Part I

The Fire crackled and danced wildly as it reached up towards the night sky with glowing, twisting fingers of intense warmth. The small ring of scorched and blackened stones that surrounded the flame kept it under control, preventing it from potentially growing out of control., though every once in a while a stray ember would float upward, carried by the warmth of the flames before descending back down to the earth as a small speck of ash.

Many flying insects, mostly large moths, flitted about, attracted by the warmth and the light that the fire offered. However some quickly found out that it was not a safe haven when they strayed too close to the flame, rendered dead by he intense heat. Over time the flame began to falter and fade a bit, suffocating from lack of more firewood. This was quickly remedied when more was tossed at it, allowing it to grow once more.

Every once in a little while a new log or a handful of twigs were tossed into the flames, keeping it fed. Sitting off to the side, a cloaked figure with brown eyes and chestnut colored skin watched the flames carefully as they continued their dance, being ever mindful to prevent it from going out too soon. Even with the fire going however, the night air was still rather cold, and it sapped the warmth from her skin no matter how close she scooted towards the campfire, prompting her to tighten her cloak around her small body.

She knew what the cold was, what it felt like. She had memories of experiencing the sensation of her skin rapidly cooling, yet strangely enough this was her first actually experiencing a chill such as this. After all, the memories that she possessed, brief and vague flashes of an existence that she knew did not belong to her, at least not in the conventional sense. She did not make those memories. They had been given to her, more or less. None of them were really were her own.

At times such thoughts would fill the young traveler with sense of existential dread when he stopped to really think about it in depth. That was usually when she was not traveling, moving around from place to place like a homeless vagabond. She usually did not stay in one place very often, which as a result meant that she did not have to contemplate her own existence as much, allowing her mind to freely wander about while she planned out her next move. Currently that involved figuring out how exactly she was going to find her way out of this forest, which she had become conveniently lost in after decided to take a slight detour off of the beaten path.

She did not particularly mind losing her way temporarily. If anything really the young traveler welcomed such occurrences, as they afforded her the opportunity to simply wander about, exploring the land she found herself in since the day of her somewhat accidental creation, flitting between trees until she found her way again as she always did. It seemed that every new day when Celestia raised the sun over the horizon she found something new, whether it be an ancient grove untouched by civilized hands or hooves or an old building, usually a shack of some sort, left behind to eventually be reclaimed by nature.

Letting a tired yet contented sigh escape her lips, the young traveler let her gaze drift upward, and her brown became filled with dots of white light as they reflecting the starlight that seeped through the leaves of the trees that towered over her like wooden monoliths, finding comfort in their ethereal glow. At times they captured both her attention and her imagination, leading her to dream about worlds far beyond them and well out of her reach, of hollowed out planets and crystalline structures miles high up into the starry heavens. They looked so close she felt she could actually touch them.

For a little while longer she simply sat and stared as the stars slowly turned in the sky, eventually allowing the moon itself to make its scheduled appearance as Luna guided it across the night sky. So engrossed was she in watching the spectacle that she did not realize that the fire she had made was about to go out from lack of attention. She quickly remedied this error as she threw on a few more handfuls of moss covered twigs before leaning back against a tree. Satisfied that that the flame would at least last until dawn when Celestia raised the sun once more, signalling the beginning of a new day, she let her eyes drift closed, and before long she was asleep, dreaming about the stars.

Early the next morning, when the sun had just crested over the horizon, she put out the last remnants of the campfire, now little more than a pile of heated ash, with a few handfuls of damp soil. Wiping the dirt off of her hands she quickly checked on her supplies, donned her gloves and retied the laces on her boots, and set off at a brisk walk, resuming her trek in search of civilization. The sounds of the forest were her only companions as she traversed the uneven terrain. She hopped over fallen logs and tree stumps, waded across rivers and streams, even hopped between tree branches.

An ever present fog hung in the air, obscuring vision slightly. The moisture soaked into her cloak and sapped the heat from her skin as she continued to move forward, refusing to let it distract her for any longer than it took to wrap the cloak tighter around her body in an attempt to ward off the uncomfortable sensation. In addition the soles of her boots were caked with mud, causing various bits of vegetable matter to stick to them like glue, weighing her down and making every step an exercise. Needless to say it was not too long before she was sweating from the effort, allowing the cold air to sap even more of her body heat.

She ignored it however, only stopping to scrape the mud off of her boots, knowing that she needed to keep moving forward if she wanted to find a place to stay, preferably indoors this time around, by nightfall. Not that she minded sleeping outdoors again, she would just prefer not to have to scavenge for wood this time.

Hours passed by unnoticed as the day slowly gave way to dusk, coloring the sky a bright orange as she trudged along through the dense woodland, accompanied only by the chirps of birds, the calls of far off beasts and. . . singing?

Coming to to a stop upon detecting the out of place sound, she put a hand to her ear, she listened intently for the strange singing, and before long was able to make out the notes and lyrics to a song that was both strange and unfamiliar, sung by foreign words that she did not recognize. The voice carried through the trees like a gentle breeze, deep yet also feminine. Letting her ears as well as her curiosity guide her, the young traveler altered her course slightly, careful not create too much of a disturbance as she zeroed in the source of the singing.

Eventually she found what she was looking for as she poked her head out through the bushes, seeing a shallow stream cutting through the woods as streams of bright sunlight pierced the mist and reflected off of the flowing water, creating a sparkling effect that was almost blinding to her eyes. Looking around for whoever was singing, she spotted a what appeared to be a zebra standing a bit farther down on the other side of the stream, sitting on her haunches as she dipped a jug into the stream, filling it with water all while she sang in a language that was not familiar to the traveler.

For a moment, her mind could not comprehend what she was seeing as she looked at the zebra, as memories flooded her mind on topics of zoology, before she shook her head and remembered that she was not on Earth, never was on Earth, and that this was not a regular zebra. After all, zebras from Earth were typically not as compact in appearance, nor did they possess intricate markings on their flanks as this one did.

For a few moments she simply watched as the zebra continued to fill the jug, wondering if it would be wise to approach her at this time. She was hesitant to potentially startle the zebra and make her think she was a threat of some kind. Eventually the finished her task, and set the jug on her back, still singing as she expertly balanced it on her spine before turning around and trotting away, the gold ringlets on her right foreleg jingling with every step.

When the singing began to fade in the distance the traveler stepped out from her hiding place among the dense underbrush and moved to follow the zebra, being sure to take extra care so as to not cause too much noise as she traversed to stream. Following the hoof-prints left in the soil, she traced the zebra back to a gnarled old tree that had been repurposed into a hut, with twisted branches that reached upward like crooked, grasping fingers. From the hung dozens of bottles and jars of various colors and materials. Most of them were empty, but a few seemed to still have some amount of liquid left in them, attracted various exotic insects. Walking up to the front door, she took notice of the two tribal masks placed on either side before she raised her hand and knocked on the door a few times.

"Now, who might that be at my door at so late an hour?" she heard a heavily accented voice say from within. "Who would come and wish to visit me and risk the blue flower?" In moments the sound of hoof-step could be heard as the occupant approached the door and opened it, revealing the zebra from earlier. "Hello there, to what do I. . . oh." The zebra faltered upon noticing what exactly was standing on her doorstep.

"H-hi," she greeted shyly with a tentative wave of her hand.

For a few long and awkward moments the zebra simply stared with large blue eyes at the girl, looking extremely surprised by her unexpected guest. Shaking her head and clearing her throat she eventually said, "Well. . . hello there, young lass. If I may be so bold as to ask, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, for am unsure the for it."

The girl was momentarily flummoxed by the zebra's apparent penchant for rhyming, and could not help but wonder if she spoke like that all of the time. Puzzling out what she had just heard she replied, "Um, well I was just wondering if perhaps you knew the way to like, say an inn or somewhere else that I could stay for the night?" She hoped the zebra would be willing to help her and not be put off by her sudden appearance. It would not be the first time in her comparatively short life that she had been turned away based on her appearance. Ponies could be a rather suspicious lot when they wanted to be.

Taking that into consideration, she was relieved when the zebra responded by putting a hoof to her chin as she seemed to actually consider the girl's request for assistance. Tapping her jaw a few times in contemplation she said, "There is the town of Ponyville, which is not too far from here." Taking a glance at the forest around her hut she proceeded to add, "However, nighttime approaches, and the path may not be safe I fear. The forest of Everfree is no place to be after the hours of dusk. Finding a safe place to rest is a must." Suddenly the zebra's eyes widened as she seemed to realize something, and she added, "I do believe that I can remedy your lack of abode, if you will just step into my home. Come into my hut, stay the night, and I assure that you will last beyond dawns first light."

The girl was caught off guard by the zebra's sudden offer of a place for her to stay, when the most that she hoped to receive was directions. "Um, are you sure?" she questioned uncertainly, not wanting to impose. "Because I can always sleep in a tree if I need to."

The zebra shook her head and replied, "Nonsense dear friend, your presence places no burden to me, and I think you shall prefer myself to the beasts that prowl the night of Everfree."

The young traveler considered the zebra's offer, and after a few moments of thought eventually concluded that accepting her offer was preferable to risking her safety out in the forest. "Well, alright then," she said, giving in. "If you insist." With that, she stepped inside the zebra's hut, wondering what awaited her within.

"Zecora is my name, passed down from my kin you see," the zebra explained as she poured the girl a cup of hot, sweet smelling tea into a wooden cup, brewed using the water she had just retrieved from the steam a little while ago. Sliding the cup over to her guest from across the small wooden table she added, "It is a good one to have, if you will grant me some vanity."

"Oh, don't worry. I like it. It's a very nice name," the girl replied, prompting a contented smile from Zecora. The girl glanced around at the zebra's home, taking in all of the decorations and plants that seemed to be placed haphazardly all over the interior, looking like they were growing from the walls themselves. She then took a tentative sip of her tea, and her eyes bulged when she felt the scalding liquid on her tongue as it burned down her throat, causing her to gag in response. Worried that she had accidentally offended Zecora with her reaction, she quickly put on as sincere a smile as she could. Zecora seemed to take no offense however as she simply chuckled and poured herself a cup, seeming to be unaffected by the temperature as she drank, balancing the cup on her hoof.

"Now then, I am curious to know why you would out here. Where do you plan to go my dear?" Zecora questioned.

"Actually, I'm on my way to Canterlot," the girl explained. "But I need to trade in a few things I picked up first for some bits, which I can do in Ponyville if it's close by like you said."

Nodding in understanding Zecora answered, "I see. If so then I would like to know what your name is. If I did not ask, I would most certainly be remiss."

"It's Co-" she was about to answer before realizing what she was about to say, quickly biting down on her tongue. She flinched at the sensation, but otherwise said nothing else as she quickly a took a large swig of her tea, only remembering that it was still rather hot as she forced herself to swallow the herbal concoction, resulting in a coughing fit. Zecora was not ignorant of her reaction, and tilted her head to the side as she gave the girl a concerned look.

"Most strange. Young one, are you well?" she asked, sounding genuinely concerned as she set her cup down. "You are clearly not in the right state I can tell."

The young traveler took a moment to clear her throat a few times, lightly hitting her chest with her fist while she recovered, holding up a finger to show that she would eventually be alright. Her tongue felt numb in her mouth as she tried to speak. "Y-yeah, don't worry. I'm good. Just give me a sec'."

Zecora did not seem to be entirely convinced by her reassurances, and within moments she was on her hooves as she trotted over to her bed, pulling out a small basket made of strips of grass woven together. Lifting the lid, she sifted through the contents before diving her head in and pulling out an odd looking root of some sort, holding in her teeth as she walked back over to the pot where she made the tea. Snapping the root into multiple pieces, she then tossed the remains into the pot and stirred it for a few seconds until it the liquid turned a maroon color. Pouring a bit of the substance into another cup she brought it over to the girl.

"Drink," she said simply, making it sound more like a command than a request. Not wanting to know what would happen if she disobeyed, the girl took the cup and took a small sip. In contrast to the steam that arose from it, she found that it was actually rather cool to the taste. The moment the liquid touched her tongue the numbness as well as the burning in her throat faded, and she sighed in relief. She offered Zecora a thankful look as she set the now empty cup down while the zebra retook her seat at the opposite side of the table.

"Better, is it not?" Zecora said. "I suppose the fault is mine for serving it while hot."

Clearing her throat she said, "It's okay, really. Just wasn't expecting it to be that hot, that's all."

"That I can plainly see with my own eyes." Giving her a thoughtful look she then proceeded to say, "However I noticed when I asked for your name, you seemed quite surprised. Pray tell, is there something you do not wish to discuss about it? Because if so, then I am willing to forget."

The traveler was about to say that was what she would prefer to happen, but stopped herself before she could utter the words. When she thought about it in depth, she really saw no reason in keeping it a secret. Zecora did offer to let her stay in her own home for the night, so it would have been rude of her to deny her host hat bit of information, even if it unsettled her a little.

"No, it's fine," she said after thinking it over, coming to a conclusion. "If you want to know then. . . my name's Connie. Connie Maheswaran. Or at least, that's the name of the person I was based off of." Letting her gaze drift down to the floor, she was fully aware of Zecora looking at her with newfound interest. "It's. . . kind of a long story."

"I see," Zecora replied quietly, her expression thoughtful as she seemed to consider the short explanation she had been given. "If I may be so bold as to inquire, the magic of the mirror pool was the means by which you were sired?"

She nodded, unable to say much at the moment.

Zecora hummed, appearing to be somewhat troubled. "This is most strange indeed. Many ends this road could lead."

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, looking up at the zebra mare. "Are you saying that it was a bad thing that I was created? Is that it?!" At this point the clone was beginning to become rather concerned, wondering what would become of her now that Zecora knew what she was.

Noticing her sudden anxiety Zecora quickly tried to calm her down as said, "Nay my friend, that is most certainly not what I meant." Upon hearing this the clone calmed down somewhat, though she was still slightly on edge, uncertain what Zecora was trying to say. The zebra continued, "What I mean is that the magic of the mirror pool is not to be taken lightly. It is a wild magic, and the effects it has can be far reaching and mighty. However, that is not say that it is an evil thing my dear. Rather, it only means that your destiny is unclear. You have many roads ahead of you, any of which you may choose to take. But it is not up to me, the decision is yours to make." As Zecora said this, she took the girls hands in her hooves, offering her a reassuring smile. In that moment, the clone felt her heart lighten a little bit, and she returned the smile.

"Well, I suppose that is enough talk for one night. I shall lend you a bed to sleep until dawns first light." With that, Zecora began began to set up a small mattress made up a collection of blankets, and within a few moments the bed was ready. The clone thanked her for her hospitality, receiving only a knowing smile in response. Within a few minutes, the lights were doused, leaving her to stare upward at the wooden ceiling as she contemplated all that she had been told.

Before long, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The clone stood on Zecora's doorstep as they bade each other farewell, and she thanked Zecora for giving her a place to stay for the night.

"Think nothing of it, I insist," Zecora responded. "It is was my pleasure to assist." Adopting a somewhat more solemn expression she then said, "I wish you luck on your journey ahead. And remember, here you will always find a place to rest and to bed. And to your heart, take my advice, for I think you will find it quite nice."

"Thank you," the girl said, bowing her head a little, genuinely thankful for to Zecora for all that she had done for her.

Then turning around, she began to walk away, following the directions that Zecora had given her that would lead her to the town of Ponyville. Looking over her shoulder, she gave Zecora a final wave of her hand before setting off at a sprint through the forest, jumping over logs and ducking beneath branches, avoiding every obstacle that was in her way.

She did know for how long she kept up this pace, only that it was long enough for her to become practically drenched sweat. She did not mind it however. To her, the feeling reminded her of how alive she felt in that moment. To her, it felt almost as though she were flying rather than running as the breeze rushed past her face. Her lungs burned and her heart hammered away in her chest as she ran.

Before long she could see the fringes of the Everfree forest, indicated by streams of sunlight leaking through the canopy as the woods became noticeably less thick. Bursting out wall of trunks and bushes, she found herself in a large green meadow of tall green grass that reached up to her hips. A gentle breeze was blowing, tousling her bushy black hair, making it ripple like waves in the ocean as she came to a sliding stop, her heels grinding on the soil. Pausing to take a breath, she inhaled lungful after lungful of oxygen. Once she recovered enough she looked upward into the endless bright blue expanse of the sky above, taking in the sight, the only sounds that could be heard being the breeze as it passed gently by and the chirping of various insects hidden among the grass.

She felt alive. And it was the greatest thing in the world.

Eventually, she came down from her state of momentary euphoria enough to remember what she was doing, and she looked around. Before long she caught sight of the tops of a collection of buildings off in the distance, appearing as little more than specks on the horizon. She saw a tall mountain range behind them. Seeing her destination in front of her, her brow set in a determined line across her forehead as she readied herself for another run, wondering what may lie in wait for her on the road ahead.

As she neared the town she ceased running as she slowed down to a brisk walk, wiping away the sweat that had accumulated on her forehead. During her approach she noticed multiple figures milling around, along with a few that were airborne. At first they did not seem to notice her arrival, until one mare with a magenta coat and mark shaped like a diamond pointed her out to her companions. Almost immediately they had their eyes locked on her as she approached, looking on with a mixture of curiosity and caution.

She did not mind their stares too much however. Their reactions were fairly typical no matter where she went in Equestria, a side effect of behind a biped in a society mainly consisting of quadrupeds. She was bound to attract at least some attention.Farther into town she had the attention of at least a dozen pairs of eyes as the ponies interrupted their conversations to watch her as she passed by.

Before too long she noticed a trio of mares, each one with a mark depicting some variety of flower, moving a collection of large planter beds and flower pots into what she assumed was their place of business. Deciding that they looked the most approachable, she veered towards them and asked, "Excuse me, but do any of you happen to-"

That was the most that she was able say before all three ponies screamed their lungs upon noticing her. They then proceeded to faint right in front of her, falling to the ground with hooves twitching in the air.

"Ummm. . ."

Another pony that happened to be passing by at that moment, a brown coated stallion with an hourglass mark and a smart looking tie around his neck, took notice of the scene and rolled his eyes. "That's typical," he said in an accent that sounded decidedly British to her ears, not bothering to hide his disappointment. "Scared of their own shadows, those three." Turning towards her he then said, "I'm terribly sorry that you were greeted in such a way young miss. It has nothing to do with you, really. They are easily frightened is all."

"Oh, um, that's alright I guess," she answered uncertainly, wondering if they would be alright once she left.

"Well, I'm glad at least that you're not too put off by their poor manners," the stallion added. Putting a hoof to his chin he then added, "Well, with that unfortunate business done is there something that you require assistance in, since these three are out of commission?"

Taking a brief moment to gather her thoughts she replied, "Actually yes, there is. You see, I was just wondering if there was a place in town where could sell some things. I need the bits to buy a train ticket."

"Is that all? Well in that case of course I can assist you," the stallion responded with a nod and a friendly smile. Pointing a hoof down the street he said, "If you just walk down there and turn left on Trotters Lane, you will see a fancy little establishment. Trust me, you'll know it when you see it. Filthy Rich owns it, but don't let that sway you. The ponies there are honest enough and should be able to help you out."

Smiling in appreciation she said, "Thank you very much for the help."

The stallion simply inclined his head slightly at her appreciation. "No trouble at all young lass, just doing what any good pony would do. And just remember, if you ever find yourself in town again and you require any more assistance, just ask around for the Doctor."

"I will. Thank you," she replied. "You can just call me. . . um. . . ." She paused, knowing what she wanted to say but found herself unwilling to utter the name that was at the tip of her tongue. She could not explain exactly why, but the thought of using another persons name for herself felt awkward and wrong for some reason. She may have been Connie's clone, a near perfect copy of the original, but that did not necessarily mean that she had to be an exact duplicate in every way possible. She was not Connie after all.

"Excuse, but are you alright there young miss?" the Doctor asked in a concerned tone as he waved a hoof in front of her eyes. Th motion caused her to snap out of her momentary trance, and she shook her head to clear away the thoughts running through her head, remembering what she was doing.

"Y-yes," she finally said. "I'm fine, I just. . . blanked out there for a moment. But I'll be okay, don't worry."

The Doctor did not seem to be entirely convinced by her answer, but apparently decided not to pry into the matter when he said, "Well, alright then. If you say so then I won't question it." Before he could say anything else he was interrupted by a strange beeping sound. Removing the smallest hourglass she had ever seen from underneath his tie he exclaimed, "Goodness! Would you look at the time! Terribly sorry miss, but I must be going now. Toodles." With that the stallion turned around and began to swiftly trot away, disappearing around a street corner.

The clone found herself chuckling slightly, the proceeded to resume her own journey, following directions that the Doctor had given her. She soon found the establishment he had mentioned, and only then did she realize what he had meant by fancy. It was vastly out of place among its neighbors. Contrasting with the plaster walls and thatched roofs that made up the vast majority of the town, this place seemed to have been made to more closely resemble an extravagant palace of some sort, only much smaller. Shrugging, she pulled open the door, eliciting the jingle of a bell from within, and stepped inside, where she found an interior that was as ornate as the exterior, if not more so. She came to the conclusion that whoever this Filthy Rich was, he spared no expense in making sure that everyone knew of wealth.

The rough sound of a throat being cleared snapped her out of her extravagance induced trance, bringing her attention to a well dressed white coated stallion with a slick red mane, watching her with disinterest. The pony had his head turned up as though he was looking down at her as she approached the counter, appraising her appearance with a raised eyebrow and a critical gaze. She wondered if this was Filthy Rich.

"Can I help you?" the stallion questioned in a tone that sounded both bored and demeaning.

For a brief moment she was unsure what to say in reply before asking him the first question that popped into her head. "Are you Filthy Rich."

Sighing in annoyance the stallion responded, "Firstly, Mister Rich prefers that ponies or. . . whatever you are, refer to him by his last name. Secondly, no I am not Mister Rich. Now once again, is there anything I can help you with?"

Propping her elbows on the counter, she ignored the look he was giving her as she said, "I was told that I could come here if I needed to sell anything that I didn't need."

"You were informed correctly. Do you wish to make a transaction?" Looking her up and down, taking in her haggard, travel worn appearance he added, "Even though I personally can't imagine a vagabond like you having anything too valuable to offer."

Slipping her pack off of her shoulders, she hefted onto the counter, undoing the straps holding it closed. "Well," she said, "I do have these." With that, she tipped it over, and out of it spilled a flood of small gems of every color and shape, each one glittering in the ambient lighting as they formed a small mountain on the counter top. There were so many that a fair number spilled over onto the floor. After shaking out the last few remaining gemstones, the pack was finally empty.

The stallion could gaze in slack jawed amazement at the mound of precious rocks. She swore she could even see a little bit of drool drip from his lower lip.

"So," she said suddenly. "What do you think? How much can I get fr this?"

In responses the stallion stuttered wildly as he tried to formulate some sort of response. "Wha. . . how did. . . wha. . ." he stammered, apparently finding it difficult to formulate a complete sentence for some reason. Eventually he exclaimed, "Where did you get all of this?!"

"It's kind of a long story," she explained. "One that involves a dragon, a riddle, and a block of cheese oddly enough." Tapping her fingers on the counter she said, "But that's not important right now. So are we going to haggle or what?"

When the exchange was complete the clone had left the building with three bags filled to the brim with Equestrian bits, leaving the stallion to faun over the horde of gems he now found himself with. She can honestly say that she had never once seen a pony laugh like that before, let alone rub gems all over himself while doing it. It was quite disturbing to see, giving her all the incentive that she needed to vacate the establishment as quickly as possible.

Happy to be rid of the collection of gems that had been weighing her down since she got them, she stuffed the bags of coins in her pack, finding them to be almost as heavy as the gems had been, and set off in search of the train station, getting directions from a trio of fillies as they passed by on a red wagon dragged by a scooter. Despite the fact that she had essentially one burden for another, at least now she had enough actual currency to pay for a ticket to Canterlot. More than enough actually, if her aching spine was any indication.

She knew she could have simply walked the whole, but she was not necessarily keen on lugging a pack full of either gems or coins all the way up the mountain. Plus, a train ride was a nice change of pace to hoofing it as she had been doing.

Then, once she got to Canterlot. . . she did not really know the answer to that. In all honesty the decision to go there had been the result of a coin flip. If she had landed om heads she imagined that she would already be halfway to the Crystal Empire, which she had yet to see. She heard there was some sort of sporting event that was going to take place there soon, and she would like to be there when it happened. As it was currently, her first destination was Canterlot.

Lugging the coin laden pack through town, she attracted a fair number of stares, and she heard a number of ponies talking in hushed voices.

"I wonder if she's with the Gems," she overheard one of them say.

Ignored the gossip that was beginning to circulate about her, she soon found the train station. Once there she purchased a single ticket for herself, only marginally depleting her newfound wealth , and waited for the train to arrive as she hummed a little tune to herself.

Author's Note:

You know something? I never really appreciated how hard it must be for the writers to come up with Zecora's rhymes. Must be why she doesn't appear that often in the show. Shame, since she's one of my favorite characters in MLP.
Anyway, aside from that, welcome to another tale by yours truly. If you are wondering what inspired the creation of this tale, you can thank EquestrianKirin for giving me the idea, as well as the green light to write a side story to his own series, My Little Universe. Also, if anyone is confused as to who exactly the main character is, I recommend reading his stories, specifically this chapter here, as they are quite good, and I myself get a lot of enjoyment out of reading them. Another thing I want to mention: I feel that this chapter would work well by itself as a standalone oneshot if I wanted. . . but I don't want. I think that, for the time being, I will keep going until I can't go anymore.

Well, that is all for now. Be sure to comment and tell me what your thoughts were, and also alert me to any mistakes that I may have missed during editing.
See you all next time.

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