence to tell whether or not a person is up to no good."

"Still, I'm not convinced Zecora is one such individual," Bronze Star countered, "If you ask me, you were all making a big deal over something that really amounts to pretty much nothing. I would have thought that you'd at least try to be a little more open-minded about Zecora. Until it's proven otherwise, I'm just regarding her as an ordinary person who manages to get by in the Everfree Forest. I would advise you and the others to do the same. No good ever came out of being unfairly judgmental, after all."

"I understand what you're saying, Bronze," Applejack guaranteed him, "I get that logic, and I greatly respect it, too. So please believe me when I say that our feelings towards Zecora are not just out of unfounded bigotry. Most of the time, Ponyville is very passive and placid. However, there are times when life here can actually be quite hazardous, especially to somepony who's unfamiliar with the land. The things we've been through in the past few weeks – the Ursa Minor, the sleeping dragon, the massive thunderstorm – well… those types of perils aren't that uncommon around here. Danger can crop up when you least expect it. So we've learned to be prepared at all times and to treat anything unknown to us as a potential threat. The unknown can sometimes produce the biggest dangers. Hence, our behavior towards Zecora. It's not prejudice; it's caution."

"Now that I can identify with," Bronze Star professed, "Still, there's a fine line between being wary and being needlessly biased. Just make sure you don't cross that line. Discrimination almost tore this country apart once. If it had, our people never would have survived in Equestria."

"I know, I've heard the legend of the first Hearth's Warming Eve," Applejack disclosed, "I don't intend to let my emotions towards Zecora get that far. Neither do the others."

"Good to know," was all Bronze Star said in response.

The orange mare and the gold stallion then changed the subject and talked about various other topics. Their discussion became considerably more positive from this point onward.

Two hours later, Applejack decided to head back to Sweet Apple Acres. She reasoned "I may as well keep up the harvest while I'm ahead of schedule."

"Alright then," Bronze Star coincided, "I have some work of my own that I need to do."

At this time, there was a bit of a strain in his voice. It was not very pronounced, but it was conspicuous enough for Applejack to notice it. She queried in concern "Are you alright, Bronze? You sound a little hoarse."

"Something in my throat, I guess," Bronze Star conjectured. He coughed a few times to clear his throat. He was able to speak a little more coherently, but he still spoke with the same slightly raspy tone, "We haven't been talking that much or that long, have we?"

"Nah, I don't think so," Applejack observed, "It could simply be a little bug. Just let your voice rest for a while. You should feel better in no time."

"I'll take that into account," Bronze Star asserted. He then got up from the couch and offered "Here, Let me lead you out."

Applejack nodded in acknowledgement and got on her hooves, as well. That was when she noticed another abnormality.

Before they sat down, Applejack was able to look Bronze Star in the eye without looking up at him. But now, she had to tilt her head slightly upwards to maintain eye contact with the gold stallion. She raised an eyebrow and stated in perplexity "Have you gotten taller or something?"

"Not to my knowledge," Bronze Star candidly responded, "Although Alicorns are generally much taller than other types of ponies, I'm not supposed to undergo a growth spurt for several years."

"Well, either you're getting taller or I'm getting shorter," Applejack theorized, "Or I'm just seeing things."

"All three of those are very unlikely," Bronze Star commented, "Especially the third one. It doesn't look like you're losing your mind to me. It's probably just something in the green tea. I'll be sure to use fresher leaves the next time I make a batch of it. At any rate, shall I show you to the door?"

"Sure," she answered straightforwardly.

Bronze Star then went with Applejack to the front entrance of the embassy. He opened the door for her and held it open to allow her to exit. She tipped her hat to him out of courtesy and trotted outside. She waved at him over her shoulder as she passed through the gates. He grinned and waved back.

Once the orange mare was out of sight, Bronze Star closed the door and headed upstairs to his office. He spent most of the remainder of the day filling out paperwork, cataloguing reports, and reading over the latest news entries from Canterlot.

Bronze Star was alone for the rest of the day, so he did very little talking. Whenever he did talk, it was only to himself. However, he tried to do as little of this as possible. Because every time he opened his mouth to do anything – be it coughing or yawning – he felt a tingling sensation in the back of his throat. It started as little more than a tickle, but it gradually became stronger and more unpleasant as the day went on. By the late evening, Bronze Star felt as though a bee had stung the roof of his mouth. He decided to go to bed early, hoping that a good night's sleep would cure him.

Unfortunately, it did not. When Bronze Star woke up the following morning, the pain in his throat was gone. However, the only reason for that was because the insides of his mouth and throat were completely numb. He could not feel his tongue, his teeth, his gums, or anything else in that region at all.

He quickly got out of bed and hurried into his bathroom. He stood in front of the mirror and opened his mouth as wide as he could. He quickly went to work looking for anything out of the ordinary. He was unable to find anything of the sort. There were no ulcers, no swelling, and no signs of diseases such as the reins, cleft teeth, or tonsillitis.

When Bronze Star failed to locate any problems, he closed his mouth and rubbed his forehead. Then he muttered quietly "O-o-o-odd."

Immediately after that, his eyes shot wide open in alarm. He said in perplexity "H-h-h-huh?"

His mind was as straightforward and sharp as ever. He was not intentionally slurring. Something was causing him to bungle every word that came out of his mouth. He nervously thought aloud "W-w-w-what t-t-t-t-the T-t-t-tart-t-tarus i-i-is t-t-t-this?"

He soon arrived at the conclusion that there really was something very wrong with him. He thought back through his memories in effort to find a rational explanation. It soon occurred to him that he started having trouble with his throat yesterday afternoon. That was shortly after he and the others got back from the Everfree Forest. He wondered if perhaps he had gotten ill by something he encountered in the Forest. Upon coming to his realization, he imagined something horrible. If the Forest was indeed the cause of his speech impediment, it was possible that the others were suffering a similar fate!

Bronze Star swiftly rushed out of his bedroom, jumped down the stairs to the ground floor of the embassy, and burst through the main entrance. He galloped through the town as fast as he could, determined to locate the mares as soon as possible.

He came across Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Apple Bloom near the town square. Bronze Star was relieved to see them, but straightaway, he noticed that something was terribly off about almost all of them.

Rarity's coat and mane were grossly overgrown. Pinkie Pie's tongue was enlarged and covered in blue spots. Rainbow Dash was unable to fly in a straight path. Most notably, Applejack had shrunk to about a tenth of her normal size. She was so tiny that she was able to ride on her sister's back. Other than Apple Bloom, Fluttershy appeared to be the only one who had not changed in any way.

"Well, at least two of us seem unaffected," Rarity pronounced when Bronze Star approached them, "How are you feeling, darling? Are you in good health?"

"I-I-I-I'm af-f-f-f-fraid n-n-n-not," Bronze Star dismally stammered, "C-c-c-can't sp-sp-sp-speak c-c-c-c-learl-l-l-ly."

"Oh great," Rainbow Dash uttered sarcastically, "He's been struck, too."

"We better get to Twilight," Applejack suggested in a very high-pitched voice, "Maybe she has a solution."

"Gooth ahdea," Pinkie Pie mumbled disjointedly.

Less than three minutes later, the five mares, the filly, and the stallion arrived at Golden Oaks Library. Inside the building, they heard Twilight yelling "'Supernaturals'? Spike, the word supernatural refers to things like ghosts and spirits and zombies, which are as make-believe as curses. This book is just a bunch of hooey!"

"But what if you're wrong, Twilight?" Spike countered, "What if this really is a-"

Before he had a chance to finish his sentence, Pinkie Pie burst inside and shouted "Ah pfurse!"

"A purse?" Spike remarked in confusion, "How could it be a purse?"

"Pinkie? What happened?" Twilight inquired in worry.

"Pee pah Zthecora!" Pinkie proclaimed, spewing spit all over Spike, "Sthe put a cursthe on me!"

"Hey, say it, don't spray it, Pinkie!" Spike pleaded in disgust.

Rainbow Dash decided to back Pinkie up. She tried to get inside the library, but she was unable to fly so much as a foot without veering off course. She rammed into a closed window with a loud thud and exclaimed "Ow!" *thud* "Oh! She's-" *thud* "trying to say-ow!- Zecora-" *thud* "oh!" By now, she managed to get inside the library, but she crashed into a bookshelf. From the ground, the cyan mare finished with "she slapped us all with a-ow- curse!"

By now, the others had entered the library through the front door. Rarity and Fluttershy stood near the center of the room, and the white mare declared "I'm afraid I have to agree."

She tried blowing her hair out of her face, but doing so was futile. Spike and Twilight Sparkle yelled in surprise.

Applejack called out in her high-pitched voice "I hate to say I told ya so, Twilight, but I told ya so!"

Spike and Twilight gasped in shock at the sight of what had happened to their friends.

"It's a curse, I tells ya!" Applejack declared.

Twilight Sparkle gazed over at the gold stallion. At first glance, he appeared to be alright, but she could tell by the expression on his face that that was not the case. She queried "What do you think, Bronze?"

"I-I-I-I-I d-d-d-d-don't kn-kn-kn-know w-w-w-what t-t-t-t-to ma-ma-ma-make o-o-o-of i-i-i-it," Bronze Star sputtered unsteadily.

Twilight Sparkle grimaced in worry. Then she looked over at the yellow Pegasus and noted "But Fluttershy... seems just fine!"

"Yes, there doesn't seem to be a thing wrong with her," Rarity coincided.

"Fluttershy? Are you okay?" Twilight Sparkle inquired. Fluttershy did not give a verbal response. She just softly shook her head. "Is there something wrong with you?"

Fluttershy nodded her head this time.

"Would you care to tell us?" Twilight impatiently inquired.

The quiet mare shook her head again.

"So... you're not going to tell us?" Twilight presumed.

Another nod of the head.

"Yes you're not, or yes you will?" Twilight inquired in confusion.

Fluttershy shook her head once more. This time, Applejack went over to her and shouted in her high-pitched voice "Good gravy, girl! What's wrong with you?!"

Finally, Fluttershy gave a verbal response. She replied in a deep masculine voice "I don't want to talk about it."

The other ponies were shocked, but Spike was quite amused. He snorted, and then he burst out laughing. He yelled "This is hilarious!"

He continued laughing for a few seconds, and then he looked around the room and announced "Look at all of you! We got: Hairity, Rainbow Crash, Spitty Pie, Apple Teeny, Flutterguy, Bronze Stutter, and... uh... I got nothin'... Twilight Sparkle. I mean seriously, I can't even work with that."

It was worth mentioning that Twilight was not unaffected. Her horn was covered in blue spots like Pinkie's tongue, and it was dangling limply from her forehead. She laughed sarcastically at her assistant's jokes, and then she sternly remarked "This is no joke, Spike. Now start looking for more books so I can find a cure!"

Spike groaned, but he did as he was told. As he went to browse through the shelves, Rainbow Dash managed to get back to her hooves. She groaned in anguished and pronounced "I think we'll find a cure to this curse at Zecora's place!"

"It's not a curse!" Twilight Sparkle countered.

"I agree with Dash!" Applejack proclaimed, "We'll go to Zecora's and force her to remove this hex!"

"It's not a hex either!" Twilight Sparkle heatedly refuted.

Suddenly everypony but Apple Bloom, Bronze Star, and Spike was shouting at once.

While the six mares were busy arguing, the young filly looked down at the ground and muttered guiltily "This is all my fault. If I hadn't followed Zecora in the first place, none of this would have happened. I just gotta fix this."

Currently, Bronze Star was the one standing the closest to Apple Bloom. Because of this and the fact that the others were preoccupied, he was also the only one who heard what she said. He looked over at Apple Bloom and saw that she was in the process of heading out the door.

Applejack had noticed this as well. She muttered shiftily "Now where does she think she's goin' this time?"

Despite Applejack's current miniscule size, she was not about to let her sister just run off by herself. When Apple Bloom passed by the counter in the center of the room, Applejack jumped onto her sister's back and hid in her tail.

Bronze Star noted that the mares were busy arguing about how to find a cure for their strange ailments, but the filly was the only one who seemed to be actively searching for a solution. Because of that, he was impelled to follow her. So while the others were bickering, Bronze Star headed outside and trotted after Apple Bloom.

At first, Bronze Star assumed she was going to a building or a specific part of town. However, she galloped right past every single foundation in Ponyville. Soon, she arrived at the edge of the Everfree Forest.

Just before Apple Bloom could set hoof inside the Forest, Applejack climbed out of her sister's tail, stood up straight on her back, and commanded "Stop right there! Turn around right now, missy!"

Apple Bloom thought about this for a second, and then she bluntly replied "No."

"No?!" Applejack shouted crossly, "You can't ignore a direct order from your big sister!"

Apple Bloom smirked, picked up the tiny orange mare, and set her down a large tree branch. Then she chuckled and said defiantly "Hehehe. Sorry, Applejack, but I'm the big sister now."

She then entered the Forest and followed the path. Applejack scowled and called after her "Apple Bloom, you come back here right this instant! I'm gonna tell Big McIntosh on you! Aw, pony feathers."

Up until this point, Bronze Star had been keeping a distance of at least thirty feet between himself and the two sisters. As Apple Bloom continued further into the Forest, he galloped over to Applejack and asked her "Wh-wh-wh-what's sh-sh-she d-d-d-doing?"

"She's goin' after Zecora," Applejack firmly declared, "I'm sure of it. That little filly is just askin' for trouble."

"Tr-tr-troub-b-b-b-ble?" Bronze Star commented, "Sh-sh-sh-she's l-l-l-look-k-k-king f-f-f-f-for a-a-a-answe-e-e-ers."

"Maybe, but she's goin' about it the wrong way," Applejack claimed, "She won't listen ta me. I need ya to go after her. Try to talk some sense into her."

"T-t-t-talk?" Bronze Star sarcastically mumbled, "Y-y-y-you're k-k-k-kidd-d-d-ding, r-r-r-r-right?"

"Oh yeah, sorry," Applejack stated apologetically, "Well, could you at least try to stop her? Make sure she doesn't get hurt?"

"O-o-o-o-of c-c-c-course," Bronze Star assured her, "Wh-wh-what ab-b-b-bout y-y-you?"

"I'll stay here and wait for the others," Applejack informed him, "When they realize that we're missing, they're bound to come this way. Once I join up with them, I'll tell them where you're going, and we'll catch up to you."

Bronze Star nodded in acceptance at this proposal. He bade the orange mare "G-g-g-good l-l-l-luck."

"You, too," she said appreciatively.

Bronze Star then turned into the Forest and galloped after Apple Bloom. After galloping for about two minutes, he caught up with her. He urgently called out to her "W-w-w-w-wait!"

In response, Apple Bloom peered over her shoulder. When she saw that Bronze Star was behind her, she turned to him and stated curiously "Oh, hi, Mr. Streak. What are you doin' here? My sister didn't send you to bring me back to Ponyville, did she?"

"N-n-no, sh-sh-sh-she d-d-didn't," Bronze Star apprised her, "I-I-I-I'm h-h-here o-o-on m-m-my o-o-own ac-c-c-ccord."

"How come?" Apple Bloom inquired.

"I-I-I-I d-d-d-d-don't th-th-th-think Z-z-z-zec-c-c-c-cora i-i-i-is r-r-r-r-resp-p-p-ponsib-b-b-b-ble f-f-f-for th-th-th-this," the gold stallion disclosed, "D-d-d-do y-y-y-you th-th-th-think sh-sh-sh-she c-c-c-c-ould h-h-h-help u-u-us?"

"I'm hopin' she can," Apple Bloom responded, "My sister and her friends are bein' very unfair to her. She deserves a chance to prove herself. So I'm going to see her and see if she knows what's goin' on. She may even be willin' to fix you and the others."

"Th-th-then, I-I-I-I'm g-g-g-going wi-wi-wi-with y-y-y-you," he proclaimed.

"That's fine by me," Apple Bloom coincided, "But I don't think the others are so willing to seek out Zecora's help. So let's hurry up an' find her before the others try to stop us."

"R-r-right," Bronze Star acknowledged.

The filly with the bow and the young prince then progressed further down the path. As they marched on, the gold stallion queried "S-s-so, d-d-do y-y-you kn-kn-know wh-wh-where w-w-we a-a-a-are h-h-head-d-ded?"

"Fortunately, yes," Apple Bloom revealed, "In fact, everypony in town knows the exact location of her house. You see, one time after Zecora visited Ponyville, Noble Edict went with her when she left. She was pretending to be an escort or something of the sort. At any rate, Noble followed Zecora all the way to a hut somewhere in the Forest. Once Zecora was home, Noble Edict came back to Ponyville and let everypony know where Zecora lives."

"O-o-okay," Bronze Star uttered, "Wh-wh-where i-i-i-is th-th-this h-h-h-hut?"

"About three miles inward," Apple Bloom illuminated, "We just have to keep followin' the path. If Noble's directions are correct, we can't miss it."

"G-g-g-got i-i-i-it," he told her.

Apple Bloom and Bronze Star trotted on in silence for a while. Other than the occasional noise made by a creature in the Forest, there were almost no sounds to be heard.

When they were less than a mile away from the site of Zecora's hut, Apple Bloom remarked "Say, Mr. Streak, can I ask you something?"

"S-s-s-sure," the gold stallion replied.

Had he known what Apple Bloom was going to ask him, he would not have agreed to hear her out. Apple Bloom had been wondering about a certain topic since the previous morning. She thought about how best to present it to him. Then she turned to him and stated "Yesterday, when you showed up at Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie called you 'Bronze.' This morning, when we got to the library, Twilight addressed you as 'Bronze,' too. Then Spike invented those lame nicknames for you and the others. I would have thought yours would have been 'Old Speech' or something that sounded like 'Gold Streak.' Instead, it was 'Bronze Stutter.' He couldn't have been referring to you as 'Bronze Star,' could he?"

Bronze Star had listened to the filly's words, and with each passing sentence, he felt the color drain from his face. He had not realized this at the time, but the others had in fact used his actual name in front of somepony who was unaware of his real identity. How could he have allowed them to have been so careless? Did they just assume that Apple Bloom would not catch on? Or did they think that preserving his true identity was not that important in their current situation?

Whatever the case, he had an inquisitive filly to deal with. He calmly looked down at her and replied "I-I-I-I d-d-don't th-th-think s-s-s-so. Wh-wh-why w-w-would Sp-sp-spike m-m-mist-t-t-take m-m-me f-f-for P-p-prince Br-br-bronze St-t-tar?"

"No idea," Apple Bloom stated frankly, "I once saw a picture of Prince Bronze Star in the papers, and while you do look kinda like him, I'm pretty sure you aren't him. He is an Alicorn after all, and I don't see any wings or horns on ya.

"T-t-true," Bronze Star affirmed, "Th-th-there i-i-i-is a-a-a r-r-r-reas-s-son f-f-for wh-wh-what th-th-the o-o-others c-c-called m-m-me. I-I-I'll t-t-tell y-y-you l-l-later."

"Alright then," Apple Bloom agreed, "It may be better if we waited until you can talk clearly again, anyway. You'd be a lot easier to understand that way."

"I-I-I-I ag-g-g-gree," Bronze Star thought aloud.

The two of them went on in relative quietness for the remaining mile. After this, they happened upon a peculiar sight. It was a small hut made of straw, clay, and stone. The smell of various herbs, flowers, and spores permeated the air. A smooth trail of smoke exited from the chimney, meaning there was a fireplace with an active fire inside. Since the fire was active, that meant that someone had to be inside the building, as no one would leave a fire unattended in such a flammable structure.

Apple Bloom and Bronze Star slowly sauntered up to the main entrance. Bronze Star hesitated for a moment, but then he stepped forward and knocked on the door a few times. Initially, there was no response. Then they heard what sounding like hoofsteps approaching them. The door was opened a moment later. The filly and the stallion found themselves face-to-face with Zecora.

The zebra did not appear to be surprised to see the two ponies. Based on her facial expression, she almost appeared as though she had been expecting them to arrive. Truth be told, she was not expecting any guests that day, but she was in the habit of keeping her door open and being ready to receive a visitor. After a brief period of awkward silence, Bronze Star spoke to her "Gr-gr-greet-t-t-tings, m-m-mad-d-dam."

Zecora easily noted his speech impediment, and she stated "Your voice, it seems to be somewhat strained. Has in your throat an malady been ingrained?"

"I-I-I-I b-b-beli-i-i-ieve s-s-s-so," Bronze Star confirmed.

"Then come in straightaway, if you please," Zecora urged her visitors, "What you have might actually be a fatal disease."

"Th-th-thank y-y-you," Bronze Star told her gratefully.

He and Apple Bloom swiftly entered the hut. After closing the door behind them, she turned to the ponies and looked them over. After studying them for about a minute, she perceived "Something about you two strikes me familiarly. Have I seen either of you very recently?"

"Actually, you have, Miss Zecora," Apple Bloom recounted "Yesterday morning, after you left Ponyville, I followed you into the Everfree Forest. My sister and some of her friends got worried about me and came after me. You were there when they found me. I seem to remember you giving us a warnin' about… I don't know, leaves or somethin'. Now my sister and her friends are all sufferin' from a bunch of strange conditions. Like Mr. Gold Streak here; he can't utter a single word without manglin' it. Never seen anythin' like it. So, uh… I was hopin' that you might know."

"Your choice to confer with me is quite correct," Zecora affirmed, "It would seem I should have been more direct."

"H-h-how d-d-d-do y-y-y-you m-m-mean?" Bronze Star questioned.

"I presume that at the time of this event, you too were among those present?" Zecora conjectured.

Bronze Star nodded his head in confirmation. Zecora turned back to Apple Bloom and said "I have a theory, but its validly depends. Tell me the afflictions of your sister and her friends."

Apple Bloom then described in detail what had been going on with the six mares in Bronze Star's group. She covered everything, from Twilight Sparkle's dysfunctional horn, to Pinkie Pie's tongue-induced lisp, to Rarity's very bad mane day, to Applejack's reverse growth spurt, to Fluttershy's sudden bass voice, to Rainbow Dash's sharp decrease in depth perception.

When Apple Bloom was finished going over the misfortunates that had struck the six mares, Zecora gave a small grin and declared "I already know the cause of this grave issue. You will be pleased to know there is something I can do."

"Wh-wh-wh-what m-m-might th-th-that b-b-b-be?" Bronze Star queried.

"Well, none of you are sick; your luck is not broke," Zecora apprised him, "You are merely unhappy victims of Poison Joke."

"P-p-pois-s-son J-j-joke?" Bronze Star repeated in perplexity.

"I refer to those leaves of blue you stumbled across," Zecora clarified, "By wandering through them, your articulation was lost."

"Is this 'Poison Joke' like a plant that plays pranks on people?" Apple Bloom supposed.

"That is indeed the plant's intended result," Zecora confirmed, "To find a cure, I am the one you must consult."

"S-s-so, wh-wh-what m-m-m-must w-w-w-we d-d-d-do?" Bronze Star enquired.

"It is a simple matter to resolve, Mr. Streak," Zecora answered him, "An herbal bath is the answer that you seek."

"You mean the key to fixin' up this whole mess is for Gold Streak and the others to wash themselves up?" Apple Bloom remarked

"Strictly speaking, that is indeed the case," Zecora affirmed, "But in order to make it, I need everything in place. Most of the required ingredients are already here. However, there are a few which are not quite so near. These items are in Ponyville, and they do not grow wild. If I asked, would you mind fetching them, my dear child?"

"Certainly, Miss Zecora," Apple Bloom merrily replied, "If it really can cure my sister and her friends, I'll do anything and everything you need me to do."

Zecora smiled and nodded in approval. She then trotted over to a table by the wall. She picked up a quill and began writing down a list of ingredients on a piece of parchment. When she was finished writing the list, she trotted over to Apple Bloom and handed it to her, saying "Here is a list of all the materials I currently lack. Please gather them quickly and come straight back."

"You can count on me, Miss Zecora," Apple Bloom guaranteed the zebra.

"Y-y-you w-w-want m-m-m-me t-t-to g-g-go w-w-w-with y-y-you?" Bronze Star proposed.

"Nah, I know the way back to Ponyville from here," Apple Bloom assured him, "Plus, there's a chance Applejack and the others will get here before I do. If that happens, you should stay here so you can explain the situation to them. That way they'll stop gettin' the wrong idea."

"G-g-g-good id-d-d-dea," Bronze Star conceded, "H-h-h-have a-a-a s-s-safe w-w-walk h-h-home."

"I will," Apple Bloom asserted. She then tucked the list behind her mane, trotted over to the front door, and exited the hut. Then she hastily made her way back to Ponyville.

Given how far she had to travel and how long it would take to procure the items on the list, she would probably be gone for a while. Zecora decided to go ahead and get started on brewing the formula for the herbal bath. She stepped into the back room of her hut. It was considerably larger than the front room, and it was adorned with many bizarre artifacts. There was a large cauldron pot in the center of the room. Zecora placed some kindling underneath the pot and struck a match over it to get a fire going. Then she filled the pot partway with water. After that, she went around the room and gathered certain vials, flasks, and containers. She took very specific measurements of the contents, and deposited the appropriate amounts into the cauldron. She began singing in her native language as she worked.

Zecora could easily handle creating the herbal brew by herself. So while she was preoccupied with that, Bronze Star decided to step outside and linger by the front door. He found it likely that Applejack and the other mares would be coming around soon. He planned to enlighten them on the situation as soon as they arrived. He figured that the best way to convince them that everything was alright would be if they saw him standing outside the front door of the hut.

Unfortunately, he made one small error in judgment. The door to Zecora's hut was on the side of the building that faced away from Ponyville. Because of that, the door was completely invisible to anypony who approached from the direction of the town and vice versa. About ten minutes later, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie did arrive on the scene. Since most of them were unwilling to speak to Zecora directly, instead of knocking on her door, they decided to spy on her through the window of her back room. They never noticed Bronze Star, as he was concealed from their few. As a result, he did not see them coming, either.

The six mares spent several minutes eavesdropping on Zecora. The first things they noticed were her unique decorations, which they found to be ominous and disturbing. The next thing that bothered them was her chanting in her native language. Pinkie Pie mistook it for her "Evil Enchantress" song, even though the lyrics, beat, and line delivery bore very little resemblance to it. The brew in the cauldron pot made them feel extremely worried, as they had never seen anything like it. Everypony but Twilight Sparkle was convinced that Zecora was up to no good. Although Twilight could not deny that there was enough in that hut to suggest that Zecora had unpleasant intentions, she gave Zecora the benefit of a doubt and theorized that maybe she was just making soup.

Unluckily, just a few seconds later, Zecore had tasted the brew and thought aloud "Mmm! The perfect temperature for ponies, I presume. Now, where is that little Apple Bloom?"

This line had been greatly misunderstood by the six mares. Twilight Sparkle muttered worriedly "Or… what if she's making Apple Bloom soup?"

Just the thought of that was enough to make all six of the mares scream.

Applejack had been using Rainbow Dash as a means to travel faster. Determined to save her sister from a dismal fate, the orange mare used the cyan mare to break into the hut through the window of the back room. Their sudden intrusion took the zebra by surprise. She began talking very rapidly in her native language. While she was focused on Applejack and Rainbow Dash sailing around the room, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy climbed in through the open window.

Twilight tried to get Zecora to tell her where Apple Bloom and Bronze Star were, but the zebra was distracted by Rainbow's erratic flight patterns. She cried out "Ponies! What is this you..."

Before she could finish, Rainbow Dash screamed and rammed into the cauldron pot, causing it to overturn and dump its contents all over the floor.

Zecora shrieked anxiously "No! You know not what you do! You've gone and spilled my precious brew!"

The sounds of the mares' screaming, Rainbow Dash's crashes, and Zecora's yelling had alerted Bronze Star to the fiasco going on inside the hut. He hastily opened the front door and stepped inside the hut. He could hear Twilight Sparkle shouting in the back room "We're onto you Zecora. I didn't want to believe that you cursed us, but the evidence is overwhelming!"

"You made me look ridiculous," Rarity accused the zebra

"You made me sound ridiculous!" Fluttershy averred

"You made me speak ridiculous!" Pinkie Pie sputtered incoherently.

"You ruined my horn!" Twilight Sparkle angrily declared.

Zecora did not take kindly to these unfounded accusations. She glowered at the mares and yelled "How dare you! You destroy my home, destroy my work. Then rudely accuse me of being a jerk?"

Rather than admitting their irony or hypocrisy, the mares did not relent. Rainbow Dash murmured "You put this curse on us, now you're gonna uncurse us."

Zecora's countenance tightened and she mumbled furiously "It is unwise to venture down this road. Your actions will make my anger explode!"

It was then that Bronze Star entered the room. He came to Zecora's side and bellowed irately "Wh-wh-what d-d-do y-y-you th-th-think y-y-you a-a-a-are d-d-d-doing?"

The mares were glad to see Bronze Star was unharmed, but his presence was not enough to change their hostile feelings towards the zebra. If anything, it gave some of them an idea to intimidate Zecora and get her to cooperate.

Twilight trotted over to Bronze Star, placed her hoof on his shoulder, turned to Zecora, and barked "Do you know who this stallion is?"

"Yes, he is one I know well enough," Zecora muttered edgily, "He is reasonable and not so gruff. He represents the people of Canterlot, and he has more tolerance than all you lot!"

"That may be," Rarity uttered through gritted teeth, "But do you know who he REALLY is?"

"If you did know, you'd be cowering in fear right now," Applejack claimed.

"He could have you arrested, prosecuted, or even put to death," Rainbow Dash threatened.

"G-g-girls, st-st-stop," Bronze Star demanded, "L-l-list-t-ten t-t-t-to h-h-her."

If he had not been stuttering, the others probably would have taken his advice. But because of his speech impediment, the mares ignored him. Twilight Sparkle approached the zebra and snapped "You better start talking. Where is Apple Bloom!?"

Just then, Apple Bloom returned to the hut. She found the front door was opened, so she entered the building without knocking. As she made her way to the back room, she called out "Zecora! I think I found all the things ya asked for."

When she saw that the six mares had suddenly arrived and that the back room was a bit of a wreck, she queried in bewilderment "What in Ponyville is goin' on here?"

Applejack gasped in pleasant surprise and hopped off Rainbow Dash. She galloped over to her sister and hugged her, saying "Apple Bloom! You're okay!"

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow in confusion and enquired "Why wouldn't I be?"

Twilight then answered her with "Because Zecora is an evil enchantress who cursed us and was gonna cook you up into soup!"

A short period of awkward silence followed that statement. The silence was broken when Zecora, Apple Bloom, and Bronze Star burst out laughing.

Naturally, Twilight and the others were confused by this reaction. When the zebra, the filly, and the stallion ceased laughing, they enlightened the mares on what was really going on. Due to Bronze Star's difficulty in talking straightforwardly, Zecora and Apple Bloom did most of the talking. They started by referring back to the Poison Joke plant, and discussing how that was what really triggered their strange conditions. Zecora also explained her strange décor and chanting; they were simply certain aspects of the customs of her people. Most of all, the supposed "Apple Bloom soup" was actually the cure to the Poison Joke. Twilight was stunned by how simple it was to develop a cure. The final blow was when she discovered that it could be found in the same book Spike had suggested earlier on.

Twilight deeply apologized for so horribly misjudging Zecora. If she had been more open-minded in the first place, this whole unpleasant affair could have been avoided altogether. Luckily, Zecora was a very forgiving person. She merely chuckled and advised "Maybe next time you will take a second look, and not judge the cover of the book."

Apple Bloom burst out laughing once more at that. Bronze Star was inclined to snicker a bit, too. While they were having their fun, Twilight Sparkle politely requested "Zecora? Would you be kind enough to mix up another batch of the herbal bath?"

"Mix it up I certainly will," Zecora assured her, "Yet I am missing an herb from Ponyville."

"But whenever Zecora comes to town, all the shops are mysteriously closed," Apple Bloom pointed out.

"I-I-I-I w-w-w-wond-d-d-der w-w-why," Bronze Star mockingly stated.

"Oh, well... I think we can help you with that," Twilight Sparkle suggested.

After helping Zecora clean up the mess that had been made in her hut, the eight ponies accompanied the zebra back to Ponyville. It was mid-morning at the time, so most of the populace was out and about. The Valley Sisters were the first to notice the eight ponies and the zebra. The three of them did not react very well to the sight of the zebra, even when she was in the company of ponies. Especially since several of those same ponies were notably impaired.

Daisy turned to her sister and shouted "Look Rose! How awful!"

When Rose saw what her sister saw, she yelled "The wicked enchantress has cursed them all."

"The horror, the horror!" Lily shrieked dramatically.

That set off a chain reaction that ended in the entire town screaming and galloping through the streets in a panic.

Daisy cried aloud "Run, ponies! Run!"

Within a minute, everypony was indoors. Except for zebra and her eight companies.

"I-i-idio-o-ots," Bronze Star mumbled under his breath.

Twilight Sparkle knew what needed to be done. She went over to the Valley Sisters' house and patiently knocked on the door. When it was answered, the lavender mare told the mare on the other side "Daisy, we need to talk."

This was the first of many stops the group made that morning. They saw to it that the public was made aware of Zecora's true nature, and that her name was cleared. Within two hours, the entire town had gone from hugely distrusting Zecora to respecting her.

Once that was accomplished, Zecora finished making the herbal bath so that Bronze Star and the mares could cure themselves. They just needed a tub large enough to accommodate over half a dozen ponies at once. So Rarity proposed that they go to the spa. This worked out well; the shop owners, Lotus Blossom and her sister Aloe, allowed the group to use their largest tub.

After the bath was ready, the seven infected ponies wasted no time in cleansing themselves. Twilight Sparkle and Bronze Star got in the tub first. Within a matter of minutes, Twilight's horn was spotless and erect, and Bronze Star was able to speak clearly again. Rarity and Fluttershy calmly climbed in, Rainbow Dash dove in, and Pinkie Pie jumped in from a distance.

"I better draft another letter to the Princess," Twilight thought aloud. Spike had come with them to the spa. At those words, he quickly got a quill and roll of parchment ready.

"Good idea," Bronze Star coincided. There was a pause, and then he added in a very sarcastic yet deadly serious tone "You could write 'Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned that it's never okay to be a racist asshole.'"

Spike and the mares seemed a little surprised by this statement, as well as how it was delivered.

"That seems a little… shall we say, extreme," Rarity commented.

"Well, that's pretty much what you all were being up until a few hours ago," Bronze Star grimly pointed out, "I'm hoping you'll all try not to be that biased in the future."

"It won't happen again," Twilight Sparkle, "I can promise you that."

After she composed a proper letter to Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle leaned back and enjoyed the bath. While her customers enjoyed themselves, Lotus approached Zecora and told her "Miss Zecora, I would love to get the recipe for this bath. It's simply luxurious!"

The zebra smiled happily. But before she could share the recipe with the beautician, Apple Bloom called out "Applejack! Hey, where's Applejack?!"

In response, the six ponies in the tub began exclaiming in shock and frantically splashing around, looking for Applejack.

Fortunately, their worries were purged when they heard a voice call out "I'm right here, little sis."

Bronze Star and the mares peered over the side of the bath, and they saw Applejack was lying on top of a very small bucket. She had returned to her normal size and added in "I ain't tiny no more!"

Bronze Star smirked in amusement and reached his hoof down to the orange mare. He told her teasingly "That looks like a snug fit. How 'bout you come up here? There's room for one more."

Applejack blushed slightly, but she took the gold stallion's hoof in hers and allowed him to pull her out of the bucket and up to the tub. As she settled in next to him, he wrapped his right front leg around her and asked "Comfortable?"

"Ho, yeah," she replied cockily, smirking at him, "By the way, thanks for lookin' after Apple Bloom."

"Don't mention it," was all he said in response, pulling her closer to him.

While the two of them got friendly, Rarity proclaimed "Oh! I have never felt so lovely in all my life!"

Pinkie Pie had gone under the surface of the water a few seconds earlier. She abruptly shot back up and declared in a very fast pace "Oh, my gosh! I never realized how horrible it is not to be able to talk. I mean, I love talking so much, and when I couldn't talk anymore, my tongue was all 'ehhhh'! It was the worst! Don't you agree, Fluttershy?"

There was a short pause, and then Fluttershy replied in her normal voice "...Yes."

Everypony in the room got a good laugh at that.

A little while later, Zecora and Lotus went to the latter's office to discuss the recipe for the herbal bath. Apple Bloom decided to go hang out with her friend Twist. The seven ponies and Spike were left alone. While the ponies soaked in the herbal bath, they also had a conversation with each other. Since nopony else was in the room, they were able to address Bronze Star by his actual name.

At one point during the conversation, Fluttershy turned to the young prince and told him "By the way, Bronze Star, I forgot to tell you. Arthur is all better now."

"Really?" Bronze Star said excitedly "That's great! How has he been treating you?"

"Oh, he's very well-behaved," Fluttershy disclosed, "I actually managed to have him get along with my mice and rats. He hasn't tried to eat one of them."

"Then you really ARE a miracle workers," Bronze Star commented. He leaned back and asked "When can I come pick him up?"

"At your earliest convenience, I guess," the yellow Pegasus replied.

"How about whenever we get out of this bath?" Bronze Star proposed.

"That sounds fine to me," Fluttershy responded.

"Thanks, Fluttershy," Bronze Star told her gratefully. He paused for a moment, and then he inquired "So, were you ever able to determine what exactly happened to him? What could have possibly caused his wing to get bend straight backwards?"

"Actually, I was able to arrive at a very probable conclusion," Fluttershy informed him, a little uneasily "However, I'm not certain you'll like it."

"Don't worry; I can take bad news," the stallion guaranteed her, smiling in reassurance.

Fluttershy took a moment to put together an explanation, and then she took in a deep breath and revealed "Firstly, you should know that after you dropped Arthur off at my place, I examined him a second time. The second time, I found some blood on his talons."

"Blood?" Bronze Star repeated in surprise.

"Yes, but it wasn't his," Fluttershy apprised him.

"It wasn't?" Bronze Star queried in interest.

"No, trust me; I know the blood of an avian when I see it," Fluttershy insisted, "And the blood I found wasn't that. It was definitely the blood of an equine."

Bronze Star looked over at the baby dragon and asked him "Spike, did Arthur have any… unpleasant encounters with anypony when you brought him here?"

"No, he was too weak to attack anything," Spike reminisced.

"Then he must have gotten that blood on his talons before you found him," Bronze Star concluded, "Of course, that could have happened any time in the past month. You see, there's a small window in my room that I always leave open. It's charmed so that nopony and nothing but Arthur can pass through it. That allows him to go hunting and fly through the air whenever he wants without fear of letting unwanted visitors in. Still, the only reason he would have equine blood on his talons would be if he was provoked."

"That brings me to my next point," Fluttershy delicately continued, "When I found that blood, I was compelled to take an even closer look at Arthur's wing. So I did, and I discovered that his humerus had been broken in not one, but two places. The first break was in the center of the bone, halfway between the coracoid and the elbow joint. That was the one I first found when you were there. I didn't find the second break until after you left. It was along the elbow joint, right where the humerus is connected to the radius and the ulna."

"So, where does that get us?" Bronze Star queried.

"It is physically impossible for a hawk to sustain that sort of damage to the elbow joint by accident," Fluttershy enlightened him, "The only way that could actually happen would be if the damage is deliberately inflicted by a second party."

Bronze Star's eyes widened in shock and he uttered softly "Do you think Arthur was attacked?"

"That is precisely what I believe," Fluttershy admitted glumly, "But I don't know what kind of monster would do such a sadistic thing to a hawk."

"Nor do I," Bronze Star muttered angrily, "Then again, there aren't that many people who could have had the opportunity to do so. If he received that injury when he was outside the castle, there's no way he would have been able to fly back up to the castle. It must have happened when he was inside."

He then turned to the baby dragon and asked him "Spike, do you know if anypony else went into my room in the past month before you did?"

"I actually talked to the Royal Guard who were posted outside your chambers, and none of them ever let anypony into there," Spike informed the young prince, "So it was just me and nopony else."

"Do you remember where exactly you found Arthur?" Bronze Star queried.

"Yeah, he was lying in front of your desk, right by the filing cabinet," Spike recalled.

"Oh, no," Bronze Star muttered restlessly, "That's where I keep all my top secret government files."

"Why is that a bad thing?" Twilight Sparkle asked in interest.

"Because based on all of this, there's only one possible explanation for why Arthur was assaulted," Bronze Star enlightened her, "He was trying to prevent my files from being tampered with."

"So what you're saying is…?" Twilight presumed nervously.

Bronze Star solemnly nodded and declared "Somepony broke into my room."

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