Flowers for the Beast

Chapters

Daily Routine
Time Passed
Helping a Stranger
The Zebra

Daily Routine

In a vast, black void, an earth pony stood on the indistinguishable ground. He was surrounded only by darkness, yet he could see as if there was light. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to see besides his own muzzle and the massive stone orb hovering above him.

Awaken...

The pony's ears twitched. He sometimes forgot about the constant whispers of the void. Ever since they stopped bothering him, they became less menacing and more irritating.

Return...

With not much else to do, he observed the orb. It was made of limestone, or at least, that's what he thought it was. He could see what look like cracks and maybe some dents, but he could never confirm it. If he had the ability to move closer, or move at all, he could take a better look.

Release...

Oh, please do, the pony thought to himself. After only a few moments of staring at the floating rock above, he was already bored. He tried to groan even when he knew his voice would be silenced.

Consume...

The pony heard an ominous rumble and mentally cheered in response. He watched as the void slowly crept around the orb until it was no longer visible. A few seconds later and the void began crawling up his hooves. Finally, he thought as the darkness reached his neck.

Star opened his eyes only to see blinding light. He recoiled from the pain and covered his eyes with his foreleg. Morning had just set in. The desert sun was already above the horizon, but it was still low enough to pour in through Star's window and onto his face.

Star turned away and opened his eyes to a squint. He thought about getting up, but he wanted to enjoy the cool air from last night before it would soon be replaced by the scorching heat. After ten minutes of self-debating and relaxing, he kicked the covers off and sat up.

He rubbed his eyes a few times and looked around his room. There wasn't much to look at besides the door, window, and the small quantity of furniture. He focused on one piece of furniture in particular, a large mirror hanging on the wall.

Star sighed. Time for my daily self-exam, he thought as he got off his bed. Upon reaching the mirror, he carefully observed himself. He had the same dark yellow coat, although some would say it looked gold. His silver mane had a bad case of bed head, but it was otherwise normal. A brief check on both sides and he confirmed that he was still blank.

As Star continued his check-up, he barely noticed some lines on both sides of his face. He turned his head to get a better look and saw that the lines were actually deep indents that went along his cheeks. Please be normal, he thought to himself as he poked the indents with his hoof.

While he fiddled with what he hoped were several, long dimples, he decided to open his mouth in an attempt to stretch them back out. Unfortunately, when his mouth was halfway open, the indents opened up. When he saw the slightest hint of pink hidden underneath, he stopped.

Star held his breath in preparation for what he thought he was about to see. He opened his mouth again, slower this time. The indents turned into slits which then turned into wide tears, revealing the tissue beneath. That is so gross, he thought.

Without thinking, he poked the exposed flesh, but quickly retracted his hoof upon realizing what he just did. He expected to feel the pain of touching an open wound. Instead, all he felt was his hoof on his cheek. He tried it again, and once more he did not feel pain despite the fact his mouth was torn open and flesh was very much exposed.

Star stopped messing with the tears and closed his mouth. He rubbed his cheeks and looked at himself. After taking a deep breath, he thought, Another day, another deformity.

In the dining room below, a deep sky blue unicorn with an auburn tuft of a mane sat at the end of the table. His cutie mark of a green flax bundle hid behind the unopened roll of the day's paper.

On the table were two bowls of ful mudammas and a plate of flatbread. The two bowls were recently prepared, the oil and various garnishes still untouched, but the unicorn paid no attention to them. Instead, he stared at the clock with both forelegs crossed.

He would always watch the clock to see how long it would take for his brother to come down. Usually, it would only be ten to fifteen minutes before his brother shows up. Being late was the only thing he was always on time for. Yet today, the minutehand was able to make a 180 degree trip around the clock, a full thirty minutes.

The unicorn thought that something was up. His brother was only ever late for being late for two reasons. There was the small possibility of oversleeping, but his nightmares already do a good job of preventing that. The other, more plausible reason was that he discovered a new side-effect from his condition. Alright brother, let's see what's going, he thought.

Before he could push himself away from the table, hoofsteps came from the stairs. Looking through the doorway, he saw his brother, Star, entering the dining room. He walked in, head down and with a mane just tidy enough for it not to be considered messy. "Is everything alright?" the unicorn asked.

Star took the seat next to the unicorn and stared at his food. He already smelled the fava beans when he walked in, but upon sitting down, a hint of something else entered his nostrils. He lowered his head over the bowl and gave it a quick sniff.

From one small scent, a pungent mix of beans and flowers flooded his nose. He quickly pushed himself away from the bowl, almost falling backwards in his chair. When he regained his balance, he nudged the bowl away while covering his nose. Turning to his brother, Star asked, "Flax, did you mix the stalks into this?"

Flax's horn lit up and the bowl was gently pushed back towards Star. "I thought I could hide the unicorn horn's flavor with the fava beans this time," Flax said. "Also, what took you so long?"

"What do you mean? You know I'm always late for breakfast," Star said as he took one of the flatbreads. He broke it in two and dipped one into his bowl, making sure to scoop as much beans as it could hold. Covering his nose with a hoof, he opened his mouth.

Right before he could take a bite, Flax saw the tears along Star's cheek form. Flax quickly reached over and grabbed Star's hoof, causing some of the beans to fall off the bread. Luckily, they all fell back into the bowl. "What the hay, Flax!" Star said, irritated.

Flax let go of Stars hoof and pointed at his cheek. "What are those?" Flax said, keeping his voice level.

Star dropped his bread into the bowl and crossed his forelegs. "The hay do you mean?"

Flax turned his own head and pointed to his cheeks.

Star raised an eyebrow. What is this guy doing? Star thought. Then he realized how familiar his brother's movements looked and thought, Looks like myself in the mirror this morning...

He glared at Flax and raised his voice. "So you're telling you almost made me spill beans on myself--" Star pointed at his cheeks, "--because of these?"

"Easy Star. I was only asking since it looked like you didn't notice you mouth tearing open."

"No! I saw them this morning, they're harmless." Star turned to his food, giving himself time to calm down. "And if you're still wondering why I was SO late, that's why."

Flax watched him while Star returned to staring at his food. Flax let a few more seconds pass before asking, "Well, do they hurt?"

Star briefly looked at Flax with the same glare as before, and then rolled his eyes and turned his head. With one hoof, he stretched out one of the tears, and with the other, he poked it repeatedly. Flax winced each time Star's hoof made contact.

"Alright, that's enough." Flax said, eyes closed.

Star let go of his cheek and picked up the torn flatbread that was now soaked in his ful. He sighed and proceeded to rescoop some of the bean dish with the bread. As Star took a bite, Flax watched his cheeks. The indents healed, albeit very slowly.

"Well, at least the unicorn horns are working," Flax said as began to eat his own breakfast, "Glad to see it's just another side effect."

Star puffed air out of his nostrils. It's always another side-effect.

"Acacia, are you there?" Zecora called out. She waited for several seconds, but there was no response. "Where is that old mare?"

The zebra continued on the path of broken branches and damaged trees. Normally, she would ignore such trails of destruction to avoid whatever monstrosities the Everfree is known for. In this one, however, she found her friend's saddlebag, dirt-stained and hanging off the stub of a broken tree branch.

Zecora stopped when she heard an unusual growl beyond an opened wall of leaves and wood. She kept her body low and slowly made her way behind the side of the opening. With her back against the foliage, she poked her head out just enough to see beyond the mess of leaves.

She could barely make out the clearing, darkened from the overhead screen created by the trees. Only a few cracks allowed light to shine through. One of them revealed a small patch of flowers she and her companion were meant to collect. And lying right on top was the old unicorn she was looking for.

Acacia's fur and the flowers beneath her were lightly stained with blood. There were three gashes along her side which were, fortunately, no longer bleeding. Zecora could only assume that whatever caused the destruction also wounded Acacia. Before she could expose herself to help her friend, she heard the same growl from before.

Acacia flinched at first, but then glared right into the darkness. "So you think you're finally going to put me down?" she said, plucking a flower from the patch. "Then let this flower mark your grave."

Zecora followed the unicorn's gaze and barely noticed the silhouette of a creature approaching the flower patch. From what she could make out, the creature's form looked nothing like she had seen. The closest thing its shadow resembled was a manticore, except without a head or a tail.

Looking back at Acacia, the flower she pulled was stripped of its petals. She held the stalk with her hooves and waved it the creature. The creature paused and emitted another growl. Acacia gave it a coy smile. "Scared?"

Zecora realized the creature was no longer advancing on her friend. She had little idea why, but figured that she should probably try something while it was distracted.

She rummaged through Acacia's bag, hoping to find anything that could help. Luckily, her friend carried with her her own assortment of exotic plants, most of which Zecora recognized. She pulled a large leaf from the wall of foliage and set it flat on the ground. A pinch of some crushed petals here, a squeeze of plant extracts there and Zecora's mix was ready. It wasn't as potent as she would like, but it would have to do. She picked up the leaf and carefully funneled her concoction into an empty bottle from the bag.

Suddenly, there was a roar and the sound of loud sizzling. Zecora looked back through the opening and saw the shadow of the creature stumbling around. She also noticed that the stalk Acacia held was gone.

"Don't tell me that you've given up after one?" Acacia said while laughing. She pulled another flower from the patch and began plucking the petals off. "So, are you going to try that again?" She coughed blood onto her hoof, but she didn't pay it any mind and continued smiling at the creature. "I don't have all day."

When the sizzling died down, the shadow caught itself and turned to Acacia. It let out another, much harsher growl and new silhouettes seemed to grow out of its back. They looked like multi-jointed appendages with sharpened ends, all pointed towards Acacia. After one more roar, it charged.

Zecora eyes widened. She grabbed the bottle by her mouth and bolted for Acacia.

Acacia squinted and held the stalk up to her eye. She briefly glimpsed at the flowers around her and sighed.

Just as she began winding up, a bottle flew right at the creature. A large cloud of yellow mist erupted from the bottle and clung onto its body. Some of the gas reached what must have been the creature's face, causing it to roar in pain and swing around blindly.

"Acacia!"

The unicorn turned her head towards the voice and saw a zebra appear from the darkness. "Zecora, what are you doing here? It's dangerous," Acacia said.

"Exactly, that is why we must go. How long the mist will last, I do not know."

Zecora hoisted Acacia onto her back, ignoring the protests from the unicorn. She tried to run, but something pulled at her leg. Looking back, the large silhouette was no longer in its blind rampage and caught her with one of its appendages.

While Zecora tried to shake off the creature's grasp, Acacia steadied her hoof. Despite the zebra's struggling, she was able land a perfect shot.

The stalk sizzled as it melted into creature. Its roar shook the the forest. When it tried to claw the stalk off, it only managed to further lodge it into its face, causing it to flail and howl once more.

Meanwhile Zecora and Acacia have since left the scene. Zecora ran as fast as she could, carrying both an injured unicorn and her bag of precious goods. It was going to be a long trip to the hospital, but Acacia reassured her she was going to be alright.

"Just hang on a little longer, I will take you to a doctor," Zecora said. Acacia just smiled and rested her head against her neck, eyes closed.

Zecora could feel her friend's breathing slow down. Her body also started to drop in temperature. The Zebra's pace changed to a full on sprint. She strained her legs to the point where they felt numb.

"This would have been a great story to tell back home..." Acacia said.

Time Passed

Star regained consciousness and found himself in the void once more. The stone orb above greeted with him with the same silence as before. He replied with his own silence and waited for the usual events to play out.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Five minutes have passed, but there were no whispers.

There were no calls to Rise, Obey, or Consume.

There was nothing.

Star mentally raised an eyebrow. After being so used to hearing a barrage of voices for most of his life, this new silence felt strange. He wondered if something broke, the void forgot its lines, or if it finally grew tired of saying the same nonsense for the past decade and a half. Whatever the reason, he welcomed this change.

Finally, I can hear myself think, Star thought.

...

After almost eight minutes of complete silence, Star began rethinking his stance. Sure, the whispers were annoying, but they helped past the time, even by a little. Whenever he would slip into boredom, a disembodied voice would call out to him. He would then complain about said voice and forget about--

The sound of shattering rock erupted from the void. The strength of the sound would have destroyed Star's eardrums if they were real. All he could do was suffer through the pain.

When Star pulled his conscious back together, the first thing he noticed was the orb in his upper peripheral. Unlike all the times he's seen before, the giant entity above was scathed. On its surface, there was a wide, circle-shaped crack facing Star.

The hay is going on? Star thought.

All of a sudden, the void started shaking. This time, Star tried to fight the nauseousness and remain focused. The rumbling was far more intense than any earthquake he's been through.

As Star struggled to keep his awareness, he saw more cracks on the orb forming. Every second that passed, a crack would form inside the circle and then expand outwards. After reaching the circumference, the cracks would stop growing. When enough have formed, the entire circle burst into a wave of debris that fell on and all around Star. Then the rumbling stopped and there was silence.

When Star regained focus once more, he was met with a giant eye looking through the circle and directly at him. Its sclera was beige, the iris was violet, the pupil was reptilian in shape, and it was the scariest thing he had ever seen. Star felt an overwhelming wave of fear and intimidation as it looked down on him. He didn't know why it scared him so much, it was just an eye. Yet, it was able to instill such feelings of despair that it could break anypony.

STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--

"--aaar. Star, wake up!"

In one jerk, Star was thrust into consciousness. He gasped as he tried to figure out what anything was. There was too much fear and confusion clouding his mind. Without much else to rely on, he tensed his muscles, ready to fight for his life. He swung his hoof upward at the strange blob hovering over him.

Nothing happened. He could feel his hoof outstretched, but he didn't feel an impact. Something else held on to it.

"Star."

The familiar voice pulled Star out of his trance. His vision was still a bit blurry, but he started to make out a familiar auburn smudge atop a big, blue blur. He took a few more breaths, heaving less and less, before saying to the voice, "Flax?"

The blue unicorn's ethereal grip on the hoof was released and he watched his brother cradle it. "You passed out on the sofa. Again."

"The sofa?" Star's vision finally returned to him so he looked around and saw that he was in fact on the wooden living room sofa. He slowly sat up and asked, "Did I break anything?"

"No," Flax said as if it was regular question. "The signs showed before it happened. Loss of balance. Sudden exhaustion. I was lucky I saw it before your need to knock over everything came too."

There was a thumping in star's head as he tried to recall the night before. He held his head with a hoof and said, "I... I don't think I remember."

Flax looked straight ahead, and spoke in the same nonchalant manner. "Like the day before. And the one before that."

Star rubbed his temples to soothe the pain as well as try to remember what his brother was talking about. He realized it wasn't helping do either so he laid his head back against the sofa, leaving only the sound of silence.

"So what was that dream about?"

Star lifted his head from the sofa back so he could look at Flax with a raised eyebrow.

Flax looked back at him with tired and semi-interested eyes. "Must be quite the dream if you always wake up like something's trying to kill you. This time you managed to get--" he held a hoof a few inches away from his face, "--this close."

A hoof rubbed the back of Star's head as he looked away. "Oh, right..."

"You don't have to answer that."

Flax got off the sofa and walked into their kitchen from a connected doorway. There was a bit of noise before He came back, levitating a single teacup on a plate. He set the beverage down on the center coffee table and took his seat again.

The house was quiet once more. It was a quiet Star was familiar with, the one he didn't like. He didn't know what his brother's plan was, but he knew he wasn't going to be a fan. He could even feel his brother knowing too. Star prepared himself for what came next.

Flax released a long breath to break the silence. In a slow, calm voice, he said, "Star, I know you don't want to leave Somnambula."

Star's blood warmed up.

"You have already told me no before multiple times, but you know as well as I do. We're running out of unicorn horns."

"Stop," Star said, annoyed. His brother continued.

"I tried looking for ways to get more, but what I've found is that they're too expensive, too rare, and too hard to grow ourselves."

"I said stop."

"Acacia was always kind enough to give us free batches, even after we moved out. But, now that she's gone--"

"I told you NO!" Star said as he slammed a hoof against the wooden armrest. He bared his teeth, not only showing how sharp they've got, but how the tears along his cheeks have fused into bigger tears. Some of the tears even turned into holes, revealing the inside of his mouth. "I don't want to leave my home! I don't want to drink any more of that stupid plant! And I don't want to be sick anymore!"

Star got off the sofa and flipped the table over, throwing the tea and other accessories across the room. Before the table could impact the floor, a yellow aura surrounded it and objects that went airborne. In a matter of seconds, everything was put back into place, leaving the gold earth pony seething in front of the beverage.

Flax sat calmly, eyes closed and unmoved. The yellow from his horn vanished and he opened his eyes to see Star glaring at him. "I don't like any of this either," He said, keeping his voice level, "If I knew there was a cure for you, I would take it in a heartbeat, no matter the cost. Instead, all I've got is Acacia's old letter from before she left, saying how a friend in some forest found some unicorn horns and wanted learn how to grow them. It isn't much to go by."

Star sat back on the sofa, refusing to look at his brother. He held the tea with both hooves, too upset for the smell to bother him.

"We would have to find the name of the individual and where they live. They would have to know how to grow unicorn horns and already have a successful garden. Finally, they have to be willing to part with quite a lot of their stock at little to no charge every 1 or 2 weeks. I know I'm assuming a lot, but it's the only option we have left."

Star gazed into his beverage. It took him a while to think, but his brother was patient. After enough thought, he said to Flax, "Where."

From the mouth of the Everfree, a filly and a Zebra emerged, each carrying their own saddlebags. Leaving the darkness of the forest, they sat and basked in the light of the late afternoon sun. The zebra glanced over at the pale yellow filly and saw that there was some dirt on both her red mane and bow. After a quick brush with her hoof, the filly smiled back.

"Thank you, Zecora."

Zecora returned the filly's smile with her own and said, "Apple Bloom, it was only dirt. No need for thanks for this little effort."

Apple Bloom giggled. "I'm not thanking you for that! ...Allthough, I'm still thanking you anyway." She removed her bow and gave it another brush. "I'm thanking you for letting me have some quality time with an old friend."

Zecora placed her hoof on the filly's shoulder. "Even if you spend more time with your apple family or your filly friends, know that I will be more than happy to spend some time with each other again."

Placing her bow back on, Apple Bloom asked, "Does that I mean I can come back later to see what those sprouts grow into?"

"If the flora's prime is what you seek, here is one you can peek," Zecora said as she opened her bag and carefully pulled out a small, white plant in a pot.

Apple Bloom expected to see a flower, but here it looked more like a miniature pine tree. Instead of leaves, it had petals that grew larger near the bottom. At the top, the petals were more sparse, exposing the black stem underneath. "This is what they turn into?" Apple Bloom asked, "It looks so odd..."

Zecora brought the plant close to her face. "While the appearance of this plant is something to behold, its true worth comes from the quirks that it holds."

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. "What makes it so special?"

Zecora smiled at her before focusing on the plant. She observed it top to bottom, checking even the smallest wrinkle of every petal. With a careful pluck, she pulled one of the petals from the middle and held it between her and the filly. It was then that Zecora noticed Apple Bloom giggling.

"What?" Zecora asked.

"I'm sorry, it's just that--" another chuckle escaped Apple Bloom, "--you looked like you were having a staring contest with it."

"Oh?" Zecora looked at the plant before chuckling herself. "I suppose my inspection must have looked quite funny, but when dealing with this plant, you must not be in a hurry."

After placing the plant back into her bag, Zecora held the petal up to the setting sun so the light can shine through it. Apple Bloom tried to ask what she was doing, but was only told to look closely. As Zecora also watched the petal, she could see Apple Bloom looking in awe from the corner of her eye.

Apple Bloom asked, "What is all that stuff zipping around in there?"

"These spastic waves you see is raw magic, pure and volatile. Each petal is overflowing, both dangerous, but very worthwhile."

Upon hearing 'volatile', Apple Bloom slowly leaning away. "Like, blow up-ish?"

Zecora chuckled. "Worry not Apple Bloom, this petal is not your doom. If you treat it with utmost care, there is very little to beware."

The filly was hesitant, but she trusted her friend's words and relaxed. "I still don't get how an itty bitty petal stuffed with crazy magic is worth all the trouble."

Zecora opened her mouth only for her to notice the petal's light grow dimmer. The sun was nearly below the horizon, past the time she was supposed to send Apple Bloom home. Pulling out a tiny bottle, she placed the petal in and returned it to her bag. "Come back tomorrow and you will see, what it is I do with these."

Apple Bloom agreed and they watched the setting sun a little longer, ignorant of the rustling retreating back into the heart of the forest.

Helping a Stranger

Flax looked up the hill in front of him. Although small, it looked like a mountain in his exhausted state. Having to pull a wagon full of supplies and another pony for half a night took its toll on him.

He took one more breath and pulled with what strength he still had. The wagon's weight pulled twice as hard, each bump felt like a quake, and the top of the hill seemed farther each time he looked. Despite all this, he continued upwards, determined to reach the top.

Finally at the summit, Flax took the last few heavy steps and stopped. He looked around, trying to take in the scenery as best he could. Even with a surprisingly scenic view, everything looked too blurry to make out. The need for rest clouded his mind, and fighting the urge only made it worse.

"GAH!"

If Flax wasn't hooked up to the wagon, he would have rolled off the hill. He looked back and saw his brother sitting up, awake and breathing heavy. "Oh, you're up," he said, "You okay?"

Star darted his head around, panic in his eyes. He acted like the world was going to collapse on him until he saw his brother staring. Memories of leaving Somnambula came back and he remembered why everything didn't look like home. He calmed his breath and said, "Yeah. It's just..."

"Nightmares getting to you again?"

Star tried to think back through his dream. "Actually, I don't think I had a nightmare. I don't think I dreamt at all. In fact..." He stretched his legs as much as the wagon would permit. "That was the best sleep I've had in my entire life."

His brother looked at him with tired, baggy, and unamused eyes. Star avoided making eye contact and tried to find something else to talk about. "So, uh... I see we finally made it," He said, looking past Flax.

Confused, Flax used his dwindling brain power to focus on what Star saw. In the distance, there was a whole town of wooden buildings and thatched roofs. Ponies of all kinds moved about, both on the ground and in the air. Further away looked like a barn overseeing a large orchard dotted with a familiar red fruit he has seen imported to Somnambula. What caught his eye the most, was the large tree-like structure on the other side of town. "P-Ponyville?" Flax said, his mouth agape.

"Umm, yeah. I thought you already noticed the town with the HUGE castle over there," Star said. He saw his brother start swaying side-to-side as he stared, almost falling over if it wasn't for the wagon. "You feeling alright?"

"Yes... I'm fine." Flax tried to take a step forward, but his combined fatigue and lack of sleep prevented him from even lifting his hoof. Desperate to get going, he proved his magic was just as weak when the wagon's wheels glowed yellow and nothing happened.

"Uh, Flax. Hey Flax."

He stopped when he felt a hoof on his back. Looking to his side, he saw Star giving him a concerned look. He tried pushing him back, saying, "Stay in the wagon. The medicine won't metabolize as fast if you're not active."

Star easily put his brother's hoof down. "Normally, I'd be fine with that, but we would be wasting more time. Also my life is on the line."

Flax thought for moment and realized Star was right. He let out a sigh-turned-yawn of defeat and released himself from the harness. With some help from his brother, he got up on the wagon to get cozy. Even as his body begged him for sleep, he held his head up to tell Star not to get distracted. "The zebra and the unicorn horns first."

Star rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah. I know. Go to sleep."

Hearing nothing else from his brother, Star turned towards the town to take in the sight just a little longer. He wished he had more time to appreciate it, but the harness around his barrel reminded him of more pressing matters. As well some voice...

The earth pony's ear twitched, and he thought to himself, Where the hay am I going to find a zebra?

"I know we said we would help... Rraa... but why are we carrying... Nyaa... so many apples?"

A white unicorn filly with a pink and purple styled mane flopped, her legs given way to the tremendous weight. The two baskets on either side fell to the ground with a loud thud, possibly crushing the produce at the bottom. Miraculously, the tower of too many apples wobbled slightly, but never tipped. In between huffs, she said, "I agree... with Scootaloo..."

"Oh c'mon guys, they're not that heavy," Apple Bloom said as she walked over to the pony being crushed. She offered a hoof and the unicorn pulled herself up, but not before taking several seconds to lift the baskets off the ground. "Plus, Granny says we just gotta get them to Grand Pear and he'll take care of the rest, easy as that."

An orange pegasus filly with an unkempt purple mane turned around as carefully as she could until she was able to turn her head the rest of the way. "Maybe for you, but Sweetie Belle and I don't have the super strength you apparently have."

"Oh this?" Apple Bloom glanced at the apples towering from her baskets. "I've just been helping my siblings out in the field more."

Sweetie Belle heaved once more when they continued their way to the market place. At the end of the street, they could see the town square with the town hall in the center. "Speaking of which, where is Applejack?" asked the panting unicorn. "I know Big Mac is delivering apples to his special somepony again, but shouldn't your sister be able to do this?"

"Nah, she and her friends got called up to Canterlot again. Something about finding some old wizard's diary. You should know, you're sister should have gone too."

"Sounds boring," Scootaloo added.

"Well it must be important if they got summoned, again."

"I wish it wasn't. Now my hang-out session with Rainbow Dash is gonna have to be cancelled. She should have denied the summon if it was all for a dumb book."

"I'm pretty sure that's illegal," Sweetie Belle said.

Scootaloo turned her head around just enough for the unicorn to look her in the eye. "This is Rainbow Dash we're talking about. Celestia would have given her a pass since she's already saved Equestria a hundred times by now. If I was her, I would only go to really cool, world-saving adventur--OOF!"

Just as the leading orange filly was entering the square, an earth pony pulling a wagon appeared from around the corner and bumped into her. The tower of apples she carried started to lean a little too much, causing her to follow in the same direction to try and regain her balance. The other fillies and the pony released themselves from their restraints to help the little pegasus from crashing and dropping the produce.

After a good five minutes of running around, trying to stop the accident that could be, the three fillies were sprawled out on the floor, breathing heavier than when they were carrying the apples. The gold-colored earth pony walked up to them after he threw away the last squashed apple. He scratched the back of his head as he said, "So, uh, I'm really sorry for causing that... but I'm also in a hurry, so... here."

The crusaders, still eye-level with the ground, suddenly saw at least ten bits fall near the pony's legs. A pair of hooves slowly pushed them closer to Apple Bloom, and after another second, they were pushed even closer. The apple filly's eyes went wide and with one grunt, she lifted herself up.

"W--wait, sir! We can't take this, we didn't sell you anything!" Apple Bloom said, holding the stack of bits.

The earth pony was already by his wagon when he heard her. "Just take it for the damages."

She looked around. "But, nothing's broken."

"Your apples got squashed didn't they? Pretty much the same thing if you ask me?" He saw the filly approach, a serious look in her face. "Look, kid, it's free money, just take it."

Apple Bloom, now in the pony's way, stamped her hoof down and extended the other hoof holding the bits. "I'm sorry mister, but we apples have a policy."

The pony looked at the bits, then to her. He groaned and took the money back into his hooves. "Fine, don't take it. I have a zebra to find anyway."

Her ears perked from his response. "Zebra?"

Scootaloo, helping Sweetie Belle off the ground, said, "Hey, don't we know a zebra?"

The pony stopped checking his harness and stared at Scootaloo, dumbfounded. Bits still in hoof, he ran up to her, brushing past the apple filly, and bringing his face uncomfortably close to hers. "Tell me who he is," he demanded, grabbing her hoof and putting the bits in them. "Where does he live?"

"Uh..."

"Zecora lives in the Everfree forest," Apple Bloom said. She walked between them and placed the bits back into the pony's hooves. "And he is a mare."

The pony rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever, can you just take me to her? She's the main reason why I came here in the first place."

"I don't know... You've been acting pretty rude all of a sudden."

He sighed and pocketed the bits, saying, "Alright, let me start over." He put on a barely genuine smile and extended a hoof, while speaking in a sarcastic tone. "Hello, my name is Falling Star, but you may call me Star. I apologize for almost causing a mess earlier, could you please find it in your hearts to forgive this clumsy stallion and lead me to the one called Zecora?"

Apple Bloom returned his smile with an honest one and shook his hoof. "Hello mister Falling Star, I'm Apple Bloom--"

"I'm... Huff... Sweetie Belle."

"Names Scootaloo."

"--and I will say, that apology does have me convinced."

Star waved a hoof and said, "Yeah, yeah, that's great, can we go see the zebra now?"

"Sure thing! I was planning on visiting her anyway."

He pumped his hoof in approval and mouthed a 'YES'.

"But first..."

"First? What do you mean first?"

Walking over to the basket of apples, Apple Bloom gestured her friends to get to theirs, to which they moaned. "My Granny told us to take these here apples to the market so my Grandpa can sell them," she said, going over the produce. "Then we can visit Zecora."

While Apple Bloom was checking her goods and the other two struggled to lift theirs again, Star went over his own wagon. He moved some things around, careful not to touch one area in particular. When he was satisfied with his rearrangements, he got off and walked up to Scootaloo's baskets. Before she could lift them off the ground, Star took one of the baskets and hauled them into his wagon as quietly as possibly, creating a loud thud.

The noise did not bother Apple Bloom at first, thinking it was just her friends dropping their goods again. Then, when she heard the noise the fourth time, she sighed and turned around. In Star's wagon were the four baskets of apples and both of her friends looking at her expectantly. The pony himself approached her, eyes on the apples. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm doing your job, but better," the golden stallion heaved. "Now give me those and get in the wagon so we can get to the zebra faster."

Before the apple filly could say a word, he relieved her of both of her baskets and took them to the wagon. Despite his legs looking like they could collapse at any second, he was able to make to the side of the vehicle. Apple Bloom went up next to him as he placed them inside, and, without thinking, he also grabbed her and put her next to her friends. She looked to either of them and they both shrugged. Hesitantly, she said, "Uh, thanks... I guess..." Star ignored her and proceeded to put on the harness.

There was a light snore from behind that caught Sweetie Belle's ear, so she looked behind them. Lying inside the wagon was a deep blue unicorn stallion lying on top of several blankets and other strangely patterned tapestries. His legs were tucked in like a cat's and his chin rested against the blanketed floor of the wagon. "Who's this?" She asked.

Star briefly glanced back before putting the reins over himself. "Flax, my brother. Don't wake him up, he's tired."

"Also, what kind of patterns are these?" The white unicorn picked up a loose tapestry and held it up for him to see. "I don't even think my sister knows how to make these."

"It's Somnambulan."

Scootaloo rubbed her chin after hearing the word. "Somnabulan... Oh! Rainbow Dash told me about that place once. She said a lot of the ponies there were backwards--" she saw Star looking at her with a raised eyebrow, "--But then she also told me they were actually really nice and the place was named after a famous pony who solved a puzzle."

Star rolled his eyes. "If you're not giving me directions to the market or the zebra, don't talk."

The wagon shifted forwards and back as Star tried to get it going. This repeated motion made Sweetie Belle lose her balance and fall forward, catching a glimpse of something unusual on the stallion, or lack thereof. She put a hoof over her mouth before she could ask, not wanting to bother him any more. However, her curiosity got the better of her, and as she was pulled back up by her friends, she asked him, "Are you a blank flank?"

The Eye watched the equine through its ghostly screen. A tendril caresses the viewing portal and it utters a word.

A response. The hearing limb of the equine twitches. It can hear. It can obey.

The screen dissipates and the Eye looks down upon a grotesque creature with a scar across the top of its visage.

'EXTRACT'

The creature rears and from it came a thunderous roar that shook the walls. It charges to the outside world, driven only to please its master.

The Eye watches through its screen once more. Of the energies within the equine, it sees a familiar taint. A touch of something long since contained, waiting to be released.

The Zebra

The trip to the marketplace was mostly smooth. Besides the small breaks to catch his breath and the barrage of questions from the fillies, Star was able to deliver the apples to Apple Bloom's grandfather. He was mostly tired at that point, but a few complimentary pears helped him recover some.

Now, with some directions from the three, the gold earth pony stood before the entrance of the Everfree. Upon seeing the forest, he was a little underwhelmed. "This place looks a lot less spooky than I imagined it to be," he said.

"That's just the outside," Scootaloo said from the less packed wagon. "You gotta go deep for the really scary stuff."

"Is Zecora's house that deep?"

"She actually lives in the safer part of the forest," Apple Bloom said while throwing out a pear core.

"You know, for ponies your age, you don't really sound that scared by this place despite the fact that it's supposed to harbor all sorts of terrible things."

"Eh, it's not that scary once you explore it a bit," Sweetie Belle said. She leaned over the front railing. "At least, not as scary as what you said about your cutie mark."

Star frowned. "Don't tell me you guys are still upset about that."

"Pfft, no!" Scootaloo said. "We're already over it."

Although the orange pegasus dismissed the idea, her tone said otherwise. Ever since Star had told them he didn't care too much about his flank being marked or not, they haven't stopped bothering him about it. They even asked oddly specific questions such as being afraid of getting one because it could limit his life to what the cutie mark represents.

Apple Bloom went up the railing alongside the white unicorn and said, "But if you ever change your mind..."

In an instant, Scootaloo was up beside her friends. "We'll get you your cutie mark in no time!" she said, a little too eagerly.

Star winced from the pegasus' volume. "Hey, can you keep it down! Somepony is still sleeping back there--"

"Star."

All four ponies looked back into the wagon to find the sleeping unicorn now awake. Signs of sleep deprivation were in and under his eyes in the form of bags and reddish hues. Even his mane, the little auburn tuft, managed to look like a mess. He took one quick look at the trio and then to the gold earth pony with an expression a parent would give a guilty child.

"Flax, you're awake," Star said unenthusiastically.

Flax looked over the trio and calmly asked, "Why are there three fillies in our wagon?"

"They are, believe or not, our... guides,"

"Our. Guides," he said as he returned a doubtful gaze to his brother.

"Yes siree," Apple Bloom said. "We were told you needed help finding a zebra, and we just happened to know one ourselves."

"Right... how much is this going to cost us?"

"Cost you?" Apple Bloom looked to her friends who returned the same confused expression. "Why would we make you pay? We're just returning a favor."

The blue unicorn examined the fillies one more time before telling Star to park the wagon. He got off when his brother stationed the wagon beside the entrance of the forest with the fillies following suit. While his brother was removing the harness, Flax walked up to him and whispered so the other three wouldn't hear. "You sure they're not here to take the unicorn horns for themselves?" He asked casually.

Star dropped the harness. "Flax, they're kids," Star whispered. "Why would they want some weird plant they've probably never heard of before?"

"Why wouldn't they want a rare plant that could make them rich?" The unicorn responded with the same tone as before.

Star stuttered as he tried to understand why his brother was being so overly suspicious. Before he could lose himself in his own confusion, he said, "You know what? I'll go ask them myself and show your paranoid flank that they're harmless."

The brothers walked up to the fillies, briefly overhearing them talk about helping out the new 'blank flank' get his cutie mark. The trio noticed the two approaching, the gold earth pony looking slightly peeved, Scootaloo said, "Hey Star! So did you change your mind about your cutie mark?"

"What?" Star said before shaking his head. "No, I just wanted to ask, do you girls know what unicorn horns are?"

The three looked at each other and then they all pointed to Sweetie Belle's horn.

Star turned towards his brother with a smirk. "You see, nothing to worry about."

"So, are you two done talking?" Scootaloo asked.

"Zecora said she would show me something really cool today, and I'm a little curious," Apple Bloom said.

"Fine," Flax said reluctantly. He looked up at the partially cloudy sky and realized it was around three in the afternoon, the same time Star took his last dose the day before.

Before Star could follow the trio entering the forest, an extended hoof blocked his way. He glared at his brother and said, "What are you doing? My life literally depends on this meeting."

The protest did little to the unicorn, remaining steadfast. He continued speaking calmly and poked a hoof in Star's chest. "Your life depends on whether or not you take another cup in the next hour."

There was an audible knock when Star swiped the intruding hoof away. "The zebra has the medicine I need."

"The zebra might not want to help when she sees this." Flax's horn glowed yellow and a mirror from the wagon floated in front of the earth pony's face.

Star's growing irritation briefly turned into shock when he saw the face staring back. A pony whose cheeks were in the process of melting open bared some rather sharp teeth at him. He snapped his mouth close, but it did not do much to hide the row of fangs. Another swipe, and the mirror was knocked to the ground, still whole.

"I'll be meeting her."

Star returned a unsure glare at his brother, but he gave it up when his brother only gave him the same solemn gaze. He watched as his brother levitated the mirror back and then pulled the necessary supplies to brew a warm beverage.

"Best to make some tea out here. Don't want to start a forest fire."

The supplies were neatly arranged, some even already set up for the earth pony to use. There was a hoof on Star's shoulder, hoofsteps fading into the forest, and then quiet.

Star retrieved the mirror again from the wagon and looked at himself once more. His expression turned into a frown mixed with sadness. Dropping the mirror, he walked over to the ready-to-use kettle hanging over the fire that's yet to be made. He lazily started the brew, his ear twitching all the while.

Apple Bloom stopped when she noticed a few ponies were missing, prompting her friends to do the same. "Hey girls, weren't there two other fellas with us?" She asked.

"What do you mean? They're right here," Scootaloo said, pointing to two pairs of eyes watching from the shadows.

"Wha--Those aren't them," Sweetie Belle said, frustrated. She walked up to the eyes and scolded them for watching her friends, going as far as calling them creeps.

Flax, meanwhile, had just caught up with the fillies and found the unicorn talking down some bushes. He joined the other two watching the amusing sight and tapped Apple Bloom's shoulder. "I don't mean to interrupt, but we should get moving," He said.

Apple Bloom flinched from the stallion's sudden appearance, which also caught her friends' attention. "Oh, Mr. Flax!" She looked around for his brother, but found that he was alone. "Where's Falling Star?"

"He wasn't feeling well so I told him to brew himself some medicinal tea. He would need a fire and I'd rather not have him start one in this dense forest."

"Medicinal? Is he sick?"

"It's..." Flax circled a hoof as he thought, "...a complicated condition. He needs to take his medicine daily."

"Is that why he doesn't have a cutie mark?" Sweetie Belle said.

"That would make a lot of sense," Scootaloo added.

"Well I think he should have come with us anyway," Apple Bloom said as they started walking again, leading the way. "I bet Zecora could whip up a cure for his sickness in no time."

Flax glanced back the way he came while the fillies continued on. If only, he thought to himself before catching up with them.

"Here we are!" Apple Bloom said excitedly.

Pushing one last stray branch aside, Flax followed the girls into another clearing and was somewhat amazed at their destination. Before them was a much wider tree with sacks and masks hanging all around it. A door and holes which act as its windows are carved into the trunk. Through them, flickering light showed that the structure was hollow.

Apple Bloom knocked on the door and waited with the group, an eager smile on her face. An ambient grinding Flax didn't even notice stopped. A pony-looking shadow was seen moving through one of the windows toward the door.

When the sound of hoofsteps reached the door, it opened to show a zebra in need of some rest. Her mohawk had a slight, but noticeable droop, the lids of her eyes only seemed to open halfway, and her balance wavered as she teetered from side to side. She squinted so she could better see the blotches of color on her doorstep.

"Is that Apple Bloom I see at the door?" Zecora said, rubbing her eyes. "Why, it's not just you, but several more."

"Hi Zecora!" Apple Bloom said.

While the zebra's fatigue did not bother the fillies, Flax took note of the behavior. He offered a hoof to her, which she looked at wearily. "Hello Ms. Zecora."

Zecora did not take the hoof, and, instead, had her gaze follow the hoof up to the face of this new pony. "New friend, new face." A tiny puff of smoke from a cauldron at the center of the room startled the zebra. She beckoned the ponies to come inside, saying "Come in, make haste."

Stepping into the hut, everything looked as Flax expected, judging from the exterior. Inside, there were various bottles, jugs, and other liquid containers on tables and shelves. Primitive looking, equine-like masks and numerous roots decorated the walls and hung off the ceiling. At the very center was the cauldron, which, Flax admitted, tied the room together.

"Apologies, but I must ask..." Zecora said, bringing the blue unicorn's attention away from her home, "...if you may speak your name, perhaps?"

"Flax," he answered promptly.

Zecora weakly smiled and gave the pot a stir. "Although I do not often go to town, I never recall seeing you around."

"Oh! That's because he's from a desert village called Somnambulan where everypony hoards green topaz," Scootaloo said, looking proud at how smart she thought she sounded. Apple Bloom lightly elbowed her shoulder and coughed to get her attention, pointing at the ever-serious unicorn looking down at her in slight bemusement. "Was it something I said?"

Zecora stopped stirring, the solution no longer puffing smoke into the air. "Ah, Somnambula." She moved away from the cauldron towards a table with some ingredient partly ground in a bowl. "A friend of mine called it her home. I heard she was very well known."

Flax's eyes went a little wider upon hearing that small description. Now less suspicious, but still cautious, he asked, "This friend of yours... did she come here, looking for unicorn horns?"

There was a brief silence when Zecora stopped grinding with her bowl, making the fillies feel a little awkward. Sweetie Belle muttered, "Didn't Star ask us about that?"

"The horns atop a pony's head are not the ones that were said," Zecora said, still facing away. "He speaks of plants vast in price and power--" her tone turned melancholic, "--the ones Acacia did so desire." She set her tools down and, holding herself upright by keeping a hoof on the table, she turned around to look directly at the blue unicorn. She said to him, "I ask again, who are you, friend?"

"Is something the matter with you two?" Apple Bloom asked. "This talk of desert ponies and pony parts seems to be making you guys upset."

Flax raised a hoof to signal to the filly that he's fine, figuring he might as well tell the zebra enough to get her help. "Children of Acacia," he started, "me and my brother. Though she wasn't our real mother, she certainly treated us like one." There was no other response from Zecora, so Flax took it as a cue to continue. "When the ceremonies for her... passing were held, our minds were too occupied that I didn't see the problem that came with her loss. I remained blind until a week later, when I looked into a near-empty jar which held the one plant no pony else grew except her."

Zecora turned to the table and resumed grinding, her expression unseen by the others. With no emotion in her voice, she said, "So you have come looking for me, hoping I be swayed with pity?"

A bead of sweat formed on the unicorn's head. He realized the attempt failed to win her help.No pony would ever give away something as valuable as a unicorn horn, but he tried his hoof anyway, and it failed. The act of desperation has now put him at a disadvantage. He would have to start offering high payments every week, just to keep the batches barely affordable. Him and his brother's lives would quickly fall near poverty and he would have to work around the clock just to--

"A little excessive for friends in need. Next time you want some help, just ask, say please."

Flax snapped out of his trance to see the zebra offering him a jar full of crushed plant material. Upon taking a closer look, he realized that the contents of the jar looked awfully familiar. To test his hunch, he tried to pick the jar up with his magic. Initially, a yellow aura started to surround the object. Zecora smiled at his curious behavior and made sure to keep a steady hoof for his little trick. The yellow around the jar soon vanished into it like a sponge, leaving the fillies shocked, if not awed, by what they saw.

"Are these..." Flax said as he carefully took the jar with his hooves instead.

"They are."

The unicorn looked the zebra in her eyes, this time seeing compassion and understanding accompanied by a smile. He was wrong to doubt Apple Bloom when she spoke of her friend's kindness. While he felt relieved, a small tinge of guilt hung around. "Thank you," he said. In a brief moment, he cracked a barely noticeable smile. "I suppose preparing these were what made you drowsy."

Zecora acknowledged his observation with a chuckle before laying a hoof on his shoulder. "Acacia spoke of a foal, whose sickness leaves him only woe. I wish to meet your brother, please--" she turned away to yawn, "--After I roast some coffee beans." She left to another room, leaving the unicorn with three fillies who had just witnessed a jar suck up magic.

Sweetie Belle was the first who couldn't hold her curiosity any longer. "How did it do that? Zebra magic? Enchanted glass? I wanna know!" Sweetie Belle asked.

"She never told me she could make light-absorbing jars! That's like... the opposite of a lantern." Scootaloo followed up.

"I don't think it's the jar that's absorbing light," Apple Bloom disputed. "It looked more like the magic was being absorbed by whatever's inside. Wait a minute... you two were talking about some plant earlier. Is that what that is? Hmm... What was it called again?"

"Unicorn horns," Zecora said. "Although delicate in its form, its power you should not ignore."

While Flax left so he could return with his brother, the fillies were allowed to inspect this strange new plant in a small patch Zecora had recently grown. Under the zebra's watch, they experimented with it, trying to see what else it could do... If blowing at it, almost poking with a wing, and covering it with magic counted as experimentation.

After the last of Sweetie Belle's magic was absorbed, causing the petals to briefly glow, she tiredly walked next to Zecora's side. She panted a few times and then looked up to the zebra, saying, "These things really drain you of your energy, don't they?"

"It's how unicorn horns survive," Zecora replied. "Give them magic and they will thrive." At the corner of her eye, she saw an orange pegasus wing drift to close to the center of a unicorn horn.

As Zecora pulled Scootaloo away from trying to poke another one with her wing, Apple Bloom knelt down on the other side of the patch. She looked up to make sure her friends were distracted and then inched her hoof closer to the plant. These things only absorb magic, so touching it should be fine, Apple Bloom thought.

The yellow filly very lightly touched a petal before quickly pulling her hoof back. Nothing. She tried touching it again with a bit more force, and this time, she made the petals sway. Apple Bloom smirked. I knew it! Nothing to be afraid of.

One last time, she touched the white petals. They were soft. Softer than anything she'd ever felt. It was like everything Rainbow Dash described a cloud would feel, but even better. Wanting more of this amazing feeling, she pushed her hoof in just a little more.

Her hoof stopped when she felt something blocking her way. She meant to move her hoof around it, but then she got distracted when the petals started to glow. Suddenly, waves of fatigue flowed through her, causing her legs to give out and causing her to fall on her belly. She tried to pull back, but she felt too weak and tired to even lift her hoof.

"Apple Bloom!" Zecora pulled the filly away from the unicorn horn. "Goodness child, what did I tell you! Only observe, don't touch it too." She held up her head and saw that her colors had faded, even her cutie mark. With two fillies already under the plant's negative effects, she decided to bring them back to her hut.

Apple Bloom leaned against Sweetie Belle, who also felt the drain of the plant, but to a lesser degree. "I'm sorry Zecora," she said, "When you said it only absorbs magic, I didn't think nudging it would do much."

Zecora sighed and dropped a few coffee beans in her cauldron, inducing some small puffs. After a few more stirs with her ladle, she poured the solution into two wooden cups and brought them over to the exhausted fillies. "I feel I am the one to blame for not teaching you this plant's way."

A sip from the drink and the two started to feel as lively as they were before. Sweetie Belle finished hers first and was about to jump off until she remembered she was keeping Apple Bloom from falling over. "Wow Zecora, this is great! What did you put into it?"

"Coffee, a root, a lemon's squeeze, but most importantly are these," Zecora said, reaching behind her.

To the fillies' surprise, Zecora held in her hoof a few petals of the plant that drained them outside. If Apple Bloom didn't finish her drink by then, she would have surely done a spit take. Instead, she dropped her cup and anxiously shouted, "Zecora no, you'll go limp!" Despite her warnings, the zebra continued holding the troubling petals, and still stood. "You're... fine?"

"I told not, for I saw no need." Zecora gently placed the petals onto a pile next to a stripped, black stem. "I was wrong, for you have fatigued."

"Wha... How are you not tired--"

"Wooohoooo!"

Just then, an orange pegasus flew into the room, doing a small loop de loop before landing, wings confidently outstretched. "Hey guys! Feeling better? Because I sure am!"

"Scootaloo!?" The refreshed fillies said, mouths agape. What followed was a series of failed attempts at asking their friend about how she achieved such a feat, all sounding like a bad case of stuttering.

"Oh, this?" Scootaloo said as if she understood and flexed her wings. "I volunteered to taste test the brew while you two were still outside." She launched herself into the air again and flew around the room a few times. When she had enough fun, she stopped and hovered in front of her friends. "Who would have thought unicorn horns could do this!"

"Unicorn horns!?" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, shaking her head. She looked at Zecora and pointed an accusing hoof at the pegasus. "How come she gets that, while we get... this!?"

"What? Didn't Zecora already tell you?" Scootaloo asked. Zecora shook her head while Sweetie Belle glared at her and Apple Bloom stared confusingly. "She didn't? Well it's really simple actually. You see--" she dropped to the floor and walked over the table with the stripped ingredients, "--the petals are what holds the magic. It's also what zecora put in the pot." Pointing to the black stem, she said, "This part absorbs magic. It's probably what you touched, Apple Bloom."

"Really?" Apple Bloom said. "How come I had to touch that itty bitty thing before it tired me out?"

"I think it has to do with something about magic being contained in our bodies or something. If you weren't directly throwing your magic into it like Sweetie Belle, it has to touch the most magic-y part of your body, like an earth pony's hooves." Scootaloo looked to the zebra. "Right?" She received a slow, confused nod as confirmation.

"Scootaloo, how do you know all of this?"

"Yeah, I thought you don't pay attention to this kind of stuff," Sweetie Belle said.

"You're not wrong," Scootaloo said, "but look at what it could make me do!" She reared up and flew around the room one more time before coming to a halt, still hovering. "I'd say it's worth knowing which part makes you collapse or gives me super cool magic!... Plus, Zecora maaay have scolded me a few times for almost putting myself in your position."

While the fillies watched their friend with either envy or confusion, they noticed her slowly descend to the ground. It wasn't until the pegasus felt her hooves touch down that she realized the wonderful feeling in her wings fading. She tried taking off again, but her flapping was only able to keep her afloat for just a little while. "I guess I also forgot to say that the effects..." she sighed and lowered her head, "...are temporary."

"That's quite impressive Scootaloo. You said it better than I knew." Zecora patted the pegasus on her back, getting a reassured smile in return.

A yellow glow surrounded the front door and sounds of running hooves approached. The door flew open and in came Flax, still holding the jar of unicorn horns bits. Unlike the unmoving face he had before, parts of his expression have already broken, accompanying the worry in his voice. "The wagon's in ruins..." he huffed, "and Star is gone."

Author's Note

Writing is fucking hard. How do those other artists do it? Props to them for staying focused on this shit.

Also, edited the description because I felt it was a little misleading, and I may go back to edit some shit in the earlier chapters. Or most of it.