''So Winter how are we suppose to find Phoebe?'' Brew Blade asked me once we landed on Zebrica
I searched in my saddlebags and showed her the jar with the spark in it. ''This is half of the spark of Phoebe. The closer we are to the other half the brighter it should glow.''
''Cool! I can't wait to have my first adventure!'' Spooky Prank exclaimed while snatching the jar out of my hooves and floated away at high speed.
''Spooky come back here!'' I screamed at her. When it was clear she wasn't listening I ran after her. Brew Blade sighed and followed closely behind me.
I tried many times to stop my daughter but she wouldn't stop. Finally our pursuit ended when the little ghost stopped in front of a small village.
I don't want to sound offensive to Brew Blade but the Zebras seem a little... primitive. All their houses were made of simple woods and straws, their windows had no glasses and only consisted of holes in the walls and there was no sign of any electric or magical technology at all.
Despite that the Zebras seemed very happy with what they had. I could hear the sound of foals playing in the distance. A old zebra mare was reading a book to a group of fillies and colts and I could see a stallion brewing something in a bubbling cauldron.
I turned to Brew Blade. ''It's seem the spark is in this village, let's go.'' Brew Blade didn't move a inch. She was only staring at the small village with wide eyes. After a while she finally said.
''W-Winter.'' She gulped nervously. ''Welcome to my village.''
Seriously? Out of all the places the spark could be it had to be here?! ''It's been more than sixty-five years maybe they forgot all about it?'' I putted a reassuring hoof on her back.
Brew Blade shook her head. ''The most important thing for us Zebra is the preservation of literature and history. There's no way they would forget about what I did.''
''Come on. When my dad first arrived in Equestria you helped him in dangerous situations again and again. You're practically a hero what could you have done that made them banish you forever?''
Brew Blade was about to respond but a stallion voice interupted her before she could get a word out. ''Brew Blade? Is that you? How dare you come back here you murderer!''
Murderer?! I turned to Brew Blade, her ears were pinned on her head. ''Why would you kill somepony?!'' I asked in shock.
In a emotionless voice Brew Blade responded. ''It wasn't somepony it was a lion that tried to eat a zebra.''
I turned to the stallion with a frown. ''How does that make her a murderer?''
''You ponies are all the same! You feel violence is justified just because you see something as evil!''
''If you don't fight to protect yourself and your family how can you expect to survive?'' I asked in confusion.
''We don't! If mother nature decided it is our time to die so it will be!''
Mother nature? Did he mean Gaia? Did I just land in a cult of the insane Goddess? At this point many zebras had heard the commotion and had come see what was happening. Most of the adults glared at Brew Blade. The foals who were too confused to understand what was going on just looked in confusion.
I was about to tell him what I thought about his screwed up sense of morality. But Brew Blade put a hoof on my shoulder and shook her head. It was then I remember what Harmony said to me before I came here.
''You will meet all kind of different people in your missions and not all of them will think like ponies do.''
So that why he sent me here, he knew I could never accept to not protect the ponies I care for. He wanted to see how I would react to a morality that conflict with my own.
Fine I will try to respect their culture. But that doesn't mean I have to follow their beliefs, I put on a more polite expression. ''We are just here to find something we promise to leave as soon as we find it.''
The stallion grimaced. ''Fine but she stay out of the village.'' He said while pointing at Brew Blade.
''You meanie! You can't banish one of your own just because she isn't dumb like you!'' Spooky Prank screamed. Well there goes diplomacy.
The stallion glared at my daughter. ''The dead don't have a say on how the living handle things. Begone little ghost.''
Why couldn't he be like everypony elses and just wet himself at the sight of Spooky Prank? Of course it's never that easy. ''Spooky shut your mouth and let me do the talking.'' I turn to the stallion who I assume at this point is the leader of the village. ''Sorry for my daughter she doesn't know how to be polite.''
''Hey!'' The little ghost huffed indignantly.
''I know you aren't fond of Brew, but she is one of the only zebras I know and I need her to know how to act properly while I am here.''
The leader was gritting his teeth. ''Fine! But she doesn't stay for more than a day!'' He turned around and motioned us to follow him.
The zebras made a wide berth as we entered inside the village.
''I'm surprised it was that easy to convinced him.'' I whispered to Brew.
''He won't show it but he's probably scared of you. Compared to most species out there ponies are a peace-loving species. But compared to Zebras your species look like bloodthirsty trolls, no offense.''
That was weird to me. I had never met a species that could be considered more peaceful than ponies before. But was this really peace? It looked like they let everyone step on them. If ponies didn't defended what they loved we would have at least a dozen tyrants fighting for power in Equestria right now.
Oh! I almost forgot to check the jar! I looked at Spooky Prank. She still had the jar and it was glowing brightly . But I could see the leader was leading us in the wrong direction. I silently motioned to Spooky to follow the spark.
My daughter smiled and nodded and turned left. I motioned to my zebra friend to follow me. The stallion continued to walk, completely oblivious that we had left him.
Finally the glow of the spark was so bright we could barely see the jar. We were in a small alley. There seemed to have nothing here. That was until I looked down.
A zebra mare was there sitting in the dirt and muttering incomprehensibly to herself. She lifted her eyes to met mines and I could see that her expression was completely devoid of emotion. Without warning she gasped loudly.
''You! Child of the mermaids! Slayer of gods! You have gone through many challenges and found your own death! And yet your path has just begun! You have chosen the path of the Alicorn! But before you can join the realm of Immortals you will have to face the bird of law, The sister of fire the child of wishes and the mother of life! You will either return to the grass of the deads or bring the golden age of the two branches!''
When she finished talking she looked at us in confusion. ''I'm sorry I must have zoned out again. What can I do for you?''
Okay this was officially the creepiest thing I ever saw. ''Huh, Ma'am we were wondering if you ever saw something similar to this laying around the village.'' I motioned to Spooky Prank to show her the jar.
The weird mare stared at the jar with curiousity and... nostalgia? ''I never saw something like that and yet it feel so familiar. As if I have just found something I had searched my whole life.''
The strange zebra reached for the jar. Spooky was about to bolt out of here with the jar. ''Wait, maybe she is the one we were searching for.'' Spooky looked at me in confusion but didn't move.
The mare opened the jar and the spark began to glow like a small sun. Without warning the spark flew like a bolt inside the zebra mare.
Her eyes began to glow with a powerful magic for a full ten seconds. Finally the glow left her eyes and she fainted on the ground.
''What in the name of the Elder Gods did you do? If you killed this poor mare Zedane will put a curse on us!'' Brew Blade screamed in panic.
''Who the hay is Zedan and since when do zebras put curses on ponies? I thought you were pacific!''
''They don't consider curses as violence! And Zedan is-''
''Me'' The familiar voice of the angry stallion from earlier cut her. He looked at the unconscious mare and glared at us. ''What did you do to the oracle?!''
I was about to explained but we were cut off by the scream of a filly. ''Lions!''
Brew Blade eyes turned to pinprick. ''Oh no.''
The four of us ran to the entrance of the village. A filly zebra could be seen running from a pride of lions. I was about to fly at their rescue, but the stubborn leader put a hoof on my tail.
''You cannot save her, the gods have decided her fate.'' Zedan said solemly.
I grit my teeth to hay with their traditions! If their traditions stop them from protecting innocents they can all go to tartarus! I glared at the stallion. ''No, not all the gods have decided her fate. I am the Guardian Goddess and this filly will live!''
I slammed my hooves on the ground and a dome of ice appeared around the filly. One of the lions charged at her only for him to smash his face on the ice.
Seeing that their prey was out of their reach they stared at us and lick their lips. I glared back at them and let loose my magic around me. The lions and the zebras began to look afraid when ice start to spreed around me and the plants began to die from the sudden change of climate.
''Get out of her and never come back or I will freeze you so hard you will forget that the warmth of the sun ever touched your wretched fur!'' The lions all ran with tails between their legs.
I turned to the zebras all of them were too afraid to move. ''Brew, Spooky let's get back home our mission is over.'' With that said I trotted in direction of the flying ship.
- - - - -
Brew Blade glanced at me with a frown. ''I think your mission of understanding other cultures is officially a failure.''
I glared at her. ''No culture preventing me from protecting innocents is worth the effort.'' The zebra snorted.
''It's my village you are talking about.'' I huffed.
''Don't tell me you agree with them. You protected somepo-zebra and they banished you for it.'' She was about to argue but only sighed sadly.
''I know their belief is dumb... but they are still my tribe'' We walked silently not knowing what to say next.
I heard the sound of galloping behind me. My ear perked up and I looked behind. The strange mare from before was running in our direction. She stopped in front of us gasping for breath.
''Hi you're the Zebra from earlier huh? That meanie called you The Oracle.'' Spooky Prank said.
The Oracle looked at me. ''Since you gave me this strange thing I can see visions.'' I looked at her confused.
''Wait weren't you arleady seeing visions? You told me about one when we meet you.'' She put her hooved on me with a excited expression.
''Yes I could see them, but never could remember them afterward. Now I can remember them, all of them!''
''That is great?... Why did you come all this way to tell us that?'' I asked her confused.
''Apart from minor things like romance and pregancies in the village. All my important visions had to do with one place: Equestria, please take me with you! I want to see the visions acomplish themself and maybe even alter the bad ones when I can.''
''Wait, the spark I gave you once belonged to a goddess named Phoebe. I throught you might be her but now I'm not so sure. Do you remember ever being a Altmer from the Summerset Isle?''
The mare seemed to think, then nodded. ''I kind of can remember it but the memories are all a blur I throught they were just part of a vision or something.''
This is not possible the way she describe it seem like she remember being Phoebe but she isn't her anymore. It's almost sound like... reincarnation, but gods aren't suppose to reincarnate, right?
Brew Blade interupted our conversation. ''This is cool and all but are we really considering travelling with a total stranger? We don't even know her name!''
''My name is Zara.'' She said with a smile as if it resolved all the issues.
Brew Blade snorted. ''Fine you can come, not like you would be any real threat to miss Sea Pony over there.''
I glared at her before returning my attention to Zara. ''Well welcome aboard... Wait Zecora, Zedan and Zara-
''Yes all our name begin by the leeter z.'' Zara responded. Wait how did she knew that-
''-What you were going to ask? Lucky guess.'' She said with a sly smile before entering the ship. I think I prefered her when I thought she was just a crazy lady.