Chapter 8 - Interlude, a Celebration
While the day had been - for lack of a better word - saved, with Twilight Sparkle and her friends cured of their ailments and on friendly terms with the not-at-all malicious Zecora; there was still one more task that needed to be done: explaining the whole mess to Ponyville at large, to be specific. After some discussion, the group had decided that the best way to do this would be to head to town hall, explain everything to the mayor, and then let her give a speech explaining it to everyone else.
A small party was also to be thrown, at the insistence of Pinkie Pie. She’d originally wanted it to be a large affair, with fancy lights and a turntable, but luckily they managed to talk her down to a snack table and perhaps some streamers.
On the way out, they discovered Msadizi in the foyer, slumped in a green lounger and with a slightly vacant expression on his face. Aloe was standing next to him, chatting to another staff member and not noticing - or simply not minding - the hand slowly stroking her back, over and over.
“Er, he okay?” Applejack asked.
In reply, Rarity sighed wistfully. “Oh, I know that look. I, too, remember my first time at a spa.”
The group said their goodbyes and left, Msaidizi needing to be taken by the hoof by Zecora and led like a foal - something that set Rainbow Dash to giggling. Pinkie Pie dashed off to “ready the welcome wagon” as she put it, while everyone else proceeded to the centre of town. The townsfolk had stopped hiding in their homes and were watching the procession with a variety of emotions. There was still some fear and trepidation at the zebra and her large... whatever he was, but seeing them walking and talking with Elements of Harmony seemed to have assuaged most of it. Most just seemed curious, watching and commenting amongst themselves.
After a minute or so, the fact that he was going somewhere seemed to finally worm its way into Msaidizi’s head. “Where are we going?” he murmured. At his speech, there were a few gasps amongst the ponies watching, and the level of gossip increased a noticeable amount.
“To town hall, to sort out our problem once and for all” Zecora replied.
It took another minute for him to speak again. “Oh... Will the mayor be there? I have my letter.”
“What letter?” Rainbow Dash asked, floating up past his shoulder and hovering in front of his face. “Let me see that, big guy.”
Msaidizi reached inside his shirt and passed her a slightly crumpled, folded sheet of paper. She unfurled and read it, her lips moving silently for some of the longer words, and then she started laughing. “Yeah, this’ll definitely help” she said between guffaws. “I’ll make sure she gets it.”
The mayor was tan in colour with a steel-grey mane and tail, and a pair of half-moon spectacles, cravat and hairstyle that all screamed “authority figure”. She seemed nice enough, if a tad manically overworked. Once everyone had - somehow - managed to fit into her office and the situation had been explained, she seemed eager to help. Overtly so, perhaps, judging by how quickly paperwork was assembled and by how thick and fast apologies flew.
“Now then, Miss Zecora, if you could just fill all of these out, we can have this over and done with!” she said, pushing a stack of forms across her desk and giving an uneasy grin. “Then everything will be happy and non-litigious!”
Zecora looked from the paperwork to the mayor, whose smile widened and began to look desperate, and raised an eyebrow. “I believe that if you see under ‘Z’, you already have all these forms from me.”
The mayor’s grin fell, to be replaced with blushing embarrassment. “Oh, m-my mistake! Why don’t we head outside and wrap this up then, hmm?”
“Finally!” Zecora thought. “This has just been humiliating. And she’s supposed to be the mayor!?” While she still had no desire to rock the metaphorical boat, the events of the past day had left her with a measure of anger: partly at herself for putting up with being an unwilling outcast for so long, but mostly at the town for acting like she was some sort of monster. And now the mayor, the supposed voice of reason, was hoping to just sweep the past few months under the rug and act like they’d never happened. “The nerve of it all!”
She kept those thoughts to herself; however, since doing anything with that anger would [be] counter-productive and, indeed, rather childish. So instead she decided to concur with the mayor, saying “To finish the rest, would be best.”
Rainbow Dash, however, seemed to be enjoying the show. With another snigger she said “Hold up. There’s also this” and passed Msaidizi’s letter across the desk.
The mayor flattened the paper out on the wooden surface and began to read, her eyebrows and muttering climbing higher and higher all the while. “Discrimination... unacceptable... mental anguish... legal action?!” Recoiling as if she’d been bitten, she looked to Zecora and squeaked. “H-how many lawyers did you say you had?”
Forcing herself to keep a straight face, she waved a hoof casually and said “Oh, none”. She waited until the mayor gave a sigh of relief, and then added “But to find one is easily done.”
“T-that won’t be necessary!” the mayor nearly shouted, slamming her hooves on the desk. “How about we do this speech right now, good? Good! Let’s go right now!”
With that declaration made, the mayor all but sprinted out the door. The group followed her outside and stood behind her as she gave a hasty speech to the assembled townsfolk. She went on about how sorry she was that the welcome was so late, but she was sure the ponies of Ponyville were a lovely bunch and would try their best to make Zecora feel welcome. She then gave the crowd a look that clearly stated “or else”, which caused a few nervous chuckles and guilty looks.
“So, without further ado, let’s all give a big Ponyville welcome to Zecora and...” the mayor hesitated, then turned to Msaidizi. “Sorry, I forgot to ask. Your name is...?”
Msaidizi blinked. “Oh, uh. It’s Msaidizi, miss”. Seeing the polite incomprehension on her face, he tried to explain with “It means ‘assistant’ or ‘helper’ in Zebra, apparently.”
The mayor turned back around to the crowd and finished with “Zecora and Helper!”
It wasn’t a very good speech, but there was applause all the same. Applause, which only doubled when Pinkie Pie ran into the town square, pulling behind her what looked like an oven mounted on a wagon. With glee she hit a button on the side, causing confetti-spewing musical horns to protrude from the top and the door to open with a ding to reveal trays of baked goods both sweet and savoury. “Let’s party!” she cheered.
And so they did. The crowd divided itself into groups, most chatting and laughing amongst themselves, while others were dancing or indulging themselves by - what could only be- the welcome wagon. Twilight and her friends disappeared into the crowd - Twilight practically dragging a laughing Zecora by the leg - and Msaidizi was left to sit on the town hall steps by himself.
To be honest, he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel about it all. It had been an infuriating and embarrassing couple of days, but everything seemed to have worked out just fine. They’d been introduced to the town proper and even had a party thrown for them. Zecora was no longer an ostracised outsider, but was mingling amongst the crowd like a fish to water. And nobody had called him a monster, ran away from him or even - his thoughts darkened for a moment - thrown rocks at him. Yes, everything had turned out great.
But it just didn’t feel right. While they had - eventually - been welcoming, they didn’t seem to show much in the way of remorse for their past actions. As far as he could tell, nobody - with, perhaps, the exception of Twilight - was lining up to apologise for the past few months, and even the mayor seemed eager to try and forget anything had happened. And while no one was exactly running away from him, he couldn’t help but notice that he was given a berth just wide enough to be noticeable. But for all of that, he remembered what Apple Bloom had said and knew they weren’t bad ponies - just “silly”.
He still wasn’t angry exactly - after Aloe’s work he doubted he’d be capable of anger for quite some time - , but it was annoying, all the same. But then again, Zecora seemed to have forgiven them, so why shouldn’t he?
If he knew that said zebra shared similar thoughts, he might have felt better about them.
“Well howdy there, Helper!”
Interrupted from his musings, Msaidizi looked up and saw Rarity and Applejack approaching him. “Hello” he said, politely if perhaps a bit stiffly.
“M’ name’s Applejack, and this here is Rarity” she continued, momentarily taking the hat off her head and placing it to her chest in a gesture of sincerity. “An’ we just want to say how sorry we are. Ah let mah fear get the better of me, and because of that, Ah haven’t been fair to you.”
Msaidizi smiled at the pair. Perhaps he had been too hasty in his judgement. “Thank you” he said. “That means a lot to me.”
“We simply must make it up to you somehow, darling!” Rarity trilled.
“Oh, no. You don’t need to do tha—“
“But we must! Perhaps you could, I don’t know, pop down to my boutique some time? I’d be more than happy to make you a new outfit! Something a lot nicer than that... thing you’re wearing!”
Msaidizi’s smile fell. “Zecora taught me how to make these clothes” he said, his tone kept even but laced with steel. “I am quite fond of them.”
To her credit, Rarity immediately realised her mistake. “Oh, dear, I’m so sorry!” she said, her face blushing as Applejack just looked on with amusement. “I didn’t mean it like that! But perhaps—“
“No thank you, Rarity” Msaidizi said, standing up. The empty circle around him widened slightly as ponies sidled away. “That won’t be necessary. Goodbye, it was nice talking to you.” Without waiting for a reply he walked away into the crowd, ponies parting in front of him like an equine sea.
“So much for that there silver tongue of yours, hey Rare?” Applejack quipped.
“Oh, shush.”
It didn’t take long for him to find Zecora. She was next to the welcome wagon, talking to a rather animated Twilight. As he got closer, Msaidizi heard the conversation over the rest of the crowd. “Where did you meet him?” Twilight asked. “I’ve never seen anything like him before, and I’ve read a lot of zoology books!”
Zecora chuckled. “Well, it is quite a tale to tell” she admitted. “You see—” she paused as a shadow fell across her and Twilight and looked up to her assistant with a raised eyebrow. “Yes, Msaidizi?”
“I’m tired, miss” Msaidizi said flatly, not even bothering to pretend a yawn. “If it’s alright with you, I’m going to just head home.”
Her gaze studied his face for a few moments, and then her face softened. “Of course. Be safe, now.”
With permission granted, Msaidizi walked away from the crowd and towards the edge of town alone. Twilight was extremely tempted to chase after him - she had so many questions! - , but despite popular opinion, she knew enough about social skills to see a pony - or non-pony, as the case may be - that needed their space.
Suddenly, Pinkie Pie appeared next to her, causing her to jump. “Hey, where’s he going?!” she protested. “He didn’t even get any cake!”
Zecora went back to Ponyville the next day and the day after that. What time she spent at home, she spent brewing, every available cauldron used to make some variety of potion. Also in those next few days, streams of ponies visited the tree-house. Some stayed only for a few moments, exchanging a greeting and a couple of surreptitious coins before slipping away with a bottle or two, while others brought along carts or tradesman’s tools.
By the third day the windows had actual glass in them, and Zecora’s list of furniture grew to include a table with matching chairs - each seemingly carved whole from a stump, rather than nailed together - and even a proper bed for Msaidizi. Granted, it was a bit too short for him, but the thought still counted.
After the fourth day, in the dead of night, an explosion sounded off from deep within the Everfree Forest. It was followed by the crack and whoosh of rushing air, and then it left behind a sudden silence that the night-creatures and insects did not seem to fill for quite some time.
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Was Msaidizi a lawyer in his previous life? He certainly managed to make the mayor scared.
So another human? Or did they blow up their house by accident?
I would offer my services as said editor, but, my computer's broken. Right now i'm using my sister's I-pad to check my favorites. I'll PM you if this changes.
nice to see your still working on this story at least i'd hate to see it go unfinished
Plot/phrasing editor? Good ones are few and far between.
Did you ask Ghost of Heraclitus, Vimbert the Unimpressive, or the editors for Pen Stroke or Reality Check?
If they won't edit, they might know someone who can.
I myself can only edit spelling, grammar, and phrasing individual sentences/paragraphs.
It seems to me you have the situation well in hoof though. Well done!
cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/24899208.jpg
I demand MOAR! NOW!
capable
*Comes out of the everfree coughing, and covered in a layer of soot* Alright, who thought it would be a good idea to put the fertilizer (Ammonium Nitrate) near the fire!?
Oh, hey! You're not dead!
Nice fic, man.
I wonder, what could that strange occurrence be?
A plot thread, obviously.
Beyond that, I can only guess.
More than likely, you're not going to spoil important details, but I'm just going to toss these out for commenters to possibly debate upon.
Is it another human?
Does it involve his past in any way?
OOH! Did something vanish?
==========
2814591
*Comes out of the Everfree, also covered in soot, except for a lightly bleeding cut on his forehead*
Wasn't me! *points off to the side* He did it! Not sure which one, I'm kind of seeing triple at the moment, but one of him did it!
I'm so glad that he's not letting things go. In too many stories, the human just happily accepts the apology and pretends like nothing ever happened, which I call bullshit on.
Forgot just how much I like this story, good to see it's back.
2813659 It probably didn't even matter what was said. Just the words discrimination and legal action, after what the entire town including her did, would be very bad for any mayor. And right before the mayor admitted to ignoring paperwork from someone just because she was different. They wouldn't allow her to do business with anyone, they all made her a social pariah, made up stories about how she does horrible things...Rocks were literally thrown.
Honestly, if Zecora really wanted to, and Equestria's legal system was fair in any sense of the word, she could probably have the mayor outright fired over the entire thing. And Mayor Mare knows it.
Well, I think its an interesting development that Msaidzi doesn't automatically forgive them. All to often in these fics there's no controversy, and everyone becomes BFF's right off the bat. Well, at least he has Applebloom. Her adorableness should keep him from getting to depressed.
I like to think that I'm a pretty good editor. Not a professional or anything. But I've got an eye for that sort of thing. If you'll have me.
yes I know an editor his name is bugsydor
but he might be busy at the moment.. but the only way to know for sure is to ask.
hint, don't tell him I sent you.
it will work wonders .
MOAR!
Well look who decided to crawl out of their cave and make another chapter
Whoo, another chapter!
I would help out, if it weren't for the stories I'm currently working on. If you're looking for an editor, you could always contact one of the editors here.
O boy, I wonder what the explosion was. No doubt it's a cliffhanger in my opinion. Can't wait to see the rest and don't beat yourself up. The chapter was not rushed in my opinion.
2814371
Ooh, well spotted. Thank you.
2814812>>2814882>>2815097
Possible method of exploitation in the future? Must make a note.
But yes, hopefully I can keep this schism going for as long as feels natural. If it ends too quickly, it feels unnatural and unfair, whereas if it continues for too long, it feels mean-spirited and not that fun to read. Nobody wants to read about a character who just hates everyone all the time. Apart from certain anime fans, anyway.
2814594
I'm relieved to hear that!
Good to see you back, I think it was a nice chapter
Glad to see that things cleared up, though I must admit I don't really like Msaidizi being called helper.
It's just too ponyish if you ask me, at least Msaidizi sounds like something a person would be named.
Then again maybe I just think Helper is a bit too.... frilly, a name for Msaidizi.
Really like how he made his frustration known though, shows spine.
Can't wait for more!
2815957
Yep, that's ponies for you.
Next thing you know Pinkie's going to start calling him Mr Dizzy, or something.
Yay! Update!
I will gladly offer my assistance as an editor, if you'll have me.
It is very nice to see that this story is still alive and kicking.
I would like to imagine that the explosion has something to do with my OC Technia. Explosion Wednesdays are kind of her thing. If you're interested in using her, just send a PM in my general direction.
Side note: when you mentioned the glowing eyes a couple chapters back, I thought of something. Just look at the eyes on this character and you'll probably be able to figure it out.
th06.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2011/200/7/f/kamen_rider_super_1_by_ryoimaru-d40wae8.jpg
Ugh. Power's been out for a while. It's cool to see this finally update.
Did somepony say "editor"? *cracks knuckles*
While the day had been<em-dash>for lack of a better word<em-dash>saved
aliments
semi-colon instead of comma
colon instead of a period
comma after "out"
comma after "reply"
<em-dash>something that set Rainbow Dash to giggling.
no comma; never use "now" whilst speaking in past tense
again, don't use "now"
I have to leave at the moment, but I also noticed at least a half-dozen sentences of dialogue without proper punctuation.
2813659
"Hey, Zecora, I think I just remembered something from before I came to Equestria. I think my name was Phoenix.
And on that fourth night, the grudge humans so love to keep near and dear, reminded "Helper" of one of his grand races most treasured inventions:
The Gun
And thus began an era that all the world would never recover from.
yay for the update.
yay for the chapter, really interesting stuff.
2818388
Actually thermonuclear bombs. Remember the Cold War?
I would say I could edit, but I only want to edit so I can read it sooner
2817944
So right now this Human can't remember shit, and he thinks he's meant to help Zecora.
OHHH boy this is going to be fun If he ever get's his memory back.
I love your story, thanks for the chapter such as it is
2824788 It's an interlude. Zecora's out for lunch.
Can't wait for the next chapter, keep up the awesome work :)
2814594
Look out! Plumber!
I'd be happy to help, but probably not as a full-on editor. I can help with typos and grammatical issues, but not much else.
Not that it matters, since a fair number of folk are offering to edit anyway.
2817944
i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/7145841920/hD9E6082F/
2824788
2825531
WAIT!
There IS a rhyme!
"Apologies, Trepidation"
"Interlude, A Celebration"
Say those two titles out loud, and you'll see what a mean!
images.wikia.com/aceattorney/images/5/52/Edgeworth-bow%28a%29.gif
2853471>>2825531>>2824788
I seem to be swapping back and forth between having chapters in rhyming couplets or as a self contained rhyme.
D'you think I should just stick with one?
2854022 I think that would be the best option.
My mental reaction to browsing and then seeing that you updated:
gifti.me/i/erKxHVw.gif
Interesting story! I am eager to know what happens next!
I am quite curious about the strange “corrections” being made to the terminology he used in his dreams in the early chapters before he met Luna. (By “met”, I mean, talked to.) Was that her doing that? I found his conflicting debate about being naked strange. I wonder what happened to him before Zecora found him, and if something from that time influenced him and caused his lose of memory.
I am liking this story.
that.
A few things though, is the reason he doesn't have any memories the same reason his dreams are blurred.
There are a few story`s where a human ends up not excepting clothing from rarity I like it when this happens especially when they are trying to make the human a decent person, so are you going to make him work for some bits so he can buy clothing from her (for walking around ponyville) so he's not walking around like
Anyway keep it up and for the story
out of five
Update?