Another week, another adventure, eh? Not much to say, about this, just an update, so… Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I, Lord Genesis Shadow, do hereby state that I do not own the rights to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Thank you, and have a nice Friday.
…
A few weeks passed quickly in Ponyville, and so far things had gone great. Repeat crowds for the new shows, I'd gotten used to my new cloak, and I had Horatio's hat ready to surprise him. I was just waiting for the right time. Sky kept saying she wanted him in a good mood, so she wanted me to use it to butter him up a little for her. Part of me wanted to give it to him and be done with it, but she kept insisting, so I still had the hat. She'd tell me the night before, and I'd give him the hat the following day.
Pinkie Pie was a regular visitor lately, and she had a few stories to tell about what she and the others had done, not limited to meeting a hydra in Froggie Bottom Bog and Twilight receiving tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala, along with enough for the others. Along with Pinkie Pie, Twilight came by now and then to see how much fun everypony was having. It was somewhat surreal, that six famous ponies, acted just like the rest of us, and didn't ask for special treatment. If I were in Applejack's place though, I'd ask for financial aid for the farm, since she apparently worked quite hard to earn just enough money to pay the bills and other expenses.
"Hey, Ace." Sky said. "Something strange is going on in town." I looked up from my book. "Everypony's going in, and, there's this strange pony in a brown cloak walking into town."
"That, is kind of strange…" I said. "What, can we do?"
"Well…" She said. "We could investigate, ask why everypony's indoors. Maybe the pony walking into town can tell us?" I went back to my book.
"Good idea." I said. "Specs is good with questions."
"Ace…" She said.
"I'm on a good chapter here." I said. "And before you ask, no, it's not a spellbook, it's a Daring Do novel. So, if you don't mind, I'm right in the middle of where she's grabbing a sapphire statuette from a trapped room." She walked over.
"You read Daring Do?" She asked.
"Yup." I said. "I hear they're working on a movie for this one. I wouldn't mind catching it." She shook her head.
"Bookmark?" She asked.
"Maybe later…" I said. The book suddenly had a bookmark placed in it before closing, and floating under my pillow. "Hey, she just grabbed the statue, the floor caved in, and she was surrounded by magma while her wing was out of commission. Not fair, Specs."
"Come on, we need to ask around." Sky said. "I told dad you'd be up for this. Don't make me a liar." I sighed and got out of my bed.
"Honestly." I said. "I'm getting out more each week, and still I get dragged out of my comfy bed and away from a good book." I pointed at her as Specs put my cloak on me. "You should try reading sometime. Daring Do is a great series." She got behind me and began pushing me, and I walked until she got me out, and then she moved beside me.
"Come on bookworm." She said. "Let's go."
"Yeah." Specs said. "This could be interesting. Like a mystery."
"My only mystery is how will Daring Do escape that trap?" I said. "That's what I want to know." As we walked into town, we looked around, and it was completely silent, and empty. "So, where is the traveler so I can get back to my book?"
"Ace, girls, over here!" Pinkie's voice called. We looked over and saw the others running. "We need your help! Applebloom went missing! I think it's Zecora's doing!" We looked at one another before running over. As reluctant to deal with others as I was, kidnapping was something I'd always get involved with, even if it meant showing my wings. When we caught up to the girls, Applejack looked over at me.
"Who's Zecora?" Sky asked.
"She's this strange pony that lives in Everfree Forest." She said. "My sister disappeared, and we think Zecora might be involved. I don't know about kidnappin', but she ain't here, that's for sure." We ran toward the forest and slowed down, looking around quickly. "I don't like this place. Never will. It ain't natural."
"The clouds move…" Rainbow Dash said.
"The plants grow…" Applejack said.
"And the animals take care of themselves…" Fluttershy said.
"On their own." They all said together. I looked at the forest.
"So, where do we look?" Specs asked.
"Zecora's hut's this way." Rainbow Dash said. "I saw it from the air once. This path leads right to it." We all walked in carefully, looking around. I heard a noise and looked to see Twilight pointing at Pinkie Pie briefly.
"Pinkie, don't scare them with that song." She said. "I'm sure this can all be explained." Pinkie nodded slowly and I looked to my right a little, and I saw a field of blue flowers and a young filly.
"There!" I said quickly. "Is that Applebloom?"
"Yeah, let's hurry!" Applejack said. "We need to get her home quick. She must be terrified!" They ran ahead, but I stayed back a little. If they were afraid, maybe there was a good reason. I kept an eye out for anything moving, but besides that, I'd read that Timberwolves lived in the Everfree Forest. I didn't want to deal with the likes of them. Living wooden wolves that were just as ferocious as regular wild wolves definitely weren't on my list of creatures to meet. As I got closer, I looked to see them talking, but as I reached them, a figure moved out.
"Beware, beware you ponyfolk!" She called. "These leaves of blue are not a joke!" I tuned it all out as I looked at the flowers, where they touched my legs. I saw some pollen on my hooves when I heard Applejack turn, so I looked up.
"Come on, let's get out of here before she comes back." She said. They ran, so I turned, but looked back to see two glowing eyes looking over. I looked ahead and ran to catch up, briefly jumping and gliding over some branches for extra speed. When I caught up, Specs slowed down.
"Did Zecora's accent seem, familiar?" She asked.
"A little, but, I can't place it." I said. "But, what she said… The whole, beware and leaves of blue… We were standing in blue leaved plants."
"Doesn't matter." Sky said. "We should be safe from any curses now."
"There's no such thing as a curse!" Twilight called.
"I agree." I said. "Just a lot of superstition."
…
I moved under my blankets when I heard a loud scream, and I shot up, instantly falling out of bed and landing on my chin. I scrambled to get up and saw the camp running toward Specs' tent, when a second scream came from Sky's tent. I rapidly got my cloak and glasses and ran out as fast as I could, but something felt off. I didn't stop until I slid to a halt in front of Sky's tent, and she stuck her head out.
"Ace…" She started.
"Sky?" I asked. "You're…"
"See through." She said. She stepped out, her whole body not totally there. Like, she was a ghost. "I'm still, physically here, but… I can see through my hooves. A-am I…"
"Totally, translucent." I said. She raised her head.
"No, freaking, way." She said. "W-what about, Specs?"
"Uh, guys…" Specs said. We looked over, and Sky jumped slightly as I stared.
"Uh, hi." I said. "Wow. That's, a surprise." She had a third eye, in her forehead, just below the horn.
"Well, you said nothing would surprise you…" She said. "Here's, nothing." I rubbed my eyes. "Yes, it's, a pineal eye. Go ahead, say it."
"Say, what?" I asked.
"It's a 'sight you've never seen'." She said. "Or, how about, 'you're a sight for sore eyes'… Or, 'hey, four eyes is now six eyes'."
"Specs, you know we wouldn't, say that…" Sky said. "But… What happened?"
"We're cursed, by Zecora!" Specs said. "Ace, wh-what did she, do to you?" I looked at my body for a moment.
"Nothing, I can tell, right now…" I started. Sky gasped.
"Oh, my, Celestia." She said. I looked at her. "Ace, you, you have, a horn." I blinked.
"W-what do you mean?" I asked. Specs gasped.
"Whoa, I was looking at your cloak, and then your hair…" She said.
"Ace, you've, you've got a horn!" Sky said. I looked up slightly. "It's, it's a Unicorn horn. What… Why would she curse you, with that?" I reached up slowly and touched, a solid object. Pushing it made my head move, so I blinked.
"Wake up Ace, you're dreaming again." I said. Sky slugged me, and I looked at her.
"Ace, this is no dream, you're a Unicorn now." She said. "Wait, do you still, have your wings?" I shifted them and raised my right one, looking under the cloak carefully.
"Yeah, still there…" I said. "Looks like it did yesterday and every day since I was born. I could do without them for a day…"
"Hey, you can, show 'em off?" Specs suggested.
"No…" I said. "Let's… Let's go see Twilight. She's an expert on magic, so, maybe she'll know something?" A thought hit me. "Oh no."
"The girls…" Specs started.
"Were there…" Sky continued.
"In the forest." I said.
"It had to have gotten us all, whatever this is." Sky said. Specs started running.
"Let's move!" She called. I took off and caught up easily. "Hurry!" I saw something moving ahead. It was Sky. As we got to the library, the door opened. "Sky?"
"Yeah, it was me." She said. "Let's go."
"Um, sorry, we're not open right now." Twilight called. I walked in and looked over, and she looked to see me. "Who… Ace?"
"Yeah, funny story." I said. "Woke up this morning to Specs and Sky screaming at the top of their lungs. I run to find Sky is translucent, invisible in the right light, and…"
"I've got a third eye." Specs said. She walked over and I saw Twilight's horn.
"What…" I started. She turned away. "You too, huh?"
"Yeah, whatever it is, I need to figure it out." She said. I walked over. "Could you put something over Sky? Your cloak may… Uh, sorry." I thought for a moment.
"Well, maybe…" I started. I closed my eyes and focused. "I have a horn, so, maybe…" I opened my eyes as she looked over, and a blanket floated down. "Sky, get under this please." I heard her walk and saw her, so I draped it and tied it off carefully. "There."
"Wow, it, worked." She said.
"I guess reading those books paid off after all." Twilight said. "Now, help me find a spell that can fix this, or some kind of cure."
…
I sighed as I looked through my books. The others were going to find Zecora to try to undo it by making her tell them, but I was going to look through my books until I found what we needed.
"Ace, are you alright?" Horatio asked.
"No, it turns out this horn is, limited." I said. "Only a few seconds of magic. About, ten seconds of telekinesis before I get a headache and a nosebleed." He sighed. "Could you, pass me that book on the shelf? Supernaturals?" He walked over and gave it to me while I blew my nose into a washcloth that I'd been wringing out. He grimaced. "Yeah, blood. I've been, using the magic to speed my reading along. Painful, but worth it." The book levitated and I set it down in front of me, turning the pages every minute or so.
"I hope that doesn't make it worse." He said.
"Only if I hold it for ten seconds." I said. "Just grab the corner, turn the page, let go, one, one and a half seconds, tops… Poison, Joke… Blue leaves…" I looked at the forest through a window in the tent. "She said… Zecora, said the leaves of blue, were not a joke… Poison Joke, has blue leaves…" He walked over and I looked at the page, taking in the details. "Okay, I see. It's easy. The plant has a semi-magical effect that acts as a prank on the afflicted. There's even an antidote here. When the girls get back, I'll…"
"Ace!" Sky called. The flap opened and a bunch of vines stood in her place, causing Horatio to jump.
"Goodness!" He called.
"Dad, it's me." She said. "Ace, Zecora has the antidote. It was…"
"Poison Joke." I said. She stepped in as I held the book up. "Answer was right here all along. I read about this exact plant a few weeks ago. Forgot about it. Figures, doesn't it?" She laughed.
"Uh, anyway, the spa has what we need, so, we'll get a couple of tubs, fill 'em up…" She said. Her head moved. She was totally invisible, with just the vines covering her to tell us where she was. "And zap, I'll be visible, you'll have no horn… And, maybe it'll fix your wings?"
"One can only hope." I said. "Let's go… But, just in case, I, might need a private tub." I nodded to Horatio. "Boss, we'll be back soon." He nodded.
"Good luck." He said. "Um, say hello to this, Zecora, and thank her for me."
"Will do, dad." Sky said. We walked out, and she nudged me as we got past the gate. "Ace, when we get back, give him the hat. I want to buy a dress."
"Why?" I asked.
"Well, I've got kind of an idea." She said. "I'll tell you later… Much later. But I need to buy a dress, and, I talked to Rarity, and it'll come to more than I've got. I need dad to give me twenty bits, but… You know how he is."
"How much will it run you?" I asked.
"Two fifty." She said. "I'm just a little short, five bits, but I want to give her some extra. Don't worry." I sighed.
"Done." I said. We walked up to the spa and Twilight beckoned us over.
"It's almost ready." She said. "And, I remembered your, uh, cloak issue, so I asked them to set up a private tub just for you, Ace."
"Much obliged." I said. "By the way, remember the book I bought the day we met?" She looked at me as we walked in. "Zecora had a copy, right?"
"You had the answer?" She asked.
"I had it nearly a month ago." I said. "I haven't read the book recently, so I ended up forgetting about the page on Poison Joke and the remedy. Strange part, I was thinking about reading it yesterday when Sky and Specs dragged me out of my room when they heard about Zecora walking into town so we could ask her why everypony was indoors." She laughed. "If I'd have been able to read it, I could have told everypony the cure…"
"But, Zecora's, pretty nice." She said. "So, it worked out for the best. We made a new friend." I smiled a little.
"Well, good thing I didn't get to read it then." I said. They laughed as a pony walked up to me.
"Mr. Stormrider?" She asked. I nodded. She was pink, with a blue mane. "Right this way please." I followed her as the girls walked up to a big wooden tub, and she walked me to a room. "When you're done, just let us know. This remedy is actually quite good for your coat and complexion."
"So it said in the book." I said. She laughed as she closed the door. I walked over and removed my cloak after looking around, and I stepped in. The water was nice and warm, the perfect temperature. I sighed and instantly sank in, moving into a sitting position before going under completely. When I was nearly out of breath I surfaced and moved back, resting against the edge, my wings under the somewhat murky water. "This is perfect." I sighed happily. There were three things I absolutely loved in my life. My mother's hot chocolate, a good book, and a bath that's just the right temperature. Where I forgot where I ended and the water began, and that was so hard to find. "I could spend some money on this from time to time… Just a nice relaxing spa visit like this…" I moved so that my chin and lips were in the water, but not my nostrils, reclining happily. After what felt like hours, the door opened. I got up just enough to see, Zecora. I could tell by her legs. "Zecora, I presume?"
"You are right, rider of the storm." She said. I smiled a little. "I trust that the water is nice and warm?" I sighed quietly.
"It's exactly the right temperature." I said. "I take a bath every night, and only five times out of the year do I get it this perfect right when I get in." She laughed and walked up, so I shifted a little. "I'm not sure my body's even here with me, but, I'm not about to complain."
"You may think otherwise when you hear my words." She said. "I saw your wings, not like a bird's." I sat up slightly. "Your wings are like those of a bat, but we both know this won't change that. A private room to hide, not shame, but what exactly is your aim?" I sighed quietly, looking at the water.
"First…" I said. "How, did you know? How did you see them?"
"I saw you jump and take slow flight, while the others were full of fright." She said. "I watched you leave the forest, unsure, of whether or not you would find the cure. Your wings, I thought, were hidden well, but I wondered if it was from a spell. Or perhaps the pollen of the flower, but the effects weren't that fast, less than an hour." Her rhyming speech was somewhat odd, but it was actually less cryptic than some might call it.
"Well, you're right." I said. "Wasn't, from the Poison Joke. I've had them, my whole life. It isn't magic or anything… But, it, made my childhood, um, difficult…"
"Ridicule from your childhood peers, I think I understand your fears." She said. "They laughed and joked about your wings, unfeeling fools who cared for things. But to hide them deep within your cloak, you protected them from the Poison Joke."
"Do you, always speak in rhyme?" I asked. "I know, it's not important, but…"
"Only when I feel it fits." She said. "I can stop if it bothers you."
"Well, it just, kind of takes longer…" I said. "I'm, kind of worried the girls will come in and, see my wings, or, overhear us talking about them… The longer it takes, the, more likely, you know?" She nodded and sat down.
"Well, it is true." She said. "Your wings were safe from the pollen's effects, though your horn… Had I not seen your wings, I'd have thought you were just keeping an eye on your friends. A Unicorn that hid his horn under his hair, perhaps. But your wings made me see that it wasn't possible, or at least very unlikely, as such ponies are quite rare." I nodded and looked at the water again. "The horn, was not so much a joke or prank, but…"
"If you think, that my blood is both Unicorn, and Pegasus…" I said quietly.
"I would be right?" She suggested.
"Well, in so many words." I said.
"The horn granted you some magic, but still you got rid of it." She said. "Poison Joke isn't something that grows stronger by too much as it runs its course. Perhaps a little, but only enough that it would make it possible for your magic to be where it should be naturally. Is there any, without it?" I got out of the tub and she watched me, as a towel floated over and landed on my back. "I see. It is there… But it is not very strong…" I moved the towel and dried off. "The look in your eyes. You have seen ponies about this, and they have said many things to you."
"They said it's not likely ever going to work right." I said. "At best, I can use Telekinesis for small things, like this, for about ten seconds at a time. The horn… Didn't do anything. I wanted it, so badly, to work, and let me use magic like any other pony. I'd, be able to use it for all kinds of things. But, it was just for show… That was the joke. What could have been." I sighed. "Not exactly cruel, but, it still hurt."