Stuck in Equestria

by Mike the Red

When Zebras Meet

Fluttershy led the way through the forest, staying very close to the pathway leading to Zecora's hut. Having never been in this forest, I was astonished by how thick the growth was -- trees so closely spaced that their branches seemed to intertwine in the canopy, so dense that even during an otherwise bright sunny day, very little light made it through the canopy to the forest floor.

"Why's it so dark in here?" asked Brenda as she glanced around nervously, the ambient sounds of various insects and animals completely foreign to our ears. The path we trotted on was littered with dead leaves which crunched under our hooves.

"This is the Everfree Forest, Brenda -- didn't Michael tell you anything about it?" asked Fluttershy. She seemed to glance around nervously as well, even though she had taken this path quite a few times before. The sounds seemed to get louder to drown out our voices as we went deeper in.

"No -- well, yeah, but -- I didn't think it was like this!" Brenda replied as she waved a hoof around to emphasize her point. She spotted movement from the corner of her periphery and quickly clung to me as fear seemed to get the better of her. The movement in question happened to be the cloaked figure of Zecora, and upon spotting us, she removed her hood to show herself. Her expression brightened when she caught sight of Brenda and she cantered over to us.

"Ah, greetings, fellow Zebra!" she chirped before performing a series of motions with her body before grabbing Brenda and embracing her in a tight hug. "Too long has it been since the last time I've seen one of my kind! How did you make it here from Zebrica?"

"Um, I'm not from Zebrica," Brenda replied softly as she tried to extricate herself from Zecora's embrace.

"Then perhaps you were born here in Equestria -- such is always a possibility," Zecora opined as she released my wife. "Please, accompany me to my home where we can discuss these things more fully. Would you care for some tea?"

The fact that Zecora wasn't speaking in rhyme puzzled me, so I took the opportunity to ask, "Hey, Zecora -- I thought you always spoke in rhyme?"

She turned to me at this point. "Not always do I speak as such, though at times it troubles me much," she replied, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly at me. "But pray tell, who is this zebra to you? Your faces to me are quite new."

I was about to answer her question, noting the fact she seemed to speak in rhyme whenever it suited her. Brenda answered it first, though.

"I'm his wife," Brenda replied, pointing her left forehoof at me. "You must be Zecora -- my name is Brenda and his is Mike."

She gave us a puzzled look as she contemplated my wife's response, a slight frown on her face. "Fluttershy, I will need to speak to these two alone -- please return to your home," the shamaness stated slowly. The pegasus did as instructed, leaving my wife and I alone with Zecora. "You two -- please come with me -- we have much to discuss." Without waiting for us to answer, she turned tail and began trotting to her hut. Brenda and I shared a look between us and silently followed our mysterious host. She trotted at a fairly brisk pace, forcing us to canter to keep up with her. We pelted her with various questions regarding sights and sounds, and as the trek wore on, I cringed when I heard Brenda ask, "Are we there yet?" and "How much further is it?"

Zecora ignored our questions, though if we could have seen her face, her expression would have spoken volumes. After a few more minutes of quick-trotting, we finally reached her hut. Surrounding the tree it was cut into were various objects which radiated a small amount of magic. I surmised these were wards of protection.

"Um, you live in a tree too?" asked Brenda.

"Yes, now please come inside -- the night approaches swiftly, the dangers quite high," she announced as she entered. I followed her in first, with Brenda still taking in the sight of the tree and the surrounding wards. She seemed rooted to the spot she was standing in.

"Come on, Brenda, what are you waiting for?" I asked impatiently. She turned her attention to me and shook her head as if something was inside it, then entered the hut.

"Brenda, you must tell me what has happened to you -- you do not strike me as a true zebra, though you inhabit the body of one," Zecora opined, staring hard at her as she examined her very closely.

"It's a long story," my wife replied, sadness in her tone. She took a moment to examine the interior of the hut as did I. Our eyes lingered on several different baubles and other trinkets in the main room, though seeing the stew pot had me a little worried. Zecora motioned for us to sit and hoofed us a couple of cups of liquid. I sipped at mine, noting it tasted of apple cider.

"Please, tell me everything," Zecora implored, motioning with her forehoof to Brenda.

Brenda began by telling of how we got there, immediately prompting Zecora to ask about our home world. The discussion followed along that tangent for awhile before my wife informed our host about her treatment in Celestia's dungeon. As she recounted the numerous beatings she was forced to endure, Zecora's expression darkened as mine registered deep shock. When Brenda finished by stating that even though she was allowed to accompany me after those first six months, she was still confined to a small room not much larger than her cell.

"Brenda, your tale speaks much ill about the Princess -- but I must summon my fellow zebras to form a delegation. We will petition Celestia on your behalf and we will see to it that no further harm comes to you or any other zebra she encounters," Zecora stated solemnly. "She will repay you for what you have suffered -- my fellow zebras and I will see to this."

We both smiled and nodded our heads in accord with her statement before I offered a sincere thanks and snuggled closer to my wife. "I'm so sorry, Brenda -- I had no idea she would be so mean to you," I said softly to her.

Comments

[Renodil]

Your chapters keep getting smaller. When ya first began this story they were between 4-5k words. This latest one is your smallest yet being only 1,155. I hope for more next chapter.

I'm glad Celestia is going to be confronted for the torture she inflicted on Brenda. That was just downright cruel. Though I can't help but wonder what a bunch of Zebras could do to the most powerful Alicorn in Equestria.