//------------------------------//
// Welcome Home... Now Get Out 
// Story: Zecora's Redemption 
// by The Mountaineer Brony 
//------------------------------//

After a week or so of preparation, the Friendship Ambassadors along with their Zebrican Cultural Guide were loading their luggage onto Twilight's hot air balloon. Her Number One Assistant was being made to help, something which he was normally accustomed to, but now, he bemoaned.

"Come oooonnn, Twilight! Do I have to come along on this trip? Big Mac, Discord and I were going to pl--"

He was going to say "play Ogres & Oubliettes," a common activity they partook in when the girls were away; even though all of them knew about it, Spike still liked to keep an air of secrecy around his "Guy's Night" activities. 

"...were going to plant new flowers and tidy up the castle!"

"Uh huh." Twilight responded snarkily. "Well, I'm sorry, Spike, but I need you to help me take all sorts of notes on Zebrican culture! I'm so excited to finally learn more of the home Zecora came from!" 

Zecora stood off to the side, scratching the back of her head with an awkward smile. She didn't have very much to pack, keeping everything inside a single pack, strapped tight to her atop a drab brown cloak. Reluctantly, she boarded the balloon basket when all the other ponies began to. 

"Starlight, are you sure you can handle things while we're gone?" Twilight asked from across the way.

Her student waved a dismissive hoof. "Don't sweat it, Twilight! I've already taken care of getting substitute teachers, and I'll make sure to keep our new substitute vice-principal on a short leash."

With her words, an ornery draconequus popped into being beside her. 

"Yes, don't worry your little head, Twilight, the world's best vice-principal has got everything under control!"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "I'm sure."

As Applejack untied the ropes holding them to the dock and Pinkie yanked down on the burner chain, the balloon began to lift into the air. Starlight waved goodbye normally, but Discord, naturally, had a flair for the dramatic. Rushing to the edge of the dock in a blonde wig and white dress, he waved a handkerchief through the air and called out goodbyes; when he blew his nose into the cloth, it turned into a white dove and flew away.

"You behave yourself, Discord!" Fluttershy called out from the balloon. 

"Only if you stay safe!" He called back. 

As the ponies drifted off towards the horizon, the tall being of chaos turned towards his temporary superior. "Well, Discord, now that they're off, there's some school business to attend to and--"

"Now hold up, Starlight! Can't the responsibilities wait?" Discord produced a deck of playing cards from thin air. "Would you care for a game of poker?"

"Poker?" asked Starlight. "I don't see why we shou--"

Before she could finish her thought, Discord's talon-hand appeared from the complete opposite side and jabbed her in the ribs. "You know, poke her!" he chuckled. Several more hands appeared from nowhere to boop the pony repeatedly on the nose, each one producing a different zany sound.

"DISCORD!" Starlight yelled in irritation, chasing the wily creature who now fled from her, squealing, in the form of a pig.





Several days of flight later and the delegation still hadn't reached Zebrica. 

"Are we even heading in the right direction?" Rainbow Dash complained, circling lazily around the balloon backwards in a reclining position.

"The zebra lands are south o' here." replied Applejack. "We've been a-headin' south for durn near a week!"

"It's a good thing I packed plenty of adventure cupcakes!" Pinkie Pie chimed in, holding a tray of sweets aloft. 

The party collectively groaned. One could not live on cupcakes alone, forget doing so while staving off airsickness. 

"So, Zecora," Twilight spoke up, hoping to distract herself from the thought of another cupcake meal with learning "are there any interesting landmarks in your homeland? Spike brought along his camera and an empty scrapbook."

Fluttershy and Rarity both perked up upon hearing the word 'scrapbook', while Zecora turned, scratching her chin in thought, to address Twilight. "Mount Fillymanjaro is an astonishing sight, and Neighgoroneighgoro Crater is quite peaceful at night."

Rainbow Dash made another pass around the balloon, and her eye happened to catch sight of something glittering on the horizon. Upon closer inspection, it was a large, flat-topped mountain, capped with snow. 

"A mountain?" she asked "Like that one?"

The five ponies, zebra, and dragon in the balloon all crowded towards the front to look at what had come into view. 

"That must be Mount Fillymanjaro! We must be getting close!" Twilight blurted excitedly. 

Zecora nodded. "That mountain is visible from my home! We have not much farther left to roam!"

The others all cheered; Pinkie produced a party popper from her mane and sent confetti showering over her fellow travelers. 

Zecora spoke up again. "There is something I should tell you before we embark, something wise to know when you meet the monarch."

The ponies turned to her as she continued to elaborate. Reaching into her saddlebag, she produced an old, weathered map, long unused, of her native land.

"Though at its surface, Zebrica appears to be one united nation, it is not, though all zebras are tied by cultural relation. Instead of one country, like where you originate, Zebrica is instead ruled by many large city-states."

The Elements nodded thoughtfully. "It kind of reminds me of how the three tribes of ponies used to squabble over Equestria." Fluttershy pointed out meekly.

Zecora returned a nod. "Indeed, there have been squabbles and stress, though the things dividing zebrakind amount to even less."

"So, which 'nation' are you from, Zecora?" Twilight inquired.

"Though it has been long since I saw myself as one, I am a daughter of the Zanzebrar civilization."

"Then that's where we'll go first!" Twilight said, a look of determination in her eyes. She levitated the map over to Spike at the controls of the balloon. "Spike, bring us down outside the city of Zanzebrar!" 

Zecora hid a gulp of nervousness. "Oh Celestia, here we go." she thought, unusually out-of-verse, as the Zebrican continent slowly came into view below them.





As the balloon touched down on the dusty savannah, Zecora pulled her hood tight around her head and made sure her Cutie Mark was well hidden. If anyzebra recognized who she was, she could put the whole delegation in jeopardy. She was more or less obligated to walk at the head of the company alongside Twilight; she was, after all, the officially appointed guide. 

As they approached the great wooden gates, taller even than the great red dragon that Fluttershy had once warded off, Zecora couldn't help but get a little sentimental. Though she wasn't born in the city, she and her mother would come here to shop in the markets, visit the bathhouse, and, once a year on her birthday, see a play at the theatre. Despite her best efforts to hold them back, a single tear rolled down her cheek. Twilight was the only one who noticed this, and gave a soft smile. 

"Memories?" she asked simply. 

"I must stay collected as part of your committee, but... I thought I'd never again see the capital city..."

Twilight and Zecora shared a hug, and led the rest of the party in through the gates. 

The central marketplace was just as crowded as Zecora remembered it, and several of the same shops were still in business, albeit now run by zebras her and Twilight's age. There were fine silks, rugs, and tapestries strung up on wooden frames, fresh fruit overflowing from baskets, and plenty of other goods strapped to the backs of camels. Perhaps the most familiar thing to Zecora, however, were the smells... oh, the wonderous smells! Scents she'd dearly missed from her past overwhelmed her senses: Jasmine! Agarwood! Frankincense and myrrh! Yes, Zecora still remembered the spices, in her opinion, the one true product of Zebrica!

As the Equestrian delegation passed throught the bustling streets, they were heckled by saleszebras beyond measure, enticing them to purchase their goods in rhyming speech. 

"Zecora," Twilight began "does everypony here speak in rhyme?"

She chuckled, as she knew the question would come up eventually. "It is not entirely customary, and between situations, the custom may vary. Centuries ago, it became popular with the ruling classes, and then, through imitation, it was spoken by the masses. This rule tends to apply only to Ponish, you see, so speaking the native Zebrish will be easier on me."

"Ooh!" Twilight's desire to know more intensified. "Do you think you could sit me down for some language lessons sometime?"

"That's not a bad idea, my friend, though our tongue can seem difficult to comprehend. The least I can do is teach you our script; being able to read signs is helpful on any trip."

Twilight stopped in her tracks, her face lighting up. Zecora had her at 'read'. Excitedly, she held a forehoof in the air. "Spike! The books have been doubled!" 

Zecora confusedly regarded the young princess, but Spike wasn't surprised. "She gets this way when you give her a bunch of new things to read." The dragon pulled Twilight along by her raised hoof until she snapped out of her excited trance.





Finally, the group of friends reached the doors of the royal palace. Zecora held her head down and pulled her hood forward as far as she could. 

"Ah, you must be the Equestrian delegation!" One zebra guard greeted them, holding a spear. "Your arrival shall fill the palace with much jubilation!"

As Twilight politely greeted the guard and asked that the doors be opened, Zecora tried to steady her breathing. Her mind flashed back to the last time she stood in the Zanzebrar throne room: her trial. "Do this for Twilight! You must stay calm!" Zecora simultaneously comforted and admonished herself internally. "Keep breathing and quell this internal maelstrom!"

The great doors opened. The crowd of zebras cheered. Twilight nudged Zecora as the Elements of Harmony began to enter the palace. She had no choice but to follow. 

Once all of them had made it in front of the throne, Twilight led them in a bow to the queen; Zecora bowed the lowest, trying to keep herself concealed. The queen zebra gave a small bow as well, recognizing Twilight's ascension to the title of princess. 

"Your arrival here has filled me with cheer. It is my great pleasure to welcome you here." Spoke the queen.

Twilight's smiling face met that of her fellow monarch. "The pleasure is mine, Your Majesty. I am Princess Twilight Sparkle of Ponyville, and this," she swept a forehoof in the direction of her friends "is my delegation, the Elements of Harmony, as well as my dear friend and assistant and our guide."

Zecora winced and bit her lip as Twilight mentioned her, though nopony could see this. "My face, my identity, nopony can see! For the love of Celestia, don't mention me!"

"I can see by those striped legs, you've met one of my subjects." The queen remarked with a kind smile. "That you've already made friends here has earned my respect."

"If only I had Trixie's smoke bombs right now..." Zecora's thoughts raced. "Perhaps I can avoid her acknowledgment somehow?"

Unfortunately for Zecora, the queen was quite intent on acknowledging her. "Come now, and lift your hood for all to see. I can't help but wonder, who exactly are thee?"

Zecora froze. Well, there was no way out of this, was there? At least, she thought, she'd had a good run, and if they killed her, she'd be buried in Zebrican soil. She had no other choice now. Zecora lifted her hood. 

The crowd gasped. 

The queen's jaw dropped, her face going pale.

Zecora's eyes nervously met hers, and it was only then that she noticed something. This was not the same queen who had exiled her as a teenager. This was, in fact, her daughter. 

"Princess Marwe! This is quite a surprise! The last time I was here, I met your mother's eyes!"

Marwe's face soured, her eyes narrowing. "I should hope you remember the last time you were here. You had my people shocked and in fear!"

The ponies were quite obviously confused over all this. "Your Majesty, if I may interject," Twilight began "Zecora had us all scared as well when we first met her, but we soon learned that she wasn't actually an evil enchantress after all."

"Perhaps you were wrong in such a judgement! Zecora has sinned such that she cannot repent!"

"That's ridiculous." Twilight scoffed. "My friends and I have proven more than once that nopony is beyond second chances... why, not even creatures that have attempted to destroy the world!"

Marwe gave a pfft of dismissal. "If only you knew then what she has done... instead of the moon, she'd be cast into the sun!"

"NOW LISTEN HERE!" Applejack stepped forward, scowling. "We might not know much about Zecora's past, but she's still our friend nonetheless. Now if y'all can't accept that, we'll pack up our little 'friendship' delegation and head back to Equestria, y'hear?!"

Marwe was taken aback by this orange pony's disrespect, but took a deep breath to collect herself. "Very well; we shall allow you to stay in Zanzebrar… but Zecora, I shall always know where you are." She tapped a hoof against her throne twice. "Please show our guests to where they shall be staying... and house Zecora in someplace decaying." 

"No." 
The stern reply had come from Twilight.

Marwe gave a look that oozed with "Excuse me?"

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but we won't stay in any place that is better than what Zecora would get. So you can either give her a good place to live or let us all live in squalor." 

Rarity almost protested this, but quickly decided it was best not to.

Marwe almost sneered, but nonetheless, she admired this pony's gumption. "Very well; I know a place not far from town. It is not a palace, but it is a good enough place to hunker down."

"Thank you." Replied Twilight as politely as she could.

"You'll be staying with a zebra who helps tend these grounds. I'm sure you will find that his goodwill abounds."

"If only the same could be said of you." Twilight thought.

"That encounter certainly could have gone worse..." Zecora thought. "Though I'm already proving to be no more than a curse..."