Somewhere in the Everfree Forest
Everything hurt like hell. Lu Bu shifted in and out of the waking world at random, each time undergoing the full brunt of the pain from that single attack the dragon dealt. Between gazing into black nothingness and the blurred images of the world above, Lu Bu could barely comprehend what was going on around to him. At random points, he felt himself dragged along the ground, hoisted atop what he seemed to be a small horse, and was laid in something small. Whatever it was, it doesn’t matter to him. His bones may be broken, but his pride was ultimately shattered. Lu Bu had only lost (to him) a total of three fights in his entire life, one of them was a draw. To be defeated so easily by such a powerful opponent… Lu Bu wanted to curl up and die.
It was then the formerly mighty warrior found himself properly stirring out of sleep. Once he opened his eyes, he found he was laid atop a bed and he was inside a strange wooden hut. Several odd tribal masks adorned the walls, shelves were lined with various elixirs and potions of differing colors, and an empty cauldron rested in the center. As he attempted to sit up, pain surged through Lu Bu’s body, as he looked down to see his armor was off and most of his body was covered in bandages. Someone had saved him, possibly a dweller within the woods.
“Ah, it seems that the patient is awake.” Called out a melodious voice from outside. “Best to remain still, for your own life is at stake.” Lu Bu groggily turned his head to the speaker, only to see another odd creature before him. It appeared to be a small horse, decorated in black and white stripes and sporting a Mohawk mane, her green eyes accompanied by a gentle smile.
“A healer’s pet, are you?” Lu Bu muttered. To his surprise, the striped equine chuckled at him.
“I am no pet, I would say,” The striped horse said. “But I am a healer who has saved your life on this day.” Lu Bu blinked, trying to process the sudden change before him. Instead of trying to object, Lu Bu rolled back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling of the hut.
“I must have been hit harder than I though.” Lu Bu grumbled. “I’m seeing talking horses instead of people.” Suddenly, the horse stood above him, looking slightly bemused.
“It is best that you know, a hallucination I am not.” The horse said, a firm tone in her voice. “My name is a Zecora, I am a zebra. Now please do give that some thought.” The horse, no zebra, trotted off to the side, leaving Lu Bu to lay in thought.
Hun Luan said this truly was another world, Lu Bu thought to himself. But he failed to mention there would be creatures of fantasy and talking horses! Lu Bu once again turned to the zebra with a quizzical look. “You there, Zecora,” He said. “Are there others like you? Talking horses?”
“No zebras like myself are here,” Zecora said, tending to a shelf of potions. “But beyond the forest of Everfree, a village of ponies is near.” She returned to Lu Bu’s side, holding a bowl filled with green liquid in one of her hooves. “Drink.” Lu Bu obliged, taking the bowl and downing the elixir. It was bitter tasting and thick, but it went down easily with only a few coughs. “This brew will mend the bones and ease the bruise. It was foolish to take on a dragon, for all would know you’d lose.” Lu Bu’s eyes shot open, turning his gaze back to the zebra healer.
“You witnessed me face the dragon?” Lu Bu asked, Zecora responding with a curt nod.
“The sound of battle could be heard from all around,” Zecora said, nudging a cabinet open to retrieve fresh bandages. “And it was in front of my home you were struck down.” Lu Bu steadily pulled himself up to aid with the changing of his bandages, surprised to say in the least that most of his body was encased in wrappings, and several red stains bloomed like roses on the white rags. As Zecora got to unwrapping the infected bandages, Lu Bu scanned the room for his weapon and armor. Thankfully, they were resting comfortably on a nearby stool, the armor now sporting a dull red in some spots. “With names, I have told you mine. If you could return the favor, if you’d be so kind?”
“I am Lu Bu Fengxian.” Lu Bu introduced, wincing as the bandages were removed, exposing the broken skin and bones. “Proud warrior of the Xu Province of China.” Zecora looked at him with a slightly quizzical look.
“A warrior, I had assumed you to be,” Zecora said. “Based on the number of scars and the blade, I see.” She tossed the bloody bandages away and grabbed the new ones, applying a yellowish salve on them. “But these places you speak, China and Xu, are unknown to me. Would you happen to be from afar, or so I believe?” Lu Bu was about to speak the truth, but paused for a moment, recalling something Chen Gong had taught him a while back. Withholding the truth is a necessity when facing the unknown, especially if they prove to be an enemy. So he did not state the obvious that he was from another world entirely.
“Afar, yes. Very afar.” Lu Bu softly said. “Yet I have traveled so far, I am truly unaware of where I exactly am.” He turned to Zecora as she fastened the last of the bandages. “Aside from the name of the nation, I’m essentially lost.”
“As I said, there is a quaint town just beyond the brush.” Zecora said, but Lu Bu seemed a little too eager to leave, and was quickly held down by the zebra’s hoof. “But your injuries are too grave, there’s no time to rush.” Lu Bu grunted, pulling the zebra’s hoof off his chest.
“I have no time to waste, I must complete my task at hand!” Lu Bu proclaimed, rising from the bed at his towering seven feet in height… only to crumple on the ground, wracked with pain. Apparently the dragon had done a greater number on him than he realized. Once Zecora helped him back into bed, she dipped her hoof in a mason jar and rubbed a blue salve on Lu Bu’s bandages.
“The sap of the Reficientes plant will mend your wounds upon the fourth day.” She said, trotting over to her cabinet. “Until then, you will have to be content and stay.” Lu Bu huffed, laying on his back and folding his arms with a pout. A warrior need not be confined to a bed, especially one mighty as Lu Bu. He didn’t treat his wounds, he shrugged them off! These demands were absurd! The only ones to tell him to hold still whilst his wounds were treated was…
“Diaochan…” Lu Bu muttered to himself. “My Little Cicada…” He remembered the nights he returned from yet another battle, bleeding and broken after slaying scores of men, whence Diaochan would personally treat his wounds and reset his bones, scolding him for his idiocy in going into battle. She always knew best. Perhaps, then, this odd little horse creature knew the same. “Very well, I’ll remain in wait, but once my wounds heal, I must continue my journey.” Zecora tittered a chuckle to herself, walking back out her hut to gather more herbs, leaving the mighty warrior to lean back in his cot and stare at the thatch roof in boredom. This was going to be a long week…
Three days passed, and Lu Bu had already learned a fair bit of his location from his generous host, and even bit about Zecora herself. Fascinating things one can learn when you have nothing to do but rest about in bed and heal. So, according to the healer, Equestria was a peaceful nation of ponies, a notion that Lu Bu couldn’t help but chuckle at the sheer absurdity, which was ruled by a total of four Alicorn Princesses, who exhibit powers that, according to him, matched the gods themselves.
“You mean to say that not only are these ‘Princesses’ immortal,” Lu Bu said as he sat bowlegged at a small table while Zecora poured him a cup of herbal tea. “But two of them have dominion over the sun and moon itself?” The Zebra shaman simply nodded as she gripped the handle of the tea-kettle between her teeth. “Forgive my disbelief, but not even the most powerful of sorcerers have that kind of power.” Zecora set down the kettle and took her seat opposite of Lu Bu, resting on her haunches as she reached for her own cup.
“As inane and incredible as you may deem,” Zecora said. “The power of the princesses is exactly what it seems.” She paused to take a sip of her tea, as Lu Bu did the same. It was a sweet taste, like feeling the welcoming embrace of spring upon his tongue. “The sun and moon rise and fall by their command. I do not really see how that is hard to understand.” Lu Bu didn’t really have much to respond to that, given his own thoughts were preoccupied with concern that there were beings more powerful than him.
Surely they would prove a decent challenge for my skills. Lu Bu silently mused to himself. He took another sip and resumed his conversation. “Never mind that. You were explaining to me how one of these princesses was in the nearby town?”
“Yes, Twilight Sparkle.” Zecora clarified. “Princess of Friendship, would be.” Lu Bu inwardly scoffed at the ridiculous name. All these Equestrians with their bizarre naming after objects and verbs, and the irritating number of horse puns for terminology. It was too much for the warrior to handle. “Her kindness knows no bounds, and her prowess is magic is a sight to see.”
This Twilight Sparkle may be my key to finding my target, the Elements of Harmony. Lu Bu thought to himself. He hadn’t told Zecora of his reasons for being in Equestria, rather keeping to the illusion of him being a traveler from a distant land, seeking knowledge from other nations. No need for the one who saved his life to know he was going after what could essentially be considered national heroes. If anything, he would have left a long time ago, but his wounds and Zecora’s insistence on his stay kept him quarantined. However, much to the healer’s amazement, Lu Bu’s wounds had recovered faster than expected, and he’d be on his feet again in just a little while longer. But until then, the mighty warrior would sit and enjoy his tea. As much as he complained about having to stay with the healer, Lu Bu could not deny that she made a wonderful tea.
“Prices vendors place these days are just awful.” Zecora grumbled as she trotted into her hut, her saddlebacks bursting with various ingredients and herbal remedies. “But with these veggies and fruits, I can brew a stew that will be just wonderful!” The zebra chuckled to herself, but quickly noticed that her bedridden guest was nowhere to be seen. Not lying on his cot or resting in a chair, the hut was completely empty. Before Zecora could go into a worried fit about an injured creature like Lu Bu wandering about the Everfree in his condition, she realized that his armor and weapon were still there, so he hadn’t gone far. Once the ingredients were properly put away, Zecora exited her hut and searched for Lu Bu, picking up on the faint sound of grunting nearby. Rounding around her house, Zecora finally located Lu Bu, the intimidating man doing several sets of pushups. Zecora was a bit surprised to find Lu Bu up and about proper, let alone exerting himself in such a fashion, but the warrior had shown unusually fast signs of recovery. After Lu Bu finished his pushups, he rose to his full towering height and walked over to a tree, only noticing Zecora for a brief moment before grasping a thick tree limb and doing pull-ups.
“I see you’ve returned from your trip to the nearby town.” Lu Bu mused, performing his exercises so fast leaves are shaking off the tree. Zecora silently nodded, watching Lu Bu with what could only be described best as morbid fascination. “Hmmph, good. I believe one last drink of that elixir of yours, and I shall have fully recovered.” Once his pull-ups were finished, Lu Bu hopped down from the tree and walked over to a large boulder thrice his size. “One last test, and my exercises will be finished.” He walked over to the boulder and hugged it tightly. Zecora cautiously trotted over, expecting for Lu Bu to pick up the rock or something spectacular like that. That was when the cracks erupted from the areas where Lu Bu was gripping. In a matter of seconds, the boulder exploded into rubble, with Lu Bu holding chunks of rock between his fingers. “Damn boulder. This was a pointless challenge.” As Lu Bu walked back into the hut, Zecora gaped in shock at the pile of stones and gravel that once was a great boulder. She had known from Lu Bu’s vague explanations that he was strong, but she didn’t expect this. So, silently Zecora slinked back into her cottage, while Lu Bu sat himself down on a pillow. Zecora quickly did a check of all the ingredients for the healing elixir, but noticed that a single remedy was absent.
“Curses and hexes, this absent spot on the shelf!” Zecora spat, angrily. Lu Bu quirked an eyebrow in confusion and curiosity.
“Something amiss, healer?” Lu Bu asked.
“I forgot an ingredient vital to fully restoring your health!” Zecora explained, pointing a hoof at a vacant jar on her ingredients shelf. Lu Bu folded his arms in slight annoyance.
“It can’t be all that important, I can handle any minor effects of a missing ingredient.” Lu Bu huffed, only to quickly find himself face to face with the irritated zebra.
“A mighty one with strength to use mountains, I do not doubt,” Zecora retorted, pressing a hoof to his chest. “But if you can withstand an exploded heart, I do not think we should find out.” For once, Lu Bu was reluctant to prove someone wrong, as Zecora withdrew her hoof and moved to prepare her saddlebags. “I’ll have to return to Ponyville for the missing flower…” She sighed softly. “But I doubt I shall return within the hour.” Lu Bu recalled Zecora complaining about the many monsters that have shown up lately, and how they’ve impeded her progress to and from the Forest itself, while Lu Bu had been cooped up for ‘remedial’ reasons. However, with his recovery increasing of late, as shown by his intense training, Lu Bu felt himself ready for more physical adventures. So, the mighty warrior rose to his feet and proceeded to don his armor. Before Zecora could object, Lu Bu had already motioned for her silence.
“I have been sitting around for days doing absolutely nothing.” Lu Bu said, slipping his boots on. “And you have been complaining about the increase in monsters in the area. So, to satiate my boredom and aid you,” Lu Bu’s head popped from out of his armor, allowing his twin-feathered headwear to flow freely. “I will accompany you to this town, protect you from monsters, and finally restore my strength to continue my mission.” He grabbed his halberd and dug the sharpened spear end in the dirt floor, jabbing a finger at Zecora. “No objections. My mind is made up.” And without so much as another word, Lu Bu left the hut. Zecora sighed, already having dealt with Lu Bu’s stubborn attitude for the past couple of days, and left to chase after the warrior more out of worry he’d get himself lost in the Forest.
The Zebra and towering human took a relatively safe path through the forest, and surprisingly there were little signs of any wildlife on their path. The most that happened was Zecora catching a glimpse of a pack of Timber Wolves that appeared to be running away from something. While the shaman was clueless as to why, Lu Bu knew clearly, of course. They were respecting the true alpha of the Forest and keeping their distance from the real top predator. Himself. Finally, after a long while of walking, Lu Bu and Zecora finally exited the Everfree Forest, and into the wide open air of Equestria. This was the first of Equestria outside the Forest Lu Bu had actually seen. It was a beautiful sight, rolling green fields, clean and pristine trees unlike the gnarled and ugly ones within the Forest, and a lack of monsters that seemed to make things a little more difficult. And off in the distance, Lu Bu could see a small town, filled with various houses and such. No doubt this was the ‘Ponyville’ Zecora always rambled about, Lu Bu assumed. In his time staring, he noticed his traveling ward already making her way to the town. With renewed gusto, Lu Bu took after her, unaware that his sudden appearance hadn’t gone unnoticed.