Zayna continues to run for several minutes before you finally realise that you're not being chased and bring her to a halt. Climbing down from her back you pat her neck and stroke her nose. "Good girl, Zayna," you say proudly. "I think we're safe now."
"Thank you for your praise, master," she replies. "But I am now certain that we are well and truly lost in this forest."
"Details, details." You wave your hand dismissively. "We just need to find the place where we first met those crazy mares. Once we've done that, it's just a case of retracing our steps back to the stables, and then everything will be normal again, thankfully."
Zayna turns her head to look at you, her soft brown eyes locking with yours. "Even me?" she asks. "Because 'normal' implies that I will be unable to speak once we get home."
You rub the back of your head and sigh. "I would imagine so," you reply. "Though I have to admit that it has been rather nice hearing how much you care about me straight from the horses mouth... pun not intended, of course."
"You are my master," Zayna says. "You have cared for me since I was a filly, always with my best interests at heart." She nuzzles your face. "I truly appreciate everything you have done."
"Thanks, Zayna," you say sheepishly. "It makes me happy to hear you say that." And that was something else you thought you'd never say in your life. "Come on, girl, let's get out of here."
"Taking shelter first, to you I would advise," a new voice on the wind calls out, taking both of you by surprise. "For travelling in the dark is most unwise."
You slowly turn around and start scanning the surrounding area, looking for the owner of the voice. Your eyes soon come to rest on yet another quadruped, this time wearing a hooded cloak.
"Who are you?" you say bitterly. "Are you another one of those ponies hell-bent on driving us away again? If you've got a problem, then you'd better make it known."
"The townsponies see you as a foe?" the mysterious figure sounds alarmed. "That was feeling I did once know. For a great of time that did last, but I thought for sure that was a thing of the past."
From the voice, you have determined that you are talking to a female. There's a slight accent there, but you can't place it. As you ponder the meaning of her words, she lowers the hood to reveal that she is a zebra. Makes a change from a pony, that's for sure.
"Zecora is my name, and potions are my game," she says pleasantly, to which you nod politely. "I was once in your situation, feared by a part of this equine nation. But that trouble time has come to an end, for they now see me as a friend."
"Well, that's all very well and good for you," you reply. "But I don't see how that helps us." You point at Zayna. "Look, we just need to find some way of getting home. Can you help us or not?"
"That depends upon you, my dear." Zecora replies. "Tell me, why do my friends treat you with fear?"
You sigh and tell Zecora everything that happened up until the point where you met her. She takes it rather well, even going so far as to laugh when you tell her about the volley of stones that were thrown at you prior to your departure from Ponyville.
"The tale you tell is quite grand," she says. "Though you both look... exotic to this land." You're about to ask her to elaborate on this, when a piercing howl cuts through the still forest air. Zayna shuffles a little and moves closer to you, while Zecora looks around worriedly for a moment before she speaks in a hushed tone. "To sleep out here, it would mean your doom. Please come to my home, for there is plenty of room."
You don't hesitate and nod feverishly, taking a hold of Zayna's bridle and following Zecora down a path. You're not sure why you are doing this, but she seems genuine enough for you to trust her. After all, anyone who has been through the same hell you have regarding those crazy ponies is a friend in your book. But at the same time you're hoping that if Zecora does have anything nefarious in mind, she leaves it until after you've eaten something.
***
You soon find yourself approaching a hut. It looks rather quaint, and the smoke coming from the chimney tells you that, one, it's warm inside, and two, Zecora is cooking something nice. It smells like a stew of some kind. There's probably no meat in it, but that doesn't mean you can't salivate at the thought of eating some.
"I welcome you both to my humble abode," Zecora says as she opens the door. "Please come inside and take off a load."
The doorway is a bit small for you, but that's nothing a bit of stooping can't fix. However, this does reveal a bit of a problem: as you stand in the middle of the room, your head only just scraping the ceiling, you hear a frustrated snort from behind you. You turn around to see that Zayna can't fit through the door — something she clearly isn't happy about, judging by her frustrated whinny.
"Hey, Zecora," you wonder. "Are there any other ways into this place? I really don't want Zayna staying outside, especially after you implied that there are things around here that can kill you."
Zecora pokes her head around a doorway leading into what smells like the kitchen. "Do what you need to," she replies. "But have swiftness, for the beasts of the forest are relentless."
You study the door for a moment, Zayna on the other side looking around nervously. "Please hurry, master," she says. "I really don't want to spend any more time out here."
You can't refuse that pleading face, so you nod in determination. "The door looks pretty weak," you surmise. "Maybe if I took it out you'd have room to move." Zayna shrugs – or does something that at least looks like a shrug – as you grab the door with both hands. "One... two... three!" you count before taking the door clean off its hinges, making the space slightly larger. Zayna trots in with a large grin on her face and nuzzles your cheek, at which you smile back and put the door in its rightful place.
"There's not a lot of room in here," Zayna muses as she looks around. "My stable is bigger than this." she catches sight of Zecora looking at her. "But it is still a very lovely home you have, Zecora. My master and I appreciate your extremely generous hospitality."
"My home is modest, but it suits me just fine," Zecora says as she waves a forehoof dismissively. "Now the time has come for us all to dine." She goes over to a cauldron and removes the lid, revealing the contents to be a hearty vegetable stew. "Dig in, eat up, and enjoy this fine stew." She continues. "And maybe you can tell me of your relationship, too?"
You and Zayna exchange a glance. "I guess I could do that," you reply. "But, first of all, I have to ask you something. Why do you talk in rhyme? No offence, but it does seem rather unusual."
"No offence taken — not even a bit." Zecora laughs. "As for my method of speech, I was born with it."
"Oh, right," you say as you prepare a bowlful of stew for yourself and another for Zayna, which she devours ravenously. You take a spoonful and are taken aback by the fresh taste of it. "Anyway, Zecora, thank you for your hospitality. We really appreciate it."
Zecora simply dips her head in response. "Sadly, to the Everfree my pony friends don't often roam," she replies. "So it’s nice to have some new company in my home." She clops her forehooves together for a moment. "Now, tell me of your home — all that you know. Your relationship with Zayna, it intrigues me so."
You smile and pat the horse in question as she continues to slurp noisily at her soup. "To cut a long story short, I rescued her from a bad place — and ever since then she's been an integral part of my life." You let out a small chuckle. "Because she was so friendly, I started using her to give riding lessons. Everyone loved her, and said she was the nicest horse they'd ever met."
Zecora's ears perk up at this. "I have to admit, that is indeed a strange job," she says with a small smile. "But, lucky for you, I am not part of the mob."
"Wait... so you don't care about the fact she's a horse? A pet I use to give riding lessons? A living creature I control using these things?" You point at the saddle and bridle, at which Zecora shakes her head. "Well then, thank goodness for that. When those ponies found out, they flipped their lids."
"The ponies tend to fear things unfamiliar or new," Zecora says mournfully. "For me, that was something I personally knew. There was a time when they would lock themselves away in fear, upon spotting my form draw near." She seems upset as she says this, but her gloomy facade soon gives way to a smile. "It took some time, and a lot of jokes, before they accepted me as a friend. Be patient, and soon these troubled times will end."
"I'll believe that when I see it," you reply. "In the meantime, however, I have to say... this is some really nice soup."
"My master is correct," Zayna chips in as she looks up from her bowl with the remains of her dinner all over her face. "It certainly was a lovely meal, and makes a welcome change from grass."
Zecora laughs. "Thank you, you're far too sweet." she shrugs. "When you live alone, you tend to learn how make things to eat."
Zayna nods. "My master would know all about that." she looks at you. "Isn't that right, master? I can't remember the last time you brought a woman who wasn't a client out to see me."
Your face turns bright red at this statement. "I'm... I'm a busy man, Zayna," you stammer. "I don't have time to go on dates every single night, I've got a business to look after."
Zayna giggles. "Whatever you say, master," she replies, before letting out a loud yawn. "Oh, my, excuse me. Zecora, if you don't mind, I would very much like to get some rest."
"I don't mind in the slightest at all," Zecora says. "In fact, I think we all can hear slumber’s call."
"Sounds good to me," you add. "We'll sleep through here." Zecora goes to say something, but you stop her. "Don't worry about us, Zecora — Horses can sleep standing up, and I'll be fine on the floor. You go to bed, and we'll see you in the morning."
"To my chambers I retire, to dress in my attire," she says cryptically. "To bed I will go, and prepare for a show."
You have no idea what she's talking about, but you smile and nod nonetheless as she heads into her bedroom. You lie down on the floor next to Zayna and stare at the ceiling. With nothing to occupy your mind, you soon fall asleep.
***
"They have to be here somewhere, Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash grumbles. "Are you sure that your animal friends haven't seen them? You have to admit that it's kinda hard to lose sight of a human and his pet ‘horse’."
Fluttershy shakes her head. "Sorry, Rainbow, but there's no sign of them," she replies. "Maybe they took another path to — wait, what's that over there?" She flutters over to some tracks in the dirt and looks at them intently. "These are hoofprints, but, as far as I know, there's nopony else here."
Rainbow Dash follows the tracks with her eyes, coming to rest on smoke in the distance. "They probably belong to Zecora," she says. "She spends enough time in this forest, but I don't think she'd know about those two." she lets out an exasperated sigh. "After what we did, they're probably avoiding anything with four legs. But Twilight says we've gotta find them, especially after Sweetie Belle explained how we got the wrong word, so that's what we're gonna do. And I hope we find them soon because this place is creepy even during the day, never mind at night!"
"You're right," Fluttershy sighs. "Come on, let's look somewhere else. I just hope we find them, and that they accept our apologies. But even they'll have to admit that 'horse' and 'whorse' sound so alike, it was only natural we'd get confused."
Rainbow Dash nods and the two pegasi fly away just as the moon’s first light enters the forest, touching the tracks and revealing the footprints within.
***
"It is time to wake up, my brand-new friend," the voice rouses you from the wonderful embrace of sleep. "For as I have said, there is a show to attend."
You blearily open your eyes and look around. Zayna is still asleep, occasionally whinnying softly, while Zecora is calling to you from her bedroom. You stand up and stretch before looking at your watch, which tells you that it's just after five in the morning. Had you been home you'd still be asleep, so you curse under your breath at the early wakeup and walk over to Zecora's bedroom. She ducks back in as you approach and enter.
"Okay, Zecora," you say wearily. "What is it? Are you needing help with something?"
The door closes behind you and you freeze. "Thank you for coming. It really was bold." Zecora's voice is almost sultry. "Now turn around slowly. There is a sight to behold."
You do as you are asked, your pulse going a mile a minute and your nerves on high alert. When you do turn around, your jaw nearly drops to the floor and your heart leaps into your throat as you take in the sight which has greeted you.
Zecora. Wearing a saddle and a bridle. And carrying a whip.
"What the hell..." you can't believe what you are seeing. Zecora doesn't say anything as she starts advancing on you, the faintest trace of lust clearly visible on her face. Putting two and two together, you come to the fateful conclusion that, like those ponies, she is confused about what your job actually involves, although, as you desperately try to come up with an escape plan, you can't help but be grateful to the zebra.
Because, while there may not have been a movie, at least you can take comfort in the fact that she gave you dinner first.