The fresh emerald leaves waved in front of the sun, leaving spots in Zecora’s eyes as she stared up at the sky, watching the clouds fluff up and make different shapes.
“That one kinda looks like a fancy stapler,” Sunset said, her head resting on Zecora’s shoulder. The two of them sat in the middle of Canterlot Park. A large Ulmus Americana, or white elm tree, stood over them, showing off its new spring leaves.
“Hmm. But if you turn your head…” Zecora turned her head until she was resting on top of Sunset. “It almost looks like a sled.”
Sunset squinted her eyes as she stared. “You know, if that wasn’t true, I would have thought you did that on purpose.”
Zecora held a hand to her heart. “How rude, you know I would not. And I thought you promised not to make fun of how I talk.”
“Okay, that was on purpose!”
“Perhaps,” Zecora said with a smirk. “But I am getting better. See? No rhymes this time…. Progress is slow.”
Sunset laughed, her warm juju flowing down Zecora’s arm and into the rest of her body. If Zecora had to choose her favorite thing about Sunset, it would be her warmth. The positive aura of her juju manifested as a loving glow like one experienced at holidays spent with family. And that warmth was easily triggered by Sunset’s laugh and smile, two close runner-ups for Zecora’s favorite thing.
Only a month together, and Zecora knew several ways to get Sunset to laugh. While she was never good at jokes, her use of faux melodrama always got a chuckle out of Sunset. When they were in chemistry class together, Zecora would sometimes over-emphasize the pronunciation of elements and chemicals. Combined with her accent, Sunset was left face first against the table, clutching her sides.
Likewise, Sunset could get Zecora to snort in a very undignified fashion whenever she recounted a misadventure with her friends. Most of them involved Pinkie Pie doing something seemingly impossible. Zecora couldn’t help but wonder if she was actually a supernatural being...
The two girls shared a quiet moment before Zecora’s eyes caught sight of her book bag lying a foot away. “Shall we continue studying chemistry? Though by now, you have the chapter committed to… you have most of it memorized.”
“Nice save,” Sunset said with a snicker. “And I think we’ve got plenty of chemistry already, don’t you?”
A bubble of laughter rose in Zecora’s throat and escaped as a snort. Bad puns were another weakness of hers. “Sunset, you are most certainly a… ‘goofball’ is it?”
“Goofball is one word you could use.” Sunset pressed herself closer to Zecora, her long hair brushing against Zecora’s nose. It smelled like strawberries.
After another moment of silence, Sunset said, “Hey, Z, tell me more about where you’re from.”
Zecora plucked a blade of grass and brought it level to her eyes, rolling it between her fingers. “Why are you so curious about my past?”
“Well…” Sunset rested a hand on Zecora’s leg. “I guess it helps me learn more about you.”
Ah, but there are some things you can’t know about me. Not for a long time, at least. Zecora opened her hand and let the wind carry the grass away. “Well, contrary to what some believe, I grew up near the cities.” She gave an irritated cough. “I mean, I didn’t grow up in some village.”
“It’s okay, Z. Just talk.”
“Yes. My apologies. Anyway, I grew up just outside the city, in a suburb almost like this one. The houses were wider apart, and yes, the road was dirt instead of stone, but we lived in a nice, middle-class home. I had friends to play and study with. We traveled everyday by bus to go to school in the city. In the evenings, when we finished our studying, and when I did not have… chores, we played football. That’s soccer, for you.”
“Sounds nice.”
“It was. We had trees to climb, fields to run. There was never a shortage of… entertainment.”
Sunset laughed quietly. “So, why did your parents decide to move?”
Zecora was silent for a while, watching a cloud take on the shape of large talons. “Education still only goes so far where I come from. My parents wanted their only daughter to have as many opportunities as possible.” She shuddered. Lying was an easy way to earn bad juju.
“Do you miss home?”
“I do. I had friends and family there. But, I keep them close in my heart. Bonds like that are not broken by petty things like distance.”
Sunset’s aura and warmth flickered. “Yeah…”
“What about you, Sunset? You have hardly told me about your homeland. I am curious to know you, too.” Zecora bent forward and kissed the top of Sunset’s head.
Sunset was silent for so long, Zecora was worried she might have dozed off. Then, “I grew up in a beautiful city. Rich with history and culture, and just well, rich. I got to go to the best school, study under… well, she was infinitely wise and kind. She became a second mother to me.”
Fondness mixed with regret. Sunset’s aura faded out, leaving her cold. Zecora wrapped an arm around her and pulled her tight. “What happened?”
“I… I made some bad choices. I wasn’t always a good person. I thought she wasn’t giving me what I deserved, so I ran away to here.”
“Did you find it?”
Sunset nodded. “Yeah. And I found out I didn’t want it. I hadn’t earned it, and it… well… you can’t force destiny.”
Zecora nuzzled her face into Sunset’s hair until she found her ear. “It sounds like you’ve learned a lot since you left your teacher. Perhaps you should show her the new you.”
Sunset stiffened for a second, then relaxed again. “I can’t. It’s… complicated. Maybe someday.”
“I understand.” Zecora kissed her ear and said softly, “But you are a girl with such a radiant light. Seeing you again, I’m sure would be a welcoming sight. I mean, I think she would be very glad to see you.”
Sunset rotated and turned her face up to Zecora. Their eyes met, and both of them leaned forward into a loving kiss.
******
Sunset whipped around as Zecora stepped into the clearing. There was no golden aura flowing off her. Her teal eyes did not sparkle with kindness. Instead, there was a faint red glow surrounding her, and her eyes were frantic, filled with both fear… and anger.
“Who’s there?” Her voice was deeper than usual, and far more gravely. “You can’t be here!”
Zecora remained silent. Her staff trembled in her hand, and her heavy breathing made her mask very warm. Ancestors, please let this be a dream. Tell me it is not true.
But she knew it was real. Real as the anguish on Sunset’s pale and clammy face. Moonlight had almost completely engulfed the clearing.
A static buzz in her ear drew Zecora’s attention away for just a moment.
“...ora...there? Lost… hear…”
Zecora raised a hand and switched her comlink off, then slowly moved her mask up her face, revealing herself to Sunset.
Her pupils dilated. “Zecora? Why are you here? You… you were never supposed to see this!”
Zecora pushed her hand forward. “Please, Sunset, be at peace—”
“Peace? You want me to be at peace?” Distraught fear morphed to anger, and with it, her voice fell to a guttural growl. “At peace is the last thing I can be right now! You weren’t supposed to know. Nobody was supposed to know! You have to leave!”
Sunset hunched over, pressing both her hands to her heart. Her hair, already frizzed and wild from her run into the forest, grew longer and more matted. Her breathing came in ragged pants now, intermixed with growling and snapping.
Zecora’s knuckles turned white as she clenched her silver spear tighter. She knew what to do in a situation like this. She had been trained specifically for this reason.
Kill the beasts of the supernatural. That was what Wawindaji did—what her family did.
But the pain in Sunset’s eyes… the anguish… the memories of their time together… the warm aura she always had…. Sunset was not some monster, she was a girl in trouble. But what could Zecora do?
Sunset threw off her large coat, revealing a simple white shirt and board shorts, both of them stretching taut over her growing form. “Zecora,” she said, struggling to keep her words intelligible, “run!”
She fell to her hands and knees, bones audibly cracking as her body shifted. Her ears elongated, poking through her mane of hair, while her mouth stretched to accommodate her rapidly growing teeth, drool slipping between her razor sharp canines.
Both halves of Zecora’s fight or flight response were screaming in her brain to make a move. The fight half reminded her of how much training she had, the weapon in her hand, and the vulnerability of the prey before her. The flight half told her she had a good sixty second head start if she ran right now, maybe even more if she used her surroundings right.
But the the third half, the one rarely talked about, had complete control. Zecora was frozen where she stood, forced to watch as her girlfriend slowly morphed into a monster.
Sunset arched her back, eliciting loud pops from her spine. She let out a cry of pain and dug her new jagged claws into the dirt. Her clothes tore to pieces she grew additional muscle and bulk. Crimson fur grew across her, quickly covering up her naked form.
She pushed herself up onto her hind legs, standing over seven feet tall. A long, bushy tail curled behind her, giving an excited swish as Sunset’s eyes stared down Zecora, their teal light dimmed.
Zecora began to slip out of her trance, easing a foot back. “Sunset…”
Sunset raised her head to the full moon above her and howled, raising the hair on Zecora’s neck. The howl turned into a snarl as Sunset fell back onto all fours and charged at Zecora.
******
“Your mother is taking a late shift at the hospital, so you are on night watch tonight.”
Zecora gripped her phone tighter, an angry retort on her lips. She caught herself in time and said, “Yes, Baba.”
“Good. I will see you after school.”
“Okay.” She swiped her phone closed and stowed it in the lone pocket on her dress.
“That looks like the face of disappointment,” Sunset said with playful air.
Zecora sighed. “I’m afraid we’ll have to reschedule this evening’s date. I have additional chores now that my mother is working… she took a night shift at the hospital.”
Sunset’s playful smirk fell. “Oh. Well, that’s okay.”
“Perhaps this weekend?”
“Uhhh, no, that wouldn't work. I kinda already made plans.”
Zecora cocked her head. There it was again; one of Sunset’s half truths. Zecora was tempted to press for more information, but Sunset spoke first.
“Hey, maybe I could, I dunno, come with you? Help you with your chores? Maybe meet your family?”
Zecora kept a calm face despite the pounding of her heart. “No, I could not ask you to do that, though I appreciate the offer. Asking a guest to help with work is considered quite rude in my culture.” With her own half truth out in the air, Zecora supposed she had no room to question Sunset now.
“Oh. That’s okay, then.” Sunset’s shoulders sagged, however. Combined with the bags under her eyes, she looked quite miserable.
Zecora laced her fingers in between Sunset’s. “I’m sorry.”
Sunset tried to put on a reassuring smile, but it only looked pained. “No, really, it’s fine. There’ll be other times. Great, you’ve got me rhyming now.”
Zecora didn’t laugh. She was too busy examining the tired lines on Sunset’s face. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. It’s just, you know, that time of the month.”
Another half truth.
******
Zecora threw herself to the side, narrowly avoiding Sunset’s lunge. Her training kicked in, and Zecora jabbed the butt of her spear into Sunset’s side, knocking her off balance.
Sunset recovered and swiped at Zecora with her black claws. Zecora raised her staff, letting it take the brunt of the blow, but the force behind it knocked her off her feet and sent her to the ground.
Swinging her staff as she fell, Zecora managed to slap Sunset across the cheek, leaving a shallow cut on her muzzle. Zecora heard the silver sizzle against skin and Sunset howl in pain. It was enough to stop her from immediately pouncing on Zecora, giving the warrior enough time to roll onto her feet and sprint into the trees.
Sunset stayed right on her heels, crashing through the undergrowth and forcing herself in between the narrow trees. Zecora ducked and weaved, staying a hair’s breadth out of Sunset’s claw range.
With the moon nearing its zenith, the forest was bright and easy to navigate, even in Zecora’s haste. She spotted a low and flexible looking branch ahead of her and sped toward it. She reached a hand out, grabbing it as she passed and bending it back.
When she released it, it swung forward, and a loud, stinging slap echoed through the trees, followed by a grizzly whine.
Forgive me, Sunset. Zecora had opened the gap between them, but Sunset remained in hot pursuit. If she could get far enough away from Sunset, her cloak would mask her scent.
Zecora picked the narrowest trees to squeeze through and made sharp turns to shake Sunset off. But her feral girlfriend proved determined to pin Zecora.
How did I not see? The signs were right in front of me. Maybe she hadn’t wanted to see. The idea that her new love could be any sort of monster never crossed her mind.
But the bags under her eyes every month. They aligned perfectly with the full moon, not that Zecora had thought on it. And Sunset liked her meat rare, an oddity according to her friends who claimed she had been a vegetarian until recently.
And just yesterday, Zecora had been given the biggest hint of all…
******
The more Zecora thought, the harder her teeth pressed down into her lower lip. It seemed so materialistic now that she looked at it. But, didn’t Western girls like pretty jewelry? She looked at her arm, four gold bangles practically glowing against her dark gray skin. Jewelry was more ritualistic than fashionable where she came from, but Zecora still found it pretty to look at.
And the way the silver necklace sitting in her palm glittered under the florescent hall lights was equally enticing. Zecora could almost see her reflection in the center ruby.
She would like it, yes? Or am I about to make a big mess? She gave a rough shake of her head.
Perhaps such a gift was improper at this point in their relationship? They had only been dating a few months. Maybe a silver necklace was too much?
I should not have been enticed by that jewelry stand. She would have preferred something made by my hand. Zecora shook her head again. “Stop that,” she muttered aloud. She would have liked to think she was getting better at not speaking in rhyme. Her inner thought proved otherwise.
“Hey, Z!”
Zecora closed her palm and moved her hand behind her back. “Habari za asubuhi, Sunset!” she said cheerfully. Her joviality drained upon seeing the deep lines under Sunset’s eyes. “Under the weather again, my dear?”
Sunset grinned and shrugged. “Just that time of the month, you know? I’ll be fine, really.” She leaned in and gave Zecora a kiss on her warrior tattoos.
Zecora made a throaty giggle. “If you say so. But perhaps a little gift will aid in raising your spirits?”
“You got me something?”
Bringing her hand around and opening her palm, Zecora showed off the silver necklace. “I was at the mall, and I saw it, and the ruby reminded me of you, because it’s beautiful, and you are beautiful, and...” she trailed off, her eyes focused on the ground. She felt like a young child talking to their first crush.
“Wow… Zecora, I don’t know what to say—ow!” Sunset snatched her hand away like the necklace had reared up and bit her.
Zecora looked from it to Sunset. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” Sunset shook her hand out. “Yeah. Must have nicked myself on the chain.” She reached for it again, fingers trembling as she took hold of it by the jewel and held it closer to her face.
“It’s beautiful, Zecora,” she said breathlessly. “Really, I don’t know what to say.”
Zecora didn’t know what to say either. Sunset was desperately fighting to keep the emotions on her face under control. Her aura was dimmer. Had she lied about something? Did she really not like the gift? When she smiled, it was honest, yet muddled with pain.
“You shouldn't have. And I don’t have anything to give you.”
“I don’t need anything in return,” Zecora said, drawing her eyes away from Sunset’s face. “You were kind to me from the moment I first arrived. I just wanted to show I appreciate you and everything you do.”
A pair of arms wrapped themselves around her neck as Sunset pulled her into an embrace. “Even with all the friends I have,” she said quietly, “sometimes, I feel alone and isolated. But around you, that feeling washes away. I feel like I belong. I appreciate everything you do, too.”
Zecora wrapped her arms around Sunset’s middle and melted into the warmth of her light, forgetting all about the necklace.
******
How could she have been so blind? Her baba would be disappointed in her hunting skills. Of course Sunset had acted odd when Zecora had given her a necklace made of silver. Yet, she had taken it anyway; bore the pain for Zecora’s sake.
Zecora cursed in her native tongue, both for not realizing Sunset was a werewolf, and for causing her so much pain.
“A monster is a monster,” her father’s stern voice said in her ear. “It is our job to put them down. It’s for their own good, and for the good of the world.”
No! Zecora eyes stung as tears gathered at the corners. She could not kill Sunset. She would not allow her girlfriend’s death to be tattooed on her face.
Her tears got the best of her, obscuring the forest behind a liquidy veil. Her foot caught against an exposed root, and she tumbled head first into the dirt. She rolled over onto her back and threw her spear out in front of her.
Sunset ground to a halt before Zecora’s silver weapon, her hungry eyes roving between Zecora and the staff’s bladed edges.
“S-Sunset, stay back. I do not wish to attack.” Keeping her spear forward, Zecora managed to pick herself up into a defensive crouch.
Growling in anticipation, Sunset began to prowl around Zecora. The huntress circled with her. Two feet of staff and blade were the only thing keeping them from one another.
“Please, Sunset. It’s me. It’s Zecora. And I know you are still you somewhere in there.” Zecora kept her voice steady, but her tears fell freely now.
Sunset’s ears twitched and she raised her muzzle upward an inch. Her pacing didn’t cease, but her glowing eyes were focused more on Zecora than her weapon.
“Yes.” Zecora cracked a smile. “I know you can hear me. I know it is hard, but please, Sunset, try to gain some of your senses. You are not a monster. You are a being of light. Please, for me, try to fight.”
They continued to circle each other, Sunset crouched on her back legs while flexing her front claws. Zecora didn’t lower her guard, but she thought she saw something flicker in Sunset’s eyes. Something human.
Sunset put in a burst of speed, swinging around Zecora before making a lunge. Zecora jumped to the side and swung the back end of her staff, crashing it into Sunset’s jaw. She staggered a few steps, then made another swing at Zecora, her claws clanging against the silver shaft. Howling in pain, Sunset gripped the staff with both hands and tried with all her might to rip it from Zecora’s grasp.
The acrid scent of burning fur filled the air. Zecora’s stomach churned at the stench. She grit her teeth to block it out, focusing on the strain her muscles were under to keep the spear in her hands. Sunset’s brute strength rivaled Zecora’s training. She knew she couldn’t keep the struggle up for very long.
Instead, Zecora swept her leg out, hooking her ankle behind Sunset’s arched foot and pulled forward. Sunset fell onto her back, and Zecora pinned her down with a boot on her crimson-furred chest, aiming the spear at Sunset’s face.
“Don’t make me do it!” Zecora cried. “Please, my love! I could not bear it!”
Sunset stared up at her, panting hard, her throat convulsing and chest heaving underneath Zecora’s boot. She blinked hard, like she was trying to get something out of her eyes. Then, she worked her jaw, flexing her mouth in odd contortions. An odd sound escaped her lips.
Zecora leaned an inch forward, bringing the spear tip lower.
Sunset’s mouth moved again. “Ze… co... ra…”
It was guttural and rough, but Zecora heard it. She saw her Sunset struggling somewhere inside the monster pinned to the ground.
Zecora jumped back, landing several feet away from Sunset. Spear still raised in defense, she watched as Sunset climbed onto her hind legs and glare at Zecora, her lips pulled back into a snarl.
For a moment, Zecora thought Sunset was going to strike again. Sunset flexed her claws, and Zecora lowered her stance.
Sunset dropped onto all fours, turned around, and raced deeper into the forest, leaving behind a trail of broken branches.
Zecora’s entire body went limp as all the tension left at once. She slammed her staff against the ground and leaned against it, breathing deep.
I knew you were still there, Sunset.
Weighted with exhaustion, Zecora limped out of the forest. She couldn't imagine what she would say to her baba.
She couldn't imagine what she would say to Sunset.