Never Meant to Be

by Priceless911

Ch8 I Am Your Enamy... Right?

With a saddlebag on his back, Zeil Trotted as fast as he could down the trail. He was determined to get to Zecora’s and tell her who he was. Even if he felt a little nervous about her reaction, he knew that if he waited any longer then he had to, his chances of forgiveness would decrease. So the determined changeling continued on his path as he mumbled the words to himself, “Zecora… I love you… and I know you love me too… so I have to be completely honest with you. I need to tell you. I'm a changeling… I’ve been one this whole time, but… I was afraid that if you knew the real me, that you would reject me and cast me aside like all the other species of this world. But then… I fell in love. And I knew that the only way I could ever be happy is by staying here with you, and giving up my old life… that is… if you will accept me.”

As Zeil finished the statement to himself, he reached the edge of the trail where he could see Zecora’s hut from as he sighed to brace himself, “Well… I was convinced… I hope she will be too. Chrysalis give me strength.”
With unenthusiastic steps, Zeil trotted towards Zecora’s hut until he found himself standing at the front door. With one more sight of preparation, Zeil raised his hoof and knocked on the door as he waited for the owner to answer. After a few brief seconds, Zeil could hear the latch to the door unlock, but as the door opened, the huts resident wasn’t behind it.

Feeling a little confused, Zeil trotted inside and looked behind the door to see a purplish haze surrounding the door knob as a voice, spoke, “Oh… hello. You must be here to see Zecora too.”
As Zeil looked towards the voice, he froze in shock. Sitting at the table with Zecora, was Twilight Sparkle, the sole reason that Queen Chrysalis’ attack on Canterlot failed, and the one pony who could bring his entire world crashing down around him. As Zeil gave Twilight a nervous stare, she spoke, “Nice to meet you, my name is Twilight Sparkle, I'm a good friend of Zecora’s, are you one of her friends from Zebrica?”

Zeil stood speechless, not only did he not know how to react, but also at this moment, his entire mind drew a total blank. As he stood there, he tried to speak, “I… uh… well…”
Seeing that he was at a loss for words, Zecora smiled as she answered for him, “I hope you’ll excuse, he’s quite shy you see, he’s a close personal friend, who travelled to the Everfree. In hopes of learning magic from me.
Twilight looked at Zecora as she replied, “Really? He’s a student of yours?”
Zeil spoke up before Zecora could reply, “Uh… yes… my name is Zine. Sorry if I seems a little nervous… I just wasn’t expecting to see any ponies here. That’s all.”

Although he wasn’t a real zebra, Twilight still understood the situation as she replied, “Oh, I see. Don’t worry though. I’m sure you were treated the same as Zecora was when we first met her. But we in Ponyville don’t judge a book by its cover anymore. So any friend of Zecora be that a pony or zebra is a friend of ours.”
Feeling a since of irony in the term judge a book by its cover, Zeil could only nod his head as he replied, “Um… thanks…”
Returning to their previous subject, Zecora spoke, “So what was that problem, from which you came to see? Some sort of sibling caused calamity?”
Twilight looked back at Zecora as she replied, “Oh, yea, I was saying that Shining Armor is acting strange. Since his run in with the changeling during his wedding, he has seemed to have a problem controlling his emotions. One second he could be happy as a foal at play, but the next he could be ready to kill somepony at the drop of a hat.”

Zecora nodded her head, “Marriage is a challenge, and one we must succeed. With new responsibilities and seeing to a spouse’s need.”
Twilight continued, “I know it’s a big step, but I don’t think it’s as simple at that, see he nearly killed one of his own soldiers out of anger. He has never come that close before, not in all the years I’ve known him.”
as Zeil listened to the situation, he already knew what was wrong as he spoke without thinking, “Mind control…”
without realizing he said that, both Zecora and Twilight looked at Zeil as Twilight asked, “What?... Mind control?”
As soon as he realized what he said, Zeil immediately felt nervous as he tried to think up an excuse for his unexpected conclusion, “I… um… I mean… d-did he have anything happen to him during the changeling thing you mentioned before?”

Without seeing his outburst as suspicious, Twilight thought to herself as she replied, “Well… he did have Queen Chrysalis trying to control his mind during the wedding… but I don’t see that a-“
Zeil smiled as he looked at Zecora, “There you go! Mind control, it’s exactly what we talked about a few days ago right Zecora?”
Zecora smiled, “Good catch Zine, and fast one to see, it seems that his control had disturbed his harmony.”
Feeling as if she missed something Twilight asked, “Um what are you two talking about?”
Zeil explained, “Well I would assume that you being a unicorn understand the concept of a curse right?”
Twilight nodded her head, “I do, it’s an enchantment that usually causes bad things to happen to its victim. Although they usually come at a cost to the user right?”

Zeil nodded his head as he replied, “It does, although this particular curse instead has a second effect on the victim instead of the user. It toys with the victims emotions and starts to cause them to unravel like fraying rope.”
Twilight asked, “So… it was a curse from Queen Chrysalis? And you said he is unraveling… you mean he is going to continue to get worse?”
Zeil nodded his head as he replied, “Yes… and like a fraying rope, he will eventually snap.”
Twilight looked a little nervous as she asked, “Is… is there anything we can do? Some kind of cure or something?”
Zecora nodded her head as she approached her small bookshelf of spell books, “A cure for this, I’d like to say so, though I’ve never attempted it, so I honestly don’t know.”
As Zecora started looking through her books, every fiber of Zeil’s changeling heritage told him to keep quiet, although he ignored it as he cleared his throat and spoke, “I know the cure.”

Once again, Zeil became the center of attention in the room as both Zecora and Twilight looked at him as he explained, “The other night after we talked about this, I decided to look it up myself that way I could prevent it from happening again. Yes there is a cure, although it will take a while to make.”
Twilight asked, “Really? How long?”
Zeil replied, “Five hours. To make this we will need living moss, the sap from a zap apple tree, and a small segment from a moon weed. Once we gather these together, we need to boil them in a pot for five hours to make a firm past, then smear it onto the subject’s forehead. From there the potion will seep into the skin and work its magic on the mind.”
Zecora could help but smile with pride as she replied, “Bravo Zine, I should have guess you would show, just how much you are willing to know. The ingredients have, although one still in in need. The moss and sap are here, what I lack is moon weed. Since you know where it’s found, could I ask you to retrieve, though its poison to touch, so extra magic you will need.”

With that said, Zecora looked at Twilight as she replied, “I know a thing or two about moon weeds, so I don’t mind lending a helping hoof.”
With a smile, Zecora trotted to her caldron as she placed a small amount of a magical dust onto the firewood that sat under it as the wood burst into flame and started heating up the large cast iron pot, “Then make haste, for we’ve no time to waste.”
With that, Twilight looked at Zeil and spoke, “Alright, Zine was it? Lead the way.”
Though he felt a little awkward about being alone with the one responsible for his baggiest failure, Zeil tried to ignore it as he nodded his head, and trotted towards the door. However before he could reach it, Zecora stopped him, “And don’t forget, for it make me worry, the moon weeds poison could kill in a hurry.”
Zeil turned to Zecora and smiled as he replied, “Done worry Zecora, we’ll be careful. Just make sure the rest is ready by the time we get back and there won’t be any worries.”
With a trusting smile, Zecora nodded her head as she watched both Twilight and Zeil leave her hut

As the two made their way through down the trail, there couldn’t have been a more awkward silence then the one the two shared at this moment. Twilight felt awkward since she knew nothing about who she was with or where they were going while Zeil used every bit of strength he had to avoid bringing suspicion to himself. It wasn’t long before Twilight finally broke the silence by asking, “So… Zine right?” Zeil looked at her and nodded his head as she continued, “So um… were you and Zecora friends in Zebrica?”
Zeil shook his head, as he replied, “No, actually we just met not too long ago here in the Everfree forest.”
Twilight was curious, “Really? How long ago was it?”
Trying to make it seem like it was before the changeling attack, Zeil replied, “About um… three months now.”
Twilight felt confused, “Really?... I don’t remember seeing you during the Cutie Pox incident, nor has Zecora ever mentioned you before.”
Zeil hid his anxiety as he replied, “Well… um… I’ve been in and out of the Everfree forest since we met, and Zecora knows that I don’t like attention very much, so she was kind enough to keep me secret from others. It’s just… being different like I am… ponies don’t like to see a lot of me around. And cuz of that, I don’t like to see a lot of ponies either.”

As they talked, the surrounding area started to get somewhat hazy with mist as Twilight replied, “So… is that why you seemed so nervous back there?”
Zeil nodded his head, “Yea… sorry if I seemed rude… it’s just, I’ve had a bad history with ponies so I have mixed feelings about being around them.”
Twilight replied, “It’s okay, if I remember right Zecora had the same problem. I can see how being treated differently because of how you look can make you feel antisocial after a while.”
Feeling the irony in the topic, Zeil continued, “I can only imagine how changelings feel.”
Twilight felt a little uneasy when she heard that statement, “W-what?”
Zeil continued, “Well… changelings have no choice but to hide who they are because of how the world looks at them.”
Twilight gave Zeil a stern look as she replied, “Changelings attack ponies, and try to feed off our love. That’s why we look at them the way we do.”
Zeil argued, “And that’s their fault? Do you blame a bear for eating a fish, or blame a bird for eating a worm?”

Twilight tried to continue her argument as they continue trotting into thicker and thicker mists, “Bears and birds both can eat berries if they want?”
“But changelings can’t… they have no choice but to feed off emotions while the rest of the world sees them as a parasite. We zebra work with nature, but in the end, the reason I'm so distant with ponies because they look at my um… stripes and refuse to accept me for what I am, and what I can’t change about myself.”
Seeing a little logic in his argument Twilight replied, “Well I guess you have a point, but the means don’t justify the actions. Changeling attacked our home and are making my brother act crazy. So unless they do something to make up for that, I don’t think I can ever trust a changeling.”
Before Zeil could say anything in his defense, he realized that he was placing too much on the topic and could arouse suspicion so rather than continuing the argument he just sighed, “I apologies… it’s um… in our nature to defend all living things when there is hope… but I guess there is no defending those creatures is there?”
Not realizing the suspicious argument Twilight sighed, “Well it’s not that they are all bad, and I know their queen is more to blame then them personally, but it’s just hard to trust one so… so…:”
“Different?...”

When he finished her statement, Twilight looked at the disguised changeling as she replied, “Yea… different. You took the word out of my mouth.”
Zeil sighed, “Well, I guess we are all different in our own way. Sometimes I wish others would stop seeing that though.”
As the mist thickened, the conversation was forgotten as Twilight tried to look ahead as she spoke, “Are we going the right way? I can’t see the trail anymore.”
Zeil stopped in his tracks as he reached out, stopped Twilight, and replied, “That’s because there is no trail.”
As Twilight was stopped by Zeil’s hoof, she looked down at her hooves to see that her next step would have been off a cliff; however, the mist was too thick to see the bottom so it was impossible to say how far her drop would have been. As she looked around, she replied, “Thanks… but is this the place? I still can’t see.”
Zeil looked around as he replied, “The moon weed grows just on the other side of this ravine, but we will have to cross to get there… how is your balance by the way?”
Twilight asked, “Um… okay I guess… why?”
Zeil pointed through the mist to an area with pillar like hoodoos that connected both sides of the ravine as he spoke, ‘Cuz we will have to cross that.”
As Zeil began trotting towards the small cone like pillars, Twilight followed closely behind with a little concern in what they were going to do.

When Zeil approached the first hoodoo, he reached out and planted his hoof onto it measuring with his mind as he spoke, “It looks like they are all at least a foot in diameter. This should be simple even for a foal… although, they don’t seem to steady.”
Twilight looked into the distance and tried to see the other side of the ravine as she spoke, “If I could see the other side, I could teleport us there… but this fog is too thick… I can’t see anything”
Trying to prevent himself from getting an idea to push her, Zeil spoke, “We should take it slow. Here I'll go first. Once I'm a number of steps out then you can follow, alright?”
Twilight nodded her head as Zeil looked at the stepping stone like trail that he had to follow, then with a mind clearing sigh, Zeil stepped out and began crossing with Twilight crossing just slightly behind.

Though they were closer than expected, Zeil continued slowly as he felt the stability of each hoodoo he stepped on as he mumbled, “Ok… so far so good. Let’s just take this nice and sl… oh…”
Zeil paused as he felt one of the pillars shift slightly, however, when he stopped, the feeling went away leaving him to believe that it could have been just in his head, so just to be sure, Zeil turned to Twilight and spoke, “Be careful, there is no telling how sturdy these things are.”
Twilight nodded her head as she replied, “Got it, thanks.”
With his changeling side kicking himself for warning her, Zeil continued, as he stayed focused on each step he needed to take.

It wasn’t long before Zeil could see that his next step was the other side of the ravine as he planted the last step and smiled, “There… peace of ca…
All of a sudden, a loud cracking sound could be heard behind him as Zeil quickly turned around just in time to see the pillar that Twilight’s hind hooves were standing on collapse from under her. Quick to react, Twilight placed both of her front hooved on the next pillar she had to stand on as the back end of her body fell leaving her to dangle from the only support she had to hold onto. When he saw this Zeil called out, “Twilight!”
Twilight didn’t reply as her hooves began sliding from atop the pillar until they were at the very edge. Acting quickly, Zeil removed his saddlebag, tossed it onto the other end of the ravine, and turned his body towards Twilight as he lunged forward and grabbed her hooves just as they lost grip with the hoodoo. With his chest completely against the top of the pillar, Zeil used his hind hooves to grip the structure’s side as his front hooves remained the only thing keeping Twilight from falling into the abyss below.

Surprised that Zeil was able to hold her from the awkward position his body was in, Twilight looked around, “Zine! Are you alright?!”
Zeil spoke through his strain, “I… I'm fine! I should ask you the same question!”
Twilight continued looking around as she replied, “I'm fine too… I guess… can… can you pull me up?”
Still holding onto Twilights hooves, Zeil looked around at the pedestal that he was laying across as he replied, “Um… no… no I can’t… but.”
Twilight gave him a nervous and curious look, “But?...”
Zeil looked behind him at the ledge that he was on before looking back at Twilight and continuing, “I can see the other side of the ravine. If I swing you around and throw you, you should be able to make it there without falling… although… I can’t guarantee you’ll make it.”
Twilight sighed as she replied, “Well that’s comforting… to we have any other options?”
Zeil sighed, “Yea… I can drop you and save myself, or keep holding you till I loose grip and we both fall.”

Hearing the sarcastic remark mad Twilight smile a little, “Well at least we have three… although I'd prefer the one where we both live.”
Zeil nodded his head, “My thought exactly. Alright hold on tight I got to get you in the right angle.”
Carefully moving, Zeil started to shift his body around and move Twilight from the front of the pillar to its side. After getting her in position, Zeil spoke, “Alright Twilight, I'm going to start swinging you, no matter what happens, do not let go until I say alright?”
Twilight took one last look into the misty abyss below as she replied, “Got it, I won’t let go until you tell me to.”
Zeil nodded his head as he replied, “Alright get ready.”
After saying that, Zeil began swinging Twilight back and forth along the side of the hoodoo as Twilight did what she could to help her swing higher.

Not long after they put the plan into motion, Twilight found herself swinging high enough that her body was almost parallel to Zeil’s at the highest point of the swing. With one last power filled swing, Zeil called out, “Alright Twilight! Ready!... NOW!!!”
Using his own momentum, Zeil rolled his body with the last swing to give Twilight a little more lift as he released the fast moving unicorn and sent her flying into the air. However, as he rolled his body, he found himself rolling off the platform he was on as he quickly continued his roll and grabbed onto the top of the hoodoo before he could fall far enough to miss it. In the air, Twilight frantically looked for the ledge she was supposed to grab, however the ledge wasn’t ahead of her, instead it was below her as the nervous unicorn hit the ground on the other side of the ravine and rolled a few feet before picking herself up and rubbing her head with relief. As for Zeil, he was able to grip the hoodoo on a place that allowed him to pull himself up as he also felt relief in the plan’s success.

Grateful for his help, Twilight looked at Zeil who was still on the pillar as she called, “Zine?! Are you okay?!”
Zeil smiled relief as he waved and replied, “Yea… nothing I hadn’t ha…”
All of a sudden, the pillar he was sitting on like a barstool began to shake as the center of it started to crumble beneath him. When she saw this, Twilight called out, “ZINE!”
Trying to react, Zeil tried to stand quickly and make his way towards the closest pillar to him, however, before that could happen, the pillar started leaning the opposite way as Zeil failed to reach the next step to his safety. With no way of saving himself Zeil was tossed from the falling pillar as he and the stone hoodoo began falling into the mists below. Although he knew it was no use, Zeil tried reaching for the next pillar to stop his fall however, just as he thought the pillar was too far to reach and there was nothing else for him to catch himself on.

Assuming this was the end, Zeil continued his fall as his expression became one of disappointment. However just as he lost sight with Twilight, Zeil saw a great flash of light engulf his body as Zeil vanished into thin air leaving nothing but the pillar to fall into the misty void below. Immediately following the changeling’s disappearance, a second flash of light appeared right behind Twilight as her teleportation spell transported the disguised creature to the cliff that she was standing on. As soon as he appeared, Zeil fell the almost a foot to the ground before realizing what happened, as Twilight rushed to his side, “You ok Zine? I'm glad I caught you when I did, one more second then I would have lost you to the fog.”
Zeil laid on the ground for a second before picking himself up and rubbing his head, “I… I'm alive… you… you caught me. You actually saved my life?... but… why?...”
Twilight gave him a funny look as she replied, “Why not? You are a friend, of Zecora’s, and any friend of Zecora is a friend of mine.”
Zeil shook his head as he gave her a look of shock, “But… you barely know me… I mean… why help some zebra you barely know?”

Twilight shook her head in disbelief, “Just because I don’t know you doesn’t mean I won’t help you when you’re falling. Besides, you saved me first. Remember?”
When Twilight mentioned it, Zeil put his hoof on his head as he replied, “I did… but… wait… why?... why did I do that?”
Twilight smiled, “Because you’re a good stallion Zine. There isn’t any other explanation. Even a loner like you will lend a helping hoof when somepony is in danger.”
Still trying to wrap his mind around the thought of saving his enemy, Zeil nodded his head, “I… I guess you right…”
Twilight nodded her head, “I know I'm right. Zecora has a tendency to see the good in everypony even a zebra, that’s why she likes you.”
Although Zeil still didn’t agree with what he did by saving her, he did feel a little flattered that Twilight was complementing him, so rather than dwelling on his action, Zeil just smiled as he replied. “Well… you're right about that.”

Trying to let the conversation die, Zeil continued as he looked around, “Well seeing that our path is now gone, it looks like we will be taking the long way back.”
Twilight looked around as she replied, “Long way? Exactly how much longer will it be?”
Zeil replied, “Not much… about ten minutes or so. Never the less now that we are here we need to keep an eye out for a…”
“A bluish vine with thorns?”
Zeil gave Twilight a curious look as she explained, “Oh, I did a little research on the moon weed a few weeks ago. I also know that the moon weed is highly poisonous and the poison is potent enough to kill even a dragon… wait… are you sure this is an ingredient that will help Shining Armor?”
Zeil nodded his head as he replied, “Yes… the poison is harmful when absorbed through an open wound, but when it’s mixed with zap apple sap, the toxin is neutralized while making it safe to the patient.”
Twilight nodded her head, “Hmm I think I also read that bat ponies like to drink the poison too. I hear it’s a famous drink in the Equestrian caverns.”

Zeil couldn’t help but give Twilight an impressed look as he replied, “You know your stuff. That’s impressive.”
Twilight smiled, “Just because I have a horn doesn’t mean I don’t need to read to learn magic. Zebra seem to have a deeper connection with nature, that’s the reason you and Zecora know more about this sort of thing then I do.”
Just then, Zeil started to see something growing on the edge of the cliff as he started to reply, “Well Zecora knows more about it… if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t know anything. Anyways it looks like I see what we came here to gather.”
Without giving Twilight a chance to reply, Zeil trotted towards the edge of the cliff and pointed out a long vine as he spoke, “This is it, the moon weed. Twilight can you help me gather it by pulling it from the Cliffside?”

Zeil sat down and started reaching into his saddlebag as Twilight trotted towards the vine and examined it, “So this is it?... it doesn’t seem any different than a normal vine.”
Zeil pulled a jar from his saddlebag as he opened the lid and replied, “Don’t judge it by the way it looks, its much more dangerous then it seems. Here, use your magic to pull it from the soil and place it in here, we only need a foot of it.”
Knowing what she was doing, Twilight used her magic as she tore a foot long piece of the mood weed from the rest and mad it hover in place as Zeil sat the jar down and waited for Twilight to place the weed inside. With the moon weed now safely in the jar, Zeil closed the lid as Twilight smiled at their accomplishment, “There… now we can head back and make that cure.”
As Zeil tightened the jar’s lid, he paused for a moment after hearing Twilights comment, then continued as he replied, “Yea… we will be able to cure Shining Armor with this… no doubt.”

Not catching Zeil’s hesitation, Twilight smiled as he placed the jar into his saddlebag and began traveling along the ravine to find their way back to the trail. Once the trail was found, both Zeil and Twilight continued back as the awkward silence that started their trip seemed to make a triumphant return. By the time the silence ended, the two seemed to find their way back to the previous side of the ravine as Twilight decided to break the silence with a question that has been on her mind since she met the curious zebra, “So um… Zine? Can I ask you something… personal?”

Feeling a little uneasy about what this Personal question could be, Zeil replied, “I… um… I guess so.”
Twilight tried to think of the right words as she spoke, “Well… it’s about you… and… Zecora. You two wouldn’t happen to be… together would you… I mean… together together. Well… you know what I mean. Right?”
Hearing the question that was in fact very personal, Zeil blushed a little as he replied, “Well… um… I would say that… um… we are… I mean… we would agree that we are… um… together that is.”
Twilight smiled, “So… it is true. Well I mean, Zecora seemed much more pleasant than normal… not saying she isn’t, but she seemed like her spirits were higher than usual. Especially when she’s around you. It’s just too noticeable.”
Zeil gave Twilight a curious look as he replied, “She does? I… I didn’t notice.”

Looking past his modesty, Twilight continued, “Well I have. Zecora has always been a friend who I can count on for help with any problem, but when I saw her this morning, she seemed even more enthusiastic then normal. Like… she was in a good mood or something. At first I thought it might have something to do with that gold poison joke that’s tucked behind her ear, but when I saw her smile when you knocked on the door this morning, I knew that whoever she assumed to be behind it was somezebra very important to her.”
Zeil tried to his hid smile as he replied, “That makes me a little relieved to hear… since she is important to me too.”
Twilight gave Zeil a smug smile as she replied, “Good, then you’ll be happy to know that I approve”
Zeil gave her a confused look, “Approve? Approve of what?”
Twilight continued with her smile, “Well everypony knows that if a colt want to impress a mare, he must first impress her friends. And even though the dark loner vibe you gave off this morning seemed to feed my doubt, I feel confident that you are perfect for Zecora since I know the real you now.”

A part of Zeil wanted to reply with, a comment about her knowing the real him, but in order to prevent suspicion Zeil just nodded his head as he replied with a fake and joking smile, “Well I can feel comfortable knowing that I got that off my to-do list.”
Twilight replied with a much more real smile as she replied, “Good, cuz that was a big step to make. Anyways, I want to thank you again for this Zine… I know it seems odd helping somepony you just met, but saving me back there, and going through all this to help my brother… you’re a good friend Zine. And I bet that you and Zecora are perfect for each other.”
Zeil had mixed feelings about the comment Twilight made, but rather then showing the negative parts of it, he just smiled his fake smile as he replied, “Thanks Twilight… I hope we are too.”
Though Twilight did hear him say the word hope in his sentence, she assumed he didn’t mean to as the two continued back to Zecora’s hut with nothing more to say on the subject.

Later as the two returned to Zecora’s hut, they entered the front door as Zeil saw Zecora and spoke, “Hey Zecora, we’re back, and we got what we needed for the cure, how are things on your end?”
Zecora looked as Zeil as she trotted around a boiling caldron and replied, “The mix is ready, and prepped for the brew, the only thing needed is the ingredient from you.”
Zeil pulled the jar from his saddlebag as he held it out to Zecora and replied, “Right here.”
Smiling Zecora took the jar from Zeil as she approached the boiling brew, opened the jar, and dumped its content into the mixture. Almost immediately, the boiling murky brown mix, quickly turned lime green as it began glowing with a hue that reminded Zeil of Queen Chrysalis. Trying to throw the thought from his mind, Zeil turned away as he spoke, “I'm um… I'm going to step out and get some air; we need time for the mix to take full effect anyways.”
Twilight nodded her head as she replied, “Good idea, since we need it to boil for a number of hours, why don’t we go to Ponyville? I bet you could use the supplies right Zecora?”
Zecora smiled as she replied, “A good use of time, and one which I know, would be a good experience for Zine, if he wishes to go?”

At that moment both Zecora and Twilight looked at Zeil as they both waited patiently for an answer, but as Zeil looked at the two mares, he could only think about what he was as he replied, “I'll pass… um… I need to do something first… but I will be back this evening so, I'll see you then?”
A little disappointed in his reply, Zecora and Twilight looked at each other as Twilight asked, “Are you sure? This would be a good chance to earn the trust of Ponyville. If you’re worried they will be afraid of you then you really shou…”
“Sorry Twilight… but… I don’t think I ready yet. If… you can, then I would like to wait longer before becoming acquainted with more ponies. It’s just better this way.”
Both Zecora and Twilight looked at each other with concern as the two looked back at Zeil as Twilight replied, “Are you sure?”
Zeil smiled, “Don’t worry about me, I'll just meditate until your finished, then I'll meet you here when the cure is finished.”
Zeil followed the two mares outside as Zecora replied, “Will if that’s your choice, then I won’t argue. We shall return once we are through.”
Zeil smiled as he replied, “sound good, you two have fun.”

As the two mares left the home, Zeil sat outside watching them as they both trotted into the distance and vanished into the forest. Shortly after, Zeil placed his hoof on his face as he mumbled to himself, “If the queen could see me now… she’d kill me for even considering this idea. I mean… curing Shining Armor?... the one responsible for this whole mess in the first place? I'd rather just watch him burn the kingdom to the ground… but… I'm not that changeling anymore… I'm not that monster anymore. Hopefully Rafi can help me with this problem.”
With that said Zeil found a small patch of grass to sit on as he crossed his hind hooves and began meditating on the spot. However, even though he was able to slip into a deepened meditative state, he never once saw the ancient chief during the entire session of meditation. Hours later, just after sunset the cure inside was ready as Zeil trotted inside and began draining the water as he used a spoon to gather the settled past at the bottom of the cauldron. Afterwards, he placed a small amount of past into containers as both Twilight and Zecora entered the hut.

Seeing the two mares return, Zeil smiled, “There you are, I was beginning to worry.”
Zecora smiled, “Fear not of us, for we merely lost track, of the time we had before coming back.”
Twilight spoke next, “So is it ready?”
Zeil replied, “Yep, place this past on his forehead and he will be better in no time. Although we made a little more than expected so I'm going to take a little for myself, just in case.”
Zecora smiled, “Some for yourself, that’s fine with me, to be ready for anything is something to agree.”
With that, Zeil took a small container of the past and placed it inside his saddlebag as Twilight trotted to the second and took It with her, “Thanks again Zecora, Zine, I appreciate everything you’re doing for us.”
Zecora smiled, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.”
Zeil smiled, “That’s right; we all need a little help once in a while, and what better zebra to help than friends.”

Twilight nodded her head as she smiled “Well that’s always good to hear. Anyways, I'm going back to Ponyville for the night. Canterlot is too fare to travel at night and I don’t want to push the carriage drivers too hard since they have been patient all day.”
Zecora nodded her head as she replied, “Then good night to you, my unicorn friend, this cure for your brother, I hope it will mend.”
Twilight nodded her head, “Thanks, I hope it will too. Well goodnight Zecora, goodnight Zine. It was nice meeting you.”
as Twilight left though the front door Zeil trotted behind her as he spoke, “Take care Twilight… tell your brother I said hi… not… um… that he would know who I am or anything like that.”
Twilight smiled at what she thought was a sarcastic comment, “Thanks Zine, I will.”

With that, Twilight left the home as both Zecora and Zeil watched her leave from the doorstep of Zecora’s hut. As Twilight trotted away, Zecora gave Zeil a charming smile as she spoke, “She told me you know, of your journey and all. How you saved her from a most dangerous fall.”
When she said that Zeil blushed slightly as he rubbed the back of his head, “Oh… um… she told you that hmm… well I um…”
Zecora chuckled before kissing his cheek as she replied, “Do not feel modest, I'm grateful for your act. You helped my friend, when danger attacked. To help one you just met, is the noblest of deeds, and I'm proud to know you and where your heart leads.”
Zeil smiled as he replied, “Well, I couldn’t just let her fall… anyways… it’s um… a little late, and I um… I wanted to talk to you about something.”
Zecora gave Zeil a curious look as he cleared his throat and tried to speak, “Well… um… it’s about… me… and um… about how we met. When I fell from the sky.”

Trying to stall for a little longer, Zeil looked down as he scraped his hoof on the ground, and sighed a few times while trying to find the words to say. Never the less, it was too easy to see that what he wanted to say weighed heavily on his mind, so in an effort to help him with this confession, Zecora decided to stall for him as she gave a fake yawn and spoke, “Perhaps in the morn, for today seemed too stressed. Maybe we can continue this, when you have had better rest.”
Understanding her point Zeil continued to look at the ground as he replied, “Oh… well… maybe tomorrow then, how… um… how about tomorrow evening at sunset. Let’s just say, at the place where I first fell for you. The place with the fireflies and the cliff. It’s something rather important, so I want the moment to be better for the both of us.”
Zecora smiled as she raised his head up and replied, “Then tomorrow at dusk, where the fireflies dance. Will be a better time, and a much better chance.”
As Zeil looked into Zecora’s eyes, he could only smile as he leaned in and kissed her. After their kiss, Zeil replied, “Thanks Zecora, I know it’s sad that I can’t even say it… but tomorrow you will know the truth. So till then… I love you.”

With a heartfelt smile, Zecora nodded her head as she replied, “To those words, and you know it true, Zine… I love you too.”
Zeil smiled as he turned away, and began trotting from Zecora’s hut as she watched him from her front door, until he was out of her sight. Later as Zeil entered the room at the castle ruins, he trotted to the table and sat down his saddlebag as he mumbled, “Tomorrow night…”
Feeling a little annoyed Zeil sat down in the chare as he repeated the words, “Tomorrow night…”
annoyed at his actions, Zeil started rubbing his eyes as he repeated, “Tomorrow night at dusk… where the fireflies dance.”
After rubbing his eyes, Zeil sat back in the chair as he looked at the still open spell book that sat on the table. When he saw it, he moved the book closer to him and looked at the image of the Golden joke along with its ingredients and instructions to create it. While looking at the image of the golden joke, and uncontrollable rage filled his mind and he quickly stood up and yelled “TOMORROW NIGHT!?!”
In his anger, Zeil threw the book as hard as he could as the airborne piece of literature flew across the room and shattered the standing mirror as both the book and the mirror shards fell to the ground.

Angry with himself, Zeil ignored the crash as he placed his hooves back on his face and mumbled, “Why am I such a coward… I told her how I felt, I learned spells, I even made friend with Twilight the one mare who should be my worst enemy… but… I can’t even tell Zecora, the mare that I love who I am… Rafi… I need your advice more the ever now… I… I don’t even know who I am anymore… am I a zebra who wishes to stay in Equestria with the mare I love? Or, am I a changeling bent on draining love from others by force…”
With tears starting to build up in his eyes, Zeil lowered his hooves as he looked across the room at what was once a standing glass mirror. Then he stood up and trotted to the destroyed piece of furniture as he looked at the shards of mirror on the floor that where still reflecting an image. As he approached the pieces of glass, Zeil looked down into his reflection as he changed from his Zebra appearance to his changeling. Looking at the image that everypony in Equestria despised, Zeil mumbled to himself, “This isn’t me… if it was… then I wouldn’t have helped Twilight. I wouldn’t have saved her life, nor would I have helped her gather ingredients to save her brother. I may be a changeling in appearance… but I'm no doubt, a zebr…”
All of a sudden, a small piece of wood fell from the decomposing rafters above as Zeil quickly turned around and looked towards the hole in the ceiling, which revealed the night sky above. Though the falling piece of wood startled him, Zeil still didn’t see anything so he just sighed with relief, “Must be a rat or something… anyways… tomorrow is my last chance. If I want this happiness to continue, then I have to tell her the truth.”
With that, Zeil trotted towards the bed as he changed back into a zebra and went to sleep.

Back in Canterlot, Shining Armor made his way down the street with a few of his personal guards nervously following behind. Without warning Shining Armor stopped, he looked to the sky, “Hey…”
The guards flinched in anxiety as shining armor turned to them and spoke, “I think I saw a shooting star… did any of you see it?”
The guards nervously shook their heads no, as Shining Armor gave them a curious look, “You guys ok? You seem a little on edge is something wrong?”
The guards quickly shook their heads no, as Shining Armor saw through their lie, “You know, if you guys are afraid of the dark… then you can just tell me. I don’t need a guard when I'm just trotting home.”
The guards nervously looked at each other as the highest-ranking stood strait, “S-sir… I-I mean your majesty… P-Princess Cadence gave us explicit orders to watch over you until you are safely home. N-no disrespect or anything, b-but I wouldn’t dare to disobey her orders! S-sir.”
Still clueless as to why the guard was nervous, Shining Armor replied, “Wow I didn’t think Cadence was so demanding of her troops… but I guess she has to be since she is a princess and all. You can relax soldier, you are following your orders so you don’t have to worry about any punishment from her.”

Knowing that Shining Armor didn’t understand why they were nervous, the guards stood at attention as they all replied, “Yes sir! Thank you sir!”
With that Shining Armor turned back to his path as he spoke, “I love the way my wife worries about me so… reminds me of why I love her so much. She’s just s…”
“PRINCE ARMOR! PRINCE ARMOR!!!”
At that moment, a pegasus flew in from above as he lost controls of his speed and crashed to the ground rolling towards Shining Armor before picking himself up, “Y-your majesty! I-I saw!...”
before the pegasus could continue the guards standing beside Shining Armor stepped in front of him as they pointed their spears at the unknown pegasus. When he saw the spears, the pegasus stepped back as Shining Armor spoke up, “Stand down, let’s hear what our winded friend has to say.”
Breathing heavily from his fast flying, the pegasus spoke up, “P-Prince Armor!... in- in the Everfree Forest! I… I saw!”
Shining Armor spoke softly, “Calm down, just tell me what you saw.”
The pegasus continued his deep breathing as he replied, “A… a… A CHANGELING!!!”

As soon as he hear that word, a rage filled expression appeared on his face as Shining Armor used his magic to pull the pegasus closer as he spoke, “WHAT?! WHERE?! WHEN?! Explain yourself now!”
The now nervous pegasus tried to explain, “W-well I was gathering the remains of the rogue storm that hit the Everfree Forest, and I decided to take a break so I landed on the top of one of the towers at the castle of the royal pony sisters. But when I landed there I heard a crash inside so I found a hole on the roof and saw a zebra inside.”
Shining Armor sighed with an annoyed expression, “Yea yea, everypony knows about the enchantress of the Everfree Forest. So get to the point!”
The pegasus continued, “B-but it wasn’t an enchantress… this was a stallion.”
“A stallion? You mean a male zebra?”
“Y-yes… w-well no… I- I mean”
“GET TO THE POINT! Did you, or did you not see a changeling in the Everfree forest!”
The nervous pegasus replied, “The zebra IS the changeling…”

As soon as he heard this, Shining Armor tossed the pegasus aside as he looked at his guards and spoke, “You four come with me! We’re going to the Everfree forest!”
One guard stepped forward, “But sir... I mean your majesty; your sister Twilight Sparkle has the royal carriage.”
Shining Armor replied, “Then we will travel by hoof! We will need to gather more guards at the city gate anyways.”
The same guard replied, “Shouldn’t we warn the princess first?”
Shining Armor shook his head, “We will… After we stop this changeling.”
The guard continued, “But sir, wha…”
Shining Armor glared at the royal guard and replied, “IF YOU’RE GOING TO ARGUE WITH ORDERS! THEN CONSIDER YOURSELF COURT MARSHALED! I will not allow you to question me any further! Give me your Spear and go to the castle and clear the barracks! Your life as a guard is over! The rest of you follow me! If we leave now we can make it by morning, MOVE OUT!”

With that order Shining Armor used his magic to pull the guards spear from his hooves as he and the rest of his guards marched off while the recently fired guard helped the pegasus up as the pegasus asked, “W-what’s going on?... that doesn’t seem like the same Captain Armor we all come to respect.”
The guard replied, “That’s because he isn’t… the princess warned us about this. I just can’t believe the rest of my comrades followed him.”
The pegasus asked, “So… what do we do?”
The guard replied, “You’re coming with me. We are going to report this to the princess whether he likes it or not. By the way, did the changeling see you?”
The pegasus shook his head, ‘I don’t think so, as soon as he transformed I flew off as fast as I could.”
The guard replied, “Then… both of them are in danger. We better tell the princess and fast.”

With the spear in hoof, Shining Armor looked at one of his Unicorn guards as he asked, “You… do you know any teleportation spells?”
The unicorn nodded his head, “Yes your majesty, I do.”
Shining Armor continued, “Do you think you could teleport a changeling to the other side of the planet?”
The unicorn hesitated, “I… um… I don’t know, a spell like that is very difficult.”
Shining Armor looked forward again, as he replied, “Well then I hope you figure it out. Cuz if we face the changeling and you can’t send him there, then I'll have to execute him instead.”

Comments

[KingJoltik]

Wow...things keep getting worse...great chapter!

[Priceless911]

6279097
thanks. the next will be the last

[KingJoltik]

6279113 It's ending?! NOOOOO!

[The Forgotten Comrade]

Zeil you poor bugger. Hope everything works out in the end.

[goddamnAnimal]

I see where this is heading.

[Lupas Arainee]

Come on zeil just tell her what you are

[Crystal Night]

This can't be good...

[DreamFire]

Next chapter please

[Priceless911]

6324119
finishing it up now. :)

[DreamFire]

6329804
Yay!

[Scribblesheet The Scribe]

Bum bum BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Dashie04]

Do you know the enemy? Gotta know the enemy. Well, do you know the enemy?...

[Captain Absolution]

Feels Force. I mean having a random pegasus? Kind of dumb. Hopefully this story won't be shit because of this... I hope.

[Lexiebommel10]

10588366
Honestly yeah
A. Random unimportant pony
B. Everfree is rouge cursed land even more so the castle
C. Nothing is better to rest on then a fluffy cloud rather then travel from strato to ground and back for a rest .
Love this story great writing great plot but still alot of silly mistakes like this
ITS PASTE NOT PAST

[tsaukpaetra]

Was wondering when that would drop.