"Wow, what a gorgeous day." "Rainbow Dash must have got up early for once and cleared all the clouds away." "I bet all in Ponyville is got to be out enjoying the sunshine." "What?" "Where is everypony?" "Is it some sort of pony holiday?" "Not that I know of." "Does my breath stink?" "Not more than usual." "Is it... zombies?" "!" "Nuh-uh..." "Not very likely." "Not likely, but possible?" "*whispering* Pssst..." "Twilight!" "Spike!" "Come here!" "Come!" "Here!" "Hurry, before she gets you!" "Uh, who?" "The zombie pony?" "Zombie pony?" "Spike, there are no zombie ponies." "Pinkie, what are you doing here alone in the dark?" "I'm not alone in the dark." "Okay then, what are you all doing here in the dark?" "We're hiding from HER." "Did you see her, Twilight?" "Did you see Zecora?" "Applebloom." "I told you never to say that name." "Well, I saw her glance this way." "Glance eeeevilly this way." "And then a bunch of you flip out for no good reason." "No good reason?" "!" "You called protecting your kin "no good reason"?" "While as soon as my sister saw Zecora riding' into town, she's started shaking in her little horse-shoes." "D.i.d. .n.o.t." "So I swept" "I walked here myself!" "For safe keep." "Applejack!" "I'm not a baby." "I can take care of myself." "Not from that creepy Zecora." "She's mysterious." "Sinister." "And spooooooky." "Will you cut that out?" "!" "Just look at those stripes!" "So garish." "She's a zebra." "A what?" "!" "A zebra." "And her stripes aren't a fashion choice, Rarity." "They're what she was born with." "Born weird." "I never seen a pony like that in this parts, except HER." "Well, she's probably not from here." "And she's not a pony." "My book say that zebras come from a far away land." "But I've never seen her in Ponyville." "Where does she live?" "That's just it." "She lives in the Everfree Forest!" "Spike!" "Eh." "Sorry." "The Everfree Forest just ain't natural, the plants grow, animals care for themselves, and the clouds move" "ALL ON THEIR OWN!" "And that wicked Enchantress, Zecora, lives there doing her evil... stuff!" "Oh, she's so evil, I even wrote a song about her." "Here we go..." "She's an evil enchantress" "And she does evil dances" "And if you look deep in her eyes" "She will put you in trances" "Then what will she do?" "She'll mix up an evil brew" "And she'll gobble you up" "In a big tasty stew" "So... watch out!" "Wow..." "Catchy." "It's a work-in-progress." "This is all just a lot of gossip and rumors." "Now tell me, what exactly have you actually seen Zecora do?" "Well..." "Once a month... she comes into Ponyville." "Ooooh..." "Then... she lurks by the stores..." "Oh my!" "And then... she digs at the ground." "Good gracious!" "OK." "I'm sorry..." "But how is any of this bad?" "Maybe she comes to town to visit?" "Yeah." "Maybe she's just trying to be neighborly." "And maybe she's not lurking by the stores." "Maybe she's going to them, lurk free, to do some shopping." "Yeah." "Everypony likes to shop." "You know what I think?" "Apple Bloom!" "Hush and let the big ponies talk." "I am a big pony..." "What about digging at the ground?" "You got to admit - that's weird." "What if she's digging for innocent creatures?" "*Pinkie Pie singing in the background* I'm sure there is an explanation for everything Zecora does." "And if anypony here were actually brave enough to approach her, she would find out the truth." "Well, I'm brave enough." "I'm gonna find out myself." "You ponies are being ridiculous." "Well, I heard that Zecora... eats hay." "Pinkie, I eat hay, you eat hay!" "Yeah..." "But I heard it's the eeeevil way she eats hay..." "Hey!" "Where's Applebloom?" "The door's open!" "She went outside!" "And Zecora's still out there!" "That silly little filly." "I've told her to stay put!" "Spike, you stay here in case Applebloom comes back." "Will do!" "Applebloom?" "!" "You get back here right now!" "Beware!" "Beware, you ponyfolk!" "Those leaves of blue are not a joke!" "Y-You keep your creepy mumbo-jumbo to yourself, you hear?" "Yeah, was that supposed to scare us?" "!" "[gobble you up in a big tasty stew]" "Oh, brother..." "Beware!" "Beware!" "Yeah." "Bat catch you Zecora." "You and your lame curse are the ones who better beware." "And you!" "Why couldn't you just listen to your big sister?" "I-I..." "Who knows what kind of nasty curse Zecora could've just put on you?" "Just like in my song!" "[...evil enchantress and ... evil dances...] [..and the trances]" "You guys, there's no such thing as curses!" "Well, that's interesting to hear coming from this magic pants herself." "My magic, real magic, comes from within." "It's a skill you're born with," "Curses are artificial, fake magic." "It's counter with potions and incantations, while all smoke and mirrors meant to scare." "But curses have no real power." "They're just an old pony tale." "Just you wait, Twilight." "You're gonna learn that some pony tales really are true." "[She's an evil enchantress and she does evil dances]" "[Beware!" "Beware!" "]" "[And if you look deep in her eyes she will put you in trances]" "[Yeah, was that supposed to scare us?" "!" "]" "[Wicked, wicked, seizor] [...curse]" "[Then what will she do?" "]" "[Just you wait, Twilight... some pony tales really are true.]" "[And she'll gobble you up in a big tasty stew]" "[So..." "WATCH OUT!" "*MWAHAHAA*]" "Ohh..." "What a dream." "Curses-shmurses." "Wow." "Heh." "Maybe Zecora cursed my hair... he-he." "Or she cursed my horn!" "No, no, no, No, NO!" "None of these books have a cure!" "There has to be a real reason for this." "An illness?" "An allergy?" "A curse!" "I said a real reason." "Something that points to something real." "How about this one?" "Supernaturals?" "Spike, the word supernatural refers to things like ghosts and spirits and zombies." "Which are as make-believe as curses!" "This books is just a bunch of hooey!" "But what if you're wrong, Twilight?" "What if this really is a... *a a truth!" "*" "A purse?" "How could it be a purse?" "Pinkie!" "What happened?" "*pfipfe pfupfopf pfu*" "Hey!" "Say it, don't spray it, Pinkie." "*ouch* *ow*" "She's... trying to say *ouch*" "Zecora... she slabbed us all with a... curse!" "I'm afraid I have to agree." "I hate to say I told you so, Twilight, but I told you so." "It's a curse I tells ya." "But Fluttershy seems just fine." "Yes, there doesn't seem to be a thing wrong with her." "Fluttershy, are you okay?" "Is there something wrong with you?" "Would you care to tell us?" "So, you're not gonna tell us?" "Yes - you're not, or yes - you will?" "Good greaty, girl." "What's wrong with you?" "*deep low voice* I don't wanna talk about it." "This is hilarious!" "Look at all of you." "We got:" ""Hair"-ity," "Rainbow "Crash"," ""Spitty" Pie," "Apple-"tini"," "Flutter-"guy" and... eh..." "I got nothing." ""Twilight Sparkle"..." "I mean, seriously, I can't even work with that." "Ha-ha-ha." "This is no joke, Spike." "Now start looking for more books so I can find the cure." "I think we'll find the cure to this curse at Zecora's place." "It's not a curse." "I agree with Dash." "We'll go to Zecora's and force her to remove this hex." "It's not a hex, either!" "This is all my fault." "If I hadn't followed Zecora in the first place, none of this would've happen." "I just got to fix this." "Now where does she think she's going this time?" "I don't care what you say, Twilight." "It's time to 'pony up', and confront Zecora!" "Come on, girls." "Are you with me?" "*ayathpf*" "And I as well." "I-I don't know." "Seems awfully dangerous." "How about you, Applejack?" "Applejack?" "*shfe'f gonpf*" "Or somepony stepped on her?" "Or sat on her?" ".." "Rarity's hair!" "Ow, aw!" "Pinkie?" "!" "What are you doing?" "!" "Really!" "Did you hear of personal space?" "*nopf*" "Applebloom is gone too!" "I bet they went after Zecora." "Well, we better go find them." "Come on, girls." "Let's go." "Oh, dear." "Oh, this is so unseemly." "Hey!" "A little help here." "Oopsie." "Sorry." "Eeemm..." "S-Spike?" "Are you coming?" "Nope." "Em." "Got to stay here and look for a cure." "Oh! "Twilight Flopple"!" "Stop right there." "Turn around right now, missy." "No." "No?" "!" "You can't ignore a direct order from your big sister." "Sorry, Applejack, but I'm the big sister now." "Applebloom, you come back here right this instant!" "I'm gonna tell Big Macintosh on you!" "Ow, pony feathers." "Come on, girls." "We've got to get to Zecora's." "Hurry!" "Easier said than done." "Hey!" "Wait for me!" "Rainbow!" "Thanks Celestia." "There's no time to lose!" "I need to get to Zecora's pronto." "Get it up, pony!" "Eexcuuuseee me?" "!" "*YEEEHAWW*" "What tha?" "!" "No, Rainbow Dash, the other way!" "Ew, I look horrible!" "*thithp pflapth lopth horipfl*" "Oh, my." "That place really does look horrible." "Nice decorations." "If you like creepy." "*pth spththe mithn!" "pth spththe mithn!" "*" "She stole your song?" "No, Pinky, doesn't sound anything like your song." "She's an evil enchantress and she does evil dances" "And if you look deep in her eyes she will put you in trances" "Then what will she do?" "She'll mix up an evil brew" "And she'll gobble you up in a big tasty stew" "So... watch out." "You saw those terrible things." "Now you believe us, Twilight?" "Scary-looking masks, confusing incantations and a great big bubbling cauldron?" "Oh..." "Everything is pointing to Zecora being... bad." "Or..." "What if Zecora's just making soup?" "Um..." "The perfect temperature for ponies, I presume." "Now .... where is that little Appleboom?" "Or..." "What if she's making Appleboom soup?" "!" "What if she's making Appleboom soup?" "!" "I'm coming for ya, Applebloom!" "Wow there!" "Easy Rainbow Crash." "What have you done with Appleboom?" "!" "No!" "No!" "Ponies, what is this you do?" "No!" "You know not what you do." "You've gone and spilled my precious brew!" "We're on to you, Zecora." "I did not want to believe that you've cursed us." "But the evidence is overwhelming." "You made me look ridiculous." "You made me sound ridiculous." "***You made my tongue ridiculous!" "***" "You ruined my horn!" "How dare you?" "!" "You destroy my home, destroy my work." "Then rudely accuse me of being a jerk?" "!" "You've put this curse on us!" "Now you're gonna uncurse us." "It is unwise to be into down this road." "Your actions will make my anger explode!" "Where is Applebloom?" "Zecora, I think I found all the things you've asked for." "What in Ponyvile is going on here?" "!" "Applebloom!" "You're okay!" "Why wouldn't I be?" "Because Zecora is an evil Enchantress who cursed us and was gonna cook you up in a soup!" "Ha-ha." "Oh, Twilight." "Did those silly fillies finally get into your head?" "You know there's no such thing as a curse." "Applebloom, sweetie, you can't just stand there and tell me this isn't a curse." "This isn't a curse." "If you will remember back." "The words I spoke were quite exact." "Beware!" "Beware, you ponyfolk." "Those leaves of blue are not a joke." "It was a warning." "About that blue plant." "It's called "poison joke"." "That plant is much like poison oak." "But it's results are like a joke." "What in a hay does that mean?" "It means this plant does not breed wrath," "Instead this plant just wants a laugh." "Will somepony please talk normal." "I think what she's saying is that when we ran into save Appleboom, we ran into the "poison joke"." "All our problems are just little jokes it played on us." "Little jokes?" "!" "Very funny." "Okay, fine." "But what about the cauldron?" "And the chanting?" "And the creepy decor?" "Treasures of the native land where I am from." "This one speaks "hello", and this "welcome"." "Not welcoming at all, if you ask me." "The words I chanted were from olden times." "Something you call a nursery rhyme." "But the cauldron?" "The Applebloom soup?" "Looky here, Twilight." "That part of water was not for me." "It was for all these herbal ingredients." "The cure for "poison joke" is a simple all-natural remedy." "You just got to take a bubble bath." "But I tried to find a cure in all my books and couldn't find anything." "What book has this natural remedy?" "Here is the book, you see?" "Sad that you lack it in your library." "Actually, I do have this book." "But I did not look inside because the title was so... weird." "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 bother to look inside..." "Ha-ha-ha." "Maybe next time you will take a second look, and not judge the cover of the book." "Zecora, would you be kind enough to mix up another batch of the herbal bath?" "Mix it up I certainly will." "Yet I'm missing an herb from Ponyvile." "Whenever Zecora comes to town all the shops are mysteriously closed." "Oh, well, I think we can help you with that." "Look, Rose!" "How awful!" "The wicked Enchantress has cursed them all!" "The horror!" "The horror!" "Run, ponies!" "Run!" "Daisy, we need to talk." "Dear princess Celestia," "My friends and I all learned an important lesson this week." "Never judge the book by it's cover." "Someone may look unusual, or funny, or scary, but you have to look past that and learn what 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." "Miss Zecora, I would love to get a receipt for this bath." "It simply luxurious." "Applejack!" "Hey!" "Where is Applejack?" "I'm right here, LITTLE sis." "I ain't tiny no more!" "Oh..." "I have never felt so lovely in all my life!" "Oh my gosh!" "I never realized how horrible is not to be able to talk!" "I mean I love talking so much but I can't talk anymore when my tongue was all *bleh*" "It was the worst, don't you agree, Fluttershy?" "Yes."