Embers Burning in the Springs

by Moon Shooter

Rating: everyone
Tags: Spike, Adventure, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Zecora, Other
Length: 10701

A monster burns down trees in the Everfree Forest in the path of the Mare 6's picnic route

Zecora, a noble herbalist hits disaster when an accident causes all of her potions to fall into her cauldron. The result? A monster that escapes, and burns down her home. Meanwhile, along a path to Trotting Springs, a resort located in the center of Everfree, the Mare 6 smell smoke, and soon discover a rapidly spreading fire...
Credit of Coverart- DEAVIANart 14-bits

Published 2012-03-06 18:23:25 UTC
Last updated 2012-02-20 23:37:35 UTC

Embers Burning in the Springs

Celestia's morning sun stretched along the landscape and clear skies over the Everfree forest. The forest was still, and quiet, aside from the animals and creatures that roamed around in search of food, or new shelter for the coming day. Scavenging the landscape for whatever they could find. Down in the thicket of the forest, among the trees and vegetation was the hut, owned by a zebra, named Zecora. The day was bright, and calming... it was a perfect day for herbal experimentation by the zebra.

Zecora, after becoming Ponyville's central herbalist since her arrival a little less than a year ago, was tasked with the job was to come up with new concoctions and medications to sell to its citizens. The plants and herbs the Zebra brought from her homeland in the Zebra Nations gave her the ability to mix together concoctions no pony had ever seen in Ponyville. She may not have had any definable cutie mark, but there was no doubt that herbs was the zebra's special talent.

As she got up from her cot, she blinked her eyes to adjust to the light of Celetia's sun streaming in through her window by the door. Its rays filled the abode, detailing the abode. The hut was small, but perfect for one sole zebra and her supplies. Along the walls of her home were wooden shelves carved from oak trees in the forest she resided in. On one wall, these shelves were stuffed with pots of plants and herbs, from both the Equestrian and Zebra Nation. Below these was a small collection of different books of different spinal colors, mostly consisting of red, brown and orange. Along another wall, there were bottles of different shapes and colors, filled with potions she would mix with the herbs. At the center of the home, in the middle of the wooden floor, was a large black cauldron in a fire pit.

The zebra gave a stretch and neck crack, followed by a morning yawn before moving over to the cauldron at the center of the room. Every time she woke up to work with her herbs, even before eating breakfast, she always made a point to check the cauldron. She always wanted just to make sure there wasn't anything inside. The most dangerous thing to creating concoctions in such a large cauldron was variables. If some unknown factor was added into the mix, and whatever Zecora mixed together reacted violently in such a small area, it would be disastrous.

The zebra looked inside of the cauldron.

"What is this that lie in my pot? A mouse that fell in this spot?" Zecora said. In fact, there was a cute little white mouse, lying inside of the otherwise empty cauldron. The zebra smiled, particularly happy she checked the cauldron today. The last thing she wanted to do was unknowingly mix a small mammal into whatever she made. Zecora came from a tribe that relied solely on vegetation for medicine and herbs. She'd heard of other tribes using living creatures, such as reptiles, aquamarine creatures or mammals in their medicines, but not Zecora. Especially in the mainly vegetarian society of Ponyville.

The zebra picked up the mouse out of the cauldron by the tail. She put the tail gently in her mouth and walked over to the door, opening it, and dropping the mouse outside.

"Scurry of off, my little mouse. Today you have no place in this house." Zecora said before closing the door. Outside she heard the mouse follow the zebra's order, running off into a nearby bush. With her cauldron now clean, she decided to skip breakfast and get a head start on her work. She moved to one of her shelves to take out red book. It was written in Zecora's native tongue. To any other Equestrian it was nonsense, but to her it read "Injury Treatments of the Swartenwit Tribe". She flipped through the pages of the book, searching for a new mixture to try, that the ponies of Ponyville might find useful.

Her eye caught something, in Equestrian tongue read: Burn Treatment Cream. The zebra had heard of different methods of burn treatment that was executed by Ponyville Hospital, but none that involved the instantaneous effects the book described. The zebra smiled with pride, at the thought that her own tribe medically surpassed Ponyville, and possibly Equestria. She supposed she would present the medication to the Ponyville Hospital later that day, should she finish. With her agenda set, the zebra got to work.

She started the fire in the pit at the center of her hut, causing it to start the process of heating up the cauldron. As the bottom of the cauldron in the fire pit got red hot, the zebra took a wooden from the bucket up into her muzzle and left her hut. She moved around to the back of her hut, to the small lake. It sparkled in the sun, critters in the pool scurrying away as the zebra approached. After she set down her bucket, she took a taste of the water to test it's quality. Despite the animals inside, the water was fresh clean, as Zecora expected.

Zecora picked back up the wooden bucket with her muzzle, and dipped it into the lake, filling it to the brim. She slowly walked back to her open door, careful not to let any water fall out. She wanted to make as few trips back out to the lake as possible. She moved over to the cauldron that was now burning hot. She poured a little of the water inside of the bucket, which sizzled and steamed at the touch of the cauldron. As the sizzling ceased, and the cauldron started to accept the water without instantly evaporating, Zecora emptied half of the bucket, allowing a small bit of water to steam at the bottom of the cauldron, and keep the fire from burning it.

Zecora set down the bucket by the cauldron and moved back over to her shelves which had various plants and herbs. According to the book, one of the ingredients in the treatment cream was a red plant called "ember weed". This was one of the plants native to her lands in the Zebra Nations. Zebras didn't usually have use for this incredibly spicy and flammable herb in mixtures, but more for kindling when starting fires. She knew she'd have to be extremely careful with this plant if she were to mix it into anything. Especially around the fire pit.

She took the plant in her mouth, careful not to touch it with her tongue, over to her work table, which she dropped in on there. She went back and forth between the herbal shelf and the table to gather a considerable amount she could present later. Once she had enough, she went over to the potions shelf. Zecora took a black rectangular bottle, and poured drops of the liquid on the leaves of the plant. On contact, the leaves started to shrivel up and become stiff. Unlike most herbs she dried out with the liquid, the ember leaf sizzled and lightly smoked, and showed signs of the desire to ignite, giving the zebra a secondary reminder of caution. Once Zecora was sure that the plant wouldn't set on fire, she went for the next plant.

The next plant the book requested was "poison joke". The zebra remembered how this plant had played tricks on her new found friends, and framed her for being some kind of "evil enchantress" earlier that year. The plant raw wasn't thought of as a good thing, given it's pranking properties. Still, like any other plant or thing, with a negative effect, came a positive effect. Poison Joke didn't just play tricks on any pony unlucky enough to find themselves surrounded by it. If mixed correctly with her potions and herbs, it could be used to cause a herb to have the opposite effect of it's original property. That would explain why ember weed was necessary. The opposite of hot, was cool, and instead of lighting fires, or burning things, it would cool and heal burns... at least according to the zebra's logic. Zecora took these plants to the work table, careful not to let any of its prank pollen get on her coat. She dried the plant out with the black liquid. The process was much quicker than the ember weed, so they both finished around the same time.

Next she went to get the next plant, an orange herb called 'rage root', another native to Zecora's homeland. Usually, when she made a medicine or drug, she would only need a small bit of this. It was named rage root, given that whoever ate it would become infuriated. Rage root could also increase the speed and effect of the medication, and was very useful for fast results. She only used a small amount of it, but realized that it would be okay to use a little more than usual, considering she was making more than her usual size of sample. It wasn't like the ponies she gave this too were going to consume any of the cream... right? She took a few extra bits of the root and mixed it with the shrived up roots. She crunched it all up like a herbal salad.

Finally, there was the blue plant, tall, thick and triangular, named "Invialoe". As it's name suggested, it was a plant that contained the main properties for an invisibility potion. Another property it had was something she knew was used by beauticians. Invisaloe could temporarily hide scars better than any regular make-up... or with the assistance of the rage root, it would hide it forever. Zecora set down the large plant on the table, and cut it open. A blue aloe oozed out of the thick leaf, which she kneaded with the shriveled plant leaves and rage root. The result was a blue blob, the crunched up leaves and roots inside.

These were all of the ingredients she needed for the first stage. The next part was heating and thinning the blob with water to melt the contents of the medication into each other. She poured the rest of the water from the bucket into the cauldron and the medication contents into the cauldron. The zebra figured she'd need more water, so she went out back one last time to the lake to fill her bucket. When she returned, the concoction was bubbling, which could have indicated two things: It's boiling temperature, or something was added. Zecora took a spoon and mixed it around the liquid. She didn't feel anything strange besides the normal thickness. She shrugged off the bubbling as just the concoction boiling.

She poured more water into the cauldron, filling it up 2 inches from the top. Once this was finished, Zecora went over to the wall with bottles of potions, and took out one. It was a green testing potion, used to tell facts like how close a mixture was to becoming one substance, to how close it was to becoming reactive. Zecora knew how to indicate when the concoction was finished... or when it would blow up in one's face.

It will start out glowing a bright grass green,

as it can plainly be seen

When the color blue and glow has diminished,

the concoction mixture is now finished

Beware though if the cauldron should turn yellow,

I'd stop the process If I were you fellow.

For a concoction orange and done,

Let's just say I'd better run. Zecora chanted to herself.

Zecora poured the green testing potion into the cauldron and the creamy mixture. The cauldron glowed a shade lighter green than the bottle originally held. Finally, after minutes of waiting, the concoction transitioned to a light blue, as the glow went out. Zecora smiled at her finally finished product, and went for her bucket to kill the flames.

POP!

A loud pop emitted from the cauldron so surprisingly loud and out of place, Zecora dropped her bucket, and it's remaining water on the floor. She directed her attention to the mixture... it had gone from blue to yellow, as it started to glow again. She knew she had to stop the process and fast, before it turned orange. She went over to the potions shelf and took up a blue potion called "Arctic Freeze" which could render any mixture's to a temperature below zero. This would effectively end the process of any concoction gone wrong.

Zecora turned around and moved back over to the creamy mixture. She went over, ready to pour the potion into the cauldron.

POP!

As Zecora stood over the cauldron, the mixture popped back up in her face. The incredible heat from the substance caused the zebra to stagger back onto her flank, the potion still firmly between her teeth. When she got back up and looked into the cauldron, her fears were realized. The contents of the cauldron had turned orange.

Zecora had never experienced a concoction go so wrong since filly-hood when she was learning the basics of herbal remedies. She remembered trying to make something in the very same cauldron she was using now, when it turned this color. She remembered how she nearly blew herself to pieces, if it weren't for her mother, who managed to get the filly away from the scene before the fireworks started. She blew up her own hut, and even her neighbor's huts. She wasn't allowed near any herbal operations for a month.

Zecora felt a slew of emotions, such as shame, confusion and fear. She was ashamed that she somehow managed to make the same mistake a simple novice filly would. She was confused, because she wasn't sure what that mistake was. She was fearful not only for herself, but her own house. She remembered how much destruction the concoction from her filly-hood managed to cause... but then again, that concoction didn't contain ember weed, one of the most flammable and explosive herbs she knew.

The zebra didn't want to leave her hut, but she knew that for her own safety, she had to. After all, at this point, it was on the brink of destruction. Not even the potion in her muzzle could save her now. As she cautiously backed out of the hut, she stopped.

POP!

The concoction had changed color again. This was odd to the zebra, as she had only experienced four color changes: green, blue, yellow, and orange. She didn't even have a rhyme for this new color, which happened to be a glowing red. Zecora knew better than to stand close to the concoction, though she did however want to examine it. She watched the red colored cauldron, as it didn't blow up. Instead, it continued to bubble, but much more violently.

Zecora's heart stopped, as she saw something, dripping with the red substance of the cauldron. Her heart stopped, and eyes contracted with fear. Never before had she experianced something actually climbing out of her cauldron by itself. As it touched the wooden floor of the zebra's hut, the floor was immediately consumed in flames.

"A creature inside of my pot? Dripping with concoction just like snot. What is this new thing? And what terrors does it plan to bring...?" the zebra said to herself, fearfully walking back from the cauldron creature.

***

Hours pass in a different, much more still and calming part of the forest. The only ones that moves through these parts now are the a familiar group of mares and dragon, as they walk along a dirt path through the Everfree forest. They've been walking through the forest since sun-up, making their way to their destination in a single file line. They'd been walking for hours.

Finally, Rainbow spoke up, tired of moving without any idea where she was going.

"Hey, Rare." Rainbow called, breaking the silence.

"Hm? Yes dear?" Rarity asked, looking back at Rainbow as she walked.

"We've been walking around for like... hours. Where the hay are we going anyway."

"I told you, It's a surprise. Trust me though, you'll all love it." Rarity smiled reassuringly.

"Ya ain't gonna tell us anythin'?" Applejack chimed in. "Ah mean... ya can't jus' go taken a bunch a mares inta th' deepest parts of Everfree w' thought no reason ya know."

"Aw come on guys!" Pinkie said cheerfully. "It isn't a surprise if she spoils it! And besides, I like surprises!"

"That's right dear. And besides, I was afraid you'd decline If I told you right away." Rarity said.

"W-why?" Fluttershy asked quietly, barely loud enough for anypony to hear her. "What kind of place are you taking us?"

"Yeah! Just give us a hint." Rainbow insisted.

Rarity thought for a moment. "Well... it's a place where you... all such hard working mares can relax for a little while."

Applejack stopped, along with all of the other mares. "Hold ya horses. Don'tcha tell me ya took us away from Ponyville, fo' some spa did ya?"

"I never said spa Applejack." Rairty said.

"Ahm missin all mah work for ah spa?" Applejack asked annoyed ignoring the mare's statement.

"And It's all the way out here? What about the one back in Ponyville? At least there, we could come and go." Rainbow complained. "Instead we're almost walking out into the middle of nowhere! Besides, I hate spas. I like my hair the way it is."

Rarity sighed. "I knew you'd act like this if I told you upfront." The mare turned around to face her friends. Fluttershy was still shyly looking down at the ground. Pinkie was still bouncing up and down smiling, almost to the height of Rainbow. Twilight muzzle was still in the book, close to finishing it, oblivious to what was happening other than mares' halt. Rainbow and Applejack however, were considerably annoyed with their white coated friend.

"Look. All of you. I've seen you all. You work too hard, and simply needed a break I knew you'd come up with some excuse to. You always do. Even if I had to trick you a little into it."

"That's kind of sneaky for you Rarity. I like that!" Pinkie chirped from the back of the group.

"Maybe a little. But tell me, when's the last time we've spent time together when something didn't go horribly wrong?" Rarity asked.

The mare had a point. Unless it was some shenanigan Pinkie had put together, or a disaster that threatened to burn Ponyville to the ground, they rarely got any mare to mare time. Any other time, they were busy at their different jobs, or doing their own activity.

"What?" Twilight said returning to reality. She levitated the book onto her back, which Spike subconsciously grabbed and cuddled with.

"I gotcha Rare." He mumbled before giving the spine of the book a kiss.

"Exactly." Rarity said. "To be honest, you should be thankful you get the oportunity to experiance such a 5 star resort such as the Trotting Springs."

"Aw... you ruined it." Pinkie said as she frowned and stopped bouncing. "What's the fun in a surprise if you already know what it is?"

"Now, hold up. What th' hay is Trottin' Springs?" Applejack asked.

"Well, it's only the highest rated vacation spot in this part of Equestria... honestly you should be thanking me I got you to come along." Rarity said. "Come, we need to keep moving. I tell you about it as we move along."

From there on, Rarity told the mares of Trotting Springs, located at the center of Everfree forest. It was built only a few months ago, and is all shiny and new. It's got everything from spas, to sporting courts, to the beautiful rock formations and waterfalls that surround it. The top service in all of Equestria and deserving of it's rating. Rarity explained that her beauticians from the Ponyville Spa, Aloe and Lotus were gifted with the opportunity to work there. As a part of their promotion, they were allowed to let some of their closest friends to come for free. That's where Rarity came in, who also convinced them to let her own friends come as well. She said that they were waiting for them there today which explained the urgency Rarity displayed the preceding day.

"And again, I'm sorry for dragging you out here without telling you, but I promise you, it's worth it." Rarity concluded.

At this point, Spike finally woke up. Clutching the book in one of his scaly arms. He rubbed his eye with the other. "Are we there yet?"

"Just about. We should be just over this hill-" Rarity said, but stopped.

The rest of the mares stopped with her. "Rarity? Is something wrong?" Fluttershy asked the purple maned mare.

"I'm sorry dears, but do any of you smell smoke?" Rarity asked.

They all sniffed the air, except Spike who was still partially waking up.

"Now that you mention it... the air does smell different. But where..." Twilight trailed off, looking around the wood.

"Hold up, I'll get a better view from the sky." Rainbow said, flying higher into the air.

"See anything?" Applejack called.

"Oh, I see something alright. Fire ahead!" Rainbow called back. "Just over the hill! It's trailing like a zig-zag from here to the edge of Everfree!"

"A-a trail?" Fluttershy asked. "I didn't know fire moves like that."

"It doesn't. This isn't a normal forest fire. Some pony is making it." Twilight concluded. "Rainbow, can you tell where the flames lead to?"

"I think so. They stop over there, by that big smoke cloud." Rainbow said, pointing in its direction.

"But... that's the same direction of-" Rarity said.

Before the mare could finish her sentence, animals ran in their direction, flaming or burned severely. They either continued to run, or collapsed in front of the mares, whining in pain. All of the mares were horrified, and Fluttershy nearly fainted at the sight.

"We gotta put out that there fire! Pronto!" Applejack said, and the other mares nodded in agreement. "Listen here. I'll go ahead and try an' find some help. You do what'cha can here. See if ya can't put out th' fire round here n' save them animals before they're barbecued. Rarity, which way is that resort?"

"Where Rainbow was pointing, but-" Before Rarity could finish her warning, Applejack darted off in the direction of the smoke cloud.

"Come on! We need to get closer to the fire. See if there's some way we can stop it!" Twilight said. "Fluttershy-" The mare saw the pegusis already moving into her saddlebags to take out bandages she kept on her person for emergencies. "-you do what you do best. Help the animals we bring you."

She silently nodded, focusing on aiding a burnt deer.

Meanwhile, the mares ran up the hill and saw what they were dealing with. Spike fell down as Twilight darted forward, with a thud. He got up, painfully and ran forward.

"Hey Twi! Wait up!" the dragon said, still clutching the book.

The dragon stopped along with the other three mares, as they looked forward. The forest had drasticly changed from a lush green to a deadly orange and red, as trees and plants burned. The ground was on fire, and the path ahead was consumed in a blaze of flames. A pony'd have to be crazy to try and go through that... either that, or Pinkie.

"I got this." Pinkie said as she bounced into the heat of the fire.

"Pinkie wait!" Rarity called, but the mare had already headed through.

"Rarity. Help me start killing these flames." Twilight said.

"How Twilight?" Rarity asked. "Not all of us are so familiar with the field of magic as you are."

"You know how to use telekinesis spells right? Just do what I do." Twilight said. She used her horn to create a magic bubble around a group of flames. She closed the bubble, and after a few seconds, the fire ran out of oxygen and the spot was cleared of flames. Rarity nodded, copying Twilight's example. She didn't create a bubble as strong as Twilight's however. The mare was only used to using her power on cool fabric, not hot flames. Still, she managed to deprive the flames of enough oxygen before her bubble popped.

Meanwhile, in the heat of the flames, Pinkie Pie danced from falling debris from the trees. She kept clear from any flames, and when she had to, she moved so swiftly, the flames seemed to move to the sides, just for her. Though a sane pony might be horrified to be in such a situation, and be looking for a way out, Pinkie remained cheerful and high-spirited. She focused on looking for trapped animals.

"There you are!" Pinkie said over the cracking of the flames as they broke the branches and bark of trees. She saw a raccoon, stuck under a burning branch. It was in pain, and too weak to move it itself. "What are you doing under there silly?" Pinkie said to the trapped animal. "Here, let me get you out of there." Pinkie moved the branch off of the raccoon, freeing it. "C'mon, get on." Pinkie took the raccoon up by the tail and placed it on her back. The raccoon seemed to understand its rescue, as it used it's remaining strength to clutch the mare's pink mane to keep from falling off. With that, Pinkie ventured further into the fire to see if she couldn't rescue any other animals.

Rainbow moved around the sky, desperately searching for a cloud in the sky.

"Ok, make it a clear skies day guys." Rainbow mocked her orders to the weather team. "We don't need any more rainy days, let's give the ponies out here a nice sunny day... The ONE day a pony needs a good rain cloud. C'mon guys, you have to have missed one..."

Rainbow turned around... There! There was a white patch of cloud, lonely sitting in the sky. It was small, and certainly not enough to take out the entire fire... but maybe it would be enough to clear the area.

Rainbow flew up and took the cloud with her hooves. It accepted her pegusis touch and flew down with her into the smoke.

"Alright Rainbow..." She said to herself. "Make this count."

Through the smoke, she targeted what she assumed was the area her friends were in. She squeezed the cloud, and rain came out, drenching the area with water. The flames were extinguished, along with any other animals that appeared to be on fire. The mares were also drenched by the brief rain cloud, notifying them of Rainbow's success.

"That takes care of that problem." Twilight said satisfied. Rarity's lip quivered when she saw how the rain had ruined her mane. Twilight rolled her eyes as Spike went over to comfort the mare.

"It's alright Rare. Your still the most pretty mare I know." Spike said smiling.

"Oh brother." Twilight said. "Come on you two. We need to meet up with Pinkie so we can catch up with Applejack. Come on Fluttershy!"

"Alright, be careful now." Fluttershy said softly to the last animal, a beaver, she bandaged up. "And get as far away from here as possible." The beaver chirped, and ran off in the opposite direction of the mare. With that, Fluttershy met up with Twilight and Rarity.

"I'll fly ahead over the resort." Rainbow said.

"We'll meet you there!" Twilight said as Rainbow flew off.

Pinkie came up to the three remaining mares, with other animals clutching to her body. the raccoon was still on back, clinging to her mane. A bird was perched on the top of her head, nesting in her mane. A rabbit was also clinging to her left fore leg. She was like a mammal magnet.

"Look! I found Gummy some new playmates!" Pinkie said happily.

"You can't keep them." Twilight said.

"Aw..." Pinkie frowned.

"Here, let me bandage them, then we'll go." Fluttershy said approaching Pinkie.

Twilight nodded. "Alright, but hurry. I've got a bad feeling..."

What Twilight was soon to find out, was that her bad feeling, had more validation than she could have ever imagined...

***

Trotting Springs
The Equestrian spot for

rest, relaxation, pleasure and fun!

Please enjoy your stay

This is what the mares thought they read. It was difficult to see on the sign that was on fire. The Spike and the mares moved through a cave that would lead to the valley where the resort was located. As they moved through the magically artificially lit cave, they saw pictures. Beautiful pictures of the landscape of the resort. Waterfalls came from all sides of the bowl like valley, hitting the bottom where ponies could be seen swimming or relaxing on the beaches below. At the center of the valley was the resort complex itself. Platforms and rooms networked from the center like a tree; different areas served as different branches. From what they could tell there were several outdoor activity platforms. On one of which they could see a tennis court, pegusi enjoying a game of tennis. They saw a outdoor area, as earth ponies enjoyed the different delectable foods served by the resort. There was even a dorm like area where ponies could stay the night at the resort. Finally, at the center, there was a large fountain with water magnificently spitting out of the center, and falling to the valley floor along with the waterfalls.

Rarity noticed the awed look on their friends faces. "I told you you'd like it." She smiled.

"It is rather impressive what they've built here." Twilight admitted.

"It's crazy! It looks like some funky blocky tree!" Spike said.

"They've got everything! Do you think they have a party deck?" Pinkie asked.

"Oh, I'm sure." Rarity smiled.

"This is... really nice but um... not to rush or anything... but don't we need to keep going?" Fluttershy asked.

"Right." Twilight said walking to the exit of the cave and entrance to the valley. "C'mon, there'll be plenty of time to stare at-"

"... Twilight?" Fluttershy asked out of concern.

"Sweet Celestia..." Twilight whispered.

The three other mares and dragon went over to Twilight. Their jaws dropped when they saw what she saw. It was the resort... but it was nothing like the picture. There was no green of trees or vegetation along the cliff face of the valley. There was no brown face of the rock valley. There wasn't even a blue sky they remembered walking in on. Everything in the valley had gone from these colors, to a fierce red or orange. Trotting Springs had lost it's lush valley look, and turned into an flaming hole. The entire resort was on fire with orange flames licking it's several areas. The bottom of the resort, where the beaches and water lie, was now filled with red embers that came from the debris falling from the burning resort. Even the waterfall could not seem to tame the flames that consumed the valley. Above, at the point where the resort opened up, it was so black with smoke, somepony might have assumed that it was night time.

Rainbow darted through the smoke cloud and flew down through the smoke, momentarily letting some light through her hole. She hovered down to the mares who were horrified at the sight. They weren't phased in the slightest at Rainbow's sudden appearance.

"Yeah Rare, you were right. Best vacation spot ever." Rainbow said looking at the flaming resort.

"What kind of pony could have done such a thing?" Rarity said.

"I dunno, but whatever it was, it really did some damage. I can barely see anything above that smoke cloud."

"Wait as sec... this is a resort, so doesn't that mean that there are ponies in there?" Pinkie said, still staring at the fire.

The mares all looked at Pinkie, at the horrible realization.

"I-I'm sure they must have evacuated the ponies once the fire started." Twilight said.

"And what about Applejack? She said she was going this way... She's probably that!" Pinkie exclaimed. "We've gotta go get her!"

This was something no mare could deny. Applejack had went ahead earlier... so that would mean that she must have gone in to try and save some ponies. Wither the mares liked it or not, one way or another, they had to go into the fire and help their friend. They'd been separated for at least half an hour, which meant one of two things. Either she was rescuing somepony or she was in trouble. With that, the mares and the dragon riding on Twilight's back cautiously walked along the bridge that led over the valley to the resort. Rainbow and Fluttershy flew across, so they wouldn't add weight to the already unstable bridge. Pieces of the bridge started to break off as the mares moved along it. Rainbow and Fluttershy flew alongside their friends, making sure to be ready to catch them if it happened to collapse.

It was adrenaline pumping, but the mares all made it across the bridge. Pinkie was the last one to make it off of the bridge.

"T-that wasn't so bad." Spike said shakily.

"Maybe, but dear, but you should probably release your grip." Rarity said. "I think Twilight breath now." Rarity said, pointing at how tightly the dragon was hugging the mare's neck to near suffocation.

"Oh, sorry Twi." Spike said letting go of the mare's neck. Twilight took a deep breath... She ended up breathing in some of the smoke, causing her to enter a coughing fit; This warned her friends to take shorter breaths.

"We gotta find Applejack and quick." She said once she finished coughing.

"No need. Ahm righ' here Sugarcube." Applejack said, appearing from out of the smoke. On her back, was a mare, with an orange coat, and blue mane.

"Applejack!" Pinkie went over to hug her friend, but Applejack stopped her.

"Hold yer horses now. This 'ere mare's hurt real bad." Applejack said.

Applejack set down the mare to the ash covered ground. She moaned in pain from the burns that were all over her body. Her mane was either covered with soot or completely burned off... The mare had definitely been set on fire, but thankfully, it wasn't long enough to kill her.

"Fluttershy. Do you think you could..." Twilight asked Fluttershy, but there was no point in finishing the question. The pegusis was already on bandaging the mare's burns.

"Run..." the mare said.

"I'm sorry, but don't talk. Your really hurt and-" the orange coated mare coughed, interrupting Fluttershy.

"You... you don't understand... he'll kill you."

The 6 mares and dragon looked at one another.

"Dear... who will kill us?" Rarity asked.

"The fire maker... the devil..." the mare slipped from consciousness due to the intense pain of the burns.

"Poor filly. Ah found 'er lyin' lik' this. Glad ah found 'er when ah did." Applejack said.

"W-what do you think she meant by 'the devil'" Spike asked.

"Oh relax, there's no such thing as devils." Twilight reassured the baby dragon.

"I dunno about that Twi. You said it yourself. This isn't a natural fire, right? And something tells me no normal pony could torch this whole place... what if it is the devil?" Spike asked.

"It doesn't make sense. There's no explination, so it can't be true." Twilight said.

"Mmmhm." Pinkie teased.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Twilight asked.

"Oh nothing..." Pinkie said smiling.

"Ah think there's more ponies in that there fire. We have to help them." Applejack said.

"Agreed. We should probably split up. Fluttershy, you can stay here with Spike, and help out any ponies we bring you." Twilight said.

Fluttershy nodded. Spike however didn't like the plan.

"No way! I should go too. I'm more fire proof than you guys. I can help."

Twilight didn't want to risk the baby dragon getting hurt, but he knew he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. So she did the next best thing to arguing.

"Hey Rarity. You wanna stay here and help Fluttershy?" Twilight said, ever so slightly motioning to Spike. Rarity got the message.

"Oh, of course darling. Spike dear. You don't want me to be alone here do you?"

"But I'm staying t-" Fluttershy started.

"Of course not! I'd never want you to stay here alone." Spike said.

Fluttershy bowed her head sadly.

"Alright, I'll head up to the dorm rooms, Applejack, you head to the food area, and Pinkie, you go to the recreation area. I'll head over to the dorm area." Twilight said.

"Roger Dodger!" Pinkie said running off to the sporting platform.

"Gotcha Twilight." Applejack said, moving off in the direction of the food platform.

"What about me?" Rainbow asked. "I can fly you know. I should be doing something."

"You see how high you can get and scope out the resort for any other ponies that might need help." Twilight said.

Rainbow saluted. "On it." She said as she flew as high as she possibly could before hitting a wall of smoke. With that, Twilight headed to find a staircase that would lead up to the dorm rooms. Still, there was something that she couldn't get off of her mind.

What did that mare really mean by "the devil"? What in the hay did she see?

***

Time passed slowly for Fluttershy, Rarity and Spike. Without the sun to give them an idea of what time it was, time seemed to slow to a crawl. It felt like hours since the other mares had ventured into the flames of the resort. They had yet to come back from their endeavor, and the two mares and dragon were beginning to worry about them.

They tried to drown out their worries with small talk.

"...so your scales... they don't grow back?" Rarity asked.

"Nah, they grow, but it takes a while." Spike replied.

"But doesn't it hurt when they come out?" Fluttershy asked.

"A little, but nothing too bad. It only happened once for me, and that's because of that magic balding spell I told you Twilight tested on me. Scales are really hard to take out though, so only a few came out. They're still growing back on my back." Spike said, showing the small spots on his back where scales were missing. "The upshot was, that we could sell them to dress makers, and blacksmiths for quite a few bits. Apparently dragon scales are worth allot cause they're fireproof. Who knew?"

"I sure wish I knew about that little incident. I would have loved to use exotic purple dragon scales on one of my dresses." Rarity said.

"Well, If you want, I could take out a few more..." Spike said, staring dreamily at Rarity.

Rarity giggled. "Your so sweet, but I couldn't make such a request. Still let me know if some happen to fall out."

"Sure thing Rare!" Spike said.

"Um... guys?" Fluttershy asked.

The two looked at the shy mare.

"Someone's coming. Across the bridge." she said, pointing at the figure moving across the bridge. It was menacing with it's hood and brown cloak. If the mares and dragon didn't know better, they would have been afraid... but they knew very well who the brown cloak belonged to.

"What's Zecora doing all the way out here?" Spike asked.

"That's a good question dear. She's quite a ways from home."

"And something tells me she isn't here for the resort..."

Zecora made her way across the bridge. Upon closer examination, it was seen that she was limping. The unstable bridge shook with every step she took. Fluttershy flew out to help her across, catching her before a plank collapsed under her hooves. Fluttershy guided her the rest of the way. She lied down on the ground, once she made it across the bridge. She tiredly panted for breath.

"My dear friends of yellow, purple and white... I'm sorry we must meet in this light..." she said tiredly.

"Zecora, what are you doing out here? I thought you'd be in your hut, working on your... whatever you do." Spike said.

Zecora didn't speak for a moment. She seemed to be lost in thought at the dragon's words.

"My companions, I must apologize. Let me take off this guise." Zecora said, as she took off her cloak to reveal the severe burns and cuts along her coat.

"Sweet Celestia! What happened to you?!" Rarity asked. As she looked into the eyes of the zebra, she saw pain... and guilt. "... Zecora?"

The zebra closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I believe I've made a terrible mistake... the monster that terrorizes you is one that I create."

Fluttershy and Rarity looked at each other in disbelief.

"W-what do you mean monster." Fluttershy asked apprehensive of the answer she would receive.

"Believe me, I didn't mean to hurt any creation... it all started with a simple medication..."

Zecora explained how she tried to make a burn treatment cream. She claimed that she followed every instruction, but somehow the concoction still went horribly wrong. What's more that it somehow created a monster, that in the end, burned her house down and nearly killed her, just by stomping around. She managed to drive the creature away from Ponyville and deeper into the forest. She said she'd been hunting it along its path of destruction since this morning.

"And to my horror, it found this place, turning this resort into a disgrace." Zecora bowed her head shamefully. "I don't know what could have gone wrong... I followed everything, even the song."

"Song?" Fluttershy asked. "What song?"

Zecora explained the herbal song she used whenever she heated a concoction, and the unexpected color change.

"Of all my time with herbs and potions, I have never seen one make a commotion." Zecora finished.

"Maybe it was somewhere around that time something went wrong?" Fluttershy considered.

"Mare of yellow, I do not know. This is the first time I've seen one put on such a light show." Zecora said.

"Wait a second, back up. You said a monster is attacking... what is attacking." Spike asked.

"What you face in this place, it seem as though it doesn't take up space. Though I a sure you, it exists all the same... a monster that can conjure up mighty flames. A monster that cannot be seen, but is dangerous, strong, and senses keen."

"That mare called it 'the devil'. I suppose I might think the same thing if they heard footsteps coming from nowhere, and flames spontaneously bursting up."

"And this monster... if you were trying to make some medicine... how did a monster come out of it?"

"I'll say it again, I do not know. In concoctions like mine, creatures shouldn't grow. I use vegetation and solely that. No creatures of skinny, tall or fat."

"That is weird." Spike said. "Well, what now?"

"The urge to fight it, I could not resist. When I touched it however, I got this." Zecora pointed to the burns on her.

"So if that thing touches a pony, or a pony touches it, they'll get lit on fire?" Fluttershy asked.

Zecora nodded.

"Well how do we stop it?" Rarity asked.

"Listen to me, for I do have a plan... but I'm not sure if it's true in this land." Zecora said.

"What do you mean?" Rarity asked.

"Back in my homeland there is a tale, of a dragon who saved zebras from something similar and was hailed..."

Zecora then told the story of the Zebras and the Dragons, and old Swartenwit folk tale. The story was of how invisible monsters plagued her land, destroying everything in sight. The zebras were helpless against this threat, so one day a brave zebra ventured out to find the help of a dragon. They found one, and convinced it to help them. The dragon, unlike any other creature the zebras came across, was actually able to see these monsters, and actually fight them. Once it drove the monsters away from the villages it plagued, the dragon was hailed as a hero, and was even carved into a statue...

"Wait... are you saying only I can see the monster?" Spike asked.

"With your dragon eyes, if my tale is true... yes most certainly it's you." Zecora said. "But sight is not nearly enough. And I have a plan B if things get rough. Gather around, and listen close. After all I wouldn't want you to roast."

The mares and dragon lean closer in to listen to Zecora and her plan to stop this monster...

***

"Help! Somepony help us!" ponies screamed from within the flames of the kitchen.

"Hold on! Ahm comin'!" Applejack called back.

The eating platform was, like the rest of the resort, was on fire. Luckily for the mare, it was still traversable... as though it was the most recent part of the resort to be set ablaze. Applejack called out for the ponies, using their voices to find them.

The heat from the fire was unbearable, and she could barely breath with all of the smoke filling her lungs. Applejack wouldn't last long if she didn't get herself, and the rest of the ponies off of the platform soon.

"Over here!" the ponies called again.

Applejack found they were calling from the kitchen. She entered there, and moved around the tongues of the flames that tried to lick her.

"Where here?" Applejack called back.

"We're trapped! In the back!" the ponies called.

Applejack couldn't move any further because of the wall of flames that blocked her path through to the back of the kitchen. It's then she saw a fire extinguisher on the wall.

"Huh. That's convenient." Applejack said, taking the extinguisher off of the wall. She aimed and fired the foam of the extinguisher at the flames. The device did its job flawlessly, causing the fire to shrink into nothing, leaving nothing but black burn marks along where did damage.

"And that takes care a that. Now ya'll are-" Applejack started, before she was nearly trampled by three mares who rushed out of the kitchen.

"My Celestia! Fire's everywhere!" one yelled.

"Five stars my plot!" another one yelled.

"Get me the hay out of here!" the last one yelled.

"Ya could at least say thanks." Applejack mumbled.

Suddenly, one of the mares... the last one which had a familiar blue coat and flower cutie mark suddenly halted. Her eyes contracted fearfully. Did she see something?.... did she feel something? The mare's pink mane shot up, and she seemed to start floating in mid air. Her mane bunched at it's center... like something was holding on.

"What in tarnation?!" Applejack exclaimed. It barely a second before the mare's mane combusted into flames.

"Sis! No!" The pink coated pony who managed to escape the kitchen, as she watched her sister's mane begin to burn. Applejack wasted no time in shooting the foam from the fire extinguisher at the mare.

Something roared as the foam hit the blue mare's mane. The mare dropped onto the ground and scrambled to her feet, before running off with her sister and the other mare. Applejack then heard hoofsteps... no not hoof steps. A pony couldn't make such a thunderous sound as they walked. Hay, buffalo walked quieter. Applejack looked down to the ground to see every new step she heard, a patch of flames ignited on the ground, getting closer and closer to her. Fearfully, Applejack shot the flames with her fire extinguisher. There was another roar of anger. It was then, Applejack made a terrible realization as the thunder steps increased in pace... this was the devil the mare was talking about, as it charged at the earth pony.

***

From the dorms, Twilight heard a scream of pain and fear. It wasn't just any scream however... it was the scream of a friend.

Applejack

Twilight abandoned her already fruitless search in the dorms. It seemed as though most ponies had managed to evacuate the flaming dorm area. Maybe they were lucky enough to escape in time? The mare ran down the stairwell she'd come up and went to the center of the resort, where the large fountain was located. From there, she moved to the bridge that lead to the eating area. There, she saw a burned Applejack, covered with soot. She looked as bad, if not worse than the pony that she brought to the entrance.

"Oh no..." Twilight said to herself. She ran up to her hurting friend. She tried to comfort her by letting her lean on her as they moved, but she only flinched; she was barely able to let out any words besides moans and groans of pain. Once they made it to the other side of the bridge, Applejack was ready to collapse. Twilight wasn't sure what to do. She didn't think she had any time or strength to carry Applejack back to the entrance, especially in her current state. Then she remembered the fountain.

"Applejack. Get in the fountain and cool off." Twilight instructed softly. Applejack nodded, using her remaining muscle to get into the pool of water in the fountain. Thanks to the fire it wasn't cold, but much cooler than the mare's body at that point.

"What happened? Did something fall on you? Did something hit you?"

It took a moment for Applejack to be able to form words again, as the pain gradually lessened.

"Oh yeah... somethin' definitely hit me. That fire makin' devil! Ah couldn't see it, but ah felt it I tell ya. Second it touched me, ah lit up like a candle!" Applejack said. "That thing's dangerous!"

"Oh don't tell me you believe that fire devil story too." Twilight groaned. "There's no such thing as demons. You must have felt something else."

"Ah don't care if ya believe er not. Ahm just sayin ya best watch yer plot Twiligh'." Applejack said. After that, the two mares heard a roar. Applejack's eyes contracted in fear. "Aw no... it followed me! Twi, we need a plan, and fast!"

Applejack was still having a hard time moving, even though the pain wasn't as great as before. Parts of her muscles were still healing from the intense burns. Twilight of course wasn't going to leave her friends. All she could do was hope that Applejack was wrong about whatever attacked her.

"It couldn't be... it couldn't be..." Twilight repeated to herself, as she squinted through the smoke and fire, trying to see the monster that attacked Applejack...

***

Meanwhile, Rainbow managed to get high enough to see as much of the resort as the fire would let her. Her job was more boring for her taste, given she didn't find any ponies she could save from her vantage point. All she could see was burning, smoke, and the occasional drop of a piece of the resort to the waters below. Rainbow figured that most of the ponies had already escaped, but Rainbow still kept her position to keep an eye on her friends. She was slightly worried that she lost track of Pinkie, but figured the crazy mare could take care of herself.

At that point, she was just above the center of the resort, where she could vaguely make out Twilight and Applejack with her awesome eye sight. They'd stopped there for some reason Rainbow couldn't figure out... but then she heard the roar. Her attention turned to the bridge that linked the eating area to the central fountain area where her friends were.'

From what the mare could tell, there was fire, unnaturally moving across the bridge, spontaneously creating flames at a fast pace. The odd thing was that she didn't see anything making the flames... but they moved like something was making them as it stepped, like flaming footprints. It's then Rainbow remembered the mare from the entrance's warning. It didn't take a genius to figure out this was the devil that she was talking about... and it was headed strait for her friends.

By the time it had made its way across the bridge, Rainbow wasted no more time and swooped into action. She flew down to the two mares by the fountain.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Rainbow said nonchalantly.

"Did you see what made that roaring sound?" Twilight asked.

"Not really, but I think I know where it is. I can't see it, but I can see it making fire as it walks." Rainbow said.

"But... you didn't see a monster?" Twilight asked.

"Nope. Just flames moving by themselves." Rainbow said. Before the mares could say anything else, the invisible monster roared. About 30 yards from them, they saw the flames footprints coming towards them.

"No way..." Twilight said. "That doesn't make sense... there couldn't be. There's no such thing as invisible monsters in this part of Equestria... let alone ones that can make fire."

Rainbow, unlike the other two mares, was brave. "Heh, don't worry. I'll show that monster not to mess with us." She said as she charged towards area where the footprints appeared. She extended her hoof, aiming to punch the monster when she made contact.

"Rainbow wait!" Applejack tried to warn the pegusis. "Ya can't touch it! It'll burn ya!"

"It'll what?" Rainbow asked, not paying attention to her flight path. It was moments before her hoof made contact with the monster... but it wasn't it that felt pain. Instantly, Rainbow felt the searing pain in her hoof as it was set aflame. Before the mare could fall down and stomp out her hoof, the invisible monster grabbed her whole fore leg, and eventually her body. Rainbow was trapped in the air.

"Twili'! Cant'cha use yer fancy magic ta save her?" Applejack asked.

"I... I can't!" Twilight said. The moment Twilight saw Rainbow get caught, she'd already tried to grab it with her telekinesis powers. The problem was, that her power only worked on things she could visualize... and the monster was invisible. She knew she had to do something, and she had an idea of so she resolved to firing a bolt of magic from her horn. It momentarily drained her, but it did the trick. The monster dropped the mare as it roared in pain, exposing it's skeletal system momentarily. Twilight got a sense of what the monster was shaped like. It was a similar structure she'd remembered seeing in apes, but this monster had claws, so it most definitely wasn't an invisible monkey... but it was some kind of mammal. Though Twilight saw it's shape, it wasn't enough for her to be able to touch it with her magic. Instead, she'd only succeeded in freeing Rainbow, who was now rolling on the ground to beat off the fire, and the seemingly invincible monster.

The monster started for Twilight, as she saw the flaming footsteps get closer to her, and it's heavy footsteps get closer to her. She found her flank against the fountain.

"This can't be happening... there's no such thing as devils. There's no such thing." Twilight repeated, as she felt the heat of the fire get more and more intense as the monster got closer. She tried to fire another bolt, but her magic was still replenishing.

As the situation seemed hopeless, a tennis ball came out of nowhere and hit the monster. The footprints shifted 45 degrees to the right, as if it had turned to the side where the tennis ball came from. Out of the smoke came two pegusi, who limped around the fountain opposite of Twilight. They were followed by Pinkie, who held another tennis ball in her hoof.

"Leave her alone!" Pinkie called, before throwing another tennis ball. "You don't want to eat her. She's all yucky and junk... well, I guess if you put a little sugar on her, I guess she wouldn't taste that bad. Everything tastes better with sugar!"

Pinkie annoyed the monster. It was enough for her to take its attention off of Twilight and put it on Pinkie. The monster walked over to the pink mare, who made no attempt to flee.

"Aw... do you need a dance partner? I'll dance with you! I love to dance!" Pinkie said. The monster stood in front of Pinkie. A woosh sound is heard, as Pinkie strikes a crouching pose. When another woosh was heard, and Pinkie danced to the left around the flaming footprint. The monster roared as more wooshing sounds were heard, as Pinkie continued to dance. Applejack and Twilight simply stared in awe, nearly forgetting that Rainbow was still squirming in pain from her burns.

"I found them!" Rarity called from a distance.

Rarity was joined by Zecora, Fluttershy and Spike. They all went over to Twilight an Applejack at the fountain, all except Fluttershy, who went over to tend to Rainbow's injuries.

"You ok Twi?" Spike asked.

Twilight's life had just flashed before her eyes, so she was still a little shooken up. Shakily, she nodded.

"How about you AJ?" Spike asked.

"Ahm a little burned 'ere and there, but ah'll live." Applejack said.

"My goodness, what is Pinkie doing?" Rarity said looking at Pinkie, who hopped around with different poses.

"Huh?" Spike said.

"I mean, here's hardly the place to be dancing like a maniac... don't you think?" Rarity asked.

"Y-you mean you don't see it?" Spike asked. "She's not dancing! She's dodging that rat looking thing's attacks!"

"You see it?" Twilight asked. "H-how? Does... does that mean that there really is a devil?" She'd heard of dragons being able to see unseeable creatures... such as demons and devils. Did that mean that she was wrong?

"It seems as though I was right. This monster can be seen with dragon sight." Zecora said happily. "But the pink mare isn't dragon and can avoid this barage... I wonder how she could possibly dodge?"

"Probably 'cause she's Pinkie." Spike replied.

"Zecora, what the hay are you doin' here?" Applejack asked.

"It's a long story." Rarity explained.

"Rarity, do you remember my plan? I belive it's time it's execution began." Zecora said.

Rarity nodded. "Of course dear. I'll be right back. There has to be one around here somewhere..." she said as she ran off.

"Spike. You can see it. Describe it to me... maybe I can catch it with my magic." Twilight explained.

"Um... It's big... white... it's got a long skinny pink tail pink feet and hand... red eyes, and pinkish ears."

"Please forgive me dragon Spike, but did you say this creature was white?" Zecora asked.

"Yeah, kind of like the little white mice that get in the library... only really big and tough looking." Spike said. Spike looked over at the zebra. She looked as though a realization hit her.

"I think I know what went wrong. It wasn't my fault or even the song. I never saw the color because of something new. The mouse I saw returned and fell in my brew."

It all made sense. Zecora left the hut more than once with the door open, with no idea what was going on inside. The mouse she'd thrown out earlier could have sneaked back in, and found it's way back into the brew, to be turned into an infuriated monster. It had somehow taken on properties of each ingredient. It took on the reversing power of the poison joke, turning from a small weak mouse, into a strong monster. It took the ember weed and gained the power to inflame anything it touched. It gained all of its blind anger from the rage root. Finally, its invisibility came from the Invisaloe. All of this, most likely because it consumed everything when it fell and nearly drowned in her concoction. This also explained the new color. Zecora never saw the color red in a tested mixture, because she never used a living creature to create the color...

As Zecora meditated on this, Twilight now imagined the monster in her head based on Spike's description. She imagined it swinging at Pinkie as she dodged. She tried again, this time with more luck. She grabbed the monster with her telekinesis, and floated it up into the air. It was still invisible of course, but outline could be seen by the magic field Twilight had around it. It struggled to free itself from Twilight's mental grip, and surprisingly it was working. Twilight wasn't sure how much longer she could hold the monster. Sweat beaded down her face as she tried to hold on to the incredibly strong monster.

"Zecora..." Twilight grunted. "Not to inturupt or anything, but do you have some kind of plan for this thing?"

"Hm?" Zecora said, snapping out of her thought. "Oh yes, your friend Rarity. She's looking for something for me."

As if on cue, Rarity showed up, floating a redish fire blanket over her head. "I have returned." Rarity said dramatically.

"Great. You think you could use that thing to wrap up the monster?" Twilight asked, understanding a part of Zecora's new plan. "Not... sure how much longer I can hold it by myself..."

Rarity nodded and floated the fire blanket around the outline of magic. She wrapped the fire blanket around the monster as Twilight brought it closer to the ground.

"Fluttershy, now it's you. Calm the beast with your gentle coo." Zecora instructed.

"Are you going to be ok Rainbow?" Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow moaned in pain.

"She'll be fine." Pinkie said bouncing over to Rainbow. "Right Dashie? Moan once for yes. Twice for no."

Rainbow moaned.

"See? Just-"

Rainbow moaned again.

"Juuust fine..." Pinkie said happily petting the mare's mane.

"Fluttershy, hurry. It's trying to free itself." Rarity told the mare.

Fluttershy nodded, and came over to the monster, hesitantly. Finally, she went over to where she assumed its ear was. Usually, she'd use her stare on a hostile animal, but she was unable to see its eyes, so she had to improvise. She softly started to sing the lullaby she knew best.

Hush now, Quiet now...

The fire mouse monster started to calm down, breathing slower, and showing less signs of struggle. As Fluttershy sung, Zecora took out a potion from her cloak. She gave it to Spike.

"This is a new potion I made. It is out of arctic freeze and reversing sage. Pour it down the creature's throat, and it's normal form will appear with it's white coat." Zecora said.

Spike looked at the fire mouse monster. He was the only one who could see its menacing eyes and teeth. He was afraid to have to pry it open, even though he knew he was the only one who could, because of his fireproof scales.

"Spike, hurry. I'm not sure how much longer we can hold it. If your going to do anything, I'd do it now." Rarity said, showing signs of struggling to hold the monster, even though Twilight was also assisting. Fluttershy's voice was beginning to lose effect, and the monster was starting to get rowdy again.

Spike took a deep breath. He had to do it for Rarity. So he went forward, and used all of his strength to pour the potion in its mouth. Everyone stood back as the mouse roared. Its roars turned to small squeaks as it materialized in front of the mare's eyes, and shrunk back into it's cute normal form.

The mares all sighed. The fire was still going, but everypony was at least safe from the monster that started it.

"Glad that's over." Rarity finally said.

"I'll... I'll fly back to Ponyville to go get help to put out this fire." Fluttershy said. The other mares nodded as she flew off.

"Yeah, and to think this all started because Zecora dropped a mouse in some soup."

"Wait a sec... Zecora, yer the one respCharlie Daniels Band "Devil Went Down to Georgia"onsable fer all a this?"

The zebra sighed. "Gather my friendly mares. I'm sure you want to know this tale..." Zecora said before starting her story of how this fire started.