//------------------------------// // 4 - Zecora's Prophecy // Story: Tales of Valor - Part 2: Web of Deception // by Scribble Script //------------------------------// 4th: Zecora’s prophecy “Admit it, Apple Bloom”, Scootaloo claimed for about the tenth time. “We’re lost.” Apple Bloom turned around, slightly hacked off. “There’s only one way to go. How can we be lost?” The three fillies were still on the way to Zecora’s tree-hut. And Apple Bloom was right. There was only one path they could follow to get there. No forks no crossroads, just one straight way from the fringe of the forest to the home of Apple Bloom’s zebra friend unmistakable past the blue leafs of the Poison Joke. And yet… “We’ve been walking for hours, Apple Bloom”, Sweetie Belle bore Scootaloo out. “It’s getting dark already.” The longer the three fillies followed the path the more powerful grew Sweetie Belle’s feeling that something was off with Apple Bloom. At first it seemed that Sweetie’s friend hadn’t even noticed that their trip was taking forever. And even after Scootaloo started to nag, Apple Bloom stayed more than reluctant to admit that something was wrong. “Ah know the way. Stop buggin’ me!” she argued, making Sccotallo at once to broach the subject again. “No, apparently, you don’t”, she mocked. And the two fillies started to quarrel. Unlike any other day, Sweetie Belle did not participate in their argument. Today, she simply got no nerve for that. She was more than troubled. Both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom vehemently held their opinion against each other. And both of them were kind of right: It was impossible to get lost on while staying on the trail. And yet it was also impossible that they were still on the right track, wasn’t it? It didn’t take Sweetie Belle long to figure out that something had to be very wrong, actually, the filly had suspected that before. She looked around and tried to find a clue. Rumor had it that something laid mysterious trails through the Everfree Forest. Pathways that lead nowhere at all, endless roads. And if any pony was unlucky enough to stumble upon on of them, he or she would just disappear and never be seen again! They all had heard that kind of stories for countless times. Just silly stories to scare little fillies and colt so they didn’t stray off. At least that was what the Cutie Mark Crusaders had thought. Right now, Sweetie Belle wasn’t that sure. Of course a road couldn’t go on and on forever. But what if they had been put under a mean spell that had trapped them on this pathway for eternity? The unicorn-filly hastily checked the surrounding. She didn’t want to be lost forever! The forest seemed downright hostile. The golden gloaming –usually Sweetie would have called it enchanted- had nothing appealing anymore. It was dazzling, made her head swim. The three fillies were surrounded by a buzzing and chirping like from hundreds of angry crickets. Sweetie couldn’t see ten yards far as the sight was blurred by the strange, glimmering atmosphere of the Everfree Forest. She wasn’t an expert but she doubted that this was normal, even by the forest’s standards. And there was another noise. It was strange, like from insect jaws clicking. Sweetie got more and more nervous. The mosquito bite from earlier started to itch again but in an odd way: Not a normal itchiness, more a tickling, like if something… Sweetie froze on the spot, her fur stood on end. Like if something was crawling over her back! She squealed and slammed her back against a tree. A disgusting, mushy sound resonated and a fluid, icky and slimy ran down Sweetie’s back. She turned around and saw the remains of a wicked, pale spider, smashed against the tree. Everything changed. The unnatural lighting died off leaving a more somber and oppressing atmosphere. The sun had almost set. And their trail was gone. They were right in the middle of nowhere, in the deepest forest, not on the way to Zecora’s hut. On no way at all but surrounded by crippled old trees and tough, leathery shrubs! To face the truth, they were utterly and completely lost. And Apple Bloom and Scootaloo didn’t seem to even notice it one bit. They kept arguing just as if Sweetie Belle was the only one to see the sudden change. And suddenly the unicorn filly saw why: On her friends’ backs, just at the same spot where Sweetie had felt the tickling, sat two more spiders clung into their coats. Sweetie screamed, picked a stick and wiped of the spiders from the other fillies’ backs. They flew through the air and smacked against the trees. With and angry hissing, the arachnoids vanished in the undergrowth. The fillies now sat in complete silence. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom blinked unbelievingly, like they were awaking from a deep slumber. Did I look like that, too? Sweetie Belle asked herself. “What in tarnation…?” Apple Bloom muttered, her eyes darting about. Within a second, an already strange situation had turned absolute creepy. “Where’s the path?” Scootaloo wanted to know, her voice faint. Sweetie Belle shook her head as she tried to explain, what she didn’t understand herself: “Look, there were those spiders on you. One was on me, too. I think… I think, they casted some kind of spell on us… I don’t know… They somehow trapped us, I think.” "O.K. Ah admit it…” Apple Bloom pitifully muttered. “We ARE lost.” But neither Sweetie Belle nor Scootaloo wanted to go into that at the moment. They heard something. “We need to get out of the forest” Sweetie stressed. “Does anypony know, where we are?” All three fillies looked around. As far as they could see, the forest seemed to go on and on. No sign of a living creature in sight at all except for the cobwebs over their heads. “Oh, holy hay”, Sweetie Belle continued to whisper. “What do we do? What do we do?” “C’mon, Sweetie Belle”, Scootaloo tried to reassure her. “We’ve been in worse situations, haven’t we?” She did a horrible job at that. Her voice trembled too much. The only similar situation they had been in had been the incident with the Cockatrice and if hadn’t been for Fluttershy to rescue them, who knew what could have happened? Scootaloo however tried to push these thoughts aside. After all, they had listened to at more of Valor’s adventure stories than any other pony! And though his stories were not an exact survival guide, they had to become useful in the end… “Remember, girls”, Scootaloo turned to them. “What has Valor told us? How do you survive in a forest?” “Try to get out of it…?” Sweetie Belle suggested but Apple Bloom was more thinking ahead. “We need to get on high ground”, she recalled from one of Valor Edge’s earlier stories. “To look out for any landmarks. And Ah’d say, we basically need to…” A blackish, oil-like drop of fluid suddenly oozed on AB’s head. Apple Bloom started to shiver, as the three fillies slowly rose their heads to look above their heads where an enormous, black figure was lurking. “RUN!” Apple Bloom screamed as the creature was letting itself down on them. <0> In olden days Valor Edge would have faced a threat like the current one with a contingent of his own guard, experienced in the fight against the dark forces. In not so olden days he would have brought at least a squad of soldiers to back him up. And today he was trying to hunt down a demonic being of some sort with only six ponies as company. He truly missed the olden days! Of course the Elements of Harmony were a force that hadn’t to be underestimated they still lacked a proper plan. Find the missing fillies, easier said than done. “How do we start?” Twilight Sparkle wanted to know. She had a very good point. Knowing their foe didn’t mean they could track him down easily. Not to talk about running it down. No, Valor, keep thy priorities straight, he scolded himself. Thou are not a soldier. Killing the monster is not our primary objective. First we need to bring back Apple Bloom and her friends save and sound. Rule number one for finding missing ponies: Search the places they would most likely head to. “If the fillies are clever, they will be trying to find a path or try to get to a place they know”, he supposed. “If they still are able to, that is…” His expression slipped. Almost instinctively, and though he vehemently pushed the thought aside, he had calculated their chances. And right now, he would think twice before placing a bet on either his fellowship or the fillies… “C’mon, Pointy”, Pinkie Pie tried to cheer his grave mood up, like it was her habit. “Why the long face?” “That is because I am pony”, he retorted dryly before turning away from her. He then asked: “Is there any place you ponies know in the Everfree Forest? A safe place you could go to if you are in peril?” “Oh, oh, oh!” Pinkie exclaimed, happy she could provide help. “We could go to the Mirror Pond!” “The Mirror Pond isn’t safe, Pinkie”, Twilight cut her short. “And beside you, only Big McIntosh and I know the way to the cavern. They can’t be going there.” “What ‘bout Zecora”, Applejack supplied. “She’s friends with Apple Bloom. Her hut’s the only safe place in the Everfree Ah could imagine. Could Applebloom try to get to Zecora?” “Oh, Applejack!” Valor eventually began to smile. “Apple Bloom actually has a friend in this ghastly forest? That is fantastic! Until now I would not have bet a single bit on our rescue mission. But that improves our chances greatly.” “Excuse me?” Applejack wound up her brow. Valor realized his tactlessness, a downright faux pas. So much for his diplomatic skills… Maybe he was getting old… “Ehehe”, He laughed sheepishly. “Listen not to me! Dumb old Valor, always saying dumb things… Now, where do… We…” He trailed off and fell silent. Getting old maybe but after being dulled the whole day, his instincts now were on the alert. And right now these instincts had begun to ring like a fire bell. “We are being watched”, he hissed. The stallion carefully lowered his head so he could grip the hilt of his sword with his teeth, careful not to make any sudden movements. Rainbow Dash wasn’t that cautious. “Alright, come out at once and show yourself!” she called out and made the others jump. She’d made a great officer, Valor thought, but could need some lessons in tactics and when to chasten her temper. Anyway, it worked. Indeed something started to rustle in the undergrowth, Valor Edge drew his sword with a high, singing tone; its usual cold shimmer was a little warmer in the light of the dying day. Then out of the covert and on the path stepped… … A pony. She was a lean mare draped with golden tribal jewelry. But she had black and white stripes. It took some time until the word ‘zebra’ came to Valor’s mind. “And who may ye be?” he asked. The zebra gave him a long, serious look before she answered. Her blue eyes told Valor she was older than it seemed. A little like himself, though he guessed he was still a lot older than her. “My name you must have heard about, you just talked about me, no doubt.” “Zecora”, Applejack addressed the zebra. “Have ya seen Apple Bloom? Is she with ya? Please, tell me she is!” Zecora’s eyes turned wide with horror. “She’s out there, don’t tell me that! Then there’s no time left to chat! Follow me, don’t hesitate, and come now before it’s too late!” Valor Edge didn’t try to stop Zecora as she now took the lead. If he wasn’t mistaking the zebra was exactly the pony he needed to talk to if he wanted to know what was going on in the forest: A pony whose senses weren’t blunt to the voice of nature. “As I take it, zebras live in close communion with nature?” He addressed Zecora as he was following her to her home in a great, old and hollow tree. “Oh, and excuse my overzeal: Ye can call me Valor Edge…” “So that is what you’ve heard, I see”, Zecora answered; she sounded a little leery. “But what do you really think of me?” “I’ve met many folks, though never a zebra.” This time Valor wanted to choose his words more carefully than before with AJ. “But I have learned to never judge anything or anypony by the first look. So I try to look more carefully.” Zecora seemed to be satisfied by his answer. Despite the situation, she smiled and trotted over to her door and opened to let Twilight and her friends in. But as Valor made the move to join them, the zebra leaned close to him and said in a low voice: “I’m keen to know: What do you see, when you carefully look at me?” “Ye look only a few years older than my friends here, but your eyes tell me that ye are that ye must have seen a lot. Bright and dark days. Ye are a kind pony, caring and wise. A little sad, perhaps…?” “The same I could say about you”, Zecora smiled knowingly. “Now come on, there is work to do!” They both went in and Zecora shut the door behind them. The interior of the hut was shady, the walls were stuffed with ancient masks, totems and bookshelves. The smell of exotic herbs and spices filled the air. “Valor, you are wise and strong”, Zecora said while lighting the candles. “It’s very good you’ve come along.” Valor Edge shook his head. “I not just came long, Zecora. Once I made a vow to protect and I will not break it. Even if they weren’t my friends’ sisters, I would never allow an innocent life to be endangered.” The zebra nodded approvingly. “I take that in this hour of gloom, you’ll do all in your power to safe Apple Bloom. So, friends come closer and you will see, what’s going on in the Everfree.” “So you actually know something about that creature?” Twilight exclaimed but fell silent again as Zecora cleared her throat. Her face was dramatically highlighted by the burning candles. “There’s an old prophecy, passed from my ancestors and down to me. It’s about an evil of old, so take heed of the words I have been told: In somber woods well hidden Waiting but yet all set At a place that is forbidden Dwells a hideous threat In the dark of the night When mysterious mists arise And the full moon’s light is bright To stay away is wise For then it hunts in darkest wood Shrouded in a web of scare Fillies and colts will be gone for good If no one is aware It always seeks for three That’s what is its aim The foals will never be set free If nopony ends his game From sun to moon to sun again The young ones lives will fade If they are not saved from the den They soon will all be dead Far beyond the brambles thick And the most twisted vines It is this path you have to pick The unnatural pond to find Seek it where its lair is built At this cavern’s lake indeed Where meaninglessly lives are spilled To satisfy its greed So goes the prophecy my ancestors knew. May I now ask what you’re going to do?” “See?” exclaimed Pinkie Pie, happy as usual. “I was right! I told you we should go to the Mirror Pond! The prophecy says it, too.” Valor didn’t say anything. Again he wasn’t sure if he even wanted to know where Pinkie now had gotten that from. Twilight meanwhile rubbed her chin. “That’d mean a great advance in the accuracy of the Pinkie-Sense. But you’re right Pinkie. ‘Between the most twisted vines’ that rings a bell. It indeed sounds like that rhyme about the Mirror Pond.” “So, what the hay are we waitin' for? We need to go for the pond!” Applejack clung to Twilight and shook her thoroughly. Common consent among Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy as usual was a little reserved. Anyway, Valor thought further: “If that is not curious”, he said, his eye pinned at Zecora. “Your ancestors hail from a land far away, and yet they know rhymes about the Everfree Forest. Further, the prophecy tells us the way the beast hunts even exactly where to find it. But nothing about how to defeat it…” Zecora couldn’t stand Valor’s questioning glare and looked away. So there actually is more to it. But Valor decided not to address that point. Sometimes it was better not to know everything. “Howbeit”, he thus turned back to his friends. “We indeed have no time to waste. Although I know not how Pinkie does what she does, who am I to question the results. We have no time to lose; if the Zecora’s prophecy is right, we must find the fillies before the next dawn or else…” He didn’t finish his sentence and that wasn’t necessary either. The mere fact that night had already fallen put them on alert. Zecora hooved over four potions which she instructed them to handle very carefully. They were made to freshen body and mind and would feed up weary spirits. Then the seven ponies prepared to leave. “I’ll hope you’ll find the fillies soon”, she said on their departure. “And rescue them from their certain doom.” Valor was the last to leave the hut. But as he wanted to do so, Zecora put her hoof on his foreleg and held him back. “Wait a second before you go! There’s something I think you need to know.” “And that would be?” “First tell me, would anything that I could say ever make you go astray?” Valor Edge’s expression virtually turned to stone as he had figured out she wanted to know if he would forsake his friends. “Never”, he answered. “Is your heart really that strong? Oh, please don’t get me wrong!” Valor shook his head; his expression didn’t lighten up. “I will not, I promise. I cannot prove the strength of my heart, but in the name of everything sacred I vow not to trait my friends. Rather I would die!” His last words, though spoken absolutely calm, seemed to finally have convinced Zecora. She quickly checked if anypony could overhear them and took a deep breath. Then she spoke, low-voiced and quickly: “There are further rhymes you need to know; I doubt that you will like them, though." Not steel and not stone No stake and no bone Not magic and not alchemy Will be a key to victory But hope you mustn’t let go The creature will meet its bane With the sacrifice of a hero Who hails not of this plane Valor had squinted his eyes. For an endless second he stood silent, then slowly opened his right eye again. Sadness lay in his look, now clearly to see. “I thank ye, Zecora.” His voice sounded a little rough. “Now I know there actually is hope. Maybe not for me, but for anypony else. The chance of death frightens me not. If I had died each time some ol’ prophecy told so, I would be a medical wonder. Or a prime zombie. But one last thing: How did ye know?” Zecora looked him deep in the eye and then answered: "It's in their eyes I have been told" She than added: "And I've never seen an eye that old." Valor nodded; Zecora really was a wise mare. “I really hope the prophecy’s wrong, anyway be strong! Now we must part, waste no time! And go with best wishes of mine!” the zebra did her best to show and encouraging smile. Valor Edge straightened his back and returned her smile, brave yet sad. Then he stepped outside and closed up to the other ponies. “Alright, folks! What are we waiting for? Let us be off!” Valor Edge really managed to keep a stiff upper lip, Zecora noticed. He was so fully in control of his emotions that it was worth admiring. “Hero of another plane, farewell…” she muttered. “Your story they shall forever tell.” <0>