Where Once Begins
Two or three thousand years ago, and some odd months, ponies were a far cry from being the caring and accepting folk they are to date. On this particular day, something extraordinary took place in a little town all those years ago, that would change the sorrow and bitterness poisoning everypony’s hearts.
No, not Ponyville, that isn't for many thousands of years later.... No, this was a town that is now shrouded in myth and legend. It was a completely different time, before ponies would even consider compromising on anything, much less territories.
It was by chance or a great lack of luck, as there is no such thing as bad luck, a strange creature emerged along the boundaries of this long forgotten town, just as the sun was rising. It was no more than a foal, if one could call it that.
The poor thing had been chased out from the cover of the forests it had found refuge within at it's earliest memory. This may have been impossible, were this an ordinary foal, just as it looked different from anything you or I might consider equine, it also had uncanny abilities which I will get to in a moment, but it also had a long memory.
A very long memory. One could scarcely tell if it was truly an infant, or not unalike to an alicorn, simply refusing to fully mature until much later, or simply had an older mind and greater intelligence than that of our kin.
The little tike had been chased out from its hiding place among the trees. He turned frantically to hide himself from the world on the near outskirts of it, but the animals that scared him off would not relent. They refused to welcome the chimera back into their midst. The woodland creatures weren't concerned for his welfare, they just wanted him gone. His nature and sharp teeth frightened the wisest of them. The owls, the deer, and a handful of others gathered for the first time to address the problem and potential threat on their future and they of their descendants and they found one thing in common: the lot of them would agree upon any means of removing the predator from their homes. It didn't take long for them to agree on a plan for doing just that. They didn't even wait for the sunrise to wake him.
They came flocks and herds, and they prodded and poked until he awoke, shaken from his peaceful sleep, as peaceful as one could find sleep when they are alone in the world, though he hadn't yet realized just how different he was from the rest of the world around him, he'd seen little copies of the proud beasts that crossed his path. Why did he have none? he would often think.
Being a foal, he never thought much of it, and even if he had, he had no one to ask these questions of. I'm not even sure if anypony would answer him out of fear, or disgust at his crude form.
Mayhaps that was how the myths and rumors began to surface. Though there is no telling when the discovery of first sighting of the creature was spread around by way of drunk loosened tongues, about as credible as a compass beside a magnetic field. Both were as confused in the description of the creature as the other, so no need was payed to these sightings of there were many before this incident. Only that the occurrences no longer seemed to the ponies of the time isolated events, but they tried to rationalize links or connections behind them when there were none.
There was one was in the crowd who felt for the young chimera. He was no older than a toddler and they were throwing stones at him!
She was afraid to speak out against the assembled mob of farmers, Blacksmiths and shop keepers, so she stayed silent. If anyone bothered to look her in the eyes they would notice how her pity and kind heart shone through and that it was all directed toward the very creature they were harassing.
Perhaps I should mention that the pony in question was both midwife and healer to the village. Unmarried, and foal-less she used to watch the small hooves run and play around the village. Sometimes she would make stone marbles for them to use in their games.
She loved to see their smiles and though she was happy with her life, there would always be that part of her heart would twinge when she saw a filly or colt at his mother's skirts and that she had none.
With no one to care for she began to feel empty and her life a little less content as each day gradually passed by.
So when she saw the young, abandoned chimera, her motherly instincts kicked in. Right after she went home to pack, and then await nightfall. She would sneak out past the night watchers that defended the town from the unknown creatures of the forest beyond the little town.
She knew it was foolhardy, she’d seen and tended to many cases of claw marks or the imprints of teeth in the hides of her fellow neighbors, but as she thought back to the young colt, her determination grew. She would help it, and do her best to at least make up for her silence. She should have stopped the crowd, tried to reason with them. Anything would have been better than standing there. She had been afraid though, afraid of being exiled or worse and being the only Zebra didn't help. Shr had no freinds in the villaige, though there were a few friendly faces, nopony invited her in unless they suffered an illness and needed her help, or came to hard unless they needed a cute to some ailment or other. Her name has been firgotten as many would change her name in the telling of the tale, or dismiss it and her role over all. Believing that she deserves every but if kindness shown to anypony, and for the sake of the story, her name will be Zyla.
Zyla grabbed a travelling pack and filled it with salves, bandages and anything else she might need. She remembered the largest of the stones were about the size of a shoe, and how one of them very narrowly skimming his leg.
Under the cover of nightfall came the aid of a chimera child. The mare was met with no incident not did she encounter any animal of beasts, but a wide, glowing eyed owl that way perched on a branch until it saw her coming, when it opted to fly out, off down her path. She would not be the hunted tonight she thought.
In the light of a waxing moon, the savage told if the crescent suggested that more was to come then just the aid of a Chimera child.
She kept on the alert her ears turning this way and that as to pick up on any sound, a rock perhaps, skipping across the stones or any other tell tale sign that all was not at rest.
She heard nothing, but a night owl.
Zyla gave it very little pause in her flight across the cobblestone ground. She did not truly fly, for she had not the wings, but her heart soared defiant and dangerous all the same, making up for her lack in the appendage ten fold.
She reached the trees with hardly a trouble, she was stopped by no guards, and if she had been spotted most would have assumed she sought out her medicinal plants. She had always been an odd one, no matter if her methods made no sense. She had always been looked at strangely being the only Zebra in town, and an odd one at that, more pony than her stripes kin, though her earth magic was just as strong. Unlike our Zebra friend Zecora in the other hoof, she did not speak in rhyme.
She came to a fork in the road and scared now, and lost she almost turned back, but I'm she went as a sound could be heard. Barely distinguishable at this point if her path one could hear a foals whimpering. That is what spurred her on, reminding her her purpose.
“Little one… Chimera child?” Zyla called out to it sweetly. “Little Chimera.” She tried again, but still no answer, and the whimpering had ceased. She bit her lip, and hoped she had not scared him off.
What would she do then? What would become of him, though he should be well enough if he could walk about without making a fuss over an injury unless the poor dear had a strong resolve and was as stubborn or determined as she was.
“Chimera chi-” She stopped, hearing a hiss come from behind the wide birth of an oak trunk, however, she was not afraid. Zyla knew the hiss came from the colt she sought. “You can stop trying yo make yourself appear more terrifying than you are. Now, are you hungry, little one?”
A loud grumbling noise could be heard from the other side of the tree she had stopped at. She did not laugh, however, she smiled sadly and took out the promised food. She had only grabbed some bread and cheese with her, but it sounded like he would be needing more to assuage his hunger. No, there was nothing funny about that sound. “Little one, you can come out. I won't hurt you.” It was dark, but Zyla had become adept to seeing in this light going from house to house to help her neighbours as she went about finding her way in the dark light. She was upset by what she saw when the Chimera came out of hiding. The small of the cheese was faint at most, but it was enough for him to risk abandoning his hiring place.
Zyla didn't move back, but stayed absolutely still where she was. Any movement from her would scare him off, she knew. Chimeras were dangerous as they were, but this one was more pony than it's kind, much like her. It spoke volumes in his eyes.
What scared her though, was not the mismatched limbs, she had seen those earlier in the mob. What she noticed were the scratches and bruises that littered his hide. He took a step closer to test if she would try and stop him or inflict futher harm. When she did not move he slowly and warily made his way over to the food she held out. He came no closer than a hoof from her, staring at the contents in her hoof. She thought this might happen, so she brought out a small handkerchief and set the food out on it and setting it down, Zyla trotted an additional food away.
With a wary look to her, the Chimera leapt on the chance to finally eat something. He had a lot of trouble finding much of anything, he got sickoff the poison berries had tried to eat, and do never ate more of the things, poisin or no, he wouldn't risk it. He didn't have the teeth for other things and it had never crossed his mind that he could eat other creatures. It wouldn't have been in his nature even if it had occured to him to try it.
Zyla watched as he scarffed down all that was in the little bit of cloth with a smile. It wasn't much but it would do. The little chimera then turned to the Zebra its head tilted in curiousity. No one had ever tried to help him before. He couldn't remember a time anyone had.
He gradullay made his way to her, closer now than before. Now it was Zyla who was wary, true she didn't think he would harm her but surely the gift if food didn't inspire his trust like that? She reached out her hoof and tapped his forehead. It was always the first thing she did with all her patients, but he didn't seem to mind it anymore than they did. Rather he thought it was funny, and he broke out in a silly, childish grin rather than laugh aloud at this pony’s action. He tried to tap hers too, but it was too high to reach, he frowned, slightly disheartened by this, but he got over it and set there, staring at the strange creature before him. She looked different from the rest as he did here with the forest aninals, he took a bit of comfort in that. Tired now, and cold, he chose to trust this strange anomaly of his meeting her, and curled himself around her hooves. Zyla picked the little thing up and thought of what to name him. Not much came to mind, however, so she assumed she would figure it out sooner or later. Meanwhile the creature dozed peacefully in her arms. He smiled for the first time in a long time for absolutely no reason at all. He was safe and warm for the longest time he had ever been.
An owl hooted in the distance, going unoticed by all.
It lasted for three days. The kind Zebra went about her business during the day, and at night fall she would come to the little one she left in the safety of the forest. She wished she could just hold the child in her arms and protect him herself within the walls of her hut. She knew better than this of course, besides the Chimera kind she knew about liked to roam free and even as young as a few months old could fend mostly for themselves. So she would visit him, donning her cloak now that the months has grown colder, offering to take him home, only for him to refuse each time. The cold didn't seem to faze him so she left him each time the day broke. It took a toll on her heart with each refusal. She tended to his injuries, read to him, and fed him. It was all she could do to show her affection aside from the occasional hoof bye guys and the kids she'd place upon his forehead while he slept after a story she would weave. He always liked the improvised ones over the organized and leather bound ones.
She smiled as she left on the third night, but it was one full of sadness. She would not be returning the next night and she had not told him. She wouldn't be coming the one after that either... not any other for as long as she lived.... She wrongly risked coming to see her little Chimera this night, knowing she could lead the guards right to him. The suspicion of her had grown in the village, and she was afraid somepony would begin to spy and eavesdrop on her and find out about.. She realized she'd never really named him and wondered if he had a name already. She shook her head, no, she had to forget about her little one. Down that train of thought lay yet another selfish decision, that would only make it more difficult to do what was best for him. She hoped one day he could forgive her, or that he had a short memory. It was a hopeless wish, she's seen the intelligence behind those red and yellow eyes. She saw something akin to what one might find in the eyes of somepony three times his age.
No, her little Chimera would remember and forgiveness would be a long time coming and she would never live to see the day come.