Celestia, Princess of Equestria and goddess of the sun stood in a clearing in the wild forest known to the ponies of Equestria as the Everfree Forest, her royal guards - lead by her long-time friend Winged Sword - pacing round nervously. The Everfree Forest was home to some of the most fierce creatures in Equestria but Celestia was not worried; she was in the best company - if any of those creatures did choose this moment to show up they would regret it. The grey maned earth pony by her side did look nervous but that might not have been totally to do with the possibility of being devoured by an ursa major or savaged by a manticore.
“They totally wrecked the town!” she said again. “First they ate all the food and then they started to eat everything else! It is going to take weeks to get everything put back.”
Celestia turned to look at her old friend who was currently doing the job of a very distressed Mayor of Ponyville. “Surely it cannot be that bad?” she said. Celestia had not actually gone into the town, having met with Twilight and her friends on the outskirts, but the view from the air had not been terribly encouraging.
The Mayor stared at her in disbelief. “They ATE the TOWN,” she said again more vehemently.
Celestia looked back at the lines of little creatures dancing round in a tight spiral. “But you have to admit that they are adorable.” The little creatures looked like little balls of fur with wings and, at least at the moment, they seemed to be in a state of bliss.
“Not when they are eating the wall of your office they are not.” The Mayor glowered at the line of little creatures as they went passed - one of which stuck its tongue out at her.
“At least the contingency plan worked,” Celestia said calmingly. “It is a good thing that parasprites respond so powerfully to music.”
The Mayor did not respond but she still did not look happy. Celestia watched as the parasprites danced and spiralled into the clearing with surprising precision. Their swaying and bouncing to the song was hypnotic and Celestia almost felt herself bobbing along. The song was coming from the middle of the clearing where a pony-like figure was balanced on its head, legs folded and chanting with an eerie rhythm. The last of the parasprites wound their way into the clearing and the chanting changed, becoming less rhythmic and more melodious. Eventually the parasprites stopped their swaying and started to fall to the ground; the song gradually shifted into a lullaby and soon all the little balls of fluff lay still. The song faded and the clearing was filled with the sound of tiny snores; the singer twisted herself upright, picked up her knurled staff from where it lay on the ground and made her way carefully to where Celestia and the Mayor where waiting.
“Well done,” Celestia greeted the singer. “It is good to see you again my little pony.”
The new comer looked quizzically at Celestia. “Friend of yours I may be, but pony that is not me.”
Celestia smiled at the zebra. “It is an expression Zecora. It means something like 'my young friend.'”
Zecora seemed to think about this for a bit.
“A long time it has been, since youth I have seen.
But from an immortal's point of view, everypony must seem young to you.”
Winged Sword landed next to the group “They look very peaceful,” he said waving a wing at the sleeping parasprites. “But surely if they just lie there something fierce is going to come and eat them?”
Zecora laughed at this. “Eating a parasprite I would say, it is a way to have a very bad day.”
Winged sword looked quizzically at Celestia; sometimes understanding a zebra's rhyming speech was not the easiest of things. “Parasprites are toxic,” she explained. “Things have learnt that if you eat one you get a very nasty belly ache.”
Winged Sword looked a bit confused. “So what happens to them now?”
“Full and tired these little pests now are, but in a few months this clearing will be full of stars.”
Winged Sword gave Celestia another confused look “Parasprites are like caterpillars,” she explained. “They are just a larval stage. Every year they run around for a couple of days ravenously consuming everything they can.” The Mayor, listening in on the conversation, gave a small grunt at this. “While the food lasts they keep dividing, then they spin themselves a cocoon and go to sleep. In a couple of months they will hatch out as star flies.”
“But then why are we not over run by star flies?”
Celestia gave her friend a look. “Wing, if you really want to learn all about the fauna of the Everfree Forest I can recommend good book you can read when we get back to Canterlot, but I think we should leave this clearing now.”
“Indeed we may,” Zecora said. “My abode is this way.”
Celestia nodded and Zecora lead them off through the dark forest, Winged Sword and the rest of the guard staying close around them and looking nervously out at the woods. Celestia looked at her zebra friend as she picked her way down the path. Zecora was right, she was not really one of Celestia's “little ponies” and not only because she was a zebra. Zecora properly worked for the king of Zebracan and Celestia was sure she had other duties she was not aware of, but ponies and zebras had enjoyed good relations for a while, especially in the years after she had officially declared her return. Besides, Zecora was a very useful zebra to have around. She walked on for a while, lost in her memories.
===
She glided silently through the night using her wings only to make minor adjustments to her flight path, not wanting to risk even the quietist wing flap. Sheet Lighting glided at her side; it seemed almost natural now they had been together for so many years. He was no longer the young colt he had been when she had rescued him, he had matured into a strong and powerful stallion. Around them gilded a formation of pegasus ponies; they had been selected for this mission because they could be trusted to move silently and keep their heads.
Celestia knew most of them personally; they had been on missions like this before and some of them had even been with her when she had stormed the dungeons of smoky mountain. They were good ponies. Behind them were a couple of sleds pulled by more pegasi; on them were riding half a dozen unicorn and earth ponies. Celestia was less certain about these. The unicorn and earth ponies tended to be very vehement about these sorts of things - with good reason - but calmness was needed today. She did need their talents though. The speed and acrobatics of pegasi could only get you so far; sometimes you needed the intricate magic of unicorns or the brute strength of earth ponies.
The night was dark as they flew. Celestia had deliberately dulled the moon and stars for tonight. But through the dark she could see a lone figure standing on the grassland below her. She gestured with her forehooves and the silent flight of ponies circled round to land in front of the shadow. Celestia looked at the figure standing in front of her as the rest of her ponies landed; it looked like a pony but was slightly bigger and was wearing a brown hooded cloak. It pushed the hood off its head revealing the stripes that clearly showed it was a zebra.
The zebra bowed its head to Celestia. “Welcome Princess to our ground, now quickly this way - don't make a sound.”
Celestia gestured to the ponies pulling the sleds to stay where they were while the rest followed the zebra. Their guide led them silently over the grassland to where a small rocky hill provided concealment. Looking over the hill Celestia could see what they had come here for. There was a gasp from Sheet Lighting when he saw their destination.
A little way over the hill they where hiding behind was a circle of wagons. Some of the wagons were made of stout iron bars and looked more like cages, while in the middle of the circle was a camp fire, around which some figures sat. Arguing voices could be clearly heard from where the ponies were hiding. Some of the shadows round the fire looked equine and Celestia assumed they were more zebra, the others walked upright with long gangly arms and legs. “Diamond dogs,” she thought to herself, but it was not this that had caused her companion to gasp. Clearly visible in the wagons and tied up around them were the shapes of ponies.
“Slavers,” a unicorn on her right whispered harshly, her hooves pawing at the ground.
Celestia put her wing out to block the young pony's view. “Hold Sunrise,” Celestia told the pony. “Do not go rushing in before all is ready.”
Sunrise, along with the rest of the unicorn and earth ponies, was obviously disturbed by the scene in front of her - and with good reason. Most of them had been held as slaves by the dragons of the smoky mountain until Celestia and her pegasus allies had stormed the place. Looking into the camp Celestia could see a zebra drag a young pony towards where the shapes where sitting round the fire. The voices became more intense; there was obviously an argument going on about the price.
“I thought your King had outlawed the trade?” Sheet Lighting asked their zebra guide.
He rocked his head back and forth in the zebra equivalent of a shrug. “My King he says “this you shall not do”, but he is not always well listened too.”
There was a sound of a crack and a pony's scream from the wagons. Celestia bit her lip, fighting to suppress her rage.
“Princess, what are we going to do?” an earth pony to her left asked.
“We wait,” she said through clenched teeth. There was another crack and the sound of laughter.
“But Princess...”
“We wait!”
They waited for maybe thirty minutes, watching as the slavers paraded the ponies they had captured and haggled with their buyers. Eventually a singing, warbling song rouse from the camp. Their zebra guide lifted his head and added a few bars of his own, his notes joining seamlessly with the song.
“That was the sign for us to go, time for you to start the show.”
Celestia looked around at her ponies. No need to ask if they were ready; she could read the determined anger on their faces. She crouched back on her haunches and then with an explosive burst of energy leapt for the sky. Her wings bit deep into the air dragging her upward and with her magic she pulled the sun up with her. The scene before them was flooded with light as the sun rose, shadows crawling with unnatural speed. Under her she could hear the thunder of hooves and the flapping of wings as the ponies leapt the rocks and charged the camp.
From the direction of the slaver's wagons she could hear shouts of alarm and cries of astonishment. They had caught them by surprise as had been the plan. She swooped in low just as the flight of pegasi dived down on the camp. Behind them the other ponies galloped across the grass; unicorns throwing spells at the slavers while the earth ponies thundering forward, heads down and faces determined. A barrage of stones and other missiles were flung at the charging ponies, most of them landing harmlessly or being deflected by unicorn magic, but she saw a pegasus pony's wing clipped by an arrow. Screaming he tumbled from the sky.
Celestia flew low over the roofs of the wagons, her coat and mane blazing with the radiant magic of the sun. She heard a cry go up from the slave ponies.
“The Goddess!”
”Princess Celestia!”
“The Goddess has returned!”
As she circled she saw a big red earth pony stallion turn and deliver a huge buck to the door of the cage he was in. The door flew off its hinges, flattening the guard in front of it. The slaves poured out of his cage, they started attacking the doors of the other cages and biting and bucking at the guards, the camp erupted in chaos at the same time the charge of ponies hit the outside of the camp.
The fight was short and brutal, caught between the charge of Celestia's ponies and the revolt of their former captives, the slavers had stood no chance. Her ponies were now seeing to the release of the slaves that had not managed to free themselves and tending to the wounded. There had been very few causalities on the attackers side; as she walked through the remains of the camp she saw the arrow struck pegasus lying on the ground, an earth pony carefully bandaging and splinting his wing. Next to him an earth pony lay on her back with feet in the air, she had been hit by some sort of thrown Zebrcain potion and was now lying there twitching occasionally as a unicorn gently probed her with magic.
Most of the injuries were to the rescued slaves, some of whom had been badly treated by the slavers. As she walked past where they were being treated most of the now freed slaves tried to bow despite their injuries. She could hear whisperings of “the Goddess” again. Soon, she thought she would need to try and get a grip on that but for now it served a purpose. Then she saw Sunrise and an earth pony leading a group of foals out of a wagon and her mind boiled.
She strode over to where Sheet Lighting and a group of pegasi were guarding the slaver captives. In the middle of the group of zebra and diamond dogs Celestia saw what she had expected and had hoped not to see. She waved a hoof.
“You. Come forward,” she commanded. Hesitantly the pony stallion made his way out of the crowd. He was about average height and had a dark brown coat with a single horseshoe as a cutie mark. “You would be Dark Earth?” she demanded. The stallion nodded slowly. “Why?” Celestia asked coldly, waving her hoof over the remains of the slavers wagons and the freed slaves. “Why did you do this?”
He looked her in the eyes. “Why not,” he replied. “Because I could, because they paid me, because it was easy.” Celestia imagined his voice changed subtlety “Because they.” He indicated the captured diamond dogs and zebra, “are strong and ponies are weak. It is a ponies lot to be hunted and captured. Why should I not be on the side of the strong if I can?”
Celestia stared at him. “But they are your herd your friends and you betrayed them! How could you?”
“How could I not,” he replied. “Ponies deserve it. Because of us the gods fought and abandoned us. We are alone.” This last was practically shouted up into her face, the rage and shame twisting his features. Celestia was stunned. This was not the first time she had heard this version of history but this was the first time she had heard it put this way. She heard the whinnying of the rescued foals as they were reunited with their parents.
“Not. Any. More!” she turned her back on Dark Earth. “Not any more.” She felt tears come to her eyes and she squeezed them shut as she moved slowly away from the group.
She made her way through the recovering slaves to where a new group of zebra where standing. Shortly after the fight was over their guide had arrived together with a group of tough looking zebra. In the light of day Celestia recognised their guide as part of the Herd of the Zebrcain King. He walked up to where she was standing.
“A good nights work we have here, I think we made the message clear.
The law that my King had made, your ponies are not to be enslaved.”
Celestia nodded at the zebra. “Thank you,” she replied. “Let us hope that they get the message.”
The zebra waved a hoof towards the group of despondent looking ex slavers.
“What do you want to do with these, vengeance would be within your right to seize.”
Celestia looked at the miserable little group and clamped down on her anger. “We are on your land,” she told him. “The treaty says they are yours to deal with.”
The zebra nodded to her and his guards moved in to surround the group. Celestia turned sharply and walked away, Sheet Lightning and his flight of pegasi winging over to her. “Are we all ready?” she asked him.
“I think so Celestia,” he replied. “As soon as we saw how many rescuees we had I sent a flyer back to Canterlot; there should be enough sleds waiting.”
Celestia looked over the ponies. Most of them seemed able to walk including, to her relief, the wounded pegasus she had seen earlier, his wing now strapped tightly to his side. The rest, including the young foals, had been loaded into a couple of carts which were being pulled by a pair of strong earth ponies.
“Right then my little ponies,” she said loudly. “Let's go home.”
===
Yes, the zebra were strong allies even back then, Celestia thought, dragging her mind back to the path she was walking. She could trust Zecora even if she had additional orders. Eventually they reached the zebra's strange hut, a creepy looking affair that seemed to be built out of an old tree. Celestia and the Mayor followed Zecora in while Winged Sword and his colleagues took up guard positions at the door. The Mayor looked at the guard ponies out of the window.
“Are they going to be okay out there?” she asked Zecora.
The zebra gave her strange little laugh again. “Not stupid are the creatures of the Everfree. Learnt to avoid this place, and me.”
Celestia took a seat and looked around. Zecoria's hut was decorated with strange masks and other artefacts from her home land; Celestia recognized some of them from her travels into Zebraican.
“So,” she said when she had gotten herself comfortable. “What happened with the parasprites?”
“Well at first everything seemed to be going okay,” the Mayor started. “Zecora released the initial parasprite near where Fluttershy was gathering flowers for your visit.”
Celestia nodded again; the visit had in fact just been an excuse to put Twilight under some pressure when faced with the parasprites. It seemed to be a very hard thing to do to her favourite pupil and she had argued with some of her friends about it but, she admitted that it was necessary. They needed to push Twilight in a fairly controlled environment otherwise there was no telling what might happen in an uncontrolled situation. It was harsh but necessary.
“As we thought, Fluttershy was taken in by the horrid little creatures' charm and 'rescued' it, taking it back to show her friends.”
“So far so good.”
“Yes, well...enough of the rest of our little ponies where taken in by their charm that they managed to insinuate themselves into their affections.”
“Which ponies?” Celestia asked.
“Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Twilight herself,” the mayor supplied. “I believe that Applejack was busy on her farm and did not get involved till later and as was our plan Pinkie Pie immediately started gathering the instruments she would need for the contingency as well as dropping hints to the other ponies about the true menace.”
Celestia did not ask her friend how she knew exactly what had happened. She had been Mayor of the town for long enough to have her own friends and agents in place. Celestia would be surprised if any piece of information escaped her.
“The trouble started the next morning. As we expected the parasprites had multiplied overnight and were starting to be a threat. Our new friends seemed to have things well in hand and had very nearly managed to return them to the Everfree forest.”
She stopped. “So what went wrong?” Celestia asked.
“Well, it seemed that Fluttershy had kept a few of the creatures and while our friends had been dealing with the swarm they had multiplied and our friends where back at square one. It was at this point that their cooperation broke down, each member of the team trying something different or abandoning their friends to guard what they felt was most important.”
“Not good,” Celestia said.
“No, indeed not. By the time Miss Dash had tried to capture them in a vortex - succeeding only in spreading them out all over the town - and Miss Sparkle had tried to magic them away - only to make them even more dangerous - the situation was almost out of control.” The Mayor took a breath to calm herself. “It got so bad that I was worried what Twilight would do next. I was close to calling you in to prevent her doing more damage. Fortunately at that point Pinkie Pie managed to get the wretched things out of my town.” The Mayor took more breaths; even just retelling the events was proving stressful.
Celestia turned to Zecora. “Could you not help them?”
Zecora looked worried. “By the time Twilight came to me, there was little I could do you see.
The nature of the beasts her spell did change, so all my potions would have been in vain.
Perhaps if they trusted me more, then earlier they come to my door,
but mistrusted in Ponyville am still I, so this whole plan has gone awry.”
Celestia shook her head. “No Zecora, you were only to have a supporting roll in this. They had plenty of ways to deal with this swarm, but it required that they pool their efforts and work as a team. We set this up so that none of them could solve it alone.”
“Except Pinkie Pie.” The Mayor added.
“Yes, but we told Pinkie Pie not to solve it unless it became absolutely necessary,” Celestia countered. “I am very worried - if their cooperation can so easily break up with even a minor setback - can we be sure that the will hang together when we need it?”
“Let's not panic yet your Highness,” the Mayor filled in. “They are still young mares and some of them are particularly quick tempered. It is not totally surprising that they flew apart when things failed.”
Celestia looked at her friend. “You seemed more worried when I arrived?”
The Mayor looked a little sheepish. “Well, when you are standing in the half eaten remains of your house you tend to have a different perspective on things.” Celestia smiled at this. “Anyway your Highness, we have plans to teach them the value of teamwork already in progress. We can afford to let those play out and see what happens.”
“You think that that will help?” Celestia asked her old friend.
“I think your Highness that if we can establish Twilight as a coordinator figure then it will go a long way to preventing this sort of thing in future.”
“You know them best Mayor,” Celestia said, standing up. “We will let it play out your way.” Celestia bowed her head to Zecora. “You will keep an eye on Twilight for me as well?”
Zecora nodded. “Two eyes I will keep on your young protégé, hopefully I can keep things from going astray.”
Celestia and the Mayor left the weird house and, with Winged Sword and the rest of the escort flying a nervous guard, made their way back to where her chariot was waiting.
“Do you want me to send any additional help to rebuild Ponyville?” Celestia asked her friend while looking back to where there was still smoke coming from the town.
The Mayor shook her head. “Do not worry your Highness,” she replied. “The ponies of Ponyville are hard workers and I am sure that we will have the town looking like it was never damaged before you know it.”
Celestia gave her friend a brief hug as Winged Sword and the rest of the pegasi. Got her chariot ready “Well I hope the rest of our plans go off a little better than this,” she said stepping up onto the seat.
“So do I your Highness,” the Mayor said with feeling. “So do I.”