In hindsight, it made so much more sense to try the Poison Joak antidote to reverse the curse. Then again, she'd raise quite a few eyebrows asking for an antidote to a problem she didn't appear to have. Caramelle knew that Ponyville's spa had the remedy for Poison Joak, but she was to embarrassed to go somewhere so public, so she set off the long way back towards the Everfree Forest to see Zecora, stashing the eggs she laid along the way in bushes and behind rocks like some sort of twisted version of the Equinox Bunny.
She fortunately arrived at the forest without catching anypony's eye. She avoided stepping in any of the Poison Joak on the way to Zecora's place, lest she grow wings or lose the power of speech. After what seemed like hours, she arrived at the tree that sheltered Ponyville's mysterious foreign neighbor.
She slunk into the small tree hut, and made sure the door was shut firmly behind her. Embarrassment clear on her face, she cleared her throat and smiled at Zecora, who smiled back at her.
"If you had been in lesser light, I would have cause to doubt my sight. Tell me, what's the reason you have come to look like Scootaloo?" inquired the zebra.
Caramelle scraped her hoof on the wooden floor in embarrassment. "Um, I think I may have drank some Poison Joak." She paused to lay another egg on the floor, which she kicked aside in an attempt to appear nonchalant, only to have her embarrassment increase as it slit across he floor and cracked against the wall.
Zecora's eyes moved from the splat of egg on the wall of her hut, her expression turning from one of bemusement to one of concern. "That would explain the eggs of purple, and the feathers on your curple. It does, however, raise the question of just what caused this ingestion."
"It was a dare."
Zecora saw straight through her. "It is not my place to pry; you needn't fabricate a lie." she said as a look of understanding and embarrassment dawned on her face. "If I should choose to be invasive, you've a right to be evasive."
Caramelle blushed and decided not to try to deny it. "Thanks. It's… kind of a long story."
Zecora nodded. "If I brew the cure now then will you not eat the plant again?" she asked with a smirk.
"Well then, let us both get started, then our ways will thus be parted." Zecora announced while pulling out a book. "Though I ask that you should return if from this your trust I should earn."
Caramelle watched as Zecora moved deftly about the small hut, tossing various spices into a large cauldron, the mixture inside turning a greenish color. At length, she looked up from the cauldron.
"Now the antidote's completed; those effects shall be defeated. Soaked through the skin would work for some, but in your case it's through the tum. Since the blue leaves you did drink, you must ingest the cure I think." Zecora smirked. "Since the plant has been digested, this method is what's suggested."
Caramelle drank the concoction from a ladle Zecora held in her mouth, and felt the oogenesis inside her oviduct come to a halt. After she finished, Zecora put away the ladle and continued. "Just in case, I suggest that you also soak inside the vat." She dragged the rest of the remedy to a tub, and mixed it with water.
Caramelle lowered herself into the tub and sank in. She lay back, enjoying the warmth up to her neck. She felt the feathers begin dissolve away, and sunk further down, sticking just her face out of the brew.
"Holler when the soak is done. I must aid geese of ten and one." Zecora turned around and went back to the book, flipping to a different page and rinsing out the cauldron. She then grabbed a basket with her mouth and went outside to harvest plants for her new concoction. She collected a bright yellow herb and some roots from a nearby tree, as well as petals from a rose. After some time, she went back to check on Caramelle.
As she opened the door, she saw that her guest had fallen asleep in the vat. She chuckled to herself. "While a hot bath is often cozy, I must ask that you not get doze-y." Wait… something was off. As Zecora stepped toward the tub, she saw that a different face was poking out of the potion. Zecora walked up carefully and nudged the dozing pony. "I came to check that you were well, but is this even Caramelle?"
After some prodding, her answer came rather groggily. "Huh, wha, yeah it's Caramel." After a beat, Caramel flipped over and stood up quickly. "Hold on; I can explain."
Zecora just stared with wide eyes. "Um, I poured that for your sister, but I see that I have missed her. There is just one question I've: how did I not see you arrive?"
Caramel was silent for a time, but decided to confirm her suspicions. "It's still me. This has been going on for my whole life, and we think it was because of Poison Joak. That's the real reason I drank some. Could you keep it a secret, though? Only my family and doctor know now and I'd like to keep it to myself."
Zecora nodded. "This is a secret I won't tell, and I must say I wish you well. For a condition so tragic, I would seek unicorn magic."
Caramel nodded. Well, looks like it's back to the library. He thanked Zecora, and offered to let her clean up.
Zecora shook her head. "You have enough on your plate; go out yourself and set your fate."
Caramel stepped outside and shook himself dry, refusing Zecora's offer of a towel, and took off east back toward Ponyville, letting the wind dry himself off the rest of the way. However, half of the way to the library he stopped and turned to go to his home. There, he dried off with a towel and grabbed the book Twilight had given him.
A few minutes later, he arrived at the library. Caramel took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.
"Hey, Caramel. How did the thing go with the garden?"
"Uh, Twilight, I have something to tell you."
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]