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The Everfree Forest is a place of wonder, mystery... and danger. It contains many dangerous creatures, plants, and has an overall unnerving atmosphere. Many have ventured into this strange forest, coming out either scarred for life or... not at all. Naturally, many choose to stay away from the Everfree Forest for these very reasons.
However there is one equine who has willfully chosen to create her residence from within the forest. A zebra to be exact.
The zebra went about her business that day, the shy shafts of light from between the trees stroking the black stripes on her white coat. The uncomfortable heat made it hell for her mane: the mohawk it had been styled into was beginning to droop from the sweat.She was gathering various plants, herbs and the like.
Her name was Zecora. Her occupation was that of a potion maker, and while she was willing to give visitors free potions, many of her consumers paid her in appreciation of her various helpful concoctions. At the moment she was searching for a special ingredient for a new brew that she got an idea for. So far the universe didn't seem to want her to find it, as an hour had passed ever since she got the idea to look for the object of her desire.
"Where oh where is the flower I seek? It is not near the trees. It’s not near the creek," Zecora spoke as she frantically searched every bush, tree, and every inch of the ground for the important flower. She searched high, low, and middle for the plant and wasn't having any luck. She sighed and was about to give up her search when she heard loud howling along with a yelp from a few yards away from her.
"Is that a cry of hunger that I hear? It seems danger has suddenly come near." she shouted as she closed her eyes and focused her hearing to see what direction the yell was coming from. As Zecora focused, the sound become more clear and focused. The voice was coming from the west! Zecora immediately galloped to the sounds of the beasts.
While most creatures would have to merely trot slowly and safely through the forest, Zecora, a resident of the area, was a master of the layout and dangers of the Everfree. She knew the woods like the back of her hoof. Navigating through the dangerous area was merely foal's play at best.
As she galloped, she gulped. Judging from the sounds, there were at least ten timberwolves along with some poor victim who they intended to make their next meal. As she came to the source of the sound, a wide open part of the forest with no trees to block someone's path or vision, she managed to hide behind some bushes in order to observe the situation and come up with a plan. However, she saw a scene that certainly surprised her. The timberwolves seemed to be the ones in peril rather than the equine who they thought would be their next meal.
The scene Zecora witnessed was difficult to describe. It was a green mare--no, a stallion. He wore clothes of a design unfamiliar to her, as if he were a pony from a distant and alien land. His movements were graceful and ghostlike, his blonde mane shimmering like a golden fireball as he moved from timberwolf to timberwolf, swinging at them with an object that, curiously, resembled a giant, black key*.
Zecora then turned her head to see an extremely violent sight. There were approximately fifty timberwolf corpses, all of them either on fire, beheaded, bisected, or torn to tiny pieces. The fact that timberwolves didn't have any blood did nothing to make it any better. Zecora felt a mix of shock, amazement, and relief in her heart.
, "What kind of place could produce a warrior this bold? And where on earth is a giant key-blade sold?"The female gave a sigh of relief upon seeing that the lone stallion was in no danger. The green swordspony gave an audacious stomp towards the pack of wolves and pointed his sword at them. His blue orbs gave a fierce glare towards the animals. The wooden animals immediately charged towards him in rage. However, they weren't exactly going for him, and leaped over his head, running towards a bush.
The same bush Zecora was in.
"I didn't like having to do that but-huh?" the green stallion suddenly reacted in shock when a zebra suddenly jumped out of the bush and nearly evaded getting bitten by one of the wolves. The emerald equine realized that the beasts must have gotten her scent and had chosen to exchange him for something less dangerous. He immediately spread his wings and galloped towards the stranger. Worse, the timberwolves seemed to be much quicker on foot. However, the emerald equine had a trick up his sleeve...
"Fire!" cried out the pony, as if it were a command. The black blade he held suddenly shot a ball of flame from its tip, fired off like a bullet at the timberwolves.
One of the creatures was about to bite Zecora when its body suddenly got hit with the force of a bullet train. The blow was strong enough to push the beast through a tree, creating a hole in it. The wolf’s companions, once focused on making Zecora their meal, now looked on in shock as they watched one of their own slowly die in a slow, painful way.
The wolf that was hit with the fireball yelped as he realized that its body was suddenly engulfed in powerful flames. Zecora had a numinous look in her eyes as the wolf screamed in pain from the furious fire. The beast howled a howl like no other, as its bark/skin was burning and slowly becoming ash. Eventually, after about three minutes, the howl of the unfortunate timberwolf came to an end, as its body had completely turned to ash, putting the wooden creature out of its misery.
Zecora reacted with shock as three thoughts entered her mind.
How was this pony able to use magic if he possessed no horn?
Where did he get that keyblade?
What was he doing in Everfree forest? These questions would have to wait until later, as the timberwolves that were remaining let out a continuous series of loud howls, Zecora and the swordspony winced as the timberwolves' howling were joined by other packs nearby. They both realized one thing: it was time to leave.
"Hey," the mystery pony said, "I know now isn't a good time for introductions, so do you live nearby?" He inquired of Zecora, which the female zebra responded to with a confused look and a scratch on her head.
"In a hut about a quarter of a mile to the west my friend, but I am afraid we are now at a dead end," replied Zecora, After all, if there was some chance of escaping, she would take it, no matter how small the chances were. Her pony friend suddenly rushed in, wings spread out.
"Hop on!" he yelled whilst charging at the female, expecting her to get on his back so he could fly her to safety. "I know it seems odd, but get on my back! I'll fly us to your place!" Zecora thought this was insane and wanted to voice her opinions on this plan, but she reconsidered. An insane plan was still a plan. Besides, what did she have to lose?
"Very well young one," Zecora said before making a noticeable gulp, "I guess if we want to escape, it must be done." Without a thought, Zecora jumped onto his back and he soared above the timberwolves just as they entered the clearing.
"I'm sorry, but we aren't on the menu," he quipped as he flew towards the west, his speed being incredible, but just slow enough so that Zecora could hang on to his body. The timberwolves, being desperate, jumped, trying to catch the two equines. The green pony, in an act of childishness, stuck out his tongue, which caused the zebra on his back to roll her eyes and mutter something under her breath.
Surprisingly, in spite of his small and skinny frame, he managed to carry her on his back with little difficulty. The experience of flying was new and exciting to Zecora. She liked flying on his back and resisted the urge to just release her hooves from his neck to feel the cold breeze on her hooves. Knowing that this experience would only last for a short time, she decided to have a conversation, seeing that they were safe from the timberwolves.
"Stallion with the blond mane, tell me, what is your name?" Zecora asked her green hero. The stallion kept focus as he talked to her.
"My name's Ventus, but just call me Ven." The pony now known as Ven answered. "Tell me, what are you doing in the forest?" He inquired of her, without turning his head in her general direction. Zecora scoffed at his question. She should ask him the same thing.
"I should ask you the same. Going into the Everfree is extremely insane," Zecora countered, condemning him for his hypocrisy, making him visibly blush for a half-second. "To answer your question blond brawler, I live near here and came to your rescue after I heard your holler," The zebra informed him. "Also, as for my name, it is Zecora." After Zecora told Ventus her name, they reached the hut, which was a tree with strange, exotic decorations on them. Ventus, upon seeing the hut, knew it belonged to Zecora from the information she gave him, landed, and admired the decorations of it, being somewhat mesmerized. A question from Zecora snapped him out of his state though.
"By the way Ventus, as your fight tells, I would like to ask how are you able to perform spells?" She asked, curious of his miraculous ability. Zecora had seen many seemingly impossible things, but the idea of a non-unicorn being able to perform magic was just unheard of. After she asked his question she immediately started to open her door. However, what she saw was going to leave her question unanswered, for it would be more important than her curiosity.
In Zecora's home were many exotic items such as scary-looking masks, potions, charms, and other strange objects. In the middle was a large pot, which Zecora used to make potions. The house and its accessories were very ancient looking, almost as if it were a home owned by someone from an ancient civilization. There were no electrical appliances anywhere, which some would think is a bit primitive. In fact, the only modern thing that she had was a medium-large desk in the corner of the room. To Zecora this was normal, but to Ventus it was something new, with the masks, while being somewhat scary, looked mesmerizing. The potions sparked his curiosity, making him wonder what they did. But there were two things wrong with the setting that unsettled Zecora.
One, someone had robbed her of her potions. Two, someone had the nerve to draw a strange symbol in red on her floor.
The symbol itself looked like a circular, slightly diagonal mouth, with the teeth showing. The lips were completely red, while the teeth were only outlines. An observation of the symbol seemed to indicate that it had dried, meaning it would be hell to get out. To Ventus it looked like some kind of cult symbol. To Zecora it was a stain some foolish burglar had made on her nice, clean floor. Judging from the zebra's face, Ventus could tell one obvious thing: she was angry.
"Not only are my potions gone, but on my floor someone has drawn! I don't know if I will catch him or her this day, but I do know that someday he or she is going to pay!" All of that hard work, all of those ingredients, and all of those new mixtures which she could boast of making to her friends in her homeland. All of them were wasted!
"You know Zecora, the thief left behind that creepy cult symbol. Don't you think that could be a clue?" Ventus told the angry zebra, while pointing to the, "creepy cult symbol."
"I'm afraid your logic has a gap. This symbol is quite clearly a trap," Zecora countered, annoyed. She walked and slammed her head on the nearby desk and muttered something under her breath which was muffled by the fact that her mouth was covered by the desktop. Ventus nervously shifted his weight from one side to the other, thinking of something better he could say.
"I don't know what else we'll do, so I'm afraid we have no other choice," Ventus pointed out in a comforting tone. He trotted over and caress her head for good measure. Zecora immediately jumped in response to his friendly action, mistaking it as a perverse gesture, and slapped him in the face while blushing. “Ouch!” Ventus cried. "Zebras hit pretty hard."
"Two things: One: Your idea has caused my heart to feel less hurt. Two: Don't touch me like that again...pervert," Zecora said "By the way my young pony, why is it that you wish to help me? Do you think I don't ever find myself in the company of a male? That you can just have me, and get under my tail?"
"T-that's not it!" Ventus argued, fighting a blush. "I'm just helping you out as a friend,"
"Calling me a friend is a bit strong, we haven't known each other for long," she said with a vexed voice. "Though I accept your help young one, since I want justice to be done,"
At her word, Ventus unfurled his wings. Zecora suddenly found herself hoisted by a green glow onto Ventus's back. Before she could protest, they were off again, into the sky.
He went extremely high at great speeds, shaking some of the leaves of the trees. In only a few seconds, the dark, fearful, forest was replaced by blue, clear, wonderful, cloud-filled skies.
Being so high in the air made Zecora feel a sense of excitement, fear, and nausea. It felt better than before. The cold air, the detailed sights, and the sense of adventure made her want to try this again sometime. It felt intoxicating. Thankfully, she didn't let her hooves stray from around Ventus's neck.
Ventus, seeing a small town below him, asked, "Hey, is there a police station down there? I think we should report this to the authorities."
Zecora snapped out of her amazement to see what he was talking about and smiled.
"Yes, down there is a familiar town, I am quite sure there is a police station around," she said. Ventus, upon gaining her confirmation, flew down to Ponyville at high speeds, making Zecora hang on tighter.
The two didn't know it yet, but that symbol they saw in Zecora's house would have more importance than just a clue in a thievery.