//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8:  Zach And The Map 
// Story: Lost 
// by MLPTMNTPegasister 
//------------------------------//

The ponies finally reached the PonyVille borders. At the edge of a soft, beautiful meadow was the start of a dark, dreary, dangerous forest. 
"We have to go in there?" Hummingbird gulped, suddenly turning into his mother. 
"I guess so," Sundown said. "We have to go in there to reach the zebra, and we'd have to go in there even if we didn't know about him." 
"Do we really?" Elusive asked, clutching his mane and tail tightly. "My beautiful hair is too handsome to get ruined by the mud and rain in that heck of a forest." 
"If we don't, everypony here knows what'll happen," reminded Ruby. 
"Oh, why can't our mission be to find gluten-free shampoo instead?" Elusive muttered to himself.
The trip through the Forest was an creepy one, everypony was flinching at the snap of a twig or the cry of an owl. But after about an hour of wandering about the Forest, Pizza spotted something strange. 
"Guys!" she squealed, hopping up. "I found something!" 
"What?" Scarlett obviously had her hopes up as the group followed the party pony. 
The result was a tree, but it was decorated in native creations and had a door and windows. 
"Who would want to live in a tree?" Elusive asked, wringing some rain out of his mane. 
"Obviously somepony that isn't allowed in towns." Scarlett answered her brother. 
Sundown gasped hopefully. "Or some zebra! Maybe he lives here!" 
"Only one way to find out." Ruby said, knocking on the door. 
Indeed did a zebra open it. He said, "My, who are these door rattlers? Oh, it is some lovely travelers! Come sit, maybe have a drink." 
Sundown was eager to spill out his troubles to the zebra all at once, but he resisted. Instead, he said, "Word in PonyVille is that you are the son of some potion-mixer." 
"Why yes, my friend who looks quite worn. Oh My Equestria, sir, are you an Alicorn?" the zebra asked. "Oh never mind all my needs, but to your statement, yes indeed. My mother, Zecora, mixed up great brews. Why, sir? Can I mix something for you?" 
"No, sir. I'm here because I heard that you have a map of all Equestria." Sundown said, glancing at his cousins, who were checking out the zebra's belongings. 
"Oh yes, it something my mum brought from home, sometimes I used to use it to roam. My name is Zach, by the way. Sir, what can I do for you today?" Zach asked, giving Sundown some water. 
"Shadow Plagues have entered Equestria's borders," Sundown decided to cut to the chase. "We're looking to stop them. We need a map to find the "remedy" for our problem. We're here to ask if we can borrow yours." 
"Yes, my map you can indeed use. But there is something else. I want to come with you." Zach said. 
"What?" 
"You heard right, my royal friend. My mother's rules, I intend to bend. I heard the legend when I was a foal. Some ingredients for the potion I stole. Let me come if you will. You will need somepony with brew-mixing skills." 
"I guess you can come," Sundown agreed. "But only because for safety in numbers, and for your skills you learned."
"Sir, I intend to behave. Let me pack, then we'll be on our way." Zach nodded. 
So that night, the ponies left Zach's cottage, with Zach with them on their journey.