//------------------------------//
// Zecora 
// Story: ...And Then Everypony was an Alicorn. 
// by Wanderling 
//------------------------------//

"This certainly is the strangest of things, to have been blessed with a horn and these wings."
The zebra mare had a troubled expression as she looked into the mirror. Zecora had acquired the large glass some months ago in Ponyville. Normally, the sight of her own reflection caused her some amusement, these ponies were ingenious with their inventions, however, this morning she had been shocked. She had woken with a mild headache and a pain in her shoulders, and had been on her way to find some herbs for the pain when she had espied herself in the mirror. 
Zecora frowned. Upon her head now sat a spiralling horn, which was striped like a greyed-out candy-cane. The wings rustling at her sides were also non-uniform in colour, the tips of the flight feathers edged in dark grey. While pretty, the new additions were concerning.
She did not understand how this change had occurred. The zebra had never wished to possess the ability to perform magic, nor the power of flight, and now she had both. She resembled the Princesses of the land in attributes now, and did not wish to know what kind of havoc this could wreak upon Zebraic-Equestrian relations. It could be nothing, or have massive implications.
Zecora pondered what to do. Perhaps the new appendages would vanish the next day, as suddenly as they had appeared. She should just stay in her hut and wait it out. Well, that was the hope, anyway.

She pottered around her hut for a few hours, arranging bottles and taking inventory on her various herbs and plants. Zecora noted a significant lack of yarrow in her stock and grimaced. The herb was good for colds and a large number of ponies in the village had come down with runny noses. She had been asked for a lot of cold remedies. Zecora sighed. She would have to set out for some soon. Why not now? There is nothing else I am doing currently. She knew where the yarrow grew, in a pleasant little clearing that was arguably one of the most appealing places in the forest.
All the same, something made her reluctant to leave her home. Was she afraid that somepony would see her? Ridiculous. Nopony went into the Everfree if they could help it. Why would they suddenly appear now? Zecora snorted at her own foalishness. The chances of being seen were minimal at best, unless Twilight Sparkle or Apple Bloom happened to drop by for an impromptu visit. 
Even after all of this reasoning, Zecora still hesitated before her doorway. She decided to wear her old cloak, just to be safe. 
The striped alicorn stepped outside. The day was still bright, but under the gloom of the gnarled old trees it seemed to be twilight. The odd sunbeam struggled through the twisting branches here and there, creating dapples and spots of light not unlike stars in the night sky. Zecora smiled and began to trot forwards. This patch of forest was usually peaceful. She felt calm and serene in the silence. It was but a short walk to the-wait. Silence?
The Zebra paused abruptly, her ears flickering this way and that to pick up any sounds. It was deathly quiet. There were no birds chirping, nor the rustles of small furry things scurrying through the undergrowth. Not even the wind was whispering through the leaves. It was still. The forest was holding it's breath. Zecora didn't want to know why, so she hurried on, picking up her pace. The crunch of leaves beneath her feet was almost deafening, and her mind whirred.
Where were all the animals?
A snapping twig somewhere on her left made her stop again. She peered through the gloom of the forest. Eyes stared back, yellow, glowing. Timberwolves! Or rather, a timberwolf. Zecora yelped and turned back around. She ran as fast as she could, back to her hut, slamming the door shut with a good kick. 

The timberwolf, startled by Zecora himself, had taken a few moments to realise that she was potential prey, and as such was a good distance behind her. As a being of the forest, he had not the slightest worry about the door in his path, seeing it only as another piece of wood that would get out of his way as all wooden objects did when he used his particular brand of forest magic. He did not reckon on the fact that one advantage of being a friend to the most powerful unicorn in recent history would be advanced wards against the creatures of the forest, including timberwolves, laid upon the dwelling of Zecora. 
So, the timberwolf, who had woken up like every living being across Equestria with a degree of pain in the forehead and/or back, and who had not entirely recovered from his own splitting headache that morning, found out that Zecora's door was enchanted by smashing against it headfirst.

Zecora winced as she heard the crunch against her door. Even if you were a magical creature who was able to reform from a pile of scattered sticks, it had to be painful. She peeped through her window and saw the wolf clutching its head and staggering dizzily. Odd, an impact like that normally shattered a timberwolf.
Her eyes widened as she saw the wings pressed to it's sides. They resembled a pegasus' wings in all but size and material. The wolf removed his paw and Zecora saw that it appeared to have another stick driven into its forehead, and that the stick resembled a unicorn's horn. Her eyes narrowed.
"This situation is strange indeed, perhaps some assistance I may need. Who better to help me than my friend Twilight, who's search for knowledge oft' crosses to night. Perhaps she will know what is going on, but the wolf I must pass, should I go, should I run?" The zebra cast about for some sort of weapon she could use to slow down the creature. Her eyes alighted on a small pile of stones. They were small, but...
Zecora focused on one of the pebbles, trying to recall what Twilight had said about magic and how it worked. A turquoise aura captured one of the stones. She smiled, then plucked the stone from the air with a hoof. She tossed it between her hooves a few times before shaking her head. It wasn't heavy enough by a long shot.
She looked out of the window again. The timberwolf had recovered and started to prowl about. Were there any large rocks around? Zecora looked about, yes, there! She focused on a large rock, trying to lift it. She could feel a sort of draining feeling. It was like losing energy, but in a different way. Was this magical straining? The rock lifted shakily. Zecora gave a small smile, then looked to the timberwolf. She willed the rock to strike the wolf. It complied. The timberwolf shook itself, turned to look at the rock, began to laugh derisively, then fell to pieces. Upon seeing this, Zecora cheered.
"Take that you big and wooden brute, I have now learned how to shoot!"
She brayed with delight, then rushed out of the door, determined to make the most of the time she had given herself. She hoped that no other creature accosted her on the way to Ponyville.