Striped Scars

by ezio dementay

Kindness And Comfort.

Zecora slowly ascended from her lying position, throwing the pure white hospital sheets off of herself. A throbbing headache appeared in her head the moment she sat up on the bed. She looked over to Fluttershy who gave her a reassuring nod. After a few moments of doubt Zecora lifted herself from the bed.

A splitting pain appeared in her legs as soon as her hooves hit the white, marble floor. She flinched as a cry of pain escaped her muzzle. Fluttershy quickly rushed to her side as Zecora fell to the floor, supporting the zebra to keep her from falling.

“I don't think you can walk yet.” the pegasus said in a concerned tone. “Come on, you can lean against me.” Fluttershy said as she wrapped her wing around the stumbling zebra to support her. Zecora nodded as a faint blush appeared on her face. The sudden touch took her by surprise. She could feel the pegasus' feathers rustle against her back, they felt so.. soft. Zecora nodded at the pegasus causing Fluttershy to slowly step towards the hospital's exit.

The trip to Fluttershy's cottage wasn't an easy one. Her wounds made it almost impossible for Zecora to walk. No words were spoken, Zecora couldn't reply anyway. The journey seemed to take ages, but Fluttershy was never one to rush. She had to be careful with her fragile friend.

The two stumbled through the snowy winter night. The stars remained hidden behind the gloomy clouds that filled the sky. The rural town of Ponyville, and it's lights, stood far behind them. They could see a dim glow on the horizon as they looked back at the town.

The sound of the trees rustling in the cold wind filled the air. As the snowflakes blew against their faces, making the journey that much harder. Fluttershy was quite surprised by the sudden snowstorm that seemed to have enveloped the lands surrounding Ponyville in a thick layer of snow overnight.

Their hooves disappeared in the blanket of white snow as they continued on their journey. A soft crushing sound could be heard every time their hooves burrowed through the snow. A cold shiver shot down the pegasus' spine.

Zecora wasn't doing any better. Her entire body felt stiff, cold, and numb. As they walked, Zecora started to wonder what Fluttershy's home was like. She was wondering what the yellow mare herself was like.

Zecora had noticed Fluttershy around Ponyville but she never really paid any attention to the shy mare until now. “Why is she being so kind to me?” Zecora thought as she looked at the yellow pegasus at her side, her pink mane flowing in the icy wind.

Suddenly, a small light appeared in the darkness. They could faintly see its glow through the fading snowstorm. “That must be it.” Zecora thought. A small blanket of snow laid on the roof of Fluttershy's wooden cottage. Zecora could see the faint glow of a fireplace through the frosted window. The snowstorm was still raging in their ears.

Fluttershy left the zebra's side to open the door. Zecora peered through the opening, the cottage seemed very cozy at first glance. Several framed pictures lined the wooden walls of the place. Zecora stumbled inside, the snowflakes blowing past her. The snowstorms cries were silenced the moment Fluttershy closed the door.

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Fluttershy sighed contently as she felt the warmth of her home sweep over her. She walked over to her fireplace and threw a couple of logs on the fire, brightening the flame. Zecora stumbled awkwardly across the wooden floor. She felt exhausted.

A feeling of pity hit Fluttershy as she got a clear look at the wounded zebra. The burning chaos had more than roughed Zecora up. Fluttershy looked into the mare's eyes and noticed a deep cut on her face, running across her eye. Her coat was covered with burn wounds and scars. She hadn't realised how severe the zebra's injuries were until now.

Zecora noticed Fluttershy staring at the scar that ran across her face. She turned her head the other way to hide her wound as a tear escaped from her eye. A feeling of compassion came to Fluttershy. “I'm afraid I don't have a spare bed..” the pegasus said softly. “But you can sleep in mine..”

Zecora's ears perked. “I can't accept that.. She has already done so much for me..” she thought. She looked the shy mare in the eyes, shaking her head in disagreement before walking over to the stuffy couch that stood close to the fireplace.

Fluttershy quickly trotted over to the zebra, putting a comforting hoof on her shoulder. "Zecora.. I insist." The zebra bowed her head in defeat. The pegasus led her wounded friend upstairs. As soon as Fluttershy opened the door to her bedroom, a white blur jumped through the opening.

Zecora noticed that it was a young little bunny with a coat as white as winter. He had the cutest beady eyes that the zebra had ever seen. He hugged his owner's leg to greet her. The pegasus had been gone for an entire day and he was starting to get worried.

Suddenly, angel noticed the second mare in the room. He tilted his head as he gave Zecora a curious look. "Hello Angel, this is Zecora, she will be staying with us for a while so be nice." the pegasus said sternly, knowing far too well how mischievous her furry little friend could be.

Fluttershy nudged Zecora's flank to help her up on the large, wooden bed, a couple of red, woollen sheets lied atop of it. The zebra crawled underneath the covers. She flinched in pain as the covers slid past her burn wounds. Fluttershy gave her a soft smile. "You just lay still while I make you a nice hot bath ok?" she asked in a caring tone. Zecora nodded meekly in response.

Zecora's rough mane brushed against the soft pillow as she looked up at the ceiling. It was dark outside but the lamp standing on Fluttershy's night stand enveloped the room in a dim light. The sound of running water could be heard coming from the bathroom as the hot steam flowed through the air.

Fluttershy's bed felt surprisingly comfortable to Zecora. She was used to sleeping on the pile of hay that laid in her home. A heavy feeling of sadness hit her mind. "My home.." she thought. "It may not have been much but it was still my home.." Where would she go? She couldn't rely on Fluttershy's kindness forever.

She heard the pegasus hum a cheery tune from the bathroom. A small smile appeared on the zebra's face as she listened intently. "She has such a sweet voice.." she thought to herself as she wiggled further underneath the warm covers. The enticing smell of cherry blossom filled her nose. It was the smell of the beds original owner. For a few moments, Zecora felt truly happy.

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Zecora lowered herself into the steaming water. She smiled as the smell of herbs filled her nose. The tension in her muscles slowly started to fade away as the warmth enveloped her entire body. A let out a content sigh before she dipped her head underwater.

She emerged from the water with a sway of her head causing her normally roughly styled mane to flow down her head. A faint blush appeared on Fluttershy's face as she looked at the sight. Zecora almost looked like a different person with her hair down. She could barely recognize her.

She allowed the warmth of the water and the smell of the herbs to dull her mind. After a good twenty minutes of bathing, Zecora crawled out of the tub. Fluttershy walked over to the zebra and started to softly dry her with the towels. Zecora was still felt weakened by her wounds, she could barely stand.

Fluttershy gave the zebra a soft smile when she finished drying her off. “You should wear your mane like this more often. You look beautiful.” she said softly, immediately smiting herself mentally for making such a bold statement.

A furious blush crept across Zecora's muzzle. She opened her mouth to thank Fluttershy but ended up coughing heavily. She flinched from the pain in her throat. Zecora was starting to get frustrated. She was never much of a talker but never before had she lost her ability to talk. Fluttershy put a comforting hoof on the zebra's shoulders as she handed her a glass of water.

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Fluttershy slowly crept underneath the blankets, making sure that she left enough room for Zecora. The little bunny hopped onto the bed, taking has place at his owner's foot end. Fluttershy turned to the zebra. "Sleep well Zecora.." she smiled before closing her eyes. They where both worn out.

Fluttershy felt surprisingly comfortable in her bed for a change. She wasn't so afraid of the nightmares when Zecora lay beside her for some reason. Maybe it was just the feeling of not being alone for once. She looked over at the zebra lying next to her. Her black and white mane was still flowing over her shoulders. She allowed her eyes to wander over the mare's curves, closely admiring the zebra's body. She quickly averted her gaze as she realised what she was doing.

"Are you insane!?" she asked herself. "This poor mare comes to you in her time of need and all you can do is droll all over her. Besides, there's no way that she's like you. She's got enough on her mind without you taking advantage of her like this." Fluttershy had always been pretty good at hiding her feeling. The only pony who knew was her long time friend Rainbow Dash.

Zecora looked over at the sleeping pegasus lying next to her. She smiled to herself as she listened to the adorable sound of Fluttershy's snoozing. She crawled underneath the covers, resting her head on the soft pillow. She looked out of the window and noticed that the snowstorm was still raging outside. "If it wasn't for this pegas.. for Fluttershy. I would be out there in the cold right now.." A tear escaped her eyes as she shifted closer to the slumbering pegasus. A single thought appeared in her mind as she stared at the ceiling.

"Is this friendship?"

(Thanks again to Vozzle and lunadashscratch for all their help on this one.)

Comments

[lunadashscratch]

i still love reading it again even after reading it when vozzle sent me it orriginally and im still giving it the rating i would give it normally but i still faved it to make it easy to reread and im involved but my ratings for it are unbiased and it has earned that 5 stars

[ezio dementay]

186302 i'm just glad that people really like this story and enjoy reading it.
i'm macking the next chapter now so.... yeah i'll see what happens.

[MagicMissingno]

Zecora X Fluttershy? Well I am open when there's a Fluttershy shipping.

[The Incredible Werekitty]

Zecora is a very underutilized character.

[ZaeroZX]

Great story so far.
Also Angle's name has been under cased many times, just saying

[Fillyfooler]

Good, Good but remember that these are ponies not people, just some gramma mistakes. But yeah keep going

[ezio dementay]

203267 glad your enjoying the story but inception? now that i look at this, it is kinda like inception.

[Mauser1888]

Excellent story! I'm looking forward to reading more.

[Hexy]

Woah, Fluttershy, forward thinking much? I like the mane down Zecora you decided to put in here. It's yet one more thing that Zecora and I have in common. Now if only my hair would grow out faster...

Also, I'm no expert, but I'm fairly certain that steaming water on burn wounds, especially the kinds that Zecora would have suffered in that fire, would be excruciatingly painful. I know that the bath is important to the story, it gives a scenario where Zecora's mane gets wet and Fluttershy comments on it, but perhaps you could replace it with a more realistic sponge bath? Not only would it still allow for the wetting of the mane, if played out right, but it would also create an awkward scene full of close proximity and physical contact, which I think would go great here. I mean, I know I wouldn't mind a sponge bath from my Fluttershy...