A Journey of a Stranger

Sweet Apple Acres is so quiet that you can hear the apples falling in their baskets. As it was getting dark and Applejack and Big Mac store the last of their harvest and head back to their comfortable home.

As Big Mac and Applejack walk into the house, an orange filly zooms by them. The filly rushes to the kitchen with a piece of firewood in her mouth. Applejack and Big Mac follow the filly and find Leon with a frozen face sitting on a chair with a big bucket of steaming hot water. The

Cutie Mark Crusaders and Granny Smith are trying to help Leon get defrosted.

Applejack asks Leon, “What happened?”

Leon mumbles but no one understands him.

“Huh?”

Leon angrily mumbles and points at his face.

The melting mask on his face falls off and goes into the steam bucket. Leon’s facial scars are gone but are replaced with a cold. He sneezes within seconds of the mask falling off. The ponies back off a little.

Leon says, “I need my scroll case, now… (achoo) … please.”

Sweetie Belle asks, “Your what…?”

Apple Bloom says as she rushes off, “I’ll get it.”

Applejack asks, “I don’t think a scroll is what you…”

Apple Bloom comes back with the case in her mouth and gives it to Leon.

Leon asks the scroll case, “Can I have a cure all?”

A scroll pops out of the case and Leon opens and reads it out loud after a sneeze, “Krankheit verschwunden sein (Illness be gone.)”

The scroll turns into glowing aurora and goes into Leon’s head, hands and feet making them glow. Leon quickly grabs a towel from a table and quickly dries his feet and then puts his boots on.

As Leon gets up and tries going outside, the Cutie Mark Crusaders hold him down or at least trying to. As the lights travel through his body (the head and hands lights travel to his chest and his feet scale up his legs), he drags his legs to the door.

Granny Smith asks, “Where are ya going?”

Leon turns to Granny Smith looking healthy and answers quickly, “Outside, This cure spell has an unusually ‘smelly’ method for getting rid of illnesses. Unless you want to be in the blast zone let me out.”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders let go and say things out of disgust and Leon runs out of the door. The adults are puzzled as to what that spell really does to cure Leon or any other pony. Big Mac hopes that the outhouse doesn’t explode.

Within moments, a flash of light is seen in the orchard.  The little fillies and the Apples wonder what that was. They see Leon running back to the house. Leon pushes the door open and comes in.

Leon starts walking in place and says excitedly, “Woooo! Nothing like a cure all to cure what ills you and then give you a burst of energy.”

Applejack asks, “Couldn’t ya have used that on yaself earlier?”

“Apparently there’s a difference between illness and injures, they are both messes but one is a simple clean up job while the other, need usable parts to truly fix the damage.” He looks at the fillies, “Oh yes I must tip my little nurses and we need somepony to escort them home.”

Leon rushes to grab his bit bag and when he comes back Applejack puts her hoof in front of him and asks him, “What happened to ya that ya need them to help ya in the first place?”

Leon says, “Oh right, that.”

He gets on a chair.

Even though Leon couldn’t sit still he told them his story. “I was walking back here after Fluttershy’s tea party. A frost arrow hits my medical mask and I played dead to see who the owner was.”

Scootaloo asks, “Why play dead if it was an accident?”

“For me, an event like that accident is the second option because, unlike you folks, you’ll be born ponies; one err… three of the dominant races on this planet. While for me, I am born where most of everything wants me and…”

Leon lightly coughs, after noticing the shocked looks on the ponies’ faces.

Leon wraps up, “A hunter pony tried to kill me, I tried to come here on my own, and then these wonderful fillies found and guided me here. Some details are better left unsaid.”

Applejack asks sternly, “Why are ya treatin’ it like it’s nothin’? Why we shouldn’t we report this crime?”

Leon says as he walks to his room, “Even if she goes to jail, more of them will come.”

Applejack goes in front of him and says, “You can’t walk away from this.”

Leon says, as pushes Applejack out of his way, “I walked away from these things more times that I can count. I am tried; I need to finish a couple of details on the map, tip my nurses, and then go to bed.”

Scootaloo asks out loud, “We’re going to paid?”

Leon rushes to his room and then Applejack follows in pursuit.

Applejack says, “You don’t look tried to me.”

Leon says before shutting the door, “The magic burst of energy will ware off soon and I have to make the best of it.”

Leon quickly gives Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle 3 bits each and marks off a few bits form the map making bill.

Leon uses the last of his energy to make more progress on the Apples’ map, ignoring Applejack and then collapses halfway in bed. Applejack helped the knocked out Stranger.

Applekjack whispers in Leon’s ear, “Ya can’t avoid our talk at the breakfast table. I’ll make sure off it.”