A Homeland's Curse. A Zebra's Remorse.

by Taco Belle

For it seems no end to this curse there be, What shall become of Me?

"For it seems no end to this curse there be, What shall become of Me?"

~~~~~~

"So..." Spoke a small orange Pegasus, buzzing along the forested path just ahead of her friends, a flashlight firmly duct-taped to the handles of her Scooter, cardboard wings, both in different degrees of disrepair hang from the sides of her scooter, from an attempt, earlier that day, to become Cutiemark Crusaders Airlines.

It didn't work.

"Why Exactly are we out here in the middle of the Everfree Forest at... What is it, half-past Nightfall?" She finishes looking back at her companions, who followed her down the Path through the Everfree, the same one Applebloom uses Daily, with a look of annoyance, covering more then a small amount of fear, upon her face.

Applebloom walked quietly a Bit, looking ahead, eyes full of Worry, as Sweetie speaks up in her stead, looking at Applebloom with worry in her own."Before we came to fetch you, she.. Said she was worried about Zecora..."

"Zecora- Really? The mare who lives in the middle of the Everfree forest, year round, and doesn't even blink about it!?" She says, her wings stopping, causing her forward momentum to peter out, as she turns to face her cohorts with a face of distill grump.

Applebloom's own face contorted into one of expectant frustration. "Scootaloo, somethin's very wrong with Zecora, she's been Actin'... Strange all week." She says, looking downward slightly and walking past the stalled scooter.

"Strange? What do you mean, strange?" Scootaloo replies, eyes widening slightly, and her wings buzzing to pull infront of Applebloom, Sweetie speeding slightly to catch up, and to butt in with "D-do you think she's alright?"

Applebloom took a deep breath, and released it with a sigh and a shrug, "It began about.." She paused a moment to recall the past, turning her gaze upward at the stars peeking through the shadows of the trees, "a week-ish ago, ah was heading to Zecora's place early to help with a.. Mess I caused-"

"Is that why your hooves were purple?" Scootaloo interrupted, before being glared into submission by a concerned unicorn.

"-Uh... Yeah, but on the way, Ah went 'head and cut off the path to make a more straight shot, shave off some time.. And ah saw Zecora leavin' Fluttershy's cabin, and Ah was gonna say hey to her... When..."

Scootaloo has slowed down to equel Applebloom's pace, and Sweetie used Scoots position to flank Applebloom, both leaning in with a mix of curiosity and worry.

"...When she sat down suddenly, held her head in her hooves for a few... And then grabbed two rocks and slammed them, hard, on either side of her head."

Applebloom's companions stopped, wide eyed, and stared at the apple filly as she kept going at her worried pace, before turning to each other, they're brows furrowing with a now severe worry, before Applebloom continued suddenly.

"And not only that.." She said, releasing a soft sniff, "when ah went 'head and began cleaning, figurin' it was some... Zebra traveling ritual for luck or somethin'-" Applebloom ignored the pegasus fillies snort and giggle, "But then when she came home, before even' greetin' me, before Ah even knew she was there, she rammed herself head first into her cauldron...."

Sweetie goes to speak, but is cut off, by a now teary Applebloom, "And That wasn't the last time, at Ms.Cakes birthday party, when Pinkie blew up the cake and covered everyone with frosting, instead of laughing like everypony else, she... hit her head against the counter, then left quietly... no one even noticed.. and I'd of followed her but... well, Pinkie and the whole Pistachio pudding thing."

Sweetie frowns heavily, "What do you thinks wrong?",

Scootaloo cut in before Applebloom can reply, "Actually... When I was at the Library yesterday looking for that book I didn't find on aerodynamics, Zecora was there talking about lettuce or something, and on her way out, and I only saw her shadow, but it looked like she slammed her head in the door.. But the mirror was crooked... And I had just... Sorta knocked over one of Twilight's book-pillers, and was worried I'd get yelled at, so I wrote it off.."

"In the Door?!" Sweetie comments, her hoof covering her mouth to hide her gaping mouth from the world.

"Somethin's wrong with Zecora, and we need ta find out what..." Applebloom informs her compatriots,

Sweetie replying quickly.. "Wait, why don't we just... You know... Ask her?"

"Because she's obviously hidin' it.. Prolly worried WE'D worry 'bout her. So we need ta snoop."

"I dunno girls, this seems like a bit of an... Invasion of privacy." Applebloom suddenly turning her head to Scootaloo, mouth agape,

"Since when didja start bein' th-"

"I think she's right Appebloom, we should just come by tomarrow and ask, I mean, it would be rude t-"

"Hahahahah, I'm just Buckin' with you girls, come on lets go-"

"Language, Scoots!"

"Oh, sorry Sweetie..."

Applebloom groaned in silence, stopping as Scootaloo zoomed ahead, Sweetie following after, demanding she slow down, to set down and rub her forehead with a hoof.

"Please be okay Zecora..."

~~~~~

Zecora's tree home stood tall, and uncharacteristically imposing to the young fillies, who stared up apon the 'welcoming' mask above the door, which in the light of they're single flashlight, now being held in Sweetie's mouth, has taken on a eerie air to it...

Made worse by the last of a stray fog bank that rolled in from nowhere.

"Well she's fine, lets go-" scootaloo started, as Applebloom began heading past the door and went to round a corner, before turning to Sweetie and jerking her head in the direction she was heading, calling the unicorn to follow.

"Girls we-" She was cut off again, by a duo of intense shushes.

She groans, detesting being silenced when she had words to spew, but understood it was serious business time, and follows the two quickly, rounding the corner a few trots behind he other two, and spots Sweeite climbing up onto Applebloom's back, still holding the Flashlight in her teeth, she squints her eyes, beckoning her magic to rise... though it wasn't much, it was enough to lift the latch on the inside of the round window, and push it open, allowing Sweetie to hop inside onto Zecora's dresser, where she dangles her tail for Applebloom to climb, as Scootaloo hopped over the two of them with a buzz assisted jump, landing onto the hard wood floor with a resounding clop.

The Sleeping form of Zecora snorts at the noise, followed by a rasping grumble, in the yellow-covered bed across the room from them, past the dark, beaded walkway to the main chamber, which is eerily incandescent from the various bottles of magical fluids...

Scootaloo looks sheepishly up at the scolding glares of her friends, as they carefully climb down from the dresser to join her, Applebloom reuniting Scootaloo with the dreaded "Shooooosh!".

Together again, they aproached the Bed where Zecora lay, her unique tail hanging out from under the covers, draped off the beds simple matress.

Sweetie suddenly got a weird feeling of dread as Applebloom went to uncover Zecora's head, to check on her zebra friend, and moved up and raised a hoof to try and stop her reach, but her movements were too slow as Applebloom pulled the covers off her head-

Three fillies hearts skipped a beat as they all stared at a dessicated, dried, fanged Zebra carcus laying it's head on Zecora's bed, Scootaloo stared in horror as Sweetie started back for the door in a Panic.

Applebloom went to speak, but everything in the room ground to a halt, and a pair of sunken eyes open, revealing glowing yellow eyes as bright as a torch, that filled the room with a fiery glow, as the creature that was once there close friend opened its mouth and utters some glutteral, nightmarish declaration, as it suddenly lurched at the two ponies who haven't already began fleeing, causing them to scream, nearly muffling the sound of a heavy chain rattling as the monster stood apon the bed, wearing the yellow blanket like a cloak, its yellow gaze upon the two fillies, who are joined by a third as Sweetie stopped halfway up the dresser to see why they were screaming.

Applebloom turned and fled, as Scootaloo stared onward horrified.

Not hearing her friends Hooves besides hers she quickly turns back, grabs Scootaloo's forehoof, and drags her after, snapping her out of it...

Just in time for a razor sharp, slightly hooked hoof to sink into the skin of her Flank, causing scootaloo to scream at the top of her lungs as fear and adrenaline mix into a volatile cocktail, forcing her onward as the creature continues to growl in hunger, dispite the streams of blood pouring down her left flank, buzzing out the window carrying apple bloom, knocking Sweetie out of it in the process.

The Three girls sped up the path to Ponyville, Scootaloo hopping onto her scooter, forgoing the helmet, as her leg begins to ache.

~~~~~

Did i just hear Gasps? Oh please, just be wild Asps...

Zecora thought, opening her eyes and finding her head uncovered, her horrifying visage in plain view to the two Fillies, a third already fleeing as Zecora sat up, sunken, glowing eyes full of worry, as her voice escapes her toothy may in its raspy, vacant manner "Wait girls, I can explain, let me lay the truth plain!" she calls to the girls, Applebloom, dear sweet innocent Applebloom, turning to flee, and Scootaloo...

The fear in her eyes causes Zecora's unbeating heart to ache, as Applebloom returns to the forefront and grabs Scootaloo, and they begin to flee.

"Wait girls, listen to me, lest confusion unfu-" She stood to go over them, to make them stay and listen, but as she went to hop off her bed, she finds both her hind legs entangled by her chain, causing her to slip...

The sound of tearing flesh fills her ears, as the smell of warm blood joins it, her dried, pulled lips full back on there own, expectantly, but Zecora denies them, freeing her hindlegs, and standing, only to see the three filly's gone.... Save for a trail of blood.... And a long, hoof-width length of sliced skin, blood covering it's orange fur, as it lays wet-side down apon the hard wooden floor, pitiful, murkey tears form in the corpse mare's eyes, as she stares at her open window, mouth slightly agape..

"For hope... There is none..." She speaks, flopping onto her haunches...

"...What.. Have I done..."

~~THE END~~

Author's Note:

If you find any typing errors, punctuation mistakes, spelling mistakes, or got a better rhyme for a spot, please, share in the comments, Celly knows i need help.

Comments

[Adin]

Was going to read this, but then I noticed a typo in both chapter titles. That doesn't inspire confidence.

[Taco Belle]

3857510 Yeah i posted them without proofreading first... i have a hard time spotting my own Mess-ups.

Thanks for pointing them out, I'll fix them Asap.

If you change your mind, feel free to point out any specific errors, and try to let the story shine past its flaws.

[Taco Belle]

3857587 Oh, thank you, tho like i said before, i didn't get this stuff proofread any...

So besides that, and my of habit of random Capitalization...

Didja like the story any?

[Adin]

3857518 Well after a polite and prompt response like that I felt compelled to read it.

The verdict:

The Good: Very interesting premise, not many writers accept the Zecora challenge, I'm very interested in where this story is going.

The Bad: Abundant technical issues and typos. Really needs a good once over from a good editor, but not worse than many first drafts. Other than that fairly well written.

I'm withholding a like until it gets cleaned up a bit, but I am adding to favorites.

[Taco Belle]

3858310 I hopefully got someone Proofreading now, lets hope he cleans up my Errors.

[TP Night]

Thanks for the bonus credits, much appreciated

[RC]

Taco. You rule at all languistic schools. Though not manny beleave rhyming is worth it, i do so just because i will get a bit. Though ghoul zecorra is a smart placement, even if the main 6 are never gonna stop having a replacement. I say this my belle frend, let this story not find a swift end.

[Taco Belle]

3868046 I had assumed there was less Stories focusing on Zecora, cuz her speech can be annoying...

And i had to scrap 1400 words today because i realized the next chapter focused almost entirely on Twilight, and not the titular character,,,

[RC]

3868609 that dosent bother me. I beleave from what you said it from appleblomes pov then twilights after she lerns what happens. It may be a chaleng but it is fun.

[Taco Belle]

3873328 The next Chapter will primarily be from Fluttershy's perspective, trying to deal with three panicked fillies, and Doctoring Scootaloo's flank.

But we'll also see Zecora decide on what to do next, and stuff.

[RC]

3873344 oh good sir, should you need help with zecoras rhyms im am the one who you can call to voice her. For with rhymes i can speack with out a dime. A poet i may not be yet rhymes are made for me.