Everfree Guardian

December has finally rolled around. With the threat of the Dragons coming and going with some hiccups here and there, Nate was finally ready to integrate himself back into his normal, everyday routine, much to the delight of the Apple Family, and the tearful joy of Fluttershy.

His reunion with the two didn't come without consequences for leaving them forgotten for the two weeks he's been away. Fluttershy had practically smacked him into saying that he'll stay, making him promise to never leave like he did again. Applejack, equally upset, put him to work much harder for the same amount of time he's been gone, giving him the bare minimum time to relax and unwind after a hard day before he got back to it. Once the punishment was over, things settled and the trio were once again satisfied.

Nate had been privy to the knowledge of what happened to the Griffon. After she recovered in the hospital and was stable enough to move, she was quickly taken back to Griffonstone, her homeland. With the damage Nate caused and the way her beak was cracked and chipped, there was some irreversible damage that would affect the Griffon's life tremendously. Applejack and Fluttershy inquired why Nate was more violent than usual. In most cases, he would beat the threat down, but leave them intact, or in the other extreme, he would make a killing blow quick and painless. Why did that change, now?

They didn't like their answer.

The first thing Nate could react to was the lashing talons that reached for him as the Griffon closed in, scratching him up as she forced him around and pressed him against the sink, all the while he was struggling and fighting ferociously. A kick to the shins made Gilda wince, the feathered feminine creature hissing as she held him down by his neck, her beak drooling with lust and a thirst for payback.

"Rrrgh, stop fighting me!!"

She leaned over him as she got in between his legs, keeping him from kicking at her as she purred hotly into his ear.

"Just let this happen.~"

She licked the side of his face passionately, tasting skin and little ticks of hair in his sideburns. Growling, Nate threw his other arm up, elbowing her in the side and shoving himself upwards. This threw the Griffon off, allowing him to turn and begin struggling with her as she grabbed him again, slamming him up against the wall multiple times in an attempt to daze him. Her outstretched arms gave Nate a wide opening to throw his fists, beating them across her face and jaw violently before grappling onto her and pushing back. The more this dragged on, the bloodier the two got. Gilda had already had a black eye and a bit of her feathers torn to shit, and Nate had received a gash down his face, which barely missed his eye, and a deep cut in his left arm. Blood drizzled from the wound as Gilda gained the upper hand, shoving the human to the wall and grabbing him by his hoodie. Throwing him through one of the stalls, he collided with the plumbing behind the toilet, a sharp end cutting into his lower back and grinding up past his spine.

He roared in the agony that followed the slice, then pushed against Gilda as she followed him in and pressed him against the spike. She licked and nibbled at him as she tore off various parts of his jeans, shredding them as he continued to fight her.

"Ghhrrgh! Stop teasing me already, you little shit! This is happening whether you like it or not!"

Nate continued to push and kick at Gilda, losing his standing as the spike made moving difficult. The more he fought, the more he found himself losing, and a lingering feeling of emptiness and helplessness hollowed his heart. His conscious flashed various images through his vision as he fought against the mythical creature.

Being held down, forced to take it, forced to watch; it was something Nate knew very well, and it broke him just to see those images ALONE resurface.

Losing his shit almost instantly, the world around Nate cracked and broke away as he let out a slow howl that turned into a shrill cry of ballistic rage. Lifting his legs back, uncaring of the pain as his pupils irises shrunk with the sudden lack of sanity, he kicked Gilda out of the stall, and rushed after her in a fit.

That was the extent of what he could remember before he screamed like he never screamed before, and everything went white. Fluttershy didn't know what to make of it, but Applejack knew almost instantly what Nate had gone through. Being in a large family, there were bound to be... problems. Namely, with Post Traumatic Stress. She has plenty of relatives who come and go, either out of the Kingdom, or into someplace dangerous. They don't EVER come back the same, and sometimes experience episodes like what Nate did, though never quite as violent and... messy.

She wasn't a doctor, but her knowledge of the disorder was on par with one. She'd know if anypony had Post Traumatic Stress the second she saw them go through the trigger. In Nate's case, it appears to be extreme stress.

But where did that PTSD come from? Did something happen on his planet that caused him to be like he is now? These were thoughts Applejack knew wouldn't be answered for some time. So, she let it go for now, and opted to keep an eye on him, especially if others aggravated his temper.

What had both Fluttershy and Applejack angry, however, was the fact that Gilda attacked him, not just in a physical sense, but in a sexual way as well. It made what she faced in the aftermath almost deserving, had it not have been for their good natures as Ponies telling them that the extensive violence wasn't necessary. Nevertheless, the motherly Fluttershy and the "big sis" Applejack weren't going to let that Griffon go without a few new welts and missing teeth the next time they saw her, which they hoped wasn't anytime soon.

Nate, on the other hand, fell back into normalcy almost immediately. He found himself enjoying being in the company of his two friends and one's family after being away for so long.

However, he was not ready to go back into Ponyville. Even if some people knew of his existence now, he wasn't going to risk interaction this time around. Not after what happened last time. Luckily, his image in the public eye had brightened. Apparently, that pop singer he saved from the Dragons was a popular figure among the musicians of Equestria. Her name was Songbird Serenade, and she was making her newest hit at the time of her kidnapping.

With her return, she had curbed the lyrics and changed some of the tempo to fit a more tribute-based song dedicated to the hero she, and many others, owe their lives to. Needless to say, it was a huge hit, and earned Nate a title in the newspapers.

Everfree Guardian destroys Dragon breeding ground and rescues over thirty victims!

Songbird Serenade pays tribute by releasing her newest album "Rainbow", which is dedicated to the heroism of this mysterious stallion!

Nate wasn't sure what to feel when it came to the new name, nor the positive attention he was receiving whenever his name or his title was brought up, but when he'd finally decide to come out and meet the Ponies for real, it'll nice to have friendly faces than scowling ones. Hell, the quotes recorded in the newspapers showed that his work in the Everfree Forest and Everfree Mountain had a major impact on what the bulk of Equestria thought of him. He just hoped he wouldn't have to do a meet-and-greet with the Princess anytime soon.

That's a disaster waiting to happen...

All of this happened in the span of a week or so. Now, Nate's just relaxing. He's gone back to work, visited Fluttershy, and has been doing relatively good ever since he's healed from his endeavors in and out of Ponyville.

But something is wrong today. Everything was quiet. Nopony was around. Not at Sweet Apple Acres, not at Ponyville, not even at Fluttershy's. Nate rose an eyebrow as he walked up the dirt path to Fluttershy's bridge, glancing around as he found his friend's animal pals running about, but no sign of their caretaker. Stepping up to her yard, his presence caught the attention of the little critters, who all chittered and yelped happily at him. Kneeling down as a few chipmunks, ducks, and even Angel came running up to him, Nate smiled through his hood as he petted the latter and held his hand out to the others.

"Hey there, you little bastards. What'cha doing out here all on your own?"

A few chirps and shrill squees were all he got in response, not really clarifying the situation, as Nate can't communicate with these creatures the same way Fluttershy can. However, Angel seemed to be aware of this, hopping in place to get his attention. Looking over at him, he pointed to Ponyville.

"She's in town...? Huh... Why would she go to Ponyville and leave you all out on your own...? Doesn't seem like her."

He looked back down at the critters as the largest of the bunch, Harry the Grizzly Bear, brushed his snout against the human.

Nate could tell something was up. Aside from being happy he was here, all the animals were anxious, afraid of something. This was all wrong. The animals never exhibited this kind of behavior when around the cottage, nor has Fluttershy left them alone like this. Standing up, Nate looked towards Ponyville. He wasn't keen on reentering the town, and had even made it his mission to avoid going anywhere near that place for a good while, but this was important. Fluttershy, for all he knew, was missing, and it affected her critter friends greatly.

Angel hopped up in his pant leg, crawling up to the hem of his jeans and popping out onto his shirt. Climbing up to his shoulder, the bunny was insistent on coming along, pointing ahead to the town Nate was intending on avoiding. Taking a breath, he patted Harry's head away as he moved to leave.

"Stay here, little guys. I'll see where your caretaker's gone."

A few cries, and even a groan from Harry, acknowledged Nate's demand, the lot of them going back to what they were doing as Nate left. Turning on the path, he walked away from the forest his home was in, strolling down to the southern entrance to Ponyville with Angel riding on his shoulder. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he could see things were already off in the town as well. Not only was there a lack of the usual bustling noise he'd always catch whenever passing...

But there was also a lack of anyone. The presence of Ponies was nil. No one was around, and Ponyville was a ghost town. Buildings and homes were boarded up with wooden planks on the windows and bolted shut doors. It looked as if the town was facing it's own Walking Dead episode, but the question was... why?

As Nate walked through the town, his mind cycled through the various threats that could cause a village like this to shut down. Could the Dragons have come back? No, that couldn't be right. If they were here, Ponyville would be in shambles, and wooden planks and iron bolts can't keep them out. Everything was still stable here, so maybe there was a creature from the Everfree terrorizing the town?

It's possible. Nate's been in those woods for a good while now, and he's had his fair share of encounters with the more dangerous horrors that lurk within. Turning the corner, the human found himself back in the shopping district. Like everywhere else, the place was abandoned. Stalls were left unattended with the merchandise still there, fresh and ripe. Whatever was going on in Ponyville is recent if the vegetables and fruits were still good to eat.

*pat-pat*

Nate looked up at Angel as he drew his attention away from the corn on one of the stalls, following the stubby arm he was pointing to a figure in the middle of Town Square. It was, to his knowledge, a Pony. She was cloaked in a brown hood, which obscured most of her body, though Nate could make out a few defining features whenever her arms or legs were exposed. The black and white stripes made him narrow his eyes. This was no Pony, but a Zebra.

And to him, it was a familiar one.

It was a beautiful day in Ponyville. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and even the greenery of nature seemed healthier this time around. All around, you could see the Kingdom's harmonic aesthetic on full display.

However, nopony was out to enjoy it. Despite the Pegasi clearing the sky of all clouds, most shroud themselves in the shadows of their own homes, or in other cases, the darkness of business buildings and restaurants.

But why? Why are they hiding themselves away on day like today? This was the first thought Twilight Sparkle had when she came upon her friends in the ghost town her new home had become. Pinkie Pie and the rest of her close pals were hold up in Sugarcube Corner, all hiding away from some strange mare that arrived in town today. Twilight, confused by this behavior, questioned her friends on why they were concealing themselves like they were, and when Applejack pointed out the reason, all Twilight could see was that very same mare mentioned digging at the ground near Ponyville's Town Hall. She blinked at the mare, wondering just what she was doing...

"Did ya see 'er, Twilight?"

The purple Unicorn turned to Applebloom as she walked up next to her, Spike standing at her other side.

"Did ya see... Zecora...?"

"Applebloom!"

The young Apple flinched at the harsh call of her older sibling, looking up as Applejack scolded her.

"Ah told ya never ta say that name!"

Twilight glanced between the two before looking out the window again.

"Well, I did definitely see her. She doesn't seem to be doing anything other than digging at the ground..."

Pinkie glared over her shoulder at the mare, squinting her eyes as she hissed out.

"Digging EVILLY..."

Twilight gently shoved Pinkie off as she eyed the others with bewilderment.

"And then the lot of you recoil at this. Why?"

Applejack gawked at the star pupil.

"Why? Why?! Is protectin' yer kin a good enough reason fer ya, Twilight? That there Zecora's been comin' and goin' fer ages, popping up every month to do Celestia-knows what. As soon as we saw her, Ah had to carry mah little sister all the way here."

Applebloom stared forward blankly, deadpanning at her sister's blatant lie.

"No ya didn't. Ah walked here."

"Fer safe keepin', Applebloom!"

The little sister of the farm mare yanked herself from AJ's grip, glaring at her with a pout.

"Applejack! Ah'm not a baby! Ah can take care of myself!"

"Not against that creepy Zecora, ya can't."

Everypony else nodded in agreement, pitching in by listing the qualities Zecora exhibited.

"She's mysterious..."

"She's sinister..."

"And spoooo-oookyyyyy!"

Twilight rolled her eyes as she looked back out the window, the others following suit. As they eyed Zecora, it seemed something had caught her attention. Turning to the side revealed some of the mare's features to Twilight, which immediately bashed the assumption that she was a Pony.

But what was she looking at?

A sharp gasp from her friends when seeing Zecora's stripes had Twilight groan at their ridiculousness.

"Will you cut that out?"

They ignored her, mostly, as Rarity cringed at the "Pony's" colors.

"Just look at those stripes! So garish!"

"Hahhh, Rarity, she's a Zebra."

Applejack peeked over at Twilight from her spot at the window.

"She's a what-now, Twilight?"

"A Zebra, and those stripes aren't a fashion sense, Rarity. They're what she was born with."

Applejack turned back to the window, eyeing those stripes and golden rings on her arm.

"Born WHERE, though? Ah've never seen a Pony like her around these parts, save for her, anyways."

"Well, she's probably not FROM here, Applejack, and she's not a Pony. My books say that Zebras come from a far away land. Judging from her attire, she must have migrated here from outside the Kingdom, or lived someplace quieter. Speaking of which, I've never seen her around until now. Where does she live?"

"That's just it, Twilight. She lives in the Everfree Forest!"

The others shivered as Twilight's eyes narrowed, her understanding of their fear now becoming much more clear. Applejack illuminated the said fears even further with her own voiced thoughts.

"The Everfree Forest just ain't natural. The plants grow, animals are takin' care of themselves in there, and the clouds move all on their lonesome. Nopony ever dares step inside them parts, let alone live in there."

Applejack knew she was contradicting the obvious. Despite what she said, she is well-aware that Nate lives out in the Everfree himself. She didn't like it, but the major difference between the human and Zecora is their nature. While Zecora is an oddity, Applejack had long since known Nate to be violent by nature. Any threat he came across, he either put a bullet in its face with those fancy "guns" of his, or threw his fist at its face, no matter what it was. It was his calling, he own special talent. He was a survivor, something Applejack respected.

Zecora, on the other hand, was a red herring. An outlier than never truly fit well with the populous of Ponyville. Not to mention all those rumors about Zecora cursing and placing hexes on Ponies that come across her.

Twilight wasn't buying it, either. She's lived with her elder twin siblings long enough to know when a heaping helping of bullshit was sitting before her. This was all just a bunch of gossip and rumors. She doubted anypony actually SAW her doing anything evil. If anything, Zecora may just be coming to Ponyville to search for something. Maybe even shop, though the digging is a bit off-putting.

She hummed as she was ready to rebuke another wave of these accusations from her friends, but was stopped when Rainbow pointed outside.

"Hey, look! It's that Everfree guy!"

What?

Twilight turned and walked back to the window, Applejack and Fluttershy beating her there and nearly having a meltdown when Nathan Schmidt was standing a few yards away from Zecora. Fluttershy was especially freaking out because not only was her newest close friend confronting such an evil entity, but he had Angel with him. From the look of his stance, Nate seemed like he was readying himself to fight Zecora. The latter, whom was facing him the whole time the others were arguing, had pulled out a wooden staff, wielding it in her left hand while the other was flexing its fingers.

It seemed as though the two were talking to one another, Angel hiding back in the hood of the Everfree Guardian's sweater. Twirling the stick once, Zecora bound forward, spinning with the swing she made to hit the human with. Jumping over the swipe towards his legs, he ducked and slid past the next swipe of the staff, leaping back to the left as the swift strikes bound by the Zebra was of equal speed to his perception. Dive-rolling past Zecora, the Guardian stood up and shot his foot forward, aiming it for Zecora's head. When it missed, he used the momentum to coming back around and go for a leg sweep. Zecora leaped over him, backflipping onto a stall and jumping off with her leg sticking up in the air. Coming down for an axe-kick, the Guardian blocked it with his arms crossed over his head. Shoving her off and backpedaling, the Guardian ducked, weaved, and dodged Zecora's staff as it came at him, only momentarily blocking and parrying her other hand when it came for him in a fist or an open palm.

Twilight was rather surprised at the Zebra's skill. She fought with much more elegance than any Royal Guard at Canterlot Castle. In fact, the only Pony her skills could compare to was General Gleaming Shield, her elder sister. Such grace in her movements as well as the ferocity in her attacks, she couldn't imagine how the Everfree Guardian was reacting and dodging like he was.

She watched with awe as three more blows were stopped, two by his arms, and the last by his fist. Clashing together on the fourth assault, the two didn't even appear winded. Zecora used the opening left by the clash to stab her staff forward. Sidestepping it, the Guardian turned as he grabbed her face, throwing her over him and tearing off her cloak as she went flying towards one of the abandoned stalls. A loud crash, along with splinters of wood raining everywhere, was all that was left of Zecora as she disappeared into the small bits of rubble. The Guardian stood there, staring into the pile with a suspicious posture, as if he knew this wasn't over yet. Clenching his fists together, he turned up just in time to see Zecora come from above, swinging her staff down on top of him. Twilight flinched as a dust cloud was kicked up, the two falling deeper into the soil with the Zebra on top of the Guardian.

Standing over him, Zecora was now without her hood, and was revealed to the populous of Ponyville in its entirety. She was, indeed, a Zebra, and one who barely wore anything at all. Made from the natural leaves and vines of the Everfree, Zecora had on a grass mini skirt, a pair of handmade sandals, a top that concealed only her chest, and the various golden rings on her arm and her neck. A golden hoop was also present, pierced through her ear. She stayed over the human, knelt down and smirking at him. The staff was at the left side of the Guardian's head, stabbed into the dirt with cracks formed all around it. Fluttershy and Applejack panicked, believing this to be the end of their beloved human pal, but this wasn't the case.

With a hearty laugh from Zecora, the Zebra helped the Guardian to his feet, much to the surprise of those within Sugarcube Corner. Holding the staff at her side, it appeared as though Zecora was... praising the Guardian?

Seeing this made Twilight second guess the judgement of her friends even more, and a part of her wanted to go out and actually MEET these two. After all, what better chance does she have to meet two enigmas that are living out in the most dangerous forest in Equestria?

So, that's what she did.

"You have been taking my lessons to heart. Your endeavors within the mountains have certainly played a part."

Nate dusted off his hoodie as he straightened himself out, putting his hands back in his pockets while Angel staggered out from behind the hood, dazed and dizzy from the brief spar.

"Ah, so you saw that, huh? Not exactly my finest hours..."

"On the contrary, you were quite exemplary. It is not often one handles conflict with actions of peremptory. The silver Dragon that terrorized your home is no more, and the mares you have rescued now live the lives of before."

She tapped him playfully with her staff as she picked up her cloak, slinging it back over her shoulders.

"I have taught you well."

Nate nodded as he walked with her back to the hole she was digging, watching from over Zecora's shoulder as she went back to it.

"Yeah. Your lessons on hand-to-hand combat have helped me refine my own skills. Had it not have been for you, or my instincts for fight or flight, I might not have made it out of those caves alive."

He peered down at the hole Zecora was digging, his eyes showing curiosity through the shadows covering his face.

"What are you doing here in Ponyville, Zecora? You digging for some rare ingredient again?"

"In a sense, yes. I am here with aim to siphon nutrients from an Everfree weed, as its contents will cure many with unlimited success."

"An Everfree weed? Why would one of the forest's plants be all the way in Ponyville?"

Zecora brushed away a bit more dirt, uncovering a strange root that was growing a few feet under the soil. Its appearance was primarily black with cyan blue thorns covering the broadside of the vine-like appendage. It also appeared to be moving as if it were alive, or growing at a rate unprecedented.

"What the hell is THAT?"

"This is one of many roots that escape the confinements of the forest's borders. Left unchecked, the roots sprout their own tree life and bring many places disorders. By siphoning the nutrients, the root retreats back to the Everfree along with its variants."

Nate watched as she plunged a syringe into the tip of the root, drawing some sort of serum from it. Taking out the needle, the root was left dried and empty, forcing it to draw back to wherever it came from. Nate could feel more roots underneath him follow suit, true to Zecora's word.

Packing the syringe away, Zecora stood up.

"Alas, I have come for what I needed this time. Do come by my hut for another exchange, for more ingredients from herbs would be sublime."

Nate nodded as he waved to her.

"I'll see what I can do. I haven't been out much, so I doubt I have anything new this time around."

"Anything at all is welcome, so do not be afraid to share your wares when you come."

She gave a curt, polite bow as she turned heel and paced down the road, leaving Ponyville's central district behind as she made way for the Everfree Forest. Rolling and popping his shoulder, he looked around the area to try and find anypony else. He figured they all must still be hiding, or collectively away from the town. Seems stupid to just leave it silent like this, but now, he had to go back to what he was doing.

'Now then... Where could Fluttershy be--'

*SMACK*

The first thing Nate registered before the pain was a big ball of fluffiness. It's not often you're hit with a cannonball that's furry, but in this instance, he was tackled to the ground by one with two cannonballs on their chest.

And while it's sexually appealing, it's not physically so if they're used as weapons.

Nate went skidding across the ground, groaning as Fluttershy had come out of nowhere. With her on top of him, she quickly scooped up Angel.

"Oh my goodness! My little Angel! You're okay!!"

The animal lover hugged the bunny close to her cheek, getting the fuzzy pet to do the same while the human merely groaned beneath them.

"Fluttershy... Please, get off..."

The mare blinked her eyes open, seeing she was straddling her friend. Yipping in surprise and embarrassment, she fluttered up into the air, giving Nate the space he needed to arise from the dirt. Brushing himself off again, he looked up at Fluttershy as she apologized for tackling him.

"No worries, Flutters. So long as you and your "assets" don't break me, there's no foul. Speaking of which..."

He looked around again as Ponies were coming out of their homes.

"What are you all doing, hiding away in your homes?"

Applejack came up next to him, fuming at her worker as she pressed her hands against her hips.

"What were we doin'? What were y'all THINKIN', sugarcube?! Do ya know what kind of nasty things that Zecora could have done to ya!?"

Nate blinked beyond his hood, not understanding Applejack's concern. Looking back at Fluttershy, he could see the same scolding glare on her as well.

"What... are you talking about, boss? Zecora's one of the first people I met when I got here. Knew her ever since I started living in the Everfree."

Both mares gawked at him as he shrugged.

"Don't really see what the big deal is about her. If you were all hiding from her, there was really no point. Aside from the spars she and I have for my training, she's a nice girl. I even have a trading system set up with her the same way I do with Fluttershy."

"I-I... Nate, do you TRULY know who Zecora is?"

The human turned back to Fluttershy, shrugging again as he answered.

"She seems to be just some foreign chemist looking for a new place to settle down. Granted, I wouldn't have chose THAT side of the Everfree as my first choice, but to each their own."

He eyed the two as Ponyville's residence began to emerge from their homes.

"Why? Is there something I should know?"

"Sugarcube, that Zebra is pure evil! She curses and places hexes on Ponies on a whim. She's so mysterious and sadistic that the populous of Ponyville hides whenever she comes into town."

The human rose another eyebrow as he listened to Fluttershy explain another detail this town supposedly knew about the Zebra. Yet another thing that contradicted what Nate knew himself from his personal experiences with Zecora.

"I... hate to burst your bubble, girls, but Zecora's nothing like that. She's a shut-in and prefers seclusion, sure, but she's pretty open to new guests and friends. In fact, she's the one who's been teaching me various hand-to-hand techniques to aid in my survival in the Everfree Forest. Not to mention, the brews she whips up give incredible buffs."

He pulled one out from his pocket, looking over the small vial of bluish-pink liquid before pocketing it. Looking back up at the two, he shook his head.

"Speaking of which, what exactly have you seen Zecora done that was so evil? This rumor had to have come from somewhere, after all."

"W-Well... Once a month, she comes into Ponyville..."

"... Okay... And...?"

Applejack and Fluttershy alternated as they listed off the things Zecora's been doing when emerging from the forest from time to time. Judging from what he's hearing, this is just a sad, sad case of bigotry, something Nate wished was NEVER a thing here.

But then again, he did demolish a Dragon's nest... and committed lizard genocide, so he didn't really have room to talk.

Shaking his head, he tuned back to the things the two mares were saying about his forest friend.

"Then, she goes lurkin' by them stalls out in Town Square."

"Oooookay...?"

"And then, she digs at the ground."

Nate opened his mouth to rebut that, but paused a for a moment.

"... Y'know, if it wasn't for the fact that I already knew why she was doing that, I would label that off as aberrant behavior."

He shook his head again.

"Agh, nevertheless, you two, this isn't any reason to label her as pure evil. Don't you think you're jumping the gun with this whole bandwagon thing? You ARE the Elements of Kindness and Honesty, right? Why get involved and absorbed into gossip when you can just meet her and find out what she's really like?"

He pointed his thumb towards the reopened stalls.

"I mean, for shit's sake, she could actually be SHOPPING at these stalls rather than lurking. You ever think of that?"

He sighed as the two shared a glance with each other.

"Look, I get that differences and something out of the normality here may cause issues here and there, but you shouldn't be afraid just because she's different. That's... actually pretty low of you. After all, I'm not a Pony, and I live out in the Everfree. What's the difference between Zecora and I?"

Applejack opened her mouth to answer, but was stopped when he held up a hand.

"My point is, you should give that Zebra a chance the next time you see her. That's all I'm saying. Do this one favor for me and get to know her as you should."

He turned his eye past them, seeing others approaching them in the distance. Fluttershy and Applejack turned when they were called, Twilight approaching with the others still talking about Zecora. When they turned back...

Nate was gone.

Fluttershy looked around for her human friend, swiveling several times as the others were preoccupied with their debate about the Zebra. Applejack, knowing the human had disappeared and retreated back to the forest, sighed as she placed a hand on the cream-colored Pegasus' shoulder.

"Give him time, sugarcube. He'll come back around eventually. Today just ain't that day..."

"Oh, I hope so. I can't imagine what it's like having only a few friends, or no friends at all. It just seems so lonely."

"We don't know how his kind operates, Fluttershy. Maybe they fancy deeper connections forged with fewer Ponies. It lets them grow close, just like we have with him."

She shook her head as she fixed her stetson hat.

"Ah reckon that mess with Gilda didn't exactly paint Pony or Griffon kind in a good light, either. All we can do is wait at this point..."

The Pegasus' ears fell as she rubbed her arm, half of her face hidden by her mane. Sighing and turning to the others, Twilight inquired where the Everfree Guardian went, only to be disappointed when she was told that he went back to the Everfree Forest.

Turns out he wasn't the only one.

"Hey! Where's Applebloom?!"

The next day after Zecora came to town was... interesting to say the least. It started out roughly the same as the last. The sun was shining, and the birds were out, singing their happy tune.

So what went wrong this time?

"PFFFFFT--!! HAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!"

Well, for starters, one human was laughing himself into a hernia.

"AAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!"

Hanging onto the sill of Fluttershy's window, Nate was nearly wheezing and hacking from the state of hilarity he was in. Standing before him were his two friends, both of which having called upon him to visit after he came out of the Everfree Forest this morning. When he got inside, he was NOT prepared for what he found.

Applejack was tiny, like fucking M&M tiny, and Fluttershy's voice was the exact opposite of what he would affiliate her character with. If anything, she sounded like goddamn BIG MACINTOSH now!

And he was loving every second of it.

"WHHHHHEEEEEEE-- HAHAHAHAHA!!!!"

"Celestia dang it, Nathan Schmidt, this ain't no time fer laughin'!"

"YES IT IIIIIISSS!!!"

He nearly toppled over as the little Applejack was fuming at him. Fluttershy had never said a single word after she demonstrated what she sounded like. Never before had the two seen the human like this, and granted, it had been a long time since Nate had a good laugh like this. For the longest of years, Nate had always been the hardened, cold-blooded survivor, killing on necessity and vengeance in one world, and killing in another just to survive.

But, even so, he was still human, and he wasn't exempt from the other basic human traits. So, when he was laughing his ass off over the fate of his two friends, this found the two looking as surprised as his thoughts. Smacking the sill twice, he took a few breaths to calm himself down, panting as he got a grip on himself.

"Oh... Oh my god... That's too much..."

He wiped a few tears away as he saw Fluttershy deadpanning at him.

"Wh- Hey! Screw you! This is funny!"

He chuckled a few more times before turning down to Applejack.

"What the HELL even happened to you two, anyways?"

Feeling as though Applejack wouldn't be as descriptive with what occurred after he left yesterday, Fluttershy stepped forward.

"We went after Applebloom when we realized she was heading into the Everfree Forest after Zecora. When we found her, we were in a batch of strange blue flowers."

Nate snickered at Fluttershy's voice, but shook it off as he hummed in thought.

"Blue flowers... Were they glowing?"

"Erm, a bit..."

"Hmm... Sounds like you two got infected with something."

"Not just us!"

AppleJack pointed towards the towering window.

"That damn Zebra cursed us all! Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Rarity; ALL of us."

Nate rolled his eyes as he walked up next to the table AJ was standing on.

"I doubt it, Applejack. Zecora isn't a witch. She's a chemist, sure, so doing some experimental potion brewing to procure these effects is a viable conclusion, but an unlikely one. Zecora's brews are often nothing more than just simple inhibitors or potions."

He rolled his wrist as he leaned against the wall.

"You two probably had some sort of reaction from that plant you were talking about, Flutters. You have to remember how unpredictable and unstable the Everfree Forest is."

"I... suppose that's true."

"And if that's the case, Zecora may be your only saving grace here. Her potions can probably revert these effects if she whips up the correct blend."

"Now hold on just a minute! Yer sayin' that we should get HELP from 'er! Are ya out of yer mind?"

Nate glared down at her, the shadows lessening and allowing Applejack to see his face from below. His stare was cold, dead, and irritated. A mix that startled the bite-sized mare.

"I lost myself a long time ago, Applejack, but it seems I'm the only one around here who's seeing the situation as it is, not as what I want it to be."

He snapped his fingers in front of her, her tiny figure staggering back from the loud clap in her ears. She covered them as she looked up at him.

"Open your eyes and wake up from your delusions, boss. Given the situation and your purple friend's magic not working right now, you're out of options. Zecora's your best bet in getting back to normal, so if I were you, I'd bite my tongue and deal with it."

Applejack scowled at Nate, her frown deeply ingrained in her face as she disliked being scolded, or berated, by her own worker. Clenching her fists, she took a breath and let out a low groan.

"Fine... So where are we heading...?"

He picked up Applejack, placing her on Fluttershy's shoulder.

"You two are staying here. I need you to make sure none of your friends go rushing into the Everfree blind. I'll have enough on my plate without having to worry about any of you trying to get yourselves killed. That, and Zecora will react a lot better to a friendly face than a bunch of bigots trying to bust down her door."

That last comment stung Fluttershy, as she could hear the disappointment and disgust in his voice. Shifting in place, she muttered to him as he turned to leave.

"T-Thank you..."

He glared back from the doorway as he reached it.

"Don't thank me for this, Fluttershy. By the end of it all, it will be Zecora you owe your thanks, and an apology, to."

With that, he left, taking the journey into the dangerous woods once again. He didn't get far before he could hear the predators of the forest snarling in warning to his entry. Returning to his silent, untrusting and ruthless self that he was without the presence of Ponies like the Apples, Fluttershy, or even Zecora, the stoic human ignored all that told him to turn away. In fact, the snarling was a welcome to him. His crazed half of his subconscious festered with a ceaseless bloodlust, a targeted frenzy gauged to the wicked and evil, and this forest was an amalgamation of both in its entirety.

Taking out his shotgun, he racked the chamber as he progressed forward, disappearing into the shadows of the canopy.

In the time that Applejack and Fluttershy called upon Nate for help, Twilight had been facing issues of her own.

Affected just the same as the farm mare and shy Pegasus, the bookworm was sporting a bit of an oddity in her horn. That is, her horn was loose and soft as opposed to its natural bone structure. She was still able to use magic, to a degree, but it wasn't nearly as much as before. Gathering up all her friends after a few had come to her house, she saw the ill effects of their experience in the Everfree Forest on the others as well, starting with Pinkie, and her unnaturally-swelled tongue.

"A p--urff!!"

Both Spike and Twilight stared at the normally-chatty pink Pony as her means of communication was effectively silenced like this. It seems whatever happened, it affected each of the Mane Six in ironic ways, tapping into what made them who they were and playing off that, almost like... a joke.

Spike tried to guess what Pinkie was attempting to say, only for Rainbow Dash to come crashing through the window and kamikaze into the bookshelves behind Twilight. Covering her head as the Pegasus knocked down an assortment of books, she looked down at the speedster as she struggled to get her untangled from the mess.

"Urgh-! She's trying to say that Zecora slapped us all with a curse!!"

Twilight cringed as Rainbow Dash ripped herself from the ladder steps, breaking it as she rubbed the back of her neck. Rarity came in next, agreeing wholeheartedly as her mane, fur, and overall hair was just... wild. It was legitimately all over the place, covering her head to toe and obscuring her eyes, and clothes.

Fluttershy came in after the puffed-up Rarity, looking as normal as can be with a tiny Applejack riding on her shoulder. Applejack was noticeably quiet, considering her... "perspective". She still wanted to believe she was right, but her worker's words rang inside her head. She DID go charging into the Everfree without protection, which is something she rarely does. Then again, her little sister had gone in there as well, her intentions on chasing after Zecora for whatever reasons. She didn't have time to pack any gear, so when she went through with a lowered guard, it's possible that what the human claimed was true.

Maybe the Everfree itself did this, and not Zecora. A small part of her denied this, but the honest Apple listened to the rational side of her brain and forged her words as she opened her mouth.

"Gotta say, we definitely did get into somethin' out in them woods, Twilight. Be it a curse, or some sort of weird voodoo from the Everfree Forest itself, we're all infected."

Twilight looked from the tiny Applejack to Fluttershy, seeing she was relatively unharmed by the nature of the Everfree, or a curse from Zecora.

"W-Wait, Fluttershy seems alright..."

"Y'all ever seen the sweetest, gentlest voice in Equestria turn into mah big brother, sugarcube...?"

Twilight turned back to the deadpanning Applejack, gawking as she finally realized what she was implying. Applejack only pursed her lips as she patted the side of Fluttershy's head.

"It'll be a hot minute before she'll feel comfortable speakin'..."

Rainbow shook her head as the daze finally faded, flapping her wings to try and steady herself, only to fall flat agan.

"Ugh! Forget a hot minute! We have to get this curse fixed now, and the only way to do it is by going to Zecora's!"

Twilight glared up at her as she tugged on her tail, taking Rainbow Dash back to the ground so she wouldn't crash into anything again.

"It's not a curse, Rainbow."

Applejack rolled her eyes at the two before sighing.

"Normally, Ah'd be agreein' with Dash, but we don't have to do anythin'. Mah employee's already gone in that treacherous forest to find the Everfree Guardian. He knows Zecora, and he can get 'er to make an antidote for this hex."

Twilight threw up her arms before placing them on her hips.

"Oh for crying- It's not a hex, either! Look, if the Guardian's being sent, then there's no reason for us to endanger ourselves. Let's wait this out. At least, for another day."

"Forget that! I'm not flying like this for another day! If nopony else is gonna buck up and see this through, I'll do it myself!!"

Before anypony could deter her, Rainbow Dash had collided with the ground after attempting to fly, deciding it best to just hoof it to the Everfree and keep her boots on the ground. With Dash gone, Pinkie was next to go, chasing after her Pegasus friend whilst spouting gibberish through her swollen tongue. Rarity followed suit, not wanting to withstand the amount of hair she had to deal with for longer than she needed to. All that was left in the library was Fluttershy, Twilight, and the shrunken Applejack.

Twilight bit her lip in frustration and worry before picking up the miniature farm mare, placing her on her shoulder as she ran out of her home with Fluttershy. She didn't want to do this, especially when a "professional" was already looking for their cure, but if her friends were going to recklessly charge into that damned forest of horrors, she would, at least, be there to help them if they ever attracted any danger. Catching up with the eager mares that charged ahead of her, the sextet were now on their way to Zecora's. Twilight glanced at Applejack as she ran.

"This... Everfree Guardian your worker is friends with... Do you really think he'll be willing to help us? Didn't Fluttershy say he was responsible for Gilda's condition?"

Applejack's eyes narrowed as she held onto Twilight's ear, growling as the Unicorn turned a corner after her friends.

"That no-good featherbrain got wut was comin' to her. The Guardian was just defendin' himself. if it hadn't have been fer Gilda, he..."

She sighed as she tipped her hat over her eyes.

"Ah'm sure he would'a come outta his shell by now..."

Twilight kept her gaze on Applejack for a brief moment before turning back forward to avoid a branch.

"Well, I hope to meet him soon. You make it sound like he's much less of a menace than what was seen with Gilda."

"He ain't no villain, Twilight. He's just... troubled, and not even Ah nor Fluttershy know why, and we've seen 'im around fer quite a few weeks now, and mah worker knew him well for around the same time."

"Hmm... I hope he gets better, then."

Twilight hopped over a downed log, the path thickening as the fog of the forest was waning. Soon enough, the group was coming upon a clearing, where one of the enlarged trees was repurposed into a hut of some sort. If the path taken to rescue Applebloom was any indication, Twilight would assume they had arrived.

They were at Zecora's home.

*BANG*

*CHCK-CHK*

With the concussive blast of a shotgun shell, the last beast in his way went down, dissipating into nothing as the forest consumed its corpse. Standing amidst the rubble of an old castle, Nate had finally arrived to his destination, where what he sought lied just beyond an old carpet.

What was supposed to be a simple visit turned into yet another adventure. Zecora was able to make the cure the Ponies sought to obtain, but to do so, she required another ingredient. Without it, the effects would remain temporary, and the girls would retain their odd appearances and voices. Zecora had pointed Nate in the right direction, leading the human to a familiar ruins.

This... castle that sits in the Everfree Forest. Nate had been here before, always tip-toeing around the perimeter and only rarely entering the courtyard, but never actually going inside. The reason for that is the fact that the place was heavily booby trapped, and littered with monsters that settled in as age crumbled the castle to nothing but an olden structure infested with overgrowth. But, now, Nate had no choice but to enter, and put his attentive skills to the test. From Timberwolves to Manticores, the human used everything in his present arsenal to lay them all to waste, and by the end, he had arrived in the room where his treasured ingredient resided.

A pinkish illumination meshed with the flower's residue. This thing looked exactly like Poison Joke, except it was a strain that released pheromones that would expedite the timeline of heat seasons for most animals. God knows if this works on Ponies, and Nate wasn't going to find out.

Clipping off a leaf from the plant, he pocketed it inside a small plastic bag, which he used a line of string to tie off. Last thing he needed was another creature coming after him for a... different reason.

Putting the ingredient in one of his backpack pockets, he turned to leave, but stopped when he noticed that the pinkish glow wasn't the only light shining in this one of many halls. Within a nearby room, he could see a blue glow emitting into the hallway. Raising an eyebrow, he decided to investigate, following the source of the light into a small room off to the side of a bedchamber that was decorated with a nighttime theme.

From the looks of the bookshelf in his way, this room was a secret chamber activated by a false book lever. With the case already destroyed by natural causes, Nate was able to step through, walking into the small room and finding it bare of any furniture or materials. That is, save for what he found on a single stand.

It was a flask. A single, glowing flask that was radiating some kind of hue like the flower, though not as potent. It seemed to be filled with some kind of liquid essence, and looking towards his left allowed him to see through a small hole in the small room to another identical one. The very same flask sat upon another pedestal, except this one was glowing a sunny yellow-orange color. Confusion ebbed its way into his mind. The human had no idea what the purpose of these two flasks were, nor what they really contained, but something compelled him to take them. Whether it'd be his own curiosity, or some other force edging him to take them, he grabbed the blue flask, then reached over and nabbed the yellow one right off of their stands. Placing them in his bag, he zipped up the pocket and made his way back out of the castle. Lucky for him, the place was relatively empty. After dealing with so many of those things, he had nearly cleaned the entire property of any ghoulish creatures that spawned from this area of the Kingdom.

Getting back outside and crossing over the bridge, Nate retraced his steps back to Zecora's hut, though he didn't expect to find it as it was.

Zecora's front yard was a mess, the clearing destroyed and her masks riddled everywhere. A large hole was in the tree the Zebra repurposed as a hut, and the windows were broken. Nate would assume the forest had done something had it not have been for the commotion still going on inside.

"What have you done with Applebloom?! What have you done to us?!"

Applebloom? Was she out here? Why would she dare to trek through the Everfree alone, let alone to Zecora's? Didn't she know this section was more dangerous than the one Nate set his house up in? Not to mention, it was roughly unguarded and left above ground. Not at all strategic in the ways of deterring the oddities that roam here.

"Ponies! What is this you--"

*CRA-- SPLATTER--!!!*

"No! You know not what you do! You've spilled my precious brew!"

Goddamn it...

Nate picked up the pace to the hut, approaching the door inside as the crashing inside subsided.

"We're onto you, Zecora! I didn't want to believe that you cursed us, but the evidence is overwhelming!"

"You made me look ridiculous!"

"You made me SOUND ridiculous!"

Nate paused at the sound of Fluttershy's masculine voice, groaning to himself as he stepped up to the porch.

"How dare you! You destroy my home, destroy my work, then rudely accuse ME of being a jerk?!"

"You put this curse on us! Now you're going to--"

*SLAM*

Everypony in the room flinched as the door was kicked open by the human, the battered frame being ripped off in the process and causing the entire thing to collapse. Staring in, Nate saw Applejack and Fluttershy among their friends, his request for them to stay uninvolved with their curation ignored, obviously, and now they were causing more problems than necessary. Hell, he looked around and saw exactly what Zecora stated.

They destroyed her home!

Narrowing his eyes, the human stormed into the hut, his footsteps heavy with the weight in his backpack and the material of his boots. One by one, the mares got out of his way, intimidated by his weapon alone, and even more so by his entrance. Nate stopped briefly to glare at Fluttershy, making her back away and shy behind her mane in fear, then proceeded to Zecora, who was looking down at the spilled brew that was soaking up into the wood.

Great. Now, they had to start all over. Grabbing the cauldron, Nate hefted it back upright, seeing that some of the contents inside were still there. If they added more water and a touch more of what Zecora had on standby, they can probably replicate what was lost with ease, but now, they only had enough for one last chance at curing these idiotic mares behind the human.

Glancing to Zecora, he gave a worried look to her, silently addressing her with the concern of her health. Feeling his worry, she waved him off.

"Do not fret. I am but merely upset. These Ponies have charged into my home, and believe me to be the same as the monsters that roam."

Nate turned and looked back at the Ponies, his glare intensifying once more before he drew his bag around, sifting through the pockets and bringing out the ingredient. Despite the mess, Zecora's attitude was still as relaxed and welcoming as ever. Taking the flower petal, she beamed as she added more ingredients and liquid to the mixture.

"Ah, yes! The Poison Lust's petal! With this, I can make a new brew that will make the suffering effects settle."

She quickly danced around the new setup, placing things back to where they were as she took out a few books and vials, as well as the tools to crunch and grind the materials into powder. As she began working, the Ponies were quick to interject, but one rack of Nate's shotgun made them think twice. He wasn't letting them fuck this up again, and he was NOT happy with any of them right now, anyways.

Twilight, feeling her own curiosity override her fear, looked up at the Guardian she was told very little about.

"U-Uhm... Who...?"

Nate turned his head away from her, watching as Zecora placed the new ingredients in the cauldron. Twilight pouted a bit at the notion of being ignored, but let it go as she turned back to Zecora.

"You Ponies found me guilty of cursing you, but you knew not what you walked into."

She pointed to a book towards the side of the room, one that was thrown about in the ensuing chaos moments prior to Nate's arrival.

"If you remember back, you will find that my words were quite exact."

Many of the Ponies were bewildered by Zecora's rhyming language, but with the aid of the book Zecora pointed to, Twilight caught on to what she was eluding to.

"Beware! Beware, you Pony folk! Those leaves of blue are not a joke!"

In the book she read, she found this blue plant documented in one of its various sections. It was an infectious weed that was called "Poison Joke".

"So... Those things you said were a warning about the plants were running through?"

Zecora nodded.

"That plant is much like Poison Oak, but its results are like a joke."

"What in tarnation is that supposed to mean?"

Zecora looked up at Applejack, who was on top of Twilight's head.

"It means that this plant does not breed wrath, but instead wants a laugh."

"... Will somepony please talk normal...?"

Nate shook his head with a small sigh as Twilight put the pieces together.

"I... I think I get it, now. That plant we were running through. The one with the blue leaves. It's called Poison Joke, and we ran through it trying to get to Applebloom yesterday. This isn't any curse! It's just a small infection that played jokes on who we are."

Rainbow narrowed her eyes at this revelation, huffing before turning back to Zecora.

"Okay, fine, but what about the cauldron, and the chanting? Or even the spooky masks?"

Zecora only laughed as she motioned to a few of the masks that survived the bombardment the rainbow-maned Pegasus put her hut through. While everything else was nearly destroyed, the masks remained intact.

"Treasures of the native land where I am from. This one speaks "Hello", and this one gestures "Welcome"."

She turned her hand to the cauldron as the same brew was brimming towards the rim of the large bowl.

"The words I chant were from olden times. Something you call a nursery rhyme."

Twilight looked to the cauldron.

"And... that liquid is...?"

"The cure."

She turned her head to the Guardian when he spoke, hostilities lowered for the brief moment as he finished her thought for her.

"Zecora had sent me to retrieve some herbal ingredients for the mixture. One of which was the petal you saw me hand to her. With these mixed together just right, the brew needs to be absorbed into bath water, and all you'd need to do is just... well, take a bath. Plain and simple."

"B-But, I tried to find a cure in all the books I had in my library, but couldn't find anything. What book is this?"

Twilight turned back to the pages, bringing the cover over and perking up in surprise when she found it to be a book she disregarded from the title alone. Having dealt with supernatural entities and topics, she found it to be nothing but junk compared to real life situations.

Even though magic in itself was supernatural.

Twilight's ears folded when she realized and registered the name, almost berating herself for assuming the book to be fake garbage, when in actuality, it held the answers to their problem.

Nate stood off to the side, watching as the others began to come around as well, their guilt for their racist attitudes towards Zecora showing as they all began apologizing for their false pretenses about her. Seeing there was no need for the gun anymore, he slung it over his shoulder, letting the strap keep it bound to his back just right of the backpack. Just as he thought to leave, he then remembered the flasks he found. Glancing at his bag, he knelt down and rummaged through the pockets again. Only this time, he brought the flasks out for everyone in the room to see. Zecora was the first to notice.

"My, my. What is this you have obtained? Two flasks that have pure magic sustained?"

Everypony followed Zecora's attention to the two square bottles as the Zebra took them, examining both as she eyed the rich, thick nectar that could literally be melded into anything. Pure magic synthesized and stored in flasks like these were almost nonexistent. The mere fact that Nate Schmidt was able to find not one, but two, in his endeavor to cure the Poison Joke was nothing short of luck.

But something was wrong with these two flasks. Wherever this magic came from, it was not of an amorphous shape. In fact, there was no way one could meld anything from it, so why was it stored this way? Another purpose by the users? The colors of the two did seem familiar. Perhaps they were related to the Royal Sisters of Canterlot, who rule over Equestria through the cycles of day and night.

Whatever the case, these flasks were important; special in their own way. Discarding them, or even opening them, was heavily discouraged, as the magic would be wasted in either scenario. So, she gave them back.

"A very interesting find you have come across. However, I recommend you not use this right now, or all of it will be lost."

Nate looked down at the two glowing flasks, eyeing them as Zecora walked back to her cauldron, mixing up the new potion to aid the Mane Six.

Was that it? No explanation as to why he shouldn't use these, or do anything with them? She had described them as magic in its purest form, right? Why can't he experiment and try to finally acquire magic of his own to better defend himself here in Equestria?

He trusted Zecora's judgement, but it wasn't often she left him on such a blatant cliffhanger of information. Guess this must be important one way or another.

Anyways, with the flasks momentarily dealt with, the Mane Six were ready to head back to Ponyville with Zecora in tow. Nate, on the other hand, just wanted to go back home and sleep this shithole of a day off. Lord knows he needed it after all the crap he had to go through to help these Ponies, even with their bigotry active most of the time.

Goddamn Ponies...

Sighing, he turned and managed to slip away before anyone was the wiser. Making his way back towards the more docile section of the Everfree, Nate descended down into his various tunnels, clearing it of the occasional pest here and there as he went. When he finally got back to his hub, he was quick to enter his home once again and take a load off. Dumping the backpack by the door and putting his guns away, Nate placed the two flasks on the kitchen table, leaving them be as he went to take off the clothing he's worn all day. Matted and sweaty himself, he felt dirty with gunpowder, ashes, and bits of wood and flesh from the Everfree Forest creatures. Shaking off a piece of skin, he went into the only extension in his building, turning on the faucet to the shower and stepping in when it was ready.

As he cleaned himself down, he failed to notice the pulsating hue of light just outside of his curtain. The glow of the flasks intensified for a brief moment, then receded back its dimmer glow. In the time the light was brighter, the orange flask seemed to have more than just a bit of unknown magic swirling through it.

After all, pure magic doesn't have a face, or sunset-orange eyes.