A Wild Heart

by LolianTriforce

Chapter 1

The transition from the Icy North to the Sweltering Jungles took a toll on Ornate. Her fur had just begun to get thicker for the colder weather when they had gotten their new orders from Celestia to explore the jungles. She wished they had gotten some time off so she could re-adjust to the temperature changes. It was too late now.

Sombra walked in front of her, leading the way as he used his magic to clear a path. He had used the spell to lead them to the imbalance, but it just kept leading them forward deeper into the jungle.

Ornate began to pant. The heat was unbearable. She looked at Sombra and wondered how he could keep so cool when his coat and mane were black. Continuing to trudge onwards, she did her best to keep her mind off the heat.

After several hours of walking, Sombra stopped and helped Ornate sit down in a shady area to keep cool. He waited for her to catch her breath, keeping his guard up for anything that might attack them. After a while, Ornate stood up to begin walking again.

Suddenly, the ground gave out from under them, sending them cascading down a tunnel. Ornate tried to stop herself, but the dirt walls slid past her hoofs. Tumbling deeper down the slide, Ornate was shocked when she finally stopped. Sombra bumped into her a little as he also came to a stop.

Even though the tunnel was leading almost straight down, they were surprised to see the sun again. They looked around to see they were right outside of a city of some sort. The thick walls around the city were made of baked clay and were as strong as stone. The wooden doors were gigantic and looked heavy.

Ornate stood up and brushed herself off. Before she could survey her surroundings again, she found they were surrounded by strange ponies wearing dark brown wooden masks while wielding spears. Armed to the teeth, they examined their prey. They snarled at the sight of Sombra and kept him at spear point.

But they acted differently towards Ornate. They muttered words in a different language that Ornate did not understand. They sounded as though they were in shock. Ornate began to shake. Who were these ponies and what would they do to them?

That’s when all the ponies began to part away letting another pony grace their way towards her. She noticed that the ponies did not let up with Sombra and kept him surrounded by their spears. Ornate then turned her attention to the pony striding towards her. As soon as she laid eyes on him, her eyes went wide.

The pony walking towards her was another zebra. He was about her same height with deep red eyes that searched her over. His dark black stripes fought against his red coat. His gray mane was sleek and shimmered in the sun. He wore a band with three feathers on it; one green, one blue, and one red. He also wore a gray tunic, with a belt. The belt, however, was the thing that caught Ornate’s eye the most. The belt buckle was a cat’s eye charm; one almost identical to the one Snow Plain wore. She knew that was the source of the imbalance.

The zebra’s expressionless face stared her down. Her face flushed as he peered at her face ever closer. Another pony ran up and stood beside the zebra. He, too, was a zebra. His dark blue stripes were quite charming against his light gray coat and his light blue mane looked soft. He was out of breath, obviously from trying to catch up to the darker zebra. He stood up straight and cleared his throat.

“Your Majesty,” he started, “What do we have here?”

He glanced at Ornate and glimpsed at her features. When he looked away, his eyes widened and he performed a double take. His jaw dropped in astonishment and he quickly walked around her.

“This can’t be!” he muttered to himself. He was quick to the dark zebra’s side and whispered in his ear. The more he whispered, the more the dark zebra’s expression became distinct; he was shocked.

The light zebra walked up to Ornate and slightly bowed. Ornate was confused. What was going on?

“I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you sooner, Princess Ornatia” he apologized.

Ornate’s eyes opened wide. She backed up a little.

“I’m not Princess Ornatia,” she stammered. “My name is Ornate.”

The light zebra shook his head.

“No, I recognize Queen Lylia’s features. You are her daughter all right.”

Lylia: That was Ornate’s mother’s name. She knew nothing about her mother other than her name. Was it possible that she was the same Lylia?

The light zebra looked at her confused expression and knew it was his cue to fill her in with the details.

“Queen Lylia was a faithful leader,” he began, “but she was adventurous. She didn’t like to stay in one place for too long. A stallion paid us a visit and stole the heart of Queen Lylia. She was soon pregnant. She always said she would name her daughter Ornatia. And one day, she ran away with the stallion, never to return.”

Ornate was receiving a lot of information. Was this really her mother? She was confused. Her knees buckled beneath her and she fell to the ground. The light zebra was quick on his feet and helped her up. He escorted her into the city with the others following.

All of the buildings were made of the same dry clay the walls were made of. Everywhere she looked she saw other zebras of all sorts of colors and sizes. The shock of the news left her in a state where she could not process everything. The light zebra and dark zebra took her to a castle in the middle of the city, but the guards sent Sombra to the darkest building they had.

Author's Note:

Ornatia = Or-na-shia