Meanwhile...
* * *
Luna's moon hung in the night sky, and Ponyville slept, but at the town's railway station, a small band of griffins and Manehattenites weren't sleeping. As one especially large griffiness emerged, they left the station, heading towards the Everfree under the cover of night...
There was roughly five of them: Captain Ashfeather, her second in command, Lieutenant Jabsco Talon, and three burly earth ponies.
"This isn't a good idea." One of the ponies spoke. "Mr. Cratic told us not to go after the zebra."
"I don't care." Ashfeather spat. "Otto is being far too sentimental. If you want to make an omelette, you gotta be ready for griffins to kick the shit out of you for threatening to break eggs."
"But I like omelettes." Another pony cried, he was stupid, clearly, and the two griffins glared at him.
"Not clever, Jarhead." Jabsco snarled.
"Yeah, shut up Jarhead." The third pony jabbed. "Your name's stupid too."
"Hey, shut up! I'm only called Jarhead because my dad was a royal guard." Jarhead (who had a jar for a cutie mark) winced.
"ALL OF YOU shut up!" Ashfeath barked. "This is supposed to be quick and quiet, then we hit hard, and we get what we're looking for, one way or another."
They crept through the forest, rays of moonlight piercing through the the canopy and faintly illuminating the ground. Once, the Everfree Forest had been a corrupted, sinister place, blighted by dark magic, hazardous plants and dangerous creatures. However, with Twilight's ascension to Alicornhood, she and her companions had surrendered the source of their old power, the Elements of Harmony, and returned them to their home, the Tree of Harmony, in the centre of the Everfree; many seemed to believe that the tree's revival had 'cured' the forest of its corruption. Whatever happened the forest's threat had become almost trivial: Some dangers remained, of course, but it was almost a non-issue in modern times.
...But these were hardened, trained mercenaries walking through the Everfree, no meagre force by any standards. They were quite convinced there was nothing in this forest they couldn't handle.
They paused, holding in the bushes: They saw light nestled behind the trees, a hollowed out tree, fitted with windows and doors, which glowed with life therein: It was Zecora's hut, and it had been built within a small clearing.
"Shh..." Ashfeather hushed her team, speaking quietly. "That's got to be it."
"What's the plan?" Jabsco asked.
"Up to the door, quick and quiet, get in, force entry if need be." Ashfeather answered. "We may have been told not to hurt the zebra, but we can wreck shop if she doesn't play ball. If all else fails..." She reached into her armoured jacket, producing a black metal baton, which she extended. Quietly, Jabsco did the same.
"Hopefully it won't come to that." The third pony (with a telescope and a compass for a cuite mark) said. "I've heard about this zebra. The town used to be scared of her, but she's completely harmless, and everypony knows it."
"And?" Ashfeather snorted.
"And she's friends with the Six. Princess Twilight regularly has tea with her."
The griffiness captain paused, giving her a look. "And, you only just tell me this NOW?!?" She turned and smacked the pony.
"Dammit, Scope! So Twilight Sparkle is going to know about this if we do it?" Jabsco growled. "Captain?"
"...No if we get to to keep quiet." The captain finally answered. "The plan goes on as before."
"What?!" Jarhead blinked. "But... The princess!?"
"Buck the princess, Jarhead! We're doing this, or you're out of a job!"
Everyone turned to him. He looked torn... "I... I..." He stammered. "No. No I can't. I joined Otto's army to help people, to protect Manehatten. This? This is not protecting Manehatten. This is threatening and bullying a lone zebra... We're only doing it this way because she's so far from the rest of Ponyville? What next?!? Are we going to go attack Fluttershy next? How about we just go and massacre the whole damn town?!?! Buck that! I won't do it! I'm going home!"
Ashfeather growled, her eyes burning. With a quick and sudden movement, she raised her weapon, striking the dissenting soldier over the head with it with a vicious speed and force. He didn't even have time to yelp in pain, collapsing on the floor, unconscious. "...Any other objections?"
The second pony (a first aid kit for a cuite mark) stammered. "No, no, sir, ma'am... Someone ought to stay with Jarhead though, in case he wakes up and does something stupid."
"Oh, for the love of... Fine!" the captain hissed. "Flemming, since you suggested it, you stay with the coward. Jabsco, Scopes. You're with me. No more lollygagging."
Captain Ashfeather clenched her teeth and, with Jabsco and Scopes following in her footsteps, approached the hut from the shadows, backing up against a wall, her comrades at her back as she crept up to the Front door, avoiding the windows where she and her goons could be seen. The three mercenaries sat at opposite ends of the door's frame, the underlings waiting on their CO's order. She put a talon to her mouth to hush them, then held up three talons... Then two... Then one...
With a swing of her baton, she's smashed the handle of the door. She was like lightening, forcing her way inside and happening upon the zebra inside, who had been taken by surprise.
"You!" Ashfeather barked. "You're Zecora, aren't you?!"
The break in had clearly scared the zebra, but she held her composure well. "If you wanted to come in, you should have knocked." She said. "You have truly given me quite a..."
"SHUT UP!" The griffin captain roared, swinging her baton towards her in warning. "Where is it?! The amulet! Where did you hide it?!"
Zecora flinched. "If I know of the amulet of which you speak. I warn you, your chances of finding it are bleak."
"Oh, so they DO always rhyme...?"
"Quiet, Jabsco!" Ashfeather hissed. "You, you're going to tell me where it is. And the sooner you tell me, the more of your home is going to be left when we leave." She nodded to her underlings. Jabsco and Scopes quickly set to grabbing bottles and objects from the shelves and cabinets, throwing them on the ground and smashing them.
A sudden kick from the zebra knocked Ashfeather back: She wasn't expecting her to put up a fight! Suddenly Zecora had a spear. "Do you think I'm afraid of you? You're the cowards, that is true."
Ashfeather struck at Zecora with her baton, the strike blocked by Zecora's spear! The grey griffin hissed and spat, swiping again, but batted back by the far quicker zebra, who counter attacked with a swing and a lunge! The stone head of the spear bounced off of Asheather's plate armour. The griffin slammed down on the wooden shaft with her elbow, snapping off the head as one would break a twig under hoof.
"You're going to have to do a lot better than that." Asheather snickered. "I'd say your stick was nothing more than for show. Are all zebras as useless as you at fighting?"
"You're a disgrace to the name of griffin. You're vile and rude. I wouldn't waste a good spear on you, and I'm still hitting!" She retreated her pole arm, spinning it around her fore leg and striking Ashfeather around the head! She reeled as the staff smashed in half against the skull of the griffiness, drawing blood. Jabsco now saw her captain injured, and lunged at the zebra! She was met with a pair of hind hooves to the stomach, sending her back and crashing into Zecora's cooking pot.
"Dammit!" Jabsco cried as she clutched her stomach.
"You'll pay for that, you striped mule! Our kind EAT creatures like you!" Ashfeather roared, going berserk and swinging her weapon with both talons. Zecora ducked out of the way at the sudden explosion of speed in the enraged griffin: Her head and chest escaped the blow, but her shoulder took the brunt of the strike! Pain rushed though her limb and Zecroa yelped in pain, stumbling and landing on one of her counter tops, steading herself in time to see Scopes now join the fight. She threw herself over to him, head-butting him and knocking him down! Still, caution tempered courage, and the reality that Zecora was fighting three trained thugs, two of which were meat eaters, was beginning to hit home: She was in a great deal of pain, and now she realized, she was scared.
Scopes was in a daze, concussed but not unconscious, while Zecora barely felt the strike: zebras skulls were far tougher than pony skulls, it seemed. Grabbing a nearby pot, she threw it at Jabsco as she climbed up to join the fight. It struck him in the chest and smashed, spilling its contents all over the lieutenant. Suddenly, the griffin was on the floor, rolling around and scratching at herself like crazy.
"Argh! Dammit, dammit! It itches so much!!"
"Itching powder, a practical joke." Zecora snorted. "A gift from a friend, one of the pony folk."
"Enough!" Ashfeather lunged; this time, Zecora was too injured to get away quickly enough, and she took the full brunt of a furious griffin soldier, knocking her to the floor, hard. There was nothing to stop Ashfeather striking the zebra with her baton now: The metal rod connecting with Zecora's ribs, winding her and sending pain screaming through her torso. Another blow came to her good leg, leaving horrible marks of injury. Ashfeather continued to dish out punishment to the zebra as she dragged herself out from under Ashfeather.
"You're tough." She snorted to the battered Zecora, whose eyes were wet from the pain. "I'm not here to kill you. You know where the amulet is..." She marched up to her, grabbing the stone spearhead on her way the zebra and pinning her to a wall. She held up the spearhead to Zecora. "But, I can still hurt you."
"Wounds heal, and so will the pain I feel." Zecora coughed. "...But the amulet is NOT yours to steal."
"Tell me." the griffin captain spoke in a softer, deadly tone. "I won't ask again."
She took the spearhead, pushing its sharp end into the side of Zecora's wounded shoulder. Now the zebra screamed. "Tell me!" Deeper went the spearpoint, blood welling at its tip. "TELL ME!"
"THE BLUE CROP!" Zecora finally screamed out. "Go to the blue pants, the amulet is buried there, now please, I beg you, stop!"
The spearhead was removed, and tossed aside, as was Zecora, who fell to the floor in a sobbing heap as she held her bleeding shoulder.
"Blue plants?" Ashfeather asked, and Zecora nodded. "Good. Now..." She grabbed Zecroa by the mane, pulling her head up to meet the griffn's eye level. "Say a sentence where the first line ends in 'timber wolf'. Do it."
A brief look of confusion flickered in her eyes. "I, I warn you of the timber wolf. It's a..." She paused. "I can... It..." She stammered, getting more and more upset. Finally, she stopped, wiping tears from her eyes with a hoof. "You are vicious, hateful and wrong. Were you ever decent, or a monster all along?"
"Sweet Celestia!" Scopes blurted out, having come to and pulled himself to his hooves. "She doesn't shut up! You've beat her half to death and she's still going!"
"What? You think I care?" Ashfeather rolled her eyes. "She told us where the amulet was, we've got what we came for. Let's get out of here." As they left, she turned to make one last threat to the zebra. "Tell anyone about this, and we'll be coming back, you understand? It had better be where you say it is." Finally, she took a mask from the wall. "This looks nice. I think I'll hang it up at home over the fireplace back in Manehatten."
"M-Manehatten?" Zecora suddenly spoke. "Tell me more, who is the person you work for?"
Ashfeather snorted. "A pony far more powerful than you. You don't want to challenge him again."
"Him?" Zecora pulled herself up, her eyes streaming as she limped over to a jar of pale cream, her face relaxing as she rubbed the stuff into her wounds. "The pony you word for is a he? An important pony... The ruler of your city?"
"The mayor?" She snorted. "Lucky guess."
Zecora suddenly laughed. "Then I have news for your leader, when he arrives... A dear old friend of his..." She winced. "...She survives."
Ashfeather drew a confused look. "...And who would that be?"
"I find it cathartic, after your behavior. For you see, it's the old mayor. The one known as Paver."
The griffin captain's smile vanished. "What? No. No! You're lying!"
"Am I?" Zecora continued to chuckle. "Well, we shall see... You'll all get what you deserve."
Zecora has refused to rhyme. There was very little which could get a zebra to deliberately break a rhyme; it was considered rude and disrespectful among zebras, as it showed a zebra was either wasn't putting conscious thought into what they were saying (for if a zebra could speak in rhymes while still speaking wisdom, it showed the mark of a clever zebra indeed!), or, in Zecora's case: It showed the highest form of disdain, for deliberately breaking a lifetime of poetic speech out of spite. Ashfeather wasn't spoken to as zebras speak to others: She wasn't worth speaking to. Not as an equal in the eyes of this wronged zebra.
The group left the hut, and the quietly weeping zebra therein, and resumed their search of the forest, now looking for a patch of blue plants, where the amulet was said to be buried. Sure enough, they soon happened across a large sea of blue flowers, growing out of equally blue vines and bushes.
"Alright. Split up, scan through the blue stuff, anything suspicious, report it to me. It may be our amulet. Move out." Ashfeather ordered, stepping into the blue plants. They split in a three-way prong, covering as much of the patch as possible. The plants were very densely packed, but moved aside quite easy as they walked on through, brushing against the body's of the three as they conducted their search. They headed deeper and deeper into the blue brush, before finally, somewhere in the centre, Ashfeather felt a small bump against her talons. Quickly, she knelt down, digging in the dirt until she uncovered the object: A small box! It had a fairly crude lock on it, but that was of no concern, and she smashed it open. There, inside the padded velvet insides of the box, lay a glistening black amulet, with a large ruby set into its face. They'd found it: The Alicorn Amulet.