It was just another beautiful day in Ponyville, not a cloud was in the sky. Discord had left for a few days to talk about the Gala with his aunt and Twilight told him everything about her first sleepover. It sounded like fun to him, he's never had a sleepover with friends. Course, he never had friends until now. "Wow, what a gorgeous day."
"Rainbow Dash must have gotten up early for once and cleared all the clouds away," Spike joked.
"Who knows? My aunt's sun is shining, the sky is clear, it just makes you want to fly... if you have wings that is."
"Yeah, I bet all of Ponyville is gonna be out enjoying the sunshine." They looked around and saw nopony around. "What? Where is everypony?" The entire town seemed deserted, ponies shut their windows, they forced their fillies and colts inside.
"Is it some sort of pony holiday?" Spike asked looking for at least one pony outside.
"I don't know. I know some towns have unique holidays but this feels like something out of a horror show."
"Does my breath stink?" Spike breathed fire and sniffed the air.
"Not more than usual," Twilight told him.
"Is it... zombies?!"
Discord chuckled a bit. "Zombies are creatures of the undead. In the last thousands moons, nopony has seen a creature of the undead, nor have they been capable of creating one. So, it's unlikely," Discord explained.
"Not likely, but possible?" Twilight closed her eyes trying of thinking what to say but she heard something.
"Psst." They looked around and saw Pinkie Pie in the dark at Sugar Cube Corner. She was calling out to them. "Twilight! Discord! Spike! Come here!" They stood in place, confused at the sight. "Come here! Hurry! Before she gets you!" With that they ran into Sugar Cube Corner, thinking there was danger in the area.
A flashlight shined on them. Scared, Spike hugged Twilight while she and Discord rubbed their eyes at the sudden light. "Who? The zombie pony?"
"Z-zombie pony?" Pinkie Pie stuttered. Spike hugged Twilight harder to where she couldn't almost breath.
"Spike, there are no zombie ponies. Pinkie, what are you doing here alone in the dark?" Twilight asked as Spike got off her back.
"I'm not alone in the dark."
Their eyes adjusted to the light and they saw the rest of their friends with Applejack's little sister, Apple Bloom. "Okay, then, what are you all doing here in the dark?" Discord asked them, he couldn't understand why they were hiding. 'Is it a bad pony? Or a creature? If so, why hasn't my Aunt heard about this?'
"We're hiding from her." Terrified, Applejack barely opened the curtain and pointed outside. Confused, Twilight, Discord, and Spike looked outside and saw a pony wearing a robe, digging in the dirt. Discord and Twilight watched her, waiting for something bad to happen but she just looked their way, terrifying everypony except for Twilight and Discord. They looked at the ponies and dragon annoyed.
'They're scared of a pony? Why? What did she do?' Discord thought to himself.
"Did you see her, Twilight and your highness? Did you see…Zecora?" Apple Bloom asked them scared.
Applejack looked at her sister and scolded her, "Apple Bloom! I told you never to say that name!"
"And kid, just call me Discord, I don't like being called your highness. It's so... regal," Discord told her. She smiled at him, glad to know he was a cool as her sister told him.
"And Apple Bloom, I saw her glance this way," Twilight told her still confused why her friends were scared out of their minds.
"Glance e-e-evilly this way!" Pinkie Pie told with spooky tone in her voice. "... and then a bunch of you flip out for no good reason."
Discord chuckled. "Yeah, I mean it's just a pony. What harm can she do?"
"No good reason and just a pony?" Applejack pulled Apple Bloom closer to her which made the young filly a bit uncomfortable. "You call protectin' your kin no good reason and that weird looking thing just a pony?" Applejack let her go and started patting her head. "Why, as soon as my sister saw Zecora ridin' into town, she started shakin' in her little horseshoes!" She shook her sister back and forth to show her point.
Apple Bloom then said in a shaky voice. "Diiid nooot!"
Applejack put her on her back then said, "So swept her up and brought her here."
"I walked here myself!" Apple Bloom told her.
"…for safekeepin'."
Apple Bloom got off her sister's back and told her, "Applejack, I'm not a baby! I can take care of myself!"
Discord couldn't help but feel sorry for Apple Bloom, his mother and aunt were overprotective of him sometimes so he knew how she felt. 'Wow, and I thought my mom and my aunt were overprotective.'
"Not from that creepy Zecora," Applejack told her with confidence.
"She's mysterious..." Fluttershy said softly but loud enough for others to hear her.
"Sinister," Rainbow Dash added.
"And spooooky!" Pinkie Pie said in a creepy tone.
Twilight Sparkle and Discord, clearly unconvinced, took another look out the window and found themselves at the bottom of a six-pony-and-one-dragon crush doing likewise. The brown-cloaked figure of Zecora put down her hood which exposed a dark gray and white striped, Mohawk-like mane and gold hoops in the ears. The group gasped at the sight. "Will you cut that out?" Twilight told them.
"Just look at those stripes. So garish," Rarity said, horrified by her fashion sense.
"She's a zebra," Discord told her bluntly.
"A what?!?" The ponies shouted.
"A zebra. And her stripes aren't a fashion choice, Rarity. They're what she was born with." Rarity cried out in horror and fainted on the spot.
Discord rolled eyes and muttered under his breath. "Oh brother." He couldn't believe that these ponies were so scared of a zebra.
"Born where? I never seen a pony like that in these parts…'cept her!" Applejack sounded terrified as she spoke.
"Well, she's probably not from here, and she's not a pony. My books say that zebras come from a faraway land. But I've never seen her in Ponyville. Where does she live?"
Spike snuck off while the ponies were talking to get a snack for himself. "That's just it. She lives in…the Everfree Forest!"
A thunderclap shakes the room, scaring the daylights out of her, Fluttershy, and Pinkie. Twilight knew the culprit. "Spike!"
Spike dropped multiple pans and pots while getting the snack. "Uh, sorry."
Discord, hoping he could get them to calm down, said, "Applejack, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and I lived in the Everfree Forest thousands of moons ago, I don't see what's so bad about that."
Applejack then pointed out, "Yeah but only because you left after Princess Luna's banishment. The Everfree Forest just ain't natural. The plants grow…"
"Animals care for themselves…" Fluttershy added.
"And the clouds move…" Rainbow Dash added.
Together, the three ponies said, "…all on their own!" Rarity cried out in horror again and fainted.
Discord sighed annoyed. 'Drama-queen.'
"And that wicked enchantress Zecora lives there doing her evil…stuff! Oh, she's so evil, I even wrote a song about her!" Pinkie Pie told them.
Rainbow Dash, in a tired tone, said, "Here we go."
"She's an evil enchantress. She does evil dances. And if you look deep in her eyes. She'll put you in trances. Then what will she do? She'll mix up an evil brew. Then she'll gobble you up. In a big tasty stew. Soooo... Watch out!" She struck the best two-legged menacing pose she could and heaved for breath. Everypony just looked at her confused and shocked at the song.
"Wow not bad, quite a catchy song actually," Discord complemented.
"It's a work in progress."
"This is all just a lot of gossip and rumors," Twilight told them.
"Yeah I mean, she can't be that bad," Discord pointed out.
Twilight agreed with him. "Exactly, now tell me what exactly have you actually seen Zecora do?"
Rainbow Dash started with each thing they have noticed. "Well…once a month, she comes into Ponyville."
Sarcasticly, Twilight said, "Ooooh!"
Rarity then said, "Then…she lurks by the stores."
Fake terrified, Twilight said, "Oh, my!"
"And then, she digs at the ground," Fluttershy faked dug into the ground.
Sarcastly, Twilight said "Good gracious!"
While they were pointing out each "evil" thing Zecora has done, Discord couldn't help but think of his draconequus form. Everypony thought he was evil because of his magic or his appearance. Nopony tried to talk to him or be kind to him. If he didn't have his mother or his aunt, who knows what could have happened. 'They are judging Zecora for her actions and looks, just like me, these ponies are being ridiculous.'
"Okay, I'm sorry, but how is any of this bad? Maybe she comes to town to visit." Twilight's voice took him out of his thoughts as she made a valid point.
"Yeah! Maybe she's just tryin' to be neighborly," Apple Bloom pointed out.
Discord smiled uncomfortably adding, "And not doing evil things."
"And maybe she's not lurking by the stores, maybe she's going to them, lurk-free, to do some shopping?" Twilight pointed out.
"Yeah! Everypony likes to shop. You know what I think?"
Applejack looked at her sister scoldingly, "Apple Bloom! Hush and let the big ponies talk."
"I am a big pony," Apple Bloom said to herself.
The Mane 6 started to talk amongst themselves as Pinkie Pie sang her song about Zecora and once Twilight said, "I am sure there's an explanation for everything Zecora does. And if anypony here were actually brave enough to approach her she would find out the truth."
That's when Discord and Apple Bloom got an idea. 'I can go up to her, I'm a draconequus, I can handle myself.' He watched Apple Bloom leave and he decided to join her.
They watched her from a distance, digging at the ground, dodging each time they looked at her. "Discord, what are you doing here?" Apple Bloom whispered.
"Same as you, kid, I'm going to get down to the bottom of this. Prove that all these rumors are just a bunch of hooey." Apple Bloom smiled at him. Once Zecora finished digging in the ground, she left and they pair started to follow her.
Back at Sugar Cube Corner, Twilight was still trying to get her friends to see past the ridiculousness of their actions and ideas with Zecora. "You ponies are being ridiculous!"
"Well, I heard that Zecora eats hay," Pinkie Pie told her.
Twilight rolled her eyes and retorted , "Pinkie, I eat hay. You eat hay."
That wasn't enough for her since Pinkie said, "Yeah, but I heard it's the e-e-evil way she eats hay."
That's when Applejack noticed it. "Hey! Where's Apple Bloom?"
"Discord is missing too!" Twilight noticed.
"The door is open," Fluttershy pointed out.
"They went outside!" Rarity said distressed.
"And Zecora's still out there," Rainbow Dash pointed out terrifying everypony. A young filly and the prince of Equestria were outside where they would get hurt or worse.
"That silly little filly! I told her to stay put."
With that the Mane 6 ran out and Twilight told Spike, "Spike, you stay here in case Apple Bloom or Discord come back."
"Will do!"
From a distance, Discord and Apple Bloom were still following Zecora. Discord just wanted to confront her but he had a filly with him and he needed to be careful. Sure, the girls just told them rumors but he knew that this could end badly if he made a mistake.
As Zecora entered the Everfree Forest, the duo followed her. On the outskirts, Apple Bloom hesitated while Discord entered it with ease. "Come on, I'll protect you." With a smile and a deep breath, Apple Bloom walked in the forest. The pair followed her exact path, including avoiding the blue flowers on the way.
"Apple Bloom, Discord!" Zecora turned around and saw the pair following her. They turned and saw the Mane 6 in the plethora of blue flowers. "You get back here right now!"
"Beware! Beware, you pony folk! Those leaves of blue are not a joke."
Applejack ran over and scoped her sister on her back. "Y-you keep your creepy mumbo jumbo to yourself, you hear!"
The group, except for Twilight and Discord agreed with her. "Oh, brother."
"Beware! Beware!"
A fog engulfed the scene and Zecora disappeared into it. "Yeah! Back at you, Zecora! You and your lame curse are the ones who'd better beware!" Rainbow Dash shouted back.
"And you! Why couldn't you just listen to your big sister?" Apple Bloom didn't know what to say. "I-I..."
Twilight was then reminded of a pony she needed to scold. "And Discord! You gotta be more responsible!"
"What? I'm a full grown pony. What makes you think I'm irresponsible?" Discord told her. 'Well, I'm a full grown draconequus but still."
Sarcastically, Twilight said, "Oh gee, let me think."
One time, Twilight was working on a soup but then it exploded because Discord put something in it. "DISCORD!"
"Oops."
Another time, Discord crashed through the ceiling while Twilight was sleeping. She woke up with a start and looked at him annoyed. He smiled nervously at her as he waved
The third memory was when they were returning from a trip to the shop and the lights were on in the Golden Oak Library. "Discord! What did I tell you about leaving the lights on?!"
The lights suddenly flicker on and off until the power went out. Twilight sighed, "I'll get the candles."
Discord rubbed the back of his head. "Okay, so yesterday was a bad day. That doesn't mean I'm irresponsible. I was going to protect Apple Bloom incase something happened."
"That's not the point! Who knows what kind of nasty curse Zecora could have just put on you two?" Applejack told them.
"Just like in my song. Evil Enchantress! With the dances! And the trances!"
Twilight was still baffled that these ponies believed this rumors. "You guys, there's no such thing as curses."
"Twilight is right. Curses aren't real."
Rainbow Dash flew through the flowers and added while pointing out her horn, "Well, that's interesting to hear coming from Mister and Miss Magic Pants themselves."
Twilight looked at her annoyed then said, "Our magic, real magic, comes from within. It's a skill you're born with. Curses are artificial, fake magic. It's conjured with potions and incantations all smoke and mirrors meant to scare." Rainbow Dash mocked Twilight in the background, not believing her for a second. "But curses have no real power."
"Twilight is right again. They're just an old pony tale." The girls left, leaving Twilight, Discord, and Applejack alone.
"Just you wait, Twilight and Discord. You're gonna learn that some pony tales really are true."
Later that night, Twilight and Discord both experienced nightmares. Twilight couldn't help but think about what her friends said about Zecora in her dreams while Discord had a night about his friends finding out that he's a draconequus.
"Get the freak!"
Discord ran as fast as he could, everypony knew. They knew he was a draconequus and they hated him for it. He was backed into a corner. He saw six dark shapes with red eyes and fangs.
"Ugh! He's so ugly. Look at that arms and legs. How uncouth!"
"I'll wrangle him like a unruly hog!"
"Yeah, If he flies, I'll catch him, I'm the fastest pony in Equestria!"
"I'll never invite him to a party!
"I could never like a freak like you. I can't believe we had tea parties every week!"
"It's over, Discord. We have to turn you to stone."
The dark shapes revealed themselves to be his friends. They had the Elements on and they were gathering energy. "No, No, NO! I didn't do anything. I haven't hurt anypony. I would never hurt anypony!" The rainbow appeared and shot itself at him.
Discord woke up sweaty and freaked out. He looked at his claws and sighed. He turned himself back to normal. 'They hate Zecora. They fear her for her looks and certain things she does. Maybe he should never reveal himself, if they didn't like Zecora then they would hate him even more.
He heard a scream and came rushing out. "What?! What happened?" Twilight and Spike were in the library looking through various books. "Twilight, what's going on?"
"I don't know!" She turned to him and her horn was now floppy and covered in blue polka dots.
"Whoa! What in Equestria happened to you?"
She shook her head. "I don't know, I've searched through all my books and I've found nothing. There isn't a cure for this in any of my book!"
"Twilight, calm down. There is a reasonable explanation for this," Discord told her.
"A curse!" Spike said, looking up from his book.
"It needs to be a real reason... something that points to something real," Twilight told him. Spike showed her the book he was reading. "Supernaturals? Spike, the word "Supernatural" refers to things like ghosts and spirits and zombies, which are as make-believe as curses. This book is just a bunch of hooey."
Spike looked down discouraged. "But what if you're wrong, Twilight? What if this really is a..."
"A pfurse!" Pinkie Pie came in and her tongue was bigger and it was covered with blue polka dots.
"A purse? How could it be a purse?" Spike asked confused.
"I think she means curse, Spike," Discord told him.
"Pinkie! What happened?!" Twilight asked concerned.
"Pee pah pah pfurse pah! Pee pah pah pfurse pah pah!" Pinkie spat on Spike and he was covered in spit.
"Hey, say it, don't spray it, Pinkie!"
A crash shocked all of them. "Ow!" It was Rainbow Dash, her wings were upside down on her and were on her chest under her front legs. "She's..." She kept crashing into the window with almost every word. "Trying to say... ow!... Zecora...she slapped us all with a... ow!" Rainbow crashed into the library and she crashed into a wall. "...curse!"
"I'm afraid I have to agree." Rarity came in and her hair had grown long. Her mane, tail, and her white hair had grown to unexpected proportions overnight. She blew the hair out of her face so she could see her friends but it didn't help. Twilight and Spike gasped at the sight. Discord was just in shock, everypony had something happen to them overnight.
"I hate to say I told you so, Twilight, but I told you so!" Applejack had shrunk to the size of a pin and her voice was high pitched. Apple Bloom had to bring her since she was too small to walk to the library. Everypony gasped at the sight, what happened to her was near impossible. "It's a curse, I tells ya!"
Fluttershy came in and she was the only one who didn't have anything different about her. She seemed completely normal. "But Fluttershy seems just fine."
"Yes, there doesn't seem to be a thing wrong with her," Rarity pointed out. Fluttershy looked down, it was obvious something was wrong but she didn't say it.
"Fluttershy? Are you okay?" Twilight asked her, but the pegasus turned away, she didn't seem to want to speak. "Is there something wrong with you?" She nodded. "Would you care to tell us?" Twilight asked her but Fluttershy refused to look at her. "So... you're not gonna tell us?" Fluttershy nodded. "Yes, you're not, or Yes, you will?"
Fluttershy shook her head but Applejack has had enough with this. "Good gravy, girl! What's wrong with you?!"
"I don't want to talk about it," Fluttershy had a deep male voice which shocked everypony but Discord and Spike laughed uproariously.
This was the funniest thing either of them have seen in ages. They completely ignore the angry look Twilight aimed at them. "This is simply hilarious!" Discord said between laughs.
"Right!" Spike laughed again. "Look at all of you! We got Hair-ity."
Discord pointed at Rainbow and said, "Rainbow Crash."
Spike pointed at Pinkie and said, "Spittie Pie."
Discord pointed at Applejack and said, "Apple-Tini."
Spike pointed at Fluttershy and said, Flutterguy."
Discord pointed at Twilight and said, "And Twilight Flopple."
Spike laughed at Twilight's nickname. "Good one Discord." They high-fived each other leaving Twilight more annoyed.
"This is no joke, you two. Now start looking more books so I can find a cure." Spike and Discord couldn't help by look at Twilight's horn which was flopping around. They groaned as they walked over to a pile of books in search for a cure.
The group began to argue about whether or not they were cursed by Zecora. Apple Bloom watched them fight and couldn't help but feel guilty. "This is all my fault." Discord could hear the young filly talk to herself. "If I hadn't followed Zecora in the first place, none of this would have happened. I just got to fix this."
Discord whispered to Spike about his plan and he nodded. Discord walked out with Apple Bloom not knowing a tiny pony joined them.
A few minutes after Discord and Apple Bloom left, the girls noticed that they were gone. Knowing exactly where they went, they decided to go after Zecora.
Discord and Fluttershy ran into the Everfree Forest with a mission to find a cure for their friends. "Stop right there!" They could hear Applejack but they couldn't see her. Applejack appeared from Apple Bloom's mane and told her, "Turn around right now, Missy! Discord, I can't believe you brought her here again! Take her home, now!"
The two smirked then said, "No!"
Applejack was stunned. "No?! You can't ignore a direct order from your big sister! And you, I don't care that you're a prince! Take my sister home!"
Apple Bloom tossed Applejack into the air and caught her. She set her on a branch and laughed, her sister couldn't get down, even if she tried. "Sorry, Applejack, but I'm the big sister now."
"I promise, my dear. Nothing will happen to your sister." The duo left her alone. She shouted at them but they didn't come back.
"Apple Bloom, Discord, you come back here right this instant! I'm gonna tell Big Macintosh on you!" The duo didn't return, leaving her trapped. "Oh, pony feathers."
Discord and Apple Bloom arrived at Zecora's hut and needless to say, they felt a bit nervous. "It's okay, Apple Bloom. Remember, curses are just old pony tales. I think Zecora can help, even if the others don't think so." Apple Bloom smiled and nodded.
They walked up to the door and knocked. Zecora answered the door and this time, she wasn't wearing her robe. She wore five golden necklaces, she had an odd shaped sun that reminded them of a cutie mark and golden bracelets on his front left hoof.
"Hello, my name is Discord and this is Apple Bloom." Apple Bloom waved nervously at Zecora. "You saw us yesterday, remember."
She smiled. "Yes, I remember. I saw you and dear Apple Bloom."
"Great, something is wrong with our friends and we were hoping you had something that could help," Discord told her.
"I do indeed. But I must admit, there are some ingredients I can never seem to get. Come in, I have some tea, but I must admit, all I have is green."
"No worries. Apple Bloom and I can get the ingredients, what do you need?"
Fluttershy, Rarity, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie arrived at Zecora's home and they were all creeped out. It was like nothing they had ever seen before. "Oh! I look horrible!" Rarity was covered in leaves, sticks, and dirt. Her long hair was getting caught on everything.
"Plis place plooks horrible!" Pinkie Pie moved Rarity's hair to show her Zecora's home.
"Oh, my. This place really does look horrible." Twilight nervously walked over to the home along with the others. They peeked through a window and saw her decor. "Nice decorations... if you like creepy!"
Zecora came into with a face in her mouth. The ponies hid from sight and Zecora poured an odd substance into her cauldron. She spoke in a native language that the girls couldn't understand.
Pinkie Pie noticed something and said, "Pfhe psole my psung! Pshe spluh mm mm!"
The girls couldn't understand her at all. "She stole your song?" Rarity asked.
"Oh, Pinkie. It doesn't sound anything like your song," Twilight told her.
Pinkie looked at Twilight then realized she couldn't do much. So, she looked at Fluttershy pleadingly. She sighed and started to sing, "She's an evil enchantress. And she does evil dances. And if you look deep in her eyes. She'll put you in trances. Then what will she do? She'll mix up an evil brew. Then she'll gobble you up. In a big tasty stew. Soooo... Watch out!"
"You saw those terrible things. Now do you believe us, Twilight," Rarity said, hoping that Twilight would now believe them.
"Scary masks, confusing incantations, and a great big bubbling caldron? Everything is pointing to Zecora being bad. Or…what if Zecora's just making soup?" Twilight reasoned.
"Mmm…the perfect temperature for ponies, I presume. Now, where are Discord and Apple Bloom?"
Twilight now started to panic, their friends little sister and the prince of Equestria were about to be made into a soup. "Or…what if she's making Discord and Apple Bloom soup?" The ponies screamed in fear just as Rainbow Dash and Applejack came crashing into Zecora's home.
"I'm coming for you, Apple Bloom!"
Zecora shouted in her native language as Rainbow Dash crashed into various bottles and masks in Zecora's home. Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy stormed into and Twilight asked, "What have you done with Apple Bloom and Discord?!"
"NO! NO!" Zecora didn't answer the question as she shouted at Rainbow Dash to stop destroying her home. Applejack used a lasso to grab Zecora's ear and she wrestled it like a hog but it failed to be threatening. Rainbow Dash continued to crash into the walls and various objects in Zecora's home. "Ponies, what is this you..." Rainbow knocked over Zecora's cauldron spilling the green substance everywhere. "No! You know not what you do! You've gone and spilled my precious brew!"
"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."
"Pfe pfuh pfuh psound puf-pluh-pli-plus!"
"You ruined my horn!"
This infuriated Zecora, they accused her of things she never did. "How dare you?! You destroy my home, destroy my work, then rudely accuse me of being a jerk?!"
Annoyed, Rainbow Dash told her, "You put this curse on us, now you're gonna un-curse us!"
"It is unwise to venture down this road. Your actions will make my anger explode!" Zecora told them scaring them all.
She could curse them again but Twilight gained the courage she knew that she needed. "Where is Apple Bloom? Where is Prince Discord, nephew of Princess Celestia?"
Zecora and Twilight was about to get into a fight until they heard a familiar voice. "Zecora! I think we found all the things you asked for."
Apple Bloom and Discord looked inside and saw Zecora's home completely destroyed and their friends and sister in her home. "What in chaos' name is going on here?" Discord asked confused.
Applejack gasped, shocked to see her sister alive and well. "Apple Bloom. You're okay!" The small pony was still on Zecora's ear trying to tie her down.
"Why wouldn't I be, Discord's been with me the whole time." Discord nodded.
Feeling relieved, Fluttershy said, "Discord! Thank goodness you're okay."
"Of course we're okay my dear, why wouldn't we be?" Twilight stood in front of them protectively.
"Because Zecora is an evil enchantress who cursed us and was gonna cook you both up into soup!" To Twilight's surprise, Zecora Apple Bloom and Discord laughed.
"Oh Twilight, did those silly fillies finally get in your head?" Apple Bloom laughed.
"Yeah, you know there's no such thing as a curse."
"Apple Bloom, sweetie, you can't just stand there and tell me this isn't a curse," Twilight told her as if it was a matter of fact, gesturing to her friends and their cursed appearances/voice.
"This isn't a curse." Apple Bloom and Discord walked inside.
"If you will remember back, the words I spoke were quite exact."
They looked at each other then Discord told them. "She said, Beware! Beware, you pony folk. Those leaves of blue are not a joke."
"Yeah, it was a warning about that blue plant. It's called Poison Joke." Apple Bloom told them.
"That plant is much like Poison Oak, but its results are like a joke."
"What in the hay does that mean?" Applejack asked her.
"It means this plant does not breed wrath. Instead, this plant just wants a laugh."
Applejack was still confused so she said, "Will somepony please talk normal?"
Twilight thinks she understands now. "I think what she's saying is that when we ran in to save Apple Bloom and Discord, we ran into the Poison Joke. All our problems are just little jokes it played on us."
"Little jokes?! Very funny." Applejack did not see the joke.
Discord took a bow and said, "Created my yours truly."
The Mane 6 looked at him annoyed and Twilight said, "What?"
"See, before my mom was banished to the moon, I took a heavy interest in plants. I wanted to make one that would be funny or be used to pull pranks. Thus Poison Joke was born, though, it looks far different from when I first made it. It used to be pink but now it's blue an it didn't have four petals, it had five. Evolution is crazy isn't it." Twilight gave Discord her annoyed scowl. "Hey, don't give me that look. I got in trouble when I sent it to a colt. I didn't even recognize the plant."
Ignoring that, Rainbow Dash said, "What about the cauldron?"
Fluttershy then asked, "And the chanting?"
Rarity then asked, "And the creepy decor."
Zecora was happy to show them her things. "Treasures of the native land where I am from. The one speaks "Hello" and this... "welcome"."
Rarity looked at a mask that had long green viney hair that creeped her out. "Not welcoming at all, if you ask me."
Zecora continued her answering. "The words I chanted were from olden times... something you call a nursery rhyme."
Twilight was letting it all sink in then she asked, "But the cauldron, the Discord and Apple Bloom soup?"
"Look here, Twilight, that pot of water wasn't for me or Discord. It was for all there herbal ingredients. The cure for poison joke is a simple, old natural remedy." She lifted her sister on her hoof as she said, "You just got to take a bubble bath."
Twilight read through the book and it did indeed show the cure for Poison Joke. "But I tried to find a cure in all my books and couldn't find anything. What book has this natural remedy?"
Zecora closed the book revealing the same book Spike had shown her earlier. "Here is the book. You see? Sad that you lack it in your library."
Twilight looked down then back to Zecora. "Actually, I do have this book. But I didn't look inside because the title was so... weird." Zecora opened the book to page she needed to read. "Supernaturals... natural remedies and cure-alls that are simply super. I...I... I'm so sorry, Zecora. I had the answer the whole time, if only I'd bothered to look inside."
Zecora laughed. "Maybe next time you will take a second look and not judge the cover of the book." Apple Bloom laughed.
"She's right. Twilight, the reason I made Poison Joke was to get back at a pony who judged me. My horn and eyes are not like normal unicorns." Twilight did remember Discord and Princess Celestia mentioning that he had no friends and many ponies judged him for his horn and eyes. She also remembered what he said a few weeks ago but decided to keep quiet about it.
"I sent it to him not realizing what my actions would cause. I made a simple cure even when making it but still, it didn't end well. My mom and Aunt found out about it after ponies came to them about what happened. I learned my lesson from that but the point is, you can't just look at a somepony and judge them for their looks or actions. You never know what they can do for you." Zecora nodded.
Twilight asked, "Zecora, would you be kind enough to mix up another batch of the herbal bath?"
"Mix it up, I certainly will. Yet I am missing an herb from Ponyville," Zecora told her.
"But whenever Zecora comes into town, all the shops are mysteriously closed," Apple Bloom told her.
Twilight smiled as she got an idea and it seems her friends had the same idea as her. "Oh, well, I think we can help you with that."
Discord, Apple Bloom, Zecora, and the Mane 6 entered town and everypony fled into their homes are stores. Twilight approached the flower shop and said, "Daisy, we need to talk."
After explaining to the town about who Zecora really is, they went to the spa and Zecora was able to cure them of the Poison Joke. Rarity's hair was back to normal, Fluttershy's voice was soft again, Twilight's horn was straight, Pinkie Pie did a cannon ball and her tongue turned back to normal. Rainbow Dash helped Zecora, Apple Bloom, and Discord pour the remedy into the bath and once Rainbow finished, she joined her friends in the bath.
Dear Princess Celestia,
My friends and I all learned
an important lesson this week and
your nephew, Discord, helped us.
He showed us that you should
never judge a book by its cover.
Someone may look unusual or funny
or scary, but you have to look past that
and learn who they are inside.
Real friends don't care what your cover is.
It's the contents of a pony that count.
And a good friend, like a good book,
is something that will last forever.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle.
Lotus Blossom approached Zecora and asked, "Miss Zecora, I would love to get the recipe for this bath. It's simply luxurious."
Zecora smiled and she was about to give it until Apple Bloom realized something. "APPLEJACK! Hey! Where's Applejack?!" The ponies started to freak out, thinking they stepped on her or she drowned in the bath.
"I'm right here, little sis." Applejack was in her own bath that was perfect for her previous size, now she's much too big for it. "I ain't tiny no more."
"Oh! I have never felt so lovely in all my life," Rarity said feeling so relaxed.
"OH MY GOSH! I never realized how horrible it is not to be able to talk! I mean, I love talking so much and when I couldn't talk anymore, my tongue was all... aaaah!" She stuck her tongue out, remembering what the Poison Joke did to her. "It was the worst! Don't you agree, Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy smiled and nodded in agreement. "Yes." Her voice was back to normal giving all the ponies a good laugh.
A few days later, Zecora requested that Discord come to her hut to talk about something. He wasn't sure what but it seemed serious if she wanted to see him alone. He knocked on her door and welcome in her. "Welcome, Discord. Thank you for coming without an escort."
"You're welcome, Zecora. You wanted to speak to me about something."
She gave him a cup of tea then said, "I know what you are, Discord. Tell me, why do you keep this disguise? You may have tricked other eyes, yet theirs are different from mine."
Discord paled at her words. "What are you talking about? I'm just a normal unicorn, just like Twilight and Rarity."
She laughed. "You cannot fool me, I think on this, we can agree?"
Discord sighed. "So, you can see through my disguise? Do you know what I am?" She nodded.
"A draconequus hiding as a pony, how could this come to be?" Discord started his story, how he was abandoned by his mother, how Luna found him and treated him like a son, and how he got his pony disguise. "I am sorry that has happened to you. Is there any chaos you are going to brew?"
"Never. I promised that I wouldn't ever use my magic to harm others. I don't know if there is a draconequus code of honor but I can give my word as a Prince of Equestria that I will never use my magic to hurt others."
Zecora smiled at him. "That is good to hear. Though this lie you have, is it out of fear?"
"Yes. Ponies hated me. They hated how I looked, they feared I would going to hurt my mom. I would NEVER hurt her or my aunt." Discord slammed his hoof on the table to made his point, he spilled their teas. "Sorry." He fixed up their teas as he continued, "When my mom turned into Nightmare Moon, ponies thought I did something to her. It was awful, I couldn't go into town without fear of getting hurt. I had Princess Celestia wipe ponies memories of me and my draconequus form. I made myself this pony disguise to make friends but even this didn't work." Discord fixed up their teas and even cleaned up the mess.
"I am sorry you were hurt but the lies you have spoken can only make things worse." Discord knew she was right but he was so scared. He was scared of ponies judging him, hurting him, he couldn't asked his aunt to erase their memories. Last time it was easy, not with there bring more ponies here then there was over 1000 moons ago, it would be impossible. "If I may, remember today?" He nodded. "Take the message to heart, and you will see that it will not be for naught."
"Okay. I will tell them but... not now. Can you keep this a secret?"
Zecora nodded. "I will keep this secret for you, after all, it is what friends do."
"Now that is true."