//------------------------------//
// Waliopotea 
// Story: Milia ya Samawati 
// by Comrade Bagel Muffin 
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The Zebra Homelands was a vast expanse of land mostly untamed, and almost always dangerous. Many of the villages and towns were always by waterholes, rivers, or lakes. The population of these villages varied from a couple of families to nearly three hundred. Town also had started to become more common, but cities were still countable by only single digits. Only about 11% of the Homelands had been tamed and were being used. One would think that with so few settlements and so many dangers travel would be incredibly risky being done only by the bravest of zebras. This however was not the case the zebra roads were well maintained and so long as you stayed on them you were safe.

Unfortunately I was an idiot and tried to travel at night. With little light and in full view of the stars. I was easy prey for their tricks, and the little light they gave me caused me to lose the path. Now I was lost in the grassy wilderness of Savana the largest of the Tribe Lands. After spending all morning I gave up on finding the road not knowing where it was or which way to go. I did know one thing though I knew that I couldn’t have gone to far south or north to avoid Maziwa. All I had to do was go west away from the sun rise and toward the place of his setting and I’d eventually arrive at the great lake.

I push on hoping to meet the sun as he set. Sure I was old enough to know that I couldn’t actually go with father sun into the sky if I caught up with him as the place of his setting, not like he’d take me, but the thought of being stuck in the wilderness during the night was a terrifying thought. The stars had played a nasty trick on me, but I wouldn’t wallow in self pity. No I would act as though they had done me a favor maybe then during the night they’d put me back on the road, believing it would cause me more distress than being in the tall wild grass.

Enjoying the walk through the grass wasn’t to difficult since no one was around I was able to remove the hood from my head. I wouldn’t take off the burlap cloak though just in case I ran into a hunting party from one of the small villages which dotted Savana. I smiled as the wind ran through my blue and white mane. It was the first time in over a week that I could enjoy the breeze not fearing if it would blow my hood off. Not all zebra villages were tolerant of half breeds. While some villages and even entire tribes were more than excepting of half breeds, others saw us as a curse, our existence as little less than a blaspheme. They’d rather entertain a Star Child over a Zony.

I was never safe in my travels even if I were on the road. I was safe from wild monsters, but zebras, zebras could be monsters too. I rubbed my eyes, the burlap that was securely tied around my legs did little to alleviate the irritation, but something must have blown into my eye. I swallowed and continued to walk to the west sure that eventually I’d arrive at the great lake. From there all I would have to do is buy passage on a ferry and I could go to Equestria.

Mom had talked a lot about Equestria while we where living together. It was where she came from and where she meet my dad. The two of them meet in college at a place called Canterlot. Which was like the pony’s version of Roam. They had lived there for many year and there they had married. Then the bad thing happened. Mom and Dad never really elaborated on what the bad thing was, but it caused the war, and dad was forced to leave Equestria. Mom, pregnant and not wanting the family to be split apart went with him back to the Homelands. We had lived on the outskirts of Roam for a while until I was born anyways. I was born looking like a zebra but blue stripes among other things branded me a pony. It was clear to everyone that saw me that I was a half breed.

After I was born my dad left the outskirts of Roam and went to Mji Wa Mto. Mom tried to become a professor there, but being a pony didn’t make getting a job easy. One day near dusk nearly a hundred zebras surrounded our house, which was about half a kilometer form the walls. They dragged dad, mom, and me out. I looked away and returned to the present some memories were to painful to remember, leaving wounds that hurt still even after so many years.

The wind must have thrown something else into my eyes because all of a sudden they were real watery again. The sun was directly over head and the day was beginning to become a whole lot hotter. I scanned the horizon for a shade tree and already my luck was beginning to turn around for the better. I spotted a nice big tree off in the distance. Licking the sweat of my lips I headed off in that direction.

I smiled as I surveyed the tree walking all around to be sure that it was safe. Then I walked around once more this time my eyes scanning the horizon all around me. Once I was sure that I was in fact all alone I took off my cloak. The breeze blowing around my body felt amazing. I quickly untied the burlap leg wraps which kept my blue and white coat hidden. They also served a secondary purpose.

The tree was large with good sturdy wide branches. I tied the burlap hammock to the branch and tested the knot. It held, with a smile I jumped practically gliding to the other branch and tied the other set of ropes around it. I jumped into the hammock and rocked back and forth. Smiling and stretching I sighed. Something about sleeping in the air just felt so right. I drifted off to sleep for the first time in over thirty six hours. Dreams of Equestria and the new life that was awaiting me there came to my mind, and I readily received them.