//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Friends in High Places // by Wheller //------------------------------// Chapter 2 Zecora did not remember exactly when the Welerans first came to Zhosa, but she did know that they had not been the first northerners to come. Two hundred years prior, the Boer Goats arrived at the Western Cape, the simple farmers and traders had left their native lands to escape persecution by others. The Boer Goats had actually gotten along quite well with the Zebra tribes that lived across the Sandy River. The Boer settlement of Kapstan was soon visited by Weleran ponies who wanted it for their own. The Boers had surrendered without a fight, though many of them would move east, into the lands held by Zebra tribes and establish their own nations. Peace would not be held in Zhosa, or as the newly established afrikneigher ethnic group would call it, Borwa, for many years to come. In modern times, the nation of Zecora’s birth was referred to, officially as the Republic of Zhosa-Borwa. Though things were hardly equal, the afrikneigher minority held all the power in Zhosa-Borwa, Zebras were denied political rights and citizenship, deemed unintelligent enough to be trusted with such rights. It had mattered little to Zecora. She had grown up far away from Western Cape, the seat of the Afrikneigher’s power. Her tribe had been a small one living in the countries eastern region, well beyond the Orange River, (Named by the afrikneigher’s as such on purpose because nothing rhymed with it.) Zecora’s tribe belonged to a small village on what had been considered Zhosa-Borwa’s eastern shore, though Zecora would not have known it as theirs. She had never even seen a pony or goat until her twentieth year of life. Her parents had died of sickness when she was young, and as such had been raised by their parents. Her grandfather had been the village elder, their chieftain. Her grandmother was the village’s shaman. Zecora had been apprenticing to replace her grandmother when she died. Her grandmother had tried to teach her everything that she knew, but it would not be possible. Instead, her grandmother had taught her to speak and read in afrikneigh, as their tribe had no written language of its own, and by night copied everything she knew into a book, which she gifted to Zecora on her deathbed. Zecora studied the book intensely, and became the tribe’s new shaman, however begrudgingly. That was when the afrikneighers came, clad in their war saddles, Emerald rifles and Besal Light machine guns (the Weleran version of the kangaroo Sen Gun) jaunting from their sides. Zecora was the only one of the tribe who spoke afrikneigh, but her grandfather had forbidden her to speak to them. The tribe’s warriors had readied themselves for a fight, for with afrikneighers, it was said, that there was no other alternative. Zecora had pleaded with her grandfather to allow her to speak to them, but he refused, he said that the afrikneighers were here for evil, and that evil could, and ordered the warriors to attack. They were cut down by the afrikneigher soldier clad in the Besal. Even though he was old, her grandfather had personally led the charge, believing that the afrikneigher’s bullets could not harm them because of their stripes. It had been foolish; she had hoped her grandfather would know better. She was taught to respect her elders, but Zecora knew that her grandfather had led the tribe to ruin. Now that she was in charge, she approached the afrikneighers shouting a message that meant “Do not shoot, I am a friend” in their language, and discovered that the afrikneigher soldiers were the advance guard of a missionary group bringing food and medicine to the eastern tribes. Zecora’s tribe had been decimated, her entire family gone, even by its own doing; she knew that she could no longer stay here. She travelled to Kapstan and applied for a visa to Welera, denied. She applied next for a visa to South Island, denied. She tried next to Equestria, somehow, that one got approved, and the next thing Zecora knew, she was on a boat sailing west. She would make her new home in Equestria, and hopefully, they would listen to her. Zecora finished her brew of bitter drink and began to empty the contents of the cauldron into vials. She looked over at her visitor, she had fallen asleep. She could only imagine what she was dreaming about. ... “SURPRISE!” the white Pegasus pony called out as she dive bombed her unsuspecting target, hugging her tightly. “Surprise!” the helpless victim called out. “Ha! I gotcha Firefly!” Surprise said with a huge grin on her face, her deep purple eyes shining brightly. The bright pink Pegasus pony, Firefly, sighed. Surprise had not known it them but Firefly had been trying to ignore her. “Yeah you got me. Now let me up!” Surprise hopped off Firefly, continuing to give the bright pink Pegasus a huge smile. Firefly ran a hoof through her electric blue mane, attempting to brush out the dirt from Surprise’s tackle. “What are we going to do today Firefly? Huh bestest best friend?!” Surprise asked. “Uh... yeah, about that. Sorry Surprise... but I’m really busy today, we’ll have to hang out later,” Firefly said, leaping into the air without another word. Surprise frowned. Firefly was always busy when Surprise wanted to spend time with her. She sighed and turned to walk the other direction. “Firefly doesn’t like you.” A voice whispered in her ear. “She thinks you’re a freak!” “That’s... that’s not true! Firefly is my bestest best friend!” Surprise said with a sniffle. “Then how come she never wants to be around you?” “She’s busy...” Surprise said. “Busy… right, Firefly doesn’t do anything productive for the settlement, she lounges around and takes up space. She’s busy all right. Busy ignoring you.” “Stop! Please just leave me alone!” Surprise cried out. “I beg your pardon?” Surprise’s head snapped up to find that there was a unicorn pony standing over her, a tall, grey coated Unicorn stallion with a snow white mane, his eyes were a bright red, and most importantly, he was wearing a red greatcoat with the royal insignia on it. “You... you’re... You’re Prince Zephyr!” Surprise said, she leapt to her hooves and bowed in respect towards the son of Queen Gaia. Prince Zephyr said nothing and cocked his head to the side, staring at the mare before him intensely. “Rise.” Surprise obeyed him; she pulled her head up and smiled brightly at the royal unicorn. He gave no reaction. “Come, walk with me, Surprise,” Prince Zephyr said. Surprise followed. “You... you know my name?” she asked, caught off guard by the royal unicorn’s words. “Yes.” Prince Zephyr said simply. “What ails you, Surprise?” “Your... your highness?” Surprise asked in confusion. “You heard me. What ails you?” he asked again. “I... I hear things,” Surprise said. “Voices from ponies who aren’t there.” “What do they say?” Prince Zephyr asked simply. “They... they tell me that my friends don’t like me! That my bestest best friend Firefly doesn’t want to be around me!” Surprise said; her ears began to droop the more she thought about it. The more she could only wonder if the voices she heard were right. “I see,” Prince Zephyr said simply. “You are dismissed, Surprise.” “I... huh?” Surprise asked, once again, she’d been caught off guard by the royal unicorn. Prince Zephyr turned and looked at her; he said nothing for a time, merely cocking his head slightly. “You heard me,” he added at last. “Yes... your highness,” Surprise said, she lowered her head in a bow, and turned and slowly walked away from the royal unicorn. “Surprise?” Prince Zephyr asked, causing Surprise to turn around and look at the royal unicorn again. “Yes, your highness?” She asked in return. “Perhaps... it would be worth investigating what these voices tell you?” Prince Zephyr added, he then turned and walked back into the tree line of the forest that the settlement was founded on. Surprise turned and headed back towards town, spreading her wings and leaping into the air. Her head snapped back around when she heard a loud howl from the forest, and an odd sound that she had never heard before in her entire life. Docka-docka-docka-docka-docka! Surprise shook her head. She was just hearing things again. Nothing from these woods made noises like that anyway. There was nothing to worry about here. Surprise decided that the Prince was right; she was going to investigate what the voices were saying. She was going to prove them wrong! Her friends loved her! She knew it, and she was going to prove it!