//------------------------------// // Nightmares // Story: Striped Scars // by ezio dementay //------------------------------// The sun stood high in the sky, burning down upon the dried out lands below. The homeland of the zebra's was a place of hardships and trials. Life was hard out in the blazing savannah. Zebra's tended to be reclusive beings, rarely conversing with the other races of Equestria. A young zebra named Zecora sat on her haunches inside her hut, staring into the dancing bonfire that burned in the centre of the room. She closed her eyes, listening to the hypnotic sound of the crackling fire. She thought back at the day that her father, the chief of her tribe, left on his adventure. Zecora's father wasn't very loved among his tribe but he was their chief nonetheless, they needed him. He was a corrupt man, thinking only of power, spending most of his day studying his dark, shamanistic magic. "But why are you leaving daddy?" the filly asked, standing next to her father who was rummaging through the chest that contained his belongings. He seemed to be in quite a rush to leave. The large, rough zebra turned to his daughter, smiling softly as he petted her on the head, playfully rustling his hoof through her mane. "When I return, you will be a goddess Zecora! Among all things! Zebra or otherwise!" he said in a zealous voice. The large zebra finished packing his bags. He turned to his daughter, giving her a quick hug before he rushed out the door. His departure was the last thing the village needed at the time. However, their was a replacement for him. The next person in charge would be his wife, Zecora's mother. Zecora's mother was a powerful shaman. Her mastery of the zebra magic made her a worthy foe and her leadership and kind personality made her an even worthier ally. She was loved among the people, ushering in a new time of glory for the tribe. And above all that, she still took the time to be around her playful daughter. Zecora meant everything to her. She supported the filly through everything she did in life, cheering her up when she was down. The second zebra in Zecora's life was Jen. She had always been an odd, stubborn zebra, always ignoring the advice of others, always set on walking her own path. The members of the tribe would often just ignore her. The only person that paid any attention to her was Zecora, her best friend. Zecora and Jen shared a friendship that spanned for over 15 years. From back when they were just fillies to full grown mares. She shared all of her thoughts with Zecora, her hopes her dreams, her thoughts and her secrets. They always had a good time together but as the years went on Jen's behaviour turned from random to down right strange. The zebra would often stutter whenever she was around Zecora. She started to blush at the strangest of times. Another vision shot through Zecora's mind as she stared into the crackling fire. Zecora stumbled through the dark savannah. The stars and the moon filled the sky with their light. She could barely stand with her friend resting on her back, weighing her down. She peered her eyes in the dark night. She could see what appeared to be her friend's home, standing far away. "This is the second time I have to carry you home this week!" Zecora grunted at the mildly unconscious Zebra resting on her back. "You!" she panted. "Have got a drinking problem." she said, dragging her hooves over the dry, grassy plains. "The only time that I've got a drinking problem is when I spill it.." she mumbled, putting a hoof to her bleeding leg to suppress the stinging pain. "Just know that I wouldn't have carried you here if it wasn't for your leg." she snapped at the intoxicated Zebra. It was a lie and she knew it. She would do anything for her friend at any time. Even if she could be a hoof-full sometimes. She dropped to the floor, allowing Jen to roll off her back in front of the shelter's entrance. "Here we are.. Try not to get yourself hurt while I'm gone." she said as she helped her friend back on her hooves. Jen quickly closed her eyes in pain as her wounded leg touched the floor. She turned her head to Zecora, still clearly drunk, and gave her a soft smile. "Thanks." she said as she , unthinkingly, pressed her muzzle against Zecora's, kissing her. Zecora's eyes shot open in surprise. A furious red blush crossed her face. Jen broke the kiss and smiled at Zecora. "Sleep well." The zebra said as she closed the door, leaving a dumbfounded Zecora in the dark night. Her eyes still stood wide open, her cheeks burning with a bright red. That night Zecora realized that she cared about her friend in a way that was deeper than friendship. Whether it was the alcohol that lead to Jen kissing her, or if her friend actually felt the same way about her, she did not know. All she knew was that she had a lot of thinking to do. Zecora put a pot of tea over her fire. She smiled as the smell of herbs filled her hut. Knowing that she would have some time before the tea was done, she decided to take a steamy shower. She happily trotted over to the small bathroom that stood attached to her hut. The floor was paved with stone and the walls seemed to be made of bamboo branches. She let the water run from the wooden shower. Smiling at herself as she stepped inside, allowing the warm water to run down her legs. She held her head underneath the streaming water causing her normally rugged mane to flow downwards, over her shoulders. Another vision came to her as she listened to the sound of the trickling water. Zecora stood in her shower. Allowing the water to run down her body. It had been a stressful day, her friend Jen, who she had secretly been crushing on, had been acting so weird lately. It was starting to get annoying. She decided to let go of the thoughts that troubled her, and just stand there, enjoying the warm water. Suddenly she could hear hoofsteps coming from her living room. "Who could that be?" she thought to herself. She heard the door to her bathroom open causing her ears to perk up. Suddenly, a familiar face entered the shower. It was her friend Jen, she looked like she had been crying for quite a while. "Jen!? What are you doing here?" she asked, giving her crying friend a curious look. "Zecora.." the zebra mare whispered as she looked up into her friend's face with watery eyes. "I.. Just can't go on like this." she said as she shifted closer to her friend, allowing the water to run down her mane. "I can't tell you how I feel about you.. So I'll show you." she whispered as she pushed her muzzle against Zecora's. Zecora's eyes shot open in surprise but slowly started to close as she felt the touch of the emotional kiss. Her mind was jumping all over the place. She always hoped that something like this would happen but she never dared to think that it actually would. She pressed back into the kiss, forcing their heads to shift underneath the stream of water that ran from the shower. Water ran down their faces as they drew closer and closer to each other. They both broke the kiss, panting heavily. Zecora could feel Jen's heavy breathing on her muzzle. "I love you Zecora.." she whispered into the zebra's ear. Suddenly, Zecora heard the sound of Zebra's screaming outside of her shower. Her eyes shot open. She jumped out of the shower and rushed through her living room, running towards the door. She gasped as she saw A large, robed Zebra standing in the centre of their village. Some of the members of the tribe lied on the floor, bleeding heavily. Her face filled with fear as she saw Jen lying in front of the robed Zebra in a pool of blood as he laughed maniacally. Suddenly, her mother charged out of her hut, running towards the robed invader. The two clashed in battle of wits and power. Zecora rushed over to the lifeless body of her love. She dropped on her knees as she held Jen in her arms, crying heavily. Suddenly, The world around her went black. Jen's body turned to black smoke as she sank through Zecora's arms. In the end, nothing remained but Zecora and the mysterious robed pony. He laughed evilly as he walked over to the crying Zebra. "Do you want to live forever?" he hissed. Zecora shot up in her bed, her eyelids snapping open in fear. Her heart was violently pounding in her chest as beads of sweat ran down her body. Once she calmed down she noticed that she safely lay in her bed inside of her house, hidden away in the Everfree Forest that stood next to the rural town of Ponyville. She wiped the sweat off of her forehead as she recalled her horrible nocturnal adventure. She tried to suppress the tears forming in her eyes but it was no use. So there she lay. In the same bed that she had been rudely awoken in so many times before. Her recent nightmares had caused the zebra to sink into a deep depression. She had experienced the nightmares before but never before where they so.. vivid and frequent. This is where our story begins..