//------------------------------// // Chapter four: About Rhymes I will tell, and the unique way of a Zebra Spell // Story: Star Swirl the Bearded’s Guide to the Arcane Arts // by Midnight Quill //------------------------------// Chapter four: About Rhymes I will tell, and the unique way of a Zebra Spell --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Equis is a big planet and Equestria, even if the nation was split and named other back then, a damned big country on it. Although the big cities were so densely populated, the wide flat areas of grass land between them are gigantic. In the last pony village at the end of my hike through an at least halfway populated country I had myself been advised to buy a cart and equip it with supplies. Many supplies. And even if it had taken most of my savings from my time in New Peach Acres it had been a good decision. Without these supplies, I without any doubt would have had to return. That the countrys of the Zebras lay in the south can be told by every book of general knowledge. HOW FAR south is a well kept secret. Dear reader, if you until this point never questioned the geographical position of the zebra-countries, let me tell you: they are ACCURSED DAMN far away. So far, that I for multiple times on my trip wished, that I had bought some horseshoes as well. By Discord, my father would have collapsed of shock if he had only thought about his well-raised, well-educated, well-behaved son wishing for some horseshoes like a common farm pony. (Every here read disapproval against farm ponys is just an loose representation of my father and by no means my own opinion. In New Peach Acres, I repaired waste pipes and raked manure. And who ever beliefs, that magic can not transmit smells, may hereby be corrected: IT CAN!) Well, even without horseshoes I after all made it to reach the zebra-lands in the south. After five (!) weeks. Never before in my entire life I had walked so much. If I would not have had the sun as point of orientation, I would have thought that I were just trotting around the whole continent. As beautiful as our nation may be, grass and hills get boring quite fast and so I spend five weeks thinking about my journey. I still had not understood, what magic was. What it was capable of, how it flood (I surrender.) and how it could be controlled and guided, yes, I had learned that in the past. But the “whence” still was a mystery that I hoped the Zebras could finally solve for me. I read over and over again the chapter about Zebras from Master Glimmer but he only wrote that Zebras do not possess any form of own magic at all but were using plants and herbs instead to create magical potions. So the least magical gifted ponykind seemed to have the best understanding of magic itself and maybe even about it´s origin. The first Zebras I spotted while taking a rest were in quite a distance but still ignited the euphoria inside me. I finally had arrived! The two may have been too far away to shout out for them, but as I started following them, they anon noticed me and stopped their walk, waiting for me to catch up. "Well hello, my friend. May you tell us: what do you intend?" Albeit I always counted myself to the more literate part of people, the meaning of this statement eluded my mind. On demand, they told me: "You do follow us for quite a while, it must have been more than a mile. May I ask, what is the task, that leads you so far this way? A Unicorn, here, that is not a thing of every day." After a moment of switching my way of thinking, I got that they wanted from me. Nothing in Master Glimmer´s books had prepared me for this way of talking. I explained, that I was on a long journey, to get to know new cultures, beings and ways of magic and that I would be happy if they would willingly to teach me the ways of their tribe. (And I very much hoped that they would understand me although I did not speak in rhymes.) They watched at each other irritated for a moment, before asking me, why I did walk for their village and did not stop at one of the previous ones. Because yes, there had been other villages. At least two, one left and one right of my way down there, but simply too far away thanks to the eternal expanse of deserted of all magic steppe for me to notice. And that is why, dear reader, even if it is the last money you possess and your grandfather gave you as first pocket money when you were a foal: Buy a map before you go on a journey. I should have. Well, cart and card aside, I at last arrived in their village. And there I was presented to Qondaala. Qondaala was the chief of this tribe and if I understood the Zebras who found me right, he should decide if I were a good or a bad omen and if I would be allowed to stay. With this deep interweaving of magic in their culture, I nearly would have fallen around his neck. (My euphoria of course vanished a bit as soon as I remembered that Firmament Glimmer wrote that "bad omen" usually end up the the village´s fireplace. But only a bit.) But some blessing must have been hovering above my dead (and thereby as well covering my odor, I hadn´t had a possibility to visit any stretch of water for weeks), because he decided that I would be allowed to stay as a guest. Of course, the way he did find out if I was a bad omen or not was something special itself... He blew some fine power right out of nothing on my coat and in my face. I had to sneeze, but nothing else happened. I should only find out the meaning of this powder a few months later. "So, let´s sit beside these trees, and tell me please: What makes you wander this wide way? Did you Ponyfolk in the north run out of hay?" It was hard for me to listen to only one of their sentences without giggling. Nothing in Master Glimmer´s books had prepared me or even mentioned on the edge that Zebras did talk in riddles and rhymes. So, although I was not prepared, my conversation with Qpondaala was in no way impaired, and soon he shared his knowledge with me; about all the magic in the wild, dry grass sea. I am sorry, this way of speaking must be contagious. He told me about how his folk has always been using blooms, grasses, roots, juice of trees and all sorts of other things together to use natural magic existing in the plants. Fascinated I listened, first under those shady trees and later at the crackling fire, how his ancestors once discovered this magic and how they passed this knowledge from generation to generation since then on. I noted everything, and while I may not be able to put all the recipes, combinations or even the herbs alone here in this book, I at least want to tell of the two I was able to try: The first one is a potion, that gives one a much higher endurance and sharpens one´s senses. His tribe collects edible berries and grasses from the closer area, and in the language of the Zebras, the “closer area” as well as the “local surrounding” or even the “nearby river” may be miles away and what they call “to walk a bit” may exceed a trotted day's march. This is obviously caused by the enormous wide areas of nothing between the tribes and the disability to do agriculture on their soil. And may I have been a guest, they asked me to help them with gathering the food, and as a well-behaved pony, I of course agreed. Just about to go, they asked me how fit I were and to have a measurement to compare, they asked how long I had needed to reach their tribe. When I answered that I took five weeks, they looked at each other, smiled and then suggested that I might want to have a sip of “jiraachuu”. “Jiraachuu” tasted like strawberries and cocos, two things I for certain had never seen anywhere at their tribe before, so I did ask what they added in the drink. (I highly recommend for the sensitive mare or young foal to skip the next line.) The answer was something like: “Locusts, lychee and maca boiled over the fire and the extract of it squeezed into a flask of rum.” Not only had I never before in my life drunk alcohol, I as well nearly ejected the fluid when realizing that it contained dead insects. For shady Sombra´s sake, I am vegetarian! But I had already swallowed it, and so I just tried to forget as soon as possible what I had just drunk. At least this potion gave me the ability to walk a whole day with only one short break and as well to carry two saddlebags filled to the top. My training from my journey down there was for sure not enough to grant me this endurance. This potion flooded my body like liquid fire and ignited unknown strength inside of me like the flames of a magic firework in the sky. While we were on our trip, I did not want to, no, I actually COULD not stand still. Having the stamina to walk that long may be normal for Zebras who are used to it, but surely not for a random Unicorn. I as well could experience the second effect of this potion: It had sharpened my senses by a multiple. I could see every haulm of grass and every fruit from miles ago. And in the evening, after we had our meal at the village´s fireplace. We had our meal and then slowly everypony went to their sleeping places. I stayed at the fire until it became extinct, watched in the sky and enjoyed the view on countless of stars, each and everyone of them feeling as close as our own sun. It was a gorgeous impression, falling asleep on my blanket with this view just a hoof away. The next morning, I had the muscle ache of my life. Qondaala explained to me that his potion was only there to give me the energy I required. My muscles still had to live with the all the strains. I spend the rest of the day yammering on my blanke.... err, I mean, reflecting my studies about Zebra magic. One truly impressive potion, although not fully developed in my opinion. The second potion I became instilled after I thought I had to get involved in a fight with a bear-gnat. Well, these capable of flying steppe insects are only a bit bigger than a common pony, but.. WHAT am I talking? They are bigger than a common pony! For sweet Siren´s sake, what was I thinking? Ah, right: It wanted to eat my books. I woke up one morning, awoken by a strange buzz and hum, to discover that this being was gleefully munching on the cover of one of the books from Master Glimmer, already the first pages drooling of saliva. I reached out to all magic I could gather and burned him a full charge in his bristly fur. Then, out of complete surprises, he took a quick swing with his morning star-same paw to pay me back. The next thing I remembered was that Qondaala woke me up and pushed me a little vial into my mouth. Without further thinking, I swallowed the liquid and sunk back again to Luna´s sweet land of dreams. While I layed in the dry grass of the savanna and felt the summer sun burning on my coat (We remember: It was winter in the north so summer down there), I could feel how the magic of the potion started working. It was similar to my accident with the old oak at the lakeside, when after that my mother hold me in her magic. I felt completely safe, cared for and protected. At the same time, I could feel a continuous current of energy made his way from my center through my body, was led in my wounded limbs and to my bruised skin and started to work there. Half a day later, I woke up again, without the slightest hint of any injuries and fit as a foal. My books were gone. The bear-gnat had not been satisfied with maltreat my body, no, she also had the works of the Firmament Glimmer destroyed. Not more than half, tattered, drolled-on book spines were left behind, and this loss pained me far more than all the injuries I have ever suffered. "I am so sorry, but by hook or by crook, I could not defend your precious book." Qondaala, who was to my surprise sitting right next to me, told me. “Pardon me?” I aked. On demand I found out that this suicidal Zebra had seen the bear-gnat attacking me, ran up to me and tryed to protect both myself (apparently successful) as well as my books (unfortunately less successful). I called him mad, completely insane, that he put himself in such a danger, but he revealed to me: "How could someone deserve a good friend if to defend him in such times the one does not intend? Standing together even in the worst of times is was makes a friendship last as long as our lifetimes." I had and still hardy have words to express how grateful I was. He stayed more loyal to me than I could ever have expected. Sadly, every journey must take an end at some times, and after enjoying more than a year with the zebras, I felt an inner urge to return to the Unicorn Kingdom stronger than ever before. Something was waiting for me at my old home country, and so I said goodbye and followed my inner sense back to where it all began.