Are You Ready?

by Dirty Bit

First published 21st of January, 2012

Guess who's back from the other side...

A certain witch doctor gets flung into a certain world of color and wonder. Is this a second chance, or some kind of sick joke played by his friends?
Disclaimer:
I do not own ANY of the characters shown in this story!
Princess and the Frog is copyright of Disney
MLP: Friendship is Magic is copyright of Hasbro
Cover Page is copyright of AutumnBlood of dA

Chapter 1

He remembered it all: How he hatched his plot, how much he had to pay for it, and how close he came to realizing his plan altogether. Then, thanks to a little slip-up, a slimy little frog just happened to seal his fate completely. He remembered how panicked he was when he realized that all of his hard work had crumbled before him, and that the same folks he called his friends happened to pay him a visit and collect their 'debt'. He even remembered how he was mercilessly dragged into the very hole he dug for himself, only to face endless torment in the form of fearful images including his 'friends', deafening cackles from different voices, and that same song that he himself sung in his lifetime. It was a miracle that he hadn't been drove to insanity, but with each passing second the images grew more morbid, and the incessant laughing and song louder.

...Then it happened...

He thought it to be neverending, but as he waded in a cesspool of his own torment, everything slowly began getting darker and the images began to fade. When everything was pitch black to him, even the endless laughter and song began to fade out of earshot until there was nothing but endless darkness and silence. At that time, he lost feeling of both his body and mind, as if he were met with a peaceful rest at last. It didn't last long, however, as something surprising happened to him.

He was able to regain feeling of his body, and even gave off a weak moan as the darkness began to lift, opening his eyes only to show something even more surprising. Instead of the hell he wallowed in for so long, he found himself in a clearing of what appeared to be a forest. He gave another weak moan as he decided to speak...

"What the hell is goin' on?
Where have all my friends gone?"

He paused after his little sentence, thinking he rhymed as if on instinct. This could have been a small verbal mistake as he decided to speak once more...

"Whatever happened, I'm glad I'm free.
I wonder what my friends have done to me..."

He paused again, then widened his eyes to his realization. 'Is this some kind of joke!?' He thought, surprised to realize he couldn't rhyme in this thoughts. Ignoring the matter of his verbal conduct, he decided to get up and explore, only to realize something was amiss. When he got on two legs, he fell on all fours, as if he was reincarnated into a quadruped. This only added to his list of surprises pertaining to his current minutes in this new place: Waking up in what almost seemed like a pristine forest, rhyming with each word out of his mouth as if he were in a child's story, and the possibility of having been reborn as a lowly animal of sorts. This wouldn't sit well with him at all, but he should probably find the nearest mirror to see what possible monstrosity he has now become. Spotting a puddle a small distance away, he trotted over 'Wait...I'm trotting?' and gazed upon his new form.

"Of all the things I've seen right now,
All I have to ask is 'HOW!?'"

He couldn't believe what he saw. In the reflection of the dirty water gave way to a figure of an otherworldly striped horse -no- a zebra. A ZEBRA! And if that wasn't wierd enough, this zebra had a horn on its forehead, and possessed the same hat, eyes, and teeth that he had donned in his previous life. Despite the abominable figure in front of him, he already missed his cane. Maybe he could use it to knock himself senseless and consider this another form of torment from his 'friends'. He could save them a period of physical torment with how hard he wanted to hit himself right now. To make sure it wasn't a trick, he lifted a hoof near his face and began waving it left and right for good measure.

...This was no trick...

Dr. Facilier-THE Dr. Facilier, reduced to something Pablo Picasso himself would probably draw on a canvas, and in the middle of a forest no less. He probably thought he was back in Louisiana, in one of their famous bogs, though he spotted no swamps or bodies of water in sight, save for the puddle of cruel realization. He decided to examine himself for other things out of the ordinary in his case. There was some familiarity to the new body he possessed other than his hat and eyes, seeing as how he held a slim and slender figure. He noticed his tail resembled his wacky hairstyle in his previous life, but what really caught his eye was what was labeled on his hindquarters. He noticed what appeared to be an assortment of familiar items painted to his flanks, all bunched up as if they were about to be put on sale. There was a doll with a pin, a tarot card, and a potion flask of green liquid, all behind a cartoonish skull. This only raised more questions for himself, but he couldn't ask them here. He needed to get out of this forest and make contact with possible life, and hopefully scam them into doing what he wants. The Shadowman was always the charismatic type to anyone he spoke to, and would be happy to charm the very first person or animal that came into sight. Seeing as how he himself was technically an animal, he may have a shot of charming both, but then he remembers how out of place he looked ever since coming here.

He thought about moving out of this place, but then he remembered one small thing that he could ever cherish in his life other than his borrowed magic, charm, and physique...

...His shadow...

He practically beamed at the thought of his old chum, and turned to see the very shade he casted in the sunlight. Lifting one of his hooves, Dr. Facilier hoped to see if he would respond, but it only mimicked his exact movement. 'Maybe he's still asleep...' he thought, seeing as how his only true friend is attached to his body, not showing any sign of movement. Giving him a few moments to himself, he tried again, not only getting the same results, but growing irritated in the mix. After waving his hoof once more in a frantic motion, he had enough as he decided to call to his shadow.

"C'mon, shadow, this here ain't funny!
You can move so well while the sky's all sunny!"

No response

The witch doctor felt betrayed at one point, but that feeling was replaced with a faint sense of ire at his own shadow's disobedience. He began to think of harsh forms of punishment if he were to ever catch his shadow awake, only to have a faint and familiar beat make his ears perk up. He looked around as his anger began to recede, and at that moment, so did that faint sound of drums and voices. This began to get all to wierd for him, as he wanted to figure out if this wasn't more torture or not. So, with a sense of confidence and possible (if not, wrong) direction, he began to make his way into the thick of the forest from the clearing he woke up in.

He trotted along the only open trail he found, and continued walking. Looking back, the witch doctor could only see the sun-phased clearing move more and more out of sight as he continued along, noticing how dark and forboding the path has become. All sense of welcoming pleasure the forest had to offer before was now gone as he heard all sorts of animal sounds, as if one of them were waiting to pounce on him and have him for a quick snack. Each tree he passed looked all gnarled, and some looked as if they even had faces on them. He was beginning to think this was all some kind of mind trick played by his 'friends', only to realize what he had discovered after what felt like hours of travel.

He stumbled upon what appeared to be a hut made from one of the trees in the forest. What caught his attention was its exterior design. There were some masks, including one large green one over the door of the hut, and the branches were decorated in bottles tied to vines hanging from each branch. This can only mean one thing: There was another witch doctor here. One that could hopefully clear his mind, and can also be bent to his will. He grinned his gapped teeth at the sight of the hut, and couldn't waste another moment to gallop over there and knock on the door with his hoof. He heard chanting from inside, and upon further inspection, sounding feminine and alluring, causing him to chuckle to himself 'Ooooh~, this is gonna be easy...'. The doctor knocked on the door, and upon doing so, stopped the chanting from inside. There was faint trotting heard from behind the door, growing in sound with each step, then the knob turned with the door opening to reveal the hut's owner.

She, too, was a zebra, but did not possess a horn. Instead, she held dazzling blue eyes, a mohawk(Though at one point, he thought it was normal, since she was a zebra.), and rings on her neck, ears, and left hoof. The mark on her hindquarters depicted a sun similar to what could be seen in a cave painting, but he paid it no mind as his signature charm broke in. He grinned at the zebra mare and greeted himself in his most proper manner.

"Mademoiselle~! Enchanté~...
A tip of the hat, from Dr. Facilier~..."

He added the last part with charismatic emphasis, and was even courteous enough to remove his hat with his left hoof and showing his long and wacky mane. He was surprised to even grab his hat with his hoof, but dismissed the thought as he kept his charming (And almost seductive) guise and looked up at the zebra mare, who only stared with a blank face.

Chapter 2

Dr. Facilier thought he had her under her spell at first sight, but the zebra mare's blank stare was only replaced with a look of pure disdain upon his sight. She narrowed her eyes as she replied in a hostile tone.

"You, who have come across my home,
Should not be here. Go now, and roam..."

Her words practically dripped with venom with each spoken term, as if she knew he would come here and was ready to fight him off if necessary. The witch doctor couldn't let his guise falter, for he even broke Lawrence, a stout toady who doubted him at first, only to seek his services after speaking with his silver tongue. He decided he needed to try harder as he spoke to her again, trying to crush her iron will and make her help him out.

"C'mon, girl, don't be shy~.
Let me talk, I'm a reasonable guy."

Before he could speak more, he was interrupted by mare's next venom-induced verse.

"Your aura is as dark as this forest's soul!
To let you sway me with words, I'd be a foal!"

There she goes again with that hostile tone. While he kept a suave and cool demeanor on his face, on the inside, he was equally agitated with her words. Once again, it was as if she anticipated his arrival from the get-go. He dismissed her harsh words once again as he continued to attempt to win over her trust.

"Don't judge a book by it's cover, missy...
I come seeking guidance. No need to get pissy."

The zebra mare could only snort at his words, knowing that this stallion meant trouble. While she could relate to being judged as a type of witch, she was accepted in the end after showing kindness to her friends. But she could tell that the horned zebra standing in front of her wanted nothing more than to further his dark goals just by using charming banter to lure her under his spell. She could only reply to his next statement with another spiteful verse.

"You shall get nothing from me at all!
Go to the nearest cliff and fall!"

It was at times like this that he missed his shadow, for this verbal onslaught of her's was getting old to the Shadowman (Or in his current case, 'Colt'). She possessed a strong spirit, as if Madam Odie herself somehow made her way into this world and was standing right in front of him. Barring her spirit, it was as if he was forced to deal with this ever since he came here, having to deal with constant verse. Dr. Facilier only rhymes in song and times when he's in a good mood, but not 24/7. Looking past the defensive mare, he caught a glimpse of her hut's interior. He noticed more masks and potions around her room, and stopped his eyes to a bubbling cauldron, his eyes gleaming with temptation. It was a long time since he whipped up a good potion or two, along with some spells. But knowing his predicament, he thought it best to leave her alone, knowing she wasn't moving an inch or even GIVING him an inch further to her home. He thought it would be best to just wrap up his little reverie and ask for directions since she is adamant on wanting him gone.

"Since your not in the bests of moods today,
Do you know of any good places to stay?"

The angry mare couldn't take it anymore as she slammed a hoof on her doorstep with a loud thud, causing Dr. Facilier to flinch and take a step back. her eyes were narrow to slits as she uttered her next words with crushing ferocity.

"You've wasted time, now leave my abode!
Your sight will only make my anger EXLODE!"

She was ready for war, and the witch doctor could only sneer at her explosive anger, but quickly donned a fake smile. He turned and left after giving her one last smile and made his way along the clear path in front of him. After he was a few feet away from the hut, he heard a door slam, knowing she went inside with her more than bad mood. After she went inside, he replaced his smile with a look of dark anger. 'That girl jus' messed with the wrooong guy...If I had all my stuff, she'd be cooked like Louisiana shrimp!' He could only brood about his temporary loss as his thoughts darkened, and at that time that same faint rhythm came back to his ears, only growing in volume with each thought. He stopped and looked around again, wondering if he was hearing things, or if the zebra mare was performing some kind of haunting melody to spite him. He calmed down again to listen, only to have that melody fade once more. He rubbed his temples and wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him, but dismissed it as he continued on, finding a ray of light on the way.

After a good amount of walking, he was able to find himself out of the forest and into a beautiful meadow. He looked around and found the scenery to be remarkable. Almost every artist alive would want nothing more than to paint a picture of what the witch doctor saw: Beautiful skies, the breezing clouds, the bright sun, singing birds, and the blades of grass moving gracefully in the wind. It was as pristine as the clearing he woke up to in the forest. He took in the view, only to notice two things in the distance that lifted his spirits and made him forget about his past troubles.

What he noticed was a very distant castle hanging over a large mountain, looking every bit as it would in a children's book. Dismissing the childish nature the structure envoked, he was happy to know there was possibly royalty to dupe out of their money and resources were he to hold any useful items, but the second sight made him all the happier. A town! A town meant civilization, and civilization meant opportunity. He could use this moment to get back on his feet and start a whole new business with his profession in the dark arts. With renewed vigor after his long travel in the forest, he galloped ahead, only to stop and notice another landmark in his sights. He came across what appeared to be a peaceful cottage, like the one in 'Goldilocks and the three bears', only it was teeming with animals of different kinds. Most of them were merely small critters. Dr. Facilier wondered if it was a good idea to go over there to knock on the door and not be met with another seething zebra mare who could see through his charismatic ruse with relative ease. Dismissing the thought, he made his way over, only to notice the critters widening their eyes at the sight of the him and scurrying into their respective homes. When he reached the door, he put on his best gentlemen's face and knocked on the door, waiting patiently for whoever lived here. The door opened to reveal a beautiful yellow pony with a flowing pink mane and gentle eyes looking up at Dr. Facilier. This one was the antithesis of his last visit, and this made his attempt all the easier with knowing how timid she sounded when she spoke to him, shaking visibly "U-Um...Can I help you, sir??" She said in an quiet and cute voice. Antithesis indeed! This one didn't even rhyme at all, making Dr. Facilier want to use his signature charm on her to see if he can win her over easily as he flashed a grin towards the pony, then noticed she had wings. It was as if he went to a place where everyone was a horse with a visible gimmick on their bodies and a tattoo on their hindquarters. Dismissing the thought, his suave demeanor took over as he greeted the timid mare.

"Hey there cutie, how ya'll doin'?
You act as if there's trouble brewin'..."

His words made the mare shrink back into her mane, her face red as a cherry "O-Oh my...No, there's n-nothing wrong...I, um...just never saw you here before..." She could only take another step back, causing Dr. Facilier to chuckle at her actions. He spoke again, although he caught a faint glimpse of a pair of small black eyes glaring at him from inside her cottage.

"Don't worry, girl, I won't bite none.
I'm just here to have some fun..."

He paused on his words, thinking he was coming on too strong with his charm as he noticed the mare was all the way inside of her house with the door open. The doctor revised his words with haste.

"I didn't mean it like that, don't get me wrong,
I was just passing through, my trip was long..."

The mare slowly showed some of her face, but was still nervous "A-Are you lost? Because you're near Ponyville, if that's where you wanna go..." She shrunk again "That is, if that's okay with you..." The Shadowcolt could only shake his head and smile at this one, knowing her innocence was as clear as day. He decided to poke more fun by charming the mare with more words before he made his way to the place called 'Ponyville'.

"Your voice is so soft, it makes me wanna fly...
What's your name there, cutie pie?"

Upon the request, she could only utter "Um...I'm Fluttershy..." This caused Dr. Facilier to raise an eyebrow at her and ask again

"You're not speaking loud enough, my dear.
Mind layin' some emphasis onto my ear?"

She spoke again "M...My name is Fluttershy..." This began to agitate the witch doctor, thinking that she was toying with him. He asked once more with what was left of his patience.

"Didn't quite catch that, speak up please.
Try sayin' your name with relative ease..."

He hoped that that would help her speak up, but it only succeeded in making her give off an inaudible squeak at a high pitch. He only paused and stared at how shy this mare can be. Normally, he's used to dealing with fraidy cats or nervous wrecks of all sorts coming to his shop for guidance, but this was just ridiculous. He almost missed the zebra's ire with how this winged mare was talking. He just sighed as he trotted off.

"I'm just gonna go to that there town.
If ya feel like followin', come on down..."

He doubt that she would, given her audience with him, until he heard a "Wait!" causing him to turn to see the yellow mare fluttering into the air from her home, landing next to his side. She kicked at the ground, looking away "I-I'm sorry...I get nervous around new ponies...and you seem like you need help" She turned to Dr. Facilier with a warm smile "My name is Fluttershy...What's yours?" The Shadowcolt paused and stared, only to slowly break into a grin as he thought he found himself a valuable pawn for the first time in a long while. They walked along the trail to Ponyville, trading introductions and small stories on the way.

Chapter 3

Dr. Facilier, with the company of Fluttershy, finally reached the surnamed town of Ponyville, and couldn't believe the sight of what the very town had to offer.

The town certainly lived up to its name, as the witch doctor spotted all sorts of ponies left and right living like humans back in his world. What surpised him was that the town was mostly populated with mares, barely finding hide or hair of any stallions so far. He also noticed that they, too, sported horns and wings of their very own, and was surprised to notice that there were certain ponies that had nothing on them but their bright pastel color, different mane and tail styles, and of course, pictures on their hindquarters. He couldn't bear the thought about ignoring why exactly those existed other than the logical conclusion of being branded by their possible owners (If humans even existed here...), and could only turn to ask Fluttershy:

"Could you please tell me what I want to hear?
About them pictures on each pony's rear?"

He shuddered at the way he spoke. It was bad enough he was rhyming, but with each passing words, he knew his rhymes grew more stale. The doctor honestly missed rhyming properly in song, but before he could go further into loathing his new self, Fluttershy perked up and responded to his question "Y-You mean their cutie marks? They depict a pony's special talent in their life, l-like a mark of destiny...Um...I'd figure you would know about them yourself, Mr. Facilier..." She tilted her head in confusion as she spotted the Shadowcolt widening his eyes at what he heard. Apparantly, in the world he was in, the picture on a pony's rear meant their sealed fate and should stick by it no matter what. This place grew more screwy by the second. He decided to gaze upon Fluttershy's cutie mark and noticed what were three butterflies. How cute. Upon double-checking himself, he remembered that his cutie mark was a doll with a pin, a tarot card, and a potion flask with a green liquid all bunched up behind a cartoonish skull. Fluttershy decided to look as well, not catching a glimpse of his cutie mark when they first met, and could only cringe at the sight of the skull "U-U-Um...Mr. Facilier? What exactly d-does your cutie mark mean, if you don't mind me asking?" She shook as she stared at the skull, staring back at her with its hollow eyes. Dr. Facilier, while happy with realizing he wasn't entirely given a new fate, could not let this one know of his true colors, and quickly thought up a lie to throw her off.

"It's nothing big, no need to be scared...
This kinda thing just leaves me impaired..."

He was telling some truth, remembering how antisocial he was around others back in Louisiana, despite his amazing charm and prowess, and was happy to know that Fluttershy bought it without hesitation, looking at him with a worried expression "O-Oh! I'm sorry...I shouldn't press on you like that, that was wrong of me..." She looked away, ashamed, and the Shadowcolt could only be surprised at how well she could throw around her innocence like that. It was as if he were speaking to a curious child who wanted to live a sunny life. He chuckled to reassure her from her guilt as he spoke again.

"Don't worry none, dear, it ain't your fault.
Jus' grind your curiousity to a halt..."

The Shadowcolt was pleased to know that Fluttershy heeded to his words and nodded in agreement. This one could prove beneficial to whatever dark deed he could think of in his sick little head, unless he were met with what he dubbed 'The song' coursing through his ears when thinking evilly. He shook his head to himself as they passed through town, and the doctor noticed all the looks he was getting. Mares left and right had all sorts of expressions when watching the Shadowcolt trot along a path with Fluttershy. Some were surprise to notice that a zebra unicorn even existed, watching him with intrigue as he passed by. Only a miniscule amount shook at his sight, showing that some of Ponyville had not gotten over their fear of zebras throughout their time. But finally, a majority were looking at him with welcoming eyes and smiles that say 'Come over here for a second...'. The witch doctor could only grin his gapped teeth at that majority, knowing that even when not talking, his charm can be spotted a woman just a few feet away from him 'Hehehe~....The Shadowman's still got it here...' . Fluttershy watched him after looking around "They seem to recognize your appearance completely, Mr. Facilier...Um...I hope they aren't bothering you..." The doctor only turned to Fluttershy with a smile on his face.

"It's Doctor, my dear, and I wouldn't worry.
At least these girls don't run and scur-"

Before he could finish, a blur passed many ponies and stopped in front of Fluttershy and Dr. Facilier, causing the two to flinch and take a step back. The blur revealed itself to be what appeared to be a pink pony with a mane and tail crazier than his. He raised an eyebrow at the pair of blue eyes that stared at him with an anticipating grin, and as he went to speak to her, he was interrupted by what would have been a verbal storm strong enough to give him a migraine that not even medicine could cure. "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie, and I just noticed you walk by with my friend Fluttershy here! I was looking for her, actually, but then I noticed her walking with you! How funny is THAT? Anyways, I didn't know zebra unicorns exist! What kind of magic do you perform? Are you an herbalist like Zeco-" Before she could continue, the Shadowcolt interrupted to save himself from another flurry of words.

"Hang on now, dear! Slow it down!
You're giving me a headache! ...Not to make you frown..."

He didn't want to make enemies the moment he got here, he had so much to do, but he counted his blessings as Pinkie stopped with a smile on her face "It's okay!" She gasped "HEY! Can you play that song again!?" The doctor raised his eyebrow at her, thinking they've met somewhere before. The only company he had was himself, his shadow, an angry zebra mare, and Fluttershy. Noticing the doctor's pause, Pinkie repeated herself "You know! That song! The one that goes Bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-" She began to enact what he had been hearing for a good amount of time to where he grew sick of it, twitching an eye as he placed a hoof to her mouth.

"Let's not sing our diddys now, deary...
This trek of mine left me tired and weary..."

Pinkie moved back and looked concerned "Awww~! That's not good at all! Are you hungry? Are you lost? Are you ne-" She stopped herself, realizing something important.

...Dr. Facilier was new in Ponyville...

With amazing effort, she lifted herself in the air and let out a loud audible gasp as she zipped away from the two, not even telling as to why she was looking for Fluttershy. Needless to say, the Shadowcolt was more than surprised as he watched her breeze by, and could only turn to Fluttershy, who responded with a sheepish smile "Um...Pinkie tends to act like that around new ponies like you...She knows everypony in Ponyville. So for each new pony, she...throws a party..." She looks away "I, um...I hope you feel welcome here..." Dr. Facilier responded with a smile, but before he could speak to her, his stomach growled with the ferocity of a manticore as Fluttershy gave a soft gasp and a look of concern "Oh my! You haven't eaten yet, have you? I can get you something to eat...if that's okay with you..." Dr. Facilier himself was amazed as to how he went out for so long without food ever since coming into this world, and decided to oblige to Fluttershy's offer of free food. A rule of thumb in his world is to never turn down a good opportunity when presented, food or not.

"Lead the way, my little pet.
Maybe later I'll repay my debt..."

Fluttershy shook her head as she led him to a cafe "Oh nonononono! You don't need to pay me anything! We just need to get your tummy full of food! You do seem rather thin...s-sorry for pointing that out..." This mare could possibly be the only thing that could keep Dr. Facilier from doing all sorts of bad were she to hang around him at all times. At one point, he admires her eminent kindness and innocence, but on the other hand (Or hoof), he couldn't deal with this sort of company entirely. Knowing how timid she was, it couldn't be real at all. Nopony in this place could be THAT timid (Although her name IS Fluttershy...), she could be possibly faking it and waiting to pull a fast one on him. It's always the quiet ones. But those thoughts soon faded when they reached a vacant table for two. As they sat, the docotr noticed he was getting the same looks from neighboring tables holding mares. They were still allured by his otherworldly charm as he sat down and noticed a moustached pony, who he figured was the waiter, approach him and Fluttershy with an accent "May I take your order, monsieur and madam?" Fluttershy smiled at the waiter as she spoke "A daisy salad for me, please..." The waiter turned to the doctor "And you?" Dr. Facilier could only hope they had dishes he was familiar with. He was a good fan of the cajun variety, favoring gumbo and jambalaya, but then remembered that he was trapped in the body of a horse, and realize he'll need to lower his standards in order to get a good meal and blend into the small society of Ponyville.

"I'll have what she's havin', if that's okay.
I'm in a healthy mood today..."

He said, grinning his teeth to the waiter, who only sneered at him as he left. When he was a good distance, he only sneered back at him with more force. When the waiter sneered, it was more along the lines of arrogant posture or indifference in terms of social class, but when the Shadowcolt sneered, it was with hate and a vibe that said 'You cross me and I'll buck you up hard...' He dismissed the thought as he noticed Fluttershy looking at him in confusion "Um...I-Is something wrong M-I mean, Dr. Facilier?" She hoped she didn't offend him or hurt his feelings, but the doctor looked back and recovered from his little staring contest.

"Oh, my mind's just wandering from place to place
It moves too far, and then I have to give chase..."

Fluttershy gave a cute giggle at his statement, thinking he was joking for a minute. Dr. Facilier was surprised that she could be so easily fooled. Then again, deception is the curse of the whimsical female gender. He didn't want to question good fortune as he decided to break the ice about the here-and-now of Ponyville. He needed to move his agenda in good stride, and he needed all the information to do so.

"So tell me, Flutters, what goes on here?
Do these ponies also give you fear?"

Fluttershy responded "Oh no, not at all. Like I said, I only act that way around new ponies, but almost everypony here I've known for a while..." She smiled as she looked around "Also, I've met many good friends along the way, Pinkie being one of them..." She then turns to the doctor "Maybe I can introduce them to you...if that's okay..." she shrank and looked away "Y-You don't have to..." she mumbled, but this only served Dr. Facilier to chuckle and oblige on another good opportunity of getting to know the peo-er ponies that he'll scam later on, but not before he learns what tasteful knowledge that they have waiting for him. But before he could dwell on the issue further, the waiter returned with the two plates of salad, presenting them to the two as they got ready to eat "Bon appetit..." he turned to Dr. Facilier and gave a silent scoff before turning his snout to the air and leaving as if he were a fatcat. This only caused him to wonder what would happen if he ever put his horn to use and stabbed the waiter with it, but he remembered how hungry he was and hesitantly tasted the salad.

...It was SPECTACULAR!

He had heard of a dandelion salad, and those only tasted decent unless met with proper seasoning, but the daisy salad to him was so scrumptious that he almost forgot his manners and sat up in a dignified manner and ate properly, trying to hold back the ravenous tenacity he held within after so much fasting. It was as if he was relieved from a long and arduous hunger strike. With a satisfied sigh, he watched to see that Fluttershy was only half done with her salad, and watched to her surprise to notice that Dr. Facilier's plate was as clean as a whistle, not a single sight of petals or leaves "Oh my, you must have been so hungry..." she smiled "You remind of my pet Angel Bunny..." Angel Bunny? Really? This one was too innocent for the Shadowcolt's standards, but he paid it no mind. He got a free meal, and a ticket to what could be either an epic comeback, or something else. He waited for Fluttershy to finish as they made their way to the next destination...

...A tree??

Chapter 4

Dr. Facilier never thought he'd seen the day where not only there was another house made from a tree, but this one was hollowed out only to be filled to the brim with books and furniture. What made things more intriguing was how healthy the tree itself was. But his intrigue faded as he followed Fluttershy inside to find her second friend to introduce to him. Upon entering, he noticed a pile of books , some of which were floating in the ai-wait- Floating?? He couldn't believe his eyes as he noticed a couple of books being levitated in the air by some mysterious force. The only lead to this force was that it was a purplish pink color. Fluttershy then spoke "Twilight??" she was too quiet as there was no response. Fluttershy tried speaking again, but a little (emphasis on little) louder "Umm...Twilight??" Dr. Facilier was merely staring at his shadow and making movements to confirm that he lost his real friend while Fluttershy made futile attempts to call to the one named 'Twilight'.

While the two were distracted with their actions, what looked like a purple lizard on two legs walked in, munching on what appeared to be a good chunk of jade as if it were an apple, then noticed Fluttershy and the doctor "Hey Fluttershy-WHOA!" He almost dropped his half-eatened jade as he gazed upon the Shadowcolt, who turned to him the moment he yelled in surprise, only to flinch with widened eyes at the sight of the lizard, then the jade in his claws. What kind of messed up world is this? This also triggered the floating books to fall, and a lavender pony hopped from out of the pile "Spike!? What's wrong??" This was Dr. Facilier's first time seeing another pony who had a horn like him, and her cutie mark was a large star, with six smaller stars encircling it. His luck keeps getting better as he thought of what he could learn from this one in terms of using said horn. She turned to see Fluttershy smiling sheepishly at her "H-Hello, Twilight...I wanted you to meet someone...if that's okay with you..." The one called Spike could only watch in surprise "Wow! I never seen a zebra like this guy before!" The Shadowcolt responded to his comment in kind.

"The feeling's mutual with your sight!
What are you, man? This jus' ain't right!"

Spike, feeling offended that somepony didn't know about dragons, looked a little annoyed "Duh~! I'm a dragon!" He looked up at his horn and hat "I'm digging the hat! Although, I think Rarity could make a better one..." he then looked lovestruck as he was lost in thought, ignoring the Shadowcolt as quick as he acknowledged him. Dr. Facilier could not believe his eyes at the sight of a dragon, yet he expected more from this one. Perhaps he is just a hatchling, but he didn't want to mess with Spike either way, reading up on how dragons are quite the ferocious creatures no matter what their age. The one called Twilight could only sigh and shake her head at Spike's foolishness, but then perked up and acted polite as she trotted towards the doctor and introduced herself "Hello there! My name is Twilight Sparkle. Welcome to Ponyville!" Each name became more wierd to him by the minute, but he learned to live with it, knowing how much strange activity he had witnessed since coming here. It was better for him to go with the flow and waited for the right moment to set his developing plot into motion. He smiled at Twilight and introduced himself.

"The name's Dr. Facilier, and let me say
It's nice to meet you this fine day..."

Twilight smiled at him, then noticed his horn and gasped "Oh my gosh! A Zebracorn! This is amazing!" The doctor could only raise his eyebrow at the term she uttered. Zebracorn. It sounded as messed up as her name. He shook it off as she continued talking "Do you know any magic at all? What kind of magic are you most skilled in? Can you make potions?" Fearing she could possibly sound like the pink one earlier, he cut in with an idea.

"Actually, I've been travelin' an awful lot
Is it okay if I read some books or not?"

This only caused Twilight to beam at the Shadowcolt as if he were the most interesting pony in the world. She then took some steps back and welcomed him further into the library "I've never thought I'd see another pony who'd want to read any of these books! Help yourself to whatever piece of literature you feel like reading!" The Doctor nodded in approval as he looked around. He goes to pick out a book with his hooves, only to remember he had no fingers, causing him to grunt in defeat. Twilight could only tilt her head at his actions as he stared at the shelf of books and wondering how to get one of them down "Uhhh, everything alright there, Dr. Facilier?" He looked at Twilight and decided to ask for assistance after remembering the incredible levitation he had witnessed earlier.

"If it's not too much trouble, can you tell
If there's a book on levitation spells?"

Twilight nodded with a warm smile "Of course! Under the L section!" He nodded in gratitude and trotted over to the L section, only to be met with the trouble of trying to get it out. He never thought he would deal with a problem like this in his new life. Twilight rubbed the back of her head as she watched him, then turned to Spike, who was amazingly still in dreamland, thinking of the one called Rarity "Spike! Could you help Dr. Facilier with finding a book on Levitation spells while I take care of my mess?" Spike snapped out of his daydream and responded to Twilight with a mock salute "I'm on it!" he ran over to a wheeled ladder and slid across the shelves to the desired book he was looking for, pulling it out for him "Here you go!" Dr. Facilier could only stare at how he could be able to take the book, but gained confidence when having a thought 'If I can grab the hat on my head, I can damn well grab a book from a dragon.' he reached out a hoof, and was lucky enough to arch his limbs to hold the book in his grasp. He trotted to the desk with his three free legs as he had a hard time keeping the book still in his foreleg. He reached the counter and placed the book on the desk for Twilight to stamp. And, wouldn't he know it, he noticed her horn began to glow, and a stamp began to be coated in the same purplish pink glow he noticed earlier with the floating books. he could only stare at the horn, dumbfounded on the outside, but jittering with excitement on the inside 'So THAT'S how it works! Oh~, I'm beginning to like it here...' he grinned as he stared, only to have Twilight look at him in confusion "Ummm, Doctor? Your book?" He snapped out of his trance and then gladly took the book, ecstatic to read it and take the first step on his quest for power.

"Uh, yes, thank you, sorry 'bout that...
I'm more for thinking over simple chat."

He grinned sheepishly, but Twilight asked another question "Dr. Facilier, you, as a zebracorn could possibly use magic as well as me or my friends. Why haven't you used it earlier?" The doctor flinched, coming to the conclusion that using magic was the norm for unicorns and zebracorns alike. He thought up a lie and thought it up quick.

"I just needed a refresher to open my mind
My travel's left my head in a bind..."

Twilight felt sympathy for the Shadowcolt after hearing his words "I see...It must've been rough for you to cope for so long without knowledge. How long was your trip? Did you come all the way from Zebrica?" He was cornered. Any lie at this point could be as bad as his first encounter with life in this world. He could say his trip lasted for a very long time, but that's it. He didn't even know a place called Zebrica even existed. When he began to sweat, Fluttershy jumped in and saved him "Umm, Twilight, it probably isn't best to ask him so many questions like this...He HAS traveled a long way, and he only had a daisy salad..." He turned to the Shadowcolt with a smile "He just needs more time to collect himself..." He never thought he'd see the day where the most innocent lifeform he laid eyes upon would save him from his own set of lies. Twilight gave Fluttershy a determined glance, but then remembered Dr. Facilier's words and sighed "Sorry, I get too curious sometimes..." She gave an embarrassed smile. Fluttershy nods "Sometimes it's best to grind it to a halt." Twilight turned to Fluttershy "Huh?" She then looked away, blushing in embarrassment "W-Well...That's what Dr. Facilier said..." The doctor flinched, as Twilight showed an expression of faint suspicion at him. He felt like he was back to Square one with his words, until another visitor came to the door. "Hello~? Twilight?" A voice called, sounding as if the daughter of a corporate bigwig decided to stumble upon the library out of boredom. Whatever it was, it saved him from Twilight's thoughts about him as she turned and acknowledged the one who called "Rarity? Nice to see you again." She said with a smile, making Dr. Facilier want to turn and see who exactly spoke.

It was another unicorn, only this one had a coat of pure ivory. She had a purple and curly, yet stylish mane, and her cutie mark was three diamonds. She trotted over and levitated a book onto Twilight's check desk "Oh, the feeling's mutual, darling! I just wanted to return this book so I won't forget while placing my orde-WAHAHA~!" She trotted back a bit, startled as she spotted Dr. Facilier, who could only chuckle at her. He wasn't aware that Spike was staring lovingly at her and waving at her "Hey, Rarity!" He had the feeling that this particulat pony might be a rich one, and decided to make his move at charming her. Forgetting the book he rented, he trotted over and gave a small bow.

"How's it goin'? Rarity, right?
I must say that you're quite the sight..."

Rarity could only giggle at the compliment she had been met with as she looked at the doctor. She looked into his eyes, that were as purple as her mane, then looked upon his hat and gasp in distaste "My stars!" The doctor raised an eyebrow at her, only to hear her continue "Your hat! It's so...tacky!" He could only pause as he couldn't find a way to dignify what she just said with a response. The Shadowcolt doesn't take kindly to those who would just simply insult his attire, but he had to hold off his anger if he were to make it in this town (And escape a certain haunting melody). She continued debunking his hat "Who in Equestria would want to go around wearing a tophat with a skull and crossbones on it!? Other than donning it as a festivity on Nightmare Night, it's not right at all! Did you make this yourself??" Every word only agitated Dr. Facilier even further, only to hear a familiar voice at his side "Rarity...You shouldn't really insult him so much like that...I mean...umm, look at his cutie mark..." Rarity, upon hearing Fluttershy's words, did exactly that, and noticed how it matched his hat "Hm...Yes, well, it does match his hat indeed..." She turns to face the doctor and took a bow with a smile "My apologies, darling. I was caught off-guard with how you wore that hat! Appearance is everything, yes? Oh, where are my manners? Hello. Yes, my name is Rarity. And you are??" She held out her hoof for a possible hoofshake as Dr. Facilier dismissed all previous thoughts of anger and grinned as he made his introduction.

"The name you want is Dr. Facilier...
And to you, girl...Enchanté."

He gently took Rarity's hoof, but instead of shaking it, he gave the tip of her hoof a small peck of his lips, causing Rarity to draw it back in surprise and captivation "My, my~! Aren't you a gentlecolt!" She said with a giggle as she smiled at him and batted her eyelashes at him. Unbeknownst to the doctor while he grinned at her, Spike was glaring daggers as he snorted smoke from his nostrils. But then something hit his head as he noticed Twilight staring down at him with a stern expression that warned him not to get jealous again. Spike sighed as he watched the two unicorns exchange banter, but could only feel jealousy for how Dr. Facilier could get her to look at him like that. Fluttershy could only wonder why he would act that way around mares and enjoy it, but could only dismiss the thought as she remembered their mission "Umm, Dr. Facilier? Why don't we go meet my other friends?" Twilight turned to Fluttershy with a deadpan expression "Did he run into Pinkie?" She looked down "Yes..." Twilight sighed, but then smiled "Well, you might want to introduce him to everypony else quick. You know how Pinkie doesn't like the guest of honor at one of her parties showing up late!" Fluttershy perked up and nodded as she trotted to the doctor with a smile "Dr. Facilier, we should introduce you to Applejack. I'm sure she'll like you." The Shadowcolt, after his little reverie with Rarity, turned to Fluttershy and nodded.

"I've done my business, so lead the way
This place is not too bad, I say..."

The two said their goodbyes as they trotted out of the library, but Dr. Facilier could be seen struggling to carrying the book while maintaining balance, only for Fluttershy to carry the book for him. Twilight could only watch him leave "He's a very strange pony, but he's nice nonetheless." Rarity watched as well with a smile "Oh, I'll say! If only he could model for me if I had new ideas for clothes. He really is quite the gentlecolt!" Spike could only grumble quietly as he went upstairs and slammed the door. The two looked up "What's with Spikey?" Rarity said, while Twilight responded "Oh, you know how he is..." She turned to Rarity and asked "I wonder...Has that stallion met Zecora yet?"

Chapter 5

Fluttershy and the Shadowcolt made it to a path that lead to a house and barn surrounded by acres of farmland, a majority of the land covered in apple trees of different kinds. The doctor couldn't remember the last time he had himself a good apple, but focused on the matter at hand as Fluttershy led him to the one she called 'Applejack'. They reached the house, Fluttershy giving the door a small knock as they waited patiently for the door to open. While they waited, Dr. Facilier continued to stare at his shadow, and Fluttershy took notice to it and wanting to ask him why, only to remember his words from earlier:

"Don't worry dear, it ain't your fault.
Jus' grind your curiousity to a halt..."

Why he said something like that, Fluttershy could only wonder if he were hiding something from him, not wanting to open up to her just yet. Perhaps after meeting all of her friends, he could be more open to all of them, and even be a different pony on the inside. Before she could ponder the thought further, the door opened to reveal a small yellow filly with red hair and a bow, looking up at Fluttershy with a smile "Howdy there, Fluttershy!" She then notices Dr. Facilier staring at his shadow, not acknowledging both the mare and filly "Who's your friend?? Is he new here??" The doctor could only turn to Applebloom and was tempted to give her a look that said 'No shit, Sherlock', but smiled as he looked down at her with his purple eyes.

"Well, aren't you just the cutest gal!
Are you supposed to be Fluttershy's pal?"

Applebloom smiled "Well, yeah! Mah name's Applebloom! What's yours?" Fluttershy giggled at the look of bemusement on Dr. Facilier's upon hearing her name. Apparantly, he jumped the gun into thinking the little filly was 'Applejack', only to realize it wasn't. It was kind of his fault after hearing that the two were friends, but then wondered if everypony in Ponyville happened to be friends with everypony else. It's a possibility, given how messed-up this place was to him. The timid mare trotted a couple steps forward and smiled down at Applebloom "Do you know where your sister is, Applebloom? We need to see her." Applebloom replied inquisitively "Ya wanna see Applejack? Ya'll should've just checked the trees! Ya know how hard mah sis works!" Fluttershy blushed in embarrassment and bowed in gratitude "Thank you..." She turned to the doctor
"Dr. Facilier? Shall we?" The doctor snapped out of his train of thought and turned to Fluttershy.

"Looks like I've got a lot to learn,
Or else I'm bound to crash and burn."

Fluttershy looked panicked as she examined the Shadowcolt frantically "Oh no! You aren't burning yet are you!?" Applebloom could only laugh at what was going on, and soon enough, two more fillies came up to the door to see what was going on. One of them was an orange pegasus filly, with a fuschia mane and purple eyes, who only stared down at Applebloom in confusion "Applebloom, why are you laughing?" She asked, then looked to see Fluttershy and Dr. Facilier together "Wow! Cool hat!" She said with a smile as she looked at the doctor's tophat. The other filly was a white unicorn like Rarity, only her mane was curly and colored two shades of light purple. She looked at Fluttershy and the doctor with her curious green eyes after seeing Dr. Facilier calm Fluttershy down and reassuring what he said was a figure of speech "Hi, Fluttershy! Is this zebra your coltfriend?" This only served for Fluttershy to hide in her mane with her face as red as a cherry, while the doctor gave a good chuckle at the child's question.

"We're only friends, and nothing more.
Though, only the future knows what's in store..."

The unicorn filly tilted her head at him "Are you a fortune teller?" Dr. Facilier felt a pang of familiarity with her question, and began a small wave of nostalgia in his mind, thinking back to all of his tarot readings, each one flawless in their readings.

...All up to that fateful day...

He gritted his teeth at the memory and growled audibly, but remembered that horrible song and the fact that he was back in this life, turning to Sweetie Belle and grinning at her

"Why yes, little girl, I read some hooves,
But not before I bust some moves..."

He forgot about his body, but his mind instinctively told his body to show how good of a dancer he was, performing a small set of dance moves before tipping his hat in a pose. The fillies and mare around him awed at the sight of his dancing, the orange filly speaking up "Wow! If your hat wasn't cool enough, your dancing's up there, too! Maybe Rainbow Dash might like your moves as well!" the white filly followed with a wide grin on her face "Maybe you'll dance well at Pinkie's party, since you're new here!" Applebloom got up, but instead of bringing out a sentence in an impressed tone, she tilted her head and asked "Say, are ya related to Zecora at all? Y'all look like you might be related!" Where he came from, that would've been considered an insult worthy of a beating, but he wondered at the name he heard and the term 'related'. Could this Zecora be the same mare he had a bad run-in with back at the forest he woke up in? He wanted to ask Applebloom some questions, but then Fluttershy came around "That small dance of yours was...nice...but maybe we should go find Applejack..." Though his current thought nagged at him, she was right. He had to get down to business somehow. The two made their way into the field of apple trees and searched for the workmare.

The search was thankfully short as they heard the sound of hooves to a tree. They caught an orange mare a few feet away from then bucking at a tree with her hind legs and sending every apple on it to the ground. She wore a Stetson hat, and both her mane and tail were blonde and tied. She noticed Fluttershy and Dr. Facilier with her emerald eyes and smiled at their company "Why howdy there, Fluttershy! And who's this stallion?" Fluttershy smiled warmly as she introduced the doctor to her "Applejack, this is Dr. Facilier...he's new here in Ponyville...I hope you can make him feel welcome here." Applejack looked over at him and took one of his hooves, and shaking it with strength and speed that shook the doctor all around his body other than his grabbed hoof "Howdy there, Dr. Fa-cee-lee-ae! Nice t'meet ya! The name's Applejack, and welcome to Sweet Apple Acres!" She stopped shaking, and sadly, Dr. Facilier couldn't stop shaking himself, and his hat fell from the extreme shaking. Fluttershy obviously gave a helping hoof and stopped his shaking and placed his hat on his head as his eyes moved in circles, giving a moan as he wobbled in dizziness. He shook it off and looked at Applejack, amazed at how one mare in this world could hold THAT much strength. He had hoped that the zebra mare he encountered wasn't this strong, otherwise furthering his plans could be harder. The Shadowcolt could only rub his hoof, feeling how warm and sore it was from the extreme hoofshake, then turned to Applejack and spoke:

"You're really strong for a grown mare!
I felt like I almost lost my hair!"

Applejack chuckled and tipped his hat to him "Sorry there, sugarcube. Ah jus' don't know mah own strength sometimes!" He looked back at Dr. Facilier "Y'know, Ah wonder if yer related to Zecora. Or maybe y'all are friends?" Friends was nothing more than a sick joke when it came to him and this Zecora. He never expected to be rejected so easily upon first contact, nor did he ever want to befriend her to begin with. The orange cowpony decided to look at his body and notice how slender he was "With a body like that, ya remind me of Carrot Cake back at Sugarcube Corner. Have ya ate anythin' since ya came here, Dr. Fa-cee-lee-ae?" The Shadowcolt could only grimace on the inside with how this pony was pronouncing his name with her drawl and how atrocious it had sounded. This pony reminded him of Charlotte, only with not enough money, but enough strength to wrestle some crocodiles.

"I jus' had a quick snack with Fluttershy,
But all these apples really catch my eye..."

It was true. A daisy salad wasn't enough to fully satisfy his hunger, and he could use more sustenance if he ever wanted to keep a properly focused mind. Applejack could only smile at this and held an apple to him "Y'all haven't lived til ya tried an apple from Sweet Apple Acres! This one's on the house, since you're new here an' all!" Being the new guy really had it's perks as he went to go grab the apple, only to have some blur shoot in between the two and snatch the apple from Applejack's hoof "Hay!" The doctor only wished it wasn't the pink mare from before, and got his wish as he looked up into the tree and spotted a blue pegasus munching on an apple while sitting on a tree branch. She had a rainbow colored mane and tail, and her cutie mark appeared to be a cloud shooting rainbow-colored lightning. Out out of all the messed up things Dr. Facilier had seen in this world, this pegasus takes the cake, especially with her remarkable speed. But he got angry when he noticed the apple in her hoof being eaten. As he went to speak, Applejack yelled up at her "Consarnit, Rainbow! That apple was for Dr. Fa-cee-lee-ae!" It was a good thing she didn't catch his visible grimace among her saying his name. The blue mare looked down and finished the apple, then noticed the displeased zebracorn, giggling in embarrassment "Sorry, dude. Got kinda hungry..." She looked at his hat and hopped down "I'm liking the hat! Way cool! But not as cool as me, of course." She said as she puffed out her chest. Dr. Facilier had half a mind to put her in his place, until Applejack stepped in "Do ya have to just waltz on in here jus' to pilfer mah apples? Did ya ever think to take it easy an' ASK for once?" the blue mare raised an eyebrow at Applejack "Geez, I said I was sorry. I gotta eat, too..." Fluttershy, who made an effort in being invisible to the scene, trotted up to the blue mare and smile "Hello, Rainbow Dash. I see you've already met Dr. Facilier..." The one called Rainbow Dash turned to the doctor and tilted her head at him "That's your name? Sounds kinda wierd..." Applejack added "More like fancy, once ya hear it a few times..." Dr. Facilier couldn't bare much more of this, as he remembered the book he rented from the library. The sooner he could get introductions out of the way, the sooner he could tap in the the possible magical secrets in this world and put them to use.

"Rainbow Dash? That's a nice name.
Though, a dead giveaway was your mane..."

Rainbow slicked back her unkempt mane and chuckled "Yeah, it can stick out sometimes! But maybe you heard of me? Fastest Flier in Equestria? Best weather pony in Ponyville?" He only had so much patience for braggarts like this one, but the only good side to this was realizing his new world's name. Equestria. Given the folks he met, it had a nice ring to it, and for the most part, why didn't he think of asking sooner? He spoke again.

"Sorry, but I never heard of you,
And I already got so much to do..."

Rainbow felt insulted to realize that some ponies didn't exactly remember her amazing feats, or the fact that she really WAS the fastest flier in Equestria, and then decided to question his motives "Like what exactly? Are you looking for a job at Ponyville clinic?" Applejack followed "Hay, yeah! Seein' as how ya'll are a doctor an' such, maybe the clinic's the best place to look for a job iffin' ya wanna settle here!" Not exactly what he was looking for, but it was something relatable to his talents. But he needed all the right materials for whatever he wanted to make, and this place called Equestria seemed a whole lot different than Earth. He turned to the three mares and nodded in consideration.

"It's a thought, my dears, and thanks for the tip.
But, my little ponies, it's time I skip."

As he went to go walk away he heard a familiar "Wait!" as he noticed Fluttershy follow him like a lost puppy. It almost moved his dark heart "You don't have a place to stay...and, umm..." She moved one of her wings to show Dr. Facilier's book resting on her back "You don't want to forget your book." He smiled at Fluttershy genuinely for the first time as he stated his gratitude.

"It's good to know you got my tail,
Cuz without that book, I'm bound to fail..."

Fluttershy tilted her head "Fail what exactly??" The doctor quickly recovered from his words with another verse.

"Fail to uphold the Library's code!
I don't wanna see Miss Sparkle in battle mode..."

Fluttershy stared, and nodded 'Yes, that's true...Twilight does tend to take her job seriously, be it librarian duty or sending a letter to the princess...Why, one time, she-" The Shadowcolt could only interrupt as he found a new topic.

"Tell me more about this princess, please...
Her info will put my mind to ease."

Fluttershy didn't think for him to interrupt her like that, but she decided to talk about the princess of Equestria as they walked back to her cottage. This left Applejack and Rainbow Dash to watch them go "I forgot to send 'im off with an apple! Shoot!" Rainbow waved a hoof dismissively at Applejack "Don't sweat it, AJ, this Dr. Fa-silly-a guy's got his hooves tied at the moment." he chuckled at them, thinking they were together. She turns to Applejack with a smile on his face "Say, wanna dance together at the party tonight? It'll probably be interesting with that pony around!" Applejack turned to Rainbow Dash and returned her smile with one of her own "Wouldn't have it any other way, sugarcube...Ya mind helpin' me with these here apples?" Rainbow gave a mock salute "You can count on me, girl!" the two went to harvesting more apples as time drew near for the party tonight.

Chapter 6

The sun was already setting over Fluttershy's cottage, with the animals settling into their respective homes. Inside, Fluttershy was making some tea, while Dr. Facilier was entranced by each page the book he borrowed had to offer 'Why didn't I think of just using my horn before? Time for a little test...' He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, clearing his mind as he began to focus. In no time at all, his horn began to glow a luminescent black and grey, and the book he read was covered in the same aura. He lifted it up sans effort and opened his eyes to beam at his success 'First this book, then whatever chump decides to get on my bad side...' He chuckled to himself at the thought of sending an unfortunate soul flying out of his sight, but stopped as Fluttershy called to him "Dr. Facilier! Your tea is ready! That is...if you want any..." He looked up and called back.

"I'll be there in a minute, Fluttershy!
Right now, this page jus' caught my eye!"

He couldn't take his eyes off of each and every page in this book, and it was only the start of his quest for knowledge and magic acquisition. He studied every page without hesitation, wanting to know every up and down so he knows how to manifest his powers better. Fluttershy peaked from her kitchen at his excitement, observing how he was learning almost as fast as Twilight. She went back into the kitchen and sipped some of her tea with Angel, who could only glare at Fluttershy in disbelief. Fluttershy looked at Angel "Do you...Do you think he likes me, Angel?" Angel shot a look that said 'Are you fucking kidding me?' and shook his head to reassure her, only to have her look down dejectedly "You're right...seeing as how he already has most of Ponyville falling for him...I've even seen how Rarity eyed him after he introduced himself..." Angel could only facepaw at what she just said and hopped to her face across the table and made some gestures. He pointed to Dr. Facilier in the living room, then walked in place while flashing an evil grin, then quickly streaked his paw across his neck under his chin and fell down on his back, looking dead. From each gesture, he was stating his opinion that Fluttershy had just let some evil stranger in her house, but Fluttershy could only reply with one of her oblivious statements "Now now, Angel...Just because his hat and cutie mark look..." she looks back at the Shadowcolt still engrossed in his literature, cringing a little, turning back to her bunny "...scary, doesn't mean he's all bad...I'm sure he'll come around and be a good addition to Ponyville in no time..." she smiled, wondering if Dr. Facilier could be as good as Zecora. Angel gritted his teeth, and then waved a paw as a gesture of saying 'Screw it' and hopped back into his little home. Fluttershy could only watch him go with a look of sadness and confusion on her face 'Why does he have to be so sore with me?' She then heard what sounded like evil laughter, gasping and cringing as she looked around, and noticed it came from the living room. She saw the doctor laughing with triumph as he closed the book and made his way towards the kitchen, only to stop in front of a shaking Fluttershy "Wh-Wh-Wh-Why were you laughing like that?" Dr. Facilier coud only grin as his horn glowed and the book he read floated towards him.

"I read this book from cover to cover!
I should head down to Twilight's and get another!"

Fluttershy gasped in awe as she placed a hoof over her mouth "You finished that whole book in just a few hours?? You and Twilight could be good friends!" When she heard herself say that, she could only look down, appearing like a sad puppy, and only succeeded in making the doctor look confused.

"Hey now, girl, what's up with you?
Did I say somethin' wrong? What'd I do?"

Fluttershy shook her head "No, it's not your fault, Dr. Facilier...I'm just thinking too much is all..." She continued looking down, only to have her face lifted by a gentle hoof under her chin, looking up at the doctor and blushing a little as he grinned with reassuring eyes.

"Nothin's more sadder than a sad little lady.
Jus' tell me what's up, no need to get shady..."

Fluttershy could only stutter at his words, but then defended herself "B-B-But didn't you say that you should 'grind curiousity to a halt?'" The doctor was impressed that she had listened to him so much, and shook his head with a smile.

"Ain't nothing wrong with a little freebie...
Now why doncha share your problems with me?"

Fluttershy looked away, blushing a little more "W-Well, umm...Dr. Facilier...I wondered if you...umm..." she kicked at the ground, then looked up "If you..." her eyes widened as she gasped and looked at the clock. It was 6:45, only 15 minutes until the party started. She galloped to the door "Oh my gosh, we're gonna be late!" Dr. Facilier looked at her and could only question her change in moods.

"Slow your role girl, what's the hurry?
Why'd ya go from shy to worried?"

Fluttershy turned to the Shadowcolt and reminded him of an earlier event "The party! The party for you! We have to head to Sugarcube Corner quickly! We're going to be late!" The doctor shook his head at how she acted, but decided to go since he already finished his book. He levitated it to the living room couch and followed Fluttershy outside as the two broke into a fierce gallop into Ponyville. While they galloped, Dr. Facilier noticed that nopony was outside. He wondered if they retired into their respective houses since it was starting to get late, and that nopony in this village ever heard of the term 'Night life'. Focusing back on the trail ahead of him, he followed Fluttershy to a house that looked like it was made entirely of confectionary treats of all sorts. This caused him to take a step back with a hesitant expression on his face 'Better not be no cannibalistic witch in that house...' he then noticed one of his hooves being weakly pulled by Fluttershy "In here, c'mon..." He followed her inside, but the whole place was pitch black. The doctor looked around each imaginary corner of the shrouding blackness, and felt as if this were some kind of joke.

"Hey, Fluttershy, this ain't right.
Why ain't there no sign o' light?"

Fluttershy nodded "Don't worry, Dr. Facilier...I'll get it..." she shut the door and trotted to a switch, turning it on, only to be welcomed by a myriad of ponies of different colors, a familiar pink one in front yelling 'SURPRISE~!' the moment the lights turned on. This caused the doctor to yell and stumble backward, landing on his haunches at the sight in front of him. He gave a dirty glare to Pinkie.

"What the hell was that about!?
You trying to kill me or wear me out!?"

He wasn't a fan of being scared out of his pants, and watched as Pinkie drooped her ears and grinned sheepishly at Dr. Facilier "Oops...sorry, Dr. Fa-silly-a. I never thought you wouldn't be a fan of surprise parties." She then perked up as she spread her hooves "But, hey! We still got a party for you to enjoy! C'mon!" She pulled him further into the crowd and introduced him to many folks he probably won't even remember once he accomplished his goals.

After the pleasantries and formalities have been made, Dr. Facilier convinced Pinkie that he should mingle before participating in any party games that she had in mind. He trotted along, and was lucky enough to run into Twilight, who was sipping some punch contently. The Shadowcolt made his way to her, wanting to thank her for furthering his quest for power before going back to sitting in the nearest chair and waiting for the party to blow over.

"Hey there, Twilight, I just wanna say thanks
For refreshing my memory and movin' my ranks!
That book you gave me did me a favor!
I can't wait to read more for my mind to savor."

Twilight giggled at the doctor's grateful rhymes, and felt so good about knowing there were more ponies interested in books "I'm glad you liked it, Dr. Facilier. How far are you on that book, I wonder?" The doctor grinned triumphantly and stated his claim with pride.

"Took care o' that thing in a few good hours.
I'd be happy to read more and strengthen my powers."

Twilight was impressed "That whole book in just a few hours? We could get along just find, you and I!" She said with a friendly grin. It was funny how he heard that same line from Fluttershy not too long ago. She then felt like talking more "Say, Dr. Facilier...Where exactly do you hail from? And do you know Zecora at all? She's the only other zebra I'm familiar with an-" A pink blur shot up and stopped next to Twilight to reveal Pinkie, who looked serious, yet flashed some comical sense to her expression "Twilight! I know now!" Twilight raised an eyebrow at Pinkie "Know what, Pinkie?" Pinkie raised a hoof "I read up all the facts about Dr. Fa-silly-a!" The doctor was getting annoyed with how three mares including Pinkie had to pronounce his name, yet was intrigued as to how exactly she 'knew' about him. Pinkie struck a pose as she began to sing "He's an evil enchanter, and he'll charm you with banter-" Twilight scorned Pinkie at this "Pinkie! We've been over this! Don't act this way now!" She couldn't believe that Pinkie had to sing a different version of a song she made for Zecora. Pinkie stopped, looking sad, but then nodded "You're right, Twilight! I shouldn't spoil the story just yet! Even though most of the readers know already!" Both Twilight and Dr. Facilier looked confused "....What?" Pinkie turned to the doctor "Sorry, Dr. Fa-silly-a!" The doctor nodded as he spoke to her in a kind tone.

"We all make mistakes, I don't think you bad.
This party's the best I've ever had.

He wanted to make sure she was in good spirits so she won't act so differently around the other ponies and cause some rumors about him to rise. He wanted to stay in the dark and keep it that way. Pinkie, who had an improved mood, asked him a question "Dr. Fa-silly-a, where are you from? I mean, not like in Louisiana of course, but where in Equestria?" Dr. Facilier was dumbfounded at how this one pony could know so much about him, yet keep a bubbly and childish nature going. He felt like he had almost nothing to hide from her, but he decided to humor her with an answer.

"I came from a forest very far.
With what I've seen, it's been bizarre."

At least he was dodging bullets with small bits of truth, and felt his relief vanish as Pinkie replied "You came from a forest? That's happened so many times before! You definitely aren't the first pony to land in the Everfree Forest!" He began to sweat. How did this one mare know so much about him? He shifted his eyes, hoping for possibly sanctuary from Fluttershy, who was nowhere in his sight. Twilight caught on to Dr. Facilier's expression and turned to Pinkie "Pinkie, I think you're making him nervous. Maybe you should give him some air." Pinkie turned to Twilight and smiled "Okie Dokie Loki!" She then turned back to the doctor "See ya, Dr. Fa-silly-a! Enjoy the party~!" she hopped back into the crowd, leaving a confused pair of ponies behind. Twilight turned to the Shadowcolt "I'm sorry about her. She can be such a strange pony sometimes." Dr. Facilier waved a hoof at her.

"I've witnessed many strange things in my time.
One of them being I was born to rhyme..."

Twilight chuckled "I've always wondered about that, actually. Do all zebras rhyme, or just certain ones?" He couldn't find a straight answer, and decided it was best to go look for his favorite pawn.

"While I'd love to lift your darkness, dear,
I'm gonna find more folks to talk to here."

Twilight, feeling as if she just been avoided and denied a chance of expanding her knowledge, looked at him with a faint sense of disappointment, but then smiled "Okay. Have fun, Dr. Facilier" She said as he trotted off in search of Fluttershy. This was going to be a long night...

Chapter 7

It was exhausting. He crossed the sea of ponies and has seen neither hide nor hair of Fluttershy at all. A smart idea would be to let him come to her, seeing as how attached she was to him, and decided to stand in one spot motionless while everypony around him mingled about. A few minutes had passed and he felt like an idiot just wasting his time standing in one spot in the middle of a crowd like some kind of cheap statue. The doctor went to move until he heard a voice "Hey, Doc! Over here!" he turned to see a familiar rainbow colored pony standing with two of her other friends. Upon instinct, he trotted over to see Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity anticipating his arrival. Rainbow was the first to speak up "How are you enjoying the party so far? I'll bet you're having a good time!" Dr. Facilier could only look away and reply with a halfhearted response.

"Yeah, it's nice, I won't disagree.
So what is it that you want from me?"

Rainbow raised an eyebrow to how he acted "I just wanted to know how you were is all." Rarity then came forward, a look of excitement on her face "Excuse me, Dr. Facilier! I heard you ran into my little sister at Applejack's farm. She told me that you could read fortunes??" She asked as she showed an ecstatic expression on her face. Something told him she wanted to be told some good news and nothing else.

"Yeah, I do that, and other stuff.
Though, I can't be responsible if the results are rough..."

Rarity nodded in agreement "Yes, that's true, the future isn't always bright. Oh, but it's so nice to meet such a mystical pony who is also a gentlecolt!" She said as she looked at him "I may have sounded different when we first met, but when I look at you, I could find possible inspiration for a new design of clothing!" Applejack chuckled at Rarity's train of thought, then turned to Dr. Facilier "Ah'm rather skeptical about fortune-tellin', doc. How can ya'll be sure if yer predictions come true for other ponies?" He wanted nothing more than to prove her wrong right here and now, but he didn't have any tarot cards with him. Instead, he simply spoke his mind.

"Feel free to believe what you want, my girl,
but there were many predictions that I've unfurled."

Applejack gave a friendly scoff of disbelief and smiled at Dr. Facilier "Well, I guess I shouldn't doubt ya too much. Hay, Pinkie has her Pinkie sense, which is pretty much like tellin' the future." The Shadowcolt could only wonder about how Pinkie can be so random, yet at the same time intriguing in the most mysterious ways possible. He nodded to Applejack, and then was met with Rainbow Dash wanting to talk "Say, Doc, you've been hangin' out with Fluttershy for a long time, and you two seem pretty close. Are you two together?" This kind of question didn't matter to him in the slightest, seeing as how he thought of Fluttershy as a pawn and nothing more, although, he couldn't help but admire how dedicated she was to helping him. Back in Louisiana, he had to rely only on himself and the magic he borrowed from his friends on the other side to work his way up to the top. He shook his head at Rainbow Dash.

"We're only friends, that's all there is to it.
No need for assumptions, you may as well quit."

Rainbow Dash put her hoofs up, as if accused "No need to get like that, it's just that she seems to like you a lot is all. I wouldn't mind if you actually WERE together, I mean, look at me and AJ over here!" Rainbow Dash and Applejack placed a hoof around their shoulders and smiled at each other, leaving the doctor to stare dumbfounded and somewhat irked at the sight of those two together. He wondered what they do in-NO! He blocked it out the moment he thought of it. Dr. Facilier might be a villain, but even HE had standards. He merely tipped his hat to the three as he went to go find Fluttershy.

"Y'all have been kind, it's been fun to talk,
But I gotta find Fluttershy, I have to walk.

Rainbow Dash grinned mischievously at him "Yeah, because you two are 'friends~'..." she said in a mocking tone as she then pointed him to her with her free hoof "She's over in the corner talking to Big Macintosh!" It was good to know where she was, as he went to trot over, leaving Rainbow Dash to call out "Good luck~!" giving a wink, leaving the doctor to get annoyed at the gesture. After reaching her destination, he noticed the two talking, and then the one called Big Macintosh stared right at him. He was a large red stallion with a harness over his neck and half of a green apple as his cutie mark, assuming that this stallion was related to Applejack and Applebloom. Big Macintosh didn't say a single word since Dr. Facilier arrived, staring with a bored expression as a blade of wheat stuck out of his mouth, whereas Fluttershy noticed, flinching a little "Oh! H-Hello, Dr. Facilier! Are you enjoying yourself?" She asked, then shrunk back and looked away "I-I'm sorry, of course you are...This is Pinkie's party after all..." Pinkie could be found flying across the room with a helmet, yelling "No it isn't! Wooohooo~!!" there was a loud crash, causing Fluttershy and the doctor to wince at the sound. What was that pony doing? Dr. Facilier tried to ignore the random action as he turned to Fluttershy.

"Actually, I was lookin' for you.
I'm not really sure on what else to do."

Fluttershy quickly turned to the doctor, giving a faint blush at the thought of him searching for her "L-Looking for me? Wh-Why?" She was almost breathless, and the doctor sighed, wondering if what Rainbow Dash said was true. He enjoyed being adored by woman left and right, but he would never want to deal with being in a committed relationship with someone that liked him. All he wanted was money, mischief, and power. Dr. Facilier went to answer her question, but then the lights faded a little as a disco ball emerged from the center of the ceiling, spinning around. He was impressed at the display, but was then caught off-guard by a song that started playing. It sounded like nothing he ever heard before in his life, in fact it sounded horrible to him. It was nothing but beeps, boops, bumps, and wubs over and over, and everypony around him was found dancing to it with smiles on their faces, and even noticed Big Macintosh was dancing a little despite looking bored. He sneered at the music as he stood stock still at the abhorrent sight in front of him, and noticed Fluttershy looking concerned "Do you not like this kind of music, Dr. Facilier? I figured you would enjoy this piece." The doctor shook his head to her.

"This ain't my music, this ain't my jive.
Whoever made this shouldn't even be alive!"

Fluttershy shrunk back a bit at the mean response the doctor uttered "U-Um...this was a song made by Vinyl Scratch. She is a talented music pony who makes more songs like this." Even the name gave him more reason for hate. Vinyl Scratch? It's a crime to music in his case. The very thought of the atrocious cacophony of noises they called music was entertaining to them was maddening. He sighed as he trotted over and sat down on a chair on his haunches, looking like a depressed squid as he stared at the scene in front of him. Fluttershy looked sad at the fact that Dr. Facilier wasn't enjoying himself at the moment, and looked around, hoping Pinkie didn't catch him. She trotted over and sat next to the Shadowcolt "Umm, if it's not too much trouble, can I sit with you? P-Please?" She looked away, seeming embarrassed. The doctor looked up and gave a faint smile.

"I won't stop ya, come sit right here.
You don't seem like the dancin' type with your fear..."

Fluttershy hesitantly sat next to him and replied to his comment "Well, yes, it's true...I can't really bear everypony staring at me while I dance by myself." she cringed at the thought "I-It makes me nervous..." she shook a little, then flinched as she felt a hoof on her back. She turned to see Dr. Facilier give her a comforting smile, making her look away, but smiling a little "Th-Thank you, Dr. Facilier..." The doctor gave her back a good pat and went back to watching the dancing ponies.

While the song played, Pinkie noticed Fluttershy and the Shadowcolt sitting down and not dancing. She could only gasp in surprise as she sped on over and stopped in front of the two, making them jump "What are you two sillies doing? You shouldn't be sitting on your flanks like couch potatoes! You should be DANCING!" She said as she gave a comical dancing twirl, making the doctor groan.

"Sorry, Pinks, but this ain't my jam.
I'd dance to a different beat, if I can..."

Pinkie looked determined, and nodded as she gave a mock salute "Your wish is my command!" She said as she sped to the record player and switched the records. Everypony noticed it, some even groaning and jeering as it stopped, but when Pinkie changed the record, a new song played, and this one caused some ponies to murmur as the intro played out.

( For your listening pleasure...if you want to, that is... )

Dr. Facilier was tapping a hoof to the opening beat, and his ears perked up to the familiar sound of jazz instruments being used in a wonderful fashion. His eyes lit up with surprise and slowly growing determination as he looked for a vacant spot on the dance floor. When he found a spot ripe for picking, he quickly leapt off his chair and got himself situated for dancing to this new jazzy beat that had been produced. Everypony turned to see the Shadowcolt as he began breaking out some pretty good dance moves, some even better than his little demo he performed back at Sweet Apple Acres. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and their other friends watched in awe as he danced like there was no tomorrow. The doctor danced with his eyes closed, a smug smile on his face with each move he made. When the song was halfway finished, he looked around and spotted Fluttershy staring at him, smiling as an idea crafted into his head. He danced his way over to Fluttershy and used a free hoof to wave Fluttershy over to him, wanting her to come over to him. Fluttershy's eyes widened in shock as she pointed to herself, looking nervous, with Dr. Facilier nodding in response. Fluttershy noticed some ponies began looking at her, and she began to cringe and shake "B-B-B-B-But-but-but..." Rainbow Dash groaned behind her "Just go already!" She shoved Fluttershy onto the dance floor, earning a glare from Applejack, and defended herself "What? It had to be done! You know those two belong together!"

Tension was rising with poor Fluttershy as she stood stock still next to the dancing doctor, shifting her eyes to see expectant ponies left and right and whimpering cutely. The Shadowcolt saw this and decided to take matters into his own hooves as he shimmied near the timid pegasus and whispered in her ear.

"Follow my lead, girl, I got your tail...
With me at your side, you will not fail."

Fluttershy flinched as she heard those last words. Could this stallion really care for her? Not wasting a moment of the doctor's time, she hesitantly began to move her legs to the beat, paling horribly in comparison to Dr. Facilier's mad skills. She turned to see the doctor nodding in approval, and figured she should try more as she added more oomph to her dance moves for his sake. She began to smile as she felt a surge of excitement from dancing as her moves began to appear more graceful and appealing to the audience around her. She was able to ignore everypony around her as she looked at Dr. Facilier, who was grinning at her successful dancing. She could only grin back gratefully as the two danced side-by-side to the rest of the song. When the song ended, the two struck a good duet pose as everypony cheered and stomped their hooves in applause. Normally, this would cause Fluttershy to shrink into her mane at the magnitude of the noise and the amount of people producing it, but that didn't matter as she looked into the charming doctor's eyes as he grinned at her. She felt like she was walking on sunshine when staring at him, yet she was unaware it wasn't being returned in kind. Dr. Facilier was happy to feel that he had probably earned Fluttershy's unquestioning trust, and could not wait to exploit it at the right times if necessary. As the two stared, Pinkie was at the record player "Okie Dokie Loki! Time for another song change! It's a good thing I found this one!" She said as she switched the records, the new song starting up.

...He couldn't believe it...

It played...that very song played again...those drums...those piano keys...those voices provoking more paranoia in his ears. Upon hearing this song, his charming grin left in a flash as he stood still, his eyes widening and twitching as the song progressed. Fluttershy, along with the rest of the ponies watched in confusion, murmuring at the scene in front of them. The timid mare was the first to look worried as she trotted over to the doctor "Dr. Facilier?? Wh-What's wrong? Did something scare you??" The Shadowcolt couldn't hear the mare over the beat that was being produced. And if that wasn't bad enough, it even had those words going through his head like hammered nails:

ARE YOU READY~!?

It was awful. He was reliving his most recent defeat with those words repeating.

ARE YOU READY~!?

He couldn't take it anymore, as he raised both forelegs to his temples as he gritted his teeth "GET OUT OF MY HEAD! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!" Not even realizing he didn't rhyme for the first time, he pushed a group of ponies around him out of his way as he found the exit and galloped. Fluttershy saw this and galloped after him "Dr. Facilier! Wait!!" Twilight felt concerned herself as she turned to her friends "C'mon, girls!" Twilight and the rest of her friends followed Fluttershy out the door, wanting to help her as well.

When he ran outside, he went as far as the nearest oak tree and placed a hoof on the bark, hyperventilating and sweating profusely as his mane and tail became more whacy, frazzled, and disheveled like before. He stared down at the ground as each bead of sweat poured like rain onto the grass. When he was sure the song was out of earshot, he looked up to the pale moon, sitting on his haunches as he tried to calm himself down. It was as if they planned this all along. His so-called 'friends' were tormenting him still, just in a more colorful and creative way. It was no surprise that almost everything in this world was enough to drive a human being to insanity after a good period of time, but he already went through a period of that before this. With one last deep breath, he sighed as he looked down, his tophat looking to almost fall off of his head, then flinched as he heard a faint voice "Dr. Facilier!" He looked up, and thought he was hallucinating when he saw Fluttershy galloping to her in the distance with a look of worry on her face. He went to place his head back down until she heard her call again "Dr. Facilier!" He looked again, and could've sworn he saw some tears streaming from her eyes. Did someone in this world honestly feel that much for the Shadowcolt?

When Fluttershy and her friends reached him, Fluttershy knelt down in front of the doctor, placing a gentle hoof to his head "Dr. Facilier! Are you alright? What happened?" she sniffled a little as she wiped tears from her eyes with a free hoof. The Shadowcolt noticed that everypony behind her looked at him with the same expression of worry and concern, even Pinkie, who he could've sworn looked darker and having a mane that lost all of it's puffiness. Was this some kind of trick? Was this all being staged? He was about to say yes, until it happened.

Fluttershy quickly hugged Dr. Facilier, despite how much he was sweating, and began sobbing lightly "I-If it was my fault, I'm sorry!" she continued crying in his chest. He couldn't believe his eyes, and then turned to see Pinkie stepping up "I picked that song thinking you would dance to it. I didn't mean to make you go all crazy..." her lower lip quivered. Twilight was next to come up "We didn't expect you to act like that around that song...even though none of us ever heard it before, for some odd reason. I hope we didn't cause you any problems." This just keeps getting more surprising. Every little pony in front of him showed him sympathy, guilt, and concern all at once, and did not even give off any wicked vibes at all. Was he wrong about this place? He did manage to learn a new trick, and was more than happy to have mastered it. And if that wasn't enough, he had the one mare in front of him, caring so much for the Shadowcolt that she was even crying in his chest.

...Perhaps this was a second chance for him...

He slowly raised a hoof, and then began caressing Fluttershy's long flowing mane with it, causing her to look up with tear-stained eyes. Dr. Facilier looked back at her with a comforting smile, and uttered some words.

"I'm okay now, no need to cry...
Thank ya for findin' me, Fluttershy.
That song just brought back bad memories of mine.
It triggered my brain, and I went out o' line..."

The doctor looked to the other ponies, who wondered what he was gonna say next.

"Thank y'all kindly for havin' me here...
I think I'd consider you my friends, all dear.
Jus' lemme catch my breath, and head back inside.
I'll be right with ya, with moves I haven't tried..."

Everypony began to smile at his words, Pinkie's mood slowly becoming better as she grew a little brighter, except for Fluttershy. She said "N-No..." causing everypony to stare at her in confusion. She wiped her eyes as she then looked at Dr. Facilier "I...I-I wanna stay out here, with you...to wait with you..." she said as she slowly began to smile "I wanna wait for you to get your energy, so that we might dance together again..." she then blushed "I-If that's alright with you, I mean..." The doctor chuckled as he weakly patted her head. Fluttershy's friends were moved by the scene, Rarity even shedding a tear at the romantic overtones of what happened just now, and they each made their way back to Sugarcube Corner, though they galloped a good distance away, leaving Fluttershy and the Shadowcolt laying under the tree, watching the moon as they smiled.

'I'm not actually FEELIN' this way, am I?'

Chapter 8

Last night was amazing for Fluttershy, sitting next to her newest friend whom she cared so much about while staring at the moon under the trees with him. The funny thought is, she'd like to be a tree, but she digressed with the heartfelt moment. It was short-lived, however, seeing as how the day after the party, it was as if none of the events involving the two never happened. In fact, it was much more different today despite her guest's company.

Dr. Facilier was busy with more books he borrowed from the library, studying hard as he read each page with an excited grin similar to a foal in a candy store. He really enjoyed reading those books as much as Twilight, and it bothered Fluttershy slightly, seeing as how he ignored her a bit. She felt a bit torn to see him pay attention to more books than the same mare that welcomed him into her home, and was kind enough to give him a small tour of Ponyville. She stroked a hoof under her chin, wondering if she should take Rainbow Dash's advice and be more assertive around the Shadowcolt, although, he hasn't done much wrong since he arrived. She blushed at the thought of them being together, but then hung her head down knowing he didn't particularly want to go that far. Maybe she just needed to give him time to understand her feelings towards him, but for now, she wanted to talk to him and maybe convince him to help feed her animal friends. Mustering a small hint of confidence, she trotted over to Dr. Facilier's side and smiled, although he didn't acknowledge her, and cleared her throat to try and get his attention "Umm, Dr. Facilier? As much as you are having fun with your books, do you think maybe you could help me with my chores? I-If it's not too much to ask, that is..." The doctor, not even turning to Fluttershy, simply waved a hoof, as if shooing a fly from his personal space.

"I'll be with ya, darlin', I'm jus' a bit busy.
All these books are downright nifty!"

He almost drooled at the newest spell he had his eyes on: A 'Coming to Life' spell. He wondered if he would pass himself off as a necromancer as well, conjuring some slaves to do his bidding 'I really do need another set of hands to do my work...I mean hooves...Damn, this place is really gettin' to me...'. But before he could think further, Fluttershy tried speaking again "P-Please, Dr. Facilier? I would really appreciate your help...and I don't want to keep my animals from starving..." The doctor sighed and looked at the small hint of sadness in Fluttershy's eyes. While he thought he was his old self again, for some odd reason, he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for almost brushing her off 'The hell is wrong with me?'. He clenched his eyes at his feeling, then took a deep breath as he got up.

"Sorry, Flutters, I can't help myself...
Every page in these books are considerable wealth."

Fluttershy smiled, and responded with a better mood "Oh, it's alright...I understand you only want to expand your knowledge since you want to stay here-" There was a knock on the door, causing the timid mare to flinch a little and turn to it. She looked back to Dr. Facilier with a smile "Could you please get started while I answer the door? I really appreciate your help..." she said as she gave the Shadowcolt a small nuzzle and went to the door. Upon answering, Rarity stood with a smile on her face "Fluttershy, darling! Is Dr. Facilier here?? I need to see him!" Fluttershy tilted her head at Rarity, then turned to see the Shadowcolt levitating sacks of animal feed as he trotted over with a question.

"Hey, Fluttershy, where do I begin-

He saw Rarity and flashed a charming smile

Hey there, Rarity, how y'all doin'?"

Rarity giggled at his greeting and beamed at him "Just the gentlecolt I wanted to see! I need you for a favor, if you don't mind!" Fluttershy obviously knew Rarity's intentions, what with how she wanted new designs and the like in her line of fashion, but was surprised to hear Dr. Facilier speak.

"Politely declined, I'm afraid to say...
Perhaps I'll help later today."

This caused Rarity to pout a little "Oh, but I really need you right now! I have a new design and YOU'RE just the pony I'm looking for!" Fluttershy cut in with a suggestion "Umm, Rarity...If you don't mind me asking...why haven't you talked to Big Macintosh yet?" Rarity shook her head "Nonono! This design was meant solely for Dr. Facilier and nopony else!" She turned to the doctor with pleading eyes and a begging smile "Please come by to my boutique?? Pleeeease~?" Dr. Facilier couldn't handle dealing with a woman who wouldn't shut up about what she wanted, let alone a unicorn mare that admired his charm. But when he thought about it, he felt rather naked with only his hat, and he didn't want to feel like a lowly quadraped that feasted upon grass the whole time despite his new magical discoveries. He looked to Fluttershy, who looked back at him "I-I won't stop you, if you want to go, Dr. Facilier..." she looked down with a smile "Um...I-In fact...I'd love to see what you would look like in a set of clothes..." She looked up at him "Since it's Rarity who's doing it, she's bound to give you something nice..." The Shadowcolt was happy to know that he didn't have to deal with feeding some animals he didn't even care for, and he even gets a nice suit for it. It's a win-win. He gently levitated the sacks of animal feed he carried on the floor of the living room, and looked at the two mares with a smile.

"Guess my mind's made up today...
I'll follow ya, Rarity. Lead the way."

Rarity could only give off a cute fangirlish squeal as she trotted in place at a fast pace. She then turned herself and nodded her head for him to follow "This way, please! This is going to be SPECTACULAR!" She said as she began trotting along the trail to Ponyville with a wide grin on her face. Dr. Facilier reluctantly followed, thinking that he might be in for a world of hurt. Giving one last look to Fluttershy for reassurance, she could only look at him with a confused expression, only to grin at him. He thought he heard a cute squeal the moment she grinned, but smiled back at her as he turned and followed Rarity to her shop.

He never got the chance to see Rarity's home, and he had to admit, it looked marvelous on the outside, reminding him of an old Carousel ride back in his world. Rarity looked back at him with a smile "Well, here we are! Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every thing is chic, unique, and magnifique!" The Shadowcolt gave a low whistle to the exterior design.

"I'm likin' the looks or your place already...
I'll bet your business is nice and steady!"

Rarity raised her nose in the air with a smile after giving her stylish mane a toss with her hoof "Your charm just knows no bounds, does it?" She then turns to him "Oh, but what are we doing out here? Let's get you fitted, shall we?" She said as she opened the door and led Dr. Facilier inside. He looked around and saw many pony-shaped mannequins (or ponnequins) covered with exotic and stylish dresses, most of them appearing feminine. He always wondered about the gender ratio in Ponyville, but paid it no mind as Rarity lead him to a large stand. "Now you just stand right up there! I'll be right with you!" she said as she trotted to get some supplies. The doctor watched, thinking this probably wasn't a good idea, as he felt like one of his voodoo dolls about to get poked with a pin at every angle of his body. He spotted Rarity pulling out a large roll of dark purple fabric, some balls of thread, and one of the sharpest pins he ever seen since his failed plot back in his old life. Rarity looked at Dr. Facilier with a wide smile "Now, hold still! I can't WAIT to get started!" The Shadowcolt could only twitch his eye as he regretted his decision completely.

After what felt like a long period of small mistakes and stifled yells, a new suit had been made for the witch doctor. He had to admit, while the wait was painstaking, it was very much worth it as he began admiring himself in the mirror with a grin on his face. He had a purple tuxedo similar to the one he wore as a human, only instead of a shoddy light purple undershirt, he got a suave white dress shirt with black buttons. The sleeves on his tuxedo were complimented with small topaz cufflinks for extra flair, were he to come around higher-class ponies. He couldn't be more happier with this article of clothing, feeling like his old self again, minus his signature cane. He then looked down at his shadow, and his brightened mood slowly began to wither away as he realize his old friend might be lost forever. His shadow was all he needed to complete the set and feel like he was on top of the world once more, and all it could do was stare back at Dr. Facilier, mimicking his movement as he raised a hoof to look at his clothes. Rarity, upon seeing his faint depression, looked as if she were about to be told a loved one was dying "Do you not like it? Did I overdo it? Was it not enough!?" She asked frantically, snapping the doctor back to reality as he turned and gave a smile to Rarity.

"This is the best thing I've ever seen!
Your style of fashion is very serene!"

Rarity, smiling upon his words, sighed in relief "Thank you, darling. I've never thought I would make something like this for anypony in only a few hours! You really have done me a good service!" It was good for the doctor to know that she wasn't about to smack a filly, but then looked back and wondered about his clothes.

...How much was this going to cost?

He flinched upon the very thought of money, remembering he was more broke than his old talisman, and wondered how exactly he was going to pay. Maybe Fluttershy would be kind enough to lend him a few bits of cash in order to pay off the expenses for the suit. He did not want to part with something so amazing that it could increase his charms and good looks tenfold. He slowly turned to Rarity, an embarrassed smile on his face as he asked.

"Just to be sure that I'm not lost...
How much exactly will all this cost?"

Rarity, who only tilted her head in confusion, only waved a dismissive hoof with a warm smile on her face "Oh, don't worry yourself at all about the costs, Dr. Facilier. You modeled for me, and the suit looks positively ravishing on you! Also, it's not like you needed something to go by to begin with, seeing as how you've only been in Ponyville for a day. Consider this one free of charge, courtesy of Your's truly!" She said as she batted her eyelashes in an attempt to look attractive and give the doctor some charm of her own. Dr. Facilier could not believe his ears. This suit, which would probably cost thousands back in his world, just given to him. By a pony. for FREE. He thought this was some kind of sick joke at first as he raised an eyebrow at her.

"What's your game, girl? You sure about this?
You sure there ain't any terms I've missed?"

Rarity looked taken aback "You think I'm joking? Darling, I would never joke about giving away such fabulous clothing away to a friend! And that's only the first reason. I need to stick to my element after all!" He almost paid attention to the next part, remembering Twilight talk about something called the 'Elements of Harmony' when he was borrowing more books. The books! He wanted to go back and manifest more power from each page 'The sooner I get outta this place, the sooner I'll be wakin' the dead! Hehehe...'. So he wrapped up his little episode with Rarity and spoke with a smile on his face.

"Thank y'all, darlin', for these new threads.
I'm bound to turn me some more heads!"

Rarity was overjoyed by his grateful statement, thinking that the Shadowcolt might do her proud in trotting around with his new suit. When she was about to reply, her door slammed open, revealing Twilight, who had Spike sitting on her back "Rarity! Are you here!?" Rarity trotted over, a little annoyed at Twilight's entry, yet thought something big might have happened and began to feel concerned "Twilight? What is it, dear?" She turned and smiled to Spike "Hello, Spikey!" Spike stood up on Twilight's back and bowed to Rarity "How's it going, milady?" He said with a smug smile, and lifted up to see his worst enemy behind the love of her life. Spike really had a thing for Rarity, and Dr. Facilier and his charismatic aura would only cripple his chances of happiness. He glared a little as he muttered "What's he doing here?" Twilight looked up at her assistant, looking stern "Spike, be nice!" She turned to Rarity "I'm actually here because of him!" Rarity tilted her head "Why? Did he forget to return a book on time? I'd consider a stallion of his type to be more punctual-" Twilight interrupted "Not that! I got a letter from the Princess wanting us Dr. Facilier to come to her castle!" The doctor couldn't believe his ears as he heard Twilight. It was only his second day in this village, and already he's being summoned to a castle. He grinned at the thought of bending the princess to his will, giving him whatever he wanted, be it money or a spot in the royal courts. Rarity could continue "Really? Why, that's fantastic! With the doctor in his new suit, I'm sure Princess Celestia would be thrilled to meet him!" Spike scoffed at the thought of Dr. Facilier being liked by the princess, let alone Rarity. He admitted he was jealous of him, but he just couldn't handle a random stranger of a stallion to just waltz into Ponyville and try to sweep his girl off her feet. Rarity smiled "What are we doing standing here? Let's get the girls before the train leaves!" She turned to the Shadowcolt "Dr. Facilier! Why don't you head back over to Fluttershy's and tell her the news! Oh, and do be careful with the suit! I want you to look your best for the princess!" She added with pleading eyes. Dr. Facilier thought this was going all too well for him after dealing with enough crazy stuff in his time. Perhaps he just might break ties with his newly made friends if everything he ever wanted comes to him soon enough.

He trotted along the trail back to Fluttershy's college with an evil grin on his face, ready to turn his first crown-adorned head with his new suit.

Chapter 9

The mane six, along with Spike and the Shadowcolt, have all boarded a train from the Ponyville Train Station that was scheduled to head to a place called Canterlot. He figured it was a fitting name, given how he was headed towards an amazing city with a castle in it, and could only wonder if the Royal Guard there was as good as the mares claimed. It didn't matter to him now, as he was almost done with another book he brought with him. Twilight was just amazed at how dedicated Dr. Facilier was to reading books, and wondered if the two would ever want to discuss certain books over tea. The doctor slammed the book shut as he had wicked grin on his face, startling Twilight "Doctor, you look like you're ready to kill somepony..." she watched him do a double take and look over at Twilight with mock confusion.

"Why you say that? Do I look that bad?
I don't really wanna make you mad..."

Twilight shook her head "No, sorry, I shouldn't say it like that...Maybe that's how you always smile!" She said with a smile of her own. Another bullet dodged. It was good to know most of his actions considered shady to most people manage to blend in with the norm around Ponyville, moreso his new 'friends', especially Fluttershy. He could only wonder why she cared so much for him, and even turned to see her look out the window, lost in thought. He had a mind to talk to her, but then he remembered the spell he covered. The doctor wanted to bring something to life, but what?" he looked around to find no worthy candidates, making him sigh as he looked down. Twilight looked at Dr. Facilier and tilted her head 'Is he thinking about Fluttershy perhaps? The two seem almost perfect for each other...' but she wasn't aware of his dark motives at all. The doctor continued staring as he pouted over not finding any suitable test subjects, until an idea dawned right in front of him. It was there, it wasn't a mare, and it was as shady as his heart. His eyes slowly widened as he stared down, and then beamed with overzealous glee as he got up and went to cheer out loud, only to remember he was around the 6 mares and Spike, who only glared at him while the rest stared. He shifted his eyes, looking embarrassed as he thought of an excuse to be alone.

"I feel like stretchin' my legs for a while...
It's not like this trip lasts for a good long mile."

Fluttershy and Twilight looked at each other, then at the Shadowcolt, with Twilight speaking first "Do your legs need that much exercise? The train's moving pretty fast and I don't think there's much else to do here..." Pinkie then hopped up "Except sing! But the better question is what song would be best for a train trip? Oh wait, I know!" She cleared her throat "IIIIII've been working on the raaaailroad~, aaaaall the wind long daaaaaay~!" Dr. Facilier winced with each word, slowly inching away from Pinkie as she continued singing 'Confound these ponies! They drive me batty! I gotta get outta here quick!' he thought as he turned to Twilight and Fluttershy, smiling.

"While you sing your diddies and let melodies loom,
I'm gonna go find the little colt's room!"

He then quickly zipped to the nearest cart door, opening it with his unicorn magic. Twilight called out "But Docto-" the door already slammed shut, leaving everypony and Spike staring in confusion, Spike hopping up on his seat and breaking the silence "What is with that guy?" He scratched his head as Twilight responded "I don't know..." there was an awkward silence as she then added "I wonder how long it'll take for him to realize there isn't a bathroom on the train..." They continued staring, until Spike shrugged "He'll figure it out eventually..." he said as he plopped back down into his seat, next to Rarity, who was hoping Dr. Facilier wasn't messing up the suit as he went through the next cart.

When the Shadowcolt got through the door, he was lucky enough to notice the cart he was currently in was as empty as his suit's pockets. He grinned, and gave a low cackle as he shifted his eyes around to make sure nopony was watching. He then saw his shadow on the wall and narrowed his eyes with determination and dark glee, his horn beginning to glow 'Time for a little experimentation...Experimentation central!!' he thought to himself with a chuckle as he zapped the statue with a small beam. The doctor stood idly by, waiting for results. For a few minutes, nothing happened, leading him to think he had been gypped, or that he must've misread a page or two. He went to go back, until his ears perked up, hearing an eerie rumble echo in the cart. Dr. Facilier quickly turned back and darted his eyes all around the cart to see nothing shaking. He thought he was hearing things, until he caught his shadow rippling as if it were a reflection in beach water. He stared in question, wondering if he was successful, and his jaw hit the floor when he saw his shadow stretching each of its limbs and opened his mouth, acting like it woke up from a long slumber. It scratched the back of its head for a second, and then jumped in surprise to see Dr. Facilier grinning widely at it.

"I'd thought our thing was at an end...
Welcome back to life, my friend..."

The shadow jumped around in joy, and then jumped to the doctor as the two somehow shared a hug. The Shadowcolt was chuckling, as he gave off a mischievous glint in his eyes 'The Shadowman is back, baby...'

He came back to the cart where the mares and dragon reside, trotting back to his seat next to Fluttershy, who stared at him "D-Did you realize there was no bathroom on this train?" Of course he knew there wasn't, he just needed air and a place to conduct his experiment, and he could never be happier with the results. He nodded to Fluttershy in mock disappointment.

"Yeah, I guess I pushed my luck
I only have myself to buck..."

Applejack looked over at him with an arched eyebrow, suspicious to what he had said "Ya sure y'all ain't tellin' a tall tale, Sugarcube?" The doctor looked back at her, and shook his head as he rolled his eyes.

"I jus' don't know about Ponyville much.
I've only been here for a day and such..."

That time, Applejack's expression of suspicion changed as she smiled "Well, that much is true...Iffin' I didn't know any better, I'd say you were fibbin' somethin' fierce, Doc..." He kept a calm face and nodded, but on the inside, he felt threatened by Applejack. Was this mare some kind of living lie detector? He should probably use his words more carefully, but then decided to think about what he would do and say to the Princess once he sees her. The doctor's shadow could only raise a hoof over its mouth and shake a little, looking like it was stifling a giggle. Twilight was looking out the window, and turned to catch a faint glimpse of the shadow giggling, turning back to the window. She then widened her eyes in confusion as she quickly darted back to the shadow, who was mimicking Dr. Facilier's movement like always. She scratched her head as she looked confused 'Maybe I should sleep more. I HAVE been studying a bit too much lately...'.

It felt like the trip was going to end as deafening silence filled the air. Pinkie hopped up from her seat with a look of determination on her face "Okay, everypony!" Spike shot a quick glare "...And dragon!" Spike smiled "So far, this trip has been BOOORING~! We need to liven things up if we wanna get to Canterlot faster!" Rarity turned to Pinkie "What makes you think waltzing around the cart like a ruffian would move things faster, Pinkie?" Pinkie patted Rarity "Oh, ye of little faith!" She raised her forelegs in the air "Time flies when you're having too much fun! Sooooo~, let's have some fun!" Fluttershy cringed a bit "U-Umm, no thank you, Pinkie...I'd rather not get the conductor angry..." Applejack added "Yeah, and besides...Rainbow Dash here's asleep." She points a hoof to show Rainbow Dash snoozing comfortably in her seat, her head leaning against the window. Pinkie could only look as if it were some kind of mystery "Is she now?" She slowly leaned near Rainbow Dash, and after a few seconds of staring at her snoring, she took a deep breath, then shouted "DASHIE! ARE YOU STILL ASLEEP!?" This caused Dash to jump and hit her head on the ceiling, landing back in her seat on her rump as she rubbed her head, glaring at Pinkie "Not cool, Pinkie!" It's a good thing no one caught Dr. Facilier chuckling at this "Dr. Facilier?" No one except Fluttershy 'Son of a-' He stopped laughing and turned to Fluttershy, who tilted her head in curiousity at the doctor "What were you just laughing about??" knowing it was only her who was curious, he only waved a hoof.

"I jus' remembered a funny joke,
Ain't nothing that big for you to poke."

Fluttershy responded "Oh, okay..." She looked down, but then looked back up with light in her eyes as she grinned "I can't wait for you to meet Princess Celestia! Oh, I'm sure if everypony in Ponyville likes you, then maybe the Princess will as well!" Dr. Facilier chuckled in agreement, plotting some witty lines to use on her once they arrived. But then, Pinkie hopped next to the doctor, smiling "Hey! Dr. Fa-silly-a! Why don't you use your shadow and have some fun?" He looked at her with wide eyes, stunned to realize she even knew about this. Twilight turned to Pinkie "Pinkie, what are you talking about? Are you talking about shadow puppetry? Because those are best performed in the dark, or at slumber parties! Or both..." Pinkie shook her head "Nonono, I mean his SHADOW! It can do awesome shapes of its own!" Rarity could only look exasparated at Pinkie's current spiel "Pinkie, why do you wish to press this issue further? You sound as if the shadow is alive!" Pinkie then yelled 'Duh~!!" Rarity groaned at her response "What even gave you that thought?" Pinkie then grinned "I read the last few paragraphs of this chapter!" Rarity couldn't say another word, and Dr. Facilier, along with everypony else in the room was stunned at Pinkie's words, though Twilight could only hide some thoughts from her friends about the statement involving seeing the shadow move by itself, and Rainbow Dash broke the short period of awkward silence as she shook her head at Pinkie "Pinkie Pie...You are SO random..." She went to go back to bed, but then an announcement was heard as the train conductor entered the room "We'll be boarding Canterlot station shortly! Get ready, everypony!" Spike and Rainbow Dash groaned in unison, Rainbow not getting to nap again, and Spike being treated like he was invisible.

The train finally stopped at the station, letting off a thick blanket of steam as the wheels grinded to a halt. The group then got up and out of the train as they made their way through Canterlot, Dr. Facilier looking around to see all sorts of ponies with their noses in the air, dressed in high-class clothing. Some of them turned to see them, and sneered and grimaced at the sight of the doctor, not even acknowledging the suit Rarity made for him. This only served to annoy him as he passed along, but then felt a nudge at his side to see Fluttershy look at her with pleading eyes "I-I hope they aren't making you mad at all, Dr. Facilier..." Before he could answer, a couple of ponies stopped in front of the group. One of them was a colt wearing a black tophat and monocle, his cutie mark being a bag full of bits, while the other was a mare wearing a fancy long-brimmed hat, her cutie mark being a boquet of flowers of different kinds. They both shared posh, condescending looks as they graced the doctor with their debunking "I say, what is a zebra like you doing in Canterlot, and with that hat no less!" The stallion said, with the mare following "I hope you don't muck up the streets with your filth...I heard zebras are very filthy ponies!" Twilight sighed at the two and turned to the group "Just ignore them, we gotta go." They began walking, heeding Twilight's words. However, Dr. Facilier had other plans. When they were a good distance enough, he looked back at the two looking at him with winces and sneers, and glared back, only to remember his friend. He looked down to his shady partner with a smile and nodded his head over to the ignorant couple behind him. The shadow gave a crooked smile and a silent salute as he swooped over to them on the ground the moment both staring parties turned away from each other. While they were walking, the shadow was lucky enough for the couple to be near a wall as it projected itself along said wall at a larger scale, extending a long foreleg in front of the colt's shadow. As if by some cosmic force, the colt himself tripped along with his shadow, falling facefirst on the ground and breaking his monocle. When the mare noticed and looked down at her husband, the shadow then extended a hoof to the shadow of the mare, taking off her hat, and revealing a puffed white mane while she wasn't looking. Taking a lucky guess, he pulled on the mare's mane, only to have it come off easily. It was nothing more than a wig, hiding the hideous visage on top of the mare's head as small hairs could be seen. This caused the mare to look up and gasp, crying in shame as those around her began to laugh and insult the couple. With the mission accomplished, the shadow swooped right back to its master, who could only watch the scene unfold with a pleased grin, giving his shadow a brohoof, to which it returned with a crooked smile. He knew anything that could be made fun of or could destroy someone's dignity was nothing more than a delicacy for rich folk, pony or otherwise. It wasn't long until the mane six and Spike caught on to the scene as well, Fluttershy being worried "Oh my...those poor ponies..." Spike shrugged his shoulders "Karma's wierd that way." Dr. Facilier turned to Spike with a smile.

"I hear ya, Spike, those ponies don't know,
That the powers that be wouldn't let this go."

Spike looked away from the doctor as he faced the castle "I didn't ask for your opinion..." he muttered, Twilight looking up at Spike and sighing at his childish hate for the doctor. She should remember to give him a good talking to later "C'mon, girls, we knew this would happen. Now let's hurry to the castle. We don't wanna keep Celestia waiting!" It wasn't long before they reached the castle gates and waited for them to open.

Chapter 10

The group walked through the halls, being lead by four pegasus guards donning golden armor and faces of unbreakable resolve. Two headed at the front while the other two covered the rear as they guided everyone to the throne room. Dr. Facilier was more than confident about meeting Celestia, and might have a good amount of luck talking to her on the same level. After all, he's a royal himself on his mother's side.

When they reached the throne room, two figures could be seen at the end of the room, both tall and majestic. The one on the left was what caught the doctor's eye first, his jaw almost dropping at the sight of her. The figure was expected as a pony, but this one differed completely to all the ones he'd seen back at Ponyville. Her coat was white, like Rarity's, but she had more to show with her golden armor, shoes, gem-encrusted crown, and multicolored mane and tail flowing in a nonexistent breeze. What also got his attention was that she possessed both wings AND a horn, and they both were amazing for their sizes, wondering if she ever used her horn as a weapon in combat. Her cutie mark was a sun, to which it made him wonder if she were a god of sorts, but couldn't dwell on the matter as he noticed her magenta eyes were looking right at him, with a stoic expression on her face as he and the group drew closer. The one next to the ivory pony was smaller than her, and was almost the opposite of the left one in terms of color and background. Her coat was midnight blue, as was her starry mane and tail, which also flowed in the nonexistent breeze. She had black crown matching her armor, but wore ice blue shoes. She looked more serious and anticipating with her turquoise eyes, watching the group advance until they were only a few feet away from each other.

Everypony and Spike bowed two the two princesses in front of them, Dr. Facilier removing his hat as he bowed. The alabaster alicorn's expression changed to a warm smile "It is a pleasure to meet you again, my loyal subjects...And greetings to you, Dr. Facilier." She sounded like a mother happy to see her children after a small amount of absence. The nightshade alicorn, however, sounded way differently, rising up from her throne and speaking "WE ARE DELIGHTED THAT THOU COULD ARRIVE AT OUR CASTLE WHEN WE SUMMONED THEE!!" That sentence alone was enough to give Dr. Facilier a migraine as he gritted his teeth, and flashed a wide smile up to Luna, though winced at the tone of her powerful voice. The other princess waved a hoof, wanting her subjects to rise as she did from the throne, trotting over and looking down at Dr. Facilier "It is nice to see a new addition to Ponyville...Twilight mentioned you in her newest friendship letter." Friendship letter? Was he missing something? She placed a hoof on her chest "I am Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria and controller of the sun." She stifled a chuckle as she waved a hoof to the nightshade alicorn "And the one who spoke at an amazing volume is my sister Luna, Princess of the night." He figured as much when he spotted her crescent moon cutie mark. She trotted up and held out a hoof, speaking in the same volume "CHARMED!" Celestia gave Luna a stern look "Luna, I told you ever since Nightmare Night that there was no need to use the traditional Royal Canterlot Voice." Luna shrunk back and donned an embarrassed smile as she spoke at a lower, more tolerable volume "Erm, our apologies. We can barely control ourselves, and we've only had one set of voice lessons from Fluttershy." What was with this pony and using the word 'We' in her sentences, the doctor thought. Was she referring to Celestia? No, she would never speak at that volume. Could she have a possible shadow as well? Dr. Facilier could only gently take Luna's hoof and bow again.

"It's nice to meet the Queen of night.
That voice o' yours has lots o' might."

Luna took her hoof back with a smile as Celestia turned to the rest of her subjects "We only summoned you all here so we could speak with Dr. Facilier alone..." This caused the group to look confused, as Celestia showed a reassured smile "The guards shall lead you out in the halls while we have our audience with this one. If you will please make your way out, we shall have a feast later on so you won't come here entirely for nothing." Twilight wished to speak, but Celestia placed a hoof on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. Twilight wasn't one to argue with the princess, her ruler and mentor, and she signalled the group to follow her outside, the guards following suit. When the doors closed, it was only the two princesses and the Shadowcolt, and the deafening silence that followed after the group left. He thought that this was his chance to get his charm working and turned to grin at Celestia, who looked at him with the same stoic expression from when he first laid eyes on her. He hesitated a bit, wondering why she hasn't spoken first yet, but decided to seize the moment as he broke the silence.

"It's nice to see you, your majesty.
I'm one for proper formality."

Celestia's stoic expression turned into a serious expression, almost resembling Zecora's glare, but instead of spite, it was omnipotence "I know who you are, Shadowman..." Dr. Facilier could only jump upon hearing his old nickname, looking up at the princess with widened eyes at this. Celestia continued with her hardened gaze upon the doctor's shock and confusion "I'm aware of all that you've done in the past, and frankly, I am very disappointed with you...To be here in this world, you should count yourself lucky." He looked at her, then turned to Luna, thinking she would add something to it, but she, too, stared at him with a hardened gaze, but kept silent as Celestia spoke in a softer tone "Though I must say, I am impressed with your endeavors thus far in Equestria...especially bringing back your old friend next to you..." The shadow, knowing it was compromised, jumped up and let out a silent scream as it swooped behind Dr. Facilier with its forelegs on his shoulders, shivering and cowering at the sight of the princess. The doctor, upon seeing this, began to glare at the princess as he decided to give her a piece of his mind.

"So what's your reason for bringing me here?
You tryin' to hurt me, or fill me with fear?"

Celestia's expression softened even more as she closed her eyes and began to smile "Oh, I would never dream of harming my subjects, let alone scaring them..." She opened her eyes a little as she looked at him with a grin on her face "Instead, I shall do something else..." Dr. Facilier could wonder what she had in mind, but then she began to speak in a mockign tone "To think that the great Shadowman could fall to a simple frog...It's about as disappointing as your crimes..." The doctor flinched upon hearing this, and his unwanted nostalgia hit him like a ton of bricks as he began gritting his teeth at his defeat. Celestia only smiled, knowing her little plan was working "And if that wasn't enough, you went through all that trouble for what you've acquired to have it all go up in smoke thanks to your dedicated servant..." He began to growl as his eye twitched, not wanting to be mocked by his follies back when he was human. The more angry he got, the more he forgot to realize the slowly growing beat in his mind. When his anger was at a good level, the familiar music in his ears was as loud as his welcome party the other night, and noticed it as he yelled and got in a defensive stance, turnign his head frantically and darting his widened eyes as the haunting melody began to fade. Celestia could only chuckle as she got her point across "You see, Dr. Facilier, you should thank me...you are only halfway out of the mess you made with those mischievous devils." She placed a hoof on her chestplate "I've talked with your...'friends'...hearing about your little debt problem, and I've decided it was best to see if I should try my hoof into giving you a second chance in your life to see if you could change your ways." The doctor turned to Celestia, not believing what he had heard.

"How'd you know about my friends!?
Are you sayin' I gotta make amends?"

Celestia closed her eyes as she responded with a solemn tone "I'm afraid I cannot answer your first question, Doctor. However, as for your next question, yes..." She looked at him with a serious expression "You can be free from your debt with your 'friends'..." The Shadowcolt perked up at the thought of this, only to sink down upon hearing the terms of compliance "IF you change your ways completely, learning the Magic of Friendship in the process..." There she goes again with the term Frienship. His shadow was the only true friend he ever needed, turning to it with a smile as it gave a crooked smile back. Celestia looked a little angry "I'm serious, Dr. Facilier...you cannot rely on your shadow and dark magic alone if you wish to make a new life here...You already have the trust of the Elements of Harmony, and I would be most grateful if you would at least learn from them or treat them with respect..." She then smiled "I even know about how Fluttershy feels about you...You should count yourself lucky you have already made some friends upon arriving here in Equestria..." Dr. Facilier raised an eyebrow at her, deciding to poke at another issue.

"I jus' wanna ask, and don't take long...
Why's it that I hear that infernal song?"

Celestia nodded, enlightening the Shadowcolt's problem "Your friends know your weakness, and felt overjoyed to know it was breaking your mind with a song that YOU have made once you've witnessed the horrible taste of defeat as a human, and decided to use it as a mental sidearm to cripple your chances..." She closed her eyes, setting her head down as she continued "They made it to where if you were to portray your negative feelings at a powerful magnitude, that it would trigger that same song to ensnare your mind and regain control. If you wish to not want that song reaching your ears, you shall act different to what you have before in your previous life." Dr. Facilier's jaw dropped at the thought. 'She means to tell me that those guys could pull me back into that hell if I get out o' line!?' The fact that that same song he heard an incredible amount of times would be the gateway back to his torture could only make his heart sink. "Yes, this is a lot for you to take in...But know that you have friends who believe in you..." the doctor looked up at Celestia, who smiled at him, but then had a serious look in her eyes "I cannot be held responsible if you decide to act against the new-found will I've bestowed upon you...I expect you to change, Dr. Facilier, for the better of yourself and your new life...And with Fluttershy at your side, you're sure to do well for yourself. Can you do your best for the sake of Equestria?" The Shadowcolt looked up at Celestia with a serious look of his own. After a minute of silence, he could only bow, taking off his hat and revealing his whacky mane.

"I'll do what I can, you have my word...
But I have to say, this plan's absurd..."

Celestia looked insulted almost, but was happy to know that the doctor was willing to try and change for the better "Thank you, Dr. Facilier...You could learn a lot from your stay here, but remember..." She had a hardened gaze as the doctor looked up at her "While you're under the care of Fluttershy, remember that, no matter the distance between us, I'll know if you'll ever decide to cause major trouble for me and my subjects..." The doctor looked back, almost feeling challenged, but could not find a response as they locked eyes. Celestia then waved her hoof "You are dismissed, we'll be having a feast soon, and I know you'll want to try some quality food here..." Dr. Facilier continued looking, but his mind changed to the thought of the feast. Hopefully they would have some quality wine for him to drink, perhaps some prized chardonnay or merlot. He began trotting out of the throne room, but stopped when he heard Celestia once more "Oh, and Doctor?" He looked back at Celestia, who had a mocking expression in her eyes, showing a cute grin "That is a nice suit Rarity made for you...I hope you treat it as well as your friends." The doctor gave off a wry grin and a short, halfhearted chuckle as he turned and made his way out, groaning that he was under a greater authority than his friends, and had to try and not act like he normally would around ponies. He looked down, and chuckled as the door shut behind him 'She DID say try...she DIDN'T say I was forced to change...'. The two princesses went back and sat on their respective thrones, Celestia giving a crestfallen sigh. Luna turned to Celestia, looking concern "Sister...Do you think it was the right idea to convince the Shadow spirits to relieve themselves of one of their servants? This could prove to be as chaotic as Discord himself..." Celestia turned to Luna and smiled "It's worth a try to make a former villain change his ways...After all, we can only wait to see if he will actually stick to his deal. If things do not work in out favor, at least we know how to react towards a grave situation..." Luna stared, then nodded in approval to her older sister's statement "Very well, sister...I trust you." Celestia was happy to know that Luna kept calm about their little secret "I'm glad to hear it...Now let us prepare for the feast. We don't want to keep our guests waiting."

In the halls, Twilight was talking to Spike, lecturing him on why he shouldn't let jealousy get in the way of new friends. Spike could only cross his arms "Twilight, you seen how he acted around Rarity! I can't have that zebra stand in the way of my happiness!" Twilight kept a stern look at her assistant and younger brother "I'm aware of that, Spike! Dr. Facilier just has a tendency to flirt with other mares for fun is all, and you're acting foolish to hate him. Besides, I see him more with Fluttershy, when you look at the two..." Spike sighed "I guess you're right...But do you honestly think he's the right stallion for Fluttershy? I mean, he's kinda...creepy..." Twilight scorned her assistant "Now, Spike. I know that the doctor can be a little...strange...he even reminds me of that other Doctor we have in Ponyville, only more sociable and knowledgeable, but that doesn't give you the right to just judge him out of turn by his appearance!" Spike held out his claws in a halting motion "Alright, alright, I get it. I already know you learned that the hard way..." He looked to the doors to the throne room "He's really taking a long time in there...Wonder what they're talking about?" The other mares were just as curious, about to break out into a debatable set of topics, until the doors opened to reveal a calm-looking Dr. Facilier, trotting up to his friends, who began bombarding him with questions.

"Dr. Facilier, what did Celestia talk to you about?"

"Did she talk about your mane? Or why your teeth are gapped? Not that it's a proble-"

"Did she want ya to read her future?"

"W-Was she angry with you?? I hope not..."

"Did she compare you to Twilight? Hehehe..."

"Did she like the suit!?"

So many questions, and he didn't want to answer any of them but one:

"Yeah, she liked the suit alright.
That princess o' yours seems really bright."

Pinkie giggled "Well, of course she's bright, silly! Just look at her mane! Also, she controls the sun, so when you look at her, the bright has been doubled!" Dr. Facilier craned his neck back at Pinkie, taking some steps back from her as he turned to the rest of the group.

"While my little chat was fun, at least.
Should we move on over to the feast?"

Twilight perked up at the thought "Oh yeah, that's right! She promised us a feast! But isn't one of the guards supposed to-" Somepony cleared her throat, and one of the guards stood, thinking he had been ignored for the longest time. Twilight chuckled in embarrassment, then turned to her group of friends "C'mon, everypony. I hope you all have a large appetite!" Everyone followed the guard stationed to guide them to the dining room, but Dr. Facilier trailed far behind, grimacing at the new situation he was met with as his shadow shared his despair on the wall, making one of its hands turn into a noose and acted like it hung itself. The Shadowcolt sighed at the gesture 'I really am gettin' leashed by a buncha talkin' ponies, huh?' He heard Fluttershy trot over to his side, wanting to walk with him and keep him company. The doctor looked at her as she smiled at him, and slowly returned the smile as he trotted alongside the timid mare. 'Well...it's better than what I dealt with before, huh?'

Chapter 11

In the Everfree Forest, Applebloom and her friends were walking on a straight trail that lead to the same hut Dr. Facilier found in his travels. When she came to the doorstep and knocked, the same zebra mare answered, looking down and smiling at the group of children.

"So nice to see you fillies at my door.
For what reason did you come here for?"

Applebloom smiled back at the zebra "Howdy, Zecora! Me an' mah friends jus' wanted to visit ya while our sisters were away in Canterlot. Can we watch ya brew some more potions an' stuff? Maybe we could try our hoof at getting a potion cutie mark again!" Zecora took a step back and winced at the memory of the small group's first attempt at making potions, remembering the large mess that she had to clean up that day, and could only decline to their request to help her in her work.

"I'm afraid I cannot oblige your actions,
But I do not mind you watching me make potions."

This caused the group of fillies to let out a synchronized 'Awwwww~' in disappointment, but came in anyway, happy to know they could at least observe Zecora's methods and take some mental notes so they would not screw up again. She led them to wooden stools as she went around her hut, collecting several ingredients for her current brew: A better version of the cure for Cutie Pox. When she took a flask in her mouth, she began pouring liquid, hearing the fillies talk. Applebloom turned to her friends "Ah wonder what the princess thinks of that stallion that was with Fluttershy...He seems like a nice person! What do you think, Scootaloo?" The orange filly named Scootaloo responded with a thought of her own "Maybe she likes his cool hat! I wish I had one like that. Hey, Sweetie Belle! Do you think your sister could make a hat like that zebracorn that visited Ponyville?" This caused Zecora to silently gasp with widened eyes as she stopped pouring the liquid, focusing her attention to the conversation as the filly named Sweetie Belle thought about what her friends said "I think she could do that. I heard she made a nice suit for him, too! But why would you want a hat like that? Don't you think it seems a bit scary almost with that skull on it?" Scootaloo scoffed at the response "It's SUPPOSED to look scary! That's what makes it cool! And Rainbow Dash likes that hat, too, so that's another good reason why I should get a hat like that!" Sweetie Belle smiled as she spoke her mind "I just wanna dance like him! He has such nice dancing moves when he was at the party. Or maybe I should learn his magic!" This caused Zecora to join the conversation with an expression that gave off stern warning.

"The zebracorn you saw is no saint.
For your own safety, you must show restraint."

Applebloom turned to Zecora "Huh? Why do ya say that, Zecora? He's a zebra like you, right? The stallion's already friends with mine and Sweetie Belle's sisters, and even Rainbow Dash likes him! Is he really that bad of a pony?" Scootaloo added "If that isn't enough, the guy's already got Fluttershy at his side like they're coltfriend and marefriend, and Fluttershy's the kindest pony we all know! He really hasn't done anything wrong since he came into Ponyville." Zecora shook her head at the three, and tried warning them again.

"Heed my warning, all of you,
To think kind of that stallion isn't what you should do.
His soul reeks of hidden evil...
He should not even be inside Ponyville!"

Sweetie Belle tilted her head at Zecora's warning "Are you sure about what your saying, Zecora? Have you even met him before? He really isn't all that bad when he was at Pinkie Pie's welcome party! Well...except for that one part of the night..." she looked down in thought, with Scootaloo raising an eyebrow at the memory "Yeah, that part was crazy. Pinkie pulls out this ONE song none of us even know, and then the guy just screams as if he saw an Ursa Minor, and ran out of Sugarcube corner. That's probably the only thing I DON'T like about him..." Zecora rubbed her chin at the thought, curious to exactly what song they were referring to, but was interrupted as Applebloom focused her attention to her "Zecora, weren't you the same pony that said that you shouldn't judge anypony else by appearance? Ah'm pretty sure Dr. Fa-cee-lee-ae ain't all that bad..." Zecora sighed, impressed with her small group of friends poking a small hole in her logic. But she spoke the truth about Dr. Facilier, and wants her friends to be out of harm's way, moreso the Shadowcolt's way. She looked down at her friends with a concerned expression, her eyes asking for understanding.

"My little friends, you must hear my plee.
Do this simple task for me...
Just stay out of that stallion's way,
So you will not hear what he has to say.
He'll use his words like Rainbow uses her wings,
Filling your heads with awful things..."

She hoped that her warning could go through to the three little fillies, but only made Scootaloo beam at the comparison involving Rainbow "So he's like Rainbow Dash with his words? I gotta go find him now! C'mon you guys!" She hopped from her stool and galloped out of Zecora's hut, Sweetie Belle following suit "Scootaloo! Wait for me!" There was only Applebloom and Zecora in the hut now, the little filly looking up at Zecora with one last question "Zecora...Are ya completely sure about that zebracorn? Y'all are the wisest friend Ah've met, and Ah don't wanna doubt ya, but I jus' don't see any evil in Dr. Fa-cee-lee-ae's face...except fer his hat, but Ah'll bet he made it himself." Zecora smiled at Applebloom, happy to know that she would be willing to heed her warning and decided to give her some parting words, knowing she was wanting to leave with her friends.

"I will not stop you if you think otherwise,
But I ask you to not see with just your eyes...
Go now, with your friends, so you can have fun and play.
Thank you for stopping by today."

Applebloom looked down at the floor, pondering Zecora's first statement hard, then looked up at Zecora with a determined face and nodded "Y'all can count on me, Zecora! Ah'll learn not to see with jus' mah eyes!" Scootaloo could be heard outside of the hut "C'mon, Applebloom! We gotta go find that doctor guy!" Applebloom turned to the door, then turned to Zecora and gave her a small goodbye hug and then raced outside with her friends. When she heard the three fillies leave, Zecora could only sigh in worry as she went back to brewing her antidote, but counted herself lucky knowing that at least Applebloom listened to her words.

When they reached Ponyville, the three fillies were wondering on how they should approach Dr. Facilier when he came back with the others. Applebloom was the only silent one, looking down with a serious expression as she was lost in thought. Meanwhile, Scootaloo could only grin about wanting to talk to the Shadowcolt, and wondered if he would help her get Rainbow Dash to hang out with her more. Sweetie Belle wondered if he would read her and her friends' futures that involved their cutie marks, turning to see if Applebloom had the same thought, only to see her look as if she were grounded by Applejack. Sweetie Belle, concerned by this sight, decided to give Applebloom a nudge to snap her out of her thought "Applebloom, you don't actually think what Zecora's saying is true, are you? I'm pretty sure she's got the wrong idea about the doctor." Applebloom turned to Sweetie Belle, answering her question with another question "But doncha think he appeared too nice when we first met him?" She rubbed her chin "She said that he had a way with words...Maybe he's tryin' to appear nice while actin' all evil on the inside..." Scootaloo looked behind at Applebloom "You think too much, Applebloom! Maybe if we talk to him more, he might just be a different guy!" Sweetie Belle nodded "Yeah, and besides, shouldn't we be crusading right now?" Applebloom perked up at Sweetie Belle's thought, remembering her true objective.

What the three fillies had in common was that each of their flanks did not have cutie marks, and it gave them a lot of trouble from others in their school, but when they became friends, they started a group that they dubbed the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders', following whatever plan they have in mind to find what they're good at in life. Sadly, every effort so far has been for naught, but they still persist with their spirit. Applebloom smiled after hearing Sweetie Belle "Maybe yer right, Sweetie Belle! I can think about it later. Besides, Ah heard that Davenport's havin' trouble at his shop again. Maybe we can help him!" The three fillies as they all shouted in unison:

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER QUILL RETRIEVERS! YAY~!"

They breezed over to Davenport's shop and went on another misadventure. Applebloom's mind was still nagging at the thought about Dr. Facilier, but even she knew it had to wait if an opportunity for finding a cutie mark was presented in front of her.

Chapter 12

It was the afternoon, as the train finally came to a stop at Ponyville Train Station after a day of travel, and everypony on board was exiting the doors once they have opened. The group got off the train, happy to have touched ground on their beloved home, ready to get back to their regular lives again.

Rainbow Dash was the first to depart from the group "See ya around, everypony! There's a cloud over there with my name on it!" She zipped away, ready to take another one of her scheduled naps. She can be a hard sleeper when not on weather pony duty. Rarity and Applejack looked at each other and remembered their sisters, turning to the others "Well, me an' Rarity are gonna head on over to the elementary school and pick up our little sisters. Ah just hope none o' them did anythin' drastic while we were gone..." Rarity was worried at the last statement "Deary me, I just hope Sweetie Belle hasn't done too much damage to anypony's property! Those three fillies are as ambitious as they are reckless. Well, no sense in talking about it here...Ta-ta, friends!" She waved as she trotted off with Applejack. Pinkie was hopping along with the remaining folks and then went on ahead "I better get back to helping the Cakes with Pumpkin and Pound! I wonder how many bags of flour they used to calm them down!" She giggled at the thought as she hopped away from her friends "See ya later~!" Dr. Facilier sighed in relief while holding his borrowed book, knowing that Pinkie was gone. She was beyond annoying during the trip to Canterlot and back, and considered it a blessing that she was at least out of his sight 'She's more nutty than a fruitcake...' The shadow shook and cringed in disgust when Pinkie left, sharing its master's thoughts about how much he detested her. Twilight turned to the rest, giggling "Well, there isn't much to say for me on my end. Goodbye, you two! And Doctor? Make sure that book is in good condition when you return it to the library. I'm looking forward to your next visit!" She said with glee as she trotted off with Spike on his back, who gave a wave himself, though not saying a word. He was much better around Dr. Facilier, knowing that he took his jealousy too far and that the Shadowcolt didn't have any real feelings for Rarity. This left the socially awkward duo (or trio if you count the doctor's shadow) standing on the station's boarded floor, and then they, too, made their way back to Fluttershy's cottage. They walked through Ponyville, Dr. Facilier still levitating the book with him as the two passed more citizens while his shadow looked around for any possible opportunity of mischief. Fluttershy should remember to let the doctor borrow her saddlebag if he ever decided to go book hunting again, but then decided to break the ice with some conversation to see if he was in a better mood than his time in Canterlot "Dr. Facilier...Did you enjoy the food that Princess Celestia served? I'll bet you were happy about having such amazing dishes." She smiled, but then frowned when she saw the grimace on the Shadowcolt's face. He remembered those amazing dishes alright...one of them being hurled at his face when Pinkie decided to start a short-lived food fight. Rarity was just as pissed off as he was when she noticed the food seep onto his suit, but was happy to know that Celestia's servants cleaned it up. The doctor turned to Fluttershy, and decided to speak his mind.

"That Pinkie Pie's a crazy mare...
She just does crazy things without a care!"

Fluttershy looked away, feeling ashamed that Pinkie could get on Dr. Facilier's bad side so easily, but then perked up as she thought of another topic "Well...h-how about when the princess introduced her nephew to you? Did you enjoy that?" The expression on the doctor's face only worsened at the memory of dealing with one of the most snobbiest ponies he ever met in Canterlot. Prince Blueblood, supposedly a prince who was as kindhearted as he was handsome, turned out to be another addition to the lists of ponies he wanted to make suffer under his power, just under Zecora. He had to deal with his arrogant douchebaggery for so long, and even had to endure that lout's 'mistake' of considering the doctor a foreign servant, but was lucky to have his shadow work its power and make the prince look bad at the table. Once again, he spoke his mind.

"I can see why Rarity despises that one.
But at least, at dinner, we had some fun..."

The doctor gave Fluttershy a forced smile, wanting to at least make it seemed like he actually enjoyed the small conversation, and was pleased to know that the timid mare bought it and returned it with one of her own "I'm glad you enjoyed your time in Canterlot, Dr. Facilier...Maybe we should take you to Appleloosa next...Or maybe Cloudsdale!" She added the last part with more vigor, wondering if the doctor would enjoy the feeling of walking on a cloud. The Shadowcolt could only raise an eyebrow at Fluttershy's brightened mood, but then looked in front of him, and widened his eyes to see a familiar face trotting his way.

Zecora, with saddlebags strapped to her back, was walking in Ponyville to deliver a medicine to a pony that called for her services, and stopped with a gasp to notice Fluttershy walking with Dr. Facilier, who noticed she was coming as well. It was too good to be true, seeing the Element of Kindess herself be walking with an unconscionable monster, and wanted to know she meant business, but couldn't find the heart to glare at the Shadowcolt in front of her timid friend, not wanting to hurt her feelings or make her think that Zecora was in the wrong. She took a deep breath as she held back her anger towards Dr. Facilier and kept a straight face, even giving off a small smile as she approached the two, and greeted Fluttershy.

"Hello, Fluttershy, it's such a thrill
To see you here in Ponyville..."

Fluttershy smiled "Hello, Zecora. It's good to see you, too..." She looked at her saddlebags "Umm, are you delivering medicine again? Who could it be this time? I really hope it wasn't an animal. Oh, I would be so devastated!" Zecora chuckled as she reassured her friend with her real reason.

"I'm on my way to deliver a potion
To help with a pony's lack of notion.
The poor colt in need has lost his joy,
And this potion shall make him a happy boy!"

Dr. Facilier was not amused to know that she made a potion that could alter somepony's feelings. That was kid's stuff where he came from. And when he noticed the faint sense of anger and despise she was giving off at the Shadowcolt, he sneered a little, but not before Fluttershy turned to the doctor and spoke to him "Dr. Facilier, you do know Zecora, don't you? I'll bet you two were good friends!" She said with a beaming smile to see two zebras together. Sadly, she was oblivious to the equal amount of anger and despise that the Shadowcolt was giving off towards Zecora. The doctor kept his purple eyes on Zecora and forced a smile as he spoke.

"Hey there, girl, how y'all doin'?
That's a nice potion ya got brewin'..."

Zecora herself gave a forced smile as she replied to the doctor's words.

"You are too kind, though I should say,
That you are trying your luck today..."

The doctor didn't falter, and would not lose twice to this one. He tossed another verse to counter her own.

"Who's tryin', sweetheart? I'm jus' doin' my best.
With the words your throwin', clearly you jest."

Zecora was unmoved as she replied, the next verse bound to make a good jab at the Shadowcolt.

"With your words, you're lucky to have such a friend
Like Fluttershy to help you play and pretend..."

Dr. Facilier twitched an eye as he kept his forced smile when he heard Zecora almost expose him, and decided he should try a good jab of his own.

"I'm about as true as the big blue sky,
You should probably go help the poor little guy.
I don't wanna be responsible for his pool o' tears,
When YOU'RE the one with the potion here..."

While she did have a duty to perform, the little colt seeking medicine wasn't going anywhere, and Zecora will not lose a battle that the doctor had started.

"I carry out my duties with a loyal heart.
I'll bet you'd think the same, with a different part."

The shadow under the doctor wanted to push Zecora's shadow and make her fall, but the doctor looked down and shook his head at his friend, while making it look like he shook his head to Zecora. He thought of another tactic, and this one proved risky.

"I got my duty and it makes me mellow..."

He placed a hoof on Fluttershy's back, making her squeak in surprise.

And it happens to be the color yellow..."

Fluttershy blushed, wondering if he was trying to say he wanted to start a relationship with her 'It would be good...b-but...i-it's too soon! We've only just met a couple of days ago. Although...he HAS been staying with me at my house...and he IS charming with the suit Rarity made for him...No, I can't think like that....M-Maybe I'll ask him later on tonight...' She was looking away as she tried hiding her face, while Zecora raised an eyebrow with a smile and tried speaking more.

"You say yellow, but you should take it back...
It's obvious you like the color black..."

Fluttershy turned to the doctor "Is it true, doctor? I figured you would like purple better, given the suit you're wearing..." The doctor ignored Fluttershy and forgot his hoof on her back as he responded to Zecora.

"Oh, you playful zebra mare!
Assumin' my likes without a care!
You act like you know everythin' about me!
You're obviously mistaken, it's plain to see."

He had activating Zecora's trap card as she looked smug.

"So you say, and isn't that true...
Does Fluttershy know everything about you?"

The doctor flinched and almost let his smile falter after that line, and turned to see Fluttershy, who agreed to Zecora's words "You haven't really told me and my friends where you came from, Dr. Facilier...Could you tell me what you did before meeting us? I-If that's okay with you..." She looked down, and shifted her eyes up to him "You said there was nothing wrong with a freebie...right?" He let his hoof drop from Fluttershy's back and did not notice he dropped the book he was levitating, knowing that he was trapped now, and he began to sweat, not coming up with any acceptable lies to defend himself. The Shadowcolt began shifting his eyes, catching glimpses of Fluttershy looking curious and confused, Zecora looking smug, and a mare passing by with oranges. Oranges! He wouldn't let this opportunity slip. He turned his eyes to the shadow, and then at the pony with oranges in his saddlebags, silently commanding his partner in crime to do his stuff. The shadow stealthfully swooped over and plucked the mare's shadow, and managed to lift an orange without her looking. The shady fiend then rolled it over in between his master and Zecora, the two locking eyes on the fruit in front of them. He was ready to hit her where it hurts.

"Jus' so something isn't amiss...

He pointed a hoof at the convenient fruit

Mind tellin' me exactly what this is?"

Zecora tilted her head at the doctor's question, and decided to answer it for him since he felt it best to keep their little verbal reverie going.

"Well obviously, it is a succulent orange
That rolled here from-

She caught herself with widened eyes, and finally caught onto the doctor's sneaky trick as he tilted his head and smiled widely with a smug expression of his own. The Achilles' Heel of verse was right in front of her the whole time, and she could only remain silent as she felt like a fool in front of the couple. Fluttershy looked worried "Oh my...Zecora, is there something wrong?" Dr. Facilier donned a look of mock concern.

"Apparantly she remembers her important task.
She's gotta go give the colt his flask.
That boy is probably makin' a fuss!
You should hurry, Zecora! Don't dawdle with us!"

Well played...She closed her eyes in defeat, and could only feel more rage at the doctor for his dirty trick. But he was right, she had medicine to deliver, and she shouldn't keep the colt and his family waiting. She looks up at the couple and decided to give her parting words with a bow.

"Yes, I must go, that much is certain.
But you two should know, we shall meet again..."

Zecora passed the Shadowcolt on the opposite side of Fluttershy, glaring daggers at him while the timid mare wasn't looking. Dr. Facilier kept his smug expression as he saw her leave further into town, but when out of view, he wiped the sweat off his brow with a hoof, giving a sigh of relief 'That was close...that girl almost had me there...' He turned to Fluttershy, who was still curious, and decided to put his silver tongue to work and throw her off the current matter.

"Let's go home, deary, we've waited too long.
We got animals to feed, we should move along."

Fluttershy gasped with a shocked expression "Oh my goodness, you're right! My animals need attention, and poor Angel bunny could be upset!" She galloped to her cottage at a speed similar to Rainbow Dash. He watched her leave, then looked down at his shadow, who gave off a silent sigh. The Shadowcolt smiled and spoke to his friend.

"Yeah, I know...Women, right?
I jus' hope she don't ask that same question tonight..."

He trotted to Fluttershy's cottage at a nonchalant pace, wondering if he would actually get roped into helping her feed the animals.

Chapter 13

After remembering to pick up the book he forgot back on the way to Fluttershy's, he made his way inside to see the same mare zooming left and right and taking care of her animal friends. When she stopped, Fluttershy turned to see her guest walk through the door "Oh, Dr. Faciler, thank goodness you're here! Can you help me feed the animals? I have my hooves tied, and Angel bunny doesn't seem too happy with me right now..." She turned to see the rabbit cross his paws and glare at Dr. Facilier, his eyes slowly narrowing. This was going to be an endeavor for the Shadowcolt, and he needed to take off his clothes ever since he dealt with that verbal fight between him and Zecora. He levitated his suit and hat off of his body, neatly folding the suit and setting it on the couch with the hat sitting on top of it and his borrowed book next to his outfit. The doctor then turned to Fluttershy with a smile on his face, ready to help her with her chores.

"I'm on it, girl, don't you worry.
These animals don't seem the type to scurry..."

He said as he picked up a sack and took a step forward to the nearest bird cage, and as if on reflex, the birds squawked loudly and frantically flapped to the opposite end of the cage, staring at Dr. Facilier with weary eyes. This only made things harder for the doctor 'I should choose my words more carefully...' Fluttershy gave Dr. Facilier a small nuzzle "I appreciate the help, Dr. Facilier. I just KNOW these animals will enjoy your company since you've been with me long enough!" He took a look around and thought otherwise when he saw every single animal in the house glare daggers at him. This was going to be tough. Fluttershy opened the front door to her home "I should hurry and take care of the animals outside. Good luck!" She said as she stormed out with her animals' food. The Shadowcolt looked around, and took a deep breath as he trotted up to a family of squirrels, scooping up some acorns from one of the sacks with his magic and levitating it to them. The squirrels quickly took the acorns and scurried a good distance away from the doctor as they ate with watchful eyes. The doctor grinned at this, thinking this might be easier than he thought, and moved onto the next set of animals with growing confidence.

After taking care of giving each animal in the house their own set of food, he sighed as he went to go back and put on his suit, only to have Fluttershy come back inside, causing him to jump and turn to her in surprise "O-Oh! I'm sorry to startle you, Dr. Facilier...it was just, I forgot to get some worms for the bir-" She looked around to see every animal satisfied with their meals, although still more than hostile around the Shadowcolt's very appearance, and smiled when she gave the doctor a hug "Oh, I knew you could do it! Maybe you can help me outside as well!" The doctor awkwardly looked around while Fluttershy hugged him, then looked down, as she looked up and quickly jumped back, looking away "I-I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable..." Dr. Facilier chuckled and patted Fluttershy on her back, cheering her up with a smile.

"You didn't do nothin' but forget the food.
Now let's get those critters in a better mood..."

Fluttershy smiled up at the doctor as the two began collecting more food for the outdoor animals, preparing for the next task. When outside, the doctor was ready to feed, but not before Fluttershy gave him a heads-up "Now, Dr. Facilier, I know how you enjoy using magic, but I would feel so much better to see you feed the animals using only your hooves. It makes for good bonding and trust forging!" Fluttershy beamed at the doctor with her last sentence, confident in his abilities, whereas the Shadowcolt wanted to abuse his powers more. But he can't upset this one and cause a ruckus, and nodded to her request as he got started. He walked up to a group of bunnies, and then took a carrot in his hoof, extending it to them. He saw one of them hop forward and sniff at it, making him smile to see that this could be easy 'Maybe I should feed animals mor-' CHOMP! The doctor's eyes widened as he looked down and saw the rabbit that sniffed the carrot bite down hard on the hoof that held it, causing him to yell in pain. Fluttershy quickly turned to the doctor's direction after feeding some beavers and galloped to see what happened. Dr. Facilier was hissing in pain as he rubbed his bitten hoof, while the rabbit that bit him was innocently nibbling on a carrot "Did something happened? Is everything alright?" The doctor turned to Fluttershy and gave a forced smile.

"Jus' a little mishap, no biggy at all.
All I did was slip an' fall..."

It was good to know he can lie to Fluttershy without Applejack around, but didn't expect Fluttershy to speed over and take his injured hoof "Oh, you poor dear! We should probably get this patched up!" There was nothing major about his injured hoof other than a small trickle of blood from the rabbit's bite. The doctor rolled his eyes in disregard to Fluttershy's care, thinking she's worrying too much as he drew back his hoof and reassured her with a smile.

"Don' worry, Flutters, I'll be jus' fine.
I should go back and make sure that these critters can dine."

Fluttershy, still worried about Dr. Facilier's minor injury, decided to let him go, since he felt it best to carry out Fluttershy's duty "Well...I-If you say so, Dr. Facilier...I won't stop you if you really want to help me that much." He picked up more food and went back to work, hoping the same thing wouldn't happen twice.

...And he could never be more wrong...

For every animal he went to, there was a pained scream, trailing with Fluttershy wondering why he screamed, and another white lie so he could continue. He was beginning to consider himself an idiot for letting the process repeat itself, because he was to the point where he knew that every animal in Fluttershy's stead hated his very guts. He took bites from rabbits and chipmunks, needles from porcupines, merciless pecking from birds, rammings from goats, and he almost got his flank served to him on a platter after dealing with a bear, were Fluttershy not to intervene with her surprising method of massaging it.

When the work was done, the sun began to set as the two sat inside of the house. Fluttershy smiled, though looked worried as she turned to her guest "W-Well...although, there were a good amount of mistakes on your part...you did a very good job, Dr. Facilier. Every animal has been accounted for and fed properly, and Angel bunny is so much happier now!" She beamed at her friend "I cannot thank you enough for your help today!" While she was happy, the poor stallion was quietly grumbling as he laid on the couch with bandages all over his body, sporting a black eye and a neck cast. While she didn't see Angel and one of his rabbit friends give each other a paw bump with sly expressions on their faces, Fluttershy looked sad to see him in such a condition, but decided to try and cheer him up "How about a bath? I could get it started for you, and maybe it's all you need to help you relax and heal those cuts..." She smiled, and the doctor shrugged his shoulder, though both twitched in small bits of pain.

"While I've endure enough of this day's wrath,
I guess it's good to take a bath..."

Fluttershy smiled as she trotted to her bathroom "I'll let you know when it's ready, you just stay put. Please don't hurt yourself. I would feel so bad if you ever fell off of the couch and made more injuries!" After the bath was prepared, Fluttershy helped him into the bath and left to give him time alone. She looked back at the animals, each one sound asleep with a smile on their faces. She was happy to know that they were all happy to be fed again, but something told her that they were happy about something else. When time passed, Fluttershy noticed Dr. Facilier stumbling into the living room, and weakly made his way to the couch and laying on it, his eyes ready to drop.

"I guess that little bath was all I needed...
Looks like your method has once more succeeded..."

With a small yawn, he slowly drifted into sleep, though twitched in pain with his small wounds. Fluttershy watched, and then smiled as she pulled out a quilt she made one day, gently covering the doctor's body with it as he snored a little. She watched him sleep and was moved to see him slumber so peacefully while having to deal with so many injuries, wondering if he ever dealt with this kind of pain where he came from. Knowing that she, too, needed to go to bed, she gave Dr. Facilier one last look before retiring, but not before she gave him a small peck on his forehead and trotted upstairs to her room.

Meanwhile, at Zecora's hut, the troubled zebra mare couldn't sleep, worried to how Dr. Facilier might cause more problems if he ever gained the trust of every resident in Ponyville. She could just kick herself for not noticing how sneaky the Shadowcolt could be when they exchanged words of hidden spite. She paced back and forth in thought, wondering how she would at least cripple his motives and make sure he doesn't make her friends suffer, especially Fluttershy. She even took the time to meditate by balancing herself upside down on a tall bamboo stick, centering herself to focus on a good solution.

"That stallion shouldn't have that kind of power...
It is growing more, and by the hour...
There has to be a certain way
To place his goals in disarray..."

She meditated, but then opened her eyes in realization as she hopped down and landed on all fours. She looked outside and noticed a patch of blue flowers that were a good distance away from her hut, and slowly began to smile as she found the perfect plan to make sure Dr. Facilier doesn't do things entirely his way. All she had to do was prepare for tomorrow as she went back to her room and thought long and hard on her bed.

Chapter 14

The next day, Dr. Facilier made a trip to the library and back with more books to take in. He decided to borrow some medical books and plant books since he felt like he should be making potions and the like again. The Shadowcolt hated to admit it, but even though he hated the very sight of Zecora, she reminded him that he should get back on his feet and put the 'Doctor' part of his name to use. He was halfway through a plant book, and before he moved to the next page, he saw Fluttershy walking out towards the door "Dr. Facilier, I'm going to go out and spend time with Rarity at the spa. Can I trust you to keep the house in order while I'm gone?" The doctor looked up at Fluttershy, then around at the animals who wanted him to leave right now. He wanted to decline this very request, but he clearly had no choice in the matter, not wanting to deal with Fluttershy acting either completely paranoid or completely pissed. The Shadowcolt shuddered at the thought of a pissed off Fluttershy, then looked up at the timid mare.

"You can count on me, I'll hold the fort.
This'll be a task of an easy sort.

Fluttershy smiled and opened the front door "Oh, thank you, Dr. Facilier. You really are a good help to me when I need you most..." She looked away "M-Maybe we can talk later on tonight...If you want to, that is..." She blushed a little, but then perked up as she parted from her home "See you later!" She said as he trotted off. Dr. Facilier's shadow only stuck a tongue out at the timid mare as she left, making its master chuckle as he went back to reading his book. His reading was interrupted by a carrot being chucked at his forehead, making him look up to see a cross Angel bunny performing an 'I'm watching you' gesture with his paw. He scoffed at the warning and could only glare back at him before going back into his plant book, getting fed up with dealing with an animal that had more brains than Fluttershy 'I already have enough crap to deal with thanks to that Zecora bitch...' While he read and thought, there was a knock on the door that interrupted his reading again. He got up and answered the door by moving it with his magic, and lo and behold, the same zebra mare he thought about was standing on the other side of the door with a boquet of flowers and a look of kindness on her face 'Speak of the devil...' Dr. Facilier raised an eyebrow as he looked upon her with anger and curiousity.

"The hell you want? Can't ya see I'm busy?
You here to get me in another tizzy?"

Zecora didn't seem to respond to the harsh questions with a grimace, as she still donned the same look of kindess as she offered the flowers to the Shadowcolt, who took them reluctantly. The flowers were blue like Rainbow Dash, and seemed elegant enough to be presented in a boquet. Zecora was smiling after offering the flowers and spoke in a term alien to the feelings she held for him before.

"I wanted to stop by and apologize
For judging you solely with my eyes..."

Dr. Facilier tilted his head in confusion, thinking she was up to something when she spoke so sweetly. Was there something in the boquet of flowers? A snake perhaps? No, then he would've heard hissing the moment he had it near him. Zecora continued speaking to get his attention and tried to make small chitchat.

"Those flowers you have are a gesture of peace,
and you should catch a good scent before they decease.
Your muzzle should touch the petals blue,
So it could dictate a truce between me and you..."

The Shadowcolt rubbed his chin, wondering what Zecora's game was, but was impressed with how she tried to patch up their petty arguments with a simple boquet of flowers. Normally, he would shove the boquet in her mouth and slam the door on her face and go back to reading, but Fluttershy's company began to rub off on him as he smiled and replied to Zecora's words.

"Maybe we both got a little on edge.
I'll consider our war water under the bridge."

Zecora beamed at his statement and turned to trot back to her hut.

"It's good to know we could talk well like this!
Enjoy the rest of your day in bliss!"

He took the flowers and shut the door, trotting back over to the couch and taking a good look at the flowers. He went to go sniff, but heard several sounds as Fluttershy's animal friends stared at the boquet in fright, looking at them all in confusion. Was there something intimidating about this flower? Whatever it was, he had half a mind to exploit it and threaten the animals with it, but he just wanted to get the whole peace gesture out of the way 'Better late than never if I wanna deal with that girl on a better level...'. He buried his muzzle into the boquet and took a deep whiff, paying attention to Zecora's words and then coughed when he inhaled too hard 'Them flowers are strong! Wonder if it's some kind o' drug or aphrodisiac...' Why that last part came into his mind, he'll never know, but he decided to go outside real fast to toss the boquet in the forest after smelling the flowers. There was no point in keeping them, especially when Zecora said that they were bound to wither away. He was trotting back, and the thought dawned on him: He knew that Zecora hated him and vice versa, and thanks to being around Fluttershy, he grew soft and weak. And that boquet of flowers seemed awfully suspicious. He could only groan as he trotted back over to the couch, but then suddenly tripped and fell without warning. The shadow jumped in surprise and worry as it swooped over and lifted up his master, who groaned in minor pain.

"What the hell jus' happened there?
Is this the doin' of that zebra mare?"

Before he could think further, his legs wobbled like tuning forks as he tripped and fell again. He felt like a newborn deer trying to stand on its legs after being born for a good time, and it was beginning to irritate him slowly. For every step he took to the couch, it ended with him tripping as if the living room floor were decorated with invisible banana peels or virgin olive oil. When he finally reached the couch, he reached the book with a hoof, and it began to wobble when touching the book and it jerked a bit, causing the book to slam shut. He snarled as he glared at his hooves.

"What kind o' sick joke is this!?
Whatever it is, it's makin' me pissed!!"

He began to hear the song, and gasped as he quickly tried thinking happy thoughts as the song continued playing. The fearful doctor was cradling himself in a fetal position with his shaky hooves as the song slowly receded out of earshot, then sighed in relief as he laid on the ground like a corpse. He groaned in defeat, but then remembered he could move things with his magic, as he levitated the book in front of him and began flipping pages to see if his theory involving Zecora was true.

...He was correct.

The page he saw presented the same flower that was given to him in a large picture diagram with the words 'Poison Joke' written over it. As he read through the page, he noticed the nasty and varying side effects of any physical exposure to said plant and was conflicted on whether to be mad as hell or scared as the animals when they saw the flower. That mare played a trick dirtier than his verbal onslaught the other day and felt like he was between a rock and a hard place, but stopped as he growled not in anger, but in frustration and renewed confidence.

"That mare ain't bestin' me today!
No one makes a foal outta Dr. Facilier!!"

He levitated the medical books and plant books to his sight as quick as a flash, opening every book simultaneously and looking for cures and possible ways to get back at Zecora and her trick. The doctor's shadow cringed at his flaring vigor, but showed a smile as it saw his master tackle both the cure and the ingredients needed. He felt lost as to where to begin and look for each one, so he began looking around the living room, and remembered that Fluttershy kept a medicine cabinet in her bathroom. He tried to get up again, only to fall down on his stomach, remembering his predicament. There was no other alternative but to crawl his way to the bathroom, though his hooves shook with each contact to the ground, making him grimace at his sudden misfortune.

When he finally reached the bathroom, he noticed that Fluttershy kept assorted medicines of many kinds, and couldn't be happier when he noticed a box that said 'In case of Poison Joke'. He crawled over with more effort, his shadow slowly following his master with a slowly crooked smile 'Almost there...Almost there...' He finally reached the box and carefully opened it with his shaky hooves, only to have his jaw drop at what was inside of it.

...Nothing...

The box was completely empty, devoid of his only chance at getting the cure back. Knowing Fluttershy, she would make sure that every medicine in her stock was accounted for, but here he sat holding a box without his ticket to being relieved of this curse. He darted his head all around the bathroom, until he heard a cough, turning to the door to see a certain smart rabbit hold a bottle in his paws, a taunting smile on his face. Dr. Facilier saw this, and slowly clenched his teeth at Fluttershy's pet and glared, but then quickly donned a kind and pleading grin on his face.

"Well ain't this a little coinkidink...
Ya'll mind tossin' me that there drink?"

Angel could only give him a 'How stupid are you?' look and began hopping off with Dr. Facilier's cure. He widened his eyes at this and growled, crawling after the furry bastard with his shaky hooves. It was like an old-fashioned cat and mouse chase, only more random and silly as every attempt the doctor gave at catching Angel was futile. He growled in frustration and yelled.

"Ya'll better give me that cure superb,
Or I'll kick your cotton ass to the curb!!"

Angel only stopped and turned back as he stuck out his tongue and blew as raspberry at the Shadowcolt and stayed out of grabbing distance when they were back in the living room. The birds in their cages chirped with laughter at how silly Dr. Facilier looked, and he felt like an idiot not realizing he had just the correct tool for reclaiming what he had lost. While Angel looked victorious in front of the doctor, he didn't realize that a certain shadow yoinked the cure bottle's shadow and caused the bottle to lift out of the surprised bunny's paws. The shady fiend swooped back over and plopped the bottle open and fed it to his master, as he slowly began to regain his leggings. When he finished, the doctor could only laugh in triumph sounding as evil as ever as Angel stared in disbelief. But he didn't have time to scurry off when he had a hoof coming down hard on his chest, holding him down and making him suffocate a little as the villainous zebracorn hovered over him with a sinister smile.

"Ya shoulda gave me that bottle right then...
Now ya'll jus' opened up the lion's den..."

He added the last part with dark anger, his smile turning into an ill-minded frown as he slowly pressed his hoof down on Angel, making him wriggle and writhe as he began to choke. When he was about to do the deed before the song in his head played, the front door opened to reveal Fluttershy walking in with a smile on her face "Dr. Facilier! I'm-" she stopped and looked at the scene in front of her, her eyes widened and her ears drooping "H-Home?" she squeaked the last part in fear and confusion. The Shadowcolt felt like he was about to get smacked up worse than his time feeding the animals, but quickly recovered as he removed his hoof off of Angel, who held his chest with a paw and caught his breath, and smiled as he prepared a good lie for Fluttershy.

"It's not what ya think, we were playin' is all!
We were up to the hero and his tragic fall!
He was coughing, but showed that he was still brave,
And could only glare at the villain before he entered his grave."

Angel, after regaining his breath, glared up at the doctor and hopped over to his side, kicking one of his hooves and scurried back into his little home. The two ponies watched this, and Dr. Facilier added to his lie with a grin.

"He was sore to remember how the play had turned out.
But that's what forgiveness is all about!"

He grinned as Fluttershy stared blankly at him, making him grin wider in hidden worry 'Oh, please jus' take the bait already!' Futtershy then looked stern "That was so wrong of you..." The doctor's grin quickly left when she heard her say this, but then she added "...that you decided to make Angel's hurt look so good." The doctor was dumbfounded at this, and notice the timid mare's expression grow better with a smile "But you both stopped at that horrible part, so I shouldn't worry too much...But you're right about another thing..." she trotted over to Angel's home, looking like a mother displeased with her child "Angel bunny..." She said in a firm and commanding tone "Come out here now!" She waited to see Angel hop out and pointed his paw at Dr. Facilier with a glare, trying to point out that the villainous zebracorn attempted to KILL him, but she only spoke once he showed himself "Don't you point at him like it was entirely his fault! You should know better than to act so sore about a simple play and kick the poor doctor!" The Shadowcolt thought it was a blessing for Fluttershy being so easy to manipulate with mere words as he continued witnessing her act assertive for the first time "Now you will march over and apologize to him this instant!" Angel was dumbstruck at the mare's naivete and only crossed his paws and looked away in protest. This only angered Fluttershy as she gave a warning "You have until the count of three, little bunny, or I'll use it..." The 'it' she was referring to piqued the Shadowcolt's interest as he and his partner awaited to see if the snarky rabbit would be rebellious enough to invoke her owner's wrath "One..." This made the two colts lean closer with curious eyes as Angel didn't move "Two..." The doctor's eyes were widening while the shadow felt the same way, wondering what exactly she would do. Angel was too stubborn to apologize to a murderer even if he did piss him off, and wouldn't mind dealing with punishment as an alternative. Fluttershy's eyes dropped for a moment, but then they shot back up as her eyes gave off a soul-piercing gaze, simply known as 'The Stare'. Angel turned to her owner, and squeaked as he was instantly drawn into the intensity of Fluttershy's eyes looking down at him. The Shadowcolt shuddered as he caught a faint glimpse of the angered pegasus' eyes at an angle, his shadow shivering profusely and dragging a hoof on its lower lip in fear 'DAMN that girl's scary! I gotta remember to stay on her good side...' Both him and his shadow looked at each other in worry, hoping that they wouldn't have to deal with that kind of power in their time with her. As Angel stood stupified, Fluttershy pointed a hoof to the Doctor as the phased rabbit hopped over and made a gesture of apology with his paws and a bow of his head, hopping back into his home like a zombie as Fluttershy ended 'The Stare'. She turned back to her guest "I'm sorry you had to see that, Dr. Facilier...Angel can be so stubborn sometimes...I hope you two learned something from this while I was away." She saw the doctor huddled in a corner, cringing in fear at the sight of Fluttershy's short-lived assertive nature, and he couldn't figure out why he could be so scared of a simple look in the eyes from a mare who feared even her own shadow.

"I-I-I learned alright! I'll be careful next time!
I'll make sure that our plays won't look like a crime!"

Fluttershy looked saddened that the doctor spoke to her like that, and probably thought that he had been subject to most of her stare. She trotted over and nuzzled the fear-induced Shadowcolt to try and cheer him up "I'm sorry...I can't really control what you just witnessed. It's my special stare I use when I'm unable to communicate with animals on the same level, and it helped me many times in the past. I hope you won't think different of me after dealing with that..." She looked sad, and she wasn't aware that the doctor was still a little paranoid of Fluttershy, yet he nuzzled back to show that he at least got over the event that nearly shattered his mind completely. Dr. Facilier got up and bowed to Fluttershy as a chivalrous gesture for good measure.

"I'll be sure to make you happy, Flutters...
You really are better than the others."

He meant that line only halfway, knowing he was happy to manipulate Fluttershy to his heart's content and still manage to appear as an everyday citizen to the other ponies, save for the princesses. He trotted back over to his books, unaware that Fluttershy stood frozen in place with rosy cheeks and eyes wide as dinner plates after what he had just said to her, and went back to his reading, preparing for the days that followed ahead of him. He had two thoughts on his mind, one he had to hold back hard enough for obvious reasons, and used it to fuel his passion in reading and mastering the books he had borrowed. He wanted to get a proper lay of the land for his first thought of accomplishing his goal as a potion-brewing magician, but also for what he has in store for Zecora and whatever pony decided to try and make a foal of him as he faintly thought of revenge. He read his books with determination, his shadow on the wall behind him slowly forming a wide and crooked smile as it could sniff the doctor's ambition 'Ya'll jus' messed with the wrong stallion, baby doll...It is ON!!!'

Meanwhile, at Carousel Boutique, Rarity was sipping tea with her little sister while she was on break, then felt a shiver down her spine as she set down her teacup, looking troubled. Sweetie Belle was curious about this "Sis? What's wrong?" Rarity looked down "I...I don't know...I felt like something was stolen from me! But what?" Sweetie Belle shook her head at how crazy her older sister sounded and sipped her own cup of tea.

Chapter 15

Another day flew by as Dr. Facilier completed his stack of books. Now he has enough medical and botanical knowledge to get himself a reserved spot at Ponyville Clinic. It was a thought, seeing as how it was sure to help him blend in and make some money for himself, but he missed fixing problems for others while at the same time making them worse. He closes his last medical book as he joined Fluttershy for a small breakfast consisting of oatmeal and juice in a box. While he was enjoying his warm meal, he looked over at Fluttershy and felt his heart twitch when he saw her sipping her juice box while holding it with her hooves 'Is this normal?'.

When he finished his meal, he went to go clean the dishes for Fluttershy, until he heard a knock on the door, the timid mare hopping from her seat and trotting to the front "Coming!" She called as she reached the front door and opened it to reveal Twilight Sparkle, who was happy to see Fluttershy "Hi, Fluttershy! Is Dr. Facilier home? I wanted to talk to him." Fluttershy nods to her question and responds "He's inside taking care of the dishes. Come on in, maybe we can talk over some tea...If you want to, I mean..." Twilight could only chuckle "Actually, knowing the doctor, he'll probably make a trip to the library after he's done. That's why I'm here, actually. I wanted to invite him over to my house if he was free, so I could possibly learn more about his life and his methods of magic. With how long he's been here and what he's been up to, he really has me curious about him." Fluttershy looked down "Oh...I see...W-Well, I'll ask him if he wants to. Wait right here, please." Twilight nodded and did what she was asked as Fluttershy trotted back into the kitchen to see the Shadowcolt using his magic to clean the dishes at a breakneck pace. When he was finished, he noticed the timid mare approach him, and wondered why he noticed Twilight at the door.

"Hey, Fluttershy, what's Twilight want?
She got more nifty books to flaunt?"

Fluttershy looked away, not happy with the doctor's assumption with more books getting in the way of their friendship, but looked back to him to explain the real reason "Um...Actually, Twilight wanted to know if you could come back with her to her library so you two could talk...D-Do you want to??" The Shadowcolt rubbed his chin, and felt it best to oblige to a cordial offer back to Twilight's library for a little chat. He was already finished with his newest pile of books and could use more tasty info to give himself a better look on Equestria and what it has to offer other than its plants and inhabitants. He looked at Fluttershy and nodded.

"Yeah, I'll go, I got nothin' better to do.
But I wanna hear an opinion from you..."

Fluttershy didn't expect Dr. Facilier to ask so much as her own opinion on the matter of him leaving her home again "W-Well, umm...Normally, I wouldn't stop you...You should do whatever makes you happy...A-And if you're happy, then so am I..." she looked up at the doctor with a smile, but on the inside, she wanted to say no. She really enjoyed Dr. Facilier's company, and felt compelled to ask him a certain question once the timing felt right. She saw the doctor nod in understanding, then began to trot his way out to the frotn door, levitating Fluttershy's saddlebags to his back and filling the bags with the books he borrowed. He approached Twilight with a grin on his face.

"How's it goin', my lavender girlie?
What say we head on to your home a bit early?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow with a smile "You trying too hard to impress me, Doc, but I'd be delighted. Let's go!" she said as the two began trotting to the library. Fluttershy watched them leave, and could only sigh at how she couldn't find the courage to ask him her question sooner. She turned to her furry companion Angel and ask him a question "Angel, do you think I'm thinking too hard on asking him early?" Angel could only facepaw and hop back into his home out of Fluttershy's sight, fed up with her naivete pertaining to Dr. Facilier and his villainous behavior. The timid mare drooped her ears and took a step back with a hoof up at this gesture 'Is he mad at me for using 'The Stare' yesterday?'.

The Shadowcolt and the lavender bookworm finally touched base at the library and went inside as the doctor returned his books in a proper fashion, making Twilight a happy mare at this action. She then called to her assistant "Spike! Can you get some tea ready for us? We have company!" Spike walked into the library from the kitchen, holding a tray consisting of a steaming teapot, some teacups, and a bowl of sugarcubes for sweetening said tea, while donning a smug expression "One step ahead of you!" He really enjoyed working hard for his de facto older sister, and takes pride in his skill when her pet owl Owliscious chooses not to step in. He sets the tea tray on a table and then goes back upstairs to enjoy some hard-earned 'Him time'. Twilight then motions for Dr. Facilier to take a seat as the two made themselves comfortable and began their pleasantries as Twilight levitated the teapot with her magic and poured some tea in both glasses "Dr. Facilier, let me be the first to say that I've never been more thrilled to have met another pony who shares the same love for books as I do. And a stallion, to boot! I could just thank you for reminding other ponies that you should take some time to actually give literature a chance and explore what it has to offer! Speaking of, I remembered you checking out some books on medicine and plants. Were you trying to refresh your memory, or perhaps search for new things to try?" The Shadowcolt, though not really in the mood for answering questions that could compromise his hidden visage, decided to humor Twilight by answering to the start of her little interview.

"Yeah, I was lookin' for somethin' new.
I really should be thankin' you."

Twilight giggled as she sipped her tea "Think nothing of it, Doctor. I'm only doing my job as a librarian! But I also wonder how you've come to enjoy Ponyville so far. Are you having a good time living with Fluttershy?" Dr. Facilier nodded, admitting that Fluttershy's company was more than bearable, although it began to make him a softy with how she projected her kindness at a frequent rate.

"It's all good with me an' her.
Though the days we've spent have been a blur."

Twilight tilted her head in a quizzical fashion as the Shadowcolt sipped his tea, and could tell he enjoyed it after giving the cup a surprised gaze. She wondered if he was actually good around Fluttershy with how he put his answer. The lavender mare decided to move on to another topic to see if she'll find out more stuff about him "Soooo, Dr. Facilier...What was life like before Ponyville??" Dr. Facilier almost spat out his tea, gulping it down hard as Twilight asked him that question. What exactly could he say to this one without giving away his past life of magical debauchery that went up in flames because of a certain animal? He looked down make it seem like he was lost in thought in terms on where to begin with the question, but was having trouble on how to make another lie. Didn't Twilight mention something about a country called Zebrica a few days back? Before he could try and derive his lie from that topic, there was a loud crash that could've been heard from inside the library, knocking down a few books in the process. At first, the Shadowcolt thought Spike made some kind of mistake, but then noticed that a window on the upper floor of the library was opened. He then heard Twilight groan in annoyance as she trotted over to the book pile "Every time...EVERY time..." She muttered in an irritated tone as she reached the pile and levitated some books with her magic, revealing a dazed Rainbow Dash snapping out of her dizziness and noticing Twilight staring at her with indignation. Rainbow Dash went to speak, but was interrupted by the lavender mare "Let me guess...new trick?" Dash chuckled in embarrassment while scratching the back of her head and averting her eyes from Twilight, only to notice Dr. Facilier sitting on a chair staring in confusion. She then got up and trotted over to him with a smile "Hey, Doc! How's it going? You and Twilight having a tea party or something?" Twilight turned to Rainbow and sighed "We were having a conversation until you barged into my library...AGAIN." Rainbow held her head down and folded her ears as she spoke the last part in a heavier tone, but then perked up to talk to the Shadowcolt some more "So how are you and Fluttershy doing? I never really thought about talking with you guys cuz you know how me and AJ are sometimes." She chuckled, leaving the doctor to grimace at the dirty images trying to cloud his mind "I'll bet she's jealous about you seeing Twilight more often!" this made Twilight blush in embarrassment to Rainbow's words "Rainbow Dash, cut it out already! We were only talking and nothing more than that!" Rainbow waved a hoof "Calm down, egghead! I know what you were doing." She then turned to Twilight "I heard this guy met Zecora a couple of days ago. It would be wierd to hear two zebras speaking in rhymes." She flinched and turned to Dr. Facilier "No offense..." The doctor waved a dismissive hoof.

"None taken, deary, you didn't hurt me at all...
But could you mind tellin' me where you sell your dolls?"

The mentioning of Zecora made the faint flicker of revenge course through his mind. He learned to keep it at as a distant thought so he wouldn't have to hear that awful song, and buried it with a successful load of curiousity. Little did he know that his answer came in the form of laughing from the prismatic pegasus, replying to the bemused Shadowcolt after her fit of laughter "Aren't you a little too OLD to be playing with dolls, Doc? I mean, what could you possibly want with one!?" She fell on her back and continued laughing, unaware that Dr. Facilier was glaring at her and trying to hold back his anger at the same time. Now he'll make a mental note to buy TWO dolls for himself, but then he looked up to see Twilight curious about the Shadowcolt's question "What would you want with a doll, Dr. Facilier? Do you collect them perhaps? If so, it's nice to know that you have a good hobby to keep you occupied!" He shifted his eyes awkwardly, and then smiled as he decided to build a lie off of Twilight's questions.

"Why yes, my dear, I collect me some toys,
Though it alienated me from the other boys.
I buy me dolls that are naked in base.
So I may decorate them with some clothes and a face..."

Twilight smiled at his words with fascination "So not only do you collect dolls, you make other ponies from them also? You really astound me with your talents, Dr. Facilier! There's a shop a few blocks down from the library, and they have exactly what you're looking for!" She said with confidence in the doctor's abilities, and the Shadowcolt grinned with the info.

"Thank ya kindly for the info, girl.
I'm so happy I could jus' twirl!
But instead, I'll borrow another grimoire,
And make my talents go very far!"

Twilight looked down in disappointment that she wouldn't be able to find out more about Dr. Facilier, but looked up with a smile "Okay, Doctor. Feel free to look around while I get this mess up." She called to the stairs "Spike! I need you again!" Spike was found walking down the stairs and rubbing his eyes, leading the group of ponies to believe he was taking a nap, then widened his eyes to see a pile of books on the floor, then noticed Rainbow Dash and looked annoyed "You practice too many tricks, Rainbow..." he muttered as he cracked his back and went to work.

After borrowing another book on magic to place in his saddlebag, he waved goodbye to his 'friends' and trotted out of the library for his next destination. As he trotted, however, he remembered something of dire importance that was even needed back in his time.

...Money...

He could just kick himself for wandering around town without to coins to feel in his hooves, and decided to wing it as he looked around for somepony to 'borrow' some money from. The Shadowcolt kept watchful eyes, and then beamed as he noticed a pair of ponies travelling together. One of them was a mint-colored unicorn with a lyre as a cutie mark, while the other was a cream-colored mare with a blue and purple tail and mane carrying an open sack of gold coins that he knew was what he needed for his current objective. He signalled his shadow to swoop over and carefully scoop an amount of bits from her sack without her looking, and quickly flew back and poured the small haul of cash in a vacant saddlebag. He grinned and brohoofed his shady partner and made his way towards the doll shop that came into view.

After being lucky enough to make a purchase for one base pony-shaped doll, he noticed that the salespony was raising an eyebrow at the Shadowcolt in question "Aren't you a little too OLD to be playing with dolls?" Everypony just wanted to try his patience today, but all he could do was charm this one like he did with almost all the other mares without effort.

"Age is only a state o' mind...
Also, this is for a friend o' mine."

The salespony looked moved "Awwww~! Well tell your friend I said hi. Have a nice day!" He made his way out as he levitated his doll and gave a low chuckle after he tipped his hat to the mare and walked out of the shop. When he came out, however, he was met with a shout "Look! There he is!!" He darted his head left and right, wondering who could be expecting the Shadowcolt on a day like this, and then noticed a familiar set of fillies racing towards him. He noticed Scootaloo riding on a scooter with a helmet, pulling a wagon that held Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, who wore helmets as well. The orange pegasus skidded to a halt in front of Dr. Facilier, who almost thought he was about to get ran over, and noticed her grinnign widely at him "Thank Celestia I found you! We were just looking for you after we were done with school! Do you think maybe we could talk later?" She sounded as if she drank her first cup of coffee. Sweetie Belle noticed the doll in Dr. Facilier's saddlebag and asked "Is that a doll? Aren't you a little too OLD to be playing with dolls?" Oh, a nickel (or in this case 'bit') for every time he heard that one, he thought, as he rolled his eyes, but then noticed that Applebloom was staring intently at him, as if she were expecting the doctor to do something out of the ordinary. Wanting to avoid the group of children in his sights, he tried to approach them in a calm and collective manner.

"It's nice to see you girls today,
But I'm a busy colt, and should be on my way."

Applebloom finally spoke "For what? Do y'all have somethin' special planned fer you and Fluttershy?" This kind of got annoying to him now. Does everypony in Ponyville think that the Shadowcolt and the timid mare were in some sort of relationship? If anything, he wouldn't mind for a little one-night stand if he felt up to it, but if anything this only provoked the thought of finding a vacant building in town and make it his new home so he could properly isolate himself from the public. Applebloom continued speaking to the doctor "Zecora said y'all are a shady colt with what ya say an' do...So why don't ya tell us why you bought that there doll?" She asked in a tone similar to a cop interrogating a criminal. This one had nerve to think she was in control here, but he didn't want to get on Applejack's bad side. He decided to grin at the fillies and dissuade them with his silver tongue.

"The doll's jus' a hobby of mine, you see...
I'd expect more understanding from you three.
I have a hoof in crafting these things,
and unrivaled joy to me it brings."

Sweetie Belle smiled at how he projected his words "So that's why you bought it? That sounds nice! Do you plan to give it to somepony you know and love?" Scootaloo felt bored and ignored with the conversation leaning towards dolls, and cut in with her own question "Hey, Dr. Faci-...Fa-silly-...Doc! Do you know any way of making Rainbow Dash like me at all? Did you run into her by any chance?" He sighed, and wondered why he didn't buy two dolls, but digressed as he tried throwing off the orange filly with more words.

"Yeah, I saw her. She is really nice.
That girl, like you, is full o' spice...
But as much as I'd love to speak with y'all,
I should head back to Fluttershy's before nightfall."

Scootaloo felt brushed off as she counter "But it's only 3 in the afternoon! We have plenty of time to talk!" Applebloom added with a suspicious tone "Yeah...So why doncha talk with us, Dr. Fa-cee-lee-ae?" Sweetie Belle smiled "Could you maybe teach us how to dance like you?" He felt like he was being cornered by a bunch of children, but then he heard a familiar sound "Applebloom!" He looked behind the fillies to see Applejack trotting over to the group with a ster look on her face "Applebloom, y'all were supposed to help me back at th' farm! Why're you choosin' to forget about yer chores?" Applebloom flinched, remembering she had work to do after she was done with school, and felt defeated, knowing she had to leave Dr. Facilier alone in the process. She sighed "Sorry, sis. I jus' wanted to talk to Dr. Fa-cee-lee-ae is all..." She turned to see the Shadowcolt look as if he were forced in a corner, but then grinned at her when they made eye contact. Applejack tipped her hat as she apologized to him "Sorry if these three were botherin' ya, Doc. Ya know how curious kids can be, right?" She chuckled as Dr. Facilier joined with a forced chuckle of his own.

"Yeah, I know what you mean, AJ.
But now I'd best be on my way."

Applejack nodded "Alrighty then. Happy trails to ya, Doc!" she waved as she noticed him gallop away as if he were being chased. She tilted her head as she asked "What is with that zebra?" The three fillies pouted, knowing that they were denied a chance to learn from Dr. Facilier. The orange cowpony looked down at the three "Aww, don't get all saddlesore, young'uns. Y'all know that everypony has a busy schedule! Why doncha join me an' Applebloom on the farm, and maybe we could treat ya to some snacks?" The three perked up to the thought and cheered as they followed Applejack back to Sweet Apple Acres.

As nightfall hit Fluttershy's cottage, chuckling was heard as Dr. Facilier stared at his nearly completed invention with dark glee, grinning widely at his success. He decorated the doll he made with rings and painted stripes, and blue buttons for the eyes as he made a doll resembling Zecora. But something was missing, as he brooded about the flaw in his plan.

In order to make a good voodoo doll...he needed the hair of the victim.

Chapter 16

Dr. Facilier was trotting in a meadow on a beautiful day to take in his surroundings and begin searching for some ingredients for potions he felt like making. He smiled upon the meadow's grandeur, inhaling a beautiful scent of nature's air, and crushed a flower he deemed useless as he roamed. As his trip went further, he noticed a table and chair in the distance, wondering who would leave out such furniture in a place like this.

When he reached it, he couldn't believe his eyes as he stumbled upon a deck of tarot cards, all face down, and gave into the temptation of sitting down and shuffling the cards with his magic. He missed reading fortunes, making and breaking whoever decided to want their palm read when he was a human, and felt compelled to flip the first card he drew to his eyes. What could it be? The Magician? The Heirophant? The Star perhaps? He gasped in shock as he gazed upon what was on the card.

...It was a frog...

Who had the audacity to pull a trick like this on the Shadowcolt, having a frog on one of his beloved tarot cards? Dismissing the thought since no one was around, he placed the card on the table face-up as he flipped and looked at another one. He couldn't believe his eyes as he noticed the same exact card as before in front of him. Beginning to get annoyed, he placed the second card next to the first one, face-up and continued looking at the rest of the cards at a breakneck pace, all showing the same exact card. Every. Single. Time. He yelled as he slammed the last card on the grass, and went to go stomp on it until he heard a voice

'Dr. Facilieeeeer~...'

He halted his movement as he looked around in confusion, wondering where the voice came from, but saw nothing but the open meadow in front of him. He looked to the sky and wonder if a pegasus tried to play a prank, but then heard the voice again.

'Dr. Facilieeeeer~!'

He looked down, hearing the voice below him, and gasped as he took some steps back in surprise to see the frog on the card emerge from it as if it were a picture coming to life. After it made its way out, it looked up at the Shadowcolt with glowing red eyes and grinned at him 'Are you READY, Dr. Facilieeeeer~?' He spoke in a creepy sing-song tone as he made Dr. Facilier flinch at the question. He then noticed the sky above began growing darker as more clouds began roaming in. He saw the frog hop towards him as he took another step back 'We're waiting for you, Dr. Facilieeeeer~...' He spoke the Shadowcolt's name in a spine-chilling whisper as he turned to see the cards he drew sprout more red-eyed frogs that grinned at him and repeated his name in broken unison over and over as they began hopping towards him. Dr. Facilier gave a fearful shriek as he jumped back and began to light up his horn.

"Y-Y'all stay back and run while ya can!
Ya can't beat me! I'm the damn Shadowman!!"

He heard thunder and lighting over his head as he noticed it began to rain. But instead of raindrops, it rained the same grinning frogs over and over, and began piling up the once-pristine meadow and mucking it up with their mucus. They began to group in numbers as they hopped to his legs, slowly rising up as they reached his knees. His eyes widened as he tried shaking them off "No! NO!" he was successful, most of the time, but they kept coming back with more numbers. There was only his head as he saw nothing but a flowing river of frogs saying his name and 'Are you ready?' Making him yell and shriek. Before he was about to sink, he noticed a pink frog with glowing blue eyes and a grin speak with a familiar voice "Isn't this fun!? I'm in your dreams!" Seeing enough, he gave out one last scream as he sunk in the sea of frogs, nothing seen of him as a thunderclap was heard, followed by lighting.

He gave a shriek as woke up and found himself on the couch in a cold sweat. The Shadowcolt hyperventilated and looked around to see no sign of frogs, especially the peculiar pink one he last saw in his dreams, giving off a sigh of relief. There was fast hoofsteps as Fluttershy galloped down from her stairs and stopped at Dr. Facilier's side "Dr. Facilier! Is there something wrong!? D-Did you have a nightmare!?" He looked away from her to face a window and see Celestia's sun reach over the hills, and took a deep breath as he collected himself and spoke to the worried mare in front of him.

"Yeah, a nightmare broke loose in my head...
No more jasmine tea before bed."

Fluttershy nodded to the doctor "O-Okay...Well, seeing as how we're both up, I'll get breakfast ready. You should probably clean yourself up...I-I mean...you don't have to rush or anything..." She trotted into the kitchen, leaving the shellshocked Shadowcolt to calm himself down as he rose from the couch. His shadow showed a crooked frown of concern as it watched its master wipe some of the sweat off his brow as he made for the bathroom and followed after him. Dr. Facilier took a small bath as he cleaned himself of the cold sweat he felt from that horrible nightmare, and gave a relaxed sigh at how the warm water felt on his body. He was able to collect his thoughts and remember the new plans he had on today's agenda: 1. Collect ingredients for potions 2. Look for a possible job since he cannot borrow from Fluttershy himself. 3. Make that zebra mare regret the day she decided to piss him off. He got out of the tub and dried himself off as he put on his suit and hat, grinning at his reflection in the bathroom mirror.

"What is this? Oh my, oh my...
Who is that good lookin' guy?"

He admired himself for a short time as he then noticed an angry Angel with his paws crossed and tapping his foot impatiently. The Shadowcolt glared with a look that said 'What do you want?', only to be met with a paw pointing to the kitchen. He must mean that Fluttershy was done preparing breakfast and needed to make his appearance at the table. He scoffed as he trotted past the rabbit and made his way into the kitchen, seeing Fluttershy sit with two plates of assorted berries and more juice in a box.

As Dr. Facilier sat down and ate the berries, he tried not to look at Fluttershy sipping her juice again, thinking that his heart might do more than twitch like last time. The berries were delicious, and he felt he was given more energy just from that one plate. He then talked to Fluttershy to explain some business.

"Fluttershy, I really need to ask
if I can borrow some money for a certain task.
I wanna try my hoof at potion making
and make up for all the lost time I'm taking."

Fluttershy tilted her head at the Shadowcolt, but then remembered his cutie mark and smiled at his thought "You want to look for ingredients? Well, sure! I can help you..." She looked away, faintly blushing "I-If you wouldn't mind me helping you, that is..." Dr Facilier rubbed a hoof under his chin, contemplating on whether or not he would want to have company when furthering his plans. On one hoof, he would rather go by himself and collect his desired items on his own without being hindered by anypony by his side. On the other hoof, he could use her as a shield for anypony wanting to approach him, namely her friends. He felt compelled with the latter opinion on account of him handling traveling on his own in town for so long, and grinned at Fluttershy.

"I could use some help in my little quest.
Thank ya kindly, Fluttershy. Y'all are the best!"

Fluttershy flinched and hid her face behind her mane as she was as red as Big Macintosh, never thinking she would get this much praise from her guest. She then trotted to pick up her saddlebag that the doctor used the other day, and pulled out a spare for him just in case they couldn't carry all they wanted. Dr. Facilier was more than confident about his search, and got ready to travel with the timid mare as they made their way out the door.

The odd couple made their way into Ponyville for their first batch of items, and a trio of ponies happened to be the ones for them to see. Dr. Facilier and Fluttershy meet up with Daisy, Lily, and Roseluck, all of which said hi to Fluttershy, only to turn to see her with the Shadowcolt with their jaws dropped. While he was purchasing the flowers needed for some of his potions, the group of mares bombarded Fluttershy with questions as to what activities she and the doctor do together. He rolled his eyes, expecting a group of women to be lost in conversation involving gossip, but cut into the curious chatter as he stood in front of the timid mare and looked charming to the trio.

"We'd love to speak, that much is true,
But we have ourselves a job to do..."

He gently scooted Fluttershy, who began walking with him as they made their way to their next destination after waving goodbye to the curious flower ponies. Dr. Facilier looked around to see if he could find more useful items, but was then tackled by a certain pink mare, who looked down at him with a fierce glare "What do you think you're doing, you big meanie pants!?" The dumbfounded doctor could only look back up, seeing an angry Pinkie Pie and a disoriented Fluttershy. He wondered why this one would decide to ambush him now of all times, and asked her with confusion on his tone.

"Pinkie Pie, what the hay is wrong?
Can't ya see we're jus' trottin' along?"

Pinkie pressed her muzzle to his as she kept her glare "Don't play dumb with me! I know what you're up to, and you can't do something like that to anypony just because they don't like you!" He was still confused at her random display of anger, let alone the fact he was just tackled by the most random pony he met in Equestria, and struggled to get her off. She kept the Shadowcolt pinned on the ground as he struggled, and Fluttershy felt scared at this "Pinkie! Wh-What did Dr. Facilier do to make you so mad?" This caused the pink pony to turn to Fluttershy with a serious expression on her face "Sorry, Fluttershy! No spoilers! I'm only convincing this meanie to stop what he's doing!" Fluttershy tilted her head when she mentioned spoilers. Spoiling what exactly? Pinkie turned back to the bemused doctor and glared "Dr. Fa-silly-a! You WILL stop what I think you're going to do! Or what you know what you're doing, but I also know what you're doing! Or what the readers think you're doing!" He heard enough. This mare was giving him a headache and he had work to do. Dr. Facilier sighed and humored Pinkie with a calm response.

"Whatever it was, it can't be right.
I'll be sure to stop and see the light..."

Pinkie narrowed her eyes "Don't just say it! SWEAR it! Pinkie Pie swear it!" This made the Shadowcolt stare at her in exasparation '...What?'. Pinkie got off and let the doctor get up as she held out a hoof in command "Like this! Repeat after me!" She performed a series of childish gestures while saying "Cross my heart and hope to fly! Stick a cupcake in my eye!" She said as she stuck a hoof in her eye with the last line, making the doctor take a step back and wanting to decline. Fluttershy trotted to his side and looked at him with pleading eyes "Y-You should do what she says...You should NEVER turn down a Pinkie promise..." Knowing Fluttershy's connection with Pinkie as a friend, he couldn't doubt her advice as he reluctantly acted out the method he witnessed with a grimace on his face.

"Cross my heart an' hope to fly.
Stick a cupcake in my eye."

He did the last part in the form of an amateur facehoof, disappointed with himself for doing something so stupid, but noticed Pinkie's glare left in a flash as she had the same bubbly smile on her face "Good! See ya later, Dr. Fa-silly-a!" She hopped away as if their little episode never happened. Fluttershy turned to the doctor with curiousity as she asked 'What do you think she meant by doing what you know you're doing to do and what she also knows what you're doing?" The Shadowcolt groaned and hung his head down, shaking it with displeasure towards his encounter with Pinkie.

"I dunno at all. That mare is crazy.
But one thing's for certain, she isn't lazy..."

Fluttershy looks down "Well yes...She has so much energy for being one pony. I hope you'll stick to your promise that you made, Dr. Facilier...She seemed very serious about this..." The doctor raised an eyebrow and wanted to know why exactly something so silly can be so important.

"Why so serious about a secret hoofshake?
I'm jus' getting some stuff for potions to make!"

Fluttershy looked away, clear on the fact that the doctor didn't understand the severity of a Pinkie Pie Swear, and wanted to enlighten him "Well...the thing about Pinkie Pie Swears is..." She was thinking of what proper terms to use for the confused Shadowcolt, and then noticed Zecora coming their way "Oh, look! It's Zecora! Shall we go talk to her?" He wanted to refuse, until he remembered a certain item needed for his to-do list, and smiled at the timid mare.

"Lead the way, let's go and talk.
But we gotta be quick, since we need to walk."

The two trotted over, Fluttershy smiling at the zebra mare "Hello, Zecora. How are you doing today? Are you here to deliver medicine to another pony?" Zecora turned to Fluttershy and gave a smile of her own as she spoke her business towards her.

"I came to get some items that I need
for a brew that can increase a pony's speed.
What are you doing with the doctor here?
You two must be a couple so dear."

Fluttershy blushed and looked at the doctor "A-A-Actually, no...W-We're just friends..." She then perked up at Zecora's reason for being in town "Oh, what a coincidence. I was just helping Dr. Facilier with just the same reason...O-Only he wanted many ingedients for many potions of his..." This made Zecora turn to the doctor in question, who was smiling at her for some odd reason. Secretly, she was surprised that the doctor could bounce back so easily after coming into contact with the boquet of Poison Joke she offered to him, but decided to try and talk to him to see what he was planning.

"So now I'm not the only one
Who makes potions under Celestia's sun...
I look ever so forward to seeing you
Show your talents at what you brew..."

Dr. Facilier knew she didn't mean every word of it, but he ignored it as he gave a nod, stealthfully signalling his shadow to swoop behind her while she wasn't looking. The shadow then plucked one of the hairs from the head of Zecora's shadow, making her flinch and look away in confusion, the shadow quickly swooping back and placing the hair in his master's saddlebag while she wasn't looking. Zecora blinked and looked around, and then turned back to the odd couple and wondered out loud.

"It felt like somepony touched my head
To pluck a hair and quickly fled."

The couple both exchanged worried glances to Zecora and each other, though Dr. Facilier was faking it sans effort, and Fluttershy spoke "Y-Y-You don't think it w-was a....gh-gh-gh-ghost, do you?" She began to shake at the thought, and the Shadowcolt kept his guise as he spoke.

"Whatever it was, it wasn't pretty...
I jus' hope that you'll be more gritty
For what happened jus' now, I cannot tell
That it will not leave you alone for a spell..."

Zecora raised an eyebrow at the doctor's feigned concern, and wanted to ask him why exactly he would say such a thing to her, but flinched again as she felt another hair on her head being plucked. She looked around while uttering something in her native tongue, Fluttershy taking a step back at this. Dr. Facilier placed a hoof over his mouth and shook, making it seem he looked scared while in reality, he was snickering at her confusion as his shadow placed a second hair in his saddlebag. The zebra mare rubbed her head at this and noticed the doctor snickering and began to glare.

"Why do you find laughter in this!?
Is there something funny I may have missed!?"

He quickly stopped snickering and looked worried again, lifting his hooves in a halting motion.

"I don't find this funny at all!
The hilarity in this is jus' too small!
We gotta get goin', and you should too,
So you can get the stuff needed for your brew!"

Zecora narrowed her eyes at him, knowing he was lying through his teeth. She knew he possessed a dirty soul the moment he laid eyes on him, and decided to try her luck at exposing him again.

"You act like you're hiding something from us...
Why don't you tell us both and spare yourself fuss?"

Dr. Facilier looked around and found no passing ponies with oranges this time, and took a step back as he looked around. He looked down to his shadow, who smiled and pulled the flaps on its shady suit, showing his ticket to freedom as he grinned.

"Well, since y'all wanted to know my problem's root...

He pulled on his flashy tuxedo with a hoof.

What do ya think about my suit?"

Zecora scoffed at him dodging her questions, but felt it best to bring about her statement towards what he's wearing.

"You mean that suit of darkened purple?
It's about as ba-

She stopped, and silently cursed herself for falling for the same trick twice. The doctor grinned at this and trotted past Zecora back to Fluttershy's cottage.

"It seems my suit has left ya speechless,
And turned your mind into quite a mess...
It was fun an' all, but I gotta head back
And do my work at Fluttershy's shack!"

Fluttershy looked at the doctor with folded ears "Um...I-It's a cottage..." She turned and bowed to Zecora "Goodbye, Zecora. Dr. Facilier seems to be a very busy stallion sometimes, and you have your own tasks to attend to. Good luck on your potion!" She trotted after the doctor "Wait for me!" Zecora, after a few minutes of standing still, hung her head in shame as she searched for her desired items.

Back at Fluttershy's cottage, Dr. Facilier was chuckling with glee as he added the two collected hairs onto his newly-crafted voodoo doll of Zecora before enchanting it with magic, and levitated a pin he found over it with determined eyes and a devilish grin 'And now...ya'll are about to enter into a world o' pain...' Before he was about to strike, Fluttershy was behind the Shadowcolt "Doctor? What are you doing with that doll?" Dr. Facilier flinched and hid his items behind his back.

"Errr...Jus' addin' some touches to this thing here.
Ain't nothin' you should worry about at all, dear..."

Fluttershy tilted her head "Well...okay...but it's getting late. You should probably head on to bed..." She trotted over to the stairs as she turned back to the doctor one last time "Dr. Facilier?" The doctor went to go stab the doll, but stopped and turned to the timid mare as his name was called. After a period of awkward silence, Fluttershy sighed and looked down "Nevermind..." She trotted upstairs quietly, leaving the doctor to his doll. He chuckled as he levitated the pin 'Let the fun begin...' He took a first good jab into the right flank of the doll.

Meanwhile, Pinkie woke up in her bed with a gasp and widened eyes. Her face slowly contorted into an expression of anger "He didn't...".

Chapter 17

Dr. Facilier woke up the next morning with a satisfied smile on his face, putting on his clothes and picking up his newly borrowed book and trotting out of the cottage after eating breakfast with Fluttershy.

When he left, the timid mare sighed as she thought about why she chose to procrastinate over wanting a heart-to-heart conversation with the Shadowcolt while doing the dishes. Before she went to sleep last night, he heard him bellow in spine-chilling laughter downstairs, and she was curious to why he acted that way. Was he happy with finishing the doll perhaps? When she finished doing the dishes, she heard a knock on the door, wondering who could be here so early in the morning. Fluttershy opened the door to show Pinkie Pie looking wide awake as she noticed the timid mare "Hi, Fluttershy! Is Dr. Fa-silly-a home??" She felt disheartened to realize her friends started coming to her cottage to see the Shadowcolt and not just her. She told her anyway out of her kindness "I'm sorry, Pinkie, but Dr. Facilier just left a half hour ago..." Pinkie rubbed her chin "Really? Well, can I come in and talk with you then? I wanna ask you about something that's been bugging me since yesterday!" Fluttershy was curious about this "You mean when you tackled Dr. Facilier looking all angry like the time we avoided you during your birthday for some strange reason and wanting him to do a Pinkie Pie Swear to stop doing it?" Pinkie nodded with a smile "Yes indeedy! So can I come in? Huh? CanIcanIcanIcanI!?" She was bouncing outside, and Fluttershy giggled at her actions "Pinkie, you're one of my best friends. Of course you can come in! I'll make us some tea..." She let the party mare inside as she hopped into the kitchen with Fluttershy.

Before explaining the topic at hand, Pinkie wanted to tell Fluttershy one of her crazy stories "-and it was so nice for me and him to agree on the term 'Chimicherrychanga'! Sure he kills a lot, but he's WAY better than that meanie pants doctor!" Fluttershy remained silent, and could only nod to her story while awkwardly sipping her tea. Who was this 'Deadpool' she talks about, and why does he scare her so much? After her story, Pinkie got serious "I woke up last night, and felt a twitch in my brain! At first I thought that Dr. Fa-silly-a broke his Pinkie Promise, but I thought it was a bad dream, so I went back to bed, only to be met with that same twitch about twenty times after the first one! Can you believe how silly that sounds!?" Fluttershy looked down and fidgeted with the teacup in her hooves "U-Umm, yes...well...I do feel concern with what happened ot you last night...Did you turn to Zecora for help??" Pinkie raised an eyebrow "Funny you should say that, Fluttershy! She was the first pony-I mean-zebra for me to turn to for something like this! Though, when I reached her hut, I saw her all battered and beaten up as if a manticore came inside her home! It made me so sad, and the worst part was she didn't know who did it! She's getting better, but I'm so confused! Do you know who did it??" Fluttershy was shocked at the news "Oh my! W-Well, at least she's getting better..." she looked down in relief, then looked back up with a curious look "You know...I had a wierd time of my own the other night..." She looked away "I was just finishing dinner until I heard Dr. Facilier laugh while making his doll...It looked so much like Zecora and he seemed happy with how it turned out. But when he finished, he had this scary look on his face while he held a pin to the doll. He told me he was putting some finishing touches on it before going to bed, so I left him to his work so I could go to bed myself. I tried going to sleep, but all I could hear was the sound of him laughing like Discord on a good day." She shivered at the memory "I-I like him, but I didn't like his laughter at all..." Pinkie herself was silent, not an expression of joy or her regular jolliness on her face. She leaned in to Fluttershy with an arched eyebrow and a suspicious expression "You said something about a needle...He didn't happen to POKE a certain doll with it, did he??" Fluttershy felt uncomfortable at how Pinkie was acting, backing away a little as she shifted her eyes in paranoia to her behavior "W-W-Well, he DID say he needed to add some touches to his new doll and he needed a pin to do it...and while I heard him laughing, I could've sworn I've heard several pinpricks while he was doing it...they were very loud to me..." She looked down, but didn't notice that Pinkie stood with widened eyes. She then looked angry, one of her eyes twitching as she bit her lower lip, puffing her cheeks as she slowly turned red. Then, without warning, she looked like she exploded as her ears blew off hot steam, her eyes glowing as she looked ready to unleash hell upon an unfortunate soul, speaking in a demonic tone "NOPONY BREAKS A PINKIE PROMISE!!!" She then sped out of her cottage as quick as a flash on a stallionhunt to find the one who had broken a Pinkie Promise intentionally, leaving a shaken Fluttershy behind in her kitchen. She then noticed that she spilt tea on the floor, moaning in disappointment with herself as she went to clean it up. While she was cleaning, however, she prayed to Celestia that Pinkie wouldn't find the Shadowcolt and make him suffer.

Meanwhile, Dr. Facilier was standing outside of Ponyville Library with Twilight Sparkle, the two making idle conversation after he returned his book to her. He decided to speak his mind on how silly Pinkie acted the other day, wanting to at least get SOMETHING off of his chest without the nosy mares like Twilight constantly poking at his dark secrets.

"I jus' don' know what's up with that mare,
Wantin' me to do a 'Pinkie Pie Swear'!
That girl's about more nuttier than a fruitcake!
What is up with her, for goodness' sake!?"

Twilight giggled at how he ranted about Pinkie, willing to agree with her randomness at many points, but wanted to enlighten him on how exactly Pinkie Promises worked "Well, Doctor, while Pinkie can be very crazy at times...well, EVERY time...a Pinkie Pie Swear is serious business! Though, some of my friends make fun of me for how I do it..." She looked down, remembering all those times she hit her eye with her hoof without closing it, then looked back up at the bemused doctor "Why do you ask? Did you do make a Pinkie Promise with her?" Dr. Facilier nodded at her response, his shadow silently groaning and shaking his head at the unpleasant memory.

"Yeah, I did that crazy pact,
But jus' so I won't deal with bein' attacked...
So funny how she thinks that I'd go so far
As to keepin' a stupid promise like a mental scar..."

Twilight widened her eyes at this and cringed as her ears folded back "Dr. Facilier...You don't mean to tell me you actually BROKE your Pinkie Promise, did you? I told you they're very serious to keep! And Pinkie can get very...emotional when somepony breaks a Pinkie Promise! Just ask Applejack!" The Shadowcolt only turned his head away from Twilight in defiance while keeping his eyes on her. Where he came from, many promises were broken almost every day, even the ones HE made. Dr. Facilier decided to chuckle at how Twilight sounded, ignoring the urgency in her voice as she looked more afraid "Doctor, you should run...like, right NOW! If you actually broke a promise, I don't wanna get involved!" This made the doctor laugh even more as he decided to taunt to her warning.

"Y'all are jus' makin' more hullabaloo!
What's that little pink mare gonna do?"

Right on cue after his mocking question, he heard an angry yell "DR. FA-SILLY-AAAAAAAAAAAA~!!!!!" This made Twilight and the confused doctor perk their ears up, the doctor looking behind at the source of the shout to find an angry Pinkie Pie galloping at him in the distance at a hunrgy predator's pace, her eyes glowing orange as she yelled in a demonic tone "YOU PINKIE PROMISED!!!" This made the doctor AND his shadow jump and yell in surprise. She did NOT sound happy and not at all like the same mare he detested, and the demonic tone in her voice was par for the course as he decided to dash past Twilight, leaving her eyes closed and her mane flowing rapidly in the breeze he created. When the bookworm saw him leave, she didn't notice Pinkie speed past her and made her spin rapidly afterwards. After she stopped spinning, she stumbled about on her hooves as her eyes rolled around in circles in a state of dizziness, and didn't expect a grey wall-eyed pegasus to slowly hover by, then point a hoof at Twilight and laugh at her, but not before crashing into a tree.

( I just can't help myself sometimes... )

The chase was on, and Dr. Facilier never thought he would run this fast OR be chased by something that wanted to possibly break him for no logical reason. He looked behind to see Pinkie Pie hot on his trail and slowly catching up to him, making him more nervous as she drew close. When he remembered his shadow, he felt better as his shady servant swooped over and extended a foreleg in front of Pinkie's shadow. The Shadowcolt expected a thud, followed by quickly fading curses as he ran, but all he got was Pinkie jumping over his shadow as if she knew he was going to do that. This made Dr. Facilier yell in surprise and confusion, and tried to pick up the pace as the two ran through the town.

Applejack was found selling apples at her stand, one of her customers leaving, then perked her ears up at the sound of scared yelling, turning to see two rapidly growing dots approaching her from the right of her stand. She narrowed her eyes to get a better look "What in tarnation?" She didn't anticipate the doctor zipping past her stand at Rainbow Dash's speed, blowing off her Stetson hat in the process, and when she attempted to pick it up, she was knocked down on her side as Pinkie rammed passed her like a small obstacle in blind fury and pursuit "YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE YOUR FATE, DOCTOR!!!" Applejack got up, knowing full well what was going on, and only held her hat to her chest as she closed her eyes and spoke in a solemn tone "Celestia help that zebracorn..."

At Sugarcube corner, Mr. and Mrs. Cake watched their children as they sat outside while enjoying a short break. Pound Cake was beating at the ground with a toy hammer, and Pumpkin Cake was enjoying her new pacifier her parents bought for her. When the family heard the sound of yelling, they all looked to see a purple blur breeze by, followed by a pink blur. This the children giggle and clap their hooves at the sight, leaving the parents staring in a dumbfounded fashion "Dear? Was that Pinkie Pie we just saw?" Mrs. Cake asked in a scared and curious tone as her husband responded the same way "I don't know...I don't wanna know...But I DO know we need to take the kids inside right now..." The two parents did just that as the two baby foals continued giggling.

A mare named Berry Punch sat on her bench with a bottle in her hoof, taking a good drink from it as the day went by. She heard screaming, and noticed Dr. Facilier running for his life screaming, then saw his shadow doing the same thing, except it stopped in front of her and looked back. It wanted to see Pinkie Pie while not noticing it was being watched by another pony, then quickly caught up to its master after jumping and seeing Pinkie pick up her pace, giving off a monstrous snarl as she looked ready to kill. Berry Punch could only look at the bottle in her hoof with a raised eyebrow, then toss it in the nearest rubbish bin.

The chase was long. VERY long. And the events that followed with it began to grow more silly as Dr. Facilier entered a door to a random building, Pinkie Pie following shortly after. The quickly two exited through the same door they entered and went through a different one, only to repeat the process once more, but exiting through a door different than the one they last entered in. The process became more silly as they even exited a door with Dr. Facilier running behind Pinkie, then some duplicates of the two came out of some doors and entered different ones. When things couldn't get sillier, a blank flank zebracorn with a fedora came out of a door, looking around for a minute, then trotted back into the door he emerged from with a cynical look on his face as the chase continued. Dr. Facilier emerged from a random door, Pinkie coming from one of her own opposite from the Shadowcolt, the two colliding into each other as they flew back. While Pinkie was dazed, he quickly bounced back up and ran off, Pinkie following after giving off a growl similar to an antagonized dog.

Fluttershy was in town, looking high and low for Dr. Facilier with worry "Dr. Facilier?" She called out "Where are you?" Her ears perked up to the sound of his voice screaming in terror as she witnessed him being chased by Pinkie Pie, gasping 'Oh no! He must have made Pinkie angry by breaking his Pinkie Promise!' While she didn't know what exactly he swore he wouldn't do, nothing mattered as she swooped to the Shadowcolt's rescue, landing in front of him. Dr Facilier, upon seeing this, skidded to a halt and quickly curved past the timid mare to use her as a shield for when Pinkie tried to get to him. He was a wreck when he stopped running, his mane and tail a frazzled mess, his hat and suit wrinkled and misshapen, and his eyes wide and weary as he tried to stay a good distance away from the pink nightmare in front of him while standing behind his equine shield. Pinkie growled, and sounded normal for the first time "You gotta move away from her sometime, meanie!!" The doctor only yelped in response as Pinkie moved to the left of the timid mare and instinctively moved to the right of her opposite side. They went left and right, and began going in rapid circles around poor Fluttershy, and this led to her shouting at the top of her lungs "STOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!!" The two ponies in their heated situation instantaneously stopped on her command, staring in surprise, and Fluttershy blushed upon noticing this "Sorry...I-I was getting dizzy..." She then looked stern "But this shouldn't be going on for so long!" She turned to Doctor Facilier "Dr. Facilier, I don't know exactly what you did to break your Pinkie Promise, but I am VERY disappointed in you!" The Shadowcolt shrunk back, stunned at the mare's new-found courage "This little chase has gone on long enough, and it's about time you apologize to Pinkie for what you've done this instant!" He was confused and disoriented at all of this, and turned to see Pinkie give the doctor a vicious glare, only to turn back to Fluttershy looking like he was trying her patience "Well??" Dr. Facilier remembered what happened to Angel when she was angry, and he did NOT want to deal with 'The Stare' himself. He swallowed what was left of his pride and trotted over to Pinkie, who didn't move at all while glaring at him in silence. The Shadowcolt straightened his hat and suit, taking a deep breath.

"I'm very sorry for what I did...
I guess my mind went off the grid.
I was caught up in my moment, you see.
Pinkie Pie, can ya try and forgive me?"

Pinkie's eyes narrowed even more after hearing the doctor's apology, leading him to believe he didn't try hard enough, but was surprised when her glare quickly left and was replaced with the same happy expression he was familiar with when seeing Pinkie "Apology Accepted!" She then gave him a hug as he looked down, confused as to how she forgave him so easily. The funny thing was, he meant that speech for the sake of surviving an oncoming shitstorm in the form of an unholy staring contest courtesy of Fluttershy, who also joined in the hug with a smile. This was beginning to get all too wierd for him as he felt something alien to him. While he was being hugged, there was a fuzzy feeling...a feeling deep inside...and it slowly grew in his heart while he was being hugged by two mares at once. Was this something he should look into durign his time here? He paused as the warmth continued spreading in his heart slowly 'Mus' be a small case of heartburn...I'll make a potion for that later...'

Chapter 18

After the little episode with Pinkie and a mistake involving drinking a potion that didn't work, it was time for the good doctor to get a job so he wouldn't borrow so much from Fluttershy despite enjoying mooching off of others easily. Dr. Facilier left Fluttershy's cottage as the sun in the sky showed that it was 5 in the evening.

He felt compelled to take Rainbow Dash's advice and try to apply for a job at Ponyville Clinic for obvious reasons. The Shadowcolt couldn't open a dancing school, that's for sure. When he reached the clinic, he went inside and noticed that almost nopony was present in the waiting room other than the receptionist. Either business must be slow today, or there could be some kind of surprise for the doctor as he casually trotted over to the receptionist's counter, and decided to work his verbal magic so he could get a reserved spot in the work office.

"Why hello there, lady. How ya doin' today?
I wish to apply here, if I may..."

The receptionist looked up at the grinning Shadowcolt and then went back to her book "Talk to Nurse Redheart in the room behind me. She isn't busy today, and she could some company while she's constantly organizing her medical supplies." Not the response he was looking for, but it's a start. Dr. Facilier went through the door next to the receptionist's desk and went down the hallway. He looked around, seeing nothing but physical examination rooms and beds left and right, but no sign of Nurse Redheart. The Shadowcolt thought the receptionist was toying with him until he heard the sound of objects being shuffled about in the room ahead of him two doors down. He made his way over and opened the door to reveal a stressed mare fiddling with medical supplies in the cabinet. The mare had a white coat like Rarity and Princess Celstia, but her hair was light pink, covered in a white nurse's hat, and she had a cutie mark of a red cross on her flank. This must be the one he was looking for in order to get a job, and trotted over, gently poking the mare's back and making her squeak and jump a little, spilling some of the supplies from the cabinet.

Nurse Redheart looked down and groaned in displeasure at the new mess she made "Oh poo!" She then turned to the perpetrator with a glare in her eyes "Why should you sneak up on me like that!? Can't you see...I'm...busy?" She looked at Dr. Facilier, who was grinning at her sudden speechlessness, and decided to seize the opportunity of convincing her to hire him while she was dazzled.

"Y'all must be the Nurse I was required to see...
Do ya think that maybe you could hire me?"

Nurse Redheart tilted her head "You wish to work here? Well, we don't really have any opening jobs at the moment, but perhaps I could turn to you as a substitute if one of our workers isn't present." This made the doctor a little angry on the inside. He felt appalled to be considered a lowly substitute, and when HE has enough medical knowledge in his head to put the current medical genius of Ponyville to shame. He decided to try to not only get himself hired, but get whoever worked here fired for insubordination. But he needed to be specific on who he wanted to get axed and pink slipped if he were to get himself the spot he desperately needed.

"Could ya maybe be a dear,
And fill me in on who else works here?"

The white nurse wondered why the Shadowcolt chose to change the subject after being offered a job as an intern, but then thought that he probably needed a good feel of who he was working with, where he to be summoned to help. She trotted passed Dr. Facilier with a smile on her face "I see you want to be better acquainted with the other employees...Mr.~..." She trailed the last word, not even knowing the Shadowcolt's name, who felt insulted at her ignorance, but decided to enlighten her with his charming guise.

"Dr. Facilier is my name, baby doll,
and when it comes to cures, I can do it all..."

Nurse Redheart turned back to the Shadowcolt while they were trotting, beaming at what she had heard "You're a certified doctor? Oh, this is remarkable! We don't get ANY unicorn doctors here in Ponyville, and sometimes we turn to Zecora for help when we cannot find a certain cure! Seeing as how you're both a unicorn doctor and a zebra skilled in herbalism, you'd be a shoe-in for a spot if there were any vacancies!" He was slowly losing his patience as she wasn't giving him the information he asked for regarding to the other employees he could take down, and decided to repeat his question with a feigned smile on his face.

"Thank y'all kindly for that praise, my dear,
But can ya PLEASE tell me who else works here?"

The nurse flinched as she remembered his question "O-Oh, of course! I'll give you a list of our employees in my office. We're already at the door!" She giggled after her last statement as she opened the door to her office, letting her and Dr. Facilier inside as she motioned for him to take a seat "Wait here while I go through my drawers. I won't be long." She went through her drawers at a determined pace, leaving the Shadowcolt waiting patiently for her to get out his new hitlist. He pondered on how exactly to snuff out anypony on the list with any of his disposable resources. Before he could think any further, Nurse Redheart pulled out a clipboard with paper on it with her mouth and trotted over to Dr. Facilier and presented it to him, the doctor levitating it with his magic. "There you are, Dr. Facilier! Feel free to visit each of these ponies while they aren't on duty so you can be better acquainted with them. I'm sure they'll just love to see how you work your medical magic on our patients!" The doctor only chuckled and replied calmly.

"This thing really has me stoked...
I can't wait to help the pony folk..."

He continued laughing, and Nurse Redheart slowly backed away with a sheepish grin on her face, her ears folded back "E-Erm...yes...well, thank you for stopping by today, Dr. Facilier! We'll be sure to contact you once we've found an opening for you!" The Shadowcolt got up and trotted out of the office with a smile before tipping his hat to the white mare, who tilted her head in confusion as to why he was laughing so much.

On his way back to Fluttershy's, Dr. Facilier was stopped by a certain cyan pegasus as she swooped down in front of him looking excited "Hey, Doc! I heard you broke a Pinkie Promise earlier. I was busy napping while the whole thing happened, but Twilight told me that you ran about as fast as me!" She beamed at the thought, and took a step forward with an eager look in her eyes "How about a race? You don't have anything better to do, right?" The doctor sighed, not having time for this as he trotted past Rainbow Dash and politely declined.

"Sorry, Rainbow, but I'm busy, ya see.
Why would ya even wanna race with me?"

Rainbow felt as if she were being ignored and hopped in front of him again "I just wanna see how fast you are for myself! C'mon, just one little race and that's it! You'll have plenty of time to look over that piece of paper you're holding since you're just like Twilight when it comes to reading!" Dr. Facilier sneered at this remark, not only for being grouped with the lavender bookworm, but also not wanting to disregard his plans for a simple race, and tried moving past Rainbow again, only to have her get in his way once more. He was beginning to growl as she cut him off at every turn of his path, and got more irritated as she did not let up at all. Having enough, he let out a frustrated yell and sighed as he rubbed his temples.

"Alright , I'll race ya jus' one time...
I hope that y'all are in your prime."

Knowing Rainbow Dash's capability, the Shadowcolt knew he was shit out of luck when it came to a race. He was only as fast as her before because he was being pursued by a pink nightmare because of breaking a promise of serious magnitude, and was lucky enough to be let off of it by apologizing. It was nothing more than a situation that brought about fear in his heart, causing him to run as if his life depended on it. He never expected to be put in his place by two mares in one day. Rainbow Dash, upon hearing him accept her challenge, grinned with light in her eyes as she took to the skies "Alright! Follow me!" she said as she went off in a flash. Dr. Facilier only stood as he watched her leave without giving him proper directions, and after a few seconds, she flew back with an embarrassed grin on her face "Hehehe...oops." she said as she flew at a slower pace for the doctor to help get a better sense of direction as he followed.

The two were out in a forest different to the Everfree, it's trees more normal looking and vibrant in color. It was known as Whitetail Woods, where the Running of the Leaves took place every fall. There was a given trail as Rainbow Dash stretched her legs and got ready for her race, Dr. Facilier looking at his shadow with a smile as it returned its master with one of his own. If they were going to win this, they needed to do it the old-fashioned way: Cheating. The shadow quickly swooped into the bushes unseen, and went on ahead as Rainbow Dash readied herself with a determined grin on her face "On your mark!" The Shadowcolt lazily got into a ready position to humor the cyan pegasus "Get set..." He grinned, knowing how exactly this will play out with his servant behind the scenes "GO!" She breezed off with a rainbow-colored trail behind her. Dr. Facilier then simply trotted casually as he knew what was going to happen to Rainbow Dash up ahead.

Rainbow was a good distance away from the Shadowcolt, and growing, but something wierd happened. While she ran, she like she slammed into a rubbery wall as she then bounced back at the same velocity she started from, passing the doctor in the process as he chuckled to himself. Little did Rainbow Dash know that while she was in the air, her shadow was still intact on the ground, and Dr. Facilier's shadow was ready and waiting as it transformed itself into a flexible wall on the ground, anticipating Rainbow's speed and sending her back to where she started. When she landed in a tree, she pulled herself out to see Dr. Facilier still trotting like it was a boring day, and crossing the line with a grin. Rainbow Dash, upon seeing this, had her jaw dropped at the sight of this, but then looked angry as Pinkie earlier as she zipped over and pushed her nose against his, glaring at him "You did something back there! Nopony could simply win a race by just trotting like it was nothing! You cheated!" The Shadowcolt rolled his eyes and then acted like he was being accused.

"What makes ya say that, Rainbow Dash?
We was racin' until y'all decided to crash!"

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes "You used some kind of unicorn magic to win this race yourself! Admit it!" She wouldn't let this loss go. Rainbow Dash hated losing as much as getting fitted for one of Rarity's clothing designs, and she couldn't deal with some mysterious (to her, at least) force causing her to foul up a good race. The doctor only pointed at his horn with a hoof, ready to poke a hole in the angry cyan mare's logic.

"If I used my magic, my horn would glow,
But all I did was trot, steady an' slow...
Y'all could tell it would be me from a mile away
If I ever decided to use magic today."

He had raised a good point in his words. Rainbow would know if she was being held back by Dr. Facilier himself if she were coated in his magical aura while he focused his magic on her, but she knew deep down that he did SOMETHING to throw her off in the race. There was nopony else in the woods but her and the Shadowcolt, and she was in the air as they raced. The doctor's shadow was rolling in laughter while the cyan pegasus kept her slowly lingering glare on Dr. Facilier, and position itself quickly when Rainbow decided to give the doctor some space between them. She was still sore and was now suspicious of the Shadowcolt for what happened recently, but held out a hoof with a smile "Well, forgetting what happened just then...Thanks for taking the time to race with me, Doc." The doctor shrugged and then held out his own hoof and gave her a firm brohoof. The two then parted ways as they went back to Ponyville, but Rainbow Dash now has something to do other than napping when not on weather duty.

While Rainbow Dash trotted along town, she passed a bush that rustled and sprouted a serious looking Pinkie Pie, Making Rainbow Dash jump and scream. She looked at Rainbow with stalking eyes as she uttered in a dark tone "Soon..." Rainbow raised an eyebrow at Pinkie "What do you mean soon, Pinkie?" Pinkie slowly sunk back into the bush she sprouted from, leaving only her eyes popping out of the bush with the same expression, repeating in a whisper "Sooooon..." Rainbow stared, then groaned in exasparation as she took to the skies and went back to her home in the clouds.

Meanwhile, at Fluttershy's cottage, Dr. Facilier was laying on the couch as he stared up at the ceiling, focusing on how to approach tomorrow with his new plan 'Find the one called Nurse Tenderheart, hypnotize her into quittin', and take the job with no problems at all...' It sounded easy, but with how the entire town was well-connected with one another, he had to pull out all the stops with his craftiness if he was ever going to make his plan possible. He snuggled into the warm quilt Fluttershy gave him and tried to go to sleep while he had butterflies in his stomach about tomorrow.