//------------------------------// // Direction // Story: The 7th Element // by thunderhawk7865 //------------------------------// Chapter 29: Direction Dan laid in his bed in Twilight Sparkle's basement, curled up in the covers. It was in the afternoon and the sun was high over Ponyville, but Dan faced away from the beams of sun streaming through his window, as if they burned him upon touch. Another tear streamed down his face as he readjusted himself under the covers. "Dashie..." He sniffed. "Ace!" Twilight Sparkle's voice rang from outside of his door. "It's been a whole day. Are you gonna come up any time soon?" "Leave me alone, Twilight..." Dan muttered, turning to face the door."I don't want to be bothered..." The door slammed open and an angry looking rarity stormed in, "Ace, this is nonsense! Get up right now!" Dan sniffed, "Why should I?" "Dan, you don't understand..." Fluttershy said quietly as she flew in with the rest of the friends. "We have an idea to get Rainbow Dash back..." "That doesn't involve giving up the elements!" Pinkie bounced in. Twilight Sparkle and Applejack were last to enter. Applejack looked down at the ground the whole time, as she didn't want to make eye contact with Dan. It was a good thing, too, because right as she entered, Dan shot her the dirtiest look Twilight had ever seen anypony give. "Ace. We're gonna go talk to Zecora..." Twilight said calmly. "We think she'll know where Rainbow Dash is..." "That old hobo zebra that lives in the swamps?" Dan scoffed and sat up in bed. "How would she know Anansi?" "I have a hunch..." Twilight shrugged. "And she's our only lead as to where in Equestria these zebras could've taken Rainbow Dash." "Precisely." Rarity walked up and used her magic horn to lift Ace out bed. "H-hey!" Dan barked as the covers fell back down onto his bed. "Rarity! Put me down!" "I will once you agree to stop moping and take action!" Rarity moved him down so that he was face-to-face with her. "Your marefriend is out there alone, probably rotting a jail-cell, and all you want to do is lie in bed?" All was quiet downstairs, the exception of Spike, who had just come down the stairs. "No, Rarity... There's nothing I can do at this point... I already failed..." Dan looked down sadly. Spike stifled and said very quietly, "Pussy..." With gasps of shock, all the mares in the room turned their heads towards the baby dragon with angry glares. "Spike!" Twilight growled. "Language!" "Sorry Twi..." Spike said, looking up at Dan and gasping in horror. Dan was now glaring at the baby dragon, a snarl slowly forming on his face. Everypony in the room could've sworn that his right eye twitched once or twice. "What..." He said through gritted teeth. "Did you just call me?" "A..." Spike stuttered. "A pussy...?" "SPIKE!" The five friends in the room yelled at once. "Rarity..." Dan muttered. "Put me down so I can kick his ass so far away that nopony will find him for months?" Rarity smiled evilly, "If I do put you down, will you come with us?" "Yes, yes..." Dan said. "Nopony calls me the 'p' word and gets away with it..." "Have at him, then." Rarity said, releasing the flow of magic. Dan dropped down to the floor. He blew steam out of his muzzle and pawed the floor, as if getting ready to charge. "AHHHHH!" Spike screamed as he bolted up the staircase. Dan straightened himself up as soon as the baby dragon left, shaking his head to get his mane in a desirable position. "Ok, let's go..." As Dan and the five friends walked up the stairs and out Twilight's front door, Pinkie Pie was giggling the whole way. "What?" Fluttershy asked, confused. "Oh nothing...hehe..." Pinkie giggled. "It's just that Twilight said that nothing could get him up and running again..." "I agree!" Rarity said, closing the door. "Who knew him being the annoying peanut gallery he always is would become so useful?" "I don't get it..." Dan questioned as they trekked through the glades of the forest path. "Why does everypony think this forest is so scary?" He looked back at Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie who were cowering at the back of the group behind a sour-faced Applejack. "Because, Ace..." Twilight sighed as she led the group. "There's a whole bunch old pony's tales regarding this place..." "Such as...?" Dan cocked his head as he ducked beneath a low-hanging branch. "You don't know?" Pinkie yelped from behind. "Did they teach you nothing in flight school?" "Easy on 'im, Pinkie Pie. He dropped out, 'member?" AJ said suddenly, speaking her first words since she entered Dan's room. Dan turned his head and looked at AJ suddenly. Her head was down again, ashamed to look at him. Dan sighed and closed his eyes. He turned his head back around and thought, "She's defending me after I trashed her at the Gala? Weird... Pfff, who cares..." Dan rolled his eyes and continued walking. Ahead of him, Twilight pushed aside some bushes and gestured at an African-native looking hut complete with tikis, a bon-fire outside, and the whole works. "Here we are!" Twilight said, holding the gap in the bushes open so everypony could walk through. Ace stopped when he saw a female zebra with a mohawk and ear-rings and neck-rings step out of her hut. "Twilight Sparkle and friends! What a nice surprise at noon-day's end." The zebra smiled and spoke in rhyme. She looked over at Dan, gazed at him for a moment, and then frowned slightly. "And you are Ace, if I'm not mistaken. The club DJ that gets the ponies shaken'." The five friends laughed at this funny remark, but Dan frowned. "What?" "Did I stutter?" Zecora said blandly, "The words I said are the words I uttered..." Dan shook his head, "Ok, she creeps me out..." He started walking to the back of the group. He pushed Twilight forward. "Here, you talk to her..." He massaged his temples with his hooves. "She's giving me a headache." "Twilight Sparkle, I am happy to see you." Zecora smiled. "But pray-tell, where is the Rainbow one that likes to hang around you?" "That's why we're here, Zecora." Twilight said, frowning. "She was kidnaped by zebras at the Grand Galloping Gala a few nights ago..." Zecora frowned, "Zebras like me, you say?" She looked down. "Impossible, it is, for they live too far away..." "Not this one, Miss Zecora." Rarity chimed in. "His name was Anansi." Zecora froze upon hearing the zebra lord's name. "Yeah, and he said we needed to bring the elements of harmony to him, so he must live close by!" "Ya'll know this zebra, Zecora?" AJ said, stepping forward. "Ya'll look like ya' do." Zecora closed her eyes and looked off to the side, "Yes, Anansi's name is one I do not cherish... For many ponies and zebras he did cause to perish..." "What?" Twilight said. "You know him?" "A envoy from my race to the ponies was he..." Zecora sighed. "But upon learning about the elements, taken over be greed, as he should be." "He tried to steal them from Celestia?" Pinkie gasped. Zecora nodded and Dan growled, "That's why Celestia said she'd seen him before she fought him!" "Quick, Zecora! Tell us!" Twilight stepped forward eagerly. "Where does he live? Where did he take Rainbow Dash?" Zecora nodded and pointed a hoof eastward. "To the eastern desert, you must go. In a cave will you find the zebra lord laying low." She held up a hoof. "Listen, ponies, and listen well. Someone to guide you will be there as well." Twilight and the rest of friends, save Dan, were already galloping through the bushes towards the direction she pointed. "Thanks Zecora!" Twilight called back. Zecora waved as Dan turned and was about to take off after them. "I gotta say, Zecora, I've never met somepony who can...speak...like you can...haha..." "Dan, listen to me..." Zecora said his real name, causing him to flinch. He slowly turned and folded up his wings. "You know what I really am?" She nodded before turning back into her hut and finishing her rhyme, "Aware of danger, you must be." Dan stared after her in shock for a few moments, before shaking his head, regaining his composure, and taking off after the others who had galloped to the east. "How did the hobo zebra know about me? How do these zebras know about me, period?" Dan massaged his temples again. "Gah...headache's back..." He looked ahead. "I'm comin', Dashie..."