Whimsyshire

There is No Cow Level

"This is it?" Grumbled a deep voice, clearly not impressed by what he held in his hands.

"Be not deceived by appearances my friend, of all people you should know this." Replied the second of the two figures as they left the town of Tristram.

"I merely hope this works, I have been let down by more promising leads before. Speaking of... Where is he supposed to be again?" The first returned.

"Just ahead off the road a little ways." Said the second, "Ah, here we go. Now, approach him with it."

The first figure approached the skeleton of a cow which lay near a great fissure in the ground. Holding up the Staff of Herding looked behind him to his traveling companion, searching for further instructions. The second merely motioned for him to get closer. Taking a few more steps forward, he was about to turn and leave when he froze where he stood. Rising form the bones was an ethereal image of a cow wielding a halberd, and wearing a crown.

"We see you have brought the item. That is good. We are udderly pleased..." Announced the ghostly figure of the Cow King.

"Wait, you're a... a cow? Where in Bul-Kathos' name did I go wrong with my life?" reflected the first, thinking back on all the wrong decisions he could have made to anger the ancients.

"And you are a stinking bag of flesh with no fur. Haha, touche!" The Cow King chuckled out, then coughed, "This is no time to be silly. The level of sparkling happiness and rainbows awaits you!"

"You mean the cow level?" The first inquired, instantly forgetting about his life's revision.

"No! There is no cow level, now moo-oh excuse me. move along." the Cow King said, as he waved a hoof, and disappeared. The fissure then began to emit a rainbow glow as a portal opened up towards the bottom.

Looking down into the fissure the first shook his head, unwilling to ever speak of this moment again he looked back to his companion who simply smiled, knowing their effort had paid off. The first then shrugged and jumped into the portal, followed shortly after by the second.

Meanwhile, in Canterlot, the princess of the moon was watching over Equestria from atop a tower, on a balcony. She had just finished holding night court, and she couldn't help but to sigh in defeat. despite her best efforts to attain recognition for her efforts in keeping vanguard over the night, nopony seemed to be thankful towards her. They all gave thanks to Celestia for her hard work at night. She would not be bitter towards her sister though, she was the only one who seemed to notice, and Luna had already learned her lesson from being too jealous of her older sister.

"If only there was something I could do that would prove to them that I too work hard to keep them safe." Luna said in a somber tone looking over all the ponies under her night. "If only I could find something that even their fear of me couldn't outweigh... at least I have made some friends from that small town Ponyville."

Luna turned her attention towards the small town in the distance. Fond memories of last Nightmare Night returning to her. Thinking of the joyful faces of the children she had finally won over thanks to the efforts of her sister's pupil, Twilight Sparkle. She chuckled remembering the games she had played with the locals at the time.

Suddenly Luna's fond memories were cut short as she sensed a disturbance in the night. She could feel a very powerful magic emanating from the direction of Ponyville, no it seemed to be past Ponyville, somewhere in the Everfree Forest. Luna's eyes grew wide as she thought of how her only friends might be in danger.

"Guards!" Luna yelled in her Royal Canterlot Voice, before she stopped herself from slipping into old habbits again. "Guards, to me quickly!"

"What is it my princess?" asked the captain of her personal night guard, a Unicorn colt by the name of Black Ice.

"I have sensed a disturbance near Ponyville in the Everfree Forest, i want you to dispatch a scouting unit to make sure nopony there is harmed." Luna said to her captain of the guard, "And tell them if anything is found, to send word to me immediately!"

"Yes my princess!" Said Black Ice as he saluted and rushed off to pick the ponies for the unit. When out of Luna's sight he allowed himself a small smile as he whispered under his breath, "I truly hope whatever you have us do will earn you some respect Princess"

Morning was quickly approaching and Fluttershy was up early as always to tend to her animal friends. First she set out food for all of her friends that stayed in her house, then moving to the chickens and other critters who resided outside. As she was setting out some food pellets for her bear friends she noticed one of the cubs was hiding in corner of its den.

"Oh my, whats wrong little guy?" Fluttershy asked as she trotted over to the bear cub. As she turned it over to face her she gasped, "Oh no!"

The bear cub had bloodshot eyes, and its tongue lolled out of its mouth as it panted. Placing a hoof to its forehead her alarm grew to panic as she felt how her bear friend was burning up from fever. Fluttershy flew at a speed that would even make Rainbow Dash impressed back to her cottage.

Slamming open the door and startling a little white rabbit, Fluttershy began digging through her closet looking for the animal medicine.

"Lets see here, Bird medicine, no... Fish medicine, no... Uh oh..." Fluttershy squeaked out, realizing she was out of medicine that would treat mamals of a fever. Fluttershy's eyes began to tear up as she thought how she couldn't help her sick friend. Suddenly though, her eyes shot wide with realization. "Zecora must have some herbs that will help! Oh, i hope she is awake at this hour of the morning..."

Fluttershy then took off into the Everfree Forest with a determination to get help for her sick friend.

A coal black Pegasus in Luna's Night Guard armor watched as the young yellow mare flew quickly into the Everfree Forest. He motioned for the two other Pegasus guards to follow him as he flew high over the forest watching out for the mare. Despite the fact that the guards had not seen anything unusually strange in the Everfree, they were still under orders to keep everyone in Ponyville safe, and a lone mare in the Forest could easily be hurt.

Zecora silently meditated upside down atop a bamboo staff in her hut. The only sounds to be heard were the chirping of birds in the Forest, and the sound of bubbling from her pot, which had just come to a slow boil. Last night as she meditated before turning in for the night, she had the premonition that someone would be in need of this particular brew. The preparations for this potion took a fair amount of time, but it would quickly do the work that was required of it. Zecora cracked an eye open to check the boil of her pot, noting it was almost ready she lowered herself from atop the staff.

"The needer of this potion will be here soon, With a tale I hope, to boon." Zecora said as she smiled over her brew. She had grown a little lonely out in the forest, and she wanted news of how Ponyville was faring. Just the other week she actually considered setting up a potions shop in the Ponyville marketplace. Before she did anything like that however, she would need to know what kinds of ailments were being spread around, so as to prepare. "No use for potions they do not need, or else my hunger for a social life it will not feed."

Zecora smiled as she heard a knocking at the door. She smiled as she opened it and beheld a familiar yellow face.

"Hello there Fluttershy, What causes you to come on bye?" Greeted Zecora, motioning for the teary eyed Pegasus to come inside her hut.

"One of my bear cubs has a fever, could i please get some medicine? That is, if it's alright..." Fluttershy started out strong, but slowly lost volume and force in her voice as she calmed down and her shyness took over from her earlier adrenaline rush.

Zecora tilted her head questioningly and glanced over at her cauldron, before turning her gaze back to Fluttershy and smiling.

"Of course I will supply the medicine you need, a fair trade for a little gossip i think it will be agreed." Zecora rhymed out as she trotted over to a jar which held some minor flu medicine. As she retrieved said medicine Fluttershy couldn't help but look confused.

"Gossip? Whatever do you need that for?" Fluttershy softly spoke, unsure of what she could possibly have to offer the Zebra, for she had only slightly more of a social life than Zecora.

"Worry not my intentions, they are well. A shop for my potions I wish to sell." Zecora smiled over her shoulder to the timid Pegasus.

"Oh! You want to know what people will be needing!" Fluttershy said as she was enlightened to the need Zecora had for gossip. "Well, I hear the school fillies have been coming down with some mane lice, and Rarity has been looking for some herbal tea."

"Lice and tea? I shall prepare potions immediately!" replied Zecora, happy to know what she needed to prepare.

A knock was heard at Zecora's door, causing her to look up from the bag of medicine she was packing, and a certain yellow mare to jump. Glancing back to her cauldron Zecora trotted to the door. Opening it, Zecora was greeted by the visage of a Voodoo mask, similar to the ones that hung upon her walls. Only, something was different about this mask, it seemed more sinister, and the thing about it that caused the usually stoic and wise Zebra to fall on her flank in fear, was the pair of watching eyes that presented themselves from behind the mask.