Somewhere Special

by Anonympony

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Twilight had made short work of her surroundings. In just a few days’ time, she had turned the old tree stump she had originally called home into a full-fledged dwelling. The roof was made from overlapping layers of dead leaves, held up by an intricate net of winding branches and vines. The inner trunk had shed itself of its grey color, taking on a healthy deep brown color. The dead moss that used to hang internally had now fallen and regrown fresh and bright. The unicorn had made makeshift shelves out of outlying dead wood, lined with custom books made of her own parchment she made from stripped wood. It almost felt like home. Twilight was in the middle of it all, wiping the sweat from her brow with her dirtied hooves. It had been days since Twilight had bathed, and it showed. Her coat had taken a noticeably darker tone, covered by the dark land she now lived in.

“It is all coming to plan. All of it. All into fruition. I’m so excited. But the others...What if they...? No, they’ll never find out. That’d be impossible.” Twilight mumbled to herself. Her friends wouldn’t understand. They never understood. They’d always complain that Twilight was too anti-social. That she spent too much time worrying about others and not about herself. But Twilight had no choice. Ponyville and its civilians were always having some kind of crisis. Strange zebras, parasprites, Cerberus escaping from Tartarus, a God of Choas. Princess Celestia sent Twilight to learn about friendship, and she couldn’t do that if the town was destroyed. Twilight would be up late at night, preparing for some random encounter or planning for it. It got tiring. But Twilight persisted; she couldn’t fail. Not again.

But a rustle in a nearby bush startled the unicorn out of her deep thoughts. Twilight’s ears flinched back and her snout went into a scowl. An intruder. Twilight poked her head out of her new home, inspecting her surroundings. The thick forest canopy let in little light; only enough to see the vast foliage. The forest went quiet. The ambient noises all fell silent; watching the events unfold. Twilight stepped a bit further. The once soft and moist ground is now grey hard and cold. Almost as if it was dead. The air that used to stand lukewarm now brushed past with a cold whisper. The clouds that hung above the Everfree’s canopy clumped together; darkening the forest to near invisibility. But Twilight stood her ground, sniffing the air and keeping an eye on the shadows that seem to dance randomly as the forest grew darker.

Another rustle. Twilight was now sure that somepony was there. The only question is who. She gritted her teeth and snorted like a wild bull, digging into the dead topsoil that beneath her. “Show yourself!” Twilight yelled loudly, filling the silence with her shout. The rustling grew louder and Twilight’s muscles grew tighter, anticipating. The rustling became more frequent and the unicorn was able to locate its source. A single bush; leaves brown and decaying. Twilight trotted ever so slowly to the bush as it shook and shaked. The air grew colder as Twilight got closer, soon she was able to see her own breath. The purple unicorn was now only steps away from the bush; goosebumps rising on her skin from the frigid air. She shook herself from the cold and stomped her hooves into the cracked ground and took a deep breath.

“Show yourself! I know you’re in there!” the unicorn demanded once again. The bush shook more. Leaf after leaf fell to the bush’s constant shakes. It grew louder still, until finally, a dark figure popped in front of Twilight, shrouded completely in shadows, sending them both into a tumble. Twilight grabbed the figure with her forelegs and held what looked to be its head. Twilight could feel the familiar texture of pony hide, as well as a mane.

The two tumbled for several feet, eventually hitting a tree and falling on top of each other. Twilight was dazed and dizzy; her head hurting from impact. She lay on top of the figure that had jumped her, their details slowly coming into view. Twilight could make out hooves and the body shape of a pony. As well as...stripes. And their mane was cut into a short Mohawk. The figure lifted itself, Twilight falling off its body. Twilight looked at the figure again, noticing its movements. It brought a hoof to its head and rubbed its mane slightly.

“Oh my head. If I would have hit any harder, I surely would’ve been dead.” the figure muttered to itself. Twilight recognised the voice.

“Z-Z-Zecora?” Twilight called out. Despite being hidden by the shadow of the tree, more details came into view. The unicorn could now see the figures eyes and ears. When Twilight called that name, the figure’s ears perked up and their eyes widened.

“Twilight? My oh my, can it be? The long lost purple pony? Everypony was worried you had left for good. They tried to find you, none of them could.” Zecora said. The darkness began to lift, and Twilight was now just barely able to make out the face of her zebra friend.

“They’re looking for me?” Twilight asked; concern in her voice. She began to lower her guard.

“Yes, my dear. The mayor is busy and the town is in a tizzy. All so they could try and find you.” Zecora said, now resting on her hind legs.

“I see.” Twilight looked at the ground. Its color had returned to its natural green. She lifted her dirtied hoof to her face, seeing that life had returned to it. “Zecora, can you do me a favor?”

“What is it, Twilight?”

“Don’t tell anypony I’m here. They can’t know I’m here.” Twilight said, making eye contact with the Zebra. Zecora just chuckled quietly to herself.

“Z-Zecora?” Twilight said with worry. The Zebra hung her head lower, the chuckling getting louder. Zecora began to stand up, the ground turning grey once more. Zecora stood up; her head still low, but now making eye contact with the frightened unicorn.

“Oh Twilight, I don’t think you quite understand. You’re in high demand. You’re coming back, or I’ll have to attack.” Zecora said, slowly creeping towards Twilight. The unicorn couldn’t move. She was frozen by fear. The air grew cold once again and the clouds began to accumulate, spreading darkness abound. Zecora crept closer and closer, inching towards the last bit of sunlight left, before it too left. Then, Twilight saw it. Zecora’s face in full. It was rotten and foul. In that split second of light, Twilight saw that part of Zecora’s cheek had rotted away, leaving nothing but strips of dead skin and her rotted gums. The stench of death seeped from the Zebra’s hide, making Twilight sick to her stomach. Zecora’s fur was matted and falling off her. The zebra’s body moved in a heavy and slinking motion, mimicking a snake. She came closer and closer to the unicorn, until they were muzzle to muzzle.

Twilight went into relapse and was reminded of this situation with Big Macintosh. Her pupils widened and she immediately flailed her forelegs in defense, pushing Zecora away. The Enchantress was unphased, as she quickly regained her composure and rushing at Twilight once more, taking her by the mane and to the barren ground. Zecora now lay atop the Unicorn, her left front hoof pressing on Twilight’s sternum. Twilight couldn’t breathe. Zecora lowered her muzzle closer to Twilight, her rotting skin flaking off onto the unicorn’s face. Zecora just looked at Twilight with a wicked smile. The zebra also had sharpened teeth. The enchantress twitched uncontrollably, her head making spastic movements. Twilight could make out Zecora’s eyes, which had glazed over, a white color that contrasted her typically blue eyes. They seem to be able to pierce through their murkiness and into Twilight’s eyes. The unicorn’s horn began to glow, slowly encapsulating Zecora in a purple aura. Zecora saw this and removed her hoof from Twilight’s sternum, the pony regaining her breaths in heavy huffs. Zecora began to lift up, her rotting legs flailing wildly to get back on the ground. Twilight managed to stand up and take control of the aura.

Twilight went into complete concentration. She walked to the floating zebra and looked through her glazed eyes. Inside lay nothing. Just a dead shell. Twilight jerked Zecora to the right, gaining momentum, and then threw her to the left with incredible force. The enchantress collided head first with a dead oak tree, a deafening crack was heard. She fell to the ground with a hard thud, her back facing the unicorn’s cottage. Twilight trotted cautiously to examine the body. It lay motionless. She took her hoof and prodded the zebra with her hoof. Nothing. It seemed that she had been defeated. Twilight lifted Zecora’s lifeless body with her head, propping the zebra onto the student’s back. But Twilight had not moved but an inch, when the body spontaneously sprang back to life. Zecora wriggled and writhed, trying to free herself. She managed to get off Twilight’s body, kicking it with her back legs and galloped at full speed back into the forest. Twilight fell to the ground, her hind injured by Zecora’s kick.

“Your time has come Twilight!” Zecora shouted; her voice coughing as she did. Twilight watched as the demon sped off into the abyss, unsure of where she was going. Twilight managed to limply lift herself up and drag her injured hind leg into her tree home.

It was over.

For now.

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