In the Everfree Forest, Eric, Nightshade, Zuni, Marina, Holly, and Slapstick were in a small field filled with beautiful flowers, and a lake that was partly swampy. They accompanied Fluttershy and Zecora as they were collecting some crisscross moss for her animal sanctuary.

“Thank you so much, Zecora. I never would’ve found the crisscross moss without you,” Fluttershy said.

“Of course. I know where it grows, so it’s not much to ask. Though retrieving it has been a difficult task,” Zecora replied.

“Oh, but the oxen visiting Sweet Feather Sanctuary next week will surely appreciate it. It really adds a shine to their coat,” Fluttershy said.

“There we go. Now, that wasn’t so tough. Fluttershy, tell me, will this be enough?” Zecora asked.

“Gee, I don’t know. It’s a pretty big pack. So maybe enough to fill up this sack?” Fluttershy gasped and giggled, realizing she just rhymed, “Oh, my! You’re rubbing off on me, Zecora!”

Eric and his friends watched as Zecora tried to retrieve some more moss, he immediately recognized the tree from a plant book he read.

“Zecora, get back! That’s a swamp fever tree!” Eric shouted.

Zecora tried to back up, but ended up slipping and snapping a branch, “Whoa. Whoa!” she exclaimed, as she fell in the water.

Fluttershy screamed, “Oh, no, oh, no, oh, no!”

“Zecora, are you all right?“ she asked

“No need to fret. I only got wet. As I always say to Eric, hakuna matata,” Zecora replied.

“What does that phrase mean?” Fluttershy asked.

“It means ‘no worries’. It was in a movie I’ve seen,” Eric replied.

“At least now I can easily grab all the crisscross moss there is to be had.” Zecora said.

“Allow me, Zecora,” Eric replied, “Accio moss!”

Once he summoned the moss, Eric quickly put it in Fluttershy’s sack.

Just then, three familiar evil ponies and three familiar gorgons came their way from the forest cover. It was Hydra, Reeka, Draggle, Hot Shot, Skywarp, and Thundercracker.

“Long time no see, Eric Sparkle,” Hot Shot said.

“Why are you here? What do you want?” Eric asked.

“Glacio sent us here to collect some swamp fever flowers so we can use them as a weapon,” Thundercracker replied.

“Quiet, Thundercracker. We don’t want Eric or his friends to get wind of our plans, so let’s use some of those flowers on them!” Hot Shot ordered.

“Hurry, we gotta stop them before they collect any of those bad flowers!” Eric said to his friends.

It wasn’t long before a skirmish broke out between Eric, his friends, and Glacio’s minions.

“Everte Statum!” Eric incanted.

Hot Shot only managed to get one flower and tried to throw it at Eric. He missed as it hit Zecora instead, since he was dizzy. He and his partners made a hasty retreat.

“Zecora! What’s happening to you?” Fluttershy asked worriedly.

“Honestly, it’s hard to tell. But suddenly, I don’t feel so well...” Zecora replied.

“I hope it’s nothing serious, Aunt Zecora,” Zuni said.

After arriving at the hospital, the doctor checked Zecora out with all the mysterious symptoms she had, finishing examining her mouth, her tongue also sporting the same orange spots her body has.

“Alright Zecora, let’s take a listen to the old ticker,” Dr. Stable said.

With his stethoscope, the stallion listened to Zecora’s heart, which had an irregular rhythm despite his normal breathing, sounding like a jazzy drum solo more than a heartbeat.

“Do you think it’s serious, doctor?“ Fluttershy asked.

“Hmmm...Well, that’s not a good sign,” the doctor replied.

“I can’t believe a flower did this. I take back thinking it was pretty!“ Fluttershy said.

Zecora began to cough up bubbles, Quickly putting some chemicals in a small beaker, the doctor grabbed one of the bubbles, placed it in the beaker, and shook it up after plugging the small vial.

“We’re looking for any color other than red,” he said. After shaking it up enough, he showed Eric, Fluttershy, and Zecora the results. Their relief was short-lived when the clear liquid began to turn red. “Oh, it’s just as I thought. I’m afraid you have a very rare disease called...Swamp Fever!

“Tell me, doctor, what should I do?” Zecora asked, “I’ve never heard of Swamp Fever, mind you.”

“Unfortunately, very little is known about the disease. Except, of course, it’s symptoms,” the doctor said. He then held out a medical book, turning to the pages about the disease Zecora had. “Change of coat, coughing bubbles, shock sneezing, confusion, and the last stage, the afflicted turn into the very trees that drop the disease-spreading flower.”

“Oh! Is there anything that can be done for such a terrible conundrum?!” Zecora asked.

“A cure has yet to be discovered. I’m sorry, Zecora,” the doctor replied, “I know this is a lot to take in. I’ll leave you three to discuss.”

“Zecora, this is all my fault! If you hadn’t been helping me get the crisscross moss, you wouldn’t have gotten Swamp Fever. I’m so sorry,” Fluttershy apologized.

“Fluttershy, you are not to blame. These things happen all the same,” Zecora said.

“I refuse to accept that! There has to be somepony who can help you,” Fluttershy replied.

“Oh, there’s a healer of legend who never would fail. But I only know her from ancient folktales. Mystical and masked, she came in the night and cured everything from hoof cough to fur blight. What became of the healer, nopony knows, for she disappeared ages and ages ago,” Zecora explained.

“The Mystical Mask! Of course! My parents would tell me about whenever I was sick in bed,” Fluttershy said.

“There’s so many accounts of her power to heal. She can’t be just a legend. I think she’s real,” Zecora replied.

“If that’s who we need to cure you, then I’m going to find her, and I know just the ponies who can help,” Fluttershy said.

Glacio’s Ice Fortress

Hot Shot, Hydia, Reeka, Draggle, Skywarp, and Thundercracker went into the main room where Glacio and Frostbite were waiting for their report.

“My lord, we failed to get the swamp fever flowers. But the one called Zecora got infected by the flower I tried to take,” Hot Shot said.

“We didn’t count on Eric Sparkle and his friends being present,” Thundercracker added.

“Commander Hot Shot, you and your partners are suspended from field operations until further notice,” Glacio ordered.

“As you wish, my lord,” Hot Shot replied, as he and his partners left.

Just then, Descent, Wind Rider, and Blueblood entered.

“Any leads on the whereabouts of the Alicorn Amulet?” Glacio asked.

“All of us, including Commander Hot Shot and his five partners, searched every museum, vault, and curio shop in Equestria and we finally found a lead,” Descent replied.

“We had to interrogate and torture many ponies, but the curio shop owner in Canterlot revealed that he had it in his shop, and that a cloaked unicorn mare took it for herself,” Wind Rider added.

“Any idea who this mare is?” Frostbite asked.

“In all my spying, I may have overheard the magician called Trixie say that she possessed it, but that a zebra named Zecora took it for safekeeping,” Blueblood replied.

“After two and a half years of searching, we finally know where it is. Soon, I shall have the power to control the sun and moon, and Equestria will be mine,” Glacio said, then cackled.

At the Sparkle family castle, Twilight, Storm, and Fluttershy kept searching for answers about the Mystical Mask of Mage Meadowbrook and what it looked like.

“Okay, so we’ve look through every page, including the last book on ancient ponies, and still no mention of the Mystical Mask,” Twilight said.

“Hmm... Did we check the unabridged versions?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yes, and the books on rare diseases, the books on rare plants, and the entire section on bog habitation,” Twilight said.

“Well, we might have to look through the entire library, but I know we’ll figure it out soon enough!” Fluttershy replied.

“Fluttershy, I know you want to help Zecora, but you can’t help others if you can’t help yourself,” Twilight said.

“Twily has a point, you know,” Storm added.

“I know, but we have to try,” Fluttershy replied.

At sunrise, the next day, Fluttershy found what she was looking for, “This is it! I found it!” Fluttershy flew over to Twilight and Storm to show them the pages. “I just found out who the Mystical Mask is!”

“You did?!” Twilight asked.

“Yes! All I had to do was cross-reference a book about masks with another book on ancient Equestrian healers, then use a third book to translate it all from Olde Ponish, and there it was! Zecora was right! The Mystical Mask wasn’t just a legend. The Mystical Mask was Mage Meadowbrook!“ Fluttershy explained.

Twilight gasped deeply, “The ancient sorceress from Hayseed Swamp? Storm and I studied her at Princess Celestia’s school! Are you sure?” she asked.

“Absolutely!” Fluttershy said, “Mage Meadowbrook wasn’t just a sorceress. She was also a healer, and back then, healers wore masks so they wouldn’t get sick themselves! This could be the clue!”

“Nightshade told me he learned about Meadowbrook last month in magic school. Maybe Somnambula, Rockhoof, Flash Magnus, and Mistmane were as real as she was,” Eric added.

“Fluttershy, I am so incredibly proud of you for using your research skills to figure this out!” Twilight said.

“But Meadowbrook lived ages ago, and didn’t she disappear?” Storm asked.

“Mm-hmm. But if we go to Hayseed Swamp, maybe we can find something she left behind! Something that could lead to a cure! We might be able to save Zecora!” Fluttershy said.

“Hmm... It seems like a long shot, but I guess it’s possible,” Twilight replied, “Don’t worry. I’ve got a route all planned out, and on the way, we can stop for some supplies.”

“All taken care of,” Spike said, as he packed them some snacks, books, and the map to Hayseed Swamp.

“Thank you, Spike,” Twilight replied, until she hugged the little dragon and gave him a kiss on his forehead, then the three ponies, plus Eric started their journey to Hayseed Swamp.

As they finally arrived at Hayseed Swamp, they saw a tree that looked like a house.

“I don’t suppose somepony as Meadowbrook could possibly live in a place like this,” Eric said.

“Guess we’ll have to find out,” Storm said, and then carefully knocked on the door three times.

The door opened and they saw a thick earth pony stallion with an orangish brown coat, a braided golden yellow mane, beard, and tail, grayish purple eyes, a red headband underneath a brown fedora, a green tribal vest, a golden necklace, and had two cattail plants with a yellow spiral sun for a cutie mark.

“Can I help you?” Cattail asked.

“Is this the residence of Mage Meadowbrook?” Eric asked.

“Yes. It is. You’re welcome to come in if you want,” Cattail replied.

“Thanks,” Twilight said.

“So, what brings you here?” Cattail asked.

“We’re lookin’ on somethin’ about a cure for Swamp Fever. Our friend, Zecora is sick with it,” Fluttershy said.

“A cure for Swamp Fever?! Well, you’ve come to the right place! I happen to be a descendant of the mage anyhow!” Cattail said.

“You’re a descendant?!” Twilight asked.

“Yep. Oh, forgot to introduce myself. My name’s Cattail,” he said.

“I’m Princess Twilight Sparkle, but you can call me Twilight. This is my friend Fluttershy, my husband Prince Storm Blade, and I think you know who this is,” she said, pointing to Eric.

“Glad to meet ya’ll. Especially you, Prince Eric Sparkle,” Cattail said, “Now, since you’ve been lookin’ for an answer for a cure on the disease, I happen to know where it might be somewhere written in one of her journals. Follow me, I’ll show ya lot the library, and one of them should have somethin’ that says something about the cure you need for the little ones you mentioned.”

Twilight squeed excitedly, and then they followed Cattail to the library in the treehouse.

Soon enough, they searched through every journal for answers, but found nothing. “Ugh! This is hopeless! How are we going to find a cure for Zecora if there aren’t any answers that make sense?!” Twilight frustratingly complained.

Fluttershy gave him the book, and then he showed her the page in the journal.

“Hey! There’s a backstory on it! Oh... but she didn’t say how she did it,” Fluttershy said.

“I think it’s time y’all knew about Mage Meadowbrook and how she was lucky at curing something like Swamp Fever,” Cattail said, “A long time ago, Mage Meadowbrook was a young and talented sorceress, and she lived with her mother in this tree...”

Mage Meadowbrook and her mother were cooking an unsniffle elixir, and then Meadowbrook gave some to a chipmunk who had a stuffy and swollen nose, until it shrunk to its normal size. The chipmunk nuzzled the top of its head on the mage!s forehoof and then ran back to the forest.

“Meadowbrook, I think it’s time you had this,” Meadowbrook’s mother said, until she gave her a gift box. When her daughter opened it, she received a bird like mask.

“My very own healer’s mask! You really think I’m ready, mother,” Meadowbrook asked. Meadowbrook’s mother nodded, and gave her daughter a hug.

Suddenly, a knock on the door was heard, and Meadowbrook’s mother answered it, and it showed a unicorn mare with splotches from Swamp Fever, which made the mage’s mother gasp.

“What caused this to you poor dear?” The mare showed her the blue lily with orange spots.

Meadowbrook’s mother called it Swamp Fever. She and her daughter, Meadowbrook have been tryin’ so hard to find a cure, but I hasn’t been easy... until it happened.”

The lily popped open and puffed out the mist on Meadowbrook’s mother, causing her to cough. There was another knock on the door, and Meadowbrook suddenly saw more ponies with Swamp Fever by sneezing electricity and coughing bubbles. “The fever spread like wildfire.” Meadowbrook’s mother coughed up bubbles, and it made her daughter feel worried. “Meadowbrook was worried that if she and her mother wouldn’t find a cure soon, everypony would be in grave danger.”

Meadowbrook put her mother in bed with a cold compress on her head, as she kept coughing bubbles, and her daughter would come check on her mother every second.

“I promise I’ll do my best, mother,” Meadowbrook said.

“I know you will, honey. Just have faith,” her mother said. Meadowbrook nodded and then hugged her gently. “With her mother sick, Meadowbrook didn’t think she’d ever find a cure soon enough. But when she tried to examine those cursed flowers by staying far away from them, she saw somethin’ amazin’ happen.”

A few flash bees buzzed over the flowers as they puffed the mist from inside, and then Mage Meadowbrook saw a miracle happen, “Flash bees!”

“And she realized the flowers’ poisonous mist didn’t affect the flash bees. And if they were immune to Swamp Fever, then she knew that their honey would be the cure! Mage Meadowbrook then carefully followed the bees without angerin’ them, until she realized they had a electrical surge in their stingers. They would be so aggressive defendin’ their hive and their queen, she didn’t know how she was gonna get it! But somehow, she had a plan. While the flash bees were distracted, she took her healer’s mask and used it as a defensive strategy.”

“Here goes nothin!” Meadowbrook said, as she put the mask on her head, and then carefully tried to get the honey safely.

“Then, after makin’ a negotiation with the bees with the mask over her head, she got the honey, and was able to cure her mother...” Meadowbrook fed her mother some of the honey, until she and her mother, helped with the rest of the sick ponies. “...and then the rest of the bayou! It was the greatest feeling she’s ever experienced, until she made a promise to dedicate her life to curing ponies all over Equestria. But right up ‘til she disappeared without a trace.”

“Wow... Mage Meadowbrook must’ve been so courageous and thoughtful over sick ponies,” Eric said.

“Definitely,” Fluttershy replied, “Do you think there’s a way we can get the honey safely?”

“I suppose, but I suggest using these,” Cattail said, as he gave them spare masks. “Then, let’s do it,” Twilight said.

When they were ready, the four ponies went to the nearest flash beehive and then put on their masks. “Are you sure this’ll work?” Twilight asked.

“I think so,” Fluttershy said, “Zecora is counting on us.”

They all nodded, and then Fluttershy put Meadowbrook’s old mask on and climbed up the tree to the beehive, and then she communicated with the flash bees by buzzing with them. They acknowledged her message and then she pressed her hoof into the hive and took some of their honey.

“Got it. Thank you,” Fluttershy said. The flash bees nodded and then Twilight levitated her down.

Some time later, at Zecora’s hut, a fully-rested Fluttershy fed the honey to Zecora, and she makes an instant recovery.

“I think she’s cured now, Fluttershy,” Twilight pointed out.

“Ohhh, I do feel fine, and this honey is divine,” Zecora said.

“Oh, you’re rhyming again! Welcome back, my friend!” Fluttershy replied.

“Thank you, Fluttershy, for all you endured. If not for you, I would not be cured,” Zecora said.

“Oh, if it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have been sick in the first place,” Fluttershy replied.

“Regret is not what you should feel, because on this journey, you’ve learned a great deal,” Zecora pointed out.

“That’s true. I certainly learned that if you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to take care of anypony else. In fact, if I had rested like Twilight had suggested all along, maybe I would have thought to use Meadowbrook’s mask sooner,” Fluttershy said.

“Besides, it wasn’t your fault in he first place, Fluttershy. It was because of Glacio’s minions that Zecora got sick, but it’s a good thing my friends and I stopped them before they could take any swamp fever flowers,” Eric explained.

“Please tell me you found the cure!” The doctor said, sneezing and coughing as he opened the window.

“We found it, doctor. It’s flash bee honey,” Eric replied, giving him a vial.

“Come on, Eric. Let’s go home,” Twilight said.

“Okay. I’m sure Midnight is probably missing me,” Eric replied.

Eric, Twilight, and Storm went back to their castle, while Fluttershy returned to her cottage. There, she was greeted by Spiracle, Lyra, and Bonbon.

“Welcome home, Flutters,” Spiracle said.

“It’s good to be home, Spiracle,” Fluttershy replied.

Later that night, Spiracle and his three girlfriends engaged in some late night cuddling before they went to sleep.

Next Chapter: Chapter 8: Birthday Trip to Whinnyapolis Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 8 Minutes