“Alright,” Twilight said as she adjusted the half-full saddlebags on her back. Double-checking the straps one last time, she turned her head to look at me, a determined expression on her face.

“Are you ready?” she asked. I nodded, pulling my jacket a little tighter around me. Beside me, my three guards stood, fully armored.

Today marked the fourth day of our quarantine within the library due to my infected human bite. The bite itself seemed to be healing fine, but, wanting to be on the safe side, Twilight had taken the recommended three days and made it four.

Now, here we were, on the fourth day, getting ready to head back to the hospital to see if I was still a hazard. Twilight had sent Spike a letter through his dragonfire, which instructed him to forward it to the hospital. It would be safe, as Spike’s dragonfire would torch any spores that might still be clinging to life. About half an hour later, we received confirmation that the hospital was ready for us.

The quarantine wasn’t as bad as I had originally thought it was going to be. Twilight had gotten several fires roaring in the multiple fireplaces throughout the library, keeping the entire tree at a stuffy temperature. The heat, combined with my fever, made it so that I basically slept through most of the past four days.

The time that I was awake had been interesting, though. The giant purple bubble around the library had drawn the attention of most of the ponies in town. It was shortly after the end of the second day that the story had gotten out about me being attacked by an infected human.

The next morning found Fluttershy tapping on the magic dome, a first-aid kit in her mouth and a worried look on her face. She left after Twilight explained that no one was coming into the bubble until the infection was gone, but that didn’t stop her from coming back the next morning to double check.

Bless her soul, she was persistent.

“So, what’s the plan?” Avera asked. Her long mane was pulled back in a bun, keeping it out of her eyes.

“We’re going to teleport back into the room Max was kept in originally,” Twilight said. “From there, he gets examined. Hopefully all of the spores are gone, or else I’m not sure what we'll do from there.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Primrose said. “I just can’t wait to get out and stretch my wings!” As if agreeing with her, her two bat-like wings twitched, unfurling slightly.

“You and me both,” Avera growled in agreement. “I’m going stir crazy in here.”

“Well, if everything goes fine, you’ll—”

thump thump thump

We all turned to look at the door as the thumping continued, evidence that someone was knocking on the magic dome.

“I thought I told Fluttershy she couldn’t see you until the doctors gave you a clean bill of health,” Twilight said with a frown. I shrugged my shoulders before moving to the door and opening it. Sticking my head outside, I blinked in surprise when I saw not Fluttershy, but Pinkie Pie.

She was pressed up against the dome, knocking against the magic barrier with a hoof. Her face—smushed firmly against the wall of magic—bore a sorrowful expression, her mane hanging limply around her.

Upon seeing me, she perked up.

“Maaaaaaaaax,” she whined, her voice muffled by the dome. When I only blinked in response, she inhaled, her cheek still pressed against the barrier. Opening her mouth, the hyperactive pony began to earn her name by talking a mile a minute.

“Max, I’m really, really super duper sorry that we left you alone during the snowstorm. It’s just that I thought you would be able to make it back home safely because, well, you seemed to know where you were going, and if I had known that the bells would have started ringing then there was no way I was going to leave my human friend alone in the—”

I shut the door, silencing her voice to a barely audible murmur. Staring at the closed door for several seconds, I released the doorknob and turned back around. All four ponies were staring at me, a look of confusion on their faces.

“Was that Pinkie?” Twilight asked, glancing over my shoulder. I just shrugged in response. “What did she want?” Again, I shrugged my shoulders. The thumping sound resumed outside, and very faintly I could hear Pinkie's voice.

“Maaaaaaaaaax.”

Twilight’s ears perked up and she glanced at the door for a brief second before looking back at me. I just cocked an eyebrow, giving her a bemused look. I may have gotten lucky with the infected human, but there were two ponies that I wasn’t going to be interacting with anytime soon. Pinkie was one of them. The other one I had caught glimpses of as she circled the library the past couple of days, but she had yet to try and talk with me. Which was all good, cause I wasn’t exactly willing to ‘talk’ with her either just yet.

“Anyways,” Twilight said slowly. “Let’s get going. The sooner you get examined, the sooner we can put this behind us.” Her horn began to glow softly a few seconds before a small bubble of magic formed around me.

My stomach lurched slightly as I was suddenly lifted into the air, bubble and all.

“Hold on.” I heard Twilight say, her voice warped. There was a bright flash of light, and I was hit by the feeling of vertigo for a brief second before both it—and the light—faded.

Blinking stars from my eye, I groaned slightly, trying to keep my stomach from voiding its contents into the bubble with me. Trying to take my mind off of the sensation, I glanced around the room we were now in. As far as I could tell, it was the same room I had been during my brief stay after the infected human attack.

The operating room was almost completely bare, the only object within being a large metal table with several medical instruments upon it, as well as what looked like a microscope. The large observation windows near the ceiling on one of the walls remained dark, although I thought I saw something shift behind them.

I had barely finished looking around the room when the sealed door swung open, allowing a pony in a HAZMAT suit to enter. As they approached, they motioned to the door with a hoof.

“The four of you can go outside in the hall,” the pony said in a clearly feminine voice. It sounded familiar but I couldn’t place a name with it at the moment. “We have this part of the hospital sealed, and a team of doctors standing by to make sure you aren’t carriers. They’ll check to see if there are any spores on you, and are prepared to sterilize you if need be.”

Twilight nodded before both her, and my guards, headed towards the door, leaving me behind.

“Leave the bubble around your human until after the door closes,” the HAZMAT mare called after them. This earned her a look of irritation from Twilight before she headed out the door.

As the door closed with a loud thud, the mare turned to look up at me. At least, I think she did; it was rather hard to tell through her tinted visor. After a few seconds, the magic around me flickered before vanishing completely. I was prepared and managed to land on my feet as I fell through the air.

I stretched happily as the mare began to circle me slowly, keeping her distance. After a few seconds, she nodded her head, before motioning towards the table.

“Shall we get started?” she asked. As I approached the table, she picked up a large needle in her hooves, fiddling with it. Once it was connected to a series of tubes, she turned to face me.

“Crouch down, please,” she said, pointing at the floor. “I need to get a blood sample.” Removing my jacket, I did as instructed, wincing as she grabbed my arm roughly with a covered hoof. Holding my limb firmly in her grasp, she paused for a brief second before wiping it with an alcohol swab and sticking the needle into my vein. Immediately, blood began to flow down the tube, heading to an empty vial attached to the end.

Once the vial was sufficiently full, the mare pulled the needle from my arm, placing a cotton ball and tape over the miniscule prick.

“Just give me a second,” she muttered as she placed the vial into a receiver in the side of the microscope. Looking into the eyepiece, the mare fell silent as she studied the sample. As she adjusted the various knobs upon the machine, I just stood there, watching her work.

After a few minutes, she leaned back, sighing heavily.

“I don’t believe it,” she said, reaching up and beginning to unclasp her headwear. Pulling the helmet off, she shook her head to clear the pink stains of hair from her face before looking at me.

“There are no spores present within your blood,” Nurse Redheart said. “Congratulations. You are now the first human in history to survive the Black-Vine Virus.” As she spoke, she removed the rest of her HAZMAT gear, tossing it into a corner. Putting her hair up into a bun, she motioned towards the floor beside her.

“Have a seat, please. I need to check on your injury.”

As the bandages were pulled off of my arm, I winced. The bite mark was scabbed over, the skin around it red and raw. The skin within the center of the bite radius was an ugly yellow color, mixed with splashes of black and blue.

“Yeah, it may look nasty,” Redheart said, eyeing the wound with a critical eye, “but it appears to be healing properly. The bruising should disappear within a few more days, hopefully, but you’re definitely going to have another scar.” Giving the wound one last look, Redheart turned and grabbed a thermometer from the table.

“Open wide,” she said, holding it near my mouth. I did so, and she stuck it under my tongue. As she waited for the thermometer to get a reading, she moved her head down to my chest.

“Okay, take a deep breath,” she said, pressing her ear against my skin. I did as instructed, breathing deeply through my nose. She then moved to the other side and had me repeat the process. Afterwards, she left her ear against my chest for several more seconds before pulling back.

“Lungs sound good, no buildup of fluid. Your heart is also beating strongly, which is a good sign.” The thermometer in my mouth beeped, and Redheart quickly pulled it out, glancing at the results. “And your abnormally, freakishly high temperature is back down to being normally freakishly high. You appear to be in good health, all things considered.”

Lowering the thermometer, Redheart gave me a quick smile. It quickly faded, though, and was replaced with a look of contemplation. She chewed on her bottom lip as she stared at me, tapping her hoof on the floor.

Licking her lips, her ears twitched once before she spoke, “H-how… how would you feel about giving us some of your blood?”

I blinked in surprise, my eyes widening slightly. Reaching into my bags, I pulled out my notebook and wrote one word.

+Why?+

Redheart blinked upon seeing the written word before glancing back up at me.

“Well,” Redheart said, tapping her hooves together, “during the past couple of days, while you’ve been recovering, we’ve been studying your blood work a bit closer. My… initial assessment of how your body was ridding itself of the spores was—while accurate—not the entire truth.” She motioned a hoof towards the vial of my blood that was now resting upon the table.

“You seem to have enzymes and blood cells that we’ve never even seen before. It seems that they, combined with your higher temperature, allow you to fight off infections and diseases that would be harmful—or even fatal—to humans here in Equestria.”

+So, you want my blood to experiment on?+ I asked, raising an eyebrow. Redheart just gave me a sheepish smile.

“We kinda already did some experiments on the sample we took a few days ago,” she said. “After we removed the spores with heat, we started introducing different bacterias and viruses into it. So much so that we don’t have a clean sample to work with. That’s why we’re hoping that you’ll give us some more.” She trailed off at the end, giving me a large smile.

+And if I say no?+

“We’d be willing to pay you,” Redheart offered quickly. “Four hundred bits for a pint of blood.”

+Seven hundred bits+

“I can’t believe I’m haggling with a human,” Redheart muttered under her breath. Looking up from the note, she huffed, “Five hundred bits.”

+Seven hundred bits+ I pressed, underlining my previous offer.

“Six hundred,” she said, her eyes narrowing slightly. Reaching out, I tapped the paper in her hooves, smirking slightly as I did so. Redheart stared at me for a few more seconds before lowering her gaze and sighing.

“Fine,” she grumbled. “Seven hundred bits for a pint of your blood.” Picking up a different needle, she attached a blood bag to the end of it before motioning for my arm. Placing it in her hoof, I glanced away as she moved to stick the needle into my vein. A small pinching sensation was the only indication that the needle was now in my arm.

I returned my gaze back to Redheart as she slowly collected the blood. We were both silent as the crimson liquid flowed down the tube, filling up the bag. Once she had enough, she pulled the needle out and bandaged up my arm.

As she set about making sure the blood was good to go, I got up off of the hard floor, swaying slightly. Pulling on my jacket, I paused when I felt a tug on my sleeve. A quick glance down showed that Redheart was looking up at me, a warm smile on her face.

“Thank you,” she said. “I realize it’s a little presumptuous to assume that we can just use you like this, but, with your blood, we can work towards better medicine for future humans. With this, we’ll be able to give them better care.” Her statement gave me pause, and I gave her a confused look.

+Why do you care?+

Redheart read the note several times, as if she didn’t understand what she was reading. Finally lowering it, she glanced up at me, an incredulous look on her face.

“Why do I care about humans?” she asked, blinking several times in disbelief. When I nodded in response, she just slowly shook her head.

“It might be true that they aren’t ponies, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t care for them,” she said loudly, as though I had insulted her. “They might not be intelligent like us, but they can still show their discomfort, their pain. When a young human female is brought in with a broken leg, she still screams and shrieks in pain just like a foal would. Why shouldn’t I try to alleviate their pain and suffering?”

As she fell silent, we both just continued to stare at each other. Slowly a small smile began to spread across my face, and, reaching down, I gave her a quick scratch behind the ear. It flicked and the look on her face slowly turned to confusion, a small blush spreading across her cheeks.

“W-what was that for?” she asked, rubbing the ear. I just shrugged, gave her a quick smile, and then proceed to head out the door, leaving the confused mare behind.

Closing the door behind me, I turned and blinked in surprise when I saw Twilight and my guards walking down the hall towards me. Twilight had a nervous look on her face, and upon seeing me, her ears splayed backwards.

“Well?” she asked as she drew nearer. I smirked to myself before answering.

~I’m apparently slowly dying~ I told her, my face solemn.

“WHAT?!” Twilight shrieked, her pupils shrinking as her wings flew open. All three guards gaped at me, different levels of shock on their faces.

Slowly nodding my head, I kept my grave expression as I continued. ~Eeyup, it seems I only have eighty years to live~

The hall was so silent that you could have heard a pin drop. Twilight continued to stare up at me with a shocked expression on her face, her jaw hanging open. Slowly, her mouth closed and her eyes hardened. There was a flash of light and I yelped as my jacket was suddenly pulled over my head, plunging the world into darkness. A sudden sharp pain in my shin brought me to my knees.

“That was not okay!” I heard Twilight growl as I struggled to free my head. Finally pulling it free of the confines of the jacket, I gave the upset mare a large smile. She just ‘harumph’d’ at me before turning and—after flicking her tail in my face—stalking down the hallway.

“That was uncalled for,” Ebony said, frowning up at me. “She was worried about you, fretting over what was going to happen to you, and then you go and pull that stunt.” Beside her, Primrose nodded her head in agreement.

Rubbing my shin, I stared at the retreating form of Twilight, wincing. They’re probably right, but I couldn’t help myself.

~Maybe~ I signed as I stood back up, grimacing as I put weight on my leg. ~But I think I know how I can make it up to her~

“And how do you plan to do that?” Primrose asked, cocking an eyebrow. Before I could answer, however, Nurse Redheart appeared at my elbow, a bag of coins clasped in her teeth.

“Your bits,” she mumbled around the cloth. My guards’ eyes widened as I took the bag from Redheart, tossing it gently into the air as I nodded my thanks to the mare before she walked off.

As I pocketed the money, Avera found her voice. “Why the buck are you getting bits from her?”

~They wanted a pint of my blood to study~ I signed with a shrug. ~I charged them appropriately~

“And is that how you plan on making things up with Twilight? With bits?” Ebony asked. I laughed, shaking my head.

~No, not even close. This was just a lucky bonus. My plan involves Spike helping me send a message to Celestia~

“Why do you need to talk with her?” Avera asked as we slowly began to make our way after Twilight.

~Because I know what I’m getting Twilight for Hearth’s Warming, and I know she’ll love it~

“You do realize that Hearth’s Warming Eve is just over a week away, right?” Primrose asked as she pulled out a pair of tinted shades and placed them over her eyes. The glass within the shades was dark violet; tinted enough that no one would be able to see her eyes behind the darkened material. It was rather ingenious, now that I thought about it. With the glasses over her eyes, she would be able to walk around in sunlight without ponies seeing her transformed eyes. A quick tug on her scarf covered her muzzle, perfect for hiding her fangs when they grew.

Going out like that, she would look just like any other pony bundled up due to the cold. Well, except for the glowing black armor currently adorning her body.

~I’m well aware of when it is~ I huffed, rolling my eyes. ~My request won’t take that long. It’ll be ready by next week. I’m sure Twilight will love it, and hopefully it’ll make up for all the stress I’ve caused~

“If you say so.”

Twilight was waiting for us as we exited out into the main lobby. I winced again as she glared at me, giving her a sheepish smile before I signed, ~What’s the plan now, mistress?~

She froze for a second, her eyes widening, before she shook her head and cleared her throat. Pulling a list out of her bag, she unrolled it with a flourish.

“W-well, seeing as we’ve been stuck in the library for four days without proper preparation, we are in sore need of supplies. We need groceries, as well as a couple of other things. Luckily, the weather schedule says claims that today is supposed to be nice, so we can get most of the stuff in the market.”

As she spoke, her eyes slowly moved down the list hovering in front of her and she began reading off some of the things she had on it.

“We need toilet paper, groceries, and some more firewood. I should also probably pick up some apples from Applejack while we’re at it. Some sweets from Bon Bon’s wouldn’t go amiss either. Also, I need to—”

Suddenly, Twilight lowered the list and groaned, rubbing her head with a hoof.

“What’s up?” Avera asked.

“I just remembered that before all of this infected human stuff, I wanted to go visit Zecora to pick up some ingredients for a potion or two I’m working on.”

“Well, why can’t we go pick them up now?” Ebony asked, cocking her head to the side.

“Because with how much stuff we need to get from the marketplace, there won’t be any time,” Twilight sighed. “I’ll just have to go pick them up tomorrow.”

~Or I could go pick them up today~ All four ponies looked at me, each with the same expression.

“If you think I’m letting you go into that forest after what’s happened, you’re out of your Maker-damned mind,” Twilight said in almost a growl. “After what I… I mean, after what we went through these last few days, you aren’t going anywhere by yourself for a while.”

~What if a guard went with me?~ I asked, motioning towards my three guards. I knew why Twilight was hesitant to let me go into the forest, but for some reason I felt that I needed to get her ingredients for her. It had been my own stupidity with the infected human that had made it so she had to wait, so why not do her a favor and get the ingredients while she shopped?

Something in my heart told me that that was the right thing to do. It was the generous thing to do.

Twilight stared up at me, chewing on her bottom lip. She looked torn between two decisions: really wanting the ingredients, and not wanting me to be in potential danger. Whatever the potions she was working on were, they must be important to her.

Eventually, she sighed, running a hoof down her face in the process.

“Fine,” she groused, “but you’re taking all of your guards with you. Fully armored. No arguments.” As I nodded in agreement, Avera groaned behind me.

“Yay,” she muttered, “we’re going into the forest of evil creatures!”

“Zecora lives right on the edge of the forest,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes. “All the major threats are further in.”

“Ha,” Avera laughed, shaking her head. “You can’t fool me! I know who got attacked by three manticores last time.” As she spoke, she pointed a hoof at me. I growled softly as I kicked the mare with my foot.

~What are we picking up from her exactly?~ I asked Twilight, who was beginning to look like she was regretting her decision.

“Well, I need some powdered everstone, which I know Zecora has, as well as some sess root.”

~Got it~ I spun around, a large smile on my face. ~Onward!~

“I can’t believe that we’re doing this,” I heard Avera mutter. Ebony just laughed.

“Don’t be that way. This will be exciting!”

“Well, this is new.”

The journey through the forest had been, thankfully, uneventful. No timberwolves, no manticores, no infected humans. Everything was going fine until we reached Zecora’s hut.

The hut itself was inside a twisted, hollowed out tree, the branches warped and deformed. Jars, each containing a glowing liquid, hung from the branches, casting an eerie glow around the hut. A tribal mask was tacked over the doorway, staring out at the clearing in front of the hut with empty eyes.

All-in-all, it looked like a witch doctor's hut alright, but that wasn’t what was giving the four of us pause.

It was the large, reptile-like creature currently lying beside the tree.

It was huge; easily the size of a horse back on Earth. The skin around its back and sides was black, standing out against the white winter background, while its underbelly was a bright orange. It had six legs, each one folded beneath its large body. The head was flat, almost spade-like in appearance. Reins rested in its mouth, running to a cushioned howdah strapped upon its back, accompanied by several large bags. To complete the weird scene, a large circle of snow around the creature had been melted, leaving a bare patch of earth.

As we stood there eyeing the creature, it was doing the same to us. Its yellow eyes drifted slowly over each of us, a disinterested expression upon its face.

Eventually, the creature seemed to grow bored with us and returned to what it was doing beforehand. Lowering its head, it rested it upon its first pair of legs, and proceeded to fall back to sleep.

“It doesn’t appear to be dangerous,” Primrose commented, still eyeing the creature. “And it has reins, so it's clearly been domesticated.”

Staring at the beast for a few more seconds, I just shrugged my shoulders before proceeding to head towards the door. My guards were close on my heels, keeping their eyes locked on the creature as we neared.

Casting one last look at the slumbering beast, I reached up my hand and knocked three times. There was a brief moment of silence before the sound of hoofsteps reached my ears and the door swung open.

There, standing in the light of a fire within the tree, was a zebra mare. Her striped mane was done up in mohawk, and golden rings covered her neck and left foreleg.

As I stared down at her, she stared back up at me, her cyan eyes filled with curiosity as she cocked her head to the side.

“And what have we here, out in the snow? A face I fear that I should probably know.” I blinked in surprise, an eyebrow raising slightly as the zebra spoke in rhyme.

Leaning to the side, the zebra glanced behind me at my guards.

“A scarred human, and guards as well. This will be interesting; I can tell.” As she turned her eyes back to me, I reached up and unbuttoned my jacket. Pulling it open, I allowed her a glimpse of Twilight’s cutie mark before closing the jacket again.

Upon seeing the emblem, the zebra’s eyes widened.

You belong to Twilight Sparkle, this much is true. She has often spoke quite highly of you. A human hailing from a different dimension, something of which I've had no comprehension.”

I’m… flattered? I thought, looking down at the mare.

“I’m sorry to intrude, but are you Zecora?” Primrose asked, casting another glance over at the large creature before turning her full attention to the zebra.

“Indeed, I am she,” the zebra, Zecora, said with a nodded and a smile.

“We don’t mean to interrupt anything you might be doing at this time, but Twilight sent us to pick up some supplies she needed,” Primrose continued, bowing her head slightly. “If you wouldn’t mind getting us the things we need, we’ll be on our way.”

“It’s no trouble at all, please come on in,” Zecora said, pulling the door open further. “I hope you don't mind my visiting cousin.”

“Thanks,” Primrose said as she slipped around me and into the house. I followed behind her only to stop and glance back at Avera and Ebony, who hadn’t moved.

“We’ll stand watch out here,” Ebony said when I gave them a questioning look. Rolling my eyes, I ducked into the hut, closing the door behind me.

As I straightened back up again, I saw that there was a second zebra within the hut, resting by the fire in the center of the room. This one was clearly male, his striped mane hanging around his face in long strands, framing a brilliant pair of green eyes. He had red tribal markings upon his muzzle, running just below his eyes. The only attire he wore was a dark desert scarf that was wrapped around his neck.

As Zecora moved towards some shelves holding various jars, the new zebra leaned forward and spoke, “What have we here, cousin dear? Visitors?”

“A human owned by my friend, Twilight,” Zecora called back over her shoulder. “But don’t be fooled, for he is very bright.”

“An intelligent human, you say?” the male zebra said, sitting up straighter. “I never thought I’d see the day!” As he continued to look at me, I started to get a little nervous. There was something in his eyes that just caused my skin to crawl. Not in a bad way, mind you; I sensed no malice in his gaze.

It was almost like he was staring into my soul.

“And where are you from, my intelligent friend?” he asked me, a smile slowly spreading across his face. “There are no smart humans from here to Zebrica. At least, none that I know of, and I know that area like the back of my hoof!”

“That’s classified by the princesses,” Primrose responded.

“I’m sorry,” the stallion said, holding up his hooves in a placating manner. “I meant no offense by it.”

“No offense taken,” Primrose said, nodding her head. “We aren’t exactly hiding that’s he’s intelligent anymore, but we are hiding where he came from.”

“You can’t tell me where he is from, but, if it’s within my power to do so, may I ask where did you find him?” the stallion asked. I gave him a bemused look, cocking my head to the side. Primrose just answered with a shrug.

“Out in the desert.”

“Ah,” the stallion grinned, his eyes lighting up. “You were in my territory!” Holding out a hoof, the stallion smiled up at me.

“I,” he said with a flourish, “am the Desert Vagabond. Or just Vagabond for short.”

“You’re from the desert to the south?” Primrose asked. Upon seeing the stallion nod, she motioned towards the door with her head. “Is that your beast out there?”

“Beast?!” Vagabond cried, giving Primrose a mock hurt look. “Sasha is no beast! She is a salamander, a loving creature of immense intelligence! She carries me across the desert sands with such grace and wonder.”

Soft laughter from the corner caused us to glance over at Zecora, who was currently in the process of crushing something in mortar.

“You’ll have to forgive him, if he seems a bit strange. He doesn’t talk to others much in the desert range.”

“It’s true,” Vagabond said with a nod and a dopey grin. “My travels tend to find me alone in the sand, with just Sasha for company. Although, there is an occasional human wandering around for me to converse with, but they don’t usually have much to say back. Mostly because they are dead from dehydration. Makes them good listeners, though, and they have yet to tell other souls about my secrets.

“However, I figured that I’d forgo the burning sands and take advantage of the holidays to visit my cousin in the cooler north.”

“Well,” Primrose said, her wings twitching by her side. “As soon as we have what we need, we’ll allow you to get back to your family bonding moment. Sorry to have interrupted.”

“As I’ve told you before, it’s quite alright,” Zecora said. “I’m always more than happy to help Twilight.” Motioning with her hoof to Primrose, Zecora held up a jar of some sort of powder. “My friend, here is the first ingredient you need. I'll have the second in a moment, guaranteed.”

As Primrose moved to accept the jar, I just continued to stare down at Vagabond. He was rubbing his jaw with a hoof, eyeing me curiously. I noted that one of his pupils was slightly smaller than the other.

“You talk, boy?” he asked, pointing a hoof at me. I shook my head before miming out writing with my hands. This just caused Vagabond to snort.

“Bah, that takes too long,” he said, shaking his head. “Although, I don’t really need to speak with you. I just hoped that I might have been able to have a conversation with a human. It would have made an interesting tale for when I encounter travelers in the desert. That is, if they aren’t dying of thirst when I find them.

“No, I can see all I need in your eyes… or eye, as the case may be.” He winced as he gazed at my bad eye. “By the All-Mother, that’s a good one. Kinda reminds me of a giant worm that I met several years ago. He had a large scar across his head as well. Anyways, I can tell by the look in your eye all that I need to know!” With that, he turned and started to root around in a large bag he was currently using as a pillow.

As he searched through the contents, he continued to speak, “I come from a land—a faraway place—where such things are a rarity, but I still know it when I see it. That look, it always brings a warm fuzzy feeling to my heart… or maybe that’s the heat from the sun. Anyways, it’s normally not on the faces of humans, but that doesn’t matter. The All-Mother wants us to love all, and that includes humans. Normally I’m quite content to let humans run their course without bothering them, but with you, my smart, intelligent, sophisticated friend—” he giggled something that sounded remarkably like a Joker laugh “—for you, I think I’ll make an exception. And I have been saving this for a rainy day, after all. Why not a snowy one instead?”

With that, Vagabond straightened up again, something held in his hooves. It looked like a small jar, wrapped up in a brown cloth.

He held it out to me, a large smile on his face, revealing that he was missing some of his back teeth. Picking it up gingerly in my hands, I stared at the thing for several seconds before glancing back down at the zebra.

“Normally this is a hard thing to make, and harder still to use, but I think you might be able to find proper use for it,” he said with a smirk. “It’ll give you a… different perspective on life, that’s for sure. Allow you to see things from a new point of view. It might be educational, it might be amorous.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

I raised an eyebrow before looking back down at the jar in my hands. Am I really going to take a mysterious liquid from an unknown zebra? Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I nodded before slipping the jar carefully into my bags. I’ll get Twilight to look at it later. If it turns out to be something dangerous, I can just use it as a weapon later. Turning back to Vagabond, I bowed my head in thanks before straightening back up.

“That should about do it,” Primrose said as she trotted back over, a wing closing her saddlebags as she walked. “We’ve got everything we came for. Let’s get back and find Twilight, shall we?”

As she trotted towards the door, I turned and gave Zecora a large bow and a quick smile. She flinched slightly upon seeing my smile, but quickly recovered and gave me a genuine one in return.

“The pleasure was mine, my new human friend,” she said, returning my bow, “to see the one that Twilight praises to no end. I’m sorry our meeting was brief for today. Do come back again sometime, if you may?”

I bowed again before exiting the hut, crouching slightly to avoid hitting my head on the door frame.

Closing the door behind me, I stepped out into the clearing, only to almost trip over Primrose who had come to a dead stop in front of me.

~Why’d you stop?~ I asked after I regained my balance. Not turning to look at me, she pointed her hoof forward. Glancing up, a smirk slowly began to work itself across my face as I saw what had given her pause.

During our time in the hut Avera and Ebony had somehow managed to cuddle up next to the salamander, leaning against her belly. Each had a content look on their face, their eyes closed.

That is, until Primrose started snickering.

Cracking an eye open, Avera glanced over at us. She glared at us for a few seconds before closing her eye again.

“You laugh, but this thing is incredibly warm.”

Twilight walked through the marketplace, uncomfortably aware of all the eyes that were upon her. Glancing quickly around at all the ponies that were staring at her, she lowered her head, her ears splaying backwards.

Ponies whispered to one another as she passed, hiding their mouths behind their hooves. She could just barely make out what was being said, even though she didn’t really need to hear the words to know what everyone was talking about.

“...he got bit by an infected human, but hasn’t turned yet.”

“What!? But it’s been nearly a week, hasn’t it?”

“I heard that he just basically shrugged it off and went about his business like nothing happened!”

“Then what was the deal with the bubble around the library?”

“Do you think it’s safe for him to be free?”

“I don’t know, but if it’s true that he’s immune to the infection, I wouldn’t mind paying Twilight for the privilege to breed him.”

Twilight grimaced, her right eye twitching as the whispers continued. She had to resist the urge to grind her teeth together in frustration. She should have seen this coming, she really should have. It was only logical, considering what had transpired, but she had been too concerned with the health of her human to have planned for it.

It had happened only a few minutes after leaving Max and his guards at the hospital. She had been approached by a group of ponies, all of whom were curious as to what had happened between Max and the infected human. They had wanted to know how it was that a human had been bitten, yet remained uninfected.

Unfortunately, their questions had startled Twilight, and, being rather flustered, she had answered with the first thing that had come to her mind: he was still alive because of his breed.

She had instantly regretted it, and now it was going around town like wildfire that Max was immune to the Black-Vine Virus, and could possibly pass the immunity on to his offspring.

“Relax, Twilight, relax,” she muttered to herself as she passed another group of muttering mares. “Just keep telling them 'no', and everything will be fine. Max wouldn’t do it anyways, and I’m not going to force him. Just keep telling them 'no'.”

Slinking through the crowd of ponies, Twilight tried to make herself as small as possible. She just needed to get apples from Applejack’s stand and then she could head home and hide within the library. Now, she just needed to get around the fountain and she would be in the clear.

“Excuse me, Miss Twilight?” Twilight closed her eyes, groaning quietly. So close…

Turning around, she put a fake smile on her face, which quickly became a look of surprise when she saw who was standing there. “Lotus?”

The spa pony gave Twilight a warm smile, her blue eyes sparkling. She had a pink scarf wrapped around her neck; the same color as her sister’s fur.

“What can I do for you, Lotus?” Twilight asked, a genuine smile touching her muzzle.

“My sister and I heard ze news zat your human vas attacked and bitten by an infected human—” Twilight smile slowly slipped from her face “—and I just happened to see you valking through town today, so I just had to ask—” Twilight felt her eye twitch “—is he alright?”

Twilight froze, her eyes widening in surprise as she gazed into the concerned face of Lotus.

“...what?”

“Is he alright?” Lotus repeated. “For vat ve’ve heard, he is immune to ze infection, but is he himself alright?”

“He seems to be unaffected by the attack,” Twilight said, eyeing Lotus curiously. “Why do you ask?”

“Because he still remains my most favorite human customer thus far,” Lotus explained with a giggle. “And I haven’t seen him recently. Vith all zat ve’ve heard he’s been up to, ve just vanted to check up vith him.”

“Check up with him?” Twilight asked, her ears perking up.

“Indeed,” Lotus said with a smirk. “He is intelligent, is he not?”

Twilight’s jaw fell open and she took a step back from Lotus, shocked. Glancing around quickly, she made sure that no ponies were listening in before turning back to the grinning spa pony.

“How did you know that?” she whispered.

“Vell,” Lotus said, chuckling softly. “He is ze only human I’ve ever seen zat can write. I saw him writing to Applejack one time vhen he vas in the marketplace.” Her smile faltered upon seeing the look on Twilight’s face, and she raised a hoof nervously. “Vas… vas I not supposed to know about zat?”

“No, no, it’s alright,” Twilight sighed. “We aren’t exactly hiding the fact anymore, but neither are we going out of our way to spread the word. It’s fine that you know, just please don’t tell anypony else.”

“I vouldn’t dream of it,” Lotus said with a smile. “Like I said, he is my most favorite human customer.”

“Thanks, Lotus,” Twilight said. She opened her mouth to say something else, but froze, her ear twitching, when more whispering giggles could be heard behind her. Groaning, she rolled her eyes before returning her attention to Lotus.

“I don’t mean to seem rude, Lotus, but I’ve got to get going. I want to get home as soon as possible, and I just need to grab some apples.”

Lotus nodded her head, glancing over Twilight’s shoulder with a small frown on her muzzle.

“Yes, I’ve heard ze rumors and gossip going around,” she muttered, shaking her head. “It’s rather a shame too, seeing as you’ve already said that you don’t vant to breed him.” Chewing on her bottom lip, Lotus was silent for several seconds before looking back at Twilight.

“I’ll see vat my sister and I can do about dissuading some ponies from spreading ze gossip,” she said, smiling softly.

“Thanks, Lotus,” Twilight said, smiling as well. “Any help would be appreciated.” Nodding, Lotus gave Twilight a quick hug before trotting off, humming softly to herself.

Glancing around one last time, Twilight lowered her head before slipping around the fountain. She moved quickly, darting from stand to stand until she reached the one cart run by a familiar orange mare.

Applejack jumped as Twilight appeared beside her, giving off a small yelp. Upon seeing her friend, Applejack sighed, placing a hoof over her heart.

“Shoot, Twilight. Ya tryin’ tah give me a heart attack?”

“Sorry, Applejack,” Twilight said sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s alright, Twi. Ah know ya didn’t mean anythin’ by it,” Applejack said, giving her friend a smile. There was a brief second of silence before she inhaled sharply, her eyes widening. Whirling around, she grabbed Twilight and pulled her into a massive, back-breaking hug.

“Twi! You’re out of the library!” she cried, unfortunately drawing attention to the pair as ponies stopped to see what the commotion was about. Twilight just gasped, tapping Applejack on the shoulder as she gasped for air.

Suddenly realizing that her friend couldn’t breathe, Applejack released Twilight, who immediately started taking deep breaths.

“Sorry,” Applejack said, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof. “It’s just that y’all have been stuck in the library for the last few days, and we haven’t seen hide nor hair from any of ya.” Glancing around, she leaned in and lowered her voice. “How’s Max doin’?”

“Better, now that he’s finally out of the library,” Twilight replied. “He was getting restless.”

“So it’s true then,” Applejack said, giving Twilight an incredulous look. “He got bit by an infected human and is still alive?”

“Yes, his higher body temperature killed off the spores before they could infect him,” Twilight replied quietly, aware of the stares. “He still had spores within his blood, however, so we had to keep him locked down in the library until his body killed them all.”

“Ah see,” Applejack said. She stared at Twilight for a few more seconds, fidgeting with her hooves, before she sighed and hung her head. “Twi, Ah want tah apologize.”

“For what?” Twilight asked, cocking her head to the side.

“Max was at my place before he got attacked, and I was the one that sent him home during the break in the storm,” Applejack explained sadly. “If Ah hadn’t told him tah get while the gettin’ was good, he wouldn’t have been attacked and none of this woulda happened.”

“No, Applejack,” Twilight said softly, shaking her head. “It’s not your fault. What happened was a mixture of poor planning and miscommunication.” When Applejack gave her a confused look, she explained further, “I didn’t tell Max what the bells meant, Pinkie and Rainbow were supposed to be looking after him, and he didn’t take any of his guards with him. There really is no one pony to blame for this.” Nodding her head, Applejack closed her eyes and sighed.

Opening them again, she gave Twilight a weak smile. “Well, that makes me feel a little better, though Ah still feel partially tah blame. Anything Ah can do tah help you folks out?”

“Actually, there is,” Twilight said, glancing around nervously. “I need two dozen apples quickly. I want to get back to the library as fast as possible.”

Blinking in surprise, Applejack glanced around as well. She raised an eyebrow upon seeing the number of ponies looking in their direction, even if it was out of the corner of their eyes.

“What’re they all lookin’ at?” she muttered, scratching her head. Twilight winced.

“I may have been ambushed by a few ponies after leaving the hospital, and I may have accidentally told some ponies that the reason Max is fine was because of what breed he is,” Twilight explained sheepishly. “Now it seems several ponies may want me to breed Max out to see if the offspring will have the same… immunity.”

As she finished explaining, Applejack gave her a blank look.

“That’s the stupidest thing Ah’ve ever heard,” she snorted, shaking her head. “Not only do none of these ponies have enough bits, but Ah highly doubt Max would agree tah it. Plus, half the mares lookin’ over here ain’t got a human tah breed him with.”

“I know, but the whispering still bothers me, so I’d like to get back to the library as soon as possible,” Twilight sighed.

“Well, that Ah can help ya with,” Applejack chuckled as she started to place apples into a bag.

As she worked, Twilight’s ears perked up as a whistling sound filled the air. Glancing up, she blinked in surprise when she saw a rainbow blur heading right for her. She moved to sidestep the incoming missile, but Rainbow flared her wings at the last second, coming to a hovering halt just above Applejack’s stand.

“Hey, egghead,” she said, sounding slightly out of breath, “I see that the bubble around the library is gone, and you’re out here. That’s good to see. Um… do you know where the big guy is?”

“You mean Max?” Twilight asked, cocking an eyebrow. When Rainbow nodded, she continued, “No, I’m not sure where he is. The last time I saw him was when we parted ways at the hospital.”

“You left him all alone?” Applejack asked, glancing up from her task. “After what happened?”

“He has his guards with him,” Twilight said with a shrug. As Applejack continued to stare at her, she fidgeted before rolling her eyes and muttering, “And I may have placed a spell or eight on him when he wasn’t looking in order to protect him against several different things that might happen while he isn’t with me.” Applejack gave her a knowing smirk before returning to bagging apples.

“So you don’t know where he is?” Rainbow asked, her ears drooping slightly. Twilight shook her head.

“Nope. Sorry, Rainbow.” The pegasus deflated at that.

“Shoot,” she muttered, glaring at the ground beneath her.

“Why are you looking for him?” Twilight asked as Applejack finished packing the apples. Accepting them with a soft ‘thank you’, she placed the apples into her saddlebag gently before glancing back up at Rainbow.

“Uh… no reason,” Rainbow said quickly, her eyes darting back and forth. “Just want to… um…” Fidgeting, she chewed on her bottom lip before suddenly snapping her wings open wider and zipping off through the air, leaving Twilight and Applejack to stare after her in confusion.

“What was that about?” Twilight asked, keeping her eyes on the retreating pegasus. Applejack just shrugged, scratching her head with a hoof.

“Ah’m not entirely sure,” she said, shaking her head. “She’s been actin’ like that for the past couple o’ days.”

“Hmmm, I wonder if I should go talk to her,” Twilight said thoughtfully, rubbing her chin with a hoof. “I hope it’s nothing serious—”

“Hey, Twilight,” a mare interrupted, walking past Applejack’s stand, her hips swaying slightly. “How’s your human doing?”

“And just like that, I don’t care anymore,” Twilight deadpanned as the mare walked away slowly, giggling to herself. “I’m sorry to run, Applejack, but I need to get back to the library before I say something I’ll regret.”

“Alright then, catch ya later, Twi,” Applejack called after her as Twilight quickly trotted away. She tried not to break out in a gallop as the eyes continued to follow her every movement.

This is getting out of hoof, she thought to herself as she hurried past another group of giggling mares, all of whom were eyeing her with coy smiles on their faces. Thank the Maker we’ll be spending almost a week in Canterlot soon. Hopefully that’ll give everypony enough time to calm down before we get back.

Twilight had just about made it back to the library when, due to her distracted state, she ran face first into something. Yelping, she fell backwards onto her flank, her wings flaring by her sides.

“Sorry,” she muttered, rubbing her nose with a hoof. “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.”

~Yeah, I could kind of tell~

Twilight perked up instantly as a pair of sandal-clad feet entered her vision. Lifting her head, she found Max staring down at her, an amused smirk on his face.

“Max!” Twilight cried, a large smile spreading quickly across her face. “You’re back already?”

“Yup,” Primrose said as she stepped out from behind the human. “The zebra had company, so we decided to make our stay brief.”

“She had visitors?” Twilight asked, surprise.

“Yeah, her cousin from the desert,” Primrose replied, fishing around in her bags. “A little nutty, methinks, but friendly nonetheless.”

Pulling out the ingredients, Primrose passed them to Twilight, who grabbed them with her magic. As she placed the containers gently into her saddlebags, she asked, “Was there any trouble?”

“Nope,” Avera answered. “The forest was quiet, Zecora got us what we needed, we made a new warm friend, and now here we are.”

“Warm friend?” Twilight asked, looking at her in confusion.

“A large salamander,” Ebony explained. “Zecora’s cousin uses it to travel, and it was really warm.”

“Well, seeing as they tend to be found around volcanoes and hot springs, I’d imagine so. They’re known as lava-swimmers for a reason,” Twilight said with a chuckle. “I’m just glad that nothing weird happened.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Primrose said, her brow furrowing slightly. Though her mouth was covered by her bandana, Twilight could still tell she was frowning. “I didn’t notice it leaving town, but coming back, most of the mares and some of the stallions have been eyeing us, or more specifically, Max.”

Max jerked his head back, his eyes widening as he glanced down at Primrose with a frown. ~They have? I didn’t notice anything~

“You guys too, huh?” Twilight asked, her ears splaying backwards. “Ever since I left the hospital, I’ve had ponies staring at me. It’s getting rather annoying.”

“Any idea why they’re staring?” Ebony asked, glancing around to see that Twilight was indeed speaking the truth: everypony seemed to be staring at the group, their eyes wide in shock and wonder.

At Ebony’s question, Twilight’s cheeks flushed red and she looked away.

“I have no idea,” she grumbled. “I just want to get to the library and make it stop.”

“Yeah, you know, it’s not ‘cause we have a human that survived an infected bite or anything,” Avera said, rolling her eyes. Max raised any eyebrow before glancing down at the arm that had been bitten. Primrose snicked at his expression, her bandana fluttering with her breaths.

“Anyways,” Ebony said, glancing around again. “I agree with Twilight. We should probably get into the library as soon as possible before anypony makes a scene.”

A low growl rumbled nearby and all four ponies glanced at Max, who blinked in surprise before glancing down at his stomach.

“Perhaps get something to eat as well,” Avera snickered, smirking up at the human, who just pouted down at her.

“Yeah, come on,” Twilight said with a smile, motioning towards the library with her head. “Let me unpack my bags and we’ll all get something to eat.”

“That sounds like a marvelous idea,” Primrose purred as she grabbed the door handle and pushing the front door open.

Everyone froze as a loud gasp came from within the library. Before anyone could react, there was the sound of fluttering wings before a yellow and pink blur flew past the guards and Twilight, and slammed into Max.

The human toppled backwards with a yelp as the pegasus currently clinging to him cried out, “I WILL HEAL YOU!”

As Kindness continued to cling to Max’s chest, I flitted around the both of them, my wings twitching in distress. His guards crowded around, oblivious to my presence even when I phased through them. The Magic Alicorn just stood there, the expression on her face a mix of amusement and confusion.

“Oh… I can’t believe it,” I gasped, dancing on my hooves as I looked down at the struggling human. “I leave you alone for a few days and look what happens! You could have died! Oh, I knew—I just knew—that I shouldn’t have left!”

Trying to extract the pegasus from his chest, Max continued to ignore me as he did every time I tried to talk with him. Kindness continued to hold on with surprising strength, a medical kit strapped to her back.

“It was just luck that stopped you from becoming infected,” I whimpered, hopping from one side of him to the other. “You have to be more careful!”

Finally pulling Kindness from his chest, Max stood up, holding the pegasus at arm’s length as he gave her an amused look. Slipping up behind her, I looked into Max’s eye.

“Do you hear me? More careful!” I said, trying to be stern. “I’ve invested too much into you to have you ruin it with your stupidity. I did not save you from death within the pit just so that you could die later! You can’t be getting yourself into danger! You can’t be so reckless! You can’t hear anything I’m saying, can you?”

Looking into his eyes for any signs of comprehension, I sighed when I saw none. Sitting back on my haunches, I chewed on my bottom lip as I watched Max interact with the ponies around him, holding Kindness at bay with good humor as she squirmed in his grasp.

As the group slowly entered the library, I turned my gaze towards Canterlot, a small frown upon my muzzle.