//------------------------------// // Chapter 15: Bridle Gossip, Pt. 1 // Story: Dawn Before Twilight // by Dawn Darkness //------------------------------// It was yet another great day in Ponyville, or should I say the Everfree Forest. I met a rather interesting pony the other day, or a zebra to be precise. Her name was Zecora, and she came from a place far away from Equestria.  Currently, she and I were heading into town... only to find it like a ghost town. "Weird," I said, "is it always like this when you show up, Zecora?" "Most times," she said sadly.  I sighed. "I don't get it. Why do ponies act like that when someone new shows up? They could at least be more welcoming than scared of a zebra." Just then, Rarity teleported before me, gave Zecora the stinkeye, and teleported away with me, straight into Sweet Apple Acres. "Whoa!" I gasped. "Okay, that was unexpected. What was that for, Rarity?" "Oh, thanks goodness, darling," said Rarity, "are you alright? I hope Zecora didn't do anything to you." I was confused at what she was talking about. "I'm perfectly fine, Rarity. She did not do anything to me. Though, what you did was kinda rude for someone with a new friend." "Friend?!" asked Rarity in shock, "Did you honestly call her your friend?!"  "Well," I was about to say more, until I saw Twilight outside the window. She had Spike with her on her back, as I noticed Pinkie beginning to trot to the door. “Psst! Twilight! Spike! Come here! Come! Here! Hurry! Before she gets you!” I rolled my eyes in exaggeration at Pinkie Pie. I know for certain that Zecora hasn't done a single thing to deserve this from them. Yet they treat her like an outcast, while I know she’s just looking for a new home and to have friends. Twilight groaned, and I saw her jump into the Sweet Apple Acres. “Who?! The zombie pony?” Spike wanted to know. “Z-Zombie pony?” Pinkie Pie gasped, light turned on from a flashlight. “Spike!” Twilight reminded him. “There are no zombie ponies. Pinkie, what are you and Dawn doing here alone in the dark?” “I’m not alone in the dark,” Pinkie replied. “Or…we are not,” she corrected herself. Twilight gasped as our friends were behind her. “Okay, what are you all doing here in the dark?” “We’re hidin’ from her!” Applejack said. I sighed in annoyance as I stated, “Zecora hasn’t done anything to any of you. Why are you all acting as if she is a stranger?” “See? She has hypnotized Dawn!” Pinkie said. I rolled my eyes. “No she hasn’t, Pinkie.” I was getting irritated at how they were speaking like that. “And why did you say her name?” Applejack scolded. “Because she and I are friends,” I pointed out. Rainbow huffed. “Nopony can be friends with that witch.” “Did you see her, Twilight?” Applejack’s younger sister, Apple Bloom, asked. “Did you see…Zecora?” “Apple Bloom!” Applejack scolded sharply. “I told you never to say her name!” “Well, I saw her glance this way…” Twilight started. “Glance evilly this way,” Pinkie interrupted. I groaned. “...And then a bunch of you flip out for no good reason,” Twilight finished after Pinkie’s interruption. “No good reason?” Applejack questioned. “You call protectin’ yer kin no good reason? Why, as soon as my sister saw Zecora ridin’ into town, with Dawn hypnotized, she started shakin’ her lil’ horseshoes.” “You are overreacting,” I told her. “Overreactin’?” Applejack repeated. “Now, listen here, Dawn. Just ‘cause ya think Zecora is here doesn’t mean I am overreactin’.” “I did not,” Apple Bloom told Applejack in her earlier speech, and she was shaking just as she spoke. “So I swept her up and brought her here,” Applejack continued with her speech. “I walked here by myself!” Apple Bloom reminded her. “For safe keepin’,” Applejack finished. “Applejack, I’m not a foal!” Apple Bloom said. “I can take care of myself.” “Not from that creepy Zecora.” I sighed, shaking my head in irritation. “She is not evil or creepy, Applejack.” “Yes, she is!” she countered. “She’s not!” “Is!” “Not!” “Could you two cut it out?” Twilight demanded us. I glared at Applejack, who equally glared back. “Well, Zecora’s mysterious,” Fluttershy stated. “Sinister,” Rainbow added. “And spooky,” Pinkie finished. Both Twilight and I groaned. “Will you cut that out?” Twilight said. “Just look at those stripes,” Rarity judged, looking at Zecora from the window. “So garish!” I could not believe she just said that to my new friend. I huffed at her remark. “That’s because zebras were born with those stripes, Rarity.” Rarity looked at me, as if shocked. “A what?!” the girls, except Twilight, gasped at my word ‘zebra’. I rolled my eyes. “A zebra. Have you girls not heard of ‘em?” “I have,” Twilight nodded toward me. “And her stripes aren’t a fashion choice, Rarity, they’re what she was born with.” And…Rarity fainted. “Born where?” Applejack asked. “I’ve never seen a pony like that in these parts, ‘cept…her.” She was shaken when she mentioned Zecora. “Well, she’s probably not from here,” Twilight explained, “and she’s not a pony. My books say that zebras come from a faraway land. But I’ve never seen her in Ponyville. Where does she live?” “That’s just it,” Applejack said, “she lives in…the Everfree Forest.” A crashing sound sounded like a thunderclap in the kitchen. “Spike!” Twilight called. “Uh, sorry,” he apologized. I looked at the girls, who were still afraid. “Tell me this, girls…how does Zecora come here, with you thinking she does bad stuff, but in reality…” “Not now, Dawn,” Twilight interrupted me. I went silent. “The Everfree Forest just ain’t natural,” Applejack said. “The plants grow…” “Animals care for themselves…” Fluttershy added. “And the clouds move…” Rainbow stated. “All on their own!” they finished. And…Rarity fainted once more. “And that wicked enchantress Zecora lives there doing her evil…stuff!” Pinkie added. “She’s so evil I even wrote a song about her!” “Here we go…” Rainbow groaned. And Pinkie began to sing: She's an evil enchantress She does evil dances And if you look deep in her eyes She'll put you in trances Then what will she do? She'll mix up an evil brew Then she'll gobble you up In a big tasty stew Soooo...Watch out! I scowled. “How does that relate to Zecora?” “I’m with Dawn,” Twilight added. “And, wow. Catchy, Pinkie Pie.” “It’s a work in progress,” Pinkie replied. “This is all just a lot of gossip and rumors,” I stated. “I agree with Dawn,” Twilight added. “Now tell me; what exactly have you actually seen Zecora do?” “Well…once a month, she comes into Ponyville,” Rainbow explained. “Ooooh,” Twilight said dramatically. “Then, she lurks by the stores,” Rarity added. I said dramatically, “Oh, my.” “And then, she digs at the ground,” Fluttershy finished. “Good gracious!” Twilight dramatically gasped. Then she returned to her normal tone, “Okay, I’m sorry. But how is this any bad? Maybe she comes to town to visit?” “And why did you think she ‘hypnotized’ me?” I raised a brow. “Well…” Pinkie started. “Yeah!” Apple Bloom agreed with Twilight. “Maybe she’s just tryin’ to be neighborly.” I nodded to the young pony. “And maybe she’s not lurking by the stores, maybe she’s going to them, lurk free, to do some shopping?” “Yeah!” Apple Bloom agreed with me. “Everypony likes to shop. You know what I think?” Applejack shushed her, “Apple Bloom! Hush and let the big ponies talk.” “I am a big pony,” Apple Bloom mumbled under her breath. “W-what about digging at the ground?” Rainbow asked. “You’ve got to admit that’s weird.” “What if she’s digging for innocent creatures?” Fluttershy asked, worried. I rolled my eyes. “She’s not doing that,” I told her. And…Pinkie was singing ‘Evil Enchantress’ behind us. “I am sure there is an explanation for everything Zecora does. And if anypony here were actually brave enough to approach her, she would find out the truth,” Twilight stated. “Well, I’m brave enough,” Apple Bloom declared. “I’m gonna find out myself.” The girls gasped.