The Striped Pony

by ts_cogwheel


A Cup of Coffee

        When Zecora woke up, it was near noon. She had had little sleep, waking time and again from nightmares of staring eyes and burning torches.

        This time, it was the heat of the sun through her windows that woke her, and she stirred reluctantly from the bed. Lethargically, she staggered to the kitchen and set a pot to boil. She went through her strongest green teas, inhaling the sharp scent of one jar before putting it back. She didn't have the energy or clarity to mix an infusion. Her heavy eyes fell on the horrible instant coffee Pinkie Pie had once forgotten in her kitchen.

        It tasted even fouler than she had remembered. Perhaps two spoons to a cup were too many... What was she thinking? Any spoons were too many! She poured more milk and sugar into the drink, trying to drown the acrid, smoky taste. How could ponies drink this stuff? Twilight's freshly ground single estate Equusadorian coffee was bearable, but if she didn't know better, she would have thought the bitter drink in her hooves was reheated leftovers from the bottom of a dirty pot.

        At least the effect was palpable. Not being a regular coffee drinker, Zecora soon felt the rush of caffeine shake the drowsiness away, and after a while, she started being able to string two thoughts together.

        She had freaked out. The day before yesterday, she had been wondering if she was starting to become a pony, feeling a sense of belonging after having spent the day with Apple Bloom and joking in the evening with Pinkie Pie at Fluttershy's cottage. Then yesterday, after being presented with a chance to really become a part of Ponyville, she had been stuck by panic. Playing storyteller at Nightmare Night had been a frightening enough experience, but at least back then, she was supposed to scare the foals - that hadn't been hard. This... Every stare and harsh word she had been the target of had raced through her mind, leaving her the pathetic, trembling mess that Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie and Cheerilee had tried to comfort.

        It had taken her some time to convince the three that she was all right and that she just needed to be alone. In truth, that was probably the last thing she actually wanted, but she wouldn't succumb to the temptation to bawl her eyes out in Pinkie Pie's hooves. They already felt guilty for stirring up her emotions; she couldn't let them in and show them exactly how much they had stirred. She considered them - at least Twilight and Pinkie - friends, but her pain was hers alone.

        It wasn't as if it was a pain that she could explain. Being ostracised and suspected - everypony could understand that it was unpleasant, but to have it dominate most of your existence... She couldn't put words to the way it had shaped her very outlook on life. She wasn't ready to shake that world view. If she failed, she would never be able to try again, face those fears again. She wasn't ready...

        She needed air. She had to get out.

        She galloped through the forest, faster than she normally would. Getting her pulse up for a natural reason was good. Losing all sense of direction, focusing on her pace, she could almost convince herself she wasn't running away, just running.

        Hind left down, start stretching, hind right down, hind left takeoff, hind right takeoff, fore left down, start constricting, fore right down, fore left up, fore right up, hind left down, start stretching, hind right down, hind left takeoff, hind right takeoff, fore left down, start constricting, fore right down, fore left up, fore right up, hind left down, start stretching, hind right down, hind left takeoff, hind right takeoff, fore left down, start constricting, fore right down, fore left up, fore right up, hind left down, start stretching, hind right down, hind left takeoff, hind right takeoff, fore left down, start constricting, fore right down, fore left up, fore right up, hind left down...

        Suddenly, much too soon, the dense undergrowth gave way to open fields. She looked around bewildered. Where had she...?

        Oh.

        She stood, heavily panting, at the edge of Ponyville. Her head was spinning and her heart pounding fiercely. She was shaking. Her throat felt parched. Very parched, now that it had gained her attention. It was like she was breathing through dust. The pain in her overworked lungs was amplified by the dryness. She hadn't had anything but coffee to drink this day. Wasn't there a trough at the market place?

        Driven by thirst, she hardly noticed the ponies around her, and went in a beeline for the open area in the middle of the town. There it was. She poured some fresh water from the pump and drank deeply.

        Ahh.

        Once she was sated, she sat down by the fountain, letting her mind slowly cool down from the adrenaline. She wondered if the statue depicted anypony special. Pony history wasn't her field. Maybe she should ask Twilight.

        Oh, that was right. Twilight. Cheerilee. Teaching. Fear. Shame. Panic. She started breathing rapidly again. Short, forceful bursts of air overfeeding her brain with oxygen.

        No, she had to gather her thoughts. She had been letting fear overshadow her mind since yesterday. That wasn't her. She was the sensible, thoughtful mare. The one others would call wise. Breath control.

        Inhale... Exhale...
        Inhale... Exhale...
        Inhale... "CUTIE MARK CRUSADER RABBIT HERDERS! YAY!"

        A veritable swarm of fluffy white critters stampeded into the marketplace. Behind them came the ever-excited trio of Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, yelling loudly, trying to keep the rabbits running in one direction. It didn't work well: as soon as the flood of fur poured into the open space, they scattered and proceeded to spread chaos and panic. A brown earth pony stallion with an hourglass for cutie mark was knocked over by the wave, which continued over him at an unhindered pace, drowning him in fur. The thunder of hundreds of soft paws made the ground tremble in terror. A cart full of cabbage was attacked and almost instantly emptied in a feeding frenzy challenging that of a swarm of parasprites. Somepony was screaming. A mint green unicorn mare fled to a tree, where she held a cream-coloured earth pony in her hooves, dangling over the hopping horde as it sped towards the apple stall.

        "Nnope!"

        Big McIntosh stood facing off the stampede, flanked by his sister and the family's dog.

        "Get back, ya vandalisin' vermin!" Applejack reared, the very image of self-confidence and authority, and the rabbits in the front of the herd stopped abruptly in their tracks, the ones behind them bumping into them and tumbling around. Expertly, the three started to steer the wave of destruction around, back into the meadows. In perfect unison, they forced the critters to turn and flee, herding them into an orderly flock that left the market square razed and trampled, but rabbit-free.

        As the older two Apple siblings rounded up the long-eared lagomorphs, the youngest and her friends stood in the middle of the marketplace, seemingly oblivious to the chaos they had created, but eagerly inspecting each other's flanks. As each of them tried to move into a position where she could see her friends' hindquarters, they ended up chasing each other around in a circle. The sight was just too much for Zecora. She fell onto her back and laughed heartily, uncontrollable tears of relief and merriment streaming down her cheeks. Those foals were just so...

        Then she opened her eyes in determination. She knew what she had to do. What she needed to do. What she wanted to do.

        ---

        The teacher opened the door with a surprised look. In the office, Zecora saw a plaster skeleton, a barrel full of rolled-up maps, and a mess of what looked like old arts and crafts projects. On the table lay piles of essays, waiting to be checked, next to a much-used coffee mug and a framed picture of an orange stallion with a wide-brimmed hat and a dapper moustache.

        Nervously, the zebra stammered, "I-if you still want it, Cheerilee, I'll teach those foals..."

        "...A-and they'll teach me."