Rainbow Unicorns: Bridle Gossip

Chapters

Crystals and Pies
Ponyville Ghost Town
Witch Hunt
Not a Dream
Oddballs Assembled
Positively Glowing
One Weird Parade
Moon Pies
Not Rainbow's Fault For Once

Crystals and Pies

Princess Celestia sat in her study, a cup of tea at hoof. The sound of gentle instrumental music filled the air of the space. With the mid-day court handled, she was taking a moment to relax before moving on to other matters. She still had quite a bit to do as well. Including matters of Luna's return, such as instituting a new training program for the returning bat ponies who wish to be a part of Luna's night guard, and with Rainbow Burst now living into Ponyville and being a national hero. Additionally, with summer more than half over, that did mean that school would be resuming shortly. To that end, she would need to start preparing for a new semester at her school for gifted unicorns, both as the principal, and as an instructor.

Her lips pursed as she considered it. Perhaps it was time to look into taking on a new personal student. Rainbow was still her student, but was more at an independent study point than needing actual teaching and guidance. On one hoof, she had helped Rainbow grow and learn quite a bit, and was very proud of her, so Celestia could see it as a reason to take a break, spend time on other matters, and wait a few years for a new student. On the other, much of what she had done over the centuries of her rule have become rather autonomous, relying on her direct interference very little. To that end, she felt as though she were not fully working toward her own responsibility and potential should she wait.

Perhaps she should wait and see what happens. See what students apply for the upcoming year. She might meet one with the same potential as Rainbow or--

Princess Celestia shook her head, forcing the thought away. She knew she could not ignore the past, but it was still a bit too painful to think about.

Thankfully, there was a knock at the door, allowing her to distract herself with something else.

Taking a breath and slowly letting it out, Princess Celestia straightened up, trying to look as calm and regal as possible.

"Enter," she called out.

The door opened to reveal a white unicorn mare with dark brown mane.

"Princess," the mare said, giving a small bow. "Your two o'clock is here."

It was with the years of practice that kept Celestia from showing her surprise. Had she really been sitting her so long already? Her gaze quickly flicked to the wall clock to confirm that it was indeed the case.

"Please send her in, Raven."

Raven Inkwell gave a nod and stepped further into the office, turning toward the hall.

"The Princess will see you now," she said, motioning a hoof toward the desk.

In walked an earth pony mare, who was... very gray. There was a little variation to it. Her mane and tail had a purple tinge, and the dress she wore hinted toward blue, but they both looked more toward gray than those colors. The only really noticeable color was the bright pale blue of her eyes. Those eyes were half-lidded, and her mouth was closed and small, giving her a bored, tired look about her.

"Miss Maud Pie," Princess Celestia said, giving a small nod. "Thank you for coming. Would you care for some refreshment?"

"I am fine, thank you," Maud said in a deep, but clearly feminine, voice, the entire thing being an emotionless monotone.

Celestia gave a nod to Raven, getting one in return as the assistant left them. The princess then returned her attention to her visitor, motioning to an empty seat on the other side of the desk.

"Professor Frogstone speaks very highly of you. I understand you are actually going for your Doctorate in Geology."

"My Rocktorate, yes," Maud confirmed as she moved to take the seat.

Although it had become a common colloquialism to refer to such a doctorate, Princess Celestia could not bring herself to use it. Many ponies did seem to enjoy their wordplay.

"How familiar are you with Magic Crystals?" Celestia asked as she opened a drawer.

"I am aware of the basics," Maud answered. "A stone, crystal, or gemstone ends up becoming infused with a high concentration of magic, which causes the material to undergo a molecular metamorphosis, which also is capable of storing a majority of the remaining magic used to create it. There is a theory that the energy could be drained, then recharged, creating a replacement for batteries, but none have yet been able to do so. It was also used as evidence that alchemy was possible, leading those who worked in the field to either transmute lead into gold, or create an Philosopher's Stone that will grant an elixir of immortality. Neither of which has panned out to date."

Princess Celestia's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She had been aware of the alchemical aspects, but was not expecting Maud to be as well, and had not even known about the replacement battery prospect.

"I am also trying to learn as many of the practical applications as possible as well," Maud explained.

Celestia gave a nod of acknowledgement, filing away the new information on the mare for later. She returned her attention to the drawer, using a hoof to pull out the Mage Crystal that Rainbow Burst had sent her several days ago and passing it to Maud.

"What can you tell me about this one?"

Maud took the crystal and held it between her hooves, pressing on it gently and spinning it slowly. She then brought it up to her face, nose twitching as she gave it a sniff, then pulled it closer and gave it a lick. After that, she held it up to her ear, head tilting as she listened to it. She even gave a small hum of her own.

"It seems to have been made nearby," Maud stated. "The composition does not have the high mineral content of the bare stone at this height, nor indicators of marble and slate used in the construction of Canterlot, but it is similar to what would be down around the base of the mountain. There are indicators of high organic material, indicating that it was likely created from a looser, fertile soil, although it also has a high clay content, which is capable of retaining high amounts of water. That means that it is from an area that is largely agrarian."

She held it out toward the princess.

"While the new crystalline structure has given it greater strength, I would put the shatter point on the lower end of the scale. However, I would not recommend doing so as the energy seems unstable. I cannot gauge precisely without either a unicorn's assistance or specifically calibrated tools, but I believe the spontaneous energy output would be more than fatal for a pony, even one of your size."

There was a small amount of disappointment as Princess Celestia took the crystal back. She had been aware that such was a possibility, but had been hoping it was not. A shame too. If it had been on the stabler side, it would have been possible to shape and work with. Rainbow may not have been much for jewelry, but then Celestia thought she would have appreciated having her Mage Crystal as a pendant.

Celestia set the crystal back in the drawer and shut it before turning her full attention to the guest.

"Thank you, Miss Maud Pie, for your assistance," she said with a small smile. "How may I reimburse you for your time and skill?"

The room turned silent as Celestia waited for an answer, allowing Maud to consider it. The offer was one Princess Celestia made from time to time. Not only did it allow her to get a sense of the pony's priorities and interest, but also allowed her a starting point for negotiations. She was aware that if she so desire, she could simply choose how to pay a pony for their services, and most would accept it. Even if it was far less than they properly deserved. However, that was hardly fair, and fairness was something of importance to her and how she saw her society as a whole.

It also taught her something more about Maud in particular: she had not been expecting the question. When Maud had been asked, there had been no mention of compensation, and she had not thought about it during the trip. That meant that she had come to Canterlot to meet with the princess, and done so out of kindness or obligation, not for money or power.

Maud gave a blink, shifting her gaze.

"One of my sisters, Marble, is a bat pony," she explained. "She was very excited at the news of Princess Luna's arrival for some reason."

She looked up at the Princess.

"Would it be possible for my sister to meet Princess Luna?"

Princess Celestia leaned down, bringing herself eye level with Maud.

"I am afraid I cannot guarantee it," she said. Celestia then smiled. "But I can ask Luna, and I am fairly certain she would very much like to meet a pony that looks up to her."

It was barely noticeable, but Celestia caught a slight upward twitch to the sides of Maud's mouth.

"Thank you, Princess."

Ponyville Ghost Town

Spike let out a sigh as he dropped his pencil onto the desk. Picking up the drawing of Twilight Comet in her Prench maid outfit, he quickly tore it up and tossed the remains in the trash. That was not what he had meant to draw. Admittedly, he was not entirely sure what he was trying to draw, but it most certainly not that. In fact, it was kind of the last thing that he wanted to be thinking about.

Ever since Twilight had rejected him (even if very politely) after learning of his crush, he had been trying to move on and get over it. Most of the time, he could keep himself distracted with something or other, and keep things from getting awkward between them. Spike had thought that her coming over to clean the library like in her bet with Rainbow would be the same, even figuring he would offer to help (and being turned down since it was not part of the bet).

Then he saw her in the outfit, which it turned out was custom made for her by Rarity. It was amazing how well the top showed off her lean, muscular form, and the puffy skirt that covered her lower half. It was also kind of cute how nervous and embarrassed she was.

And now the image was stuck in his mind.

"Spike?" Rainbow's raspy voice called out.

"Coming!" Spike called back. Hopping off the chair, he made his way to the stairs and down them.

Rainbow Burst stood at the base, brow furrowed as she looked up at the approaching young dragon.

"You okay?" she asked. "Normally only have to call you once?"

That brought Spike to a stop. She had called him more than once? He had not even noticed. Had Twilight really distracted him that much? How much longer would it have been until she had come up looking for him?

"Sorry," Spike answered. "I was drawing and guess I got a little distracted."

"Right," Rainbow said, shifting. One hoof came up to her mouth as she let out a cough, looking away.

"Uhm... look, Spike." She took a deep breath. "I wanted to give you space after uhm... you know..." She motioned a hoof. "What happened with Twilight, but... Well, after yesterday..." She shifted again, ears pulled back and tail flicking. "So... uh.. if you need to, like, talk about anything or anything... you know... I'm here to listen. Okay?"

Spike looked at Rainbow Burst a moment. He then burst into laughter, dropping to sit on the steps as he grabbed at his stomach.

Rainbow frowned, glaring at him.

"I'm serious," she snapped, stomping a hoof.

"I know, I know," Spike managed to say. He rubbed at his cheek. "I'm sorry." He let out one last chuckle. "It's just... that was super awkward looking."

"I'm not good with mushy, touch-feelie stuff," Rainbow huffed. Her face softened as she leaned closer, looking at Spike. "But I mean it. If you need to talk, I'm here."

Spike got up and smiled, making his way the rest of the way down the stairs. He then wrapped Rainbow in a hug.

"I know."

With a smile, Rainbow wrapped a hoof around Spike, returning the hug, and leaned down to nuzzle the top of his head.

"Okay," Rainbow said as she broke the hug, stepping back. "That's enough of that." She turned around. "Come on. We got stuff to do."

Spike let out a small snort of amusement, feeling a little better. He hopped up onto Rainbow's back, sitting down and ready to ride.

As the two of them left The Golden Oaks Library, they found that it was a clear, sunny day in Ponyville. It was calm and quite. As they continued on, it started to seem strangely so.

"Where is everypony?" Rainbow asked, looking around as she walked. "Normally we'd have seen a couple ponies by now."

Spike gave a nod, looking around as well. There was absolutely no other ponies out and around. None on the street. None around the stores. Just none.

"Maybe they're avoiding us?" Spike thought allowed. He turned more toward Rainbow. "Is my breath bad?"

"I'm not checking that," Rainbow huffed, pulling her head away before getting a face full of dragon breath. "Besides, if that was the problem, wouldn't we at least see them? They would have to be close enough to smell it first."

Spike gave nod, seeing the point.

"Maybe they were attacked by zombies!" he suggested.

Rainbow stopped, turning to look at Spike with her brow furrowed. She then let her gaze drift around to take in the buildings around her, and glance up at the sky. After a moment more, she gave a shake of her head.

"I don't think so," she said as she resumed walking. "I mean, it's all too clear and sunny. Those things normally happen on dark and stormy nights or during cloudy days." Her head then turned to look at the buildings again. "Besides, wouldn't we have heard moans and screams last night? Or find buildings with boarded up windows?"

"Yeah," Spike conceded. He looked around again, trying to come up with a reason.

"OH!" he cried out, straightening. "I got it!" He turned to look at Rainbow with a grin. "This is it." He held out a hand, motioning at the town. "Pinkie arranged a town-wide game of Hide and Seek, and we're 'it.'"

Rainbow considered the possibility. Was it possible? Pinkie did say she knew every pony in town, and it was kind of easy to believe after meeting her and seeing how friendly the town could be. Pinkie was also very fond of games and parties, so maybe she would set up something where the entire town was playing. But if that were the case, Pinkie would have mentioned that they were "it," and had to seek out her and the other ponies, right?

"Maybe?" she finally said, still trying to figure it out. "At the very least, we can go by Sugarcube Corner and see if she's there."

When the two of them reached Sugarcube Corner, it looked like it was just as empty as every other place in town had been. There were no lights, and no ponies could be seen coming or going. It was really kind of surprising to see the place looking so empty in the middle of the day.

"Rainbow," a voice hissed from inside, getting their attention. "Spike," it hissed again. This time they got a flash of pink from behind the doors. "Over here!"

"Guess it's not Hide and Seek," Spike whispered to Rainbow.

The confused pair made their way toward the peculiar perky pink party pony secretly skulking in the shops shadowy showroom.

The two were suddenly grabbed by the pink aura of Pinkie's magic and pulled inside. There, they found not just Pinkie, but the rest of their friends: Flowershy, Rarity, Applejack, and...

On one side of Applejack was a very unhappy looking Twilight Comet, glaring at the ponies around her and Applejack especially. A bandanna was stuck in her mouth and wrapped around it, tying it shut, but it was safe to guess she was scowling around it. The rest of her body was bound in rope, pinning her wings to her body and forcing her front legs together, as were her hind legs.

On the other side was Applejack's little sister, Apple Bloom. Although not tied up, she did not look happy to be there either.

"Why is--"

Pinkie reached out a placed a hoof on Rainbow's mouth.

"Shshshsh," she hissed out, before continuing in a whisper, "you don't want her to hear us, do you?"

"Her?" Spike asked in a whisper. "Her who?"

Grabbing the pair, Pinkie pulled them over to one of the windows.

"Her!" she whispered, pointing a hoof. "The Everfree Witch!"

Witch Hunt

From their hiding spot in the darkened bakery, Rainbow and Spike looked at the figure that Pinkie had called "The Everfree Witch." There was not much about her that they could make out. She looked to be the basic size and shape of a pony, but was dressed in a large brown cloak that hid any sort of specific details.

"Who's that?" Rainbow asked in a whisper.

"Her name's Zecora," Apple Bloom answered, "a--"

"Apple Bloom!" Applejack hissed out, slapping a wing over her little sister's mouth. "I told you not to say that name."

Apple Bloom's wings gave a flick against her sides as she rolled her eyes, but said nothing more.

Twilight Comet growled something out, shaking in place and struggling against her bindings.

Spike hopped off of Rainbow's back and ran across the room. Reaching up, he quickly untied the gag.

"Why are you tied up?" he asked.

"Because every pony in this town is CRAZY!" Twilight snapped, still squirming. "They all think that Zecora" -- the others winced at the sound of the name -- "is some sort of evil witch that will just as soon curse them as look at them, but none have even tried to talk to her." She turned to glare at Applejack. "I tried talking to her once, but Applejack caught me before I could, and has been doing this --" she squirmed against her ropes "-- ever since."

She turned to Spike.

"Could you please untie me?"

With a nod, Spike moved around behind her to undo the knots.

"It's for your own good," Applejack replied. "It's dangerous to go near her. Remember when Derpy flew past her that one time, and immediately crashed inta a wall?"

Untied, Twilight stood up and brushed herself off. She then turned her full attention to Applejack, glaring.

"Derpy has trauma induced strabismus," she pointed out. "Which has led her to having a variety of sight-related issues, including poor depth perception, and has caused her to have a tendency to crash on a semi-regular basis for one reason or another. It would be like claiming Big Mac met her once and didn't talk for days."

"Wait-wait-wait," Rainbow called out, holding up a hoof. "She can curse ponies?" She turned to look out the window again. "Think that she might teach me?"

"WHAT?!" the five other mares all cried out, eyes wide.

"You can't actually believe in that!" Twilight cried out.

"You can't actually be thinkin' of talkin' to her!" Applejack cried out at the same time.

The six mares went from talking to each other, to talking at each other, and ended up talking over each other. Everything they were saying was lost as all six tried to speak at the same time, none of them listening to what the others were saying.

While the mares were busy arguing, Spike noticed Apple Bloom sneaking into the kitchen. After glancing at Rainbow (who was currently being pinned by Applejack and Rarity), he followed after her. Maybe they could find some cookies or cupcakes to enjoy while waiting.

But that was not what Apple Bloom was up to. Instead of raiding the kitchen for snacks, she made her way to the back door, and gave it a small nudge before slipping out.

Spike took one more look at the quarreling mares, and chased after Apple Bloom. He quickly caught up with her, finding her at the corner of the building, peeking out around it.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

A gasp escaped Apple Bloom as her wings flared out at her side. One hind leg kicked, slamming right into Spike's stomach. The filly let out another gasp as she realized what she had done. She quickly turned around, running over to the crumpled heap of dragon.

"Sorry," she said, still in a whisper. "Sorry. I didn't mean to. You just kinda snuck up on me and it was kinda a reflex."

"That... that hurt..." Spike wheezed out, arms wrapped around his mid-section. "Glad you didn't aim lower."

"You gonna be okay?'

"Yeah." Spike slowly pushed himself up. "I'm pretty tough." He winced, rubbing at the horseshoe print on his green underside. "You pack a real wallop though."

"Yeah," Apple Bloom replied, shifting as she gave a sheepish grin. "Sorry, again. Kinda part of farm livin'. What're you doin' out here, anyways?"

"That's what I was trying to ask you."

Turning back around, Apple Bloom peaked back around the corner again. Her ears and wings gave a flick.

"You saw what happened in there," she said, "and this happens every time she comes to town." She turned back to Spike, a determined look on her face. "I'm tired of it." She turned back to the corner. "So I'm gonna follow her and find out what's goin' on once and fer all."

Spike shifted, looking back toward the door.

"This seems like a bad idea."

"If you don't like it, you can just stay here."

"No way," Spike replied. "I'm not going to miss out on this." He then puffed out his chest. "Besides, you might need help if something happens."

"Great," Apple Bloom responded. "Now c'mon, she's movin'."

The two then took off, following after the cloaked figure.

While the pair darted through town, moving from hiding spot to hiding spot as they kept an eye on the mysterious Zecora, inside Sugarcube Corner, the conversation between the ponies had taken a different turn. At the moment, five pairs of eyes were on Pinkie Pie, who was on a table, standing on her knees, with her forelegs in the air above her, panting as she had just finished a musical number.

"Putting aside the fact you felt the need to write a musical number about her," Twilight said while rolling her eyes, "there is nothing to support the claim or indicate that she eats meat, much less ponies."

She then turned, pointing a wing at Rainbow Burst.

"And you," Twilight snapped. "You can't be seriously listening to all this. You've been trained by Princess Celestia, for Equestria's sake. You of all ponies should know there's no such things as curses."

Rainbow rolled her eyes and let out blast of airs from between her lips. She waved a hoof at the other mare.

"Princess Celestia would point out that the idea of curses have been around for a long time," Rainbow stated, "and that there are all sorts of magics we don't understand. So what is known as curses could simply be a type of magic most ponies have forgotten or never really practiced. Right, Spike?"

After a second of silence, Rainbow smile faltered a little.

"Spike?" Rainbow called out.

"Spike?" she called again, turning to look around.

"I think I saw him go into the kitchen," Flowershy offered, pointing a hoof in that direction.

"Oh, right," Rainbow replied. "He's probably looking for some cookies or something." She started walking toward the kitchen. "I better check on him. Make sure he doesn't eat himself sick."

Twilight watched her go, then took a deep breath. She turned to face Applejack, scowling.

"Now, as for you," she growled.

Applejack took a step back, eyes wide.

"It's bad enough you keep tying me up like one of your rodeo steers, but now you're getting Apple Bloom..."

She paused as she looked around, one hoof sticking out. Her purple eyes narrowed as she searched the room.

"Where is Apple Bloom?"

The other four remaining mares looked around the room.

"Perhaps she had to use the little filly's room," Rarity suggested.

"Or maybe went into the kitchen with Spike?" Flowershy suggested.

"No," Rainbow said as she came back in. "No Apple Bloom." Her ears pulled back as she looked into the kitchen again. "No Spike, either."

The room was silence as that information sank in.

"Oh, oh!" Pinkie cried out, back on all fours and bouncing up and down on the table. "Maybe they left and went to chase after... her!"

After another second of silence, the six mares all ran out of Sugarcube Corner, with Applejack in the lead and Rainbow Burst not far behind.

Even with their sneaking from hiding spot to hiding spot, the pair of stalkers had gotten quite a lead. They continued on, unaware that their disappearance had been noticed, sprinting from one place to another, and always trying to keep their quarry in sight. Either they were lucky enough to not be noticed, or said quarry did not care enough to acknowledge their following her.

It was not long until they found themselves standing on the edge of The Everfree Forest, watching as the cloaked Zecora walked along a path.

"For the record," Spike said as his green eyes stared at the forest, "I would like to remind you that I said this was a bad idea, and add that going in there makes it way, way worse."

"And I told you that ya didn't have to come," Apple Bloom repeated. "Now either c'mon, or wait here."

She then started for the forest.

Spike looked up at the sky, silently praying to whatever powers were listening to help keep them safe, or failing that, let their end be quick. Not getting any sort of response, he braced himself and followed.

There was a small path that entered the forest, if barely. It was more something of note simply because it was possible to walk through. Spots where the ground was bare, clear of underbrush, or simply had less grass than the rest. The two of them were able to move pretty easily most of the time. Although they had to be careful. Being in The Everfree Forest, neither really wanted to risk abandoning said trail if they have to hide.

They reached a point where the path twisted and curved around a large patch of blue flowers. The two had even seen the hood figure go around them, giving them a very wide berth. Neither knowing what it was, they did the same before continuing on.

"Spike!" a voice shouted.

"Apple Bloom!" called out another.

Apple Bloom, Spike, and Zecora all turned around to look at the source. Six mares came running straight for them, trampling anything in their way. Applejack reached them first, pushing past the two to place herself between the two youths and the cloaked figure. Her head lowered and ears pulled back as her wings flared out at her sides.

"You keep a way from'em!" she shouted. "Ya hear me?"

She was quickly joined by Rarity on her left and Pinkie Pie on her right, both taking up defensive positions.

"Are you okay?" Flowershy asked, running up to the pair and looking them over.

"We're fine," Apple Bloom answered, Spike nodded in agreement.

"For now," Rainbow grumbled, glaring at the dragon. The look on her face guaranteed that he was going to be in deep trouble.

"Beware, beware you pony folk," the cloaked mare called out, getting everyone's attention. "Those leaves of blue are not a joke!"

"What the hay's that supposed to mean?" Applejack yelled, wings spreading out fully.

Instead of answering, the cloaked mare stepped backwards. As she did, fog and shadows moved around her, slowly encompassing her form and making her vanish from sight.

With her gone, Applejack turned around to glare at her little sister.

"You!" she snapped. "Home! Now!"

Not a Dream

After the two of them got back to Golden Oaks, Rainbow Bursts gave Spike quite an earful. Not only did he put himself in danger if Zecora had actually used some sort of magic that Rainbow was not familiar with, but he and Apple Bloom had gone into The Everfree Forest! While he may not have gone with Rainbow and the others when they went for the Elements, he had seen how dangerous the place could be when the ursas had come to Ponyville. Being a dragon may have given him some advantages, but he was not invulnerable.

Fortunately for Spike, that was the extent of his troubles. He was not grounded, and he still got dessert after dinner.

That night, as she slept, Rainbow Burst had strange dreams. She was walking through a large, strange looking forest, with trees that were far from normal. Shadowy figures moved among them, hidden from sight and all but impossible to see. Strange music filled the air, a distant voice singing about trances and stews. A large blue flower rose up before her, turning into a snake. It opened it to reveal its massive mouth and razor-sharp fangs before lunging forward.

It was right as she was about to be eaten that Rainbow Burst woke up. The morning sun was coming through the windows of her room, letting her know that she had slept through the night. A glance at her alarm let her know that it was not too much earlier than normal anyways.

More importantly, there was the smell of food cooking. Which meant that not only was Spike up, but breakfast was going to be ready soon. With a lick of her lips, Rainbow hopped out of bed and made her way for the kitchen. As she approached, the aroma got stronger, and more tempting, until she was practically drooling with hunger.

It was also a very familiar scent.

Rainbow poked her head into the kitchen and raised an eyebrow.

"Do I smell what I think I smell?" she asked.

"If you smell fresh made cinnamon pancakes," Spike called back, "then yes."

Grinning, Rainbow came into the kitchen the rest of the way. It was not so much the pancakes in and of themselves that had her excited (although they were pretty tasty on their own), as what they went with: jam. Specifically, Sweet Apple Acres Zap Apple Jam. That was one of the most delicious things about Ponyville.

"Figured I owed to you," Spike said. "You were pretty mad about what happened, but went easy on me for it. So I thought I make them as a way of saying sorry and thanks."

Rainbow rolled her eyes, giving a shake of her head.

"Do you really think making me a plate of pancakes would be enough to stop me from being mad?" she asked.

Spike turned to look at her and smirked.

"Well if you don't... want..."

He stopped, brow furrowing. His gaze narrowed as he studied her for a long moment.

"Where's your horn?"

Rainbow turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow. She studied Spike back a moment before smiling and letting out a chuckle.

"Wow," she said. "Good one, Spike. You had me really going. When did your acting get so good?"

"It's not a joke," Spike replied. He pointed at her face. "Your horn is missing."

Letting out a snort, Rainbow rolled her eyes and gave a shake of her head.

"Fine," she sighed. "I'll play along."

Grabbing a spoon, she held it up and looked at her reflection.

"Oh, no," she said in a flat tone. "My horn is missing. Where could it..."

She stopped when she looked at her reflection in the spoon, and did not see her horn. Maybe it was a malfunction? No. That was stupid. Spoons could not really malfunction unless they broke, and that would not affect their reflective ability. Maybe it was the angle. Rainbow tried lifting and lower it, looking to see if she could find it. Maybe her mane was in the way? Yeah. Yeah, that had to be it. She lifted up a hoof to push the mane out of the way, running it over her completely smooth forehead in the process.

"My horn's missing!" Rainbow cried out, dropping the spoon. "Where's my horn?!" She rubbed at her forehead, eyes wide with panic. "WHERE'S MY HORN!"

There was a sudden snort from Spike, followed by a cough.

"Okay, Rainbow," he said in a soothing voice. "I need you to calm down, and take a deep breath."

Rainbow turned to scowl at him, but closed her eyes and did as he asked.

"Good," Spike continued. "Now, good news: I found your horn."

Which was now the weirdest thing that Rainbow Burst had ever heard in her life. Still, there was a thrill of excitement and hope at the sound of that. Opening her eyes, she turned to him.

"Where? Where is it?"

Spike let out another chuckle, although there was definitely a hint of nervousness to it.

"Well, that's the weird part," he said. "It's um... behind you." He then pointed a claw at her.

"Behind me?" Rainbow repeated brow furrowing and ears pulling back. Shifting as best she could, she turned around to look behind her as best she could.

There, on her back, just above her tail, was her horn.

Rainbow screamed, her raspy voice so high, every dog in Ponyville started barking.

"Okay," Spike said. "I have an idea. Be right back."

He ran from the room, leaving a stunned Rainbow Burst staring at the horn sticking out from the wrong end of her.

"How... how... how... HOW?" was all she was able to ask. She turned, and turned, spinning like a dog chasing its tail as she tried to get a better look. "How did this happen? How is this possible?"

With a sigh, she stopped spinning and dropped into a sitting position. Her entire body sagged.

"What am I going to do?" she asked herself.

Spike came back in, camera in hand.

"Hey, Rainbow," he called out, holding up the camera. "Smile!"

There was a loud click and a flash of light as he snapped a photo of Rainbow Burst and her backwards horn. Rainbow scowled at him, getting up and turning to face him fully.

"What the hay, Spike?" she snapped. "Why are you taking my picture like this?"

"I know it seems weird," Spike admitted, "but hear me out. This is a big deal, right? Well, I bet when you solve the problem, you're going to want to write a letter to Princess Celestia, telling her what happened." He held up the camera. "This way, she can see what happened. On the other claw, if you can't fix it, you'll want to write to Princess Celestia and ask her to help. If that happens, seeing what the problem is will help her figure out what to do." He grinned. "Besides, when this is all over, you'll want to look back on this and laugh."

Rainbow let out a growl but did not argue. She sincerely doubted that she would ever, at any point, but he had a point about messaging Princess Celestia. Rainbow would either want to fill her in what happened and what she learned, or ask for help if things got worse.

Her gaze drifted back to her misplaced horn, and a question came to mind.

"Think I can still use magic?"

"Only one way to know for sure," Spike answered.

With a nod, Rainbow Burst turned her attention to the spoon she had been using earlier. Closing her eyes, she concentrated, trying to feel the magic inside and around her, and draw on it. Jaw clenching and brow furrowing she put all of her concentration and energy into using her power, to levitate the spoon. She could feel something building up inside her. If she pushed just a little more

Ppbbbbbbth!

A look of horror dawned on Rainbow's face at the sound. Eyes open and wide, she turned around, looking back.

There behind her was a glowing cloud of magic.

Spike fell over as he laughed.

Oddballs Assembled

Rainbow Burst and Spike stood in the main room of the library, looking at book after book. Most of them were simply skipped over, being of no use at all. When one was a maybe, Rainbow would flip through it, taking a quick look to see if there was anything useful. This was slower than usual since Rainbow was forced to flip through the pages by hoof instead of using magic. That made it all the more frustrating for her because it was so slow.

With a sigh of frustration, Rainbow tossed the most recent book (a collection of body modification spells believed by the author to be used by famous performer Moon Walker) onto the pile to be re-shelved when they were finished. While ideas of adjusting the size of the muzzle and nose, or lightening the color of the coat, were interesting, none of them were really useful about figuring out a way to return a horn to its proper position or break a curse.

"What about this one?" Spike asked as he held out another book.

Rainbow read the title.

Supernaturals: Natural Remedies and Cure-alls That Are Simply Super

With a sigh, she shook her head. There had been a moment where she had been feeling hopeful too.

"We're not dealing with something natural, Spike," she stated. "This is strange magic we're dealing with. It's not going to be cured by... rubbing ourselves with mint and eucalyptus or something."

The book was returned to the shelf, and several others were pulled and looked through. While they may have some interesting information in them, none of them could explain what happened to her, or how to reverse it.

There was a knock at the door, getting the attention of the two.

"I'll get it," Spike offered. Hopping off the ladder, he made his way to the door while Rainbow hid behind one of the library tables.

As soon as he turned the knob, the door was thrown open, forcing him to stumble back. A pony shot into the room and past him. He could not make them out as they were covered with a hat, sunglasses, scarf, and a trench coat. The dressed up figure ran past him, hooves tapping on the wood as they ran into the room.

"Rainbow, darling," the familiar voice of Rarity called out. "I need your help, immediately."

"Why?" Rainbow asked, peeking out from behind the table. "What's the problem?"

Taking off the hat, glasses and scarf, the earth pony revealed herself. Her normally pristine white coat was a swampy green color, like it had all been covered in algae. Her mane was not its typical rich, regal, purple, but a bright neon orange with streaks of yellow, all of which stuck straight up somehow. Tears formed in Rarity's eyes.

"I look like a rejected children's toy," she whined out. "My colors clash horribly, and I can't do a thing with my mane and tail."

She grabbed a hold of Rainbow, pulling her out from behind the table. Bringing the other mare close, Rarity leaned in until their nuzzles were pressing up against each other. Her purple eyes were wide with terror.

"You have to fix this!" Rarity demanded. She then started to shake Rainbow. "Fix it-fix it-fix it!" She then pulled Rainbow into a hug, burying her face into Rainbow's shoulder while breaking down into full sobs.

Rainbow looked down at the sobbing Rarity pressed against her, then shifted. Slowly, she reached a hoof around and patted the upset mare on the back.

"Uhm... there... there?" Rainbow said. She gave a glance to Spike, who shrugged. "Uhm... we were looking for a way to break the curse already. So, we should be able to break it for you too."

Rarity stopped and looked up, her eyes red from crying and mascara running down her cheeks (which -- Rainbow realized -- meant that she had actually stopped to put on mascara before disguising herself and coming over).

"Really?" Rarity asked, letting out a sniff.

"Really," Rainbow assured.

Pulling a handkerchief from her trench coat, Rarity wiped the tears and runny mascara away.

"Thank you, darling," she said. Her eyes then shifted, narrowing as she looked at Rainbow's forehead. "Forgive me for asking, but, where is your horn?"

"That's not important right now," Rainbow blurted out, moving to hide her hind in from sight. "Right now, we need to figure out what to do." She looked Rarity over quickly. "Which, I think means we should find the others. See if anything's happened to them as well."

"Ain't necessary," Applejack called from the door.

Rarity, Rainbow, and Spike all turned to the open door. There, they saw Apple Bloom, Twilight Comet, and Pinkie Pie.

"Where's Applejack?" asked Spike. "Could have sworn I heard her."

"I'm here," Applejack's voice announced. There then appeared on top of Apple Bloom's head a tiny version of Applejack, about three inches tall, complete with a miniature hat. "That there witch shrunk me somehow or other."

"Aww," Spike cooed out with a grin. "You're a fruit fly."

Rainbow could not help but snicker a little, and Rarity held a hoof over her mouth to hide the hint of a smile.

Tiny Applejack, however, did not find it funny in the slightest. The miniature pegasus took off, flapping her tiny feather wings as she flew up toward Spike. She came to a stop, hovering right in front of his snout.

"Now you see here, mister!" Applejack snapped, poking his nose with an adorably tiny hoof. "It was you and Apple Bloom what got us into this mess in the first place." She then leaned forward, trying to get eye to eye with him and failing miserably since she was nearly half the height of one of his eyes. "So I'd be mighty appreciative if ya'd button your yap, 'fore I button it for ya. Got it?"

"Got it," Spike replied.

"Good."

Unnoticed by the others, Apple Bloom flinched and took a step back, ears pinning back against her head. She stepped backwards, hiding behind the other two mares. It was not really their fault. Was it? How come she and Spike were not the ones to get cursed for it?

Maybe if she went and asked nicely, Zecora would help with whatever was wrong with Applejack and her friends.

She just needed to wait for the right moment to sneak away.

As Applejack landed on the table, Rainbow, Rarity, and Spike's attention turned to the other two mares.

"You two seem unaffected," Rarity stated.

Twilight Comet frowned and shook her head.

Pinkie opened her mouth, and the sound of a buzzer came out. This caused the others to jump, eyes wide.

"What was that?" asked Spike.

Pinkie turned to look at him, and he saw her mouth moving like she was talking. Instead of words, however, sounds came out. There was the sound of birds singing, followed by the sound of an alarm clock going off, then the sound a train, glass being shattered, some pony running, and finally, a knocking sound.

The other four mares all stared at her eyes wide.

"Oookay," Rainbow said slowly, raising an eyebrow. "Weird." She turned to Twilight. "Do you just sort of make random noises too?"

Twilight sighed and shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"Retteb yna em dnatsrednu nac uoy tboud I tub on."

"...what?"

"Yltcaxe!" Twilight replied.

Several seconds passed as they all looked at each other in silence, letting it all sink in.

"So, just be clear," Spike spoke up, breaking the silence. "We got: a teeny Applejack; a mis-colored Rarity; a Pinkie Pie that can't talk, but makes sound effects; a Twilight that talks gibberish; and a Rainbow Burst that has her horn in the wrong place."

"SPIKE!" Rainbow cried out as all the others turned to look at her.

"They were going to notice eventually," Spike replied. "Easier to get it out all at once. Besides, they all told you what happened to them." He crossed his arms. "It's only fair."

Sticking out her tongue, Rainbow made her feelings about it "being fair," very clear, but did not actually argue. Instead, she let out a sigh of annoyance as she got up and walked around, letting them all see the horn sticking out of her back end.

"Kcub gnivol-reve tahw?" Twilight cried out. "elbissop neve taht si woh?"

The stomping of a hoof got everyone's attention on Pinkie Pie. Reaching up, she took a hold of her mane, pulling it straight and having it cover half her face. Pinkie then crouched down and looked away, practically hiding behind her mane until it puffed back into place.

"Oh my," Rarity cried out, eyes wide. "Pinkie's right. We really should check on Flowershy. I don't know what could have happened to the filly, but I'm certain it must have left her absolutely terrified."

"Great," Applejack cried out. "Then with the six of us, we can find that there witch and make her take the curse off us."

"Sesruc sa gniht hcus on s'ereth," Twilight huffed, rolling her eyes.

"Right," Rainbow called out. "So, we'll go by Flowershy's pick her up, then find Zecora, and have her change us back to normal." With the last part, she punched one hoof into the other.

She turned to Spike.

"You stay here and start re-shelving the books."

"Yeah, yeah," he said, waving a hand. He grabbed a book and walked toward the shelves. "Have fun going through the dark spooky forest full of strange monsters." He then turned to look at her. "If you get eaten, do I get your stuff?"

Rainbow rolled her eyes.

"Sure," she replied. "You can enjoy it until you're living with Mom and Dad."

"Apple Bloom," Applejack called out, "you stay here too. I'll be back for ya once we're all back to normal. Got it?"

There was no answer.

"Apple Bloom?" Applejack repeated, looking around.

Again, there was no answer, and Apple Bloom was nowhere to be seen.

Applejack had some very choice words to say about the matter.

Positively Glowing

The five mutated mares made their way to their missing friend Flowershy's animal care cottage. It was a quaint and cozy little place, and much like The Golden Oaks Library, looked more like a plant than a building. The place looked like someone had taken a bush, and added walls and windows to it. A large numbers of birdhouses were built on and around the house, and there were indications of burrows, dens, and other places for animals to live. Including a chicken coop. At the moment, the doors to the house were closed, and all the windows had been shuttered, making it nearly impossible to peak inside.

Walking up to the door, Rarity reached out and gave it a gentle knock.

"GO AWAY!" Flowershy shouted from inside. "NOPONY'S HOME!"

"Flowershy?" Rarity called back gently. "It's us, darling. Your friends."

"Nice to hear from you," Flowershy called out. "Now please go away!"

"May we come in?"

"Sorry, but I'm afraid now's not a good time for visitors!"

"Ugh," Rainbow Burst huffed out, rolling her eyes. "This is taking too long." Walking up to the door, she slammed her hoof on it repeatedly.

"Open up!" she shouted. "We know something weird happened to you! It happened to us as well!"

For a moment, there was silence, followed by the sound of hooves approaching the door.

"Really?" Flowershy asked, her voice now barely audible.

"Really," Rainbow confirmed.

Finally, there was a click as the door was unlocked before it opened. From the crack, a light shined blindingly bright. The five mares were all forced to look away as the door opened, covering their eyes from the brightness.

"Could you please turn that light down?" Rarity asked.

"No," Flowershy answered. "Sorry."

The light then... moved? It was hard to actually see since none could look directly at it, but it did seem to get dimmer. Pinkie was the first to recover, looking up to see the light disappear into the kitchen. Pinkie's eyes went wide in shock, her mouth falling open as she let out the sound of tires screeching on pavement.

The light suddenly grew brighter as it came out from behind the kitchen wall.

"What was that?" Flowershy asked.

"That was Pinkie Pie," Rainbow answered. Her brow furrowed as she squinted, trying to get a good look at the light.
"Hey, Shy? Is... is that light coming from you?"

A squeak came from the light as it pulled back behind the wall, hiding in the kitchen.

"...yes..." she answered.

"Wow," Applejack called out from her spot on Twilight's back. "You're like a mini sun or something."

"Indeed," Rarity agreed. "It is understandable why a pony that does not wish to draw attention would rather hide than allow others to notice such a thing."

"Thank you for understanding," Flowershy replied. "Uhm... can I offer you anything to drink?"

"Ain't no time for that," Applejack shouted. "We need to save Apple Bloom before she gets turned into a stew or somethin'."

Twilight rolled her eyes, letting out a groan.

"Labinnac a si Arocez stroppus taht ecnedive on is ereht! Moolb Ellpa tae ot gniog ton s'ehs!"

Flowershy shot out of hiding, blinding the ponies as she came to stand in front of them, nose to nose with tiny Applejack.

"Did something happen to Apple Bloom?" she asked. Had any of the others been able to see her, they would have seen that her eyes were wide and ears pulled back with worry.

"She disappeared on us at the library," Rarity answered. "We believe that she has run off to The Everfree in order to confront Zecora."

A gasp escaped Flowershy as she tensed, jumping back.

"Wh-what?" she cried out. "But it's dangerous there. She could get hurt, or frighten some of the animals there." Faster than any of them could see, she moved around them. Then with surprising earth pony strength she had never shown, the glowing mare pushed all of her friends from her home and down along the path. Since none of them were reluctant to stay behind, they quickly took to walking there on their own.

Although still worried about Apple Bloom, the group had a moment to calm so they were less so than last time they had come to The Everfree Forest. Now, as they made their way through it once more, they were able to compare it to when they had gone through when Nightmare Moon returned.

It was not as scary as it had been then. Although the canopy was thick, some light did manage to make it through, making it more shady then darkened shadows. Speaking of shadows, the ones that remained disappeared in the bright glow from Flowershy. It almost looked like a normal forest.

Almost.

None could place what it was exactly, but something about it still felt wrong.

The six of them moved quickly, finding and following the trail that they had used yesterday. The group made their way further and further into the strange forest, searching for Apple Bloom and where she may have been taken. Twilight led the way, Applejack on her head and steering with her ears and a shrunken piece of rope (much to Twilight's annoyance). They went past the spot they had caught up with Bloom yesterday, continuing on.

Eventually, the reached... a tree... that was also a house...

Rainbow Burst was starting to think that maybe The Golden Oaks Library was not as unique or strange as she had originally believed. This was the third time she had seen a house made from a plant, and the second from a tree, that she had seen since she had moved to Ponyville. Was it something exclusive to Ponyville? Maybe something that earth ponies did? If they went to the tropics, would there be houses made of palm, coconut, and banana trees? Were ponies living in cacti in the desert?

The new tree house looked short and thick, like it was stunted for some reason or other. Potion bottles were hanging from branches, tied up by vines. Several large, scary looking masks were set around the base, glaring out from around the door.

"Oh yeah," Rainbow called out as she looked around the place. "An evil witch totally lives here."

"There ain't no time to waste!" declared Applejack. With a mighty (and to some, adorable) battle cry, the tiny pegasus launched herself from Twilight's head. She was a screaming orange streak, shooting through the air and right for the door of the tree house. With all her speed and strength, she slammed into it.

At her normal size, Applejack would have hit the door with enough energy to force it open, allowing her to make a dramatic and heroic entrance.

As it was, she just ended up flattened against the wood, creating a singular knock.

"I shall be right there," a deep, smooth, feminine voice called out.

The door opened to reveal a zebra mare.

"Now, what brings you --"

Applejack wrapped her entire body around the zebra's nose, leaning in to glare at her.

"Where's Apple Bloom?"

The zebra raised an eyebrow.

"You are here for Apple Bloom?" she asked. "Then you must be Applejack, and her friends, I presume."

"You're Zecora?" Rainbow Burst asked.

Zecora turned to her and smiled, giving a nod.

"That is indeed me. It is nice to be called by name, instead of 'witch of The Everfree.'"

Rainbow let out a disappointed sigh, her ears and tails drooping as she looked down.

Pushing the door open further, Zecora stepped aside and motioned into her hut.

"Please come in and find a place to sit," she stated, "Apple Bloom should be back in just a bit."

"Ah-ha!" Applejack cried out. Flying up, she pointed a hoof at the zebra's nose. "You have seen Apple Bloom!" Bolting past her, she flew into the hut. "Where is she?" She flew over to a cauldron, filled with bubbling green liquid. Applejack let out a gasp, eyes wide. "Did you turn her into a stew?!"

"She not a stew," Rainbow stated as she walked inside. "And Twilight's right. Zecora didn't curse us."

Pinkie's eyes went wide as she opened her mouth, playing a dramatic stinger.

"SEY!" Twilight Comet cried out, wings flaring out as she threw up her forelegs. "UOY DLOT I! UOY FO LLA DLOT I! Oohoow! Tghir. Saw. I!" She then proceeded to do a little victory dance.

"Would you care to elaborate?" Rarity asked.

With a sigh, Rainbow turned and pointed at Zecora, who was shutting the door now that all six of the mares had come inside.

"She's a zebra," Rainbow pointed out. "They use nature magic, often with potions and powders." She let out another sigh.
"They don't cast curses, and they don't eat ponies. Whoever did this, it wasn't her."

"Hm," Zecora said, tapping her chin. "Perhaps I should have taken more care, when warning you that you should beware. The flowers of blue that you walked through, I tried to warn, is what did this to you."

"The flowers?" Rarity asked, stepping forward. "Do you mean those lovely blue ones we passed through while.. Uhm... chasing... you..." She shifted, looking away with a slight blush of embarrassment.

"Zecora?" Apple Bloom called out as she pushed the door open. "I'm back. And I..."

The pegasus filly stopped, noticing all adult mares that had arrived, including her older sister. As they all took notice of her, Apple Bloom gave a nervous grin, pulling down and in on herself. Saddle bags rested on her back, filled to the brim with flowers and leaves.

The nervousness suddenly vanished as her excitement turned more genuine.

"This is perfect," she declared, hopping up and fluttering her wings as she did. "Now we don't need to go lookin' for y'all when Zecora's got the antidote ready. Y'all'll be back to normal in no time."

"Great!"

"Wonderful."

"That's great to hear."

"Yllanif."

Pinkie opened her mouth, letting out a fanfare of horns.

"Now wait just an apple-buckin' minute," Applejack cried out. She turned to her little sister, pointing a hoof at her. "Don't think for one moment that you're not in trouble, young lady. Even if she ain't the one that did that to us, that's no excuse for you runnin' off into The Everfree again."

Apple Bloom moved closer to her older (and currently smaller) sister, her own brow furrowing in anger and wings spreading out a her side.

"I only did it 'cause I figured Zecora would be able to fix things," she snapped. "Which she could." She took a step forward. "'sides, none of this'd happened if you and the others had listened to me and Twilight."

"Em and Thgiliwt," Twilight said automatically.

Applejack opened her mouth and closed it. Her eyes narrowed as she took a step forward, pointing a tiny hoof.

"Don't take that tone with me," said Applejack, not really able to argue the rest of it.

"Great," Rainbow called out. "So Apple Bloom is safe, and we have what we need for the antidote. Now all we need is for Zecora to cure us and we can get back to normal."

"Hold on there," Zecora stated, holding up a hoof. "It's not so easy, I fear. While The Everfree grows much for what the cure you desire, it does not have everything which I require."

"What do you mean?" Rarity cried out.

Walking over to a table, Zecora picked up a book. She made her way back over to the group, holding it out in front of them to read.

"With this list, it can easily be seen. All of the ingredients can be easily be found, but here they do not grow, nor in this forest be found."

Rarity looked into the zebra's blue eyes a moment, then let her gaze drift to the book being held out in front of her. Her eyes narrowed as she scanned through the ingredients, taking note of each one and where they could get them.

A smile formed.

"Well, from what I see, we should have no problem," stated Rarity. "All of these are all... sold... in...." Her smiled faltered as she looked away. "Ponyville... oh dear."

Zecora simply gave a nod.

The others let out a groan of frustration.

"You mean the town that closes every time Zecora shows up?" Rainbow asked.

"Indeed so, my chromatic friend," Zecora confirmed. "I have noticed such a trend."

"But we need that stuff to get back to normal," Flowershy whimpered out. It was impossible for any of the others to see due to her shining like a miniature sun, but she was pulled in on herself, hunching down and hiding behind what would normally be her pink colored mane.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, her voice having a small whimper to it.

One Weird Parade

It was a quiet afternoon in Ponyville, with the locals getting back to their normal routine after yesterday. A quiet that was interrupted by the strange sight of eight figures marching through the street in the center of town. One was glowing even in the daylight, keeping any from being able to tell who it was, and another was a green color with neon orange for a mane and tail. The one that drew the most attention and fear, however, was Zecora. The dreaded Witch of The Everfree Forest had returned for a second day.

Word quickly spread that she had returned, and ponies soon vanished from the streets. it was not long until it had once again looked like the town had recently been abandoned.

Still, the eight of them continued on, making their way through town and toward the flower shop.

Rarity stepped up to the front door, reaching out and gently knocking on it with her hoof.

"Rose?" she called out gently. "Lily? Daisy? It's us. Please open up."

There was no answer, but the group could hear gasping, the sound of hooves running, and some things being knocked over. Rainbow Burst let out a huff and walked up. She then slammed her hoof into the door repeatedly, banging as loud as possible.

"Open up!" she yelled. "We know you're in there, and you have something we need!"

The group heard some panicked neighs, followed by three loud thumps as though something heavy but soft had fallen, but there was still no answer.

"I think they fainted," offered Fluttershy.

"Of course," Rainbow groaned, throwing her head back and rolling her eyes. She turned her attention to Pinkie Pie. "Got a bullhorn?"

With a grin, Pinkie's horn lit up. In a burst of pink light, sound of noisemakers, and spray of confetti, a bullhorn appeared. It fell toward the ground, forcing Rainbow to jump out and grab it before it hit. Rainbow let out a sigh of relief as she lifted it up, checking over the bullhorn before bringing it to her mouth.

"Hey!" Rainbow Burst shouted. "HEY! Everypony pay attention to me! I may not be able to see you, but I know you all can hear me so listen up!"

She waited a moment, counting to ten as she looked around. Disappointingly, none of the other ponies in town came out of their hiding places.

"Most of you know who I am, and that I moved here not too long ago. You also know the others, who have been here for years, if not their whole lives. You know us, and that you can trust us."

She pointed a hoof to the zebra.

"This is Zecora. She is a zebra, and not a witch!" Her muzzle wrinkled as she furrowed her brow. "Although it is kind of weird she lives in the spooky forest..." She gave a shake of her head, returning to her speech. "Anyway, she's not a witch, and is not going to curse any ponies, or turn them into stew. In fact, she could probably teach us some really cool potions or powders."

Rainbow paused, taking a breath.

"I know we look kind of strange, but that's because of a plant we came across in The Everfree Forest. Zecora says she can cure us, but she needs to get certain ingredients in order to do that. So, you all have a choice. You can either come out of hiding and help us, ponies you know and trust, or you can continue hiding like foals who are scared of some boogie mare! What's it gonna be?"

Setting down the bullhorn, she and the others waited.

A second passed.

Ten.

Fifteen.

Thirty.

After more than a minute, doors began to open. Including the ones to the flower shop as the three flower mares. A pink coated one with blond mane and tail took the lead. Rainbow was not sure what her name was. Either Lily or Daisy. Maybe Rose? Admittedly, Rainbow had never really cared about them that much, and the three were always together, so it was kind of hard to remember which mare had which name.

"What do you need?" the flower mare asked.

There was a collective sigh of relief as ponies came out to help. The book holding the cure, titled Supernaturals: Natural Remedies and Cure-alls That Are Simply Super, was open and shared with the other ponies, telling the crowd what they needed to complete the cure for Poison Joke.

It was not long until they had everything they needed. As a bonus, they did not have to go all the way back to Zecora's hut. Instead, they were able to go to the spa, using one of the hot tubs. Which also meant that they could all actually fit in it at once, as opposed to climbing into Zecora's cauldron one at a time.

Rainbow Burst cannonballed into the tub, letting her entire body be engulfed by the medicated hot water all at once. As the water covered her, she felt another sensation. It was like the tingling of when a limb fell asleep, but across her entire body.

When her head came up out of the water, Rainbow reached up with a hoof and felt on her forehead.

Sure enough, there was her horn, exactly where it should be.

"WOO-HOO!" Rainbow cried out, throwing her hooves up. She then fell backwards, flopping into the water.

To one side of her, a bright glow from beneath the water disappeared, leaving the room noticeably darker as Flowershy emerged as a pony instead of a ball of light. On the other side of her emerged Rarity, her coat and mane back to their normal coloring.

Pinkie Pie popped up not far off, taking a massive gasp of air.

"Yes," she called out. "I can talk again. I mean it was cool to be able to make sound effects just by opening my mouth, but it also made it super hard for other ponies to understand me. Plus, how can I sing if I can't talk? And how would ponies know the lyrics so they could sing along? I'm telling you, it was the worst curse ever."

"It wasn't a curse!" Twilight replied as she splashed at Pinkie with one wing. She then smiled. "But, yeah, it was pretty frustrating not having anypony understand you."

"What language were you talking anyways?"

Twilight shrugged.

"No idea."

Rainbow stopped, looking around. She counted off the others. One, two, three, four, and she made five.

"Where's Applejack?" she asked, still looking around.

"Over here!" Applejack's voice called out.

The other five moved to the edge and looked over toward where they thought they heard her. Not far from the hot tub was Applejack, sitting in a bucket. Although, it looked like she might have actually been stuck in it, with her wings and most of her back in said bucket while her legs and head poked out.

Pinkie suddenly gasped, eyes wide.

"We should throw Zecora a party!" she declared. "We need to thank her for curing us, apologize for thinking she was some sort of evil witch, and finally welcome her to Ponyville!"

She hopped out of the tub and shook herself like a dog. Her entire coat poofed out, the fluff making her looking nearly three times her normal size.

"I'll see you guys at the party," she announce. She then turned away, a serious look on her face. "I've got some serious party planning to do."

Her horn lit up, and in a puff of magic, noisemakers, and confetti, she disappeared.

Moon Pies

It was just after sunset as the royal chariot arrived at the Pie family rock farm. It landed smoothly on a path leading toward the house, the pair of pegasus guards breaking into a trot the second their hooves touched solid ground, and wings tucking up against their sides. Their pace slowed, coming to a full stop just inches from the porch.

Shining Armor, the new captain of Princess Luna's Royal Night Guard, stepped down first. He wore the dark blue armor of his new position and rank, as opposed to the gold armor of those on the day guard who were temporarily reassigned until the night guard proper could complete their training. Turning around, he gave a bow before holding a wing out.

Princess Luna reached out with one of her bat wings, taking a hold of Shining Armor's feathered one. She smiled as she stepped down off the chariot and onto the ground. She then made her way around and faced the pair pulling the chariot.

"Your assistance is much appreciated," she stated. "Please, make yourselves comfortable as it is uncertain how long we shall be visiting with the residents of this farm."

The two guards gave bows, acknowledging her statement, then waited until she had begun walking away before unhitching themselves from the royal chariot.

Princess Luna took the lead as they made their way up the porch. Reaching up with a hoof, she gave a knock on the door.

"Ugh!" a voice groaned out. "Hold on! I'm comin, I'm comin!"

The sound of angry hooves stomping echoed through the house, getting louder as the pony approached. The door was then flung open to reveal a dark gray pegasus mare with a light gray mane and tail.

"What'd yaaaaaaaaaaaa..." the mare trailed off as she looked to see who was there. Her green eyes went wide.

"P-p-p-Princess Luna."

The mare then dropped into a bow, slamming her face audibly into the wooden floor of the farmhouse.

"Please, rise, young pony," Princess Luna stated, "and tell us your name."

"Limestone, your highness," the pegasus answered, moving to stand up.

"Well, Limestone, as you have already concluded, I am Princess Luna." She motioned with a wing. "This is my guard captain, Shining Armor." She returned her attention to the pegasus. "I was informed that a bat pony resides here, and wishes to meet with me."

Limestone let out a huff, ears pulled back and wings twitching.

"Please come in," she said, a note of sourness to her voice. "I'll go get her."

The moment the princess and guard stepped in, Limestone slammed the door shut and turned around, making her way through the house. The two waited where they were, looking around. The small farmhouse was, surprisingly to them both, not made of stone. It look more like it has been made of stucco with wooden framing and supports. Considering they were a rock farm and wood seemed to be a scarce commodity in the area, it was rather unexpected.

"Look," the two of them heard Limestone snapping from somewhere in the house. "This is something you wanted, and Maud somehow managed to make it happen. So you are going out there and meeting her!"

Several seconds passed in silence, interrupted by the sound of scraping across the floor. Limestone returned, pushing along a bat pony mare. Like the pegasus, she was all gray, with a light coat and two darker shades for her mane and tail. One purple eye was hidden behind said mane, while the other stared widely and unblinking.

Princess Luna took a step back, but gave a smile.

"Greetings young pony," she announced, spreading her bat wings wide. "I am Princess Luna, and have been told you wished to meet me. Tell me, what is your name?"

The mare let out a squeak, pulling in on herself more.

"Marble," Limestone answered. "Her name is Marble Pie." She gave the other mare a push forward. "And she's very excited to meet you." She leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "Right?"

"Mm-hm," Marble said, giving a nod as she looked away.

Limestone looked at Marble, who was looking at the wall with her free eye. She then rolled her own eyes, letting out a growl of frustration.

"She really is excited to meet you," Limestone stated. "She's just really shy around new ponies." Her gaze narrowed as it shifted to her sister again. "Which is pretty much everyone not in the immediate family."

"Mm-hm," Marble squeaked again. Her wings pulled tighter against herself and ears pulled back as she slouched down. The pale gray of her cheeks took on a pinkish tinge.

Luna and Shining Armor shared a quick glance. Shining Armor then took a step forward, clearing his throat.

"Well, it was nice to meet you," he said in a calm, friendly tone, "but perhaps we should get going. Don't want to make you uncomfortable, and we have a lot to do." He let out a chuckle. "Actually have the first few bat ponies in training for Princess Luna's guard."

"'twas nice to meet you," Luna stated, giving a small nod. She then turned around, making her way for the door.

"Take me with you!"

Everything suddenly went so quiet, it was deafening. Shining Armor and Princess Luna turned around to look at Marble Pie, who was also being stared at by a wide-eyed Limestone.

"Marble?" Limestone blurted out. "You actually talked out loud?" Her eyes then narrowed. "You want to go with them?"

Marble shrank down again, her wings unfurling to wrap around her. She shifted on her legs and licked her lips.

"I'm... I'm sorry," she said, her voice barely audible. "It's... It's just..."

She too a deep breath and turned to face Limestone.

"We've never met any other bat ponies before," Marble stated. "We don't know anything about them. You've met other pegasi, and Pinkie's met other unicorns. This is a chance for me to learn more about what I am. Things not even our doctor can tell me or that I find in old books."

She took a deep breath, and straightened up. Her wings pulled back to rest against her side as she looked her sister in the eye.

"I need to do this."

Limestone scowled out at her for a long moment. With a sigh, she then looked away, her body sagging as she stared at one of the walls.

"I can't go with you," she stated. "Some pony needs to run the farm while Ma and Pa are out." She then looked to Marble again. "If you want to go, you'll have to go by yourself. That also means that you'll have to speak up for yourself and actually talk to ponies. No hiding behind any of us. Got it?"

Marble gave a nod, smiling a little. She then turned to Princess Luna and Shining Armor.

"Can I?"

Princess Luna gave a smile.

"Certainly," she said. "I am more than happy to help one of my little ponies learn about their history and culture. I welcome you to travel back to Canterlot with us."

She turned her head.

"Shining, if you would please fly and ahead and begin making arrangements for Miss Pie?"

Shining gave a salute and headed for the door, making his way outside before taking off.

Princess Luna returned her attention to Marble Pie.

"I shall be waiting outside when you are ready."

Marble gave a nod and got up. She walked over to Limestone and suddenly wrapped her forelegs and bat wings around the other mare, giving her a hug.

"Thank you."

Limestone blushed brightly, and her wings gave a flutter of annoyance, but she wrapped her forelegs around Marble, returning the hug.

"Yeah, yeah," she growled out. "Love you too."

Limestone then pushed her away.

"That's enough mushy stuff. Go get whatever you need for your trip."

Marble smiled before leaving the room, leaving Limestone and the Princess alone. Limestone cleared her throat, then turned to face Luna directly.

"Marble is the baby of our family," she stated, "and means a lot to all of us. She has never gone anywhere by herself before, always being too scared of getting too far from any of us. Normally it was with Pinkie. My point is this is a big step for her."

Her eyes narrowed as she straightened up, her entire body tensing.

"If anything happens to her, I am not above getting in a fight with a royal guard." Her eyes narrowed further. "Or a princess, for that matter. Understand?"

Princess Luna stared at the rock farmer. Had she just been threatened? Such a thing was treasonous, and if she so desired, the Princess could have Limestone arrested and imprisoned for it. Certainly, Limestone knew such a thing, and there was no way to know if Princess Luna would do such a thing or not.

But Limestone had still done it. Because she was trying to keep her sister safe.

The shock gave way and Princess Luna smiled.

"Fear not, Limestone," she stated. "For we shall do everything in our power to assure that no harm comes to young Marble."

Limestone did not quite smile at that, but her features were less severe her scowl had softened.

Not Rainbow's Fault For Once

Princess Celestia let out a small sigh as she made her way through the halls of the castle, heading toward her private quarters. It had been a fairly standard day for her. Day court had gone well, with none of the petitioners being too outrageous or rude. Not much in the way of her school's paperwork had arrived yet, but what little there had been more than met the approval of The Equestrian Education Association, as well as her own standards as Princess and Principal. Which reminded her that she still needed to to prepare her own lesson plans for the fall semester and submit them for approval as well. Additionally, all of the prior instructors were returning, and none had retired, so there was no need to try and find a new teacher to take over. Supper had been a little lonely since her sister had left to visit the Pie family's rock farm and meet the bat pony that Maud had mentioned, but it was still a lovely meal, and Princess Celestia had dined alone quite a few times over the millennium plus that she had ruled.

One of the unusual things that had happened, was the arrival of a package from Ponyville, sent to her by Rainbow Burst. It had arrived while Celestia was in court, along with a letter from her student as well. Had she been able, she would have read the letter and investigated the package almost immediately. Unfortunately, she still had other matters to tend to, and thus, was forced to wait.

Such was not entirely a bad thing, however. Now that she was done for the day, she could take the time to enjoy the letter her student had sent her in peace and quiet. Just take her time to read it, and maybe write a response. Then she could find out what had been sent to her, and figure out what to do with it.

As she approached the door to her quarters, she noticed the familiar form of a blond unicorn stallion waiting nearby. With a smile, the stallion gave a slight bow.

"Good evening, Auntie," he stated. "I hope you are doing well."

Celestia gave a smile as she approached. She knew her nephew well enough to suspect that his visit was more than simply social, but he could be very sweet and charming when he tried. Although, truth be told, there were times when she wished he would try a little more. She saw great potential in him, but he would have to get over his elitism, class discrimination, and sense of entitlement to live up to it.

"Good even to you as well, Blueblood," she replied. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Curiosity," he answered. "I happen to notice a large package arriving for you, and from what I could tell, it seemed to be some sort of collection of plants. If somepony had felt they could send them to you, they must believe it was something you did not see before. I was hoping to see them as well."

Celestia's smile grew a little larger and more genuine. It had slipped her mind that Blueblood had a strong interest in gardening and plants. It was one of the things that his mother had shared with him and instilled a passion for before her passing.

The letter could wait a little longer. This was an opportunity to share a moment with her nephew, bonding over something that they both had an interest in. Plus, it may also give her a way to improve the relationship between him and Rainbow, having it be less minor antagonism and more genuine civility, which could then be worked up toward a proper friendship.

Or more, but that was not really her purview.

"Certainly," Celestia stated as she opened the door. "Please come in. I would love to discover what plants have been sent with you."

The two made their way into Celestia's private quarters, walking toward the box that had arrived. A clear window had been placed on the top, to let light in, but it was not clear to begin with, and there was condensation on the inside, obscuring the contents further. All that could be made out through the lid was hints of blue.

Opening the box, the two of them looked at the flowers inside. There were nine of the plants in total, each one planted in a little plot of soil. They were a soft, light blue color, with the bloom set in two parts like a daffodil. One part was the outer portion, composed of five petals that splayed out and even twisted a little backwards at the edges. The other was a cup created by three or four more petals, encircling the stamens at the core.

"Quite fascinating," Blueblood said, looking at them. "I don't think I've seen such a flower before. Have you?"

Princess Celestia's brow furrowed as she looked a the flowers.

"I... think so?" she answered, staring at them. "They look familiar to me, but I can't place from where."

"Perhaps from back during the colonization of the kingdom?" Blueblood suggested. "A flower that had been brought from one of the outlying regions?"

"Perhaps," Celestia answered. She continued to stare at the flower, her mind racking as she tried to recall where she had seen it from before. With more than a thousand years of life behind her, it could be difficult to remember some things at times. More so when it was minor and from the further end of her experiences. Even matters which were of great importance become vague.

As Celestia tried to recall, Blueblood leaned forward, pressing his nose against one of the new flowers and giving it a scent.

"Oh, quite lovely. A bit subtle, but with the hint of spice to it. Something between jasmine and cinnamon."

A thought suddenly occurred to Princess Celestia and she smiled.

"Would you like to take one?"

The question caught Blueblood by surprise. He moved back from the flowers, looking up at the Princess with surprise.

"Would such a thing be alright? I mean, these were sent to you."

"And I shall have eight others which I can tend to," Princess Celestia replied. "Besides, I know you will take excellent care of it."

Plus, once he had started to do so, she could point out that it was Rainbow Burst who had sent the flowers to her, and suggest that maybe he should write her a thank you letter. It was unlikely he would do so, but if he did, it would be a step to amending things between them.

Blueblood gave a nod, and turned to the flowers again. He licked his lips and lit his horn with magic. The dirt around one of the flowers began to glow, gently being lifted from the container.

"Well, if you don't mind." He smiled as he looked at it. "It would look rather lovely in the window box. And perhaps I can cultivate enough to plant a few at the country estate."

He turned to look at Celestia.

"Thank you, Auntie. It is quite lovely."

He gave her a kiss on the cheek before making his way for the door.

"I must plant this immediately."

Princess Celestia smiled, watching her nephew leave. It was nice to see him showing a genuine interest in something and being compassionate, even if it was only to a plant. The smile faltered a little as she looked at the plants again. She still could not place where she had seen them before, and it was eating at her. It felt like it was important for some reason she could not place a hoof on.

Perhaps reading Rainbow's letter would help jog her memory.

Horn lighting up, she picked up the letter her student had sent with the flowers. Princess Celestia made her way to the pillow by the fireplace, her favorite place to read such as relax. Undoing the ribbon, she unfurled the scroll and began to read.

As she read, she came across the name of the flowers. Celestia's eyes went wide as it suddenly sank in.

"Oh my."