CHAPTER 6
A Strong Heart For A Journey's Start
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Day 11
Wagnesday
My eyes fluttered open as I found myself in the darkness of my bedroom once again safely wrapped underneath the soft bed sheets. Something had irked me out of my sleep. I almost gagged as I felt an odd sensation filling my mouth. I had a... pillow case in my mouth? I spat out the offending object, noticing the small amount of drool that had been covering it. I must have been chewing on it unconsciously the entire time. I turned my head to look at the alarm clock’s lone light from across the room. The electronic numbers shined bright through the shadows.
‘Well guess that explains the darkness.’ I thought with a slight shrug.
I turned my head back to the ceiling and tried to remember the last dream that I had. Or at least what I thought was a dream. I recalled everything about it so vividly. There were so many details I never had in any previous dream. Dreams before had always been hazy, like trying to see through a dense fog with a spyglass. I’d only remember brief bits and pieces if I’d remember anything at all. But this dream had been much different. Every detail in Zecora’s hut had been crystal clear like I had really been standing right there in the middle of it. There did not seem to be a single thing out of place in the almost surreal scene. ‘But it was still just a dream, it had to have been.’
I got up as I repeated my last thought. It all had just been a dream. Not just the whole chase through the Everfree. The entire day of being Zecora must have been just one crazy nightmare. That idea began to make more sense the more I thought about it. People wouldn't just wake up in bodies of cartoon characters. Sure there were all sorts of little fan fictions and stories on the net where nonsense like that would happen, but theses things didn't happen in the real world. There was no such thing as magic after all. The idea alone was filled with so many impossible complexities it got to the point of ridiculousness. The only logical explanation left available was that it had to be some elaborate fantasy my subconscious cooked up.
I felt my spirits lift as I looked back down to my bed. I was sure I was right. It was the easiest explanation. Far easier than thinking such a fantasy could ever be real. In hindsight the so called “nightmare” hadn't even been too bad other than the whole parent thing. It actually probably ranked among some of my more enjoyable dreams. I actually got to see what it felt like to be a pony at least... well... sort of anyway.
I threw the covers off of myself and looked down, only to have my hopes fade away from me once more. It was too dark to see, but I could still make out the body of the small equine I still inhabited. Nothing had changed from the day before. It wasn’t some fantasy, as impossible as it seemed. This was the real thing.
“I guess it is pointless to fight. I can't throw this away with the night,” I rhymed, slightly disappointed. Zecora’s voice echoed through my room as if to confirm what I was seeing. I sighed, resting my head back on the pillow. There was no shock or fear like when I woke the day before. I was too tired to be afraid anymore. All that was left was a weary acceptance of the situation “I guess I cannot deny what I see, I’ll have to come to terms with the new me.” The new me, that would certainly be a concept.
I stared at the ceiling again and tried to grasp at the entire dream. The thought of what I... Zecora, told me came back to as I laid there.
“If an answer to your questions is what you desire, from your home you will have to retire. Perhaps it would be best, do as your father suggests. Travel to New York and in time, your answers I’m sure we can find.”
Leave home on some half baked planned adventure to get your life back. The idea seemed fascinating, but also incredibly intimidating. I loved to travel as much as the next pony, but I was by no means the adventuring type. I had hardly ever even left my city block, never mind past the state border. Although that was before I woke up as a zebra.
I picked up my foreleg and held it up in front of my eyes, looking at its faint outline in the darkness. I knew Zecora was no stranger to being on adventurous and dangerous journeys to far off lands. There were plenty of fictions that explained her origins, and they almost always included some kind of epic quest. Then there was the fact that she called home a place where most ponies feared to tread. Jace couldn't make this journey, but it would probably be no problem at all for Zecora.
I picked up my head as I began to think about it further. Maybe Zecora could do the journey. By myself I doubted I’d make it out of the city limits in one piece. Perhaps if I could at least try to think like Zecora, I would have a shot. I just had to try to stop being the nervous human I used to be, and more like the zebra I supposedly was now.
‘It’s not like you have much to lose now,’ the back of my mind sniped at me. The image of my disappointed parents still haunted my thoughts.
I sighed, shakily got to my hooves, and began scanning the dark lit room for my backpack. Standing on my bed was still somewhat of a challenge as the springs compressed under what little weight I had but I paid no attention to it. If I really was going to go off on this crazy idea, I needed to start packing immediately.
It didn’t take too long to retrieve my backpack. I started scavenging for anything in the room that I thought would come in handy a long road trip. My Ipad and charger were thrown in almost immediately, followed soon after by my headphones. I took a moment to grab my wallet and looked at my driver’s license. The picture of the human on it probably would do me little good now, but I would almost certainly need my debit card while it still had some money in it. What loose change I had would probably come in handy as well. I wasted no more time to pack it in with the rest.
I turned to my clothes drawer but stopped before I could try opening a shelf with my hoof. My clothes were meant for a six foot human, certainly not a three foot zebra. I looked back down to my small body with a bit of disdain before I turned to pick up my old hoodie, now my new makeshift cloak, off the rack I had laid it on.
With the bare essentials, at least in my mind, out of the way my attention turned to food. I moved as quietly as I could down the hallway and towards the kitchen. The last thing I needed now was to wake up my parents. I didn't want them to know what I was doing. They probably wouldn't try to stop me, but I wasn't sure if I could stand up to them on the off chance they did. The memory of the previous day still unnerved me.
‘Perhaps it would be better just to write them a note instead,’ I idly mused to myself as I crossed their bedroom door. Thankfully, there was no sound from the other side. Reassured, I started moving quickly to my destination.
Upon reaching the kitchen I opened a small cabinet and took out my mother’s instant green tea. I wasn't much a fan of tea, but she would always comment how much it relaxed the nerves. Preparing to go halfway across the country to do who knows what, I could use all the relaxation I could get. I carefully took a mug out of the cabinet, holding the handle in my mouth before filling it with water from the sink. I tore off the little bag of instant tea mix and let it slowly mix with the water before placing it in the microwave.
With the tea out of the way for the moment I moved on to pillaging the pantry for road snacks. I thanked my lucky stars that the grocery shopping had been done the day before. It would now be put to good use. I began to fill my bag with anything that seemed like it would be edible for me. Apples, oranges, an entire stalk of celery, nothing was spared. I didn't stop with the produce either as I found myself searching for road snacks.
I searched the cabinets high and low for a particular favorite of mine. After a few moments of searching the darkness I finally found the zebra cakes I was looking for. I paused for a moment to think of the irony while forcing the entire box into my pack. It was a tradition since I was in elementary school to bring zebra cakes along on road trips. I’d always make sure to pack them in my stash wherever I went. New body or not, that was one tradition I was not about ready to break.
A ping from the microwave returned my attention to the warm drink inside. Tea was just what I needed to calm the nerves. I always enjoyed having a cup each morning before going on my rounds to find new herbs. Even some of my new friends would occasionally visit for a pot when they were available, though before I never had anything more than a small kettle and flame to warm it. I took the cup of tea out of the large microwave, letting the warmth enter my hooves. This microwave machine was truly something spectacular.
I took a sip, savoring the sweet taste, before the kitchen light suddenly turned itself on. I dropped the cup in surprise, spilling most of my tea across the floor. I shook my head out of my thoughts and turned to face the kitchen door. My father merely stood in the doorway and looked at the small zebra that had turned his kitchen into a war zone twice in two days.
“So,” he said, pausing to look down to me, “Your mind is made up then?” He had his arms crossed again as he always did whenever he was in deep thought about something. I could tell he had already put two and two together.
“Yup...” I answered in a manner not unlike a certain red stallion. I turned back down to the cup on the floor with grimace at the spilled tea that had gathered around it. I set it back straight and simply waved my hoof over the top letting the warmth flow back into the cup. As my hoof left the rim I beamed confidently seeing the tea once again in its rightful place.
“I don’t suppose there’s anything I can say to make you reconsider it.” My father grabbed a table cloth and bent down to help clean the small mess I had caused.
I carefully set the warm tea back onto the table before returning to do more packing. “Nope,” I responded coolly. I was really being a social butterfly this morning.
“Well in that case, have you formed a plan about how you are getting to the big apple?” he asked with what sounded like genuine concern as he got to his feet and tossed the rag into the sink.
I didn't say a word to respond to that. I turned to the herbs and bottles I had laid out in the table the previous day, thankfully undisturbed from when I last left them. I still wasn’t sure what some of them were, but I carefully put each one in the bottom pouch as gently as possible, like I was caring for a small animal. “What you are thinking is true, I’m not sure what I’ll do. But if I figure out where to go, before long I’m sure a path will show.”
“Sooner or later you’re going to need a better plan than that,” My father advised sternly. “It’s a big world out there Jace. Have you thought about how you will even get out of town yet?”
I kept my silence to that remark because I really didn’t have any idea. I admit making things up as I went along wasn't the best plan in the world, but I didn't have much information to go on, and even less as far as funds and friends were concerned.
“Well in that case,” he said as he picked up my packed gourd before I even had time to protest. “Come on, we’ll take my car.”
I didn't get an opportunity to voice my objection before he took his keys off the hook and left the room to get properly dressed. I stood there frozen and took a moment to try to decipher my father’s last cryptic words. He actually wanted to help me? I had to admit that was a little bit unexpected.
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It was not long after I found myself in the passenger seat of my father's car. We cruised down the quiet morning streets in silence as I looked for the sun to begin to peak over the horizon, but instead I saw clouds. The sky was blanketed in gloomy rain clouds that just hung overhead. It looked like it would only be a matter of time before it would begin to rain, making me want to double check how insulated my Ipad was.
The only real sound that was coming from inside the car was my father’s country rock station. I didn't say anything to him or look in his direction. I instead stared out the window and watched the sleepy little town I used to live my life quietly for years go by. I gave up really on figuring out where exactly he was taking me. It was already clear I’d find out when I got there, so I began to count the street lights that we passed. The sky was just dark enough that most of them were still turned on.
“The bus station,” my father finally said as he turned down the music. I glanced back to look at him, but he kept his eyes on the road. “The plan is we’ll get you on a bus. It’s cheap, fast, and should get you there in only a day or two.”
“Uhh…” I wasn’t quite sure what to say. I looked at the gourd I kept on the floorboard in front of me. I was sure I had enough money for a ticket to a bus bound for New York on my debit card, but not for much of anything else, certainly not a return trip. Besides, didn’t they check IDs for ponies – people – paying with cards?
“Don't worry about the book store by the way,” my father continued on. I wasn’t sure at this point if he was talking to or at me. “I called their answering machine before we left. I told them you won't be coming in for work for a while, family emergency and all.”
I just let the human keep talking. There was nothing really else I could think to say. My father always was the one to take care of problems, and even a zebra in his home didn’t seem to be any different. I returned to looking out of the window as I saw the familiar buildings pass by and less familiar ones appear out of the morning shadows. The bus station was on the other side of town, part of town I almost never found myself in for one reason or another.
“Dad…” I turned back to face him. “I’m grateful for all that you’ve done, but,” I turned back to out the window “I think you’ve thought of everything but one.” I looked down to my backpack, then back to him unsure if he understood what I was trying to get at.
“I got things handled.” He kept his eyes on the road as we pulled into the bus entrance. The front of the station itself was fenced off from the rest of the terminal that housed the busses. The parking lot was actually quite deserted this morning, probably still waiting for passengers to arrive. The car suddenly lurched to a halt as we parked, almost causing me to fall out of my seat. “I’ll tell you the plan in a moment.” He said as he opened the driver door.
I waited patiently as he walked around to the other side. Hooves were nice and all, but not being able to even open doors and other handles was quickly losing its luster. I slipped my foreleg through the leather strap of the pack and hopped out of the car as soon as my father opened the passenger side.
“Now you’ll need to go in there and tell the clerk you need an express ticket for New York. It shouldn’t take you more than a minute or two.” My father instructed as he looked to the front door.
I looked over my pack to make sure everything was accounted for before closing the door satisfactorily. “There’s still a problem I can’t delay.” I reminded him, “I do not have any way to pay.”
“Don’t worry, I brought money for you.” He pulled out his wallet and grabbed for some spare dollars. “This should be enough to get you to New York and back.” He said as he handed the money towards me. I looked closely at bills with shock. They weren’t tens or twenties, they were fifties and hundreds. Two fifties and four crisp hundred dollar bills.
“Are you completely sure, to give me this to insure?” I breathed. I knew my family wasn’t in the poor house, but five hundred was still nothing to take lightly.
He gave me a sincere grin as I hesitantly grabbed the bills with my mouth. “You know you’ve never been hard to read, even with those weird rhymes now,” he said half jokingly, “I knew sooner or later you’d want to go off on this trip, so I took the liberty of taking some money out of the bank. I haven’t told your mother about that yet, just between you and me.
“By the way, I’ll tell your mother what’s going on when I get back.” I winced as he said those words, “I know she was… less than agreeable with what happened the other day and last night. But don’t judge her too harshly. She’s scared about what’s going on with you.” He put his hand on my head rubbing my mohawk slightly out of place. He wanted to make sure I was listening to what he had to say, “We all are. We just want to you be safe and sound.”
“I guess…” I wasn’t sure what I was afraid of, but the bizarre image of my mother calling hoards of angry anti-pony humans after one lone zebra came to mind.
“Now, I’m not sure what time the first bus departs, but you need to get that ticket as soon as you can,” my father said as he shooed me towards the door. “If you miss the first bus you’ll have to wait another day.”
“Oh… right, yeah,” I stammered out as I began to turn to walk to the doors.
“Oh Jace, one more thing,” I turned to face him again, but was quickly overtaken by a large shadow as he bent down for an embrace “Good luck Jace,” he said as he hugged me tightly.
‘Who…?’ I looked at him half confused as he stared at me. Was he, tearing up? “Th-thanks Dad, for everything.” It was only then I noticed I was tearing up as well. “I won’t be gone too long, I promise,” I whispered barely noticing the lack of rhythm in my words as I returned the hug.
As quickly as the moment had begun it ended as my father rose to his feet again. “Your mom won't be too happy when she hears about this, but I’ll try my best to get through to her.” The assurance sounded doubtful, “Just remember whatever happens, you’re still my son, well, daughter now I suppose. Just be careful out there.”
I watched him turn back to the car in silence. He waved a final goodbye to me as he closed the door and start the engine. Before I knew it the red Saturn SUV turned onto the main road and disappeared into the dark streets. With it, the only human who really understood what I was going through was gone. I turned back to the front doors of the station. I was on my own from here on out.
I closed my eyes and began to meditate on what I had thought on in bed. ‘Remember, just trust and think as a zebra would, and in time, you’ll do more than you ever thought you could,’ my mind advised me. I took a deep breath and pushed the glass doors open, making my way inside the lobby.
The inside of the station was vastly less impressive than the outside, which was probably saying something. The building itself had to have been old. The interior looked like it had been designed with an old seventies look in mind, and that was probably the last time it had been kept up as well. Only a hoof full of people sat in the seats that were bolted onto the lobby floor, busy with their noses in books or laptops, cellphones. A few even tried multitasking between a combination of them. No one really seemed to notice me, or they at least if they had, didn’t give much thought.
My hooves echoed loudly along the walls of the old tile as I walked towards the front desk. A lone clerk was sitting in front of the desk reading the morning paper. She seemed to be an older woman, perhaps in her seventies. She sat gauntly in her chair as if leaning over it for support, or perhaps just how she sat after years on a desk job.
At first she didn’t notice me at the bottom of her desk. I got onto my hind legs and waited a moment hoping she would notice my presence. She just continued reading her paper. After a little longer of her not paying attention, or just outright ignoring me I tapped the bell gently beside her.
She folded her paper and threw it on the desk as she looked down at me with a bit of surprise. The shock wore off quickly enough as she tapped on her computer. “Hmm, its one of you pony things. Were you planning on buying a ticket, or grazing in the field behind the building?” She scoffed as she readjusted her glasses to get a better look of me.
“Umm….” I was taken back by the immediate hostility. I narrowed my eyes, and mentally pulled up the confidence from the back of my mind to the surface and let it flow through me. As if suddenly, the intimidation I felt from the clerk’s accusation disappeared. I closed my eyes and gave a stern look back to the offending human. “From that comment I will digress, one ticket to New York express.”
“Hmmm…. New York,” the clerk turned away either unimpressed or had nothing to add. She began clicking away with the mouse on her computer and began a couple of keystrokes. “There’s a bus departing for Montgomery in half an hour,” she said with a lack of interest as she turned her back towards me. “It should link to a bus going to Atlanta, Georgia to Richmond, Virginia and from there to the New England route.”
“That route will do me just fine,” I said with a warm grin, “I’ll take it if you don't mind.” When I opened my eyes again I was met with a confused stare from the old woman.
“Sweetie, would it kill you to stop talking like that for one moment?” she said as she adjusted her glasses again. My grin turned sheepish as I let myself down from the counter and began to look for the money my father had given me. “It will be two hundred ten dollars,” she said flatly.
I pulled the crisp bills out of my pocket and placed it carefully in front of her. She perked her eyes at the dollars before she took them.
“Name?” She asked as she began to type again, filling out the ticket information on the computer.
“J-” I stopped for a moment as I found myself lost in thought. Did I actually forget my own name? No, I knew it. I started with a J? No, that didn’t sound right. A Z perhaps, Z something… Z something. “Zecora?” I asked out loud. That name sounded right, but at the same time awkward. I’d have to worry about it later though.
“What kind of name on god’s green earth is that?” The clerk asked as she finished typing, letting the printer print out a pass. “Well, no matter.” She said as her interest seemed to flat line. “Here is your ticket. Under no circumstances should you lose it. If you do it can’t be replaced.” She handed it over with a bit of disdain as she shooed me away from the front desk.
I wasted no time to pick the pass up and headed for a seat in the lobby. I looked at the other humans in the terminal again. I was getting some of the same stares I had received in the grocery store the other day. Some had noticed the scene I had caused and began to talk amongst each other. I could have sworn I saw one or two with camera phones pointed at me, but I tried not to pay it much mind. I sat down and fished out my Ipad and headphones. Music would solve my problems. It always did. I pulled up something more relaxing to calm my nerves. A part of me wish I had a bit tea to go with it.
Time began to pass by and most of the other ponies - people - began to return to their own devices. “Pensacola to Montgomery bus Three Fifteen now boarding at gate thirty two,” the intercom crackled to life, “Please have your luggage and tickets ready at the gate.”
I stepped out onto the terminal and searched the surroundings for my bus. The terminal was in better condition than the lobby seemed, but only marginally. The same seventies theme seemed to be everywhere. There were not many buses at the station this morning, which made it easier to locate mine. I moved quickly to get myself in line.
At first there were very few passengers as I walked up to the bus. I stared at the steps with a bit of intimidation. The moment I looked back, I noticed a the line of impatient passengers waiting to board behind me. Quickly as I could I planned a method of attack, placing both my forelegs onto the first step, then my hind legs. I repeated it till I managed to get onto the main floor.
As I passed the driver he took a moment to gape at me before giving a smirk. He looked like he was in his mid fifties, his grey hair must have already been balding underneath the cap he had. “On your way to the Big ol’ Apple little missy?” He asked as he spit the gum out of his mouth.
I grinned for what felt like the first time in ages at the human. “Why that would be a yes, how on earth could you guess?” I joked as I gestured to my pack. The driver merely laughed.
“The name is Rogers.” The man said as he offered a large hand out for a shake.
I held my hoof out to meet it. “Zecora,” I answered. The name came out more smoothly this time, but something about it still seemed a little off. I couldn't quite place it but for some reason I didn't seem bothered by it. I was just too relieved to have someone who wasn’t disgusted by the mere sight of me.
“You’re actually not the first pony on my bus, well; you’re the first one with stripes at least.” Roger said as he pulled back his hand, placing it onto the guardrail.
I tilted my head in confusion, “You mean say there’s more, others have come before?”
“Well, not here, I had one out in Tallahassee. His name was Star…. Hunter? Something like that, he was one of those winged ponies.” The information sank in slowly. There really were more ponies out there. Not only that, they were headed to New York as well. “Anyway he wasn’t too bad if I say so myself.” Roger said as he waved his hand idly as if to change subjects. I guess it was obvious the news was a bit of a shock to me, “If anyone gives you trouble be sure to let me know.”
“Thank you for your care, if I do have any problems, I’ll be sure to air.” I said as I took a step past the driver’s seat. Roger simply nodded and returned to greeting the rest of the passengers.
The bus was nothing like the old station. It was completely modern in every way. I never rode a charter bus before but the interior almost reminded me of first class coach in most airliners. The seats were a signature blue, cushy, comfortable and inviting. Overhead some passengers had turned on their personal lamps or fans while they read books, or worked on laptops. I moved toward the back of the bus, trying to avoid making eye contact with most of the other passengers that were on board.
I found a secluded window seat in the back and quickly laid my gourd down in the aisle seat. Old habits of wanting my own space on the bus from grade school died hard I guess. That and the overhead compartments were far too high for me to reach. I turned back to my Ipad and began to pour over some YouTube tracks as I waited for the bus to start. I pressed the play button and settled onto the back of the seat, mouthing the words silently as I nodded my head with the beat.
Soon enough the bus engine started up and I found myself staring out the window as we left the station. As we left the covered roof of the terminal the window was suddenly blanketed by a light shower of water. The probably rain had started at some point while I had waited.
The bus left the station with ease as the fences opened and quickly got onto the highway. The streets were still quiet as we began our way out of town, past the city limits. The small town quickly gave way to the more rural parts of the county. I lost track of time as farmlands and sloping hills began to meld together. Eventually at some point we pulled off the highway and onto the interstate.
My attention turned to the signs as they began to fly by. The bus quickly began to pick up speed. The rain began to get harder the further we went, splashing the side of the window. It was then that I almost missed a particular sign go by. I took a deep breath as I watched it fly past.
NOW LEAVING FLORIDA
WELCOME TO ALABAMA
I put my hoof to the window and touched the glass. I could only just slightly feel the cold glass. I watched the sign go past, and with it, the only part of the world I knew. I had a strange feeling as I saw it all go by.
‘Heh, that’s weird’ I thought to myself, withdrawing my hoof from the glass and holding it closely to myself. ‘why does if feel like I’ll never get to come back here.’