//------------------------------// // coffee is important // Story: royalty of equestria (OLD) // by fandomfoxfire //------------------------------// Zecora ran as fast as her legs could take her. She heard the sounds of snarling and roaring behind her as she fled, hoping the Timberwolves behind her would lose interest and run the other way, but that sadly wasn't the case. Her cloak followed behind, nearly being bitten by the wooden creatures. She sharply turned a corner to try and lose the monsters, but they were only stopped momentarily before they realized where she had gone. She suddenly felt something ram into her, looking up, she saw that in front of her and blocking the path...was a boulder. She was trapped. She turned around, praying to the Goddess Faust that she could run past them, only to realize that they were already only three feet away from her. Her life flashed before her eyes as the creatures stepped closer and closer to her, she could already smell their putrid breath and see the leaves stuck between their sharp teeth. All of a sudden, she saw something fall out of the sky, and land on the back of the largest timberwolf. The wooden wolf let out a sharp yelp and started bucking around like an apple farmer, trying to get whatever it was off of him. With one loud dragon-like yowl, red flames erupted from the thing on it's back, effectively lighting the Alpha timberwolf on fire. The Alpha let out a high-pitched, pain filled screech as it finally bucked whatever it was off of him and ran into the forest with the others, his tail still on fire. "Ow..." Draken sighed, once again, she fell asleep and landed on something and once again she broke something, this time granted it was one of her horns. "Green and black pony of scales! I thank you for answering my prayers!" a voice said in front of her, she looked up to see a zebra in a cloak, a saddle bag around her middle. "If you hadn't come here, I would've been a midnight snack I fear." Draken couldn't help but notice the flowers and other potion ingredients poking out of the saddlebag. "You...wouldn't happen to be, Zecora... Would you?" "Ah, yes my friend I see...come I shall give you everything you need," Zecora said, as she took Draken's claw and restarted the trek to her home. Fizzle watched this transpire from one of the trees, a few times he debated flying in there and stopping what was going on, but then he remembered what Ember told him, 'Don't let her know you're there'. He climbed down the tree trunk and quietly followed them making sure to stay out of sight. "Now my savior" Zecora started, as she opened the door to her hut. "I shall give you all that you require." "All I need is a potion Zecora," Draken said quickly, looking around at the masks and different decorations that littered the place. "Clearly" Zecora muttered, gesturing toward her broken horn. "OH! No, that isn't what I meant, I meant that I'm in need of a disguise!" Zecora lifted an eyebrow, "A disguise is what you seek? Well, I guess not getting coffee now would cause a havoc to wreak" "Yeah, I do need to- wait how did you know about that?!" Draken yelled in surprise, Zecora looked back at her with a completely calm expression "I am a seer my friend, a pony who can see the future for others, down to their end." Draken frowned, "I was always told those didn't really exist, that they were just manipulative ponies who needed bits." Zecora looked back at her with narrowed eyes, "I predict you'll feel a pain in your head" Zecora said bluntly, "wait, wh-" just then Draken heard a rope snap above her, she looked up and felt something slam into her head. A potion bottle smashed over her head and spilled tree sap all over her face. "See what I mean? Pony of gray and green?" Zecora asked, walking over and wiping the sap away from her eyes. Draken's ear twitched, "Okay, I believe you..." Zecora wiped her sap covered hoof off on a nearby cloth before pulling Draken up off the floor, "Now let's see what-" Zecora gasped, her eyes glazing over "Ze-Zecora? uh, you alright there?" Draken waved her hoof in front of Zecora's face but got no response. "Zecora?...yoo-hoo..." Draken wasn't even sure if Zecora was breathing. But just as Draken was about to say something more Zecora woke up with another gasp. "Zecora?" the room suddenly felt very stiff and dark. "I have something very important to tell you, In a time you will have a choice. This choice will be very important for you to make and will impact everything as we know it. Each path will lead to a new destination for every life in Equestria, this choice...it could mean life or death for everyone." Draken was a bit disturbed that she stopped rhyming, she didn't know why but it...scared her. "W-what choice is that?" "I sadly cannot reveal that to you as of yet, but I can give you a hint" "What?!" Draken Asked, "It has something to do with Ember and another dragon, one you've never seen before this day," Zecora said darkly. The air relaxed and the room brightened, Zecora walked over to a shelf and grabbed a potion bottle filled with red liquid. She handed it to Draken as if what just happened...didn't. "Take this one on the border, my friend, this will make sure the peace doesn't end." "But...wait are you just going to ignore what you just did?!" "This prediction will not come for a while I'm sure, you need not worry about something so sore." Draken sighed, "Okay...I guess." "Now best be on your way or the coffee will already be gone for today." "Is...that a prediction?" "Perhaps." Draken jumped and sped out the door so fast that you'd swear she was Rainbow Dash. Fizzle walked in, but before he could speak he saw something fly at him. He closed his eyes and threw his claws up to grab what was coming. His claws closed around the neck of a potion bottle with more red liquid inside, he opened his eyes and looked up to see Zecora facing him. "Huh?" he breathed, "I knew you were coming in through that prediction I made a few moments back, better get going or you'll lose track." Fizzle raised an eyebrow but remembered Draken and flew off after her. Zecora smiled and chuckled to herself, as she went about brewing a love potion that she knew she'd need later. Later, Draken flew through the air like an arrow until she saw the border. She flew down as gently and quietly as possible, feeling shivers go up her spine as she realized what she was doing. She was moving into the borders of another kingdom without the permission of any of the three princesses who governed it. She saw one of the guards' ears turn towards the bush she was hiding behind, oh no. The guard squinted his eyes and stared at the bush. Draken quickly grabbed the potion, threw her head back, and chugged it as fast as she could. The guards jumped when they saw a puff of red smoke from the trees. They lit their horns and held up their spears "Halt! Who goes there?" they yelled in unison, "Uh, my name is..." Draken had to think fast. "Snake...venom?" she was from the dragon kingdom how was she supposed to know how the pony naming system worked?! "Show yourself!" they yelled, "Okay! Okay..." A dark gray mare with red eyes and cleft hooves stepped out of the brush. She had large feathered wings and a white mane...her cutiemark was of a snake coiled around a heart and biting into the top. Both guards immediately jumped and lowered the spears they were holding. "M-my apologies madam! W-we thought you were a trespasser." They once again spoke in unison, right down to the stammer. Both of their faces were red with blush as they stood up as straight and tall as possible. "Erm...okay?" Draken said, a bit confused, as she walked by the border, a bit relieved that they let her pass but also a bit puzzled by the fact they were so quick to let her through. "Oh, well," she thought as she started hopping along down the road "Maybe they were just having a nice day." The guards waited and saw another pony walking up, he had a white coat and a pink mane and tail, large feathered wings with pink outer feathers, he had red eyes and had cleft hooves as well, his cutiemark was of a pink flame. "Say something pony-ish. Say something pony-ish." Fizzle thought to himself, as he walked by he muttered "How are you?" he was met with no response. Though, as he continued down the road he whispered to himself: "nailed it."