The Menace with a Z

Before all of Equestria went to hell, I, a well trusted agent from Celestia's personal spy collection, was chosen for a very..... very special mission, of which I was suprised when I recieved it. "But... Princess Celestia! We've already established that Zecora is trusting! Do we really need this!?!?" I could not help but feel bad for the lonly zebra as she nodded.

"Our suspisions are rising again, it does appear that Zecora is brewing something out of normal lines. She has gone to extra lengths to pay with large cash to get some ingredients." The Princess had never sounded more serious in her life, so I could tell this was something that was to be taken literally, but I was still unbelieving of it.

"Princess... I understand that you have your own worries, but she's made large purchases befo-" the Princess cut him off, with a harsh tone.

"Has she ever before made a large purchase of magical waste?? NO! She has not at all, which means she IS up to something, and I am COMMANDING you to find this out!" He has never hhead her speak to him like this, and for once, as far as he'd seen, he saw anger behind that pokerface of hers.

He bowed, not wanting to take this any further. "As you wish, milady. I will report everything I find tonight at-" once again she cut him off, her tone this time was a bit more collected.

"A month.... one month I want you to watch her every move. Do not take your eyes off of this operation, do you hear me, liutennant?" He was a bit annoyed with the princesses relentless demands, but he nodded in response, knowing if he continued to argue, this would only get worse.

"All I request is to spend today with my family before I begin my m-" for the third time on ten minutes, she stopped me.... I found this to be peeving me quite severely.

"I'm sorry, and it pains me to say this, but I need you to leave to the hut immediately, and start your mission." I now knew this was something beyond my own comprehension, something I wouldn't understand until I saw this all for myself. I nodded, and backed out of the throne room, activating my stealth spell and making my way to the everfree forest. I passed several ponies on the was there, Vynil, Lyra, and several others. I never got a hello thanks to my being invisible, so I would move around them, moving so lightly, I wouldn't even leave hoofprints.

As I approached the hut, I could her talking. I slipped into the shadows, and leaned up against the huts wall, switching from a stealth spell to an enhanced hearing spell.

"You should not have come here. Celestia is starting to fear." I recognized the zebra mares voice as another one rang out.

"Zecora, I just need to know what all of this strange glowing is out here at night." I could barely hear the voice that was speaking, i hieghtened my spell, listening to the sweet voice of fluttershy. "It's been scaring the daylights out of all my animals, and I just needed to know what exactly you are making, i'm starting to worry."

Zecora's response was quick and angry. "This brew does NOT concern you, now, my friend, leave quickly, the sky turns a dark blue." Fluttershy looked out the window, the sky was darkening, it was time for her to get home and adress her poor little animals at the cottage.

"Okay Zecora, i'll trust you on this one... but please, try to tone it down... maybe?" Fluttershy was pushed out the door, and she left the forest, mumbling to herself, now I could foucus on Zecora. I reactivated my stealth spell, and moved to her window, gazing in. What I saw confused me, she was gone, and a door lay wide open, leading to some sort of basement.

I curiously lurched through the window, not making a sound, and crept down a staircase. As I moved, I saw a slight prurple glow, a green glow, and a red glow. I leaped the last few steps, my hooves clacking a little too loudly for my liking, but the distracted zebra didn't appear to notice. Or at least, that's what I thought. "Come out, spy, if you have quitions, i'll tell you why." This suprised me, she was going to tell me what this was all about, and I could satisfy Celestia's nerves.

I deactivated my stealth spell, and approached the zebra. "I apologize miss Zecora, the princess' orders, I was assigned to spy on-" this was starting to piss me off, quite well.

"I know who and why, but you need to know, more than I" stated the zebra, that accent was so... exotic.... anyway, she proceded to tell me the procedures of this, and the three large drums of magical waste. "I believe the dead may live again, and that the living can live to no end." This puzzled me, damn her rhyming.

"So... uhh... you can make a potion.... that can cause the dead to live, and give the living immortality?" This made almost no sense, but at least the magical waste had a purpose now. You see, magical waste is almost like slightly used, raw magic, that can be bent into potions and spells to make them better or stronger. Anyways, She nodded, staring into a small beaker that had combined fluids. She dripped three drops from each drum of the waste, and shook it slightly, placing it on a fire.

"So, is that everything you need? Or must I go to trial and plead." Even with her accent, I could hear the sarcasm, and it put me in a worse mood than I was already in.

"No, it's not, I still need to keep and eye on this... whole operation. I hate to put it that way, but if I show up with that tid bit of information, i'll get lashed, i'm sorry." This really did upset me that the zebra just openly told me her whole plan, even who her first subjects wanted to be, and the fact that I had to stay here and watch her was like adding insult to more insult.

"If you must, you can stay with me, but try not to be a pesky flea" I understood what this meant, don't get in her way, don't annoy her, excetra, excetra. "Understood?" I nodded, and smiled thankfully.

The first week was the same old thing. Zecora would throw in a mixture of ingredients, then try a combination of the magical waste, and chant for a few minutes, if something happened, it wasn't good, and if something didn't happen, she'd try a new combination of things. This would resume over and over for a very long time, till eventually, even I had lost my own patients with this. "Zecora, this seems to be a lost cause. Why bother to even try?" I pressed, hoping for an answer.

"I try so others do not have to mourn or cry, do you think of me pulling something sly?" This acusation had pushed me a little.

"Of course not, I just need to know, don't you know the recipie for this if  you know the ingredients?" Her response startled me slightly.

"I know the ingredients that are required, but I do not know the order in which this potion desires, do not grow so restless and dire, your patients is worse than trying to balance on a wire!" She chuckled, which broke out into a lughing fit. This told me she had not heard very many jokes in her lifetime. I walked over to a mirror in the hut, my sleek blue coat looked dirty, and my white mane looked ruffled and untreated.

"Hey, Zecora?" I asked. "you gotta place I can wash up? I'ts been about a week..." She nodded, and pointet to the basement.

"First room on your right, careful, if you get lost, you'd be down there all night."

"THANKS!" I shouted back, making my way back down to the basement, and entering the room on the right. It was really wierd, there was a hole with water dug in the corner, and a small water stream fell from the far left wall. As I showered, Zecora entered the room, making me stumble.

"Oh, please" she stated "don't be such a filly, you don't ever wear garments above your knees!" At that, she was right I couldn't deny it. "Besides" she started again "it is my home, I can come and go if I need" she grabbed a strange plant that sat on the floor, and exited, leaving me to wash myself.

As I moved slitlently back up stairs, I heard Zecora shout exitedly. "SUCESS! Now, I can foucus on the rest" I moved quickly up, and saw the beaker bubbling slowly.

"What happened?" I asked, staring at the beaker.

"My potion is finally ready, but in order to use it, the moon must steady."

This, I understood, it meant that she needed a full moon, and her six test subjects, the full moon would take the rest of the month, and then I could go home.

As time passed, Zecora would always keep the potion hot, and at the end of the month, on my final day here, and the day of the full moon, Zecora called for the aid of the elements spirits, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Twilight Sparkle. All of which arrived that night, and Zecora poured six cups of the potion handing it to them. I observed in my invisible state, watching closely. They all drank it quikcly, and placed the cups down, nothing happened for several hours.

I watched in horrer as the potion took affect, each of the mares' pupils had shrak to a small dot, and the all moaned, hungrily. Zecora smiled, and spoke in that zebra language of hers, and each of the sickened mares turned to look at my invisible position, and shambled toward it weakly. My spell faded, and Zecora laughed, and as she did, I swore one of the mares thried to bite me, her teeth missed, and I ran for the door, but Zecora stood there, smiling as the six moaning, hungry mares walked toward me. I pushed her out of the way and shouldered through the doorway, running as fast as I could toward canterlot once more. Seeking safety.