//------------------------------// // We're Family Now (Zecora's Poem) // Story: The Big Book Of Small Stories // by LordOfTape //------------------------------// We’re Family Now (Zecora’s Poem) It was a beautiful spring day Absolutely everything was going my way The sun was brightly shining in the clear sky Yet something was bothering my restless mind’s eye ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ No, it was not the forest Everfree With its many stacks of tall, grown trees Although, all things be due considered It could have been the ground, ‘twas littered ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ With sticks and stones and broken homes Of creatures of the sky, since flown With rocks and staggered, shattered boulders No longer could these mountains shoulder ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The weight of a world so large and heavy Perhaps, I had just not been ready Too engage upon this journey Was I in too much of a hurry? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This land was quite so unforgiving When I first attempted to begin a living The creatures fierce and earth so wild ‘Twas scary for me, at the time, a child ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ With my own hooves, I built this home To shield me from all things to come And slowly over time I filled it With potions, brews, all I could get ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I tried to practice what I learned But now I see, for true home, I yearned For at the ripe old age of eight My tribe left me to my destiny, fate ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now I stand here, house and home behind I feel like a walk; where to this time? Perhaps I’ll go to the ocean’s shore Or maybe knock on a neighbor’s door ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ They have seemed to warm up much to me After all, a demon is something that I not be Still they do, from moment to moment Stutter backwards in fear, unknowing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I have grown to see it is quite alright As the unknown can cause such a fright But I find myself losing my track of thought There are just too many troubles to spot ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What purpose does a stranger contain In lands of unfamiliar terrain? What concoction can I brew To show them all my worth has been proved? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And what of traveling far, the distance great To a tribe long since forgotten…wait! Indeed they would accept me back I have accomplished every task ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I’ve mastered every zebra spell From aacalula to zukvanzell I have survived and thrived, alive And charted out each divine night sky ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The creatures all, I claim to tame Not a single one, won’t yield to my name From timber wolf to hydra spawn Fearsome cockatrice only make me yawn ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ursa Majors and Minors alike Are friendly when treated just right And dragons, though they breathe both fire and smoke Are nothing to me, but a scaly joke ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As I sit and reminisce, of the past my soul does miss I can do little but dismiss, my hopes and aspirations as this Zairba lies those miles away, to walk the path, id surely stray Even with all I’ve gained to this day, for me to make it, there is no way ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This rock on which my flank does rest, is my home so I must make the best But what of mother, father and siblings, in my ear, their voices still ring A drop of water, wet and salty, falls from my eye; stopping, halting Every thought I could have had; a poor zebra am I, with no mom or dad ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quickly behind me is a rustling; a creature, four legs and a tail is bustling It is unfamiliar, but not to me, rather to these creatures of Everfree The steps are small, and quite reserved, for the one who makes them is concerned For deadly, yes, this forest be, to my little pony, but not to me ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Zecora? Zecora are ya outside?” the worried voice did cry “Indeed I am” to her, I replied Following the sound of my voice, the filly Quickly trotted up, quite silly ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Ah stumbled through some poison joke on ma way here” “I can see that; to the hut, my dear” The troubled child found her way, though it was littered with cries of ‘woah!’ and ‘hay!’ As though she did indeed walk swiftly, her tiny legs were wobbly and trippy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Now what could cause you Apple Bloom, to come here to me now, so soon?” “Mah friends were all busy ‘n stuff, Ah was hopin’ you ‘n me could play again” The child of yellow seemed rather excited And to have company, I was truly delighted ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “I shall have for you, a fix, quite quick; potions such as these are made, lickity split” “Thank ya kindly, Miss Zecora” The filly smiled at me with her big eyes Shimmery, vivid, truly a child’s guise ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Falling flatly upon the floor of mine, the filly asked “Hey what were ya doin’ outside?” I thought carefully of how to address, “Just examining a few trees and rocks, I guess” “When ya finish up with ma potion can we go play in the lake?” With such an ecstatic visage, how could I refuse that face? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Indeed we may, child of Apple, but first, there is poison joke we must battle” Hoof over hoof and drop over drop The bottle I filled was now seen at the top Though usually the cure must be taken as a bath, another old remedy could be imbibed, and it hath ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Within a few seconds of taking a sip, the flustered filly’s legs began to sit back at her hips Once the whole bottle had been taken aback, Apple Bloom’s body was safely on track “Well look’it me! I’m as right as rain on a Sunday mornin’” Though cured, the red-maned child bounced without warning ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Happy as she was, I still sighed It did not do me well, to a friend I had lied Quicker than I could have assumed She picked up on my frown, that smart Apple Bloom ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “What’s wrong? Ain’t ya happy that we cn’ go t’ the lake now?” I tried to agree, but it was all I could do to not frown “Child I am sorry indeed; the troubles of my mind are something you don’t need” The perplexed little girl tilted her head, wiping in front of her face was her mane of red ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “But Zecora, ya can’t play if ya ain’t feelin’ well” she explained “Tell me little one, do you know what does me pain?” “Well Ah know, we cn’ jus’ whip up some real special brew to fix ya, right?” “No, I do not believe that will work this night” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Maybe Granny Smith knows what cn’ help ya?” “Ah to have assistance from a family, that would be the –” She interrupted, it was the first time I had been cut off for months since - “What about your family, could they do som’in’?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “My family and I, we no longer talk; how’s about the two of us take a walk?” I needed some time away from the hut; Bloom agreed we could trot to the lake, so the door I shut “Why dontchu jus’ go and write em’ a letter?” “I do not believe that would make things any better” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Somepony like you did som’in’ bad? Ah don’t believe it” “Our customs are from Zairba and Equestria are different” My companion sat down and pouted For once, her actions were a mystery, shrouded ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Little Bloom, why do you do as you do? For you to sit still, is the world at it’s doom?” “Nah but Ah don’t see why anypony’s gotta get kicked out fer no good reason!” “Perhaps you will learn, with the turn of a new season?” “What in tarnation’s that supposed to mean?” the debatably insightful little filly did scream ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “When you have grown and become older, you will understand the weight that I have on my shoulders” “So it that why they sent ya away to Ponyville, cause you got old?” “No my dear, it is because I didn’t do as I was told” “You see,” I continued “As my story unfolds; understand, as a little Zebra, I was quite bold” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And so I did talk, while we trotted and walked Being sure to keep on the path I had blocked From all of the dangers the wild did hold For to me, this little filly was more precious than gold ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was to her and her alone I regaled My past and the reason for telling my tale By the time I had finished, I could tell she had listened For the lake we had passed for at least twenty minutes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Zecora, does this mean ya wouldn’t be here if they din’t make ya leave?” “Yes Apple Bloom, that is as true as these trees” As my answer entered her ears, it did seem That across her perplexed face, a smile did beam ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Why could this mean child, that at my misfortune you smile?” Before she would answer me, she jumped into the lake It was the only one not filled with monsters for goodness sake No reply to my question was problematic at best, was this some sort of challenge, or trial or test? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Resurfacing from the crystal clear water I know She shouted, “Hey I found something cool down below!” But before she could once again dive under water I yelled out real quick, to make sure I would stop her ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Why is it that after my story you grinned, when you saw with your eyes the pain that I’m in?” “Because Zecora, if you never left, I woulda never met ya here!” “This is true, I can see that my mind had much fear” And once more I stood upon a blank rock, lost for a moment in my mind, full of thought ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “So are ya gonna jump in or what?” called my friend Although I did something, I never did reply in the end I just ran to the lake, full of new hopes and new dreams For the family I thought of was not what it seemed ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here is this forest of old and of new, was a life that I made, and a home for it too I had made for myself a large group of hearts, at the center, was this filly, so cheerful and smart Though in leaving my old self behind, it did hurt, my new self only needed these few little words They came from the mouth of a friend, and so sound ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “You n’ me Zecora, we’re family now”