Applebloom sat forward on the bed and said "So what happened next? Did ja finally meet him?" Zecora put down the necklace and said "I met him not long after that, a time when he and his father had a pact. To start a life anew, they became farmers and food they grew." She reached out and plucked one of her props from the desk she had. It was an unusual shaped fruit to Applebloom, a purple pear shaped hardened lump. "Fig trees was their primary stock, which put my village in a shock. They were an unusual pair, speaking a way we wouldn't dare."
Applebloom immediately perked up and grinned. "So he owned a farm jus' like mah family!" Zecora nodded and said "I knew of this fruit new potions could be derived, so I went to his farm and when I had arrived, I found him trying to get rid of a bee's hive..."
The well worn road crunched under Zecora's hooves as she trotted casually down it. A wooden fence only waist high ran along one side of the road, blocking off a field of straw and wheat. On the other side where Zecora was walking stood several rows of tree saplings, each no more than five feet tall. Already they had wonderful bushels of green leaves as well as what Zecora had come for, small purple fruit hanging from the branches. The elder of the house was in town, but he had told Zecora his son was tending to the trees. She had assumed he was out here when a loud cry confirmed her suspicion.
"Ouch you pesky bees! Why must you sting me like this? Go live somewhere else!" came a deep voice. A second later, a lithe and tall zebra stallion bounded out from the trees with a couple of bees buzzing after him. Zecora couldn't help but chuckle as the stallion ran around, trying to dodge their singers while at the same time swating them away with his tail. Finally, the bees flew away, leaving a very flustered stallion to grumble incoherently. It was then he noticed the mare standing near where he was and turned almost bright red.
"Oh my great goodness." he said in shock "I did not see you right there. How much did you see?" Zecora offered her best smile and said "Only enough to make me giggle. Your antics made my ribs tickle." The stallion sighed and drew himself up. "Welcome to my farm. My name is Xavier, miss. May I ask for yours?" Zecora gave him a dignified look and said "My name is Zecora, so you know. I am here to buy some of what you grow."
"Ah yes, he did say, that royalty would be here, to buy some ripe figs." He said recalling his fathers words. The red instantly fading from his complexion, Xavier swept his hoof over to the rows of trees and said "I'm sorry to say this, but the hive is right through there. Where the ripe fruit is." Zecora merely chuckled again and said "I would like to see you try again, but I will not torment a friend. A hive is easy to move you know, you just have to make it feel cold enough to snow. When the sky greys and the wind starts to blow, away the bees will go." She put her muzzle into a leather bag she was carrying and pulled out several dandylions in her hoof. "Why don't you show me where they are? The bees hive cannot be far." she said.
"It is right this way. Past the series of young trees. Up high in a bough." Xavier replied and led Zecora into the fig forest. It was quite nice in the fragrant forest until the hum of angry bees began to echo around them. Xavier stopped suddenly and held Zecora back with a powerful forehoof. He nodded upwards and she saw a rather large hive of wax hanging from a fig tree. The tree was larger than the saplings around it, but the hive was clearly too big for the branch it hung on. In fact, the tree was bent over to one side due to the weight of the hive.
"We kept the bees here, to pollenate the fig trees. Now it is no good." he spoke in a hushed tone to her. Zecora gazed up at the tree, seemingly forgetting what she was about to do until Xavier cleared his throat. It got her attention as well as the bees. They buzzed angrily and Xavier's pupils shrunk. He turned and ran as a large column of bees left the hive and pursued him, causing him to curse in very creative ways. Zecora merely laughed at him until the bees turned their attention to her. As they began to swarm towards her, Zecora held out the dandylions and closed her eyes. She blew gently on them and a familiar sensation overtook her. She felt a surge of energy, a clenching in her stomach and a tingling in her hoofs. She was casting a spell through the dandylions.
Slowly, a cold breeze began to blow, causing the bees to lose be less coherent. The wind blew faster and the bees began to scatter. It took about twenty seconds for all the bees outside the hive to clear, all still chasing Xavier, and the bees inside the hive began to leave as well. In a minute, all the bees flew off to another part of the fig tree forest and Zecora released her spell. By then, Xavier had trotted back to her, sporting several new red welts on his flank and back. She smiled to him in a friendly way and said "All is well now. The bees have moved on to the pasture of the cow."
Xavier didn't hear what she had said. He was too enraptured by this stunning mare. Her lovely blue eyes sparkled in the light and he didn't know if it was the stings, the running around or the cool breeze, but he was suddenly uncomfortably warm. Catching himself, he nodded to her and said "Thank you Zecora. The figs can now be gathered. Would you like a drink?" Zecora smiled brightly at him and said "A drink would be nice. Do you have any tea rich in spice?" Xavier smiled brightly and led Zecora out of the forest, talking with her the whole way back to his house. They drank tea and chatted for the rest of the day, prompting her father to send a guard to check on her at sundown. Xavier gathered up some of the finest figs he could find and saw Zecora off. As she walked away, she turned to look at him and smiled once again. The stallion was too far away for her to see, but he was blushing beyond belief.