Turmoil Rising

by JFT

Chapter 68: The Exiled One

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“DANG NABBIT!”

Applebloom was roused from slumber. The sudden curse came from her older sister’s room. Then the stumbling followed, as she was moving down the hallway in a noticeable wobbly motion, past her partly opened door.

“Applejack, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, shuga’ cube. Just… a wake-up call from Princess Luna… at the least appropriate time. Gonna go to the castle to see what Twilight’s up to. Go back to bed, Applebloom.”

The sound of her hooves could be heard tapping downstairs and then the door shutting behind her. The younger sibling shrugged and returned to sleep.

KRAKOOOM!

She wasn’t sure how long it was; it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes as her mind had not yet completely shut down. And now the clash of lightning awoke her again. She recalled there wasn’t any forecast for rain, and yet she could hear the sound of raindrops tapping. She did her best to try and shut out the noise and get back to sleep.

SLAM!

Before she could even do that, the sound of the doors getting shut roused her again, followed by hoof steps coming up the stairs, but they had a tone of wetness about them. Curiosity finally got the better of her and she lept out of her bed to inspect. She took a peak out the doorway of her room, only to see her older sibling walking down the hallway, drenched from head to toe.

“Applejack, what happened?” the younger one inquired.

“Ah dunno… Ah thought the sound of the rain outside would give you an idea, suga’ cube,” she answered as she entered the bathroom and grabbed a towel, trying to dry herself.

“No, I mean what happened over at Twilight?”

“Oh… Right. Sorry. Apparently, the Cutie Map revealed where the last piece was and we’re going after it tomorrow… Provided the current weather changes.”

“Why is that?”

She put the towel back on the hanger. “Because we cannot launch in the airship in this storm that a certain somebody just made. That, and we still need somepony to fly us over to Zecora’s homeland.”

“Ah okay.”

She and her older sister left the bathroom and returned to their bedrooms, the former trying to get her eyes shut again after she got woken up three times in a row. But as she lay in bed a thought suddenly wandered back to a few moments ago. She didn’t register it at first. She jumped out of her bed and dashed out, right into Applejack’s room.

“Wait! Did you just say that you’re going to Zecora’s homeland?!” she squealed into her ear.

She groaned. “Yes.”

“Tomorrow?!”

“Yes.”

“Can I-?!”

“Look Applebloom, can we talk about this tomorrow? I’d like to get some shut-eye before we get a further update on how to go.”

“No problem!” she said with a happy tone and slammed the door shut behind her.

She was absolutely giddy. Ever since she heard her mentor talk about her homeland it piqued her interest: First, it was about her humble village, then it was about a multitude of characters beyond her understanding, but when her older sister came back from her latest adventure and related to her the story about a golden city of spires, she became obsessed with it. She wanted to know more, but with how little the zebra was present in the town at the moment it became difficult. Now though, she has a chance to SEE it! She quickly ran for her room and began packing up all the stuff she would need for her journey, so much so that she ended up with saddlebags that were fit to burst with all the stuff that she put in. Then she simply sat in the hallway and eagerly waited for the morning to come. The anticipation kept her up, however, the state of tiredness from which she was woken up, and the constant tapping of the rain created a rhythm that ultimately made her fall asleep.

The sun rays began to shine through the window and the sound of the cockerel woke up the elder mare first. She trotted out of her room and noticed too late a large pile of luggage, and she ended up tripping over it, landing right beside the little sister on the other end of it.

She yawned. “Oh, good morning, Applejack.”

“Good morning nothin’. What’s all this?” She rubbed her head as she got back up.

“I prepared for the journey last night.”

“Oh really? Are you going somewhere?”

“Heck yeah! I’m just waiting for the go sign.”

“From who?”

“Well, from you, of course.”

“Ah’m… not following, suga’ cube. What are you talking about?”

“You said last night that you’re going to Zecora’s homeland and I was about to ask if I can come along, and you said we’ll talk in the morning,” she explained with a big smile.

“Oh hay NO, Applebloom. You aren’t coming along,” the elder sibling shot her down.

And almost instantly, it turned into a frown. “What?! But you said-!”

“Ah didn’t know what you wanted and you were pestering me just when Ah wanted to have some shut-eye. Whatever you wanted, Ah just wanted for us to talk about it in the morning. Ah didn’t expect you to want to come with us.”

“But you have to let me come! After what Zecora told me about her homeland I wanna see its wonders for myself.”

“Sorry Applebloom, but this ain’t no field trip. We’re going to a foreign country to warn them about Chrysalis and other’s attack on their kingdoms, as well as prevent them from finding whatever they’re lookin’ for.”

“I’m not a little filly anymore, Applejack!” she complained.

“And you ain’t exactly a full-grown mare either, but that’s not the point. The last thing Ah want is to have you put in danger.”

“I’m sure Zecora would’ve agreed to take me along!” The younger one crossed her hooves.

“No, she wouldn’t. And that goes for pretty much everypony. Sorry, Applebloom, but you’re gonna have to sit this one out until things calm down.” She walked over to the stairs. “Ah really have to go now. Twilight’s expecting a meeting for what we’re gonna do next. See you later, suga’ cube.”

The Element of Honesty then traipsed downstairs and shut the door behind, leaving her younger sister to fume on the spot. She was angry. How dare her older sister tell her that she knows what others would’ve said, especially Zecora? She wasn’t gonna let this lie down. Applebloom left her home and made her way to Twilight’s old castle, carefully avoiding the expected figures that were also making their way there. As the aforementioned mares finally entered the Castle of Friendship, she sneaked to the doors that were now shut and listened in. She missed most of it, but she did hear something relevant.

The voice she was hearing was clearly Twilight’s. “I’m sorry, everypony, but that will have to wait. As for the preparations, I ordered the airship to be prepared for when we get back so we’ll be all set to-”

It stopped. She could hear them moving further into the building, their voices becoming muffled.

But soon she could hear the alicorn’s voice again talking louder and with a sense of urgency. “We need to split into two groups. Here’s how it’ll go: Myself, Spike, Zecora, and Pinkie Pie will go to Baltimere to look for Seasaddle, and the rest of you get on the next train south and get to Peaks of Peril, and help the kirin. Once we get our helmsman and navigator we’ll take the airship to pick you all up.” The was another muffled voice that spoke before the other one resumed. “I’ll teleport us there and back to Cantrlot again once we find him. It’s a recent release so we’re not risking teleportation into something unpredictable. Now go before miss the train.”

Then another voice spoke which they immediately recognized. “All right, y’all! Let’s go!”

The sound of galloping hooves approached her direction. They were coming! Applebloom quickly lept over the railing of the stairway to take cover, and soon after her sister, the shy pegasus, the fashionista, and the wonderbolt dashed out.

She peaked over the edge after seeing they were far away, only to hear the Princess of Friendship again. “Okay, everypony, gather around.”

She peaked around the corner of the opened doorway to see her, her companion, the party planner, and her mentor come together and then they disappeared in a flash of light. She cursed under her breath – she was too slow. She had hoped that she would’ve been able to get Princess Twilight on her own so she could convince her about coming along on the trip, and with Zecora around there wouldn’t have been a problem since she would’ve leaned in; surely she would’ve been more than happy to show her pupil her homeland despite her protest. She sulked in disappointment, but then she remembered what they were just saying: They were going to leave by zeppelin. Perhaps there was still a chance! She quickly dashed away, firstly back home, so she could write down a note for the rest of her family about her departure. After that was done she picked up her saddlebags, but not before she lightened the load, as there was no way for her to carry all of it. Without waking up anybody else she galloped off to Canterlot.

She arrived at the airfield, and there she saw several ponies going about to prepare the airship named Lavender Spirit. She couldn’t approach it while there were others about. So she sat down and waited. Some time passed, and eventually, the castle staff left. Now was her chance. She looked about to make sure nobody was about and then quickly traipsed towards the airship. She nearly made it to the ramp when…

“Where are you going?”

She froze in place; somebody saw her! She slowly turned her head in the direction of the voice. The one who called out was a yellow pegasus stallion wearing centurion armor.

“M-mister Flash Magnus, please don’t scare me like that!” she responded.

He approached and finally got a better look at her. “Hey, you’re Miss Applejack’s little sister, aren’t you? What are you doing here?”

She quickly came up with a lie. “Well… You see, my big sis forgot something back home so I decided to bring it to the ship before she leaves.”

“Ah okay. Well, don’t let me stop you, missy.”

She turned and quickly got on the airship and went for the living quarters, shutting the door behind her. She then quickly took a peak through one of the windows, only to see the drill sergeant still standing there, waiting for her. She was panicking. There was no way for her to just stay onboard and wait for the departure, as he would get suspicious and blow her cover. She looked about for a safe place, noticing a large wardrobe. She opened it and confirmed that there should be enough space to hide her saddlebags. After stashing them away, she went back to the doorway and took in a deep breath before exiting.

“There. Done,” she said as the antique pegasus regarded her. “Gonna go back home now. Feel free to do whatever you have to do, sir.”

“Oh, I already am,” he answered. “I’m waiting for the Princess Twilight Sparkle to turn up.”

“Why?”

“I’m not sure. Former Princess Celestia told me to wait for her on the airfield.”

“Oh… Well, see ya around,” she replied and trotted off, before jumping into the nearby bushes when she was out of his sight.

Her task just got more difficult. To get to the airship, she would have to get past him, and he had no intention of leaving until Twilight and the rest came back. Stealth would be required. She crept herself through the bushes until she was close enough to the moored vessel, then jumped out of the foliage and under the lover elevation close to the ramp. Then she waited, looking over the edge at the only present observer to turn his gaze away. The moment that happened she jumped up, quickly traipsing up the ramp and onto the deck, trying to not make any noise as she made her way to the living quarters. Finally, with a juggle of the doorknob she zoomed inside at the last moment, just as Flash Magnus looked at the ship once again. She sighed in relief. She made it and there was no way for anybody else to notice she was here. All she had to do now was to hide back in the closet with her things and wait out for them to reach the destination… whenever that would be.

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“How in Equestria did you think that anypony was gonna be okay with this idea?!”

The Elements of Harmony as well as the kirin surrounded the young mare that snuck onto the airship, despite what her elder sibling said. And she was visibly fuming.

“How else could I come otherwise?” Applebloom argued. “If I were to ask with anypony around you, you would’ve convinced them to say no purely on the fact that you’re my big sister.”

“And Ah told you already that everypony would’ve said NO regardless if I said anything or not!” She turned to the alicorn. “Twilight’s teleport her back to Equestria!”

“It’s not that simple, Applejack,” she reluctantly protested. “I can’t just teleport her to a random location and expect that she’ll turn out fine, trust me, I’ve tried. I just don’t know if there will be something in the way that will cause her to get hurt. Not to mention from this distance, the amount of magic I would use up-”

“Zecora wouldn’t object!” the younger one interrupted. “She was so eagerly telling about what her home is like! I’m sure she would be okay with it!”

“What is the meaning of all this shouting?” a familiar voice came from outside, slowly approaching. “What sort of nonsense has spomepony been spout-?”

Zecora came to the doorway and barely made a single step into the room when she froze, the cause for it being seeing her apprentice aboard their ship.

“Zecora!” Applebloom jumped on her hooves and ran towards her. “Zecora, I snuck aboard the ship while nopony was looking. I wanted to come along when Applejack told me you were all going to your homeland, but she wouldn’t let me. You’re fine with it, aren’t you?” All that she said was with a big, hopeful smile on her face.

But the zebra did not share her sentiment, everybody else present could tell that and they didn’t even utter a word to her. She was staring at the young mare with a shocked expression for a little while, and after that, it turned serious, but she said nothing, only turned and left the room.

“Zecora?” Applebloom was confused, so she ran out after her. “Zecora, don’t just leave me hanging in front of everypony! Tell them that-!”

The shaman stopped in the middle of the deck with a loud stomp. “You disobeyed the order from your elder sibling, and then expect me to spare you from belittling?”

The young one was taken aback. “Wha… Zecora, what did I do wrong?”

“What you did wrong, you really want me to tell? Because right now I’m suppressing my need to yell.”

Even when she didn’t, barely raising her voice, there was a noticeable thunder growing in it. For the first time, Applebloom felt genuine fear coming from the zebra when she turned to face her with a look of disgust.

“Never mind ignoring your senior’s command, something that shouldn’t be difficult to understand, but it’s the idea that I would be the one to bail you out, and used that to go about. When I told you those stories, I merely spoke of my experience as a foal, but I never intended to invite you to go there for a stroll. After what I’ve been through in my life, the last thing that I’d want was to have you witness a world’s worth of my strife.” She stared the young mare down with such intent that it made her feel small. “I have nothing further to say to you. Now… leave me alone and rue.” She turned and walked off to the nose of the ship and continued to stare into the distance.

The mares were staring out the doorway, nobody saying a word. Not that they needed to, considering the tongue-lashing that was just dished out. The young mare was just standing in the middle of the ship with shock on her face, which then turned into a despondent look.

“Wow… And I thought you were rough, AJ,” Rainbow Dash commented.

She glared at her, then walked outside and tried to comfort her younger sibling. As for the rest, while they watched the sad scene play out, their attention was grabbed by the sound of munching. Their gaze turned, and they saw Autumn Blaze eating a bag of pretzels, every now and then levitating one of them to Discord, who was sitting atop her head.

“What?” the former Lord of Chaos noticed them looking in their direction. “That’s some good drama right there. Right, Blaze?”

The kirin nodded in agreement.

“I spy with my little eye, something beginning with… S.”

“It’s either sea or sky, Tirek. This game’s already run its course yesterday.”

On the western coast of Equestria, night was beginning to fall, and two Pillars still awaited the arrival of the third one. And after already waiting a day, the doldrums began to set in, which frustrated the anger-infused centaur to no end.

“UUUUGH! I’m so bored!” He rolled on the ground. “Yesterday when I burned down the mountain was still fun, but now… Doubt’s disappeared, so did Grogar, and that walking pile of rubble is yet to turn up with our transportation. For all I know they likely ditched us while nobody’s looking at them.” He glanced at the group nirik that stood nearby, unmoving. “And I have to play a nanny to these… horse rejects.”

A tiny pebble suddenly hit him in the head, turning his attention to the queen who was lounging on top of some of her spawns. “You’re making it sound like it’s a curse, Lord Tirek.”

“You’re one to talk, using your own children as furniture.”

“It’s not like it’s a burden to them. Can’t say the same for your slaves of an army.”

“HAH!” he let out a sarcastic laugh. “As if the changelings are any different. You wouldn’t talk the same if somebody took control of them away from you.”

“The changelings follow me because I’m the queen! THEIR MOTHER!” she suddenly raised her voice and lept off her “lounging chair”. “If any creature would even attempt to take them away from me, they would feel my unbridled wrath.”

After a moment the centaur smiled, then rose on his hooves. “Have I just struck a nerve?” He reached for the bag around his neck. “I wonder what would happen if I kicked the proverbial hornet’s nest. Would your drones succumb to Anger’s influence the same way that the kirin did?”

Chrysalis made a few steps to the side in an attempt to cover the other changelings. “I dare you to try,” she said in a cold tone.

The two Pillars stood each other down, waiting for the other to make their move to try and counter it, with the changeling queen’s horn glowing, and the centaur lord’s orb forming between his horns. Suddenly, a giant portal of dark light opened right in the middle of them and the arimaspi stumbled out of it, blocking their view, and soon after, the Father of Monsters came out between his legs, closing the portal behind them.

“Really you two?” he addressed them in a scolding tone. “I don’t leave for more than a day, you are already at each other’s throats…” The towering goat beast mumbled incomprehensible words at his master. “No Paramis, I’m too old to play a nanny for a pair of creatures that should by all logic supposed to act like adults.”

“There you are,” Tirek spoke as the ball of fire above his head turned off. “You’ve been gone so long I thought you ran away while nobody was paying attention.”

“Not everyone’s like you, boy. If I had any intention of leaving I’d have been gone a long time ago.”

“Wait, why are you staying then?” Chrysalis spoke as she finally let her guard down.

He mused. “Who knows? Perhaps I want to stay and see how all this drama finally unfolds.” He glanced at the group of fiery creatures that motionlessly stood behind the centaur. “And I see you finally got your army.”

“Speaking of which, Grogar, where is yours?” the lords demanded an answer.

“Don’t you worry about it, boy. They’re in waiting. They’ll act when the situation demands.”

“And what makes you so sure they won’t run away why you’re not keeping an eye on them?”

“I do not expect you to understand the concept of faith in something other than yourself, boy.”

The centaur stomped with his frontal hoof in anger. “Listen, Grogar, it’s time we talk about your naming conventions! I looked the other way on account of the power difference, or rather, lack of it, but now things have changed! At this point, we’re on equal footing, so if you don’t start showing me the proper respect and addressing me by the title, I’m going to have to beat it into your head!”

The grizzled ram gave him an unamused look. “Can you?”

Once again, the red orb formed between the horns of the centaur lord; he was determined to finally put the blue sheep in his place. And yet despite the power he was weilding now, Grogar showed no hesitation, he smiled in fact. But before the situation could escalate any further…

Krakoom.

In the distance, a clash of thunder could be heard, followed by a familiar musical tune.

“Ah, look who decided to finally turn up.” Tirek’s orb dispersed once again and he turned to the sea.

They could all hear the sound growing louder, and yet there was no sign of him coming from that direction.

“Where is he?” he wondered. “By now he should’ve already appeared on the horizon.”

“I think you need to look the other way, Tirek,” Chrysalis suggested, facing north.

He was perplexed why, but he still followed. He was left baffled as he suddenly saw dark clouds approaching. They parted, revealing a fleet of several airships, the familiar aggressive music coming from it, as well as some other noise that he hadn’t heard previously. It slowly descended, landing on the sandy beach, and its leader made himself present.

“Hello, and welcome to the SL/SK’s first reunion tour!” The obsidian satyr came to the edge of the deck, greeting his cohorts. “How are you doing, roadies? Have you eagerly anticipated my arrival?”

“I’m sorry, what did you just call us?” Chrysalis raised an eyebrow.

“You’ll be riding aboard MY fleet, aren’t you? That means you’ll be technically part of my crew,” the Storm King answered with a gleeful smile.

Before the ramps were lowered, the arimaspi scooped up his master in one hand and reached up for the edge of the airship, pulling himself on board, and then finally releasing him. “I don’t think so,” he bluntly answered to the satyr’s earlier suggestion.

“Oh, come on! Can’t you humor me even a little?!” he complained.

“Never mind that,” the Pillar of Anger interrupted him. “What’s the meaning of this? I thought your homeland was across the sea to the west, so why did you come from the north?”

“Oh, I got back to Equestria last night already.”

“Wait- WHAT?!” the centaur and changeling queen yelled at the same time.

“Yeah, but during the cover of night, we went looking for someplace that sold high-quality instruments.” And as he said that, there was a racket behind him as the satyrs tried to operate the musical equipment that they had stolen. “No, no, no, no, stop! You’re doing it all wrong!” He turned his head quickly to scold his crew.

“Excuse me?” Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. “You had us wait a full extra day just so you could entertain your hobby?”

“It’s part of my new brand, queeny! I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”

“Brand shmand!” Tirek raged. “As far as we know, those darn ponies are already on their way to their destination, and we’re here twiddling our thumbs!”

“That’s very unlikely, Devourer.” Another familiar voice answered, and the weaselly vapor slithered over the satyr’s stone face. “Even if they’re a day ahead of us they won’t be able to just go in a straight line to their destination. According to the Scourgelord, the waters surrounding his island homeland and its vicinity are plagued by unending storms, a gift from the world itself. And if past experiences are anything to go on, they do not have the ability to traverse it. We do, however.”

“And where have you been?” the grizzled ram asked it.

“Just doing some minor last-minute preparations, nothing you need to concern yourselves with.” It flew off the animated construct. “Now let’s go, time is of the essence.”

“All aboard!” the fleet’s commander ordered.

The satyrs on the other airships lowered the ramps, allowing the changeling swarm and the nirik to board the vessels. With the armies set, they departed, ascending into the skies and sailing into the uncharted lands of the south-west. The two pillars made themselves comfortable for the long wait, but there was an issue that they weren’t anticipating when the unbearable noise started playing on the flagship next to theirs.

“Keep it down over there! You’re unbearable!” Tirek and Chrysalis yelled at him from the other ships.

“Excuse me, who’s the captain of this fleet? That’s right. ME! So sit down and shut up! Both of you!” the Storm King snapped back, before turning to a handful of satyrs that were holding electric instruments. “Okay, you guys. I get that this is your first time handling these things, but please do try not to be tone-deaf. We’ve only got a day before he hit the first town.” One of the satyrs spoke in a mumbling fashion. “No, Swinson, raiding that music store in the town up north doesn’t count.” He suddenly heard a knocking sound coming beneath him, and he saw the short hedgehog holding a piece of paper, tapping his leg. “Okay Guppy, what you got for me?”

“It’s Grubber, Your Omnipotence,” he answered. “And I managed to put some lyrics together.”

“Ah, good. Let’s see what you got,” the satyr took the paper into his hands and skimmed through it, the expression on his face soon displaying dissatisfaction. “What the… Missa inte chanson, Nu är vi här med, Caramelldan- What is this jibberish drivel?”

“It’s… a work in progress, Your Thunderness…” the hedgehog meekly said.

“Well start over and do better. And use words that somebody can actually understand.” He crumbled the paper and threw it away. “I need some lyrics by tomorrow, and I still need you to get familiar with the drums, because others can’t turn an inch without knocking them down.”

Disheartened, Grubber walked off, but he didn’t get far though, as he saw a blue ram opening the door to the captain’s quarters. “Hey wait, where are you going? That’s the Lord’s private quarters!”

Grogar stopped and turned to him. “I do not think your master will need it in his current condition, Grubber.”

The hedgehog was surprised. “Wait… you know my name?”

“Why wouldn’t I? It’s not a complicated name to remember. Anyway, if your leader is going to make that noise this entire time I’d prefer to be somewhere where I can block it out. Paramis.” At his word, the arimaspi dropped to the ground and barely squeezed himself through the opening. “So, do me a favor, and knock when we’re about landfall. Don’t disturb me for anything else.”

He shut the door behind him, his horns glowed, and then placed an enchantment upon it, which then spread across the whole room. And whatever noise could be heard from outside became instantly silent. He then looked at the surroundings: There was a bed, a table with a chair, an armchair, and a bookshelf. The place seemed to be in a clean condition, surprisingly considering that his supposed owner had been absent for years, which meant that somebody else must’ve taken good care of it when occupying it. His minion tried to make himself comfortable, lying on his belly so he wouldn’t be hitting the ceiling. Meanwhile, his master traipsed to the bookshelf. If this was going to be a long journey he might as well do some reading to pass the time. His horns glowed once again, and all the books flew off the shelf, cycling around him. He yawned, as most of the books seemed rather childish, meaning whoever was reading them didn’t seem to have a mature state of mind. But then he stopped; there was a book that piqued his interest – on one half of the cover was a grey-furred, dark blue-maned unicorn, but the other was a horned equine-like creature made of shadow, positioned in a way that made it look like a reflection.

And it was the title that punctuated that fact. “Me and My Shadow, huh? By Stygian?” he read the title, slightly amused by it.

The group of adventurers set forth from the mainland that was their home, traveling southeast to their destination, in a race with time against dark forces. But alas, their journey would not be easy, as nature itself was determined to be a deterrent. For three straight days, they sailed the skies, round and round to circumvent the clashing storms, hoping that their goal would come in sight. And as the sun sets on the third day, many of them wonder: Will tomorrow finally be their day…?

“Autumn Blaze, what are you doing?” Applejack asked the kirin who leaned against the edge of the airship, staring at the setting sun.

“Sorry, just monologuing out loud; something to pass the time. Too bad I don’t have ink and a quill to write it down.”

“Ah’m pretty sure Twilight has that covered. You should’ve asked her.”

She raised an eyebrow at the workhorse. “Seriously? Why didn’t you tell me that earlier?”

A gust suddenly brushed past the kirin, almost knocking her over the edge, and the Element of Honesty intervened at the last moment, grabbing her by her tail and pulling her back. “Well, at least she seems to have a better time,” the pony said.

That wind force just now was caused by the wonderbolt who has been practicing flying since they departed. Her condition seemed to have been cured by now, however…

“Alright, Rainbow Dash!” Spike cheered as the pegasus landed back on deck. “I think you’re back in top form.”

“Nah, not quite. My standard speed’s back to normal, but I’m still having difficulty getting a Sonic Rainboom to work.” She yawned. “And I could go for a good sleep right now.”

Sometime later, as the last rays of light disappeared over the horizon, the captain made the call as he turned off the engine. “Okay, everypony, we’re stopping for today!”

They all left their posts, apart from the zebra, and went inside. In the room, the purple alicorn was writing a letter to her former mentor, meanwhile, the shy pegasus, draconequus, and the fashionista were playing a card game.

“Dinner, everypony!” Pinkie Pie yelled as she came out of the kitchen, carrying several quiches, and delivering them to everybody.

“Spike!” Twilight called him, raising the wrapped-up scroll. “This is the report for today. If you will?”

The dragon breathed his green fire into it and it turned to smoke. Soon, they followed the rest and sat behind the table. As they dug in, the workhorse took an extra plate with the dish and walked off to the sleeping quarters, as there was another that wasn’t present.

She knocked on the door. “Applebloom?” she asked before opening.

She turned on the lights to illuminate the dark room, and in the plethora of beds that were around, she spotted the young mare lying in one of them, her back turned.

“Suga’ cube, Ah got your dinner.”

“I’m not hungry…” she said in a dreary tone.

“Come on Applebloom, you hardly ate anything and you’ve been in the room this whole trip. Since we can’t just send you home Ah thought you’d be happy to have things go your way.”

“Not with Zecora being angry at me…”

The older sibling stroked her mane. “Look, just because you’re in a bad mood doesn’t mean you have to wither away.” She placed the plate on the nearby night table. “We’re here for you if you need us.”

She left. The young mare’s stomach finally growled when she smelled the warm dish near her, she couldn’t stop herself. She dug in. And as she did, she began sniffling. She was so distraught by her mentor reprimanding her in front of everybody and was now giving her a cold shoulder. She didn’t think their relationship would recover from this.

On the moonlit night, the airship floated above the vast ocean, completely undisturbed, allowing the residents to sleep soundly. But then one of them got woken up by a flashing light from the outside. Spike was roused from his slumber, thinking it was the moon being annoying, but then he realized that it was coming from a different direction where it was. Perplexed by it, he got out of bed and out onto the deck to see his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. The moon was high above them, but there was another source of light coming from the distance, and it seemed to be obscured by a mass of land. He got to the front of the ship, where the shaman still sat, staring into the distance.

“Is that the sun?” he wondered out loud. “I think something’s wrong with my biological clock because it doesn’t feel like it.”

“Your feelings are working fine, so here’s a word of mouth: Sun doesn't rise from the south,” the adamant mare answered.

“Wait… that’s not the sun? What’s giving off that light then?”

“I can easily explain this thing. It is the source of the power of one Farasi's great beings, a king.”

“Farasi? Hold on, you mean that’s our destination over there?!”

She nodded.

“So, how are you feeling, Zecora? Excited?” the little dragon inquired.

She sighed. “Truth be told, there’s something I’ve yet to have expelled. I never thought I’d return to my land and have it beheld.”

“Huh?” he was confused. “I don’t get it Zecora, I thought you’d be happy to finally go home again. I remember how you used to tell me that you miss other zebras being around, even if everypony in Ponyville was no longer scared of you.”

“Yes, my friend, ‘tis true, but this is an issue that makes me blue. The reason why I left…” she seemed to be struggling to find the right words. “No matter how I always looked, I would always feel bereft.”

“Is that why you chewed out Applebloom so badly?”

Once more, she nodded.

“Could you explain what happened that you’re so reluctant to return?” he suggested.

“I don’t think I could ever talk about it, it’s been so long, I just bottled up my turmoil so it wouldn’t get strong,” she resisted.

Spike slowly walked away. “Hey, if nothing, at least it will relieve you of some tension. And if not for yourself, at least do it for Applebloom. Anyway, see you in the morning.”

He walked away, holding her gaze until he got back inside, leaving the zebra with things to ponder as she looked into the distance, to the light that she knew was the city of Musa.

Morning came, and the gang got out of bed, mostly because the captain got out before them and woke them up with a horn. Applejack and Pinkie Pie were the ones preparing breakfast to lighten up the atmosphere, berry-cream-covered waffles. As they all sat down for the meal, the door opened, and the shaman walked through.

“Oh hey Zecora,” the party planner greeted her. “Just on time. Tell me, which do you prefer with your waffles: Strawberry, raspberry, blackberry…”

“I appreciate the offer, but it will have to wait,” she declined.” There is something that I need to say to keep you all up-to-date.” She took a seat behind the table. “Seasaddle and I know what will follow soon. We will arrive to the mainland before noon.” The cheerful responses followed at the table from the news that their journey was ending. “But before that happens there are things that you need to know. And as I see somepony is not here, Applejack, can you please go?”

The orange pony knew who she was talking about. She dropped everything and went off to the sleeping quarters and came back with her younger sister. The moment she saw her mentor present she averted her eyes, she just couldn’t look at her. Even so, her sibling made her sit at the table.

With everybody now present, Zecora resumed. “Now, everypony, stay a while. And listen to the tale…” she paused for a moment as if she was trying to hold back. “Of my self-imposed exile.”

---

The young zebra mare trotted through her village, accompanied by her parents and her older sibling, being led to a small hut near the center of it, where she some time ago saw the latter emerging with a new imprint on her rear end. As they all stopped there, the surrounding passersby stopped and observed; they all realized what was happening – it was the High Shaman’s youngest’s turn. The aforementioned mare trotted forward, then stopped halfway at the entrance, glancing at her family for a moment, her mother nodding at her, and then she opened the clothed cover and entered.

The interior didn’t possess anything else that her own home didn’t have, but the most noticeable things were a small area stacked with many pitchers, noticeably containing liquids, and the other was a pile of pillows, which she could tell weren’t a local product. On them lay an elderly mare, probably the oldest in the village, as her mane had more white in it than black, and it was tied together in a long braid, making her mane look almost puffy. She wore many golden accessories, yet the most notable ones, her neck rings, where she also wore a small potion bottle, were surprisingly not as multiple and they were much thinner in comparison to the rest, exposing her rather long neck that would almost mistake her for a little giraffe. And on her flank, she bore a smiling setting sun.

Zecora approached. “Grandmada Zeg’us?”

The mare shivered as if she’d just woken up from her nap. “Oh… Young lady, do please make yourself known next time, I’m indecent.” She reached out behind her pile of pillows and pulled out a teal piece of cloth over her back and rose up on her feet. “Much better. Now, what can I do for you, High Shaman’s youngest?”

“I have an epiphany,” the young mare determinately answered.

The elder one squinted at her. “We’ll see about that.”

She traipsed past her to the small area where she had her pitchers stacked. She picked one up, pulled over a wooden bowl, and poured a black liquid into it.

“Be a good girl and plant yourself over there.” She pointed at a small sitting area.

Zecora moved over to the small stool and sat on it. As she did, she watched the elder mare open a bottle around her neck and tipped a single drop out of it and into the black concoction she had poured out. It flashed for a moment. She then grabbed a hairbrush between her teeth and carried the bowl with her to her side.

“Now. Stand still,” she commanded.

She dipped the brush into the black liquid and painted a thick cover over one of her flanks before proceeding to another. Afterward, she put her things away and stood there, watching the youngling.

Zecora felt rather unsettled by how she was looking at her. That and the fact that she just got painted with black ooze made her feel uncomfortable. What was that supposed to accomplish? Suddenly, a light began to glow in the area with the large black smudge, slowly it began to disappear, but only partially, leaving behind black markings – a swirly form, surrounded by triangular shapes. The moment she saw it appear, the expression on her face lighted up with joy. She finally got it, just like his older sister, as well as her mother and father. But the expression on the other zebra in the room showed bafflement.

“What’s wrong, Grandmada Zeg’us?”

Her eyes darted to her face. “Tell me something, High Shaman’s youngest. What sort of epiphany did you have?”

She opened her mouth, but the voice didn’t come out. She remembered all too well all the events that had led up to this. And she couldn’t tell her, especially not what she did recently.

“I,” she started, trying to put in proper words, “I recently did something bad… something I never thought I could recover from. But fada, he… When I was at my lowest he pulled me away from the brink. Only then did I begin to understand how hard he has to work for our tribe to survive, when the entire village is looking up to him for guidance, counting on him when things are horrible, just like they are now. Like a rock that others can cling onto.” She gave a determined look. “I want to do what he does! To be-!”

“The sun that light’s the way,” the elder completed her sentence, and she gave her the look of surprise. “The sun is a strong symbol, little one. Since the days of Mansa Musa, it symbolized a new beginning, a light that cleared away the dark. Every mark that takes shape on the members of our tribe has a specific meaning, and I remember just about everyone that I’ve witnessed for as long as I have lived, even before I met my husband, the previous High shaman, rest his soul. Your father bears the tree, symbolizing his duty. Your mother bears the lion, the matriarch of the tribe. And your older sister has a fern, the provider. But you…” She then gave her a serious look. “That is why I am baffled by your mark. It is a Sun, but its core resembles a swirly mist. Almost as if it’s saying that the sun will rise again… after something sinister will occur.”

An ominous silence followed, and the words stirred dread inside the younger mare for a moment but then she diverted her sight to the other zebra’s sides that bore a smiling setting sun. “But you also have a sun. What does that one mean?”

The elder looked at her flank and then back at her, and gave a big smile. “A sunset of a life well lived.” She then tapped the young mare to let her know to go. “Now off with you. I’m sure they’re already waiting for you outside.”

The young mare got off her chair and traipsed outside. As she opened up the cover of the house she was greeted by the cheer of the villagers, with her family being at the center of them. As she approached them, the matriarch reached into her spouse’s saddlebag and pulled out a single golden ring, one that she put around her neck, the fourth ring.

“Welcome to the marehood, my little sun,” she said with a smile and then promptly hugged her daughter.

She should’ve been happy, and yet her consciousness was troubled. The famine was still plaguing the village, an act for which she alone was responsible, she ended up releasing the sinister force that her father was keeping isolated, and now, on top of it all, the foreboding words uttered by Grandmother Zeg’us, they all weighed heavily on her. Night fell, and she hoped that things would clear through sleep as they usually did, as she lay in her bed and then slowly drifted away.

She gazed upon the vast open lands of her home on a bright day and saw fertile crops as far as the eye could see. She wished this would become a reality. Suddenly, the sun above was covered by dark clouds and rain began to fall. She wasn’t bothered. In fact, rain would be an improvement over what they had to deal with. But those words would be something she’d regret. As the rain fell, it created large puddles of water that began to grow at great speed, eventually swallowing all the land. The young mare wasn’t prepared for the tidal wave that suddenly swept her off the ground and washed her away. She tried to find footing but there was none – there was nothing but endless ocean all around her, all while the rain was still falling.

And then… came the voice.

Embrace us.

That voice that echoed all around her, it sounded… familiar. Before her, beneath the water level, a pair of light-blue eyes lit up. They began to rise as a pillar of water shot out, and then its shape changed to resemble a large sea serpent. Panic got her and she desperately tried to swim away, but she didn’t go far, as the manifestation simply leaned forward and opened its mouth, instantly devouring her.

“Zecora!”

She snapped awake. She was surrounded by the rest of her family.

“Kid, what happened?” Sanaa asked. “You were thrashing about and wheezing.”

The younger zebra didn’t answer right away, still in a state of shock. “Nothing, just… a nightmare.” She got up and traipsed to the entrance. “I need to get some fresh air.”

Outside, she took several deep breaths. This felt just too real. And after a moment of reflection, she realized to who that voice belonged to, and why water consumed everything in sight. She gazed in the direction where the oasis stood. Tide of despair. Those were the words that she remembered. And she wasn’t even sure if the nightmare won’t come back to haunt her if she went back to sleep - she didn’t want to risk it. She could only stay up until dawn and hope that by tomorrow, her mind would’ve cleared.

But it didn’t stop. It happened once again the following night: Her homeland was washed away by a rush of water and then the sinister serpent emerged from the element, the physical embodiment of Despair. It repeated itself for several days, and little by little it began to take a toll on the young mare’s consciousness, and the idea of her returning to the sinister tree and the captive spirit within… and accepting what it demanded.

Embrace us.

The sinister water serpent was staring down at her. And she… she didn’t run away this time. Exhaustion was weighing heavily on her – she couldn’t take it anymore, she just wanted the torment to end. Its words were beginning to sound soothing. Before she could even utter a word about submitting though, a strong light erupted. The invader wasn’t expecting it either, as it turned to it in a hurry, its eyes widening up. As the light faded, Zecora shook her head. She knew already she was dreaming, but she couldn’t believe that she was once again seeing her village, surrounded by fertile fields. She wasn’t sure what had happened but for the first time in days… she felt relieved.

Morning came, but the sun wasn’t what woke her up, it was the sound of the villagers. After she registered that, she ran outside immediately, wondering what the commotion was this time, and what she beheld made her think that her sight was just playing mind games on her. Dark clouds stretched to the far borders of the savannah land. And then she felt a tap. She was finally sure that it wasn’t just her imagination. The noise from the village below was cheers of the residents.

Soon after, the matriarch and her eldest came out of the house. “See, kid? It took a little while but it’s finally done,” there sister said.

“Where’s fada?” the youngest inquired.

“He left long before dawn,” her mother answered. “It’s thanks to him that our long wait is over.”

“Which means it’s my turn to make sure to prepare seeds for the crops, now that I know they won’t go to waste. I’ll see you later, mom.” Sanaa dashed away.

The mother sighed and walked back inside, but not before stopping when she noticed that her youngest wasn’t moving. “Aren’t you coming in?”

“No,” she answered. “I’ll wait for fada to come home.”

“Out in the rain?”

All she did was nod.

She waited. She waited for a long time, and though the sun was obscured, she could tell the passage of time, especially since he sister eventually came back, and she was called for lunch and dinner. And yet, the High shaman did not appear by the time the night fell. Tired, she returned to bed and slept the night away, hearing the tapping on the roof.

She woke up and her mother was preparing a meal. “Where’s Sanaa?” she asked.

“Checks up on the fields to see if the crops have taken root yet.”

“And fada?”

There was a short pause before the answer. “He’s yet to return, dear.”

Zecora was surprised. Her father may have been absent for long periods of the day, but he was never this long.

“His beseeching had likely taken a toll on him,” the elderly one answered before she could respond. “He’ll be back, don’t worry.”

Even so, the young mare stepped outside to see the rain still falling, she just had to make sure she wasn’t hearing things. She decided to wait again. And yet, by the time the night was coming, he didn’t appear. It repeated itself the following day, up until the fifth day had passed. Now she was beginning to worry, and it only grew when her older sister came back home that day.

“Ah, Sanaa. How are the fields today?” her mother greeted her.

“I’m afraid, not good, mom. None of the seeds have taken root yet.”

“I see. I suppose we’ll just have to wait a while longer.”

“I’m not sure waiting will fix things.”

Her younger sibling took note. “Why’s that?”

“Because by the fourth day, the germination should’ve already started, especially with the rain that we’re having, kid,” she elaborated. “And yet none opened. That shouldn’t be happening. Actually, the soil itself didn’t seem to have gotten soaked.”

“Wait, what?”

“Yeah, you heard me. Despite endless torrents of rain, the roads and fields have remained dry. It's as if the land itself thirsts and cannot be quenched.”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, what Sanaa was saying made no sense. She ran outside and looked at the rainfall: It did not end. And yet when she looked at the ground she noticed that there was no moisture on it despite the downpour – it was still dry as dust. She stretched out her leg and saw, felt even, the water falling on her. She ran off towards the village, she had to make sure that was the case for the fields as well. As she got halfway through the village though, her walk slowed and she stopped. There was a sense of gloom, the dourness in the air. She saw large barrels standing out in the open, filled to the brim with water, but almost none of them were being replaced with empty ones. The growling noises of empty stomachs had gone silent, and yet the residents didn’t look any happier; in fact, they looked even more depressed than before, just lounging about doing nothing with despondent looks on their faces. The activity in the entire town had come to a standstill. Zecora no longer needed to check the fields. The very state of her tribe made it clear something was seriously wrong. There was only one thing she could think of, and it involved her absent parent. But there was no way for her to go there without somebody beginning to wonder where she was and then reprimanding her for it. She would have to wait for the worst possible time to do that.

Night fell, and the tapping sound on the roof still hadn’t ceased. She feigned her slumber, making sure that the other two mares had already dropped off. She silently traipsed out of the house, the rain giving her a good cover, but with the lack of natural light of stars, let alone the moon, the traversal to her destination would end up being a bit difficult. Even so, she ran off in the direction she knew she had to go. After making her way through the thick growth of the oasis she finally arrived at the designated spot where she had expected her father to be, yet she was met with disappointment – the spot where the High Shaman would usually sit was empty, the ritual markings have long since been washed away. She couldn’t understand where else he could’ve gone, but then she thought of something she didn’t want to think about. In the distance, despite being dark, she still saw the looming shadow of the dead baobab tree. Her sanity told her to stay away, but she had to make sure. She descended into the overgrown valley below and got to the base of the tree where the doorway was… opened. It would’ve been unlikely that her father left it open after he rescued her, which could only mean that somebody else entered. She gulped, knowing exactly what awaited below, but she had no choice. She passed the threshold and descended into the blackness. She didn’t make more than a few steps and she almost tripped over something. Her father’s saddlebags and his staff! They were just lying there by the side of the stairs; he’s never just left these things behind! She picked them up, swinging the bags over her back and sticking the staff by her side, then proceeding further down the stairs. When she finally got to where the vast room was supposed to open, there was a veil of swirling shadow blocking her path. She stuck her hoof in it and it acted as if it were liquid, simply passing through. She didn’t feel any different after she did that, so she decided to throw caution to the wind for what was awaiting on the other side. She inhaled, closed her eyes, and passed through. Suddenly she sensed a strong light emanating, she was sure that she passed the veil by now, but when she opened her eyes, she was overcome by horror at what she saw. In the center of the room, where the green pool of glowing liquid was, sat her patriarch, his eyes wide open and glowing blue, holding a small glowing orange gemstone, with a luster barrier covering the surrounding area of the pool. And inside with him, she saw the image from her nightmares: A watery serpent with deep blue eyes, staring intently directly at him.

“FADA!” she called out.

He didn’t respond, but the creature inside did, as it turned its head to face her. “My little Pillar finally arrives… late,” it spoke.

“Pillar? Why did you call me that?” the zebra wondered about its strange response.

“From the moment you released us, little one, you’ve been designated to be our bearer, our Pillar of Despair. You were taken from us before that happened, so we tried to get your attention, to have you come to us again.”

“So you WERE the one who gave me nightmares after all!” she recalled it.

“We wanted you to embrace us, to finally take us out of the prison and out into the world…” The watery serpent turned to the other presence inside the dome. “But it seems that he was well aware of it.”

“Let my fada go!” Zecora demanded.

It turned back to her with an unamused expression. “I think you have it the other way around, little one. He came here, knowing I was beckoning you, he tried to protect you from us. He consumed the lifeblood of the world – something that should only affect the natural forces of the world, but it seems that the power he wields allows him to commune with the elements… The waters are the only thing that’s keeping him from succumbing to despair by venting it out in the open.”

When it said that, the young mare realized something. “Wait… The rain outside… It is despair made manifest?”

The serpent nodded. “What you saw outside is nothing compared to what would’ve happened if you had finally come to us. And now, the land will be plagued by a thirst that cannot be sated. But we pity the elements, they do not deserve such torment. And as long as your patriarch is sealed within, it will remain so.” It slithered around him. “But that’s where the problem ends. You see, we are eternal, and he is not. In time, his body will fail, and when that happens, so will the prison. And when it does… We will call upon you once again.” It grew a tentacle and it trailed across the stalwart stallion’s face. “But do you really want to leave your sire in this state? Suffering torment for something that he didn’t do? To protect his precious foal?”

The zebra gasped. It knew! Somehow it knew about it!

The watery formation’s eyes widened when it noticed her stepping backward. “Are you sure about this, little one? Do you not want to take responsibility for your actions?” It slithered past the shaman and faced the edge of the barrier. “We understand. To have to admit that you were the cause for all the suffering that is now afflicting your tribe… It is something not many could do. But are you willing to bear the burden of guilt more than simply submitting?” It simply watched as she made more steps. “Remember what we told you: Refuse us… and you will be all alone in the end. So… what will it be? The burden of guilt? Or the weight of the world’s despair?”

She didn’t answer. She simply turned and ran.

“So be it, little one. We will wait,” the watery serpent said one last time, before once again turning to its jailor.

Zecora ran as fast as she could, that’s all she could do. Up the stairs, through the door, into the heavy rain, and out of the oasis. But she didn’t return to the village. Instead, she ran past it, through the barren fields and into the tall dried grasses. By the time she lost the feeling of dirt under her hooves, she came to realize something had changed - it stopped raining. She then turned and got the full picture of what she was seeing: The downpour was still occurring, but the dark rain clouds only stretched as far as the solid land of her tribe reached, while elsewhere there were stars in the night sky. Everything seemed so serene outside compared to what was happening inside. And so was the case for Zecora. She became all too well aware of her situation. There was no way for her to confess to anybody about what she had done; things had already progressed too far, and too much suffering had occurred to her people because of her. And the moment anybody got too curious about what had happened to their benevolent leader, they would go snoop about the place where he usually was, and if they by any chance found the malevolent spirit that he was keeping trapped, it would tell them all it knew. And even if she did confess, what could she do then? She knew her limitations and it was clear that she stood no chance if she chose to save her father and take his place, and if she did, the consequences of her weakness would doom all of Farasi. It all became too clear for her - she couldn’t stay. She slowly turned, keeping her gaze on her home for one last time, before finally running off south into the desert. As she ran, another realization came over her. It stopped raining, but she was drenched from head to hooves, and out in the night-covered desert, where no heat could be absorbed, it quickly became cold, and now the water magnified the effect. The only thing she could do was to continue to run, to make sure she didn’t freeze.

The sandy dunes made her quick traversal difficult. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been galloping, and it felt like she didn’t make much progress, and she was beginning to tire. She slowed down to try and catch her breath, and by now the first rays of sunlight began to shine over the horizon on the east; at least she wouldn’t be cold anymore. Her stomach suddenly growled. She’s been running through the night and now malnourishment was beginning to take its effect. She took off the staff and the saddlebags, opening the latter to check if there was anything edible inside. Sadly, she only found some dried grass; it seemed that her father didn’t have much reprieve from the famine either. Even so, she ate it all up, she would need all the energy she could get if she were to get to her destination. And so, she slowly trudged through the desert on a scorching day, and as the sun was slowly beginning to set on the other side of the endless dunes she finally noticed a familiar sight, a large rocky formation, the only cover that was in sight for miles, and she understood that what awaited on the other side of the large sandy hill close by. However, the combined exhaustion of running through the night and the rest of the day, as well as hunger, required her to put in a lot of effort to climb it, and when she finally reached the top, she stopped. The sparks of the setting light began to illuminate a towering mountain that could be seen in the distance – Mount Chinjaio. She finally made it. But she was so tired out by her ordeal that her legs finally gave out and she landed face-first in the sand and then slid down the hill. Finally reaching the bottom, her consciousness gave away.

She stirred, her eyes slowly opening, dim light welcoming her awakening. She was in a house, the interior making it clear that it was an abada’s… which was familiarly chilly.

“Morning, sleepy-head!”

That cheerful tone in the voice. It would be difficult for the zebra to forget it. She looked to the side and found a very familiar horned creature, caked in black dust and dirt.

“Dust Bowl…?”

That was the only word she said before a grumbling sound interrupted her.

But the young abada stallion was ready. “Hungry, huh?” He brought out a wooden plate full of bread. “Want some corn buns? Fresh from the oven.”

She said nothing. She only lept out of bed, almost tackling him, grabbing a bun between her teeth and then ravenously devouring them.

“Wow… I didn’t think you were that hungry,” he commented.

“I haven’t eaten anything but dried grass since morning,” she spoke after scarfing down the last bun. “Wait though… How did I end up here? Last I recall I was still in the desert.”

“Oh yeah, that. You can see a lot of things from the high slopes of Chinjaio. I was coming down one last time for the day when I noticed somebody making tracks in the sand and then not moving from the spot. By the way, isn’t anyone else with you?”

She shook her head. “No. I came by myself. I couldn’t stand it back home anymore.”

“Why? What’s happened?”

“I…” she hesitated. “I can’t tell you, it was so awful… Wait, is your fada here?”

“Nah. Papa went to Cartage, so I’m working on the ice supplies by myself until he comes back. Why?”

She grasped his shoulder with her hooves. “Dust Bowl, you can’t tell anyone I’m here. Not even your fada. Otherwise, he’ll go to my village. Please, promise me!”

He stared for a moment at the desperate expression that his friend was giving. “Wow… Something really bad must’ve happened if you’re begging this much. Okay, I won’t tell.”

She hugged him. “Is it okay if I stay at your home for a bit?”

The abada smiled. “You have to ask?”

The young mare came out of the house and gazed upon the vast overgrown lands of the abadas, being shined upon by the midafternoon; she was surprised that she was asleep for so long. After what she’s been through, seeing this landscape uplifted her spirit. This is where she was going to make her new start.

She turned, as the local stallion poked his head out the door cover. “So, what do we do?”

“Well, I was about to get one more collection for today. You feeling fit enough to go up the mountain?”

She nodded, and after that, he motioned her to follow her. They passed through the house and came out on the side that was facing the mountain, before beginning their ascent. Zecora remembered all too well how chilly the mountain got at a certain elevation. This time they got further than back when she was still a filly, as she’s never gone uphill since that incident. They finally stopped at an altitude where the snow became ice, and here she spotted a small makeshift wooden ledge by the side of a large ice wall, along with an icepick. The abada quickly grabbed one with his teeth and began thrusting it into the formation, and the zebra soon followed.

It took longer than she had anticipated, but by the end, they managed to chip it off and cut it into sizable pieces so that they wouldn’t destroy the house when the ice slid downhill, which is what followed.

The mare wiped her brow. “If you do this every day, it’s beyond me how you do it…”

He chuckled. “Us abadas are built differently. I’m sure I’d be out of my element if I were near your home.”

She smiled awkwardly. “Yeah… Sure.”

“Anyway, that’s it for today. Let’s back down. You wanna race again?”

“NO!” She didn’t want to even entertain the notion after the last time it happened.

“I know. Just kidding.”

They slowly made the descent back into the valley, but before they even left the ledge, the stallion noticed that the zebra had gone still.

“Zecora, what is it?” he asked.

She didn’t answer. He climbed back up again to where she was and noticed she was staring into the distance. And that’s when he also spotted something odd in that direction: There was a black cloud lingering on the horizon.

“Isn’t your village in that direction?” he wondered.

She finally snapped out of it but didn’t reply. All she did was begin her descent. She said nothing on the way down, and neither did when she was finally back at the house and the host asked if she was hungry, before leaving her alone to go to the settlement below. She was staring into the said village, trying to put disquiet out of her thought, but it was no use – the sight of the dark cloud that hung over her home was embedded into her memory, and if she stayed here she would keep seeing it. She went back into the house, picked up the saddlebags and the staff, and left.

She got to the outskirts of the village, and that’s when she noticed a camel caravan being loaded up with goods. They were leaving. Perhaps she could join and travel with them to some place where the sight of despair hanging over her home would be out of sight.

She approached the one who looked like the leader of the herd, tapping his leg to get his attention. “Excuse me, sir. Where is your caravan going?”

The tall camel regarded her. “Us? We’re going east, to the kingdom of Musa. Why do you ask?”

“Can I come along? I’m heading that way and I don’t want to be alone on the road.”

He smiled. “Sure. We were just about to leave. By the way, what’s your name, young miss-?”

“Zecora!”

She froze. That was his voice. And he found her just when she was about to go.

“A friend of yours?” the camel asked.

She didn’t answer.

“What are you doing?” the young stallion waited for her response.

The zebra slowly turned to see the abada staring at her with a look of disbelief.

“I… I can’t stay…”

“What? Why? Did I do something wrong? If this is because of that slide suggestion-”

“Imari!” Zecora yelled.

He was stunned. Not because she yelled at him, but because she used his real name. Whatever this was, it was serious.

“I can’t remain here. I can’t stay anywhere near where I can see my home. Please don’t ask me why, just…” She didn’t know how to put it in words, and she felt bad that she was making her friend feel bad in some way.

She suddenly felt a warm patch of blackened fur pressing against her face, as the abada stallion came to her and pressed her against himself. “I understand. I won’t ask further.”

She embraced him, suppressing a cry. “I’m sorry, Imari. I didn’t want to hurt you…”

“It’s fine. If I was hurt I would have already let you know.” He ran his front leg through her mane.

"I'll miss you..."

He suddenly parted from her. "If that's the case, hold on a moment. Back in a moment." And he dashed away.

She stood by and waited for a while.

“Miss, we’re leaving,” the caravan leader announced. “If you’re coming along you better do so now.”

She didn't want to leave yet, but she couldn't let the caravan get away from her. She was going to hate herself for it, but she was gonna have to leave without saying a proper goodbye to her abada friend.

But just as she turned, she heard him calling out. "Wait! I'm back!" He dashed towards her carrying a large brown bag, and barely managed to ground himself to a halt. "Sorry it took so long. I had these carved out a while ago and was saving them for your birthday."

Zecora opened up the bag, and inside she beheld a pair of long, equine-shaped wooden masks, one colored green and blue, and the other in red and green.

"What are these?" she inquired.

"You know those weird shapes that stand above the doorway of our houses?"

She never really thought about it, but now that he mentioned it, she looked about other nearby houses and saw strange wooden sculptures of equine-like faces, but these had horns sticking out of them unlike her own.

"You see, it’s our tribe’s tradition to adorn the entrances of our houses with wood carvings, wood that our homeland so generously provided us with. Since your tribe hardly has any trees, I decided to make a pair for you, resembling your tribal features, of course.” He picked up the two wooden masks, one in each hoof. “This left one says “Hello!”, and this other one says “Welcome!”.”

She was speechless. “I… don’t know what to say.”

“Just take them,” he insisted. “You can put them above the doorway… or whatever your new home will be.”

The zebra pulled the abada into an embrace. She didn’t want to let go of him for being so thoughtful. However…

“You may wanna go before the caravan gets away from you,” Dustbowl reminded her.

She snapped out of it. She was so distracted that she completely forgot that she was running late. She quickly stashed the two masks inside her father’s saddlebags, swung them over her back, and went to quickly catch up with the camels.

Just before she was out of earshot, the stallion stopped her one last time. “Will you ever come back?”

“I don’t know… I hope,” she gave an unsure answer. “And please tell Wadi and Wash I won’t be able to come visit any time soon.” She stopped at the threshold of the gate leading out of the village and looked at him one last time. “Goodbye, Imari.”

And the abada only waved as she disappeared over the edge.

For three days, the lone zebra traveled with the camel caravan through the dunes, plagued by sandstorms. The journey was no less difficult than the first time. Luckily, by the dawn of the third day, they managed to reach their destination, and this time the sun was yet to set, so she could behold the city of Musa in full splendor. And on the docks, she could also see the strange foreign ship from before.

“Thank you for taking me here, sir,” Zecora expressed her gratitude to the head of the herd. “I’ll be taking my leave now.”

“Miss, are you planning on going to the city already?” the camel leader wondered. “When the sun sets over the horizon the city will shut down. You sure you don’t want to stay at our camp until morning?”

She shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”

She walked into the city, and it was as marvelous as it was the first time. And this far away she could finally forget about her troubles. But there was something that she couldn’t forget, and it was approaching her. A familiar stallion, wearing a cowl with a golden band around it to keep it fastened, and a sash, woven out of pure gold, with a large golden chain with a trident on it. He was limping, going right past her as if he didn’t recognize her.

But she did. “Stormguard Adil?”

He stopped, turning his gaze to her. “Do I know you?”

“Really? It’s only been a few weeks, so I’d have expected that out everybody here you’d remember me, especially considering all the trouble I’ve caused you.”

He turned and slowly approached her, looking her up closely, and the young mare could tell by his expression when it finally dawned on him. “Wait a second… You’re the High Shaman’s kid? I mean, I guess it should’ve been obvious but you’ve got some details that weren’t there before.”

“I figured,” she remarked. “What’s wrong with your legs?”

“Oh, this?” He raised his hoof, displaying a noticeable crack in it. “Those darn children played a prank on one of the merchants and I had to shoo them away… I ended up tripping over a box of supplies and hit my hoof against the building. I can kiss my weekly pay goodbye... several times over.”

“Can’t you go to a healer to have it fixed?” she wondered.

“A healer? Do you mean a doctor? I’m just coming from him, and he told me the best I can do is rest it off. Now if you excuse me, I have to go home and be miserable.”

He turned and slowly limped off, but she knew there was a solution to that. “Maybe I can help?”

The stormguard looked at her again, this time in confusion. “Help? What do you know about curing broken hooves?”

She smiled. “Quite a bit actually.”

Zecora let Adil lean on her and had him guide her to his home, a small house like many others, built out of brick and mud that stood away from the city’s center. It was a humble place, with a bed, a table, and a chair, and with a small room that served as a bathroom. But most importantly, he had a fireplace, something that she would need if she were to help him. As the stallion lay on his bed, Zecora rummaged through her father’s saddlebags, bringing out herbs of several varieties, and beginning to brew the concoction. After some time passed, when she knew it was finished, she grabbed a bowl and filled it up, carrying it to her patient.

“Hold on, what are you gonna do with that thing?” he halted her.

She pulled the bowl out of her mouth. “If you trust me you’ll let me do my job.”

He made a whining noise and stopped resisting. She slowly poured the potion on the broken hoof and then waited. The brew soon to effect, as the crack in the hoof slowly fused back together, trauma completely disappearing. And he noticed it. He lept on his feed jumping around for a bit, and after that, he looked at the young mare, a big smile forming on his face. He grabbed her and lifted her off the ground, spinning her around out of joy, much to her displeasure.

“Sorry,” he finally stopped, putting her down. “You’ve no idea of the grievance you’ve just spared me from! I really didn’t want to get on the captain’s bad side after I just started a few weeks ago. I don’t know how I can repay you.”

Zecora rubbed her chin. “Well, to be honest, I’m looking for a place to sleep. Is it okay if I stay at your house for a while?”

“Oh, that’s easy. However, living in Musa doesn’t come cheap, you know. Everybody here works for a living. What do you have to contribute?”

She didn’t have to think long for that. “If there are others in the city, who are ailing the same you, I can help in curing all forms of ailments, even the flu.” It took her a moment to realize her own words – she just rhymed instinctively, without even thinking.

The stallion chuckled. “Hey, that’s funny.”

As the morning came, and Adil left for work, Zecora packed up saddlebags and went about town. Not that she had to go far; in the residential neighborhood it wasn’t difficult for her to find locals who were in a bad way, from broken bones to skin conditions and more. And the young mare was more than equipped to deal with it, she had all the knowledge that her mother taught her. And after a day’s work, when the host returned, so did she. Needless to say, within a week she’s managed to gather enough money to buy herself her own house, right next to her new friend. And she would continue to do so, wandering from house to house and getting paid for her services. She genuinely felt like she was doing something good in the world for a change. But after a few weeks, that would change…

The mare had just done her daily routine, checking around the neighborhood, before moving out to the commercial district. As she strolled down the main street that was wide open, she had a full view of the large sandy hill, behind which the camel caravans would usually come late in the evening and camped until morning. This time, however, she saw them approach, and what was more, there was a large group of much smaller forms following them. She waited for them to arrive, but as they drew closer, a sense of dread was slowly beginning to creep upon her. The forms that accompanied the camel herd were zebras – all of them were bare, but the mares wore rings around their necks, and save for the children, they all had marks printed on their flanks. They were from her tribe! The moment she saw them she galloped away and took refuge inside her house. And there she waited until the night fell, and when it did, she crept outside and went next door. She knocked.

The familiar stallion opened. “Hey Zecora, what’s up this evening?” She shoved him inside and then rushed in, shutting the door closed. “Zecora, what are you doing?!”

“Adil, I need your help, I beg you not to yelp,” she whispered.

“What’s gotten into you? What’s wrong?”

“I need your help getting out of the city, otherwise things won’t be pretty.”

“Wait… you want to leave the city? Why?”

“I won’t go into details, but I need help with acquiring something that has sails!” she explained.

“That’s not likely to happen,” he stopped her. “If you’re trying to get away by sea there aren’t many places that you’ll be able to get on your own. Most of the ships at the dock are for joyriding anyway.”

The mare thought for a moment. “What about the big strange ship at the dock? That one looks seaworthy, it should be a cakewalk.”

“I mean, the ship certainly looks like it could survive on the ocean, but I doubt you know how to operate it. And its owner is still behind bars.”

“The owner? The strange colorful equine from far away? Why is he still kept at bay?”

“Since the incident with the pestilence a while ago, the guards do not want to risk him going away and bringing more invasive creatures into our land. So, he’s been put under lock and key, until King Abraxas decides what to do with him.”

“If that foreigner is my only way out of here, then my mission is clear. But I cannot do this alone, and I know it’s something you will not condone.”

He gave her the look of somebody who knew what she was about to ask him. “Zecora, are you crazy?! You’re asking me to break the law?! That’s madness! Why would you want to run away anyway? Especially now that your people have come here too?”

She grabbed him by the hooved and gave him a pleading look. “Adil, I never asked much from you, except that one time when I needed a roof to make due. But now I’m asking for a favor of a lifetime, even if it means committing a crime. I beg of you. Do this one thing for me… help me finally be free.”

He gave her a stern look, but he simply couldn’t hold it up for long. “Fine… But just so you know, I’m not doing the break-in. I’ll just divert the guard’s attention. The rest is up to you. And don’t expect me to cover you if you get caught.”

Despite that, she hugged him.

The stormguard told her about the location where the prison cells were, and luckily the outside of the windows wasn’t guarded. Zecora crept through the night now that the lights had fully gone out in the city, evading the patrolling guards. She reached the designated location where she could see the bars of the cell and then waited for Adil to do his part. He appeared, and from the position where he stood, he could easily spot the mare. He entered, and she waited, carefully listening to the sounds inside. When she heard her friend interacting with the jailor, and after she heard the voices fading away, she sprang into action. She pulled herself up by the bars to look inside, and there she saw a short equine with a teal coat, lying in his bed.

“Pst!” she tried to get his attention.

When he noticed her, he just stared. “What the? Who are you?”

“No time to explain, tie this on the bars, and freedom you’ll gain.”

She gave him a rope to tie on one of the window’s prison bars and then she pulled. She could feel with every tug that the object was loosening and soon, the bricks that were holding the bar broke off. It wasn’t much, but it made a gap big enough for the prisoner to squeeze through, though he needed some assistance. Finally, outside, she hid the evidence and then the two took cover in the shadows.

“I don’t know how to thank you, miss,” the stallion expressed his gratitude. “But why would you do that for me?”

“Because I have a request to make for you, stranger: Will you take me with your boat and help me avoid immediate danger?” she asked.

He smiled. “Hey, it’s a small price to pay for freedom.”

Through the dark streets, they snuck, from corner to corner, avoiding the guards, until they finally arrived at the docks, the sailor quickly leaping on it.

“Okay. You untie my vessel while I turn on the engine,” he ordered. “Because if they haven’t gotten wind of my escape yet, then the noise my boat will make certainly will.”

Zecora untied the boat, and just as she finished unraveling the last knot, she began hearing horns from the city. They finally noticed! Just then, the motor of the ship hummed and it slowly began to move. The zebra quickly jumped on it as they floated away, hopeful that they wouldn’t get to them before they were a fair distance from the shore. But then he appeared! One of the stormguards arrived on the pier! His golden chain lit up with lightning, and it flew in the ship’s direction, and the mare flinched as she saw it coming at her, and she was unable to dodge. But then she realized that it didn’t reach her. Not because they were too far away, though. The light radiating from the chain illuminated the guard who threw it. It was Adil, with his one last attempt to give her cover, before other guards came to his side, at which point his chain fell into the water. She wanted to wave him goodbye, to thank him for everything he’s done for her even though he didn’t have to… and yet she couldn’t. All she could do was slink away into the interior of the ship.

“I’m sorry, guys… I failed…” He hung his head in disappointment.

“It’s not your fault, Adil,” one of his fellow guards said as they watched the ship sail away. “He got the better of us.”

She lost track of time. It had been days since they were on the sea, and while she was marveling at the vastness of the ocean, she got tired of it, yearning to finally feel solid ground beneath her hooves again. So, she retreaded in the interior. The only time Seasaddle came to visit was during lunch break, as Zecora was the only one who took rations with her. She wanted to know more about this land that he came from, but he was very sparse with the information, saying nothing that would stand out. And then, finally, one day…

“LAND HOOOOO!” he yelled.

The voice made the zebra quickly climb up on deck. And there she saw a land mass, with tall mountains and full of greenery. It already looked nothing like her home, and it filled her with excitement. A short time later, the boat stopped by the shore.

“I’ll let you get off here if there’s no specific place that you want to go to,” the captain said. “If I turn up with a passenger from another land where I’m going, there’s gonna be too many questions that would be asked.”

“I understand, and do not fret.” She walked towards the woods before stopping one last time. “And your kindness, I will never forget!”

“Same here, my friend!” Seasaddle waved her goodbye, before going back to the steering wheel and sailing away.

She sighed and walked through the growth. This place was unlike anything that she’d seen before - the trees, the foliage, even the local wildlife was something she’d never encountered before. It filled her with a sense of adventure. But that adventure would have to wait, as a growl in her belly made her stop. She sat down and began rummaging through her saddlebags, hoping that there was still something left, before she would have to resort to foraging. She was surprised that she forgot that the saddlebags were able to store more things than they appeared on the outside, which included another set of saddlebags and…. her father’s staff. This one boggled her mind, there was no way she could’ve forgotten the object that he always held by his side, especially since she got it when…

She remembered how she last saw him - trapped in a prison of his own making, in order to pacify the evil she had foolishly unleashed. Her heart sank. There was now a sense of emptiness in her as if she had just lost something, something that she couldn’t regain. And then she recalled that dread voice, speaking out those words that now resonated with her.

Refuse us… and you will be all alone in the end.

The full realization and the gravity finally hit her. Desperation had driven her to this. In desperation, in order to prevent the Manifestation of Despair from being released she left her home, abandoned her friends, and fled her homeland. And now, she was in a foreign land that she knew nothing about and nobody she could rely on. Part of her also wanted to be free of guilt and not face the consequences of what she’s done, and she achieved that. And now, what the watery serpent had told her would occur, came to pass. Zecora was finally free from ever being taken over by it… but she was all alone.

She pressed the staff against her forehead, and for the first time since she ran away from her tribe… she wept.

---

Author's Note:

All of a sudden, the 4th chapter's title gets a completely different meaning, doesn't it?

Comments

[GamePlayer64]

And it was the title that punctuated that fact. “Me and My Shadow, huh? By Stygian?” he read the title, slightly amused by it.

There’s a song with that title,

[JFT]

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