Mr. Original in: Bridle Gossip

[Theme Song]

Spike didn't seem too fond of Apple Bloom propping herself up on his head to speak to his caretaker. "Did you see her, Twilight? Did you see... Zecora?"

"Apple Bloom. Ah told you never to say that name," Applejack chided with a disapproving gaze.

"Why?" James squinted in confusion.

"Because if you say her name five times while looking into a mirror, she'll instantly appear right behind you?" Delarious suggested eagerly.

"No!" Frag Cat and Blue Star exclaimed in unison.

Twilight answered, "Well, I saw her glance this way..."

"Glance evilly this way," Pinkie pointed.

Twilight exasperatedly pushed her back to a respectful distance before continuing. "And then a bunch of you flip out for no good reason."

"No good reason? You call protectin' yer kin no good reason?" Applejack asked. "Why, as soon as my sister saw Zecora ridin' into town, she started shakin' in her lil' horseshoes."

"Di-i-i-id no-o-o-o-o-ot," Apple Bloom argued as her older sister sister rattled her side to side before placing her on her back.

"So Ah swept her up and brought her here," Applejack finished.

"Ah walked here myself!" the filly said in annoyance.

"For safe keepin'," Applejack gave her a pointed look.

"Applejack, Ah'm not a baby!" Apple Bloom glared as she got off her sister's back. "Ah can take care of myself!"

"Not from that creepy Zecora."

James's eyebrows furrowed as he looked back outside. Twilight followed suit, along with everyone else, much to her chagrin. They watched as she removed her hood revealing a striped mane that looked similar to a mohawk, as well as golden teardrop-shaped earrings. Everyone except Twilight, Blue Star, James, Delarious, and Frag Cat, gasped.

"Would you cut that out?" Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Just look at those stripes. So garish," Rarity said in disgust.

James stepped back from the window. "Okay, now you're just being rude!" his eyes turned a shade redder. "What do you expect, Rarity? She's a zebra."

"A what!?" Spike and all the mares besides Twilight exclaimed in unison.

James squinted at them in disbelief. "Are you telling me you've never heard of a zebra? They didn't teach about them in school?"

"And her stripes aren't a fashion choice Rarity, they're what she was born with," Twilight added, causing the white unicorn to faint.

"Please kill me...," James muttered pulling his hat over his face.

"Born where? Ah've never seen a pony like that in these parts, 'cept... her!" The orange earth pony pointed fearfully out the window.

"Probably because she's not a pony," James facepalmed. "Back in our world, there's an abundance of zebras that live mostly in a whole other country, compared to where we live. It's probably the same way here. Clearly she's not from around here, if the way you act towards her is any indication."

"Exactly," Twliight agreed as Spike snuck into the kitchen. "My books say that zebras come from a faraway land. But I've never seen her in Ponyville. Where does she live?"

"That's just it, she lives in... the Everfree Forest!" Applejack said. As if on cue, a loud crash suddenly shook the place.

"It's an earthquake!" Delarious exclaimed in a strange accent before diving behind a nearby table.

"Spike!"Twilight glared at the dragon who was surrounded by fallen pots and pans.

"Uh... sorry," Spike apologized as he was holding a few treats. Blue Star smirked as he waited for everyone to turn back around before zooming quietly into the kitchen for a snack of his own.

Applejack continued. "The Everfree Forest just ain't natural. The plants grow..."

"The animals take care of themselves...," Fluttershy spoke.

"And the clouds move..." Rainbow added.

"All on their own," the three said in unison. Rarity fainted again shortly after.

Frag Cat quirked an eyebrow. "I'm... pretty sure that's natural."

"What are you talking about?" Rainbow crossed her forelegs as she hovered in the air. "You call all that natural?"

"Yes. Yes we do," James said looking at her. "That's competely normal for us back in our world. It's been like that since practically the beginning of time."

"Taste your own medicine and vice versa," Delarious's head popped up from behind the table and nodded in confirmation, earning him confused looks from the mares.

"And that wicked enchantress Zecora lives there doing her evil... stuff! She's so evil I even wrote a song about her!"

"Here we go," Rainbow rolled her eyes.

As Pinkie began her song, Blue Star was still in the kitchen savoring a handful of cookies with some milk. He was on his third cookie when James walked through the revolving doors. He froze, part of him expecting James to snap at him for eating sweets without asking, another part already thinking of a wise crack to shoot back at him when he did. But he didn't need to say a word, for James immediately pulled out a silencer and shot himself in the head.

The song was over before long, ending with its singer on top of a table, standing on her hind hooves with her forelegs raised in the air, and breathing heavily.

"...Wow. Catchy," Twilight said flatly.

Pinkie got off the table and back on all fours. "It's a work in progress."

James groggily came back out of the kitchen as Twilight spoke. "This is all just a lot of gossip and rumors. Now tell me, what exactly have you actually seen Zecora do?"

"Well...," Dash started. "Once a month, she comes into Ponyville."

"Oooh," Twilight said dramatically.

"Then, she lurks by the stores," Rarity continued (while Delarious sang the chorus verse of Window Shopper.)

"Oh, my."

"And then, she digs at the ground," Fluttershy finished.

"Good gracious," Twilight held a hoof to her face in mock horror before dropping her act. "Okay, I'm sorry. But how is any of this bad? Maybe she comes to town to visit?" she suggested.

"Yeah! Maybe she's just tryin' to be neighborly," Apple Bloom stood next to the librarian.

Frag Cat added, "If she lurking around the stores, I don't see what else she could really do, since you keep closing the places whenever she's around."

"Yeah! Everypony likes to shop. You know what Ah think?" Apple Bloom was interrupted by Applejack.

"Apple Bloom! Hush and let the big ponies talk," the older farm pony scolded.

"Ah am a big pony," the yellow filly muttered walking to the corner.

"What about digging at the ground? You've got to admit that's weird," Rainbow rebutted.

"No, it isn't," James glared at her. "Unless you think botany is weird. Ajax and her family probably plant trees and stuff all the time, being farmers and all. Zecora could be a gardener for all we know!"

"I am sure there is an explanation for everything Zecora does," Twilight said. "And if anypony here were actually brave enough to approach her, she would find out the truth."

Apple Bloom's face lit up upon hearing the purple mare's words. "Well, Ah'm brave enough. Ah'm gonna find out myself." No one noticed her open, and slip out, the door.

"If she's that creepy, why don't you just shoot her?" Blue Star called sarcastically from the kitchen.

"She'll be mine! MINE!" Delarious rubbed his hands with a maniacal smile... until James popped him in the back of the head with his BB gun in irritation.

The farm filly cautiously peeked past the entrance, but gasped and quickly retreated back when the zebra looked in her direction. Gulping and steeling herself, she ran to a closer hiding spot when the zebra turned and began to walk away. The zebra was oblivious to Apple Bloom's presence as she quietly ran from bush to bush, keeping out of sight.

"You ponies are being ridiculous!" Twilight exclaimed. James was gritting his teeth, his red eyes full of rage behind her, Frag Cat frowning at him in concern.

"Well... I heard that Zecora eats hay," Pinkie hissed.

"Pinkie, I eat hay. You eat hay!"

Frag Cat, who was going to tap James's leg and ask if he was okay, recoiled with a grimace when he suddenly snapped. "THAT'S IT! I'm beyond tired of putting up with this!" He stormed over to the door. "I don't know what it's gonna take for you to get your head out of the gutter, but--!" he paused, his eyes immediately turning blue again, when he faintly heard music playing.

"James...? Are you okay?" Frag Cat asked hesitantly. James did not answer as he looked around the room with an intense gaze.

"...Is something wrong, James?" Twilight asked, looking concerned.

All at once, James's head snapped back to the group. "Where's Apple Bloom?"

"The door's open," Fluttershy pointed.

"She went outside!" Rarity held a hoof to her chest.

"And Zecora's still out there!" Rainbow added.

"Okay, what does the milk carton say?" Delarious asked. After a pause he asked, "...The picture looks accurate, right...?"

James, partly out of exasperation by the previous conversation but mostly out of concern, Flashed out the door to find the lost filly.

"That silly lil' filly. Ah told her to stay put!" Applejack said worriedly as they followed James outside. Though he was far ahead of them, they continued to run, determined to save Apple Bloom.

Twilight, who was the last to exit the restaurant turned to her assistant, who had a rusty pot on his head, like a helmet. "Spike. You stay here in case Apple Bloom comes back."

"Will do!" Spike saluted.

James, who had entered the Everfree a couple minutes prior, could hear the music getting closer. After a time, he saw a pale yellow speck following a mostly brown one. Putting on an extra burst of speed he ran, his footsteps light, until he finally closed in most of the distance, which was now only a few yards.

"Apple Bloom!" he hissed quietly as not to be heard by the zebra in front of them.

The earth pony in question froze upon hearing his voice and snapped her head around. "James?" she responded barely above a whisper.

"What are you doing?"

The filly spared a glance at Zecora before talking. "Ah'm gonna go talk to Zecora. Ah just don't think she's as evil as everypony says."

James smirked. "Well, that's very mature of you. Although, I don't think your family would be too fond of you talking to strangers..." His expression quickly turned into one of uncertainty as he once again became conscious of the music playing, and sounded very close. He looked around as if something was going to jump out at any second. "At least get a trusted adult to come with you next time," he hissed. "But you might want to wait until some other time. I think we should--"

"Apple Bloom?" an older southern voice called out. Apple Bloom gasped (and James flinched) as Zecora turned around and spotted them, as well as Applejack, Twilight, Pinkie, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Rarity, Frag Cat, and Delarious.

"You get back here right now!" Applejack commanded.

"Beware! Beware, you pony folk!" the zebra spoke while retreating into some fog that appeared out of nowhere. "Those leaves of blue are not a joke!"

'Leaves of blue...? What leaves of--' James grunted in surprise, his thoughts interrupted, when Applejack practically bowled him onto the ground to lift Apple Bloom onto her back... right as the song ended.

"Y-you keep your creepy mumbo-jumbo to yourself, ya hear?" the orange earth pony cried out. Rarity, Rainbow, Pinkie and Delarious joined in, voicing their agreement in one way or another.

"Oh, brother..." Twilight looked down in embarassment.

James exasperatedly picked himself off the ground and dusted himself, but realized his clothes had picked up a scent. 'Wait... that smells like... white chocolate?,' he thought to himself.

"Beware! Beware!" was Zecora's last words before she disappeared into the fog.

"Yeah, back at ya, Zecora! You and your lame curse are the ones who better beware!" Rainbow yelled after her, causing Apple Bloom to glare at the pegasus... until her older sister did the same to her.

"And you! Why couldn't you just listen to yer big sister?" she scolded.

Apple Bloom was suddenly at a loss for words. "Ah-- ah..."

"Who knows what kind of nasty curse Zecora could have just put on you?"

James Violently whirled around. "You see that? That's how you make unnecessary enemies! Why can't you just say hello like a sensible pony?" he glared at Applejack.

"Ah'm not getting cursed by that creep, and neither is my sister!"

"There's no such thing as curses!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Well, that's interesting to hear coming from Miss Magic Pants herself," Rainbow smiled wryly as she poked Twilight's horn.

James angrily swatted the pegasus' hoof away. "Don't you dare compare her magic to this enchanting nonsense! They're two completely different things and you know it!"

Not convinced, everypony (along with Delarious) turned and made their way out of the forest. " Just you wait," Applejack said as she left. "You're gonna learn, that some pony tales, really are true."

"Like f***ing hell I will," James muttered under his breath as he picked up Frag Cat and placed him on his shoulder and left, followed by Twilight.

[Roughly fifteen minutes later, in our universe...]

Blue Star and Delarious walked down the street. "Sorry we didn't get to go to the museum like we wanted," the former apologized as they walked approached his house. It's not too late in the afternoon, but the place closes at 4:30 today..."

"All is forgiven," the latter slurred in a low-pitch voice... before slapping his wrist rapidly.

Blue Star stared blankly at him as they arrived at the door. That was when he noticed something was lodged in between one of the straps in his overalls. "Whatcha' got there?" he asked, pointing at his friend's shoulder.

Delarious looked to his shoulder and pulled the object free of his clothing's grasp, and unfolded it. It turned out to be a lovely blue exotic plant. "Pretty... pretty flower!" he answered with an southern accent as he held the floral oject in front of his face.

Blue Star sniffed it. "Ooh... you know, that actually smells like white chocolate!" he smiled at Delarious. "Where'd you find this?"

"Over the river and through the woods."

"Uh...the Everfree Forest then... wow, I need to get more of these some time around."

[A little past midnight in Equestria...]

Twilight tossed and turned in her bed, her slumber far from peaceful as an unpleasant dream replayed her friends' words from the ordeal with Zecora.

♪"She's an evil enchantress, she does evil dances!"♪

"Beware! Beware!"

"Taste your own medicine and vice versa."

♪"If you look deep in her eyes, she will put you in trances!"♪

"Yeah, was that supposed to scare us?"

"Wicked, wicked zebra!"

"It's a curse."

"If she's that creepy, why don't you just shoot her?"

♪"Then what will she do?"♪

"Just you wait, Twilight; some pony tales really are true."

♪"Then she'll gobble you up in a big tasty stew, soooo watch out!"♪

"She'll be mine! MINE!"

The unicorn groaned as Zecora's evil laugh echoed vividly inside her subconscious.

Twilight groggily opened her eyes, struggling against the fatigue that lingered from the restlessness she felt during that nightmare she had. "Ugh. What a dream. Curses schmurses." Not one to sleep in, she ignored her body's protests to go back to sleep, and got out of bed and walked over to her mirror. The pony's reflection caused her to blink.

"Whoa," she chuckled. "Maybe Zecora cursed my hair." Levitating her hairbrush from the dresser that the mirror hung above, she fixed her bad case of bedhead with a couple of strokes, revealing a limp potrusion from her head that was dotted with blue spots. The purple mare gasped in horror. "Or she cursed my horn!"